FEATURE: The First Cut Is the Deepest? Why Even Mediocre Songs from My Young Years Hold Up Today

FEATURE:

 

 

The First Cut Is the Deepest?

PHOTO CREDIT: Bruno Guerrero/Unsplash

Why Even Mediocre Songs from My Young Years Hold Up Today

 __________

I have written before…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay

how nostalgic reminiscence can be a dangerous thing. That is what people say. Especially if you indulge in it too much. In the coming weeks, I might venture into writing about the current weather and how environmental destruction and global warming might not only effect how musicians’ travel plans, but it also may impact vinyl production and shipping. I think we will see artists play less often abroad. Many others will do fewer gigs. In terms of production of C.D.s, vinyl and physical music, that is sure to be effected by climate change. It is all very worrying and grim but necessary. These things need to be discussed, as artists, venues and manufactures will need to adapt and rethink. In the current year, I don’t think there is anything wrong succumbing to the lure of nostalgia and escapism. It is impossible to lock away and ignore the issues swirling around us. In order to detach and offer some form of relief and stability, music from my past has been more and more important. I think most people, when they listen back to music from their past, take everything from their youngest years up to the age of eighteen, perhaps. That is what I am doing. Right now, I am exploring and reacquainting myself with music from high school. I entered high school at age eleven in 1994 and left five years later. It was a magnificent time for music. One of the things I noticed, not only about my high school favourites but songs from earlier than that, is that a lot of them are a bit naff. That might be a subjective call, but they are either one-hit wonders, tracks from great artists that do not stand up again their best work, songs that are not seen as brilliant, or others that are obviously quite shocking. I am not going to drop them in here in case of offending those artists, but the first album I bought with my own money was Now That’s What I Call Music! 24. That came out in 1993 - I was about nine or ten when I bought it. There are a few tracks from that album that are not exactly awesome.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @mohammadmetri/Unsplash

I guess there are psychological reasons why we latch onto particular tracks. Some might be quite child-like or catchy (but lack any real depth). Others might hit us at a very difficult time and offer comfort, whereas there might be a part of brain that has a soft spot for particularly mediocre songs. I have been feeling a bit conflicted listening back to songs form my childhood and teenage years that other people dislike. Should I feel embarrassed liking a song that is clearly not that good or credible?! There are some that are important because they were released at a challenging or exciting time in life. Others have something about them that appeals to a sense of compassion – maybe adopting these songs that others do not. In any case, I have found that these nostalgic songs have not faded in the years since! I have not really revisited many and decided that, at the time, I was foolish for liking them. Many other people feel the same. If we heard these so-so songs now for the first time, our opinions might be very different. I don’t think there is any such thing as a guilty pleasure song. Everything has its place. I am proud to play loud songs that would make others cringe or be seen as uncool and dated. Maybe the reason people like me still love these sort of records is because they are unmovable and intrinsic part of our growing up. Formative days that are defined by music, whether good or bad.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rocinante_11/Unsplash

The more I wrap myself inside the warm cocoon of nostalgia and better years, the more I am rediscovering and enjoying some of the more questionable tracks in my collection. One might argue that, if I love these songs so many years later, then it must mean they are great. There are many songs that, undoubtably, are just plain bad or dated. I think that all music, good or bad, resonates at a point in our life either because we need them at the time and they go deep, the soundtracks of our young and teenagers lives mirror our own. I treasure great memories from those days, but I also think that others, whether they are hard, tragic, boring or just plain dumb, are just as important. I would not want to get rid of them. In the case of the songs, I owe these tracks a debt. They have widened my tastes and appreciation of music. Each have played their part and scored some great memories. There is a great comfort in hearing these older tracks and realising that, for better or worse, they keep me looking forward. These mediocre songs have not waned or lost significance. I feel uncomfortable and plain wrong subjugating or erasing a song from my memory because I am grown up and it seems embarrassing to like particular music. Without these songs, I think I would be a different person. Genuinely. They have made a difference when I needed them. They have provided a few smiles. They have lodged in my head when I needed them most. More than anything, I still love these tracks today and, when playing them, I am transported back to an easier time. Of course, we cannot live in the past and pretend we can go back! Though it is nice that we can escape. If only for a brief time. If you have been uneasy spinning tunes from your past that you would not embrace easily, get over that and understand how important this music is. They meant something to you then, so why bother about whether they are cool tracks or they are not among the best?! This music asked nothing of you and, for one reason or another, they made an impression on you. And for that alone, you should be…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @floschmaezz/Unsplash

VERY grateful indeed!

FEATURE: A Never for Ever Jewel… The Brief Majesty of Kate Bush’s Night Scented Stock

FEATURE:

 

 

A Never for Ever Jewel…

PHOTO CREDIT: Clive Arrowsmith

The Brief Majesty of Kate Bush’s Night Scented Stock

__________

THIS is going to be a short Kate Bush feature…

which is kind of fitting, as the song that I am covering is very short. The shortest song on any Kate Bush album. Whereas Aerial’s (2005) Aerial Tal is 1:02, Night Scented Stock runs in at a mere fifty-two seconds! Not to be confused with the flower of the same name, Night Scented Stock is an instrumental song consisting entirely of layered, wordless vocals. It is a series of breathy and gorgeous sounds. There are a few reasons why I am writing about this song. I am thinking more and more about Bush’s catalogue, and the fact that very few of her songs are played. I was among those to congratulate her on Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) going to number one after being featured on Stranger Things. It is a marvellous song but, since then, I feel radio stations have been playing it more than any other. Hounds of Love (the album it is from) is featured more than any of Bush album. I feel this rather narrow radio worldview of her music will remain rigid because songs like Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) are successful and commercial. Think about 1980’s Never for Ever and how under-explored that is. Aside from Babooshka, not a lot else is played. Maybe Army Dreamers and Breathing, but you never get the deeper cuts played. I have also been thinking about song length and how an album like 50 Words for Snow is a more expansive work that allows songs to unfold and unfurl more gradually.

I love the fact that Bush, on her most recent studio album (2011), pushed so far away from the radio-friendly and immediate sound that many artists write. Whereas it takes guts to write longer songs and engage and keep people hooked, it might be even more difficult to write very short tracks and make them work. There are a few short songs/links on Aerial’s second side, a Sky of Honey. Up until Never for Ever, Bush had not written anything as brief as Night Scented Stock. If Bush had meant it as a sorbet or bridge between the beautiful and swooning The Infant Kiss and the haunting and affecting Army Dreamers, it is much more than that. I think, if she jumped from The Infant Kiss to Army Dreamers, it might have been a little jarring. The songs are very different in tone and sound, so you need a little bit of a transition. Consider the fact Breathing follows Army Dreamers, it is wise having this moment of heavenly escape and something almost otherworldly before we get there. To me, it is like being out at night and smelling the jasmine or perfume of flowers. Maybe a song that you could see sung at church or used as this sort of hymn. I am not sure whether Bush had this song intended as something longer with lyrics, or whether it was a late addition to Never for Ever that she couldn’t add to another song but did not want to scrap.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Phillips

I love her vocals on this track. Consisting of ‘ahs’ and ‘ooos’ for the most part, it coos and seduces! You get the impression of multiple voices twirling and tangling with one another. Everyone will imagine their own visuals and what the song is about. It is a fascinating standout in her discography as there are no lyrics. Bush has not really discussed its origins. Not the only instrumental she has written, it is so different to anything on Never for Ever. It shows how productive and varied her songwriting was around the time. Producing Never for Ever with Jon Kelly, Bush had a lot more freedom regarding what type of sound and songs could feature on her albums. This wouldn’t have been the case with The Kick Inside and Lionheart (both 1978). Although Night Scented Stock sandwiches between The Infant Kiss and Army Dreamers, it could also easily fit between The Wedding List and Violin (which would have allowed some brief calm before the rush and raw energy of Violin). It is this mobile and utilitarian song that you can use to bridge two very different numbers. I feel Night Scented Stock should be known more widely. Maybe it is too short for a radio spin, but it is under a minute long, so it could perfectly slip into the playlist without too much fuss. I feel people would be intrigued by it. It is a song that not many non-Kate Bush fans have heard. The more I think about Night Scented Stock, the more thoughts come to me. This feature has actually turned out…

LONGER than I thought!

FEATURE: Revisiting… The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting…

The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger

__________

ALTHOUGH they are a popular band…

 PHOTO CREDIT: David James Swanson

and can be considered a supergroup – consisting of Jack White (vocals, guitar), Brendan Benson (vocals, guitar), Jack Lawrence (bass guitar), and Patrick Keeler (drums) -, their third studio album, Help Us Stranger, does not get as much play and attention as their previous two. Released on 21st June, 2019, I wanted to spend time with it. I wonder whether the band will release a fourth studio album. Jack White put out two albums this year, so you have to think he has been too busy to think of working with The Raconteurs. I hope they do have more work in them. Help Us Stranger is a fantastic album that went to number one ion the U.S. and scored positive reviews across the board. It may be their best-received and successful album to date. With Brendan Benson and Jack White proving what an incredible songwriting partnership they are, Help Us Stranger is a triumphant album. Few expected The Raconteurs to put out a third album. their first studio album in eleven years since Consolers of the Lonely (2008), Help Us Stranger was recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. I am going to come to a couple (of the many) positive reviews for a tremendous album. Prior to that, Entertainment Weekly featured an interview with Jack White and Brendan Benson in promotion of Help Us Stranger:

“There have been numerous (in)famous pairings throughout music history: Mick and Keith. Sonny and Cher. Metallica and Lou Reed. So how to characterize Jack White and Brendan Benson, of rock quartet the Raconteurs? Well, according to White, they might just be the oddest of the bunch.

“We both really inspire each other, but we both think each other is the strangest person,” says White. “Brendan’ll say to me, ‘You are just the weirdest guy I know.’ It’s so funny, every time he says that, I wanna say it back to him, but I don’t wanna argue with him! Most of the people I’ve loved and admired — mentors I’ve had — are people I’ve found to be odd. Not at first glance, but maybe as time goes on. I find an appeal to their eccentricities.”

Their collaboration proved wondrous rather than strange on Help Us Stranger, the new, long-time-coming Raconteurs record. The band’s 2005 debut, Broken Boy Soldiers – along with lead single, “Steady As She Goes” — were nominated for Grammys. And in the 11 years since their second album, Consolers of the Lonely, fans and critics alike have been eager for more of the lineup’s driving, precise, and clever melodies.

“It was just timing, we never broke up or anything,” explains Benson of the group’s decade-long absence. “There wasn’t some epiphany. I was busy producing and writing, Jack was busy with his solo career, and Patrick [Keeler, drummer] moved to Los Angeles. So when Patrick came to visit Nashville recently we got together and jammed; it was really fun and I think we actually recorded some stuff.” (Bassist Jack Lawrence, who also plays in the Dead Weather with White, is the fourth full-time member.)

The first song the group tracked was a cover that appears on the album, a lesser-known Donovan song called ‘Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness).” “Right from the get-go it was like, ‘Press record, let’s go, we’re doing this.’ Not much discussion, not much planning — as is often the case with the Raconteurs,” says Benson, laughing.

However, there was a method to their madness. “The morning we recorded [“Hey Gyp”] I heard [the Donovan original] on the radio in my car,” says White. “It was this trick I’ve used over the years, which is to record someone else’s song — any song will do — just to get our brains working on the first day back in the studio. Then we’ll move on to our own stuff. It’s an icebreaker; like if you’re at a party, and you just bring up the weather.” The only issue? “This trick usually backfires, and we end up falling in love with the song and having to put it on the record. I did that on [Little Willie John’s] ‘I’m Shakin’ on my solo record and with Bob Dylan’s ‘New Pony’ on the Dead Weather’s first album.”

That spiritual intuition comes through in the dozen tracks off Help Us Stranger. Like the previous two Raconteurs releases, the album title is the plural version of a song on the record (“Help Me, Stranger”). “It’s one of those things that the band thinks is funnier than it actually is in real life,” says White, laughing.

Given White’s fame, he admits he’s a stranger to very few, though anonymity is one of his fondest wishes: “My favorite thing is to be at the airport and not be recognized and be able to just talk to people. That’s a blessing. Once they recognize me, the conversation’s over, basically. It’s a shame, because they’re coming with preconceptions, so it’s kind of ruined.”

With the exception of “Hey Gyp,” White and Benson wrote all of Help Us Stranger. Though the duo generally work separately on the lyrics, Benson explains, “we might help each other out on a few words now and then; if somebody gets stuck on something, it’s always great to have another brain.” White, an encyclopedic musical obsessive, adds, “It’s nice to have that much songwriting history that has come before you, because it gives you a lot of places to say, ‘Oh well, that’s been done,’ or ‘Don’t go there; someone’s tried that, and it didn’t work.’ It gives you places to aim for and places to stay away from, to be knowledgeable of that history.” White even harkens back to the Bard for inspiration. “William Shakespeare, whether it’s a comedy or his love sonnets — I think those are, of course, the most incredible work. It’s almost like written by God herself.”

The release of Help Us Stranger also finds the duo dissecting their music and process in the press, which wasn’t done with their last release. Consolers of the Lonely dropped almost as a surprise in 2008. (Per White, “Years later, you saw Beyoncé doing it, and everyone was flipping out. ‘Oh, it’s amazing! The record just came out of nowhere.’ We were like, ‘Wait a minute, we did that like eight years ago,’ which clearly wasn’t the right time to try it.”)

“I think all artists would probably rather create and not talk about it, in a perfect world. It would be as hard for a painter to describe a painting,” adds White. “But at the same time, you’re putting it on a record store shelf, you’re going onstage, you’re trying to share it with people. You’re trying to see if there’s anybody out there who can dig it, and if they do, you keep going with it. That could be a hundred people. You never know what’s gonna happen. You’ve just gotta go with your gut”.

Before I wrap things up, I want to source some reviews. There is so much to enjoy when it comes to Help Us Stranger. Even if you do not know about the band, you will be instantly interested and won over by their chemistry and amazing songwriting. This is what AllMusic wrote about their 2019 album:

“Reconvening after a decade's absence, the Raconteurs resemble nothing less than a guild of craftsman united by taste and work ethic on their third album, Help Us Stranger. Ever since their debut, the quartet displayed a shared love for the rock and pop made before the advent of MTV, and while they've never abandoned an aesthetic steeped in FM radio, they've gotten livelier with each passing LP. Which isn't to say Help Us Stranger is a slack, loose affair. One of its considerable pleasures is how Brendan Benson encourages Jack White to stick to a strict outline and color within the lines, trends the latter largely abandoned on his willfully obtuse 2018 album Boarding House Reach. There are jokes and asides peppered throughout Help Us Stranger -- the best of these is an intentional skip at the start of the title track, the kind of thing that will drive vinyl freaks batty upon the initial listen -- but the album is distinguished by its velocity, a momentum delivered as much through writing as it is through performance. Whether they're stitching together individual ideas or writing in tandem, Benson and White are full collaborators, honing their hooks and melodies so they're gleamingly lean, then they dress up these handsome bones with squalls of guitar, vintage synths, campfire acoustics, ghostly piano, gypsy violin, and thundering rhythms. On the surface, the sound may seem as retro as the record's tight 42-minute running time, but that's where the Raconteurs' dedication to craft comes into play. The group intentionally works with old tools so they can fit within an album-rock tradition, yet they have little interest in re-creating the past. Apart from a hypercharged cover of Donovan's "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)," none of the songs bear hallmarks of another time; the tunes teem with modern-day ennui, right down to White's gripes about cell phones. Despite this contemporary flair, what keeps Help Us Stranger lively is how the Raconteurs blend and mix barbed pop and blues skronk so their classicism seems fresh, not stale”.

I shall leave things with an excellent and glowing review from DIY. They had some very kind words to say about one of the very best albums from 2019. Help Us Stranger proved that the band lost none of their excellence and stride eleven years after their second studio album:

“11 years since the release of second LP ‘Consolers of the Lonely’, it seemed unlikely that we’d ever be staring down the barrel of a new Raconteurs record. Having quietly gone on hiatus at the turn of the decade, co-frontman Brendan Benson then declared a few years later that the hiatus was actually more of a split, and talk of the supergroup that he, Jack White, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler had first unleashed back in 2005 soon dwindled away. In the interim, Brendan released a couple more solo records, and Jack L and Patrick continued playing in various projects – most notably those connected to Big Jacky W, who… well, safe to say the prolific star hasn’t exactly been lazy since.

First teasing their return last year, the advent of a new album proper should yield the obvious question that’s floored so many bands attempting a second spin of the wheel: coming back to a musical landscape that’s changed immeasurably in the interim, where do they fit in 2019? And yet, now as ever, The Raconteurs don’t really fit anywhere. Theirs is a union as progressive as a tin can on a piece of string, as zeitgeist-chasing as an old man playing shuffleboard; the beauty of The Raconteurs is in the timeless joy of hearing two world-class songwriters, cut from two very different sides of a similar cloth, come together to make something if not greater, then at least as good as the sum of their considerable parts. And in that sense, ‘Help Us Stranger’ succeeds, and then some.

If Jack White has always been the bigger star pull in this operation, then on the band’s third, the two frontmen stand perhaps on more equal footing. Of course, it’s the White Stripes legend who underpins the likes of ‘Live A Lie’ and ‘Only Child’ with fizzing fretwork and strange piano inserts, but it’s Brendan whose more major-key driven, simple melodies bring something fresh to the table. The sassy kiss-off of the Jack-led ‘What’s Yours Is Mine’ or the histrionic, wild-eyed fire of ‘Don’t Bother Me’ are classic White and make for easy highlights, but they’re also more familiar; having released solidly for years, we know what Jack can do. But it’s when the pair truly come together, on the stadium stomp of opener ‘Bored and Razed’ or the lighters-aloft ‘Now That You’re Gone’ that The Raconteurs remind exactly why there’s a place that still remains for them as a unit. Whether they continue ablaze or leave it another 10 years, it’s a place always worth returning to”.

I will round up soon. If you have not heard Help Us Stranger, then go and listen to it now. I am surprised that songs from it are not really played on the radio. With no filler or any weaknesses, this is a work that needs to be picked back up and shared. Take some time with Help Us Stranger and…

LISTEN to it now.

FEATURE: And Feel Your Arms Around Me: A Truly Original Visionary: My Five Favourite Kate Bush-Directed Videos

FEATURE:

 

 

And Feel Your Arms Around Me

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for 2011’s Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

A Truly Original Visionary: My Five Favourite Kate Bush-Directed Videos

__________

I have been thinking about…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush directing the Hounds of Love video/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

Hounds of Love, as the album was featured in the latest edition of MOJO. They explored its creation and importance because so many new fans have discovered it. That is no small part because of Stranger Things’ use of Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). After that single and video was released, Kate Bush started to direct her music videos. I suspect that she was keen to direct during The Dreaming. I know she was quite involved when it came to the concept and look of the title track’s video. Hounds of Love’s title track came out on 24th February, 1986. That was the first video that Bush directed solo. She directed two further videos in 1986: one for The Big Sky (from Hounds of Love) and one for Experiment IV (from the greatest hits collection, The Whole Story). Bush has directed videos on and off after that. The latest one she directed was Kate Bush: Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe. Alongside videos, she also directed the 1993 short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve. I think she is a very accomplished and visionary director with her own style. Although she is influenced by directors like Alfred Hitchcock (which you can definitely see in Hounds of Love’s video), I really admire her concepts, colour palettes and ideas. To celebrate that, I wanted to present the five videos that Kate Bush directed. In previous features, I have selected my five favourite music videos of hers. This one is specifically about the videos she directed. It is a hard decision ranking them, as she has directed some incredible videos! Maybe you have different opinions, or there are great videos that I have missed out. Regardless, this is my ranking of the best five music videos…

THAT Kate Bush directed.

____________

1: The Big Sky

Single Release Date: 28th April, 1986

Producer: Kate Bush

From the Album: Hounds of Love (1985)

Background:

“The Big Sky' was a song that changed a lot between the first version of it on the demo and the end product on the master tapes. As I mentioned in the earlier magazine, the demos are the masters, in that we now work straight in the 24-track studio when I'm writing the songs; but the structure of this song changed quite a lot. I wanted to steam along, and with the help of musicians such as Alan Murphy on guitar and Youth on bass, we accomplished quite a rock-and-roll feel for the track. Although this song did undergo two different drafts and the aforementioned players changed their arrangements dramatically, this is unusual in the case of most of the songs. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, Issue 18, 1985)

'The Big Sky' gave me terrible trouble, really, just as a song. I mean, you definitely do have relationships with some songs, and we had a lot of trouble getting on together and it was just one of those songs that kept changing - at one point every week - and, um...It was just a matter of trying to pin it down. Because it's not often that I've written a song like that: when you come up with something that can literally take you to so many different tangents, so many different forms of the same song, that you just end up not knowing where you are with it. And, um...I just had to pin it down eventually, and that was a very strange beast. (Tony Myatt Interview, November 1985)” – The Kate Bush Encyclopedia

2: Experiment IV

Single Release Date: 27th October, 1986

Producer: Kate Bush

From the Album: The Whole Story (1986)

Background:

“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)” – The Kate Bush Encyclopedia

3: Hounds of Love

Single Release Date: 24th February, 1986

Producer: Kate Bush

From the Album: Hounds of Love (1985)

Background:

“When I was writing the song I sorta started coming across this line about hounds and I thought 'Hounds Of Love' and the whole idea of being chasing by this love that actually gonna... when it get you it just going to rip you to pieces, (Raises voice) you know, and have your guts all over the floor! So this very sort of... being hunted by love, I liked the imagery, I thought it was really good. (Richard Skinner, 'Classic Albums interview: Hounds Of Love'. BBC Radio 1 (UK), 26 January 1992)

In the song 'Hounds Of Love', what do you mean by the line 'I'll be two steps on the water', other than a way of throwing off the scent of hounds, or whatever, by running through water. But why 'two' steps?

Because two steps is a progression. One step could possibly mean you go forward and then you come back again. I think "two steps" suggests that you intend to go forward.

But why not "three steps"?

It could have been three steps - it could have been ten, but "two steps" sounds better, I thought, when I wrote the song. Okay. (Doug Alan interview, 20 November 1985)” – The Kate Bush Encyclopedia

4: Rocket Man

Single Release Date: 2nd December, 1991

Producer: Kate Bush

From the Album: Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin (1991)

Background:

“I was really knocked out to be asked to be involved with this project, because I was such a big fan of Elton's when I was little. I really loved his stuff. It's like he's my biggest hero, really. And when I was just starting to write songs, he was the only songwriter I knew of that played the piano and sang and wrote songs. So he was very much my idol, and one of my favourite songs of his was 'Rocket Man'. Now, if I had known then that I would have been asked to be involved in this project, I would have just died… They basically said, 'Would we like to be involved?' I could choose which track I wanted… 'Rocket Man' was my favourite. And I hoped it hadn't gone, actually – I hoped no one else was going to do it… I actually haven't heard the original for a very long time. 'A long, long time' (laughs). It was just that I wanted to do it differently. I do think that if you cover records, you should try and make them different. It's like remaking movies: you've got to try and give it something that makes it worth re-releasing. And the reggae treatment just seemed to happen, really. I just tried to put the chords together on the piano, and it just seemed to want to take off in the choruses. So we gave it the reggae treatment. It's even more extraordinary (that the song was a hit) because we actually recorded the track over two years ago. Probably just after my last telly appearance. We were quite astounded when they wanted to release it as a single just recently. (BBC Radio 1 interview, 14 December 1991)

I remember buying this when it came out as a single by Elton John. I couldn’t stop playing it - I loved it so much. Most artists in the mid seventies played guitar but Elton played piano and I dreamed of being able to play like him. Years later in 1989, Elton and Bernie Taupin were putting together an album called Two Rooms, which was a collection of cover versions of their songs, each featuring a different singer. To my delight they asked me to be involved and I chose Rocket Man. They gave me complete creative control and although it was a bit daunting to be let loose on one of my favourite tracks ever, it was really exciting. I wanted to make it different from the original and thought it could be fun to turn it into a reggae version. It meant a great deal to me that they chose it to be the first single release from the album.

That meant I also had the chance to direct the video which I loved doing - making it a performance video, shot on black and white film, featuring all the musicians and... the Moon!

Alan Murphy played guitars on the track. He was a truly special musician and a very dear friend. Tragically, he died just before we made the video so he wasn’t able to be there with us but you’ll see his guitar was placed on an empty chair to show he was there in spirit. (KateBush.com, February 2019)” – The Kate Bush Encyclopedia

5: The Sensual World (with Peter Richardson)

Single Release Date: 18th September, 1989

Producer: Kate Bush

From the Album: The Sensual World (1989)

Background:

“Because I couldn't get permission to use a piece of Joyce it gradually turned into the song about Molly Bloom the character stepping out of the book, into the real world and the impressions of sensuality. Rather than being in this two-dimensional world, she's free, let loose to touch things, feel the ground under her feet, the sunsets, just how incredibly sensual a world it is. (...) In the original piece, it's just 'Yes' - a very interesting way of leading you in. It pulls you into the piece by the continual acceptance of all these sensual things: 'Ooh wonderful!' I was thinking I'd never write anything as obviously sensual as the original piece, but when I had to rewrite the words, I was trapped. How could you recreate that mood without going into that level of sensuality? So there I was writing stuff that months before I'd said I'd never write. I have to think of it in terms of pastiche, and not that it's me so much. (Len Brown, 'In The Realm Of The Senses'. NME (UK), 7 October 1989)

The song is about someone from a book who steps out from this very black and white 2-D world into the real world. The immediate impressions was the sensuality of this world - the fact that you can touch things, that is so sensual - you know... the colours of trees, the feel of the grass on the feet, the touch of this in the hand - the fact that it is such a sensual world. I think for me that's an incredibly important thing about this planet, that we are surrounded by such sensuality and yet we tend not to see it like that. But I'm sure for someone who had never experienced it before it would be quite a devastating thing. (...) I love the sound of church bells. I think they are extraordinary - such a sound of celebration. The bells were put there because originally the lyrics of the song were taken from the book Ulysses by James Joyce, the words at the end of the book by Molly Bloom, but we couldn't get permission to use the words. I tried for a long time - probably about a year - and they wouldn't let me use them, so I had to create something that sounded like those original word, had the same rhythm, the same kind of feel but obviously not being able to use them. It all kind of turned in to a pastiche of it and that's why the book character, Molly Bloom, then steps out into the real world and becomes one of us. (Roger Scott, Interview. Radio 1 (UK), 14 October 1989)” – The Kate Bush Encyclopedia

FEATURE: Groovelines: M.I.A. – Paper Planes

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

M.I.A. – Paper Planes

__________

JUST over…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Dyson/Getty Images

fourteen years ago, the fantastic M.I.A. released a track that ranks alongside her very best. The final single from her second studio album, Kala, Paper Planes is a magnificent song. In fact, Kala turned fifteen earlier this month. It is an album that I would urge everyone to hear. Paper Planes was produced and co-written by M.I.A. and Diplo. Among the notable layers of the song is the interpolation of The Clash's 1982 song, Straight to Hell. The music video for Paper Planes depicts M.I.A. as an undercover dealer and features images of paper planes flying overhead. Paper Planes was M.I.A.'s biggest commercial success to that point, entering the top twenty on the U.K. and four on the U.S.  Billboard Hot 100. It is a magnificent song from an artist who is releasing her sixth studio album, MATA, later this year. She has released the new single, Popular. It proves that she has lost none of her brilliance and consistency! There are a couple of articles about Paper Planes that I want to introduce. I was interested discovering more about the origins and success of Paper Planes. ODD MAG looked into the meaning of the song last year:

“That’s amazing,” said recording artist M.I.A. in 2018 when she heard that her hit song Paper Planes earned her the Number 1 spot on NPR Music’s The 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women. “I’ve never come first at anything. Like definitely a massive historical moment in my journey, to be recognized as someone who’s made this song. It’s nice because to me it’s so layered. And it did represent a time where we had the financial crisis and also the immigrant stuff, also it’s about sort of mixing genres. To me, it has a lot of memories and meaning. Yeah, people still like the song, which is kind of amazing.”

Determined to record her second album and in a move that prioritized the Global South against American imperial hegemony, M.I.A. decided to record on the road, sampling local music on the album in countries like India, Trinidad and Tobago, Liberia, Jamaica, and Japan. The result was explosive and M.I.A. further cemented her sound of multicultural mashups, described as “a pastiche of hip-hop, electro, Jamaican dancehall, reggaeton, garage rock, Brazilian baile funk, grime, Bollywood bhangra and video game soundtracks”.  Responding to accusations and describing her music in her own words, M.I.A. said, “I don’t support terrorism and never have. As a Sri Lankan that fled the war and bombings, my music is the voice of the civilian refugee.”

This voice was particularly loud on Paper Planes, a song which catapulted M.I.A. into stardom. With its catchy melody and banging baseline, the song was featured in an exhilarating montage sequence of children hustling to make money in the film Slumdog Millionaire and is perfectly matched to the raw scenes depicting courage, brotherhood and extreme poverty.

With Paper Planes, M.I.A. established herself as that rare pop artist who addresses politics and brings issues into the mainstream. Positioning herself in this way rendered her the target of a censorship campaign and being constantly badgered about her music and it’s messages. Providing further clarification about her hit song, M.I.A. said, “[it’s] about people driving cabs all day and living in a shitty apartment and appearing really threatening to society. But not being so. Because, by the time you’ve finished working a 20-hour shift, you’re so tired you just want to get home to the family. I don’t think immigrants are that threatening to society at all. They’re just happy they’ve survived some war somewhere”.

In another article, the Financial Times delved deep into one of the greatest songs of the first decade of this century. I hear Paper Planes played a lot today, and it still holds that power to really affect you. A track that helped define the Noughties, it is a shame that Paper Planes was met with some controversy upon its release (M.I.A.’s music was not being played on Sri Lankan radio or television due to government pressure as the Sinhalese–Tamil conflict in Sri Lanka dragged on). It is unquestionable now that Paper Planes is a modern classic:

“Paper Planes” is not a paean to gangster life, but a mocking, coruscating attack on the pernicious, superficial assumptions people make about that which is unfamiliar, those who are “other”. Fuelled by the British-Sri Lankan rapper’s own experiences as a refugee and her personal indignation at being refused a working visa in the US due to her alleged — and denied — links to Tamil militia groups, M.I.A. (real name Mathangi Arulpragasam) set about skewering the febrile post-9/11 climate of xenophobic paranoia in which ethnic diversity became more or less synonymous with danger. As she put it in an interview at the time: “[they thought] that I might fly a plane into the Trade Center.”

And while the song’s title refers to counterfeit visa documents, it cannot help but also evoke the Maoist phrase “paper tiger” — broadly meaning something or someone whose perceived threat is entirely illusory. The wickedly sardonic implication here is that immigrants, feared to be terrorists, are in fact a threat to no one, or just “paper planes”.

The track’s musical reference points are similarly wide-ranging. Despite being labelled as a hip-hop record, the song is freighted with a pugnacious, punkish attitude that is driven by the extended sampling of the hook from a single by The Clash (who are credited as co-writers): 1982’s “Straight to Hell” — a track that likewise attacks nativism. The chorus of “All I wanna do”, meanwhile, appears to stem from new jack swing ensemble Wreckx-N-Effect’s concupiscent 1992 hit “Rump Shaker”. The line here is used as a winking response to M.I.A’s  purported criminal intentions and is later followed by the equally arch “Some I murder/some I some I let go”.

Despite boasting such a light, acerbic touch and an irrepressibly catchy melody, it wasn’t until it was featured in the trailer for the stoner comedy Pineapple Express — and, perhaps more appositely, in an exhilarating montage sequence of Indian children grifting in the Oscars-sweeping Slumdog Millionaire — that the song exploded into the mainstream, going multi-platinum in the US and reaching the top 10 in charts across the globe.

Soon enough, all the biggest names in hip-hop were queuing up to pay homage to “Paper Planes”. 50 Cent remixed it, Rihanna and Dizzee Rascal covered it at their live shows, and a rap supergroup of Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and T.I. built an entire song around the sample of the line “No one on the corner had swagger like us”. A heavily pregnant M.I.A. joined the rappers in a rendition of “Swagga Like Us/Paper Planes” at the 2009 Grammys — a performance so electrifying that it was named as one of the 50 key events in the history of world and folk music by The Guardian”.

I was eager to spend some time with M.I.A.’s Paper Planes. As she is preparing a new album, it is worth looking back at one of her biggest songs. If you have not heard the track – or not listened to it for a while -, then go and play the incredible Paper Planes. The 2008 track is…

AN extraordinary thing.

FEATURE: Oh, Here I Go, Don't Let Me Go… Hounds of Love’s Bewitching and Fascinating Title Track

FEATURE:

 

 

Oh, Here I Go, Don't Let Me Go…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in the video for Hounds of Love/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush 

Hounds of Love’s Bewitching and Fascinating Title Track

__________

IN this part…

of four new features I am writing about Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love (after MOJO recently dived into the album for their new edition), I am coming back to the stunning title track. To many, Hounds of Love is the finest track from the album of the same name. Maybe The Ninth Wave (the conceptual second side of the album) is more accomplished and impressive; many feel Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) is better (and more successful). To me, Hounds of Love is one of the very best song Kate Bush ever released. Her was the first video that she directed too, and I love what she did with it! Coming to the MOJO feature on Hounds of Love, and they talk about songs like the title cut as being Pop…but not as we know it. I am going to expand on something writer Andrew Male observed about the incredible Hounds of Love. Before getting there, let’s read some interviews from Kate Bush where she discussed the origins of the spectacular title track:

“['Hounds Of Love'] is really about someone who is afraid of being caught by the hounds that are chasing him. I wonder if everyone is perhaps ruled by fear, and afraid of getting into relationships on some level or another. They can involve pain, confusion and responsibilities, and I think a lot of people are particularly scared of responsibility. Maybe the being involved isn't as horrific as your imagination can build it up to being - perhaps these baying hounds are really friendly. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, 1985)

The ideas for 'Hounds Of Love', the title track, are very much to do with love itself and people being afraid of it, the idea of wanting to run away from love, not to let love catch them, and trap them, in case th hounds might want to tear them to pieces and it's very much using the imagery of love as something coming to get you and you've got to run away from it or you won't survive. (Conversation Disc Series, ABCD012, 1985)

When I was writing the song I sorta started coming across this line about hounds and I thought 'Hounds Of Love' and the whole idea of being chasing by this love that actually gonna... when it get you it just going to rip you to pieces, (Raises voice) you know, and have your guts all over the floor! So this very sort of... being hunted by love, I liked the imagery, I thought it was really good. (Richard Skinner, 'Classic Albums interview: Hounds Of Love'. BBC Radio 1 (UK), 26 January 1992)”.

Lyrically, as Andrew Male observes, Hounds of Love starts out like a short story. “Told in the first person, about a child convinced she is being hunted by dogs who, like an image from a medieval bestiary, embody the imagined pain and responsibility of romantic love”. I love how Bush was seen by many as a Pop artist in 1985, yet her music is complex and cannot be easily defined. What I love most about songs like Hounds of Love is how they are accessible and easy-to-love, but they are also detailed, intelligent and can be interpreted in different ways. It is Pop, I guess, as the song is popular. Compare Hounds of Love’s title track with anything else that was being released at the time. Released as a single on 24th February, 1986, Bush’s contemporaries were not doing what she was! It reached number eight in the U.K. and featured drums by Charlie Morgan and Stuart Elliott and cello from Jonathan Williams. It is addition of instruments like the cello that lends this unique edge and sophistication. Many define 1980s Pop with being about synthesisers and drum machines. Bush was using this too, but she could elevate and distinguish her songs with something more elegant, classical, and unexpected. Andrew Male, for MOJO, looked at the different phrases and lyrical references. The fact that she opened with dialogue from the 1957 horror film, Night of the Demon (directed by Jacques Tourneur), shows that this is a more cinematic song.

Male asserted that Bush recontextualised this ghostly and urgent piece of film dialogue as she saw love (through this song) as a “runic malediction”.  She was fleeing from these hounds of love. One can almost imagine physical beings! Although the video does not show a monster or animals chasing Bush and her lover, you feel that something lurks in the dark. Bush’s own dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, can be seen on the cover of Hounds of Love (the album). I always think of them when hearing the title track though, in the photograph, they are asleep as Bush gives a relaxed look to camera. In the song, she imagines something far more sinister. In the lyrics, Bush does employ violence and harrowing images to enforce this message: “I found a fox caught by dogs/He let me take him in my hands/His little heart, it beats so fast/And I'm ashamed of running away”. Bush sings about being a coward and never knowing what’s good for her. We get these images of something coming through the trees, chasing Bush. Among the hounds of love, whether physical or mental, Bush/the heroine feels safe arms around her. The listener can see Hounds of Love as a horror setting or drama where Bush, as a young woman, is being hounded by dogs and chased by spirits and something demonic. Throughout Hounds of Love, you get songs that reference horror and dark psychology. Maybe you picture this woman wrestling with anxiety, doubts, fears, and past experiences of love.

In the MOJO feature, Andrew Male continues: “Gradually, subtly, these two strands, the childlike fear and the feral invocation, begin to merge…”. I like how there is this childlike aspect together with something more grown-up and relatable (to me). It is spellbinding Pop music. Bush’s vocals change from terrified to erotic. She sort of submits to love and passion. We almost feel her grow through the song. From a child scared by visions and things racing through the trees and coming at her in the night; then, this fleeing and stepping into the water. Maybe a baptism, rebirth or unshackling of her fears and psychological terrors, what emerges is this more lustful and braver woman who seems like the heroine on the album cover: someone more relaxed, passionate, and comfortable. Of course, there is no correlation between Bush’s cover and the title track’s hounds. I just get that connection in my head. I never really thought to think about Hounds of Love as this artistic and deep Pop song that had all these different interpretations and possibilities. It is so catchy and easy to hear, you do not necessarily dig deep or stop and unpick it – so thanks to MOJO for opening that particular avenue! That is the beauty of Kate Bush. Songs reveal new layers and possibilities all of these years later! A brilliant title track that I feel should have been a number one, it also boasts a phenomenal video. Bush’s direction and presentation of the track is fascinating. It is like you are watching something pulled from the big screen. I first heard Hounds of Love as a child, and I have loved the song ever since. It is one of the reasons I have pursued and adored her music since. It is clear that there are…

NO songwriters quite like her.

FEATURE: Step On: Shaun Ryder at Sixty: The Best of Happy Mondays and Black Grape

FEATURE:

 

 

Step On

Shaun Ryder at Sixty: The Best of Happy Mondays and Black Grape

__________

A music legend…

who has led Happy Mondays and Black Grape, Shaun Ryder turns sixty on 23rd August. He is a terrific songwriter and singer who was one of the pioneers and key voices of the Madchester scene during the late-1980s and early-1990s. To mark his upcoming sixtieth, I wanted to put together a playlist featuring the best songs from Happy Mondays and Black Grape. Before getting there, AllMusic have some biography about the great man:

“Shaun Ryder was the poster boy for rock & roll excess in the late '80s and early '90s, at least in the U.K. As the potty-mouthed, drug-using leader of the Happy Mondays, Ryder was voted most likely to become an international star as well as the next rock & roll casualty in pre-Brit-pop Great Britain. Ryder was born in Manchester, England, on August 23, 1962. In 1982, Ryder formed the Happy Mondays, drawing upon '60s psychedelia, '70s funk, and '80s house music. The group released its debut LP, Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out), in 1987, but it didn't have the impact of its follow-up, Bummed, appearing a year later. Bummed thrust the Happy Mondays into the open arms of indie purists who once choked on anything on the dance charts. Ryder's sleazy, rap-influenced vocal style was more punk than funk, reflecting the street talk of club-hopping Manchester youths.

However, it didn't translate well in America, as the band's third full-length, 1990's Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches reached the country on a wave of hype that sank once commercial radio refused to bite. While "Step On" received some attention on alternative stations -- then only a handful -- the Happy Mondays' real audience was in England, as Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches hit number one on the U.K. charts and Ryder's love of narcotics provided fodder for the tabloids. Ryder's heroin addiction and the lackluster sales of 1992's critically roasted Yes, Please tore the band apart. In 1993, Ryder formed Black Grape, further developing the Happy Mondays' party-all-the-time sound with a greater emphasis on rap and funk. Black Grape's first album, 1995's It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah, debuted at number one in England.

Another Black Grape album, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, followed in 1997 but the band fell apart the next year. Ryder quickly returned to a reunited Happy Mondays, which toured through 2000. Next up, Ryder released the solo album Amateur Night in the Big Top in 2003, but this venture proved short-lived. He returned to another incarnation of the Happy Mondays -- one that only featured himself, Bez, and Gaz Whelan -- in 2004 and after some live shows, including festival dates in 2005, the group released the "Playground Superstar" single in 2006.

The full-length Uncle Dysfunktional followed in the summer of 2007, and the group toured the record throughout the year. This version of the Happy Mondays splintered in 2010, after which Ryder appeared on the tenth series of the reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! An autobiography called Twisting My Melon arrived in 2011 and, over the next few years, he was a regular fixture on U.K. television, even scoring his own program, Shaun Ryder on UFOs, in 2013.

The original lineup of the Happy Mondays reunited in 2012 for a tour and they continued to tour into 2013, teasing the possibility of an album of new material. Before that materialized, the Mondays celebrated the 25th anniversary of Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches with a tour in 2015 and, afterward, Ryder switched gears and reunited Black Grape for a tour commemorating the 20th anniversary of It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah. Black Grape leapfrogged the Happy Mondays in Ryder's priorities, with the reunited band releasing Pop Voodoo in the summer of 2017”.

I hope that a lot of Shaun Ryder’s music gets played on 23rd August. Happy Mondays have suffered some tragedy recently (Ryder’s brother died; bandmate Bez’s dad also died), so I do hope things improve for them and they can tour far and wide. With nobody quite like him in the music industry, we need to cherish…

THE magnificent Shaun Ryder.

FEATURE: I Want Alchemy: Why I Want to Own an Expensive Purchase or Prized Item Relating to Kate Bush

FEATURE:

 

 

I Want Alchemy

Why I Want to Own an Expensive Purchase or Prized Item Relating to Kate Bush

__________

I wanted to ask a question…

for this Kate Bush feature. If we had a few hundred pounds set aside for a rare Kate Bush piece of memorabilia or item, what would that be? I got to thinking about it after looking at an old lot that advertised some early handwritten lyrics. Included were the original lyrics for The Man with the Child in His Eyes. For anyone who knows anything about Kate Bush, this is something of a treat! She wrote this song at the age of thirteen. That might explain why it is in pink felt tip. I like to think that she was at school at the time and was daydreaming! Her first real love, Steve Blacknell, claims the song was about him. I believe he was the one who may have allowed it to be put back up for auction (as I understand he did have the lyrics in his possession). I would not let them go! It is an incredibly mature song, and I love the fact that The Man with the Child in His Eyes was written in hot pink felt tip, complete with Bush’s putting little circles where the dots should be for the letter ‘I’. I think handwritten lyrics would be very hard to come by now. If you are a fan, it is worth looking on 991.com to see what comes up. I am not sure whether there are many original lyrics circulating. I know Bush has written fan letters that go to auction sites, but there is something more precious about handwritten lyrics. To frame those and have them for the rest of your life would be something amazing! Not that I necessarily have hundreds to spend on a Kate Bush item, but I recently asked about merchandise and offering a new range for fans.

It would be great to have this special memorabilia or piece that you could preserve and show off to people. I know there are coffee table photobooks that retail for quite a lot. They are pretty great. I guess what I mean is something rare. I have written features about Before the Dawn, as the residency is eight next week (the first date of twenty-two was 26th August, 2014). Having a piece of the set or something from that residency would be awesome! I think maybe having a prototype or early design of the poster or programme would be a must-have for fans. That takes my mind to 1979’s The Tour of Life. There must be rare memorabilia from that time, in the form of posters, programmes and that sort. I think there are websites where you can buy these, but I wonder if there is something a little rarer from that time that people might not know about. I wonder how many outfits from that tour are available and have not been discarded. I know that she had quite a few costume changes. To own the outfit that she wore for James and the Cold Gun or Wuthering Heights. The clothing side of things is interesting. Consider all the videos and live performances. It would seem foolhardy to bin all of these, and one suspects Kate Bush herself does not own many of these. I guess costume designers and friends might have these but, as a piece of Kate Bush history, having something she actually wore would be very exclusive. Not in any weird way either. This is not about fetishising or being sexual. It is a connection with an artist who made this ground-breaking tour. You would keep it somewhere specials. I don’t know. I am not sure how much there is in the way of anything more extensive than handwritten lyrics such as journals or Bush’s writing. I feel some demos on cassette would also be must-own.

Bush’s early recordings from 1975 and before would be a prized possession. I know The Cathy Demos were bootlegged and you can hear them on YouTube. I wonder what happened to the tapes that she recorded on at East Wickham Farm as a child and young teen? I can imagine that many are still in the family, but you can only imagine how much has been collected through the years. Album cover designs and early tracklistings would also be really great. I think that rare (non-personal) photos would be treasured by fans. There have been photobooks – including her brother John Carder Bush’s essential KATE: Inside the Rainbow -, but there will be others that have never seen the light of day or the right project. From a personal level, any polaroid or early photo of Bush at her home whilst composing songs for The Kick Inside would be near the top of my list. Though you’d think they’ll be in her hands at the moment. All of this got me thinking what that one item would be. The one that you’d pay good money for and ensure that it never left your possession. I would love anything related to The Tour of Life or Before the Dawn, whether that is reissued merchandise, drawings, private sketches, outfits, or anything Bush has handwritten (stage directions or any drafts or scripts). My favourite album is The Kick Inside, so the very first copy of that would be gold dust I mean the very first copy of the album that was made for vinyl.

Although the handwritten lyrics for The Man with the Child in His Eyes is right near the top of my list, Wuthering Heights is a song that endlessly fascinates me. I am not sure what memorabilia would be available for it. I know the song was recorded quickly, so there aren’t going to be demos or various takes floating on tape. Although Bush wrote the song one summer’s night at her piano whilst looking out of the window, you have to image there are lyrics somewhere. Anything in the way of studio notes or anything handwritten relating to that song. I would pay pretty much anything for that! The fact Wuthering Heights is her debut single makes it very rare and treasured. Something jotted down even from Kate Bush regarding the song. We will never get video or audio of the conversations happening when she recorded and oversaw the mix late into the night. It is great that we have memorabilia and there are auction sites where fans can purchase something lesser-known and hard-to-find. One wonders just what is in the archives, Bush’s collection and somewhere in the world. I think every Kate Bush fan has an idea of what they would want to own if there was something rare available. I would like nothing more than to own a rare sketch, early cover or tour set design or, as I said, handwritten lyrics for a classic song. If your chosen Kate Bush items was available for purchase…

WHAT would you go for?

FEATURE: Spotlight: Camden Cox

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

Camden Cox

 __________

HERE is an artist…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Amelia Walker for 1883 Magazine

that I featured on my blog back in 2017. She has forged a wonderful career and has accrued a loyal and loving fanbase. I wanted to push her music to more people. Someone who I think is going to be a big name, she is an amazing songwriter and D.J. If you have not heard of the wonderful Camden Cox, then do make sure that you check her out. It has been a very busy past few years for the incredible Cox. I think that she will continue to put out music that you just have to listen to. Earlier this month, she released her phenomenal new song, Elevated. I will come to an interview that is based around that. Before that, here is an interview from 2020. VENTS MAGAZINE spoke to Camden Cox about her recent success, in addition to what she had coming up for the rest of that year:

“With the major recognition you got last year – do you feel increased pressure with your new material?

Not at all, if anything it’s just inspired me and my project! I have so much cool stuff in the making so it’s given me a bit of a platform to get my own music out there! I’m feeling proper motivated, especially since I released ‘Healing’ a few weeks ago and it’s doing pretty well, I can’t wait to show more.

What other music do you have coming up over the coming months?

Another exciting collab, plus my next single!! 2020 is looking good!

Any plans to hit the road?

Not immediately, but it’s definitely a dream of mine so watch this space…

What else is happening next in Camden Cox’s world?

You’ll be hearing a lot more of my songwriting! I have co-writes coming out that I’ve done for other artists so I’m really buzzing about that because songwriting is a huge part of what I do, and I’m proud of everything that I’m a part of”.

Camden Cox is a respected and inspiring D.J. As an artist, she may be new to you. I am not sure whether there is an album coming later in the year, but you definitely need to have her on your radar. Someone who I have a lot of respect and admiration for, Camden Cox is one of Britain’s finest voices and talents. I hope that the music and interviews I have dropped in here give you a greater impression and understanding of Cox. Next, I want to draw from 1883 Magazine’s interview with her:

“You have been in the dance world for such a long time but I think it shows a lot about how seriously people take their artistry when they are interested in exploring other areas. From a listener’s perspective, artists who get involved in the production and have input show that they care about their art in all aspects of it.

Yeah, I think, to be honest, I always want to go bigger and better. That’s just always been who I am. I’m always trying to aim higher. I think what made me believe that I could expand my skills that was during lockdown I learned vocal produce and learn and understand all of the ins and outs of vocal production. I never used to record my vocals. I used to just be the singer and the writer and when I added that to my toolkit, I started to think that I could probably lean into a bit of production. Then I thought maybe I could start DJing because it’s all about waveforms and knowing the sequences of the bars, the keys to the songs and the BPMs. It’s like a jigsaw that you can bring together.

How do you think this has changed you as an artist?

I think seeing the crowd’s reactions and what makes them tick was just really inspiring. Although I was concentrating because I didn’t want to make any mistakes, I was keeping an eye on what the crowd was loving and when they moved away and went to get a drink, or when they all started to dance. I got some amazing tips from MistaJam as well because the music that I make is quite euphoric and emotional.

The tips that MistaJam had given me were “you don’t have to stick to the dark, emotional euphoric vibes because people are going to want to party, pick your songs wisely.” He let me have freedom of what I played, but he gave some great words of advice to help the crowd not to switch off. I know that it can differ for each venue and time slots and the vibe of the night, I just thought you know what, this is a great opportunity to just pay a lot of my songs. So the set ended up being 80% of my songs. I wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t given me those tips. I think that’s why I was so so chuffed with how it went down as well. because knowing that it was a lot of my songs that people were dancing to, and there was one that maybe people didn’t realize I’d written in there as well. Seeing people sing along to them was just… Well, it was a massive eye-opener for me that I’ve come a long way. So it’s an amazing feeling.

Do you think now you’ve seen a different perspective of your music that writing will be different for you?

I think it will be. it’s helped me to understand what crowds want and what they want to dance to and when to drop the more emo moments. When to make them cry and when to pick them back up again. I think it just helps you understand the dynamics of dance music.

I’m just curious, how different is it to be able to play your music to people and watch them react to it compared to singing it live and watching them react then? It must be different.

It’s weird, it’s so different because when I’m singing, I’m so lost in my world in my head and thinking about getting the vocals perfect. I don’t have a chance to see what the crowd is even doing. Evert time I come offstage, it’s sad because I don’t even remember half of it because it is so overwhelming. Whereas with this, the concentration and my world in my head are there when I mix a song but then I’ve got two minutes of the song to play out and I can channel it into the room. It’s like being in a different dimension. When I’m DJing, I have two different dimensions and I can nip in and then nip back out whereas with singing, I feel like I’m just in that one dimension and I don’t even see the crowd’s reaction, I get so lost in the moment when I’m singing. My lyrics are quite raw, I think I delve deep into the emotion when I’m singing them. This gave me a whole new perspective where I could be present in the room at the same time”.

Prior to winding things up, I will quote from an interesting House of Solo interview. Elevated is a blinding new track from the sensational Camden Cox. As an interviewee, artist, and D.J., she is so compelling and impressive. I am going to look with interest to see what comes next from her. Everything Camden Cox has a hand in is magnificent:

“Over’ is your first release since signing with RCA, tell us more about the concept and meaning behind the single?

The song is about that crazy transition after you’ve broken up but you’re both still hanging around – unable to let go! Feelings are all mixed up and you’re questioning whether it’s actually the end.

To coincide with the release you’ve also shared the music video, how was the filming process? The video captures the essence of the song.

Ahhh I loved helping out the concept together for the video, I knew exactly what I wanted it to portray, as I basically wanted to recreate the exact moment I went through it. The house we filmed in was so cold! I think my lips may have even turned blue under my lipstick but it was absolutely worth it, the crew smashed it!

MistaJam called you “one of the most prolific songwriters in the dance music world”. What is your creative process when writing music and how do you get into the zone whilst writing?

I always start with melodies, once the producer has laid down some lush chords I just start doing my thing without thinking about it too much. It’s usually the first idea that turns out to be the best! Sometimes I just improvise on the mic and find the vibe, then I add the lyrics to it! I absolutely love it.

What have been some of your favourite tracks to write to date?

Kx5 feat. Hayla – Escape! I’ve been a huge fan of kaskade and deadmaus, heavily influenced by them, so to have written one of their tunes was another pinch me moment! I’ve actually written my next single with Hayla as well, so you can expect some of the same vibes – it’s another of my faves!

I’ve read that you’ve done sessions with Gorgon City, 220 Kid, LP Giobbi, Anabel Englund and Meduza. How was that experience and what did you learn whilst in sessions with them?

All of the above are absolute icons so to be honest, surreal! We all have the same taste in music so it’s a nice process with all of them. I gain confidence working with these kinds of artists because the talent is incredible, so to collaborate is an honour!

Having made some great dance driven music, what are some of your earliest music memories of dance music and what inspired you to pursue making within the dance genre?

My mum promoted drum and bass nights in Lincoln and Birmingham when I was super young so I grew up with her mixtapes! My voice suits heavy beats as well so it was kind of a no brainer for me to fall into dance music. I love anthemic music so that’s all I’ve ever wanted to make!

What are some of your goals for the rest of the year?

I have my first festival booking which is so exciting – so if I can get more of those I’ll be happy! I love performing live so getting back on stage is the main thing, I also can’t wait to release some of this new music I’ve been working on! I’m so ready”.

If you get a chance to see her play or perform near you, then definitely do go! Keep an eye out on her official website and social media channels. Someone who is primed and ready for the major stages and big leagues, Camden Cox is a sensation! If you have not heard her or she is new to you, then make sure that you go and…

SHOW her some love.

___________

Follow Camden Cox

PHOTO CREDIT: Joe Magowan

Official:

https://www.camdencoxofficial.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/camdencoxmusic/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@camdencoxmusic

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CamdenCoxMusic

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5mNpMP01Co4vXZ3U0fWP3C

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOlWZHyhlKHOKwi7N1Vwt4g

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/camdencoxmusic/

FEATURE: The One I Love: R.E.M.’s Document at Thirty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

The One I Love

R.E.M.’s Document at Thirty-Five

 __________

AN album that took R.E.M. to the mainstream…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Bill Berry, and Michael Stipe in Athens, Georgia, on 8th April, 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

Document is less mainstream than many of their albums. As articles like this explain, R.E.M. were trying to reflect the reality of the world in 1987, rather than release an album that was radio-friendly or followed their past work. Released on 31st August, 1987, I wanted to mark the upcoming thirty-fifth anniversary of R.E.M.’s fifth studio album. In my mind, one of their very best works, Document is an album that did not necessarily win over all critics. Perhaps less celebrated than Automatic for the People (which is thirty in October), it is a remarkable album that features a few of their best songs. My standout is the single, It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine). Before coming to a couple of reviews for Document, there is a great article from Udiscovermusic.com from last year that revisits R.E.M.’s fifth studio album. The legends from Athens, Georgia were about to put College Rock to mainstream audiences:

“For R.E.M., 1986 had been a pivotal year. The band’s fourth album, the brash, yet highly accessible Lifes Rich Pageant had rewarded them with their first gold disc, while their extensive Pageantry tour of the US had garnered considerable critical acclaim. As 1987 rolled around, confidence was at a high within the R.E.M. camp. The Athens, Georgia, quartet had already worked up a clutch of promising new songs for what would become their fifth album, Document, and they had completed a successful initial studio session with new producer Scott Litt prior to Christmas ’86.

Litt had already assembled an impressive CV. He began his career as a studio engineer during the late 70s, working on recordings by artists as diverse as Carly Simon and Mott The Hoople’s Ian Hunter. He debuted as a producer in 1982 with The dB’s Repercussion album, a record R.E.M. was already familiar with, having shared stages with the band. In fact, the two groups’ histories would continue to intertwine when The dB’s co-frontman, Peter Holsapple, later joined R.E.M. as their fifth member on the Green tour and then played on Out Of Time.

R.E.M. and Litt began their fruitful, decade-long partnership with the successful recording of the quirky “Romance.” Though intended for the soundtrack of the film Made In Heaven, the song also later featured on the rarities compilation Eponymous. Litt reconvened with the band at their regular demo studio – John Keane in Athens – for an extensive demo session, before R.E.M. took a break and briefly embarked on extracurricular activities, including some studio contributions to Warren Zevon’s Sentimental Hygiene album.

The band was back in the harness with their new producer at the end of March, with all of April ’87 given over to the recording of Document at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Several of the songs had already been worked up onstage, and the band’s keen pre-production work paid dividends: for Document, R.E.M and Scott Litt captured the sound of a rock band at the absolute top of their game, capable of taking on all comers.

The accessibility that seeped from Lifes Rich Pageant’s every pore was again apparent, but this time around the band had taken things up a gear. Indeed, the R.E.M. of Document was a sinewy, muscular rock beast, primed and ready to dominate the airwaves. Peter Buck’s distinctive jangle and chime were still apparent on “Disturbance At The Heron House” and “Welcome To The Occupation,” but, for the most part, his guitar playing took on a sharp, steely quality. Accordingly, he turned in some of his most memorable recorded performances: launching “Finest Worksong” with urgent, metallic riffs; embroidering the swampy funk of “Lightnin’ Hopkins” with Andy Gill-esque tension and atonality; and punctuating the band’s supercharged cover of Wire’s “Strange” with a neat, Nuggets-style psych-pop solo.

Meanwhile, the newfound confidence and vocal clarity Michael Stipe proffered on Lifes Rich Pageant continued apace, and on Document he summoned up a clutch of startling performances: bending and twisting his voice like an old time preacher around “Lightnin’ Hopkins” and rattling off a rapid-fire alternate history of the 20th Century on the exhilarating “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).”

Lyrically, the socio-political concerns Stipe addressed on Lifes Rich Pageant again loomed large. Featuring barbed observations such as “Listen to the Congress where we propagate confusion/Primitive and wild, fire on the hemisphere below,” “Welcome To The Occupation” was widely reputed to be a commentary on American intervention in South America. The deceptively infectious “Exhuming McCarthy” also delved into political hypocrisy, drawing a parallel between the communist-baiting of the Joe McCarthy era of 50s American politics and the recent Iran-Contra affair during which senior politicians under President Ronald Reagan had secretly facilitated the sales of arms to Iran: a country which was then under an arms embargo.

Sonically, Document also afforded the band the chance to further broaden their palette. Special guest, Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, added his distinctive saxophone skills to “Fireplace,” while lap steel and dulcimer colored the hypnotic, raga-like “King Of Birds.” From their earliest days recording Murmur with Don Dixon and Mitch Easter, R.E.M. had always relished the opportunity to try out different sounds and textures – and experimental approach that would continue through Green and Out Of Time, wherein the band members often swapped instruments and fashioned new songs from riffs and melodies worked up on acoustic instruments such as mandolins and accordions”.

Maybe some R.E.M. fans have not heard Document. I would advise them to ahead of its thirty-fifth anniversary in 1987. Before rounding off, I want to highlight a couple of positive reviews for an amazing album. Pitchfork reviewed Document back in 2012:

“Released in September 1987, R.E.M.'s fifth album, Document, contained something no one ever expected to hear from the Athens band. It wasn't the Wire cover or Steve Berlin's saxophone skronking through "Fireplace". It wasn't Michael Stipe singing what purported to be a love song, which he had sworn at one point never to do. The record packed an even bigger surprise: an actual radio hit. Before the year was over, "The One I Love" had peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard singles chart, and this was back when that meant something. It was R.E.M.'s first foray into a mainstream crowded with hair metal bands, mall-pop acts, and AOR interchangeables. Few of these acts would survive the decade, but this unlikely smash signaled only the start of the group's prolonged ascent.

How did this Southern rock band, who had more in common with Wire than with then-popular Peach Staters Georgia Satellites, find a spot in the public consciousness alongside U2, Guns N' Roses, and George Michael, who all more or less owned 1987? R.E.M. cultivated an air of mystery that extended from their music (the obscure lyrics, the refusal to lip sync in videos) to the packaging (mismatched tracklists, head-scratching instructions to "File Under Fire").

And "The One I Love" was an odd choice for a hit: Peter Buck's guitar possesses a rich, strange grain that charges the song with vague menace, especially when he unspools that psych-rock solo, and the mosaic hook itself is split between Stipe shouting "Fire!" in an empty theater and Mike Mills adding a descending countermelody. Lyrically, the song is one contradiction twisting into another: "This one goes out to the one I love/ A simple prop to occupy my time." Twenty-five years later, it remains nearly impossible to parse the implications of that particular couplet; on the other hand, 25 years later, it's still worth trying, as the latest in Capitol Records' reissue series proves.

If 1985's Fables of the Reconstruction was their most self-consciously Southern record to date and 1986's Lifes Rich Pageant their most overtly political, Document maintained both their regional self-definition as well as their indirect social engagement, even going so far as to sample Joseph Welch reprimanding Joseph McCarthy. ("At long last, have you left no sense of decency?") The album is a prolonged meditation on the idea of labor, opening with "Finest Worksong" before teasing out the implications on "Welcome to the Occupation". The defiantly chipper "Exhuming McCarthy" opens with the clack of Stipe's typewriter, connecting the work of the band with that of the journalist, and even "Fireplace" is less about the dance party than the preparations for it: "Hang up your chairs to better sweep, clear the floor to dance," Stipe sings, twisting his lines with each repetition until the entire building has been dismantled in an act of constructive destruction”.

I want to end with the BBC’s take on Document. Often ranked alongside R.E.M.’s best albums, I think that it sound relevant to this day. Reaching number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, Document is one of the best albums of the 1980s. If they hit a peak in the early-1990s, I think that albums like Document are hugely important because of the firepower, melodies and incredible performances from Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe:

“Back in 1987 R.E.M. were the darlings of college radio and their quirky alternative act had not yet registered on the global stage.

Document was to change all that by being so bloody marvellous that even the mainstream listening audience took the Athens, Georgia-based four-piece to their hearts and propelled them on the road to international superstardom.

Containing their first top 10 hit in the States, The One I Love, and also providing the band with their first platinum album, Document showcases a band at the top of their game and hints at more stunning work still to come.

Featuring Michael Stipe’s increasingly political lyrics and distinctive vocals, combined with Peter Buck's elegantly twisted guitar lines and the superb rhythm section of Mike Mills and Bill Berry, Document doesn’t lose a trick and is a complete rock album from start to finish.

The second single off the album, It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine), cracks along at a scintillating pace and, whilst it didn’t make a big impression on the mainstream charts, is a firm favourite with fans at live shows.

R.E.M. display a wonderful versatility in their songwriting here, and are not content to pen tracks aimed simply for radio play. Other highlights include the wonderfully feedback laden intro to Oddfellows Local 151, the catchy Exhuming McCarthy and Finest Worksong which gives us the cue that this is definitely their finest hour”.

Thirty-five on 31st August, it is one of two R.E.M. albums – the other being Automatic for the People – that have big anniversaries this year. Document is a fantastic album with some of R.E.M.’s deepest and most important material. If you have not spun the record in a while, go and check out the wonderful Document. There is no denying that this phenomenal work is…

ONE of the very best.

FEATURE: Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God): Hounds of Love’s Remarkable Catalyst

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush and Michael (Misha) Hervieu 

Hounds of Love’s Remarkable Catalyst

__________

I did say…

that I wasn’t going to feature Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) before but, as I just got the latest copy of MOJO, I have been inspired by their Kate Bush spread. Of course, as I have said a few times, we are talking about Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) again because it was used in Stranger Things. I will drop in the moment in featured, but I wanted to look at other aspects of the song. I didn’t think of this before, but this track was a catalyst in many ways. Hounds of Love’s best-known song, it was released as the first single on 5th August, 1985. With its B-side, Under the Ivy, this was a remarkably strong start to the album! Bush clearly had a lot of confidence in the song, not only to put it out as the introduction single for Hounds of Love. The song also opens the album. Although it wasn’t the very first thing that she wrote for Hounds of Love, I do think it opened the door and made the rest of the writing process flow more naturally. MOJO made an observation about the song that I want to mention. Before that, and in case you don’t know the story behind Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), then here is some information and detail:

“'Running Up That Hill' was one of the first songs that I wrote for the album. It was very nice for me that it was the first single released, I'd always hoped that would be the way. It's very much about a relationship between a man and a woman who are deeply in love and they're so concerned that things could go wrong - they have great insecurity, great fear of the relationship itself. It's really saying if there's a possibility of being able to swap places with each other that they'd understand how the other one felt, that when they were saying things that weren't meant to hurt, that they weren't meant sincerely, that they were just misunderstood. In some ways, I suppose the basic difference between men and women, where if we could swap places in a relationship, we'd understand each other better, but this, of course, is all theoretical anyway. (Open Interview, 1985)

It seems that the more you get to know a person, the greater the scope there is for misunderstanding. Sometimes you can hurt somebody purely accidentally or be afraid to tell them something because you think they might be hurt when really they'll understand. So what that song is about is making a deal with God to let two people swap place so they'll be able to see things from one another's perspective. (Mike Nicholls, 'The Girl Who Reached Wuthering Heights'. The London Times, 27 August 1985)”.

Moving out of London and setting up operations outside of Sevenoaks, Kent, in 1983, Bush constructed a songwriting room centred around her piano, her Fairlight CMI and an 8-track recorder. She began building a studio at East Wickham Farm (her family home) in 1983, and she moved operations there at the start of 1984. This was her family home where her parents lived, so it provided that security, peace, and inspiration. Demoing a song first called A Deal with God – it was later changed to Running Up That Hill as to not offend conservative countries and territories because of potential blasphemy -, the band arrived to add their parts. Bush’s brother, Paddy, provided some wonderful and essential balalaika part; Del Palmer (one of her engineerd and boyfriend) delivered a pulsating bassline, whilst Alan Murphy’s guitar and drummer Stuart Elliott percussion completed the cocktail. By all accounts, the recording of the song sounded like a lot of fun. I think the mood, the combination of the band and the layers of the song really did provide push and fuel for Kate Bush. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) is a song that has so many twists and different sounds. In terms of the vocals, there is this intoxicating choir call (“Yeah, yeah yo…”) alongside a myriad of emotions.  As MOJO noted, there is an urgency to the delivery of “Come on darling, let’s exchange the experience!”. It is a conversational song whose composition is just as multifarious, nuanced and changing.

It is small wonder the song has endured and hits people all these decades later. Bush’s vocals and lyrics are superb and relate. You can understand what she is saying and why. With such a fascinating and textured vocal, complete with a composition that matches the scale, wonder, and changes the song throws up, it is all topped off with her exceptional production skill and instinct. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) did provide this catalyst. A clear winner of a song, Bush did say later that the album process steadily rolled after that. It is a shame there was trouble regarding the title. In the past, Bush may have fought her corner to keep the title A Deal with God. Maybe feeling this was a battle she could afford to lose, she compromised and changed it to Running Up That Hill – adding A Deal with God in parenthesis. The rest, I guess, is history! Before finishing off, is an accompanying interview and recollection from the person who danced with Kate Bush in the video for Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). Misha (then Michael) Hervieu was the lucky sole who will go down in Kate Bush history. When it came to videos, Bush felt that they did a disservice to dance. Flashy and haphazard images were not what she wanted to do. From Wuthering Heights’ video (her debut single) onward, Bush wanted to bring dance and movement into her work. In 1985, Hervieu was working full-time at  West End circus spectacle, Barnum. Arriving for an audition at the London dance studio, Pineapple, she didn’t know it was for a Kate Bush song at first. “She was hiding a bit”, she recalled to MOJO.

I love the fact that there was this sense of the low-key. Hervieu recalls how there were some issues. At 5”10 – with Bush being more petite -, the choreography meant they didn’t instantly slot in rhythm. Even so, Hervieu noted how Bush could wrap around her like a snake; she could lift Bush high up. Choreographer Diane Gray provided instructions regarding movement and expression. It was a long process more akin to a film than a traditional video. The rehearsals at Bush’s home with arduous and intense. The part where they rugby tackle one another caused Bush to bruise or crack a rib. Hervieu was told to go for it and, complying, it did result in a bit of trouble for Bush! Hervieu now modestly claims how she was “just the dancer” but, as part of a historic and hugely important song, she should be very proud! Now, the song has taken on new life and is seen as this history-making work. In a 2005 MOJO interview, Bush was asked by Tom Doyle – who wrote the new feature about Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) – whether she consciously wrote more melodic and hooky songs following the more experimental and less commercial The Dreaming (1982). Bush did admit there was an element of that. It definitely paid off! The first of four hits singles from Hounds of Love – the others being Cloudbusting, Hounds of Love and The Big Sky -, this year found Bush break Guinness world records: the oldest female artist to reach number one (aged sixty-three); the longest time for a track to reach the top spot (thirty-seven years); the biggest gap between numbers ones (1978’s Wuthering Heights was her first). Think back to 1983 when Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) – just called A Deal with God – was in its embryonic form. It kickstarted Kate Bush’s acclaimed and adored fifth studio album. I wonder whether, in 1983 in that rural home near Sevenoaks and back at her family home in 1984, she knew that this wonderful song would still be discussed and storming the charts…

ALL these years later.

FEATURE: Watching Them Without Her: Merchandise, Streaming and Footage: Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn at Eight

FEATURE:

 

 

Watching Them Without Her

PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features

Merchandise, Streaming and Footage: Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn at Eight

__________

THIS is the second feature…

PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton

I am writing about Kate Bush’s live residency, Before the Dawn. The first night at the Eventim Apollo was on 26th August, 2014. I want to mark eight years since Bush came back to the big stage after twenty-five years away. If she experienced nerves every night, audiences and critics did not detect that. By every account, this was a masterful artist delivering a theatrical and immersive experience that will stay with people forever. I have a few questions and points to make regarding Before the Dawn. Before that and, if you do not know about Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn, here is some information from Wikipedia:

“Before the Dawn was a concert residency by the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush in 2014 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. The residency consisted of 22 dates; it was Bush's first series of live shows since The Tour of Life 1979, which finished with three performances at the same venue. A live recording of the same name was released in physical and digital formats in November 2016.

On 21 March 2014, Bush announced via her website her plans to perform live. Pre-sale tickets were on sale for fans who had signed up to her website and an additional seven dates were added to the original 15, due to the high demand. Tickets were on sale to the general public on 28 March and were sold out within 15 minutes.

With the program, Bush won the Editor's Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards;[3] and was subsequently nominated for two Q Awards in 2014: Best Act in the World Today[4] and Best Live Act but did not win either award.

Before the Dawn was presented as a multi-media performance involving standard rock music performance, dancers, puppets, shadows, maskwork, conceptual staging, 3D animation and an illusionist. Bush spent three days in a flotation tank for filmed scenes that were played during the performance, and featured dialogue written by novelist David Mitchell. Also involved with the production were Adrian Noble, former artistic director and chief executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company, costume designer Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting designer Mark Henderson and Italian Shadows Theatre company Controluce Teatro d'Ombre. The illusionist was Paul Kieve, the puppeteer Basil Twist, the movement director Sian Williams and the designer Dick Bird. The video and projection design was by Jon Driscoll”.

The reaction to Kate Bush bringing Before the Dawn to the people was amazing. I remember hearing the news and the sort of electricity there was. I love the live album of the residency. It is almost like you are there when you listen to it! Bush spent a lot of time mixing and producing the album. It is available on vinyl and, if you can find a copy then go and get it. This is what Pitchfork observed in their review:

“Live albums are meant to capture performers at their rawest and least inhibited, which doesn’t really apply to Before the Dawn. Bush is a noted perfectionist best known for her synthesizer experiments and love of obscure Bulgarian choirs, but her recent work has skewed towards traditional setups that reunite her with the prog community that fostered her early career. With marks to hit and tableaux to paint, the 2014 shows were more War of the Worlds (or an extension of 2011’s Director’s Cut) than Live at Leeds. But never mind balls-out revamps of Bush’s best known songs; with the exception of tracks from Hounds of Love, none of the rest of the setlist had ever been done live—not even on TV, which became Bush’s primary stage after she initially retired from touring. These songs weren’t written to be performed, but internalized. Occupying Bush’s imagination for an hour, and letting it fuse with your own, formed the entirety of the experience. Hearing this aspic-preserved material come to life feels like going to sleep and waking up decades later to see how the world has changed.

“Jig of Life” is the midpoint of Before the Dawn, and its crux. It forms the part in “The Ninth Wave” where Bush’s character is exhausted of fighting against drowning, and decides to succumb to death. A vision of her future self appears, and convinces her to stay alive. “Now is the place where the crossroads meet,” she chants, just as her (then) 56-year-old voice channels her 27-year-old one. Despite her alleged taste for burning one, Bush’s voice has gained in power rather than faded with age. It’s deeper now, and some of the songs’ keys shift to match, but it’s alive and incalculably moving, still capable of agile whoops and tender eroticism, and possesses a newfound authority. When she roars lustily through opener “Lily” and its declaration that “life has blown a great big hole through me,” she sets up the stakes of Before the Dawn’s quest for peace. In Act One, she’s running from the prospect of love on “Hounds of Love” and “Never Be Mine,” and from fame on “King of the Mountain,” where she searches for Elvis with sensual anticipation. She asks for Joan of Arc’s protection on “Joanni,” matching the French visionary’s fearlessness with her own funky diva roar, and sounds as if she could raze the world as she looks down from “Top of the City.”

 Rather than deliver a copper-bottomed greatest hits set, Bush reckons with her legacy through what might initially seem like an obscure choice of material. Both Acts Two and Three take place in transcendent thresholds: “The Ninth Wave”’s drowning woman is beset by anxiety and untold pressures, with no idea of where to turn, mirroring the limbo that Bush experienced after 1982’s The Dreaming. That suite’s last song, the cheery “The Morning Fog,” transitions into Aerial’s “Prelude,” all beatific bird call and dawn-light piano. The euphoric, tender “A Sky of Honey” is meant to represent a perfect day from start to finish, filled with family and beautiful imperfections. “Somewhere in Between” finds them atop “the highest hill,” looking out onto a stilling view, and Bush’s eerie jazz ensemble anticipates the liminal peace of Bowie’s Blackstar. “Not one of us would dare to break the silence,” she sings. “Oh how we have longed for something that would make us feel so… somewhere in between.”

Purgatory has become heaven, and in the narrative Bush constructs through her setlist, “A Sky of Honey” represents the grown-up, domestic happiness that staves off the youthful fears explored on Hounds of Love. For her final song, she closes with a rendition of “Cloudbusting,” a song about living with the memory of a forbidden love, which is even more glorious for all the hope that it’s accumulated in the past 30-odd years. Bush’s recent life as a “reclusive” mother is often used to undermine her, to “prove” she was the kook that sexist critics had pegged her as all along. These performances and this record are a generous reveal of why she’s chosen to retreat, where Bush shows she won’t disturb her hard-won peace to sustain the myth of the troubled artistic genius. Between the dangerous waters of “The Ninth Wave” and the celestial heavens of “A Sky of Honey,” Before the Dawn demystifies what we’ve fetishized in her absence. Without draining her magic, it lets Bush exist back down on Earth”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features

At the moment, you can get a copy, but it is quite expensive. I know there four vinyl albums in there to cover everything but, even if the price can be knocked down to £50 or lower, it would make it more affordable and accessible to fans and those new to Kate Bush. You can stream Before the Dawn on Apple Music. I have asked whether it will come to Spotify or Amazon. I guess Bush wants people to buy the album if they are streaming so, with Apple Music, you can only preview songs for free – there is that possibility in Spotify to stream it all with no charge. I would love to see, if humanly possible, a cassette release of the live album. Maybe it would need to be on four cassettes, but even a triple cassette release would be great. This sort of brings me to merchandise. You can get stuff on eBay, and there is a lot of great merchandise from Before the Dawn. It occurs that there must be programmes, merchandise or other bits either unsold or in new condition. For those people (like myself) who did not see one of the twenty-two dates, it would be wonderful to get merchandise. I would love a programme and poster at a reasonable price. Maybe they could be reprinted. In a couple of years, Before the Dawn turns ten. It is as important as any Kate Bush album. It begs the wider question when we might get merchandise from Kate Bush related to her albums – either in the form of posters or T-shirts and other things like that. Rather than being overly commercial or Bush milking her work, there is a whole new generation of fans who would snap up merchandise. This is true of anything relates to Before the Dawn.

I want to finish, before I get to part of a review for Before the Dawn, to thinking about footage. There was a camera in the venue to film it (though only one or two nights I think). Bush has that footage, but she wanted people to experience the album and not be distracted by a DVD. I think, as it was professionally filmed, there is this demand. I can see what she means though. If you were there, it was a unique experience. It seems like a pale comparison trying to experience the show through your screens. If she does not release the whole performance, maybe official videos would be an idea. Releasing a few tracks on her official YouTube channel would be a treat for fans. I also wonder whether there was any behind the scenes footage of The KT Fellowship rehearsing. Again, if it was a small clip, having some footage from Before the Dawn would be really interesting. It as this special and incredible event that should be treasured. There were many who did not get a chance to see her perform. I am going to round off with a bit of the review from The Guardian:

“Over the course of nearly three hours, Kate Bush's first gig for 35 years variously features dancers in lifejackets attacking the stage with axes and chainsaws; a giant machine that hovers above the auditorium, belching out dry ice and shining spotlights on the audience; giant paper aeroplanes; a surprisingly lengthy rumination on sausages, vast billowing sheets manipulated to represent waves, Bush's 16-year-old son Bertie - clad as a 19th-century artist – telling a wooden mannequin to "piss off" and the singer herself being borne through the audience by dancers clad in costumes based on fish skeletons.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features

The concert-goer who desires a stripped down rock and roll experience, devoid of theatrical folderol, is thus advised that Before the Dawn is probably not the show for them, but it is perhaps worth noting that even before Bush takes the stage with her dancers and props, a curious sense of unreality hangs over the crowd. It's an atmosphere noticeably different than at any other concert, but then again, this is a gig unlike any other, and not merely because the very idea of Bush returning to live performance was pretty unimaginable 12 months ago.

There have been a lot of improbable returns to the stage by mythic artists over the last few years, from Led Zeppelin to Leonard Cohen, but at least the crowd who bought tickets to see them knew roughly what songs to expect. Tonight, almost uniquely in rock history, the vast majority of the audience has virtually no idea what's going to happen before it does.

Backed by a band of musicians capable of navigating the endless twists and turns of her songwriting – from funk to folk to pastoral prog rock - the performances of Running Up That Hill and King of the Mountain sound almost identical to their recorded versions - but letting rip during a version of Top of the City, she sounds flatly incredible.

You suspect that even if she hadn't, the audience would have lapped it up. Audibly delighted to be in the same room as her, they spend the first part of the show clapping everything she does: no gesture is too insignificant to warrant a round of applause. It would be cloying, but for the fact that Bush genuinely gives them something to cheer about.

For someone who's spent the vast majority of her career shunning the stage, she's a hugely engaging live performer, confident enough to shun the hits that made her famous in the first place: she plays nothing from her first four albums.

The staging might look excessive on paper, but onstage it works to astonishing effect, bolstering rather than overwhelming the emotional impact of the songs. The Ninth Wave is disturbing, funny and so immersive that the crowd temporarily forget to applaud everything Bush does. As each scene bleeds into another, they seem genuinely rapt: at the show's interval, people look a little stunned. A Sky of Honey is less obviously dramatic – nothing much happens over the course of its nine tracks – but the live performance underlines how beautiful the actual music is.

Already widely acclaimed as the most influential and respected British female artist of the past 40 years, shrouded in the kind of endlessly intriguing mystique that is almost impossible to conjure in an internet age, Bush theoretically had a lot to lose by returning to the stage. Clearly, given how tightly she has controlled her own career since the early 80s, she would only have bothered because she felt she had something spectacular to offer. She was right: Before The Dawn is another remarkable achievement”.

It may be unlikely a DVD of Before the Dawn will come about but, in terms of lowering the vinyl price, bringing it to cassette, and making it accessible on streaming, that would put it in new ears and minds. Merchandise from the residency will be in demand now. You can get some, but it is pretty expensive. Also, thinking about how amazing the twenty-two shows were, maybe a few clips from Before the Dawn would be a compromise between what we have now and releasing a full concert to DVD. For fans like me, it would be awesome to…

RELIVE some of that wonder and genius.

FEATURE: Inspired By… Part Seventy-Four: Janis Joplin

FEATURE:

 

 

Inspired By…

IN THIS PHOTO: Janis Joplin in 1967/PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Marshall

Part Seventy-Four: Janis Joplin

__________

ONE of the most influential and successful…

female Rock artists of her era, I wanted to include the magnificent Janis Joplin in this feature. With one of the rawest and most powerful voices ever, she has inspired many other artists. In spite of the fact that she died in 1970 at the age of twenty-seven, her legacy remains strong. I am going to come to a playlist of songs from artists who are either influenced by Joplin or they have been compared with her – thus, subconsciously, they have still been inspired by her. Prior to coming to that, AllMusic provide a biography about the amazing and legendary Janis Joplin:

“As well as being one of the finest rock singers of the 1960s, Janis Joplin was also a great blues singer, making her material her own with her wailing, raspy, supercharged emotional delivery. First rising to stardom as the frontwoman for San Francisco psychedelic band Big Brother & the Holding Company, she left the group in the late '60s for a brief and uneven (though commercially successful) career as a solo artist. Although she wasn't always supplied with the best material or most sympathetic musicians, her best recordings, with both Big Brother and on her own, are some of the most exciting performances of the era. She also did much to redefine the role of women in rock with her assertive, sexually forthright persona and raunchy, electrifying on-stage presence.

Joplin was raised in the small town of Port Arthur, Texas, and much of her subsequent personal difficulties and unhappiness have been attributed to her inability to fit in with the expectations of the conservative community. She'd been singing blues and folk music since her teens, playing on occasion with future Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen in the '60s. There are a few live pre-Big Brother recordings (not issued until after her death), reflecting the inspiration of early blues singers like Bessie Smith, that demonstrate she was well on her way to developing a personal style before hooking up with the band. She had already been to California before moving there permanently in 1966, when she joined the struggling San Francisco psychedelic group Big Brother & the Holding Company. Although their loose, occasionally sloppy brand of bluesy psychedelia had some charm, there can be no doubt that Joplin -- who initially didn't even sing lead on all of the material -- was primarily responsible for lifting them out of the ranks of the ordinary. She made them a hit at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, where her stunning version of "Ball and Chain" (perhaps her very best performance) was captured on film. After a debut on the Mainstream label, Big Brother signed a management deal with Albert Grossman and moved to Columbia. Their second album, Cheap Thrills, topped the charts in 1968, but Joplin left the band shortly afterward, enticed by the prospects of stardom as a solo act.

Joplin's first album, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, was recorded with the Kozmic Blues Band, a unit that included horns and retained just one of the musicians that had played with her in Big Brother (guitarist Sam Andrew). Although it was a hit, it wasn't her best work; the new group, though more polished musically, weren't the sympathetic accompanists that Big Brother were, purveying a soul-rock groove that could sound forced. That's not to say the album was totally unsuccessful, boasting one of her signature tunes in "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)."

For years, Joplin's life had been a roller coaster of drug addiction, alcoholism, and volatile personal relationships, documented in several biographies. Musically, however, things were on the upswing shortly before her death, as she assembled a better, more versatile backing outfit, the Full Tilt Boogie Band, for her final album Pearl (ably produced by Paul Rothchild). Pearl was solid evidence of her growth into a mature, diverse stylist who could handle blues, soul, and folk-rock. "Mercedes Benz," "Get It While You Can," and Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" are some of her very best tracks. Tragically, she died before the album's release, overdosing on heroin in a Hollywood hotel room in October 1970. "Me and Bobby McGee" became a posthumous number one single in 1971, and thus the song with which she is most frequently identified”.

To show how inspiring Janis Joplin is, I am finishing with a playlist of tracks from artists who definitely follow in her footsteps. A voice and artist who will never be equalled or replicated, she was a one-of-a-kind sensation. If you have not heard her two solo albums and two with Big Brother and the Holding Company, then I would advise you to…

CHECK them out.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Shygirl

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Shygirl

__________

AS she…

releases her debut album, Nymph, next month, I wanted to include Shygirl in this Spotlight feature. The London-based artist is hard to definer and categorise. I have heard some call her a Grime artist; others feel she is more of a Pop artist – albeit one that is more experimental. I will come to that album at the end of this feature. I want to bring in a selection of interviews from through the years that give us more depth and story about Shygirl. Although she has been on the scene for a few years now, this is a year when she will become known to a wider audience. In 2018, COEVAL profiled and spoke with the incredible Shygirl:

“South East London born and raised, Shygirl (or Blane Muise to the government) is a 25-year-old musician and DJ. She’s not too different to mere mortals, - she’s been avidly collecting precious stones and crystals since she was 10 years old, and her day in 3 words – ‘Uber Uber everywhere.’

But Shygirl is best known for her spygirl antics – she is a Jekyll and Hyde. With her trusty fan in hand, she is allusive. But she isn’t cocky or in-your-face, she’s the intentional dark horse because as she puts it, ‘I like to be underestimated.’

A self-proclaimed mashup of garage, grime and general ´club vibes', Shygirl’s sound has definitely provided many of London’s (and my own) club moments. But if PDA is anything to go by - what is a club night and what is a genre ? Shygirl is not defined by any normative label - she is shy, she is rude, she is bossy, she is herself an ‘acquired taste’ and works by no one else's standard.

Her music is the hard-core energy fuelled rollercoaster that leaves you reeling with joy and rage – you want to let loose but her relatable lyrics trigger you to bitch. It’s a wonderfully bitter experience where Shygirl’s ‘pep talks’ become the power anthems we all need to ‘gas ourselves up’. Here, she shares an exclusive editorial shot with friends in her ‘playtime’ and explains the scenarios behind her music - and me being her ‘good time gal’ got to listen to a sneaky bit of her debut EP, Cruel Practice.

Who is Shygirl?

Aspects of my personality but she definitely has a life of her own.

And is Shygirl really shy? Or does she just not like small talk?

She’s not down for small talk, time is precious.

What genre would you say you fit into, or do you even fit anywhere?

It’s more of an amalgamation of genres born in the club but not tied completely to it.

Who are your long-time musical influences?

Moloko, Faithless, Massive Attack are the old school ones but also a lot of grime and UK drill.

Who are you currently obsessed with?

Currently obsessed with this guy Loski and his song mummy’s kitchen, I play it every day.

So, when did Shygirl's magical journey/ spiral start?

I think maybe two years ago the beginnings of Shy started to appear when I started to try some stuff with Sega Bodega but really came through with the first single, ‘Want More’”.

I have been following Shygirl a short time, and it has been interesting reading back at older interviews and checking out her earlier music. An artist who has definitely grown since 2018 (and before), she is going to continue to grow and take her music to the masses. I think Nymph will take her t new heights. Last year, Rolling Stone spoke with Shygirl. It was at a time when things were starting to open up during the pandemic:

“As the world re-opens and live music and nightlife return, you can sense a significant shift of energy in the air. A fluctuation in the cultural mood. More people are returning to the summer parties and club nights that once cemented us in the present moment and reified our participation in living amongst other people. The artist and DJ Shygirl has emerged as the soundtrack to the moment. The 28-year-old musician has seen a steady rise in the U.K. Grime and queer club scenes and is known for her unique synthesis of the two. At one moment, she’s rapping over industrial house beats and at another, she’s floating on internet-y pop beats (SOPHIE was a prominent collaborator of hers, alongside Sega Bodega and Arca). Shygirl utilizes her deep vibrato and smutty lyricism to generate energy that’s raunchy and infectious. Naturally, her sharp and danceable sound has found an audience on Tiktok, where it’s rising in popularity in the same way that nightlife — and specifically, the underground club world — is experiencing its own kind of renaissance.

Shygirl’s upcoming live experience, Blu, is a short film that she conceived of and directed. It uses tracks from her critically-acclaimed 2020 EP Alias, as well as the debut of a new single, “BDE,” featuring the rapper Slowthai. Shygirl’s sound is a gift to our inner hot girls this summer, something we can all get down to in a time that we should use to celebrate being alive.

Shygirl talked to Rolling Stone about her inspirations, defying genre, the power of the dancefloor, and being a woman who doesn’t shy away from knowing what she wants.

PHOTO CREDIT: Trinity Ellis 

How has the club scene influenced your approach to making music?

I’d been working at a modeling agency for three years, and I started DJing whilst I was there. I had links to fashion parties. I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. Like, I literally just started learning on the job. It was fun. In that respect, it influenced me, because the way I approach music is [similar to DJing] in terms of how I’m selecting sounds and how the development of the track goes like I’m mixing within the track. When I first started making music, I didn’t have any technical terms. I was talking about energies and I was referencing soundtracks or beats. I’m still painting this picture of the club that I imagined long before I ever started being in them, you know? It’s what we chase when we go to the club, this idea I had when I was listening to club music when I was 12 or 13. You imagine this space where you’re free to completely be in tune with your body, the music, and just lose yourself. That is what I’m still trying to bring forth.

Maybe more important is my core friendship group [that I’ve met] in that club space. We’ll always have that connection of finding each other in that space, especially when you’re in the queer community. I sometimes think of the queer community as this elite group who managed to forge themselves through the flames of the club, you know? Something where people often associate loose morals and fast friends, but we’ve actually found family.

Have you met a lot of the producers through that scene, or more through the internet and social media?

I’m a really sociable person. [When I was still at] uni, I was interning at this design agency as a creative consultant, and one of the things we were doing was rebranding club entities. So through that, I wrote a blog and I ended up interviewing Sega Bodega at this gig, and then we just became friends. We’ve [now] been friends for over 10… Oh, I don’t even know. It feels like a long, long time, through our formative years and adulthood. When I first met him I was finding my feet. I’d just started clubbing and doing things by myself. I think I’d said to myself that year, “I just want to meet people.” And I met so many people when I was in that mood, you know? I would always say yes to things. That’s before I was making music. And then, in 2016 when I did start making music, those same friends were like, “Okay, do you wanna try something out? Like, call us.”

When I first started making music I felt so lucky to be around some people like SOPHIE, who I’d known for a long time; and then to gain their respect [in music], which is something I never thought I would have. I think sometimes you’re probably more self-conscious when you’re in proximity to so many talented people. I thought I was encroaching on their space. They didn’t [think that], and it’s still a constant surprise to me when someone reaches out, new or old, and respects what I’m doing.

How has your mindset changed with making music since when you first started in 2016?

I have more ambition for things, sonically. Once you start doing anything you’re constantly testing your limitations and boundaries. The edges start to form of what you think you can or can’t do, and what you haven’t done yet, and what you want to do more of. When I first started making music I felt so reactionary, like I was treading the shallow end of this huge pool that was available to me. Especially with Alias, it felt way more directional. I had this feeling that I was following. With songs like “Slime,” where I was working with Sega and SOPHIE, at one point everyone was saying,”That’s done, sounds good,” and I was like, “It’s not done.” I know what I’m trying to make. I can’t explain it, but I know what I’m trying to do, you know? I had an inkling of it in the first EP, with “Asher Wolf”. I had to really push Sega to work on it ’cause he was like, “I don’t think this is good,” and I was like, “No, I know what it needs. It should sound like this”.

Before coming to a more recent interview, there is another from 2021 that I was to highlight. Shygirl has made a name for herself here in the U.K., but her music has also reached American audiences. She is someone who is primed for long-term success. Pitchfork sat down with the amazing Shygirl last August:

“Growing up, her parents encouraged matching a wide-eyed approach to the world with pragmatic, stability-first ambition: “They really encouraged me to be studious,” Shygirl explains. “They said, ‘Go get a job that has holiday pay and sick pay.’ I was such a goody-goody. I listened to my parents, because I really respect them. Then I was like, ‘Okay. Now I’m going to do some shit for myself.’” In her early 20s, after leaving home to study practical photography at university, she bloomed, finding asylum in London’s expansive creative community. She worked at a modeling agency during the day, DJed at night, and built a network of like-minded friends. Her music career was a happy accident borne of those friendships. “When people take in the work that I’m making, I didn’t just sit in my room alone and make all that stuff,” she says. “It takes a village. It really does.”

When her pal, the producer Sega Bodega, asked her to hop on a track in 2016, she gave it a go. The result, a trippy industrial banger aptly called “Want More,” was spectacular. In a tone equally disaffected and at ease, she narrates her terms for a sexual encounter: “You wanna go slow, I ain’t into it; you wanna talk shit, I ain’t into it; you want more, I ain’t into it.” Through that expression of desire and control, Shygirl had found her voice, and herself. But where her articulation of the corporeal brought her both delight and existential peace, others saw holy terror. “In my everyday life, me and my friends kiki about sex all the time and we’re healthier for it—because if something fucked does happen, we’re talking about that as well,” she says. “A lot of my process has been writing about stuff that wasn’t very fun for me and giving it a new context, something that is touched by bliss or happiness.”

Over the next few years, Shygirl continued to experiment, racking up releases with Sega and a couple of other friend-collaborators, with whom she co-founded the label and collective NUXXE. Her 2018 debut Cruel Practice, a five-track EP that excavates the contradictory grit and gloss of London youth culture, yielded global attention. When she pranced all over the Sega-produced 2019 single “UCKERS,” cooly challenging a partner to be “the one to turn [her] out,” Shygirl arguably broke through. Her music had already been synced in Fenty ads and runway shows, but soon there were gigs in Asia, link-ups with Arca, and a slot alongside Kendall Jenner and FKA twigs in a Burberry campaign—all inroads to a uniquely sovereign career.

You have a background in creative agency work. Has that helped you navigate the music world?

For the most part, creative stuff is still difficult in this industry. There’s a lot of misogyny. I went on a [Shygirl] video shoot the other day. It was a three-day shoot that I was directing. I tend to take co-direction credits or work with another director because I don’t really like to work with the film crews because a lot of them are hella misogynistic. They don’t listen to female directors anyway, let alone someone wearing two hats as the artist and the director.

But this one in particular, I was like, “If I work with another director, that’s kind of rude because right now I just don’t have the space for someone else’s ideas.” We were in pre-production [for months]. I felt like we had a really, really good team. And then on the day, the [director of photography] was so misogynistic, not listening to anything. Because I’m in the edit process now, I’m seeing where that attitude affected the shots. And one of the guys who was operating the crane for the camera, he ended up being really racist. I was like, “If it comes to between cutting the shot and this guy, I’m going to cut the guy and [lose] the shot. I can’t have a rogue racist on set.”

In my experience it’s often Black women who are put in the position of having to stick our necks out for everyone else.

I think it’s really important for someone like myself who is intersectional in these spaces to speak up, because there’s lots of people who can’t. They’re not supported. And I do feel like [ignoring bad behavior] is a gateway to other things like misogyny, racism, sexual assault. They keep finding people doing those things and exposing them, but then not exposing the industry that supports it. I think we do really have to tackle this antiquated idea of how the system runs. I want to make sure that when I’m working with people, they know that they’re entering into a safe space.

A lot of people say things like, “Oh, you’re being too sensitive.” I would rather be sensitive. I don’t think it’s a badge of honor to be stoic. It’s something in the last year that I’ve really kind of taken on board, especially after BLM was being spoken about so much. I really realized that there were a lot of behaviors that I had normalized and in turn had made space for. And I made a promise to myself in order to remove that behavior, I am speaking out more and I have less of a tolerance for it. And I want anyone else I’m working with or who wants to work with me to know that. I don’t want to put up with bullshit at work. I don’t want it anywhere”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Burbridge

The final interview that I am keen to reference is from this year. V MAGAZINE spotlighted a genre-bending artist who is entering a new era with her highly anticipated debut album, Nymph. She is someone that everyone needs to be aware of. She is definitely one of the best and brightest young British artists:

“V: What would you say the conceptualization process for the album was like, what was the recording process like for you?

SG: There's definitely some songs that stay true to what they were in their inception. But a lot of the music I recorded earlier that appears on the album went through a process to become what they are. There's songs like “Nike” that I made in the middle of lockdown around the same time that I made “Tasty” on the second EP (ALIAS) but we changed the production on the song to bring it up to where I'm at currently as an artist and in life. There are some things on the album that have a journey like that. Ultimately I do feel like you're saying a lot of things to yourself subconsciously when [conceptualizing] and recording a [project]—or at least I do anyway. When I'm making music, I start to see or read into the patterns in the messages of the lyrics. When I had everything in front of me and the more music I made, the more I realized what I was, and what kind of environment I was trying to build for myself sonically.

V: That’s interesting that the creation process for you has been more of a natural or organic process. When I think of the beats that your vocals are nestled in, I don’t think organic. When did you know you were done, what was the process like of getting to that place?

SG: It was around December (of 2021) when I probably had a bulk of the album and that's when I started to pull in little things that I'd already made, like maybe two years before that. But I felt I had the same messaging as what I was making currently. Like [the song] “Come For Me” was probably the beginning of this more sensitive side, I was like reaching out, almost like a siren song. I feel like there's a lot of this, siren-like, mythology within how I'm calling out to people to listen to how I feel, you know? Like that's what I identify with the most, a kind of fantasy of that almost. I feel like that ethos seeped into the importance of how I deliver my message and where I kind feel grounded. It is a weird thing to feel grounded in something that's much larger than me. This becomes an idea rather than the reality, but I think that's what I like most about it. We always methodized things like we have this idea of a grand of self-importance. And as soon as you start writing a song, you are sending up an emotion to the highest degree, you are making it important enough to write a whole song about. So I think there should be some mythology around it. And that's kind of how I came to Nymph being the backbone of the album’s energy. I wanted to almost look back on this and see myself encapsulated beyond the reality of me.

V: Leaning into the consumption of your art, we are a few months away from the release of this debut album that has been a labor of love for you, how are you feeling? You are more vulnerable than ever, you take the people who consume your music into a different realm of Shygirl this time around. Is that daunting for you? You just said how the world does affect you, so how does all of that play into how you are feeling ahead of this release?

SG: I hope people have space to consider this side of me, you know, without being blocked so much by their expectations. But I have always really pushed against what people expect of me because I don't understand how people can be so comfortable in their expectations when I don't even know what to expect from myself. I'm constantly trying to surprise myself and I am surprised by what I'm able to accomplish. So when other people have such clear expectations of me, I'm like, “Whoa, like why?” And if I can do anything to assuage those expectations, I would definitely endeavor to do that. But, yes, it is daunting because you're basically putting yourself up for public opinion. What daunts me more is I want to be affected by the space that I put the music out, but I also don't wanna lose sight of the things that bring me pleasure and bring me joy. I want to make sure that I'm always able to decipher what it is that I need from myself through that conversation”.

I am going to wrap things up in a second. Before that, I would advise people to pre-order Nymph. It is going to be one of the most important and best debut albums of this year. It is going to be really interesting seeing what comes in her future. She is an artist who can go very far indeed:

“Experimental pop artist Shygirl releases her debut full-length album Nymph via Because Music. The 12-track album was created with a close-knit group of friends and previous collaborators including Mura Masa, Sega Bodega, Karma Kid, Arca and Cosha along with the producers Noah Goldstein, Danny L Harle, BloodPop, Vegyn and Kingdom. Nymph reveals Shygirl’s inner self-reflection in experimental vocal tones and deconstructed dance melodies and exhibits a new level of intimacy and emotional depth in her songwriting. Simultaneously asserting her power and freedom and yet still longing for love, she delivers us lyrical harmonies and catchy hooks telling stories of relationships, sexual desires and romantic frustrations. Over lush production, Shygirl brings us on the journey of what intimacy is like for a woman who’s seen as ‘too hot to handle’, someone sought after and overlooked at the same time. Shygirl’s melodies intertwine with the sounds of bassline, garage, dancehall and hip hop, all seamlessly flowing together like an artful ribbon dance”.

Go and follow Shygirl and get her amazing debut album. A talent impossible to easily define or pigeonhole, her music is always evolving and being shaped. Even though it is still early days when it comes to her career, Shygirl is standing aside from her peers. You only need to spin one song from her to realise that she is…

A tremendous talent.

___________

Follow Shygirl

PHOTO CREDIT: Hidhir Badaruddin for NOTION

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/0800shygirl/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/0800shygirl

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3M3wTTCDwicRubwMyHyEDy

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMx2-6At2Rx0kapbSjKxwJA

Facebook:

https://en-gb.facebook.com/0800shygirl

FEATURE: In My Place: Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head at Twenty

FEATURE:

 

 

In My Place

Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head at Twenty

 __________

ALTHOUGH I have not really…

listened to Coldplay’s albums since A Rush of Blood to the Head in 2002, this album particularly is one that I love a lot. Released on 26th August, 2002, I wanted to feature the brilliant second album from the band. Following the celebrated debut, Parachutes, in 2000, there was a lot of critical focus and expectation in their direction. They sort of came out of nowhere and released this stunning debut. Maybe A Rush of Blood to the Head does not garner the same acclaim, reputation and stature as its predecessor, but it is a terrific album that arrived at a very strange time. Less than a year after the terror attacks in the U.S. that shook the world, music was still reacting and adapting. There was still celebratory music, but there seemed to be this brief hiatus as artists created more serious or reflective work. I think that some of the best albums of the decade arrived in 2002. That is definitely the case with A Rush of Blood to the Head. It is an album you can get on vinyl. Go and grab a copy of you can. As I do with album anniversary features, I am going to finish with a couple of reviews. There are features that provide a bit of background about the album.

Albumism looked back at A Rush of Blood to the Head in 2017. They talked about (among other things) how it took Coldplay to a new level and saw their work opened up to a wider audience. It was true that they were a major band by the time their 2002 album was revealed to the world:

“When Coldplay announced their arrival with their debut LP Parachutes (2000) they got what every band starting out hopes for: a critically acclaimed and commercially loved album that saw their appeal spread from their homeland of Britain to every corner of the world. With each passing month and new single release, the band transitioned from playing small intimate clubs to midsize theatres as their popularity around the world grew on the heels of breakthrough hit “Yellow” and follow up singles “Trouble” and “Don’t Panic.” Seeing them live during their debut world tour, you got a sense of a band daring to reach for more than the venues they were caged in. A band wanting to further conquer the musical landscape and ascend to the heights of arena and stadium shows. A band with the desire to be “one of the best bands in the world.”

So it was with this destination in mind that they set about recording their follow up, A Rush Of Blood to the Head. As the title suggests, the album was recorded with a heady sense of haste as if they didn’t want the opportunity to build on their debut’s success to slip through their fingers. The result of initial recordings, however, saw them flounder under both their ambitions and expectations with the album shaping up to be a small evolution from—and in some parts a carbon copy of—the sound of Parachutes, rather than a bold step forward.

At a musical fork in the road they faced a hard decision: build on the momentum gained with a quick release or start afresh and record an album that better reflected who they wanted to be. Thankfully for us, with a release date looming, they decided to put a halt to recordings and push through the growing pains of reaching beyond their comfort zone. In the process they scuttled many of the songs already slated for release and got to work on new material.

As album opener “Politik” attests, the new material grew out of the ambition to cross the threshold of playing small to midsized venues and step into the world of arena rock, moving in on territory usually reserved for the likes of U2. With its slow build and pounding drums, “Politik” announces their intent fittingly, kicking off with an energy akin to a coda. Set to reverberate through stadiums, “Politik” encapsulates a sense of post-9/11 isolation and desperation pitted against a desire to connect and a dare to hope. It’s a more epic sounding, dramatic Coldplay being presented here. One ready for a wider stage.

In fact, it’s possible to view the entirety of A Rush of Blood to the Head as a live show. Perhaps weary of the more intimate moments of Parachutes, A Rush of Blood is Coldplay amped up. The addition of heavier sounding guitars and the greater prominence of piano not only hint at their development and surety as musicians, but also injects their songs with a broader scope.

Upon its release in late August 2002, A Rush of Blood to the Head was lauded by critics and the public alike. It self-fulfilled the prophecy that envisaged Coldplay growing in stature and appeal, conquering a bigger world stage and picking up Grammy awards along the way. It remains Coldplay’s best-selling album to date.

And 15 years after its release, A Rush of Blood to the Head remains a vibrant, relevant, urgent album. None of its lustre has been lost over the years and it remains Coldplay’s defining moment. It has rightfully become the album that the band’s subsequent releases are measured against. For in this perfect storm of ambition and focused follow-through, Coldplay rightfully took their place as “one of the best”.

Also in 2017, The Young Folks spotlighted and revisiting the wonderful second studio album from Coldplay. They note how, like some artists (though relatively few), their lead Chris Martin was unafraid to challenge a post-9/11 world:

“Some records are historical for their unique sound, and some are just important to the society for the time. Coldplay’s A Rush of Blood to the Head falls into both categories.  With the horrendous 9/11 attacks still fresh in the minds of everyone, the American people were looking for anything to get the terrible tragedy off of their minds.

Enter in the revolutionary English rock band lead by Chris Martin to help relieve people from grief.  With a perfect blend of love ballads, anthems, and memorable instrumentals, it’s safe to say that Coldplay avoided the so-called “sophomore slump” with their second album.

The sense of urgency to create this record was evident through the production style and songwriting.  Martin said it himself in an interview that although the band didn’t exactly know how to approach this project, they still knew that a hopeful tone would be their backbone.

Coldplay has shown throughout their discography how stunning but subtle music can be, while being just as impactful.  You wouldn’t think that a band from Britain could make a political statement about America without sounding uneducated, but Coldplay found that balance on A Rush of Blood to the Head of saying something significant while making it a fantastic listen as well.

By using the first official single on the record “In My Place” as a stepping stone for the rest of the tracks, Martin figured out what direction him and his bandmates wanted to go.  The song “Politik” is where we really got a sense of the different underlying themes riddled throughout the album.  Martin solidified himself as an important voice in the music industry right off of the bat with this track, and he wasn’t afraid of challenging the state of our world following 9/11.

Martin also doesn’t shy away from going back to their vintage sound that helped Coldplay get heard on Parachutes.  “Warning Sign,” the eighth song on the record is a perfect representation of that.  That idea is immediately thrown out the window however on “A Whisper” where the track becomes dizzying and daunting, and the lyrics found the band diving headfirst back into the importance of time and how it can be overwhelming for people”.

I am going to wrap things up with a couple of reviews. As I so often do, I will bring in AllMusic, because their take on A Rush of Blood to the Head is one that made me think deeper about an album that cemented Coldplay as a British band who were going to conquer the world:

“In 2002, the members of Coldplay were still in the midst of their ascent, riding the breakthrough success of their sleepy debut, which established wide-eyed vulnerability and earnestness as an indelible part of their image. Soft and soothing, the precious Parachutes set them up for a lifetime of inaccurate comparisons to Radiohead, even though the similarities started and ended with The Bends. And just like Radiohead, they quickly evolved into another beast altogether: plugging in the guitars, amplifying the bombast, tattooing their hearts on their sleeves, and shooting for the arena rafters in a fashion more similar to U2. Their sophomore effort, A Rush of Blood to the Head, made the message clear within the first seconds of the intense opener "Politik." As Will Champion's drums crash, Jonny Buckland's guitar swells, and Guy Berryman's bass churns, frontman Chris Martin bursts through the Wall of Sound, jolting listeners awake with the desperate cry, "Open up your eyes!" Angsty and urgent, songs like "Politik" and the title track introduced fresh elements into the Coldplay repertoire, expanding their emotional palette and showing critics that they could really rock when they wanted to. This was the sound of a new Coldplay, one that developed confidence, a voice, and a budding imagination to separate themselves from the Travises and Elbows of the world. The aggressive wallop of "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" -- a live staple and fan-favorite single -- typified the trademark sound of the era, combining Champion and Berryman's groove with Buckland's outer-space noodling, a style that they'd blast into the stratosphere on the follow-up effort, X&Y. Along with "Daylight" and "A Whisper," the track helped establish Coldplay as an arena rock presence, pulling them out of the indie-dwelling bedroom and onto the big stage. From that platform, Coldplay also delivered three of their most enduring and beloved singles: the sparkling "In My Place," the weepy ballad "The Scientist," and the piano-kissed showstopper "Clocks." With A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay pulled back the curtains to reveal a robust and energized unit, one that would soon conquer the mainstream with a steady evolution into the world of pop. At this moment -- before issuing the two highest-selling albums in the world in 2005 and 2008 and becoming an international stadium sell-out presence -- Coldplay were coming to grips with their music's power and possibility, a young band hungry, bright-eyed, and primed for stardom”.

I will complete things by quoting Entertainment Weekly. They gave A Rush of Blood to the Head an ‘A’ when they sat down with the album in September 2002. Though some gave the album a mixed review, there was more than enough backing, love and kudos for Coldplay in 2002. A Rush of Blood to the Head has earned plenty of applause since then:

“The dramatization of the old Manchester indie rock and rave scene in ”24 Hour Party People” is an occasionally enlightening slice of alt-rock nostalgia. It also offers a few educational lessons on England’s newest hitmakers. Back then, as the movie demonstrates, the throbbing, intense sonics of the bands mattered. But so did the personalities, be they Joy Division’s pale-rider frontman, Ian Curtis, or Happy Mondays’ own 24-hour party animal, Shaun Ryder. They may have been ”new wave,” or whatever phrase we used at the time, but they were also rock stars in the old-fashioned, attention-getting sense.

Manchester’s days as a hugely influential music community may be over, but guitar-wielding U.K. bands aren’t; in the last few years, one boat after another loaded with musicians has docked on our shores. But as striking as some of that music has been, from the ingenious quirks of Clinic to the six-string symphonics of Doves, you’d be hard-pressed to name a single band member or picture one of their faces. Call it Oasis Syndrome: Act like an overbearing, entitled pop star, and you risk alienating as many people as you attract, so best to keep a low profile. The current, post-Oasis bands, taking a cue from the Gallagher brothers’ ascent and crash, seem to purposefully refrain from putting themselves out there. They’d much prefer to hide behind waves of enveloping sound, thank you very much, as if the idea of rock conquering all were just a distant, baffling memory.

Coldplay appeared to be part of this trend when ”Parachutes” arrived two years back. Sober, mildly rocking university types with a singer who was a sucker for his own falsetto, they were immediately labeled Radiohead Lite, and with good reason. But didn’t their ”Yellow” and ”Trouble” age better than most of Radiohead’s meandering ”Amnesiac”? Wasn’t Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, in some ways a cut above his peers in the charisma department, a sort of rock Rupert Everett? And could Coldplay actually have more to offer than some of their competitors?

The answer to all three questions is yes, and the proof lies in A Rush of Blood to the Head. Second albums are problematic, never more so than when their predecessors are sleeper sensations. But as sophomore discs go, ”A Rush of Blood” is strikingly wonderful, if not immediately striking. If one were to choose a ”Parachutes” track as a starting point, it wouldn’t be the blaring riff from ”Yellow” but the mel-ancholic vibe of ”Trouble.” The songs are built on gentle, stately pianos and elementary guitar patterns. Even when tempos accelerate, as in the tribal stomp of ”Politik,” a dewy-eyed appeal to some higher power to save us, the music remains restrained and mournful.

And for once, there’s nothing wrong with that. Displaying a cohesion rarely heard in albums these days, ”A Rush of Blood” bobs from one majestic little high to another. Songs like ”In My Place” and ”Warning Sign” marry lyrics imbued with deep regret and mistakes (”…You were an island / And I passed you by” in the touching latter song) with lyrical melodies and guitar hooks that twinkle and sparkle. (Momentary sunniness is provided by the fairly jaunty ”Green Eyes,” about a relationship that actually seems to have stuck.) At a time when so many bands, Brit or American, are intent on cramming as many genres as possible into each song, it’s a relief to hear music that revels in the joys of a simple, graceful melody. The overall effect is tuneful and hypnotic — ambitious, but in the sneakiest, quietest way.

Using his falsetto to sublime effect, Martin never overdoes it or turns cloying, an accomplishment in itself. Much like ”Parachutes,” the new album still has plenty of outside reference points: ”Clocks” has a rushing-waterfall piano straight off a Moby album, while ”A Whisper” delves into a space-rock artiness reminiscent of a ’60s hippie-flick soundtrack. But Coldplay manage to pull off an even grander gambit: In their hands, the new low-profile Brit rock actually has a profile”.

Upon its release, A Rush of Blood to the Head went to number one in the U.K. The album spawned the hit singles In My Place, The Scientist, and Clocks. Coldplay received three Grammy Awards for A Rush of Blood to the Head: the 2003 Grammy for Best Alternative Album, which was the band's second win in a row; the 2003 Grammy for Best Rock Performance with the song In My Place, and the 2004 Grammy for Record of the Year with the song, Clocks. Ahead of its twentieth anniversary on 26th August, I wanted to spend time exploring Coldplay’s A Rush of Blood to the Head. The band followed 2000’s Parachutes with an album that took them…

TO new levels.

FEATURE: My Favourite Singles of 2022 (So Far): One: Iraina Mancini – Undo the Blue

FEATURE:

 

 

My Favourite Singles of 2022 (So Far)

One: Iraina Mancini – Undo the Blue

__________

I am doing this the wrong way around…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Anthony Peyper

as I am writing about my favourite singles in the year and starting with the number one choice. Usually, you build up to the best song after writing about the rest. I am doing things the other way around. Last year, Iraina Mancini released the stunning single, Do It (You Stole the Rhythm). That was one of my favourite songs of last year. This year, back in April, she put out the utterly sublime and beautiful Undo the Blue. This is how the song is described on her Bandcamp page: “Undo the blue is a dreamy soundscape inspired by the pastoral and psychedelic soul from the mid 70’s, building into a climax laced with sweeping strings, heavenly harmonies and lush brass”. There are multiple reasons why I love Undo the Blue and think that it surpasses anything else from this year. This year has seen so many incredible singles released. Iraina Mancini’s Undo the Blue gets into my heart and head. The production from Jagz Kooner (Sabres of Paradise, Primal Scream) is brilliant. I have a few things to cover off in this feature. Before then, if you do not know about Iraina Mancini, here is some biography from her official website:

“Iraina Mancini has been writing her own songs and fronting bands from a young age. Whilst on the road with these bands, she began digging into the vaults of Northern Soul, Funk, Rhythm and Blues, 60’s Garage and Disco’s rich musical history. Inspired by and building on her father’s 45’s that she had enthused over as a child, she began her passion to DJ and bring back the spirit of these often forgotten but golden musical era’s to dance floors across the globe.

Iraina has travelled the world DJ’ing and hosting at major film and fashion events such as Cannes Lion, NME Awards, Toronto Film Festival, and key music festivals; Glastonbury, Wilderness, Secret Garden Party, Bestival and for iconic brands such as GQ, Dunhill, Swarovski, Temperley, Film4 and Pretty Green.

Iraina also presents her own popular cult radio show every Tuesday on the legendary Soho Radio in London, where she teases a taster of her live DJ sets, interviews her favourite bands and serves up a music history lesson and homage to her love of Northern Soul, Funk, vintage R&B, Ska and Garage Rock. Recent guests on the show have included Ecca Vandall, Mike Chapman (Blondie, The Knack), Lee Fields, YAK, PP Arnold, Garret Shider (Parliament, Funkadelic), Babyshambles and Daddy Long Legs.

Inspired by the music she collects and DJ’s, a new solo project has started to form. Collaborating and writing with legendary producer Jagz Kooner (Primal Scream/Oasis) and featuring a stable of the UK’s most talented musicians, Iraina has now put together her live band and is hitting the road in 2022. Her sound is influenced by her favourite music from the 60’s and 70s, French Pop, Psychedelia, Soul, Ye-Ye Girls, Serge Gainsbourg and vintage cinema.

Muse to influential fashion designers, brands and artists due to her striking vintage style and inspired by Francoise Hardy, Bridgette Bardot and Jane Birkin, Iraina is the contemporary reflection of an iconic retro era that can be re-discovered and celebrated through her style and music”.

I am a big fan of Mancini’s Soho Radio show. She can play her favourite bands and artists, but the show is described thus: “Iraina is also a singer/songwriter heavily influenced by her favourite music from the 60’s and 70s, French Pop, Psychedelia, Ye-Ye Girls and Vintage cinema”. There is definitely cinema and French Pop sounds on Undo the Blue. I get a sense of classic cinema and music from the 1960s and 1970s. I am going to go off on a brief tangent. Iraina Mancini is a great broadcaster, D.J. and music reporter/journalist. She is a fantastic artist, but she is also a model. Mancini has acted too, but she seems like someone who should star in a drama or short film. Someone primed for the spotlight. I have various ideas but, as someone who has very little money and resources, there is not a lot I can do! She has this star quality and multi-talented nature that I can see translating to the small and big screen. A phenomenal actor in the offing. Also, I would love to hear playlists and soundtrack albums where she collates her favourite songs (I can find this one from a few years back); a bit of a YouTube video where we see inside her vinyl create/box (apologies if there is one already!). As an artist, Iraina Mancini is primed for big stages and festivals. I think that her work as a D.J. and huge music fan feeds into her own work. Her videos are always memorable and have their own worlds. So visually stunning and captivating, Undo the Blue is the latest example. Kudos to director Marc Swadel! Before rounding off, Right Chord Music gave their thoughts about my favourite track of this year:

“It’s easy to get swept up in the future, it’s bright, shiny and exciting. But for all the gloss and glamour it can also feel a little scary at times.  Sometimes there is nothing better than looking back, there is comfort and safety in what we know and have previously loved.

I get this feeling whenever I hear music from Iraina Mancini, her music transports me. And her new single Undo The Blue continues with this trend. It’s supported by a music video that immediately draws you in with its delicious retro stylings.

PHOTO CREDIT: Etienne Gilfillan 

I’d file it alongside music videos like Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’ or The Strokes ‘Last Nite’, where the colour balance feels wonderfully wonky to the point that you can’t take your eyes off it.

Undo The Blue has a softer, more reflective feel than previous releases. At moments it recalls Felt Mountain era Goldfrapp. The single provides the perfect showcase for Iraina’s vocal range as she soars above sweeping strings and lush brass.

Undo The Blues sees Iraina continue to collaborate with producer Jagz Kooner (Sabres Of Paradise, Primal Scream) and introduces a new alliance with multi-instrumentalists Sunglasses for Jaws.

The single is a dreamy soundscape inspired by the pastoral and psychedelic soul from the mid-’70s with a gentle nod to bands like Rotary Connection and Aphrodite’s Child: orchestral and cinematic but with a modern twist.

Iraina Mancini says of the single:

“ I wrote this song about reinvention and fresh starts. Leaving the bad behind and seeing a bright shiny new you. “

The music video was directed by the award-winning Marc Swadel (Thurston Moore and Duran Duran). Filmed at Glass Factory Studio in Leigh on Sea it references the golden age of studio performances from the late 60s and early 70s.

About Iraina Mancini

Iraina Mancini first appeared on our radar during lockdown when her single ‘Shotgun’ has us dreaming of escapism. This was quickly followed by the joyous romp which was ‘Deep End’ and ‘Do It’ (You Stole The Rhythm) which we described as a post-lock-down reconnection anthem for music lovers everywhere.

It wasn’t just us that was paying attention. Her previous three singles have all been playlisted by BBC6 Music and picked up strong support from BBC Radio 2 and BBC London.

Iraina has been championed by Lauren Laverne and Jo Whiley as well as hotly tipped in The Times and Sunday Times “The Best New Music” section.

Iraina is also an in-demand DJ and hosts her own show on Soho Radio. During the lockdown, Iraina focussed on writing and producing music and promoting it on her own. Without any management, radio pluggers or PR support, she achieved the impossible of being playlisted by BBC6 Music”.

I hope that the wonderful Iraina Mancini has plans for an album. Her songs have this magic and nostalgia that reminds one of better days and classic sounds. You get something cinematic and staggeringly beautiful! There is a physicality and drama that entwines with elements, colours and tones that are sensuous and  dreamy. A wonderful vocalist and writer, Iraina Mancini should be on everyone’s radars. Her 2020 release, 1AM in Paris / The War, is wonderful. I love everything she does and, as I know her radio work and have seen and heard her interviews, I feel confident in predicting very big things. This year, like every recent year, new music has been dominated by women. My favourite albums of the year are from women. 2022 is no different. So many amazing and original artists are offering something irresistible and incredible. Undo the Blue is a song that moved me the first time I heard it. I had to play it over and over, as it is so atmospheric and engaging. You get sucked into song! Thanks to Jagz Kooner’s production and Iraina Mancini’s wonderful performance, Undo the Blue will stay in your head for ages. It bodes well for an artist who grows stronger with every song she puts out. Maybe a song will come along this year that I favour over the head-spinning and soul-nourishing Undo the Blue. But, quite frankly, I seriously…

Was an absolute pleasure to be a guest on @BBC6Music yesterday, chatting to the lovely @chris_hawkins
📻If you missed it, here is the BBC Sounds link💥https://t.co/SgKDuU5hMx

Interview 1: 08 in…Here’s a little snippet about my songwriting.. ✏️ Enjoy 🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/624EME7U6K

— Iraina Mancini (@IrainaMancini) July 16, 2022

DON’T think it will.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Olivia O’Brien

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Olivia O’Brien

__________

WHILST she is a rising artist…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jones Crow for EUPHORIA.

who already has a big backing and fanbase, I wanted to spotlight Olivia O’Brien, as she is someone who is going to be a major artist soon. I have tried to be quite eclectic when it comes to artists I include in this feature. This year, I have included a few young Pop artists. O’Brien, whilst maybe primed more for the mainstream and stations like BBC Radio 1 in the U.K., has the potential to win over an even broader demographic. Even though her debut E.P., It’s Not That Deep, came out in 2017, the last year or so have been the busiest. Whilst we wait for a second studio album, we can enjoy and hear 2021’s Episodes: Season 1. I am not sure when we might get a follow-up to that E.P. It is an exciting and busy time for her. Prior to getting to some interviews, AllMusic provide some biography. Although it is not up to date, it does show where O’Brien started and how her career has grown:

“California's Olivia O'Brien is a vocalist with a bent toward dance-oriented electronic pop and emotive balladry. O'Brien made her breakthrough in the late 2010s on her collaboration with gnash, "i hate u, i love u," which peaked in the Top Ten of the Hot 100. This paved the way for her debut album, 2019's Was It Even Real?, as well as EPs like 2020's The Results of My Poor Judgement and 2021's Episodes: Season 1.

Born in Thousand Oaks, California, in 1999, O'Brien grew up singing from a young age and taught herself to play guitar and piano. By her teens she was writing her own songs, as well as posting covers online. Eventually, she caught the ear of Los Angeles-based singer/rapper/producer gnash, whose song "Disposable" she had covered. He requested to hear her original material, and they began collaborating. In 2015, they posted their version of her song "i hate u, i love you" online. The following year, gnash included the song on his debut EP, us, and released it commercially as a single. It immediately caught on, hitting number one in Australia and landing in the Top Ten in the U.S.

In August of 2016, O'Brien released her debut solo single, "Trust Issues." Several more singles followed, including "Root Beer Float" featuring Blackbear, "Find What You're Looking For," "Empty," and "RIP." The latter two tracks appeared on her 2017 EP It's Not That Deep (Island). The following year, she hopped onto "Beg" with Jack & Jack, later recruiting G-Eazy and Drew Love for a remix of "RIP."

Late 2018 saw the arrival of the singles "UDK," "I Don't Exist," and "I Care More" ahead of the release of her first full-length effort, Was It Even Real?, which arrived in spring 2019. In 2020, O'Brien stayed busy releasing a handful of EPs, including The Results of My Poor Judgement, Josslyn, and Hope That It Was Worth It. During the early months of 2021, she delivered several singles including "Better Than Feeling Lonely" and "Sociopath," the latter of which was included on her fourth EP, Episodes: Season 1, along with the song "No More Friends" featuring Oliver Sykes of Bring Me the Horizon”.

I think Olivia O’Brien has the potential to be a major artist. Someone who could also transfer her talents to the small or big screen, we will see her flourish and expand her C.V. very soon. Last year’s terrific E.P., Episodes: Season 1, suggests a series of E.P.s from the twenty-two-year-old. EUPHORIA. spoke with her last year about that E.P. and what the future holds. I have chosen a few parts of that interview that are especially interesting:

“Episode 3: Tuning Into Episodes: Season 1

Olivia O’Brien has always been the main character, and the post-pandemic creative surge on the horizon in 2021 certainly won’t allow her to step away from the role. In a letter to fans and, really, herself on Instagram, O’Brien asks the question: “If I were to erase an episode from the story of my life, the plot would no longer make sense. Right?”

The answer comes in the form of a no-holds-barred, two-part storytime, and Episodes: Season 1 is a brilliant reflection of O’Brien’s acknowledgement that being the main character isn’t always a happy-go-lucky success story.

“You have the power to be so dumb and do dumb things and make your life into a movie,” O’Brien explains. “Also, if you’re really sad and horrible things are happening to you, that’s also like a movie. The main characters always have horrible shit happening to them. That’s always what happens. You can be the main character of a fucking sad movie. You’re still the main character. What’s the point of being here if you’re going to fucking die one day and you’re not taking advantage of the time that you have here?”

On Episodes, O’Brien unpacks the layers of being center stage in her own life, beginning with upbeat pop-horror crossover hit “Sociopath.” The track explores the aftermath of falling in love with someone who seems incapable of emotion as O’Brien sings, “Got an empty expression / Blood on your hands / You should feel something / But maybe you can’t.” In alignment with its visual, it takes a vintage horror approach to sound, using classic slasher film sound effects in its bridge to soundtrack the damage done by the song’s antagonist.

The second song on the track list, “Call Mom,” takes on a different kind of heartbreak: loneliness. “I’m too young to feel like my life’s already over,” O’Brien performs, using the writing as a therapeutic approach to unpacking the pressure that comes with life in the spotlight.

It’s O’Brien’s version of tapping her heels together three times to be taken back to where she was happiest in her youth, as well as a subtle love song for her mom whose voice is featured in voicemails throughout the track. With its rawness and dripping sadness in the recording, it feels hard to believe that the song was written two years ago for its 2021 release.

“I still feel all the emotions that I felt when I wrote that song,” O’Brien says. “Even though I wrote it so long ago, I still am able to connect with it because it is really emotional, versus if I’m writing about a guy, then I probably am fucking over that by two years later. I don’t care anymore.”

But “Call Mom” is evidence of Episodes replay value; the moment doesn’t need to be fresh to be impactful, a parallel that stays true to the real-life implications of being a main character. Much like the flow of human emotion — particularly in the way O’Brien experiences it — Episodes moves effortlessly through a stream of consciousness, even hitting on a touch of nihilism with “We’re All Gonna Die” and the big question of what’s next with “What Happens Now.”

That final track, O’Brien explains, acts as a cliffhanger between the seasons of Episodes; what will appear next in her cinematic universe?

“‘What Happens Now’ is the cinematic kind of song, and for me, it represents the ending credits. It’s very Breakfast Club, where the guy has his arm in the air and he’s walking off to the edge like, ‘What’s going to happen after this?’ That’s what it represents to me.”

It isn’t the first time that O’Brien has kept fans waiting, but the following iteration is always worth the pause — and if the visual promotion for the album is any indicator, there won’t be any shortage of O’Brien as the main character throughout the break.

Episode 4: Epilogue (and Coming Full Circle)

The cliffhanger of Episodes: Season 1, in this case, also marks the beginning of the epilogue while kick-starting a new era of Olivia O’Brien’s artistry. She gets to be front and center, all the time, through the most literal definition of introspective thick and thin.

The first major step in this era is adjusting to “the new normal” post-pandemic, which may be the catalyst for newfound creativity and motivation for her art. Right now, though, the prospect feels rather daunting after more than a year of decreased inspiration.

“I’m going to be able to do stuff again and feel like a normal fucking person again, and I think that’s going to really contribute to my creativity,” O’Brien says. “Because everything is based off of my own life, and nothing was happening for me. I was so fucking bored. Like, what am I supposed to write about? And I would try to write about other people and things but, if I’m not connecting to it, I’m not going to want to put it out even if it is kind of good.”

Part of the transition back to life as usual for the musician is live shows. Having just announced her rescheduled shows on The Olivia O’Brien Show tour, she is looking to the horizon for an in-person reminder that people are listening.

Here’s a spoiler: they are.

“You forget that people give a fuck about you,” O’Brien says. “Even if you see it on the internet, it’s a lot different than being there in person and seeing people in front of you and people coming up to you and crying. That really reminds you, ‘Okay, people give a fuck about me.’”

Live and within the bounds of the album, Episodes: Season 1 is a reflective piece of work; while it does mirror who O’Brien is as an artist in the present day, it also dives into flashbacks of a musician who doesn’t need to be a role model to find strife, but who still battles with meeting her own expectations for herself (and those that others impose) without burning out.

And recognizing that part of herself is just one piece of the puzzle that adds up to O’Brien becoming the artist she wants to be. “I just want to be able to make whatever I want, whenever I want, [and] be confident in it,” O’Brien explains. “To me, it’s all about confidence. I was so insecure for most of my life.”

Today’s O’Brien, though, was shaped by that insecurity, the aforementioned growing pains that raised her from making covers in her bedroom to writing songs about some of her most sensitive and sentimental experiences.

Perhaps it is those years of baring it all and finding herself on her own that make her idolize the “before times,” when she was a blithe, airy kid who just wanted to be a “triple-threat singer, actor, dancer… fashion designer” who was definitely going to marry Justin Bieber.

That version of O’Brien, frankly, didn’t “give a fuck.”

“You grow up and you meet all these fucking people that just tell you what you can and can’t do, especially in high school. Everyone’s shitty,” O’Brien explains. “Your confidence gets kind of knocked down. You have to be a special kind of person to not get affected by all that shit, and I am not that person. I will go home and cry. So, I’m trying to get back to like how I felt about myself as a kid and just not giving a fuck about things [and] just doing whatever I want to do.”

O’Brien continues, “And not in a selfish way. I mean, maybe it’s a little selfish, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be a little bit selfish.”

Episodes: Season 1 allows O’Brien to do just that: she gets to set the scene, choose the stories, and create a “show” that feels authentic to who she is and who she strives to be. It resembles both a television show and a photo album, and what better time to start from the beginning than after finishing the season?”.

Bringing things up to date, she recently collaborated with FLETCHER on Bitch Back. It is a combination and instant chemistry of two ambitious and incredibly popular artists who have a friendship and respect for one another. I get the impression, if there is a second studio album coming soon, there will be quite a few collaborations. INSIDER spoke with Olivia O’Brien about working on the song with FLETCHER:

“When O'Brien was only a freshman in high school, she posted a cover of a Gnash song on SoundCloud, which miraculously made its way to him. After they connected, she sent him an original song that he asked to produce and include on his next EP. The next thing she knew, "I Hate U, I Love U" was a top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

"It just randomly blew up," O'Brien said. "It was the first song I ever put out. So then I was like, 'Oh, OK. I guess I do music now.'"

The transition to Hollywood "wasn't that bad," O'Brien added. "I really was ready to leave Napa. No one was very nice to me, especially after I started doing music."

Now 22, with a debut album and hundreds of millions of Spotify streams under her belt, O'Brien continues to take everything in stride. Her new single "Bitch Back," featuring FLETCHER, is an ode to being untethered, carefree, and maybe a little reckless — especially with her newly single best friend riding shotgun.

She opened up to Insider about dealing with breakups, writing songs for "my girlies and my gays," and learning to separate beauty from self-worth.

PHOTO CREDIT: Island Records

“How did that friendship turn into a song?

I had this song that I originally wrote myself, and it was just for me. And then I was like, I just really think this song would be cool with a female feature because it's about having your friend come back from a relationship and being single and going out.

I just figured FLETCHER would be the perfect feature. We have similar fan bases. I really like her as a person. I'm obsessed with her music. I think she's super talented and it just made sense. So I asked her if she would be down.

She came to the studio and we rewrote the second verse for her. Well, she mainly wrote it, but we had to fit it into the song, right? So it ended up being her version of what I originally wrote, which I think is really cool.

While you two were in the studio, where did you imagine people listening to the song? What's the ideal environment for it to be played?

When I think of it, I think of best friends in a car jamming out. Maybe one of their friends is sad from a breakup and the other friends are like, "Let's fucking rage. Let's go have a good night." And they put it on and it just brightens the mood, or they're pregaming to go out. Something like that.

I just hope that it brings people a little bit of happiness and bad-bitch energy.

Similar to MARINA, female camaraderie and empowerment are really important themes in your music. When you sit down to write a song, do you begin with that intention or does it come through naturally?

It kind of depends on what I'm feeling that day. Sometimes I'm writing… not necessarily love songs, but I'll be writing songs about boys, and I still sneak in a "men suck, women are awesome" lyric. [Laughs]. Pretty much all of my songs are like that. I think that's just my energy all the time.

I wouldn't say that I am a man-hater. I have lots of guy friends and whatever, but at the end of the day, my loyalty lies with my girlies. My girlies and my gays. That's just my personality. And because I write all my own songs, it kind of comes out, no matter what I'm writing about.

You wrote a thread on Twitter recently about women being objectified by men and you described "the way we look" as "unimportant." I thought that was a really interesting word choice, especially since social media plays such a huge role in pop culture and the music industry in particular. Could you elaborate a bit more on what you meant by appearance is "unimportant" in this context?

Being a young woman in Hollywood, I've always felt like I notice the most insanely tiny minuscule flaws in myself and it causes huge insecurity. Things I feel like I should edit out of photos. 

Like when I was 16, I had my nose done because I was constantly bullied from like sixth grade, when my nose hump first developed, I think I was like 9 or 10. And that was the No. 1 thing that I wanted to change about myself. It was an insecurity. I looked in the mirror every single day. Even when I was just walking around, I was like, "Oh my god, everyone's looking in my nose. It's so big and it's so horrible." And it sucks that a child has to think about that.

That is just the standard that society puts on women. I am very pro-plastic surgery — I've gotten things done, I'm very open and honest about that — if it is going to improve your quality of life and make you feel better about yourself”.

I am going to wrap things up there. Olivia O’Brien has grown a lot as an artist since her debut. Not just in terms of her sound, but her confidence and fanbase. She is someone who is not confined to Pop stations or a younger audience. Her music has a depth, relevance and range that means it can touch and resonate with a large audience. Check her out if you have not heard her music. She will be a huge name before too long! These are still early days for O’Brien, but she has kicked off her career…

WITH a huge bang.

______________

Follow Olivia O’Brien

PHOTO CREDIT: Vijat Mohindra for NYLON 

Official:

http://www.oliviaobrienmusic.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/oliviaobrien/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/oliviagobrien

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1QRj3hoop9Mv5VvHQkwPEp

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChBBJR3EKr7sfWi2M1GNukg

Facebook:

https://en-gb.facebook.com/oliviaobrienmusic

FEATURE: Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside at Forty-Five: The Case of James and the Cold Gun

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside at Forty-Five

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performs James and the Cold Gun during 1979’s The Tour of Life 

The Case of James and the Cold Gun

 __________

THIS is the final feature…

I am going to do about Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside. Well, the final one that marks forty-five years since it was recorded. I may well come back to it later this year in preparation for the actual forty-fifth anniversary (which happens in February). What I wanted to focus on now is the song that was suggested as the first single from the album. James and the Cold Gun was the song EMI felt would best introduce Bush’s debut album to the world. Given the fact they knew what The Kick Inside sounded like and that it was not a conventional or commercial album, perhaps choosing the most conventional song on it as the first single might have been a bad idea. From a record company’s perspective, it would have done well in the charts and would guarantee some fame. From Bush’s perspective, she wanted to put out a song that was truer to her own artistic visions. Maybe a track that was more unusual and less obvious. When it comes to unusual and less obviously commercial, Wuthering Heights is pretty much unbeatable. EMI would not have seen the reason why Wuthering Heights is the best debut single. From their view, it was a risk that could have sunk The Kick Inside and Kate Bush. There were heated words that almost escalated into something bigger. When Bush was with the label and in a meeting, someone popped their head around the door and said something to the effect that they loved Wuthering Heights and that should be the single. That sort of silenced the argument. As it was, Wuthering Heights went to  number one in the U.K. That was her only U.K. number one until Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) this year.

I wanted to raise a particular question. Was James and the Cold Gun a song that was put away and not considered after Bush won her fight to have Wuthering Heights released as a single? With one other U.K. single, The Man with the Child in His Eyes, two Japanese ones (Moving and Them Heavy People) and, for no apparent reason, one in Brazil (Strange Phenomena), James and the Cold Gun did not appear as a B-side. In another feature, I asked what her career would have been if James and the Cold Gun was released as the first single. It is a song that Bush played live as part of the KT Bush Band prior to recording her album in July and August 1977. If you do not know about James and the Cold Gun, then the Kate Bush Encyclopedia provides some guidance:

“Song written by Kate Bush in the first half of the Seventies and it became one of the songs performed by the KT Bush Band during their performances in the pub circuit in 1977. Brian Bath, member of the band, recalled later: " Rob got a dry ice machine from somewhere. We used that on stage for 'James And The Cold Gun' and it looked great. We had a bit of a show going! Kate did a costume change, she'd put on a bloomin' Western cowgirl dress for the second set! The theatrical thing was starting to get there." Del Palmer recalled: "She was just brilliant, she used to wear this big long white robe with coloured ribbons on or a long black dress with big flowers in her hair. She did the whole thing with the gun and [the audience] just loved it. She'd go around shooting people."

The song was recorded in the studio in 1977 and released on her debut album The Kick Inside. When she embarked on the Tour of Life in 1979, the live performance of 'James And The Cold Gun' used and enhanced elements of those original performances from 1977”.

Actually, reading back at my feature from January, and I didn’t go into too much depth as to what would have been if James and the Cold Gun were the lead single. As The Kick Inside was recorded forty-five years ago this month, it has got me thinking. A song that Bush performed live more than a few times, perhaps it is at its best in that forum. Even so, I feel it would have gone to number one in the U.K. Not as captivating as Wuthering Heights, there is a space for James and the Cold Gun. Maybe a third U.K. single after The Man with the Child in His Eyes, we could have seen that song enter the charts. I think it was a song that spoke to the logical part of the record label’s brain. It is a great track that has a rush and a bit of an edge to it. Definitely with a radio-friendly vibe, Bush would have had a hit on her hand. Even so, it is arguable whether she would have made such an impact with this song compared with Wuthering Heights. I do not really hear James and the Cold Gun played on the radio all that much (or at all). Whilst people know about Wuthering Heights and The Man with the Child in His Eyes, not many know much about the other eleven. James and the Cold Gun opens the second side of The Kick Inside with style! It is a pity that there is this sort of ‘what-if’ with Kate Bush. What if EMI had won and James and the Cold Gun was her debut number one?! As it is, it is seen as a good-not-great song by many critics. Fans regard it with greater esteem. I don’t think that this fine song should be seen as…

JUST another album track.

FEATURE: Oasis’ Be Here Now at Twenty-Five: Fade In-Out: A 1997 'Classic'; a Modern-Day ‘What-If’…

FEATURE:

 

 

Oasis’ Be Here Now at Twenty-Five

Fade In-Out: A 1997 ‘Classic’; a Modern-Day ‘What-If’…

__________

I have written one feature…

about Oasis’ third studio album, Be Here Now. One might think it is odd to wrote another, as the album is not as regarded as their first two. Definitely Maybe is their iconic debut of 1994; (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? came out in 1995. On 21st August, 1997, Be Here Now dropped into the world. A huge seller that went to number one in the U.K. and two in the U.S., there is no doubt Be Here Now was a monster success! The album actually features a couple of Oasis’ best songs. I especially like Stand By Me. Noel Gallagher’s songwriting still shows shades and glimmers of what he produced for the band’s first two albums. Liam Gallagher’s vocals do what they need to do, and the band are committed to the material. I think the problems come when you consider the length of the album: 71:33! Throw into the mix the sheer hype around in 1997, and it had all the hallmarks of a disaster. I was fourteen when the album came out. More of a Blur fan (if we are choosing Britpop clans), I was still excited by Be Here Now. You could not help but be caught up in the mania and expectations! Before coming to a 1997 review that bigged the album up, Wikipedia provide some information about the making of and recording of the biggest album of 1997:

“Recording began on 7 October 1996 at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London. Morris described the first week as "fucking awful", and suggested to Noel that they abandon the session: "He just shrugged and said it would be all right. So on we went." Liam was under heavy tabloid focus at the time, and on 9 November 1996 was arrested and cautioned for cocaine possession at the Q Awards. A media frenzy ensued, and the band's management made the decision to move to a studio less readily accessible to paparazzi. Sun showbiz editor Dominic Mohan recalled: "We had quite a few Oasis contacts on the payroll. I don't know whether any were drug dealers, but there was always a few dodgy characters about."

Oasis's official photographer Jill Furmanovsky felt the media's focus, and was preyed upon by tabloid journalists living in the flat upstairs from her: "They thought I had the band hiding in my flat." In paranoia, Oasis cut themselves off from their wider circle. According to Johnny Hopkins, the publicist of Oasis's label Creation Records, "People were being edged out of the circle around Oasis. People who knew them before they were famous rather than because they were famous." Hopkins likened the situation to a medieval court, complete with kings, courtiers and jesters, and said: "Once you're in that situation you lose sight of reality."

On 11 November 1996, Oasis relocated to the rural Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey. Though they reconvened with more energy, the early recordings were compromised by the drug intake of all involved. Morris recalled that "in the first week, someone tried to score an ounce of weed, but instead got an ounce of cocaine. Which kind of summed it up." Noel was not present during any of Liam's vocal track recordings. Morris thought that the new material was weak, but when he voiced his opinion to Noel he was cut down: "[So] I just carried on shovelling drugs up my nose." Morris had initially wanted to just transfer the Mustique demo recordings and overdub drums, vocals, and rhythm guitar, but the 8-track mixer he had employed required him to bounce tracks for overdubs, leaving him unable to remove the drum machine from the recordings.

Noel, wanting to make the album as dense and "colossal" feeling as possible, layered multiple guitar tracks on several songs. In many instances he dubbed ten channels with identical guitar parts, in an effort to create a sonic volume. Creation's owner Alan McGee visited the studio during the mixing stage; he said, "I used to go down to the studio, and there was so much cocaine getting done at that point ... Owen was out of control, and he was the one in charge of it. The music was just fucking loud." Morris responded: "Alan McGee was the head of the record company. Why didn’t he do something about the 'out of control' record producer"? Obviously, the one not in control was the head of the record company." He said that he and the band had been dealing with personal difficulties the day and night before McGee visited the studio”.

It is only right that critics and fans would expect a masterpiece from Oasis after (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The band played two nights at Knebworth in 1996. They were on top of the world prior to 1997. There was no band bigger in the world than Oasis. There was also no other band with such weight on their shoulders. Not wanting to repeat themselves, maybe the success and momentum of 1996 made quality control and editing a low priority. There are anthems on Be Here Now, but many run too long, meaning they are distilled. That said, there was a lot of loyally positive press for the Manchester legends. This is what NME wrote in 1997:

“THE STORY, part one: so there's this geezer, right, and he walks into a cab office in Finsbury Park. At 4am, it's a strange enough place to be, anyway, a near-silent Jim Jarmusch film set replete with flickering TV screen, shadowy (fat) controller and requisite empty, darkened streets outside. The geezer isn't about to make it any saner.

Because this geezer is a) a not entirely sex-tastic wobble bottom, b) very much a late 30-something and c) extremely wankered. And he has just staggered over to the kiosk and asked the controller for a cab down to Olympia so he can "buy one of them there Oasis tickets, like".

The story, part two: a seething yellow fanzine crash-lands in the NME office, rocketing straight outta Hampshire. In a mini-rant subtitled 'Music Con Of The Year' the authors acknowledge that Oasis gigged with U2 in America. Then they describe them by screeching, "Commercial pop for those of us who don't think, but just do as they're told by the music press and garbage tabloids. Conservative, safe, dribbly, plastic pop for mummies (sic) boys who don't like getting their hands dirty. Boring unoriginal poo stick."

Nice!

Somewhere in between this brace of profound tales, obviously, is where you find the huddled critics. Can't wait for the gigs, but itching to give 'Be Here Now' a kicking; to smear their byline in blood beneath a (5) or (oh, if dreams could only come true if we wanted them to!) a (2), if only to somehow redress the amazing - and therefore entirely unjust - imbalance between Oasis' record sales and those of anyone else who can play guitar; if only to eradicate that jaw-jutting Liam pose from our minds forever; if only to undermine the utterly ridiculous concept of having to sign a legal document before being 'privileged' to receive an advance cassette; if only to be f--ing different. Yeah, we are a sadder breed than you could ever imagine. It is to his eternal credit that Noel Gallagher has helped our cause tremendously. Because 'Be Here Now', the third Oasis album, is one of the daftest records ever made. Like, on a scale of one to comical, this really is Terry F--wit climbing into the cage to stroke the furry tigers. It is tacky. It is grotesquely over-the-top. It features the same old guitar runs, the same old drawled lyrical doodlings, the same pub-tastic, pint-mungous rhythms... In fact, if there is a single plangent note in these 11 tracks that has never been heard before in the past 30 years of rock, I will eat my grandma's cat. And I haven't even got a grandma.

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! This is The Great Rock'n'Roll Dwindle! Noel may have mixed it up with The Chemical Brothers not so long ago, but he's stubbornly neglected to bring any new electronica vibes along to 'Be Here Now'. This remains strictly whiter-than-white boy guitar territory, a funk-free zone, a cod-psychedelic festival of old-school sensibilities with another heaving sack of numblingly blatant Beatles references. It's trad, dad - about as subtle as a Frenchie with Mike Tyson, and so utterly reliant on the same-old-same-old cheeky chirpy chappy Oasis formula you can scarcely believe they've even dared to release this record in the same decade as Radiohead, Prodigy, Spiritualized, et al, let alone the same sodding year. "Boring, unoriginal poo stick" indeed.

And then? And then, halfway through the epic ablutions of 'All Around The World', you realise that every single hair on your arms and neck is standing erect. And you think, defiantly, but very, very quietly, "Bugger".

Rewind, then. Reconsider, then. Rebel rebel, your face is a mess, then... After the somewhat crummy statements of 'Champagne Supernova' (see the super-snooty declaration, "Where were you when we were getting high?") 'Be Here Now' is our open invitation to the Oasis party, a gilt-edged card saying, "Hey, you may have seen us having a laugh with Tony Blair on the front of your newspaper, and you might have have glanced at the crafty papara

8/10”.

Few albums have been subject to so much radical retrospection and re-evaluation. I think that the world of 1997 was very different to the one Oasis entered years before. Tastes had changed and, with Electronic and other genres taking hold, they had to get bigger and bolder. I don’t know whether Oasis planned an album that was shorter and similar to their first two. There is that great sense of ‘what-if’ with them. A couple of the tracks – I am thinking I Hope, I Think, I Know and The Girl in the Dirty Shirt – could have been taken out. You are left with ten tracks. Shorten most of them down, and already you have a stronger album! Opening Be Here Now with a 7:42 track (D’You Know What I Mean?) is not the sort of quick and instant classic you want. It is not even an epic. It seems almost a chore to get through the first track - even if it has a lot of strengths and a great chorus. Maybe longer meant better to Oasis in 1997. Many of the tracks are great, yet they would be a lot better if they were shorter. Be Here Now does feature some crackers. But, again, they are too long. All Around the World is 9:20 for instance! You could cut that song in half and it would be much more engaging. There are too many aimless solos and instrumental passages; far too much repetition and filler. The band had it them to release an album that is a lot more focused. I am going to round up soon and offer something positive. After all, Be Here Now is a very important album. In spite of some weaknesses, it has sold enormous units and topped charts around the world. Marking its twenty-fifth anniversary is only right! Before getting there, Drowned In Sound reviewed the Chasing the Sun Edition of Be Here Now in 2017:

“A lot has been said - not least by Oasis themselves - about why the Mancunian titans' third album Be Here Now went so 'wrong'.

It is, for sure, a less good album than Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory, being in large part the sound of a band who'd made their name writing three-to-four-minute-long indie rock songs now trying to write seven-to-nine-minute-long indie rock songs, with indie-rock not being a genre especially supportive of that sort of length, especially from a group that were hardly virtuoso musicians. It also mostly lacks the aspirational rock'n'roll swagger that had defined their early work.

The obvious exception to both these rules was the awesome lead single 'D'You Know What I Mean?', on which the gargantuan running time was justified by the fantastically bombastic deployment of FX - morse code! Backwards vocals! - and lyrics that (insofar as they meant anything) seemed to exist as monument to the scale of the band's success ("all my people right here right now, d'you know what I mean?" - millions of people did). But it's the peak of the album by a long shot, and the generally accepted wisdom is that fame and its attendant drugs had buggered up songwriter Noel Gallagher’s muse.

But in many ways the absolute last thing that you should really blame Be Here Now's 'failure' on is the efforts of the musicians involved. Essentially Oasis turned in a third album less good than their first two albums. It may have been a disappointment, but if they hadn’t been so outlandishly massive it wouldn’t have been that a big deal. But Oasis had sold 5m copies of Morning Glory, and a substantial enough portion of the nation felt so invested in a third Oasis record being good that it convinced itself it was a masterpiece. Pretty much everyone was complicit: in the pre-digital era, music hacks who'd had weeks to listen to the record bestowed top marks upon it, almost across the board. When the 'D'You Know What I Mean?' single arrived at Radio One, it wasn't just played hourly - its B-sides were played hourly. National newspapers ran endless articles on the band, earnestly attempting to 'decode' the cover art as if there was some great hidden meaning. And while the public may or may not have been been given helping push into making it the fastest-selling album of all time (until last year), from what I observed of school friends' reactions, people seemed to love the record for a good few weeks, maybe months, before they realised they might not be playing it quite as much as its predecessors. Eventually the backlash emerged and the record was written off, but it gave people genuine pleasure for a summer, at least.

Though they would continue for another 12 years, Be Here Now essentially broke Oasis. While Pulp and Blur ran away from their Britpop-era success, Oasis never stopped trying to appease the multitudes that had bought their first two records. Though they would continue to be a big band, they would effectively become a nostalgia act from this point on - at their last ever gig, 12 of the 19 songs played were from the first two records and accompanying b-sides.

Nowadays this all feels like a distant tale from another age, and it should be easier to listen to the record with something like objectivity. But the truth is that it's hard to imagine it being made by a band not in their weird, impossible position. 'D'You Know What I Mean?' opens it in bombastically brilliant fashion. 'All Around the World' closes it interminably, a Beatles-y plodder far far far too enamoured of its expensive, cokey orchestra. In between there are definite moments, but the preponderance of very long songs makes it a slog to this day. That all accepted, it’s not like Noel had totally lost it: if you liked the early stuff, there’s no real reason why you’d have a problem with ‘Stand By Me’, ‘Don’t Go Away’, ‘The Girl in the Dirty Shirt’ et al, they just lack the romance of the early stuff”.

Actually, before offering my take, this article discusses the legacy of Be Here Now. To be a teen in 1997 and witness the circus and show around the release of Be Here Now id indescribable! Could Oasis ever live up to anything like that realistically?!

“It takes an understanding of just how big Oasis was in the mid to late '90s to see how the media’s fear of being on the wrong side of history in part influenced initial critical response to Be Here Now. But journalists weren’t the only ones still under Oasis’ spell circa 1997; Be Here Now burned straight to the top of the UK charts, selling over 400,000 copies in its first day alone, making it the fastest-selling record in the history of the British charts. But as the hype cooled down, so too did public perception of the record. It’s a common tale for bands left to follow up on massive success. Morning Glory set Oasis’ third act up pretty nicely for success, but while the honeymoon was good, it would have been almost impossible for such a willfully cranky and boisterous record to hang on to the mantle for the long haul. The commercial momentum behind Be Here Now was not to be sustained, as it fell down the charts almost as fast as it climbed them.

Critical praise for the record also waned in the years since its release. The media, operating now outside of the bubble of adoration that once shrouded the band, began walking back some of the record’s acclaim. In his review of the deluxe reissue of Be Here Now for Drowned In Sound in July 2016, Andrzeg Lukowski described the record as the one that “essentially broke Oasis”, noting the band’s failure to reclaim its critical and commercial peak. Pitchfork sized up the record retrospectively as “bloated and indulgent.” Even Oasis’ beloved admirers over at Q Magazine failed to stand behind their initial five star review 19 years later. But perhaps no one more bluntly spelled out just how out of favor Be Here Now had fallen than Rob Sheffield in his 2016 reevaluation for Rolling Stone.

“There will never again be a rock bomb like Be Here Now, and as such its memory should be honored,” he wrote backhandedly.

Twenty years out, Oasis’ third record sounds neither like the fantastic work it was first proclaimed to be nor the misguided noise fest it’s since been painted as. Maybe it’s easier to just call Be Here Now what it is: A record with the unfortunate luck of having to follow two modern rock classics. It would have taken a superhuman effort to one-up a record like Morning Glory, especially circa 1997. Perhaps sensing as much, Oasis opted instead to follow a different, more adventurous path. “An extraordinary guy can never have an ugly day,” Noel sings on “Magic Pie,” as if he could see the inevitable backlash coming far around the bend.

What Be Here Now might be is the record that best sums how the world looks at Oasis. You love them or hate them, but very few people abstain from having an opinion about them. Oasis has always been stellar at stirring up fans’ and critics’ thoughts and feelings, and no one of their records accomplished that the way Be Here Now has. Everything else falls into neat categorization. Definitely Maybe and Morning Glory are the proven classics, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants and Heathen Chemistry are the relative flops, while many true believers see late entries Don’t Believe the Truth and Dig Out Your Soul as comebacks.

But Be Here Now’s fate hasn’t yet been completely sealed. Unlike other Oasis records, there may still be some room for it to evolve in stature. For all of the talk about the volume, length, and extracurricular distractions that continue to hang over any discussion of the record, Be Here Now isn’t without its bright spots. “D’You Know What I Mean” is surprisingly catchy in spite of its bloat. “My Big Mouth” and “It’s Getting’ Better (Man!!)”, meanwhile, are scorchers that support the record’s overarching thesis that bigger is actually better. And what would happen if those early demos were to be released that stuck a little closer to Oasis’ bread and butter? All of this suggests that while Be Here Now has thus far led a complicated life, but like many of its bloated track times, has yet to truly die”.

Near the end of the magical summer of 1997, there was a lot of change in the British music scene. Oasis arrived just prior to Britpop starting. They were one of the major acts of the movement, alongside Blur. Whereas Blur, in 1997, released their exceptional eponymous album – where they embraced U.S. sound and bands like Pavement -, Oasis did not take the same evolution. Their music did not change sound of direction. Instead, it got fatter and more confident (if not focused). The brilliance of their first two albums is that the tracks are anthemic and short enough so they leave you wanting more. There is nothing like this on Be Here Now. I do admire the sheer bold-faced bravado of the band. And, yes, there are more than a few gems. I guess getting the mood right for listening is important. Be Here Now is an album you can’t really have in the background. You need to clear some time and really immersive yourself! The guys are clearly having fun throughout. Even if both Gallaghers have had different retrospective takes on the album, Be Here Now was met with a flood of praise and celebration! Maybe critics were a bit rash proclaiming it. But it still holds up twenty-five years later. I hope there will be a future version where things are tightened and shortened. Maybe shifting the tracks around (Stand By Me should be the final track; All Around the World needs to be around about track five or six). Regardless of current opinion of Oasis’ third studio album, there is going to be a lot of new inspection on 21st August. Go and get the new anniversary release if you are a fan of the album. A bold and cocaine-confident declaration from a band who had ever right to strut and swagger, Be Here Now is a messy album that could have been a masterpiece! It  is that sense of what could have been. It is sad to realise that we…

WILL never know.

FEATURE: Oh Thou, Who Givest Sustenance to the Universe: Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn at Eight

FEATURE:

 

 

Oh Thou, Who Givest Sustenance to the Universe

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during the shooting of the video for And Dream of Sheep, a song that is part of her suite, The Ninth Wave/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton

Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn at Eight

__________

ON 26th August, 2014…

Kate Bush performed the first night of a twenty-two-date run at the Evetim Apollo. Before the Dawn was Bush’s most extensive set of live dates since 1979’s The Tour of Life. I was not lucky enough to get a ticket to see her, but I have a vinyl copy of the residency. I don’t think people had an inkling Bush was returning to the stage. I know, in an interview long before she announced the news, Peter Gabriel almost let slip that something of this sort was happening. Bush announced her plans to perform via her website on 21st March, 2014. One can only imagine the nerves and excitement in her bones just before she came out on that first night to an adoring and anticipating audience on 26th August! I am going to come to a review of Before the Dawn. I will also give my thoughts about the residency, and whether Bush will ever do anything live again. Before that, the Kate Bush Encyclopedia provided some details about the band, dates and setlist:

“Band

The band playing with Kate Bush on stage consisted of David Rhodes (guitar), Friðrik Karlsson (guitar, bouzouki, charango), John Giblin (bass guitar, double bass), Jon Carin (keyboards, guitar, vocals, programming), Kevin McAlea (keyboards, accordion, uilleann pipes). Omar Hakim (drums), Mino Cinélu (percussion). Backing vocalists were Sandra Marvin, Jacqui DuBois, Jo Servi, Bob Harms and Albert McIntosh. Some actors were involved as well: Ben Thompson played Lord of the Waves, Stuart Angell played Lord of the Waves and the painter's apprentice, Christian Jenner played the blackbird's spirit, Jo Servi played witchfinder and Albert McIntosh appeared as painter. Supporting actors were Sean Myatt, Richard Booth, Emily Cooper, Lane Paul Stewart and Charlotte Williams.

Set list

Act 1

Introduction
Lily
Hounds Of Love
Joanni
Top Of The City
Running Up That Hill
King Of The Mountain

The Ninth Wave
And Dream Of Sheep (video)
Under Ice
Waking The Witch
Watching You Without Me
Jig Of Life
Hello Earth
The Morning Fog

Act 2

A Sky Of Honey
Prelude
Prologue
An Architect's Dream
The Painter's Link
Sunset
Aerial Tal
Somewhere In Between
Tawny Moon (lead vocals by Albert McIntosh)
Nocturn
Aerial

Encore

Among Angels
Cloudbusting

Dates

26 August 2014 (Before The Dawn, Before The Dawn From Apollo)
27 August 2014 (Before The Dawn, Before The Dawn From Apollo)
29 August 2014 (Before The Dawn From Apollo III)
30 August 2014
2 September 2014
3 September 2014
5 September 2014
6 September 20149
9 September 2014
10 September 2014
12 September 2014 (Before The Dawn From Apollo XI)
13 September 2014 (London Eventim Apollo, 2014-09-13)
16 September 2014
17 September 2014
19 September 2014
20 September 2014 (The Sixteenth Wave)
23 September 2014
24 September 2014
26 September 2014
27 September 2014
30 September 2014
1 October 2014 (Before The Dawn Live On Stage)

Attending celebrities

During the run of the show, several celebrities were spotted in the audience, while others took to social media to confirm they saw the show. Some of the names of celebrities that have seen the live show are Lily Allen, Marc Almond, Gemma Arterton, Bjork, Peter Gabriel, Dave Gilmour, Guido Harari, Holly Johnson, Lauren Laverne, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, Caitlin Moran, Frank Skinner and Ricky Wilde.

Recordings

While Kate requested there was to be no photographing or filming during the evenings, many members of the audience have recorded the sound of the concert instead. Sound recordings from the audience exist from 10 of the 22 dates. On September 16 and 17, some seats were moved in order "to film the show for a DVD release", according to an e-mail to some fans who had bought tickets for these two shows. In 2016, the album Before The Dawn was released, with live recordings from the shows”.

It is amazing that it is only eight years since Kate Bush came back to the stage for Before the Dawn. By all accounts, there was huge excitement and celebration on the first night. With famous actors, musicians and fans pouring in to see their idol on stage, this was a concept and show that would never be repeated or bettered. Before concluding, the review I want to bring in is from D.J., author, label boss and writer, Pete Paphides. He writes beautifully about his feelings when he saw Kate Bush wow a Hammersmith crowd:

“So this is where epiphanies happen, and few people are better placed to tell you about that than Kate Bush. On July 3rd 1973, she came here, to the Hammersmith Odeon, with her brothers to see David Bowie declare on stage that Ziggy was about to die and he was taking The Spiders From Mars with him. In that moment, she cried (as she later recalled, “it looked like he was crying too”) and the dramatic expiry of one pop star acted as the catalyst for another. Six years later, Bush concluded her Tour Of Life in Hammersmith. Between Ziggy’s swan song and what for the longest time people imagined to be her own live swan song, punk had happened, leaving seemingly little impression on Kate Bush. In truth, it had nothing to offer her.

In the foyer of the Hammersmith Odeon before the third of Kate Bush’s first shows in 35 years, it’s hard to make generalisations. But I’ll allow myself this one about the guy next to me who, despite never having met me, keeps passing his binoculars to me so I can see what he’s seeing. And the male twentysomething fan who will brave the tube home dressed in a white cotton tunic, black tights, face painted in white and silver, his hair wreathed by leaves and twigs. And the woman who has gone to the trouble of having a dress made just like the one festooned with clouds on the sleeve of Never For Ever. And the woman who rushes from her seat during the encore of Cloudbusting to hand a bouquet of lilies to Bush (who, in turn, receives it between bows). “Too much” is why we came. There’s nothing more antithetical to Kate Bush’s music than sensory temperance. For three hours, it’s like finding out there was a Dolby switch pressed on your consciousness. The moment that Bush, draped in black and barefoot, marches in a soft, shuffling procession, flanked by her five backing singers, you turn it off. You might need it for the journey to work on Monday, but it’s of no use to you now.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features

She smiles beatifically throughout Lily — the invocation to guardian angels which originally appeared on The Red Shoes and, in 2011, The Director’s Cut — apart from when attacking the top notes, which she does with the phlegm-rattling zeal of a seasoned soul singer. The love in the room is unlike anything I’ve seen at a live show. Given free rein, it would surely result in an instant surge to the stage, but it’s tempered by a deference which extends to uniform acceptance of Bush’s stated no-cameras request. As a consequence, the first three songs are bookended by a total of six standing ovations. Hounds Of Love is exactly what it should be given the passage of three decades: drummer Omar Hakim and perma-grining percussion talisman Mino Cinelu hold back the rhythmic landslide, creating space for a vocal pitched closer to resignation than combativeness. Eighteen months ago, when Bush’s son Bertie McIntosh (then 15) finally persuaded her to return to live performance, the first two people she pencilled in for the project were the lighting designer Mark Henderson and Hakim. Within the opening section, it isn’t hard to see why Bush wanted to assemble her band around Hakim. Running Up That Hill is every bit as unyielding and startling as it was the very first time you heard it: doubly so for the incoming storm whipped up from the back of the stage. On King Of The Mountain, he reprises the freestyling pyrotechnics of his turn on Daft Punk’s Giorgio By Moroder. Everything about King Of The Mountain, in fact, is astonishing. Bush navigates her way around the song’s rising sense of portent with a mixture of fear and fascination that puts you in mind of professional storm chasers. When they’re not singing, her backing vocalists dance as if goading some unholy denouement into action, before finally Cinelu steps into a misty spotlight. On the end of a rope which he demonically twirls ever faster is some sort of primitive wooden cyclone simulator.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing of all is that this — King Of The Mountain and the preceding songs — is a preamble to the first act. In 1985, as Hounds Of Love was being readied for release, Kate Bush sketched out a putative film script for The Ninth Wave — the 30 minute suite of songs, which shared its title with Ivan Aivanovsky’s 1850 painting of a group castaways clinging to floating debris as dawn approaches. But, as she writes in the programme, “In many ways, it lends itself better to the medium of stage.” She’s referring to the conceit at the heart of The Ninth Wave and, yes, she’s right. What would have been impossibly confusing on film is only occasionally confusing when played out on stage. On a screen, we see the stranded protagonist in her lifejacket in palpable distress, relying on scenes from her past and future to keep her from slipping under. On stage we see those feverish visions played out before us. If Bush’s distress looks unsettlingly convincing on the screen, that might be because the 20ft deep tank at Pinewood Studios in which she had to be immersed for several hours pushed her to method actor extremes: singing live whilst gradually succumbing to a fever which was later diagnosed by her GP as “mild hypothermia.”

At times you imagine every prog-rock star who reluctantly had their wings clipped by punk feeling a sense of unalloyed vindication at the scenes being played out here. After the release of 2011’s 50 Words For Snow, I interviewed Kate Bush and asked her about recent musical inspirations. I figured that someone must surely have played her Joanna Newsom’s Ys whilst exclaiming, “Look! A kindred spirit!” (they hadn’t) But actually, she probably has no need of new input. It’s increasingly apparent that Bush’s musical hard drive was full by the time she made her first record. As Watching You Without Me modulates into Jig Of Life, I try and pin the musical sense of deja vu to an actual memory. Finally it comes to me. This sort of spectral somnambulant ceilidh was precisely the sort of thing which arty stoners in the early 70s — arty stoners such as Bush’s older brothers — would have sought out in the albums of Harvest Records outliers Third Ear Band. Except, of course, the one thing that Third Ear Band lacked was a cosmically attuned sensualist to act as a smiling Trojan horse to her own avant-garde sensibilities. And so, here we are. A generation of pop fans suckered by Wuthering Heights, Wow and Babooshka. And we’re watching four people in fish heads wheel in a floating bit of rig illuminated by red flares. In a moment, she will climb aboard before the fish people claim her, carrying her aloft away from the sea, and among us through the aisle before, finally, The Morning Fog. This is perhaps as beautiful as anything we have seen up to this point. Dancers and singers take their partners. and, bathed in golden light, Bush exchanges glances with her fellow players. Everything you have seen in the preceding hour is the result of more than a year of drilled, deliberate meticulous planning. And yet, on the back of such vertiginous terrain, Bush gazes at her fellow performers with the relieved air of a trainee pilot who had to land a Boeing Airbus after the rest of the cabin crew had passed out.

It could end there. It really could. That was a whole show, right there. But on the other side of the intermission, it’s all change once again. Comprising the second half of 2005’s Aerial, A Sky Of Honey emerged from Bush’s fascination with the connection between light and birdsong and then, as she puts it: “Us, observing nature. Us, being there.” Without realising it, with those last three words, Bush may have propelled us to the essence of our connection with much of her most affecting music (The Sensual World, Breathing, Snowflake). The Ninth Wave is really about the miraculous, ungraspable nature of human consciousness. And, if the subtext — intended or otherwise — of that piece is that only we humans can reflect upon what it means to die, then the subtext of A Sky Of Honey is that only we humans can reflect upon what a gazillion-to-one miracle it is to be alive. Us, observing nature. Us, being there.

Few musicians are more adept at conveying a sense that something good is going to happen than Kate Bush. We know what Nocturn sounds like on record, so a certain sense of expectation is unavoidable. On either side of the stage, we see arrows fired from bows into the firmament, where they turn into birds. For reasons I couldn’t honestly fathom, we see the painter’s model sacrificing a seagull to no discernible end. Over a rising funk that defies physical resistance, Bush makes a break for transcendence and effectively brings us with her: “We stand in the Atlantic/We become panoramic,” she sings, with arms aloft. Like the rest of the band, guitarist David Rhodes has donned bird mask. As Bush is presented with vast black wings, she and Rhodes circle elegantly around each other, before finally, briefly, she takes flight.

Just two songs by way of an encore — which, after what has preceded them, seems generous: Among Angels from 2011’s Fifty Words For Snow is performed solo at the piano, before the entire band return for Cloudbusting. Once again, we’re reminded that, almost uniquely among her peers, Kate Bush goes to extraordinary lengths in search of subjects that hold up that magic of living up to the light for just long enough to think that we can reach it. But, like the beaming 56 year-old mother singing, “The sun’s coming out”, that too dissipates into memory. And, after another 19 performances, what will happen? In another 35 years, Kate Bush will be 91. Even if she’s still here, we might not be. Perhaps that’s why tonight, she gave us everything she had. And somehow, either in spite or because of that, we still didn’t want to let her go”.

Many ask whether Kate Bush will ever do another stage show. I don’t see that happening. At sixty-four, perhaps the physicality of performing such a demanding show for so many nights would be too much. Also, as Bush has explained, which songs would she perform!? A residency now would need a theme and arc like Before the Dawn. You can read Pete Paphides’ words. It was such a personal and powerful show that touched everyone in attendance. Bush would not come back and put together a greatest hits package. In terms of albums that have either never been played live or have only had the odd song played, it would leave Never for Ever (1980), The Dreaming (1982), The Sensual World (1989), The Red Shoes (1993), and 50 Words for Snow (2011). Some of those albums have had some material featured, but it would be hard to pair albums into concepts.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features

I was thinking that, if ever see did do something live, it would be more intimate. I asked whether a stripped-back concert at Abbey Road Studios would work. Maybe her at the piano, it would almost return her to her roots. Even if, early in her career, Bush was asked about performing live at a piano and she said that it would have little point and not give much value to fans (as she had much grander ambitions and knew that small-scale would not be a good option), it seems like a more suitable decision today. Bush has enjoyed such a long and successful career, one feels her attitudes are different now. In any case, it seems that new music is much more likely than live work. Above all, fans hope that we have not heard the last from Kate Bush. I thought Before the Dawn was this bridge between the 2011 50 Words for Snow album and another album. It has been eight years since the first night of Before the Dawn, so you do wonder whether anything will follow it. Rather than speculate, let’s look back – and buy the album if you do not own it – at an event few thought would ever happen. To have been there at one of the twenty-two nights must have been otherworldly! It was clear that there was…

SUCH magic in the air.