FEATURE: A True Prodigy: Remembering the Exceptional Keith Flint

FEATURE:

 

 

A True Prodigy

IN THIS PHOTO: Keith Flint/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Remembering the Exceptional Keith Flint

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IT seems cruel that we cannot brace ourselves for such...

 IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify

news when a brilliant artist leaves us. The past year or so has not been as tragic and horrendous as 2016 – when David Bowie and Prince died – but some big names have departed since then. A few hours ago, the world started reacting to the news that The Prodigy’s Keith Flint has died aged forty-nine. It is a tragic revelation and, for a man so young, it adds extra punch and sadness. People from all corners are paying tribute and sharing the news. The Guardian have reported what is known so far:

“Keith Flint, vocalist with the Prodigy, has died at the age of 49, it has been reported.

The singer was found dead at his home in Essex on Monday.

An Essex police spokesman confirmed that a 49-year-old man had died. “We were called to concerns for the welfare of a man at an address in Brook Hill, North End, just after 8.10am on Monday,” he said.

“We attended and, sadly, a 49-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

With his punk aesthetic of spiked hair and intense stare, Flint became one of the UK’s most iconic musical figures in the 1990s. He joined the Prodigy – originally formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 – as a dancer, later becoming a frontman alongside rapper Maxim. Aside from their 1992 debut, all of the group’s seven albums have reached No 1 in the UK, the most recent being No Tourists, released in November 2018”.

 

Although The Prodigy’s Liam Howlett has been responsible for shaping the sounds that make the songs so evocative and timeless, it is Keith Flint’s vocals that brought the songs to life. Many consider Music for the Jilted Generation to be the finest moment – that used samples and other vocals – but I connected with The Prodigy when they released The Fat of the Land in 1997. In 1997, the landscape was changing and we had seen the best of Britpop. American guitar sounds were inspiring a lot of evolution but there was this vein of brilliant Dance and Electronic music that was offering genuine difference and commercial freedom. Away from the mainstream sounds, acts like The Prodigy were providing this intense, thrilling and unifying music that one could lose themselves in. Some see The Fat of the Land as less credible and consistent as Music for the Jilted Generation but the powerhouse vocals of Keith Flint brought something new to the fold. I had never heard a singer like him: a sense of energy and expression that was so foreign to the vocalists who were scoring Rock and Pop hits of the day. Backed by fiery and innovative compositions, Flint turned songs like Firestarter and Breathe into classics. Seeing him in the videos with his unique looks and mad moves thrilled me and my peers and we would chant The Prodigy in the playground.

This review from NME in 1997 highlighted the strengths of The Fat of the Land:

“I remember imitating – in terms of the moves rather than the looks! -  Breathe and Firestarter’s concept and we would often lark around pretending to be Keith Flint. I love the fact he took The Prodigy to new audiences and helped bring the music to the masses. The Prodigy did not lose any edge or credibility: instead, they had this firecracker vocalist whose personality and nuances make songs on The Fat of the Land so indelible. Smack My Bitch Up might be the classic from The Fat of the Land but I have a very special place reserved for Breathe. It is a song I remember a school chum of mine playing as we played football outside his house. I hear the song now and am transported back to the time I was thirteen/fourteen and would barrel out of school; run around the corner to Stefan’s house and hear the song played on a stereo – as we would kick the ball around the field and enjoy that freedom.

Now, following the chart triumphs of 'Firestarter' and 'Breathe' (the best darkly apocalyptic pair of Number Ones since Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Relax' and 'Two Tribes', and both included here), a two-show blitz at traffic jam-cum-festival Phoenix and a support for Oasis at Knebworth, they're on the brink of US destruction care of a deal with Madonna's Maverick label and all set to terrify a continent whose musical wet dreams remain controlled by Beavis And Butt-head...

 

Before it all is sonic grace. 'Breathe' - that rarest of things, a Prodigy track that grows on you - sounds ever more sinister in such claustrophobic surroundings, drilled as it is to a brain-numbing intensity of kick drums over which Keith howls the still baffling lyric, "Twisted animator!". 'Diesel Power', an overdriven nod to the band's hip-hop roots, comes care of a growled vocal from Kool Keith, aka Dr Octagon, and 'Serial Thrilla', home to the best example yet of Keith's ability to faultlessly master vocalus Johnny Rottenus, covers the Jeffrey Dahmer axis comprehensively (sample lyric: "Serial Thrilla!/ Serial Killa!") before ending, after five and a quarter brain-in-the-Kenwood-mixer minutes”.

Fast-forward to 2009 and the album, Invaders Must Die. There are period where Flint did not feature on Prodigy records and, on songs like Colours and Take Me to Hospital, Flint – alongside Maxim – brought new life and insight into the songs. Some say Flint, on the biggest moments, was too aggressive and lacked clarity but it is his force and electricity that made the songs so exhilarating and memorable! Listen to the vocals on Nasty and Rebel Radio – from 2015’s The Day Is My Enemy – and, again, these potential-great songs are lifted to the status of classics. Even if Howlett was providing the inspiration and source; Flint was making songs realised, confident and colourful. His input and role in one of the greatest Dance/Electronic acts this country has every produced is obvious.

On 2nd November, 2018, the band released No Tourists – an album that won acclaim and, again, featured Flint. I do wonder if they will continue without him now but I know this is sure: the gap he has left will never be replaced! We Live Forever and Champions of London are a couple of the strongest songs The Prodigy have released in years and both feature Flint’s vocal skills. Maybe the quality declined after their 1997 peak – or the end of their peak – but you cannot refuse the urgency of The Prodigy’s music, regardless of when it arrives. Keith Flint was a vital ingredient in the mix and, away from the music, the man’s loveable personality and crazy hair certainly made us smile! He was an original and someone not willing to conform to ideals and be anyone else. I wanted to quote from one of the last interviews he gave (at the end of last year) that showcases why his sort of honesty and lacking ego is what makes him so authentic.

“There’s a no-smoking sign on the wall of the London studio where we meet Keith Flint. Still, The Prodigy’s pierced and punk-plumed wildman is rolling a fag. He crams a wad of Golden Virginia into a crumpled Rizla, licksit, lights it and takes a long, merciful drag.

“I fucking hate this nanny state we live in right now,” he exhales, filling the room with smoke. “It’s like being back at school. I cannot be told what to do. As soon as I’m told not to, I will. It’s the death of life, the nanny state. And it kills everything. It will turn us all into zombies”.

As the reporter/interview remarked, having a chat with Keith is not a forgettable or average experience – it is almost like him and the music are the same:

“A conversation with Keith is not unlike one of his gigs. It is unpredictable, visceral, and raw. It can be angry at times, scary at others, but entrancing throughout. But he is not the four-letter lady-part he just singled out. Not today, anyway. In fact, he is rather charming and funny. Eloquent, too. And he laughs a lot.

“I am kind of a court jester meets asylum escapee,” he says. “I sometimes describe myself as like a hallway in a house: you think you’re inside, but there’s another door to the real me. I’ll sit and wait like a predator and then I will cut you down. I will fucking cut you down to the ground”.

IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify

His fashion and looks, again, are hardly what you’d confuse with your everyday Pop artist – the type that seemed dressed by committee and unwilling to deviate in case their Spotify numbers decline!

“Keith Flint has come to this interview dressed as Keith Flint. Apart from the shades, he’s wearing a pork-pie hat and a blue-and-white striped prison uniform shirt. A bolt bores through his upper ear and tattoos cover his arms and chest. He bursts with energy and ideas, pogoing between topics as they come into his head, and he swears like a trucker in a jackknife. He’ll often call someone, or himself, a cunt, apologise, then use the word again”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

The final part of the interview I want to bring in concerns the turn of the century and The Prodigy stepping into the 2000s. The end of the 1990s, in a way, ended a creative flow from the band and it would be a little while until Liam Howlett rediscovered that Midas touch. There were problems when Howlett gained new focus:

“By the time Liam finally found his mojo, Keith had unravelled. “I got to the point where I had to stop. I didn’t want to be a jabbering wreck.” But coastal walks and solitary Saturday nights in never much suited Keith. “I was heading for complete vanilla-ism,” he says.“Being sober, my obsession became being fit and focused, but I like to leave the planet now and again. I decided to have the odd joint or a few beers to keep a bit of psychedelia in my life.”

And here we are now, sitting with Keith in this London studio, five albums and 26 years since he and Liam first met in that muddy Essex field – two lost boys drawn together by a shared love of hardcore and a burning problem with authority. “I think Liam is the only person I’ve ever loved,” says Keith, with genuine affection. “He and Maxim have actually taken time to get to know who I am. It’s probably to do with not having a good family background. The band became my family”.

 

The band has lost a family member: its quirky uncle and its faithful brother; its strange lead and its true voice. I know many prefer the samples vocals and periods when The Prodigy operated differently but I love the Keith Flint contributions. From the cocktails of explosion on The Fat of the Land to the new vocals on No Tourists; there is nobody in music that boasted the same qualities and angles as Keith Flint. His death is unexplained but, tragically, I feel like suicide might be the cause – although it would be reckless to mention that or feel drugs played a part. Whatever the cause of his death, the music world has lost another star. Social media is filled with tributes and sad words. It is a bolt out of the blue and one that will take a long time to recover from. As a tribute to Keith Flint, listen to those great records and feel the impact and power he brought to them. He was in life as he was on record: a unique and open human who was contradictory, earnest and bold. The music industry is becoming more sanitised, safe and less interesting and losing someone like Keith Flint highlights that sharply. We go to sleep with the knowledge Keith Flint is no longer with us but, through the wonderful music he left behind, we will never...

TRULY lose the master.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify 

A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory

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WE have just finished celebrating thirty years of...

 IN THIS PHOTO: A Tribe Called Quest in 1991/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

De La Soul’s debut album, Three Feet High and Rising, and now my mind turns to A Tribe Called Quest’s, The Low End Theory. It was released on 24th September, 1991 and was the second album from the Hip-Hop group. I look around modern music and wonder whether any artists make as a big an impression on their debut and sophomore albums as De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest – it seems unlikely! The reason why I love this album is because it sound great on vinyl and it is a record that is full of innovation, samples and confidence. Like all great records from that golden era of Hip-Hop (sort of between 1986 and 1991), you cannot take everything in right at once: several listens later and you are still processing the multi-layered songs and cool beats. The Low End Theory was recorded in New York from 1990 and 1991 and largely produced by the group’s legendary member Q-Tip. Rather than copy the busier sound of their debut, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990), the follow-up is a minimalist affair that relies on well-incorporated bass, drum-breaks and Jazz samples. When the album first came out, there was doubt whether it could be a success and whether people would actually buy it. A Tribe Called Quest scored big when their debut came out but they changed their style (slightly) the second time around so there was a fear that, maybe, people would want more of the same.

There were some issues within the group when the album was being put together. In fact, just after the release of their debut, Phife Dawg, a band member, learned he was diabetic and did think about leaving A Tribe Called Quest. The group wasted no time following their debut and essentially went straight from the debut to recording The Low End Theory. Q-Tip was keen to keep things going – maybe he wanted Phife Dawg to keep active and not think about his condition – and it was a hectic time of creativity.  Their manager Kool DJ Red Alert was fired by the group and Chris Lighty stepped in. The softer and more melodious voice of Q-Tip contrasted with that of Phife Dawg who was higher-pitched and was more comedic. This balanced and contrast led to an album that was brimming with imagination and brilliance. Such smooth and gifted rapping was excellent, even in a quality Hip-Hop scene. I do not know where people would rank it in terms of Hip-Hop’s peak period but The Low End Theory is a masterful and divine record. Like, too, a lot of other Hip-Hop records of the period, The Low End Theory has a social conscience and dug deep. Everything from date-rape to consumerism was covered on the album. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg’s interplay and chemistry is key to the brilliance of The Low End Theory.

Q-Tip was, by 1991, already established as a lyricist but Phife Dawg provided plenty of experimentation, skills and fresh flow. Another thing that marks The Low End Theory out from albums by peers such as N.W.A. and Public Enemy is the lack of profanity. De La Soul would also employ very little (if any) expletive language on their debut and A Tribe Called Quest were keen to keep things pretty clean. The reviews that greeted The Low End Theory upon its release were deeply impressive and passionate. There has been plenty of retrospective acclaim, too. AllMusic, in their review, said this about the album:

“While most of the players in the jazz-rap movement never quite escaped the pasted-on qualities of their vintage samples, with The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest created one of the closest and most brilliant fusions of jazz atmosphere and hip-hop attitude ever recorded. The rapping by Q-Tip and Phife Dawg could be the smoothest of any rap record ever heard; the pair are so in tune with each other, they sound like flip sides of the same personality, fluidly trading off on rhymes, with the former earning his nickname (the Abstract) and Phife concerning himself with the more concrete issues of being young, gifted, and black...

IN THIS PHOTO: Q-Tip in N.Y.C. on 24th July, 1994/PHOTO CREDIT: Chi Modu/Diverse Images/Corbis  

The trio also takes on the rap game with a pair of hard-hitting tracks: "Rap Promoter" and "Show Business," the latter a lyrical soundclash with Q-Tip and Phife plus Brand Nubian's Diamond D, Lord Jamar, and Sadat X. The woman problem gets investigated as well, on two realistic yet sensitive tracks, "Butter" and "The Infamous Date Rape." The productions behind these tracks aren't quite skeletal, but they're certainly not complex. Instead, Tribe weaves little more than a stand-up bass (sampled or, on one track, jazz luminary Ron Carter) and crisp, live-sounding drum programs with a few deftly placed samples or electric keyboards. It's a tribute to their unerring production sense that, with just those few tools, Tribe produced one of the best hip-hop albums in history, a record that sounds better with each listen. The Low End Theory is an unqualified success, the perfect marriage of intelligent, flowing raps to nuanced, groove-centered productions”.

The Low End Theory changed Hip-Hop and marked this extraordinary time for the genre. It helped push Rap to new avenues and broke sonic ground. Unlike some of the harder-edged and more aggressive Hip-Hop records that came out in the 1980s and 1990s, The Low End Theory had more Jazz elements – that helped bring the genre to more people – and was a mellower thing. Hip-Hop, before 1991, was not necessarily filled with macho songs and toughness but there was a sense that the genre was defined by a sense of aggression.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Phife Dawg (who died in 2016 due complications with diabetes)/PHOTO CREDIT: Lukas Maeder/13 Photo/Redux

A Tribe Called Quest offered a new angle and perspective. Alongside peers such as De La Soul, there was this calmer and less aggressive sound. Many can trace A Tribe Called Quest’s Hip-Hop and Jazz blends to many Hip-Hop artists today such as Kendrick Lamar. There is an argument that suggests the lines between Jazz and Hip-Hop have been blurred more than they were in the early-1990s. It is hard to create an album now that will change the course of music and have impacted decades later but that is what The Low End Theory has done. In 2016, writing for The Quietus, Angus Batey talked about the album twenty-five years on and how it has impacted music:

“Yet The Low End Theory took Tribe to that fabled "next level" hip hop acts always bang on about by performing the trick every authenticity-obsessed artist most dearly wants to execute. They crossed over without selling out - in fact, they crossed over while retrenching. Contrary to what Weiss and colleagues thought at the time, ...Low End... is harder-edged, darker, and, in terms of its adherence to established hip hop codes, actually a little bit conservative. (Not that that's a bad thing, of course.) The record became beloved of fundamentalist b-boys because it rooted itself firmly in the music's core sonic, conceptual, lyrical and artistic values, yet managed to increase the band's appeal to listeners who generally shunned rap for sonic or ideological reasons. Here was a group from a still outsider genre, uniting hardcore fans and curious outsiders by making music that worried more about integrity, commitment, creativity and resolve than it did appealing to the mainstream. Who'da thunk it?”

 

“Even after 20 years it's difficult to work out quite how they did it: the music makes no concessions to outsiders - meaning, essentially, anyone outside the group and their immediate circle of creative associates - and, a couple of half-decent jokes aside, neither do the lyrics. There are formal and aesthetic changes from the first LP, but they're slight: even the much-vaunted coup of landing the input of jazz bass icon Ron Carter has minimal impact on the album as a whole (he only appears on one song, so the notion that Carter's appearance somehow validated hip hop as jazz's heir - which was claimed in all apparent seriousness at the time - doesn't really hold water).

It's still a record that sounds fresh and potent, with even the anachronism of 'Skypager' coming across as a quaint curio rather than a jarring disconnect. And ultimately, this is the most important thing about The Low End Theory: it really doesn't matter what the critics said, whether it helped legitimise hip hop as music among folks who'd hitherto only heard it as noise, whether the label knew what they were dealing with, or even the (huge, undeniable) impact it had on the kindred spirits who heard it and incorporated its teachings into their own art. Even the band's subsequent history, the eventual split and its uncomfortable aftermath that provides the narrative for Rapaport's film and which occasionally lends certain Tribe tracks a subsequent layer of melancholia, can't alter ...Low End...'s power. It's one of those rare instances where a group reaches a creative peak and got to put that moment down on tape, without worrying about what anyone else was doing or listening to any voices of advice but their own. If only making records was always this easy”.

IN THIS PHOTO: A Tribe Called Quest chilling in New York in 1991/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

An article from The New York Times in 2016 saw their contributor Touré look at the impact A Tribe Called Quest made in regards Afrocentrism and how their different Hip-Hop approach – mellower and with greater spirit and control – inspired:

“In time, Afrocentrism was seized by Madison Avenue as a marketing tool and a gimmicky way of trying to sell things to black consumers, as if putting red, black and green on the bag makes the French fries inside more authentic. But for those like me who took Afrocentrism to heart, it mattered.

A Tribe Called Quest helped open the door to Afrocentrism for many, just as they helped open the door to hip-hop for me and many others. Lots of different sorts of people are able to succeed in hip-hop now: a superblerd (black nerd) like Questlove; a self-proclaimed Oreo like Childish Gambino; an intellectual like Talib Kweli; a tormented skater-punk like Tyler the Creator; a fashion designer/rapper like Kanye West. We can thank Phife and A Tribe Called Quest for helping to inspire them, and us”.

It is clear The Low End Theory changed the game and A Tribe Called Quest would continue to inspire and innovate. The follow-up, Midnight Marauders, arrived in 1993 and many see it as their best work – I feel The Low End Theory is a more satisfying and nuanced listen.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify

The group’s sixth and final album of 2016, We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, was an emotional affair. Deteriorating relationships in the group meant they could not continue and, ironically, there are many who feel their swansong is their very best – almost like The Beatles going out on a high with Abbey Road. All A Tribe Called Quest fans will have their personal favourites but, to me, The Low End Theory is the biggest revelation and step forward. The sheer consistency from A Tribe Called Quest – on The Low End Theory and through their career – was amazing and they are deeply missed. If you are new to Hip-Hop then this is a great album to start with. It is a wonderful record that sounds perfect on vinyl and takes you somewhere incredible and safe. The record keeps revealing its layers and meanings nearly twenty-eight years after its release. You can hear so many elements from The Low End Theory in modern Hip-Hop but I wonder whether a new generation needs to open their ears more and take notice. I still think there is this tendency for Hip-Hop artists to be aggressive and lack that melodic sensibility. A Tribe Called Quest showed what could happen when you take a different approach and so, in 2019, isn’t it time for the new breed to...

IN THIS PHOTO: A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad photoed in 2016/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

LEARN valuable lessons from this masterpiece?!

INTERVIEW: Scott Lavene

INTERVIEW:

Scott Lavene

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I am starting this week by speaking with Scott Lavene...

as he discusses his latest track, Methylated Blue, and how it all came to pass. He talks about filming its video in New York; which albums and sounds have made a big impression on him and what he can reveal about his upcoming album – Lavene reveals some new artists that we need to get involved with.

I ask if there are any tour dates coming up and, if he had the chance, which artist he’d support on tour; the advice he would provide to approaching musicians and which career memory stands out from the pack – he picks a cool tune to end the interview with.

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Hi, Scott. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi there, Music Musings and Such. I’m ok, thanks. My week’s been swell. Mainly writing and staring out of the window.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

Yeah. I’m Scott Lavene, an Essex boy. A songwriter. I make Punk ballads and Gutter-Pop; been compared to the ’70s English mob that Stiff Records put out: Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric and Elvis Costello. High prais,e indeed

Methylated Blue is your new song. How did that song start life?

It was one of those songs that emerged, fully-formed. I was part of a theatre show last year and sat at a piano during a break, sorted out the chords and melody and then the words came fast later at home.

What was it like putting the video together? Did you have much say in terms of its concept?

It was all me. The song is set in New York and the label were kind enough to let me use the budget for the video to go there and make it myself with a mate. It was great. Few ghosts from the past and bitterly cold but it’s such a great place. You could film anything and make a great video but we chose Harlem and Coney Island.

There is an album coming later this year. Is there anything you can reveal regarding song themes and sounds?

Yeah, sure. The songs are stories. One is about having a speed habit and working in a factory, one about my dislike for small talk; one about being skint, one about the afterlife; cynical takes on modern life, weird and wonky Pop. In terms of sound, I was going for a Serge Gainsbourg-meets-Chas and Dave and I think that, by jove, we’ve done it. 

When did music come into your life? Can you remember the first song you heard?

Music has been part of my life since the start. Apparently, I took 7-inches to nursery. Every memory has a song attached. Stray Cats’ Runaway Boys is my first memory of music. 

Which artists were important to you growing up? Who do you rank as idols?

At first, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder; Stax and Motown. Cheesy Pop and power ballads. I was into old Soul music as a small kid. Then I was a ’60s obsessive as a teenager, the Woodstock lot: The Doors, Small Faces; Joni Mitchell, Velvet Underground. I lived like it was San Francisco in the ’60s but it was actually Romford in the late-’90s.I mean, too many people are important to me to list. I haven’t even put anyone from this century. I’m a nostalgic fool, really. Idols would be Iggy Pop, Tom Waits; Nick Cave, Ian Dury and David Byrne. I like songs. I like singers. I like oddballs.

Do you have a standout memory from your time in music so far?

Steve Lamacq playing my first single. Dream come true. I can retire now.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Now that’s hard, but here you go.

Elliot Smith – Either/Or

It’s a cuddle. It lets you know that it’s ok to feel sad and that you’re not alone.

The Libertines – Up the Bracket

It reminds me of youth and rebellion. It’s chaotic and loose - brilliant.

The Beatles - Revolver

Perfect songs. Incredible band.

Might we see you on tour in 2019?

Yes. A couple of times. With a full band in June upon release of the album and then a solo tour in the autumn.

You have received support from D.J.s like Steve Lamacq. How rewarding is that sort of attention?

I probably care too much about that stuff sometimes but he’s a bloody hero isn’t he? 6 Music is on constantly in my flat, so to hear one of my songs on it is mind-blowing. More please. But, if my career goes down the sh*tter, I can keep that and bore my kids with it when they grow up.  

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Tom Waits - just so I could watch him from the side of the stage. My rider would be Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, tea bags; a kettle and a trumpet. I really want a trumpet.

How important is performing? Do you prefer it to life in the studio?

I wouldn’t say I prefer it. I could live in a studio forever. Playing live is a buzz, a fix. Making people laugh, cry and wince is pure joy and I’m grateful for every show as I’ve done my share of jobs I hate.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Shop Girls

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Shop Girls, a songwriter from Cardiff. He’s got a few songs on SoundCloud. I love him. He can’t afford to get his E.P. mastered so, if there’s any fat cats reading this, give the kid a leg-up. You already know her but I’m completely in love with Adrianne Lenker’s songs and voice. Heaven.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Adrianne Lenker

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I live by the coast, so I swim in the sea a lot but I unwind with music and books and films.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

The Clean – Anything Can Happen

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Follow Scott Lavene

Official:

https://www.scottlavene.co.uk/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/scottlavene

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/scottlavenemusic/

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FEATURE: The Ever-Evolving Pop Leader: Why Madonna’s Year Will Shine Brighter Than Her Peers’

FEATURE:

 

 

The Ever-Evolving Pop Leader

IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna/PHOTO CREDIT: @Madonna  

Why Madonna’s Year Will Shine Brighter Than Her Peers’

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I cannot claim to be a Madonna superfan...

 IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify

but I am pretty well-versed when it comes to her music and world. 2019 is going to be a very big year for Madonna and, as I have recently mentioned, there is a lot going on! I am going to put together a separate piece before 21st March that celebrates thirty years of Like a Prayer. This is a huge album for the Queen of Pop and, as we look back at that landmark record, it gives fans the chance to connect with the amazing record that transformed Madonna’s career and saw her reach rare heights. I will try not to repeat myself – I know I have covered this ground before – but I am interested when we get a chance to look back at Madonna’s work. I can just about recall Like a Prayer coming out and the sort of attention it gained. It was a great way to end the 1980s and, after a series of incredible albums, this was the peak of Madonna’s career. Not only was the video for the title cut much-discussed and the reason for controversy – many feeling the images depicted blasphemy and there was controversial images of inter-racial love – but Madonna was showcasing what an amazing songwriter she was. The ‘scandal’ regarding her video seems tame by today’s standards but it was clear here was a Pop artist who was bold, fearless and a natural icon. The tracks on Like a Prayer are focused, personal and benefit from having few bodies in the pack – mainly Madonna and Patrick Leonard writing the songs.

There are many highlights but, aside from the title cut, Express Yourself, Cherish and Oh Father are the standouts. I hope the media reacts and plays proper tribute to the album. Later this year we will see Like a Virgin turn thirty-five and Bedtime Stories turn twenty-five. These are big albums and, again, the need to focus on them and understand their relevance is key. Today, there is nobody like Madonna out there and Pop albums are not being made in the same way. Madonna has recently buried the hatchet with Lady Gaga – whether the feud between them is as intense as the media makes out – and the two seem to be on a better footing. There is a feeling that, in ways, Lady Gaga is modelling herself on Madonna: the reinventions and type of Pop; her forays into acting and her imagery. Of course, the two are quite different but I can understand why Madonna would feel a little bit like there is copyright infringement. I have also mentioned the Madonna biopic/documentary, Madonna and the Breakfast Club, that stars Jamie Auld in the role of a young Madonna. It is good to see a rare glimpse into Madonna’s early life – when she moved to New York and was part of The Breakfast Club; it covers her period before she recorded her eponymous debut in 1983. This year is a great one in terms of looking back at her career and celebrating her legacy.

It is obvious, looking back at her big albums and projects involving her, there is still a big appetite for Madonna and we all know what an impact she has made. At this point in her career, there is that never-ending battle with ageism in the industry. One doubts any new music will be top of the playlists of BBC Radio 1. It is a shame that someone who pretty much pushed Pop to where it is is being denied airplay and will struggle to make it on the ‘hip’ stations. Many do not bother to listen to what a song sounds like and, instead, focus on age and whether someone is outside their demographic. Madonna has crafted thirteen albums and, since the early-1980s, she has revolutionised the game and inspired countless artists. I have written about Madonna’s 2019 before and how we will get a clash of the older-recorded material and some new stuff. It is, in fact, the new developments that led me to write this. Even at the age of sixty, Madonna is showing her cool and still the most important Pop artist out there. Look at her Twitter and Instagram feeds and she is keeping people updated professionally whilst letting them in personally. Maybe this is more of a personal love letter from a big fan of Madonna. I am not enamoured of her fashion and changing styles; her personal life and that side of things. It is part of her ethos and stature but, to me, it is the way she has survived and endured that is the most impressive.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna, Snoop Dogg (back) and Pharrell/PHOTO CREDIT: @Madonna

Many of her peers have either retired or died and how many Pop artists who started decades ago are still innovating and pushing forward?! Look at the latest news and it seems like something new from Madonna will be coming along. This article gives some insight into what the next Madonna single might be like:

“Not only did Monét X Change recently (jointly) win the latest series of All Stars 4, but now the super queen is set to appear in a music video for Madonna.

However, this did come at a slight cost, as Monét was forced to cancel the Haters Roast show she was set to appear at. Writing on Instagram, on a post with the comments turned off, the show said: “Yesterday @monetxchange arrived in Denver to appear on our show.

“Sometime during the afternoon, we’re told she received a phone call from @madonna with an offer to be in an upcoming music video. Monet asked MP if it would be ok to leave the tour to accept the offer. We said no because it was too short notice to replace her on Haters.

“Just hours before the show was to start and without telling anyone including the other queens on the Denver show, Monet left the venue and flew to LA to accept Madonna’s offer. Therefore, we have decided that Monet will no longer be on any upcoming Haters Roast dates”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna during her Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Madonna is filming a video with queens and, in terms of sounds, who knows. Maybe it will be Pop-cum-Disco or something more Hip-Hop-leaning. There have been some cryptic and interesting posts on social media that give a bit of insight into what the new album might be about. Many feel it will be called Magic – not the greatest title but it seems like the one she has gone with – and I have seen videos of her singing with African women and experimenting with different people. It seems a sense of the spiritual and magical will mix alongside the sort of sounds we hear on albums like MDNA and Rebel Heart. Madonna has posed with Pharrell and Snoop Dogg and one suspects there will be a bit of Rap and tough edges on the album. As it stands, there is no confirmed release date but discussion around a new music video suggests we will not have to wait too long. Her last album, Rebel Heart, came out in 2015 and was her best-reviewed record since 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor. Although a new Madonna album does not create the same buzz and excitement as back in the 1990s, it is never a boring thing and it is interesting to see how she has changed. There is always talk that women are circling her throne and she will be deposed as the Queen of Pop. Whether you mention Lady Gaga or Ariana Grande it seems, for many more years, Madonna is safe where she is.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna and Lady Gaga in a post-Oscars embrace/PHOTO CREDIT: @Madonna

I felt it important to mention Madonna again before Like a Prayer’s anniversary because a lot is happening and she has been busy the last couple of weeks. Her post-Oscar party was, apparently, quite the do and a must-go event. Many of her similarly-enduring peers might quiet down and not be so active but Madonna seems to be at her most ambitious and excited. I guess I wanted to revisit Madonna’s work because so much of today’s Pop seems formulaic and slavishly designed to fit into station playlists and this set formula. There is not a huge amount of movement and evolution and, at a time when we need fun and uplift, there is not too much of that! I do hope new Madonna material will bring some fire and intensity and, as many young Pop artists are finding their feet or not quite mature enough to command the scene, Madonna has the knowledge and experience to be able to deliver. In many ways, it seems like the peace with Lady Gaga and the old clashing with the new – album anniversaries and a new record – are part of a new phase. The post-sixty Madonna shows no sign of slowing and is always exploring new avenues. The next few weeks are exciting: many will be looking ahead to Like a Prayer at thirty and the arrival of a new album.

So Excited to Share the Amazing Orquestra Batukadeiras with the world!...........🥁 on my new record. 🎶⚽️! The future is female! 🙏🏼 say AMEN! #dinodsantiago. #mirwais #music. #magic #lisboa #caboverde. 🇨🇻🇨🇻🇨🇻 ♥️ pic.twitter.com/G2hKN17Zs2

— Madonna (@Madonna) February 5, 2019

Even if you are not a mega-fan who knows her insides and every avenue, you have to admit the continuing juggernaut of Madonna’s career is just as exciting now as it has always been. There are so many young Pop artists coming through but they do not carry the same weight and lure. Apart from promising material from Ariana Grande – her new album, thank u, next, has won big praise – and a few artists here and there it seems 2019 will be about artists in other genres. I can see work from female artists in other genres and tell they have Madonna-sized ambitions. The original Madonna is fresh and busy on social media and always keen to make sure people are aware of her older work as they are the new. She is not this nostalgia-heavy artists and is always looking to create something masterful. Whether that is bringing in new sounds and voices to her music or planning her next video, there is never a dull moment. Many people will be anticipating something pretty cracking with the as-yet-unnamed next single but it seems like it will be pretty colourful! I will be sure to check back in to mark Like a Prayer but now seems like a busy and packed time when new music is about to come. No matter what is happening with the rest of the new Pop artists and those looking up to Madonna, it seems there years will not be as memorable as...

AS the authentic Queen of Pop.

FEATURE: The Great Escape 2019: Ones to Watch: Part Two of Three

FEATURE:

 

 

The Great Escape 2019

IN THIS PHOTO: Jvck James 

Ones to Watch: Part Two of Three

__________

THE names who will play at this year’s The Great Escape in Brighton...

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

are almost confirmed – I think there are a few more coming through – but there is such a range of musicians to look out for. Covering multiple genres and nations, it will be a busy few days from 9th May. I think The Great Escape is one of those festivals that concentrate on the smaller acts and those coming through. Openings its doors to an international and eclectic fleet, everyone will be able to find something that suits them in a gorgeous surrounding. I have selected another batch from the announced that you need to investigate and, if you can, go and see. There are so many brilliant artists heading down to Brighton and it is hard to find which are worth that extra bit of focus. These names are, in my few, among the very best and those that will command...

IN THIS PHOTO: Maisie Peters

A big crowd.

___________

Gently Tender

Bio:

“Gently Tender formed from the ashes of instigators Sam Fryer, Pete Mayhew and Will Doyle’s former band Palma Violets, along with keyboardist The Big Moon’s Celia Archer and guitarist Adam Brown. Taking their name from a song by The Incredible String Band, Gently Tender draw on the sounds of old Soul and Folk records, with a tinge of 60s and 70s psychedelic pop. Their love of those records shines through brightly on their first offering ‘2 Chords Good’ – a sprawling collective sound powered by the gang vocals of the entire band recalling everyone from Spiritualized and The Animals to Kevin Ayers and back again”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gently_Tender

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gentlytender/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/483bBNsBBCvjAnx2Sc8BHc?si=C_t6PttBTQWBfcCgTv1eEQ

Key Cut: Some Hard Advice

GGallan Partridge

Bio:

“Four Northern lasses present a skewed and lively version of punk, owing more to X-Ray Spex then The Sex Pistols, and express themselves like 60’s gogo dancers who have watched too much Vic and Bob. Active for less than a year, GGAllan Partridge have self-released an 8-inch vinyl EP, supported acts such as Richard Dawson, Dream Nails and Viagra Boys. Their mix of the Fat White Family’s barely contained ire and Dee-Lite’s boundless sense of fun is an absolute joy; a gloriously off-kilter dayglo girl-gang riot of pop and politics”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/geegeeallan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geegeeallan/

Key Cut: Eyesore

Gia Margaret

Bio:

“Chicago singer/songwriter/producer Gia Margaret describes her music as “sleep rock.” It’s a genre all her own, combining elements of folk, shoegaze, slowcore, ambient electronica and trip hop. For her self-produced debut album, There’s Always Glimmer (out July 27, 2018 on Orindal Records), Gia Margaret crafted twelve gorgeously melancholic lullabies to combat her own insomnia, and to salvage some beauty from the brighter and darker moments of her life.

There’s Always Glimmer explores relationships between friends, family members and significant others, often in past tense. Sparse verses isolate mundane moments of domestic and urban life, and choruses ache with earnest expressions of yearning and loss”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gia_margaret

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gia.margaret/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7fnMav7xXJwwjbyWbSjF4C?si=ykx4qkFIRUSz7xgcy4kP6Q

Key Cut: Groceries

girl in red

Bio:

“girl in red is the project of 19 year old Marie Ulven. Hailing from Horten, Norway, Marie began the girl in red project in 2017 and rapidly developed a significant fanbase across Soundcloud and Youtube. Following the critically acclaimed release of her debut EP, ‘chapter 1’, with support from The Fader and the New York Times, girl in red won NRK P3’s ‘Urørt’ (Introducing) Artist of the Year award. Combining melancholic, angst ridden lyrics with undeniably catchy melodies, girl in red’s sound sees her begin what will be a very exciting 2019”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_girlinred_

Instagram: https://instagram.com/girlin.red

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3uwAm6vQy7kWPS2bciKWx9?si=ClsZau0OQka_uM6mn0eDZA

Key Cut: we fell in love in october

Haggard Cat

Bio:

“An absolute sonic beast, the band has stormed onto the scene over the last 12 months and there seems to be absolutely no letting up from them. Combining enormous hooks, violently voracious beats and thoughtful lyrical themes all pummelled out live at head spinning volumes with unrivalled intensity. To witness Haggard Cat live is as immersive as it is devastatingly chaotic, which is something the band has managed to replicate perfectly on their debut full length album.

Challenger (released through Earache Records) is a 10 track warts-and-all crash course in everything rock and roll should be, receiving rave reviews across the board including Kerrang (4k), Metal Hammer (4/5) and Total Guitar (4/5). Haggard Cat have managed to showcase exactly how well they can craft great songs and contain them in a package that sounds so visceral and real that they could be in the same room as you”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theHaggardCat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaggardCat/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0fIUq6BR8xSAMsi1VvBW2e?si=ftEhBt-6RbGnCKeErtPw2A

Key Cut: American Graffiti

Hot Milk

Bio:

“Hot Milk are an emo power-pop duel fronted band from Manchester, England. Jim and Han met in a bar in the Northern Quarter in 2016, became fast friends and have lived together ever since. What started over a bottle of wine and an acoustic guitar in their living room, whilst it pissed it down outside, quickly became their vice and way to survive through everyday life. The Manchester weather coupled with their persistent desire to fill a meaning-shaped hole meant that one song quickly turned into fifteen after running home from work during lunch breaks and staying up all night.

Singing sad songs with happy melodies, Hot Milk are a celebration of the real. With Fun, Family and Kindness at the forefront of their minds, Hot Milk hope to create an open and warm sphere where everyone is invited”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hotmilkhotmilk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youlikehotmilk/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1koutXdSFq2PHqtxSWj9tK?si=67x-CnGzQC6ip_tmlLZcnA

Key Cut: Awful Ever After

Indoor Pets

Bio:

“Formerly known as Get Inuit, the Kent quartet recently released their first single since signing to Wichita Recordings, appropriately titled ‘Hi’. The track premiered by Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, and with further support coming from Huw Stephens and Radio X. Previous releases, such as ‘So Soon’ and ‘Barbiturates’, revealed the large scope and diversity the band have available in their repertoire. Expect to witness a display of confidence and manic fervour on stage, a result of months fine-tuning their live show supporting the likes of Slaves, Spring King, The Big Moon and The Magic Gang”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndoorPets

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indoorpetsband

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5abBw7CgjR22S31JWg0g84?si=eoBCUthVSsOidY4-L-LhpQ

Key Cut: Hi

iris

PHOTO CREDIT: Kenny McCracken 

Bio:

“iris makes music of exquisite balance. Deep emotions play out on a backdrop of warm, minimalist electronica. Stories of love and connection vie with a desire for solitude. On her debut EP “a sensitive being”, five songs of intimate, electronic beauty are brought to life with the cream of London and Norway’s young producers. The first of those tracks, “from inside a car”, was recently just released. This painterly, synth-driven stream-of-consciousness arose from a session with Bergen producer Askjell Solstrand and was based on a formative trip to Paris. Having never travelled on her own, iris lived in France, working on farms, and experienced for the first time the energising power of loneliness”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iris_caltwait

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris_caltwait/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5jOiYJPp5e84cnK2KO1aNz?si=M9z-lhZyTEmk4PnutmRYGA

Key Cut: from inside a car

JC Stewart

Bio:

“Raised on the Northern Coast of Ireland, Callum picked up a guitar at the age of 12 and within a year was writing his own songs. Now, just ahead of his twenties, Callum Stewart has blossomed from a bedroom singer/songwriter into one of the hottest voices coming from Ireland today. He’s been tipped as a ‘One To Watch’ for 2017 by Hot Press and made the playlists of Irish radio across the country.

With swelling arrangements and heart stopping melodies, Stewart creates climactic, alt-pop marked by real emotion and raw passion”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcstewart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JCStewart/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2TAqN8fwfaKauvviN4pOsv?si=bzcHUHfrQm-h5RUDK22l1w

Key Cut: Like I Did

Joy Crookes

Bio:

“Joy Crookes is ONE OF THE UK’S MOST EXQUISITE NEW TALENTS . Still only 20, her songs effortlessly capture the trials and tribulations of life. Born and raised in Elephant and Castle, Joy’s musical journey is still just beginning but she’s already garnering Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill comparisons.

‘Reminiscence’ is the second EP from Joy Crookes, following the widely acclaimed debut ‘Influence’ last year. Introduced by the heartbreakingly beautiful first single ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ at the end of last year, the brand new EP marks the start of a new chapter for Joy in what’s promising to be an enthralling story”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joycrookes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joycrookes

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XMyhVhi5ZN2pi0Qwi1zXS?si=wlmr2lO3TYm-sQNrezlwWg

Key Cut: Bad Feeling 

Jvck James

Bio:

“East London born & bred, 19-year-old JvckJames is already creating a buzz with his blend of Jamaican roots and tasteful soul music taking in influences from the 90’s greats such as D’Angelo & Lauren Hill whilst giving a nod to the likes of Khalid & Frank Ocean. Graduating from ELAM (East London Academy of Music), young Jvck has been mixing his studies with song-writing sessions for the last year, laying the foundations of what promises to be a very exciting next chapter in his life. Having already released ‘Extroverted Lovers’ and ‘Easy’ to much critical acclaim, plus his stand-out live session for Berlin based ‘COLORS’ and recent appearance on the JD Reid track ‘Home’, he’s already pricked the ears of numerous tastemakers and fans. Having spent time working with a crop of talented producers including Scribz Riley (Khlaid, Ca rdi B), Di Genius (Drake — Controlla), this year will see this unique British talent release a slew of new music to the world”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jvckjames

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jvckjames

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hhGFNFQrdE34ZYR1CaBYN?si=QMP1FBZKSPSH-OFcy1622g

Key Cut: Wave

Kara Marni

Bio:

“Since her debut release in September 2017, Kara Marni’s work has amassed incredible radio support from the likes of industry tastemakers MistaJam, DJ Target, Annie Mac, Benji B and Jamz Supernova.

After two show-stopping, sold-out headline shows, three European support tours, including the Rita Ora ‘Girls Tour’ and a string of Summer festival appearances the 21-year old concludes the year with the hit single ‘Move’.

For a chance to see Kara Marni at The Great Escape Spotlight Show you can sign up here or alternatively buy standalone tickets here to be guaranteed a ticket”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KaraMarni

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaraMarni/                     

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2lfOu2DjnvR4Xpolt3OPfv?si=mkU2C7rZRWSYuYhNAlMxeg

Key Cut: Curve

Kingswood

Bio:

“It’s six years since Kingswood first crashed the Australian touring circuit, supporting iconic headliners such as The Saints and The Living End with belching rock singles like “Ohio”.
Their debut album, Microscopic Wars, made directly for the Top 10, followed by nomination at the 2014 ARIA Awards. Following up with 2016’s After Hours, Close to Dawn, Kingswood got their biggest hit to date, “Golden.” In 2018, the band made a debut appearance at Mondo in NYC, followed by extensive touring through the Europe. Meanwhile, sessions for album #3 continue. The first taste, “Messed It Up” — all sinewy synth-soul compulsion with a restless rock undertow — presages another stunning act of evolution”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kingswoodband

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KINGSWOODmusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4zOw0E0NA7B4lIYyc3XNt5?si=FeDhaT4oTeaFZlkE6I7Hug

Key Cut: Golden

Kizzy Crawford

Bio:

“A Welsh speaker with Bajan heritage, 22 year old Kizzy Crawford has already achieved great recognition for her work including airplay on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio1,2,6 & 4, as well as her music being used as set works for the WJEC 2016 A Level Music syllabus. Festival highlights include Glastonbury, L’Orient, Cambridge Folk Festival, Womex & Hay Festival.

Her recent single Progression was playlisted on the Jo Whiley & Simon Mayo BBC Radio 2 Drivetime show and received support from Tom Robinson & Craig Charles on BBC 6Music. Kizzy is excited to release her debut album via Freestyle Records this year”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kizzkez

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kizzycrawfordmusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5yPNQ2rLG2TDftpNXr1ckY?si=g4SJ04qzR0eMqlFGCOOgww

Key Cut: Enfys Yn Y Glaw

L Devine

Bio:

“21 year old pop singer-songwriter from Newcastle. “I don’t get why people hate on pop – it’s the best kind of music. Everyone listens to it. It’s way more credible than people think, and it’s way easier to write some sort of metaphorical bullshit on an acoustic guitar”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ldevinemusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LDevineMusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dhyUSoGhz79WTzP39vKs4?si=UQzZDrbGRaW79KtA7dI1lg

Key Cut: Panic

LEISURE

Bio:

“Made up of five independently talented and successful members who were looking for a new creative outlet unconstrained by over-thinking, over-planning, and excessive control; LEISURE are an anomaly in the music industry. This unusual melting-pot of contributions means LEISURE is greater than the sum of its parts, each member bringing different influences from 70s funk, to 90s rap and R&B, all the way to dance music from the early 2000s. Each member also brings a different skill set – strong pop song writing sensibilities, experimental production techniques, and the talent to mix and master their own work”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/le_isure

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theleisurecollective/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7b04D0yLktCUpvxQBhmG7R?si=Ve75HisNQoWSCz9HVYswSA

Key Cut: Got It Bad

Lewis Capaldi

Bio:

“When Lewis Capaldi’s debut single Bruises exploded at the start of 2017 it seemed from an outside perspective to have all the hallmarks of an overnight sensation. How could this 20-year-old with a soul-wrenching voice that sounded like it had been hewn from granite seemingly emerge from nowhere with a song of such emotional depth?

A stripped-back and almost painfully raw meditation on love and loss from a writer who seemed like he’d already lived several lives and had the scars to prove it, within weeks it had racked up an astonishing 15 million Spotify plays and topped streaming charts around the world.

For a chance to see Lewis at The Great Escape Spotlight Show you can sign up here or alternatively buy standalone tickets here to be guaranteed a ticket”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lewiscapaldi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lewiscapaldi

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4GNC7GD6oZMSxPGyXy4MNB?si=xM_lpX7PTgaxcWfZtLRxiw

Key Cut: Bruises

LION

Bio:

“Lowen embraces the ferocious, Janis Joplin-esque rasp of her voice. In fact, it’s one of the reasons she chose to adopt the name Lion. “Someone said I sound like a lion,” she explains, “Also, everyone says I have lion hair, and ‘Löwen’ means lions in German.” Still, declaring herself deserving of such a fierce moniker wasn’t something that came easily. “I didn’t mention it to anybody for months,” she admits. “It’s a big statement, it’s pretty extreme.
Lowen doesn’t make music than can be easily compared or categorised. Each song differs from the next – though there’s one thing she hopes they all manage to achieve. “I hope people feel something,” she says, “like I do when I’m playing it. Take what you want from it, but feel. I want to make boys cry.”

Lowen doesn’t make music than can be easily compared or categorised. Each song differs from the next – though there’s one thing she hopes they all manage to achieve. “I hope people feel something,” she says, “like I do when I’m playing”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamlionofficial

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamlionofficial/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3yIyRdeLGNW1NhRZaFrMW4?si=KxaHuYW6QEm2xzd9LdLEZQ

Key Cut: Oh No

Little Simz

Bio:

““Me again… and I’m here to pick up where I left off”, Little Simz states over a growling bassline on the opening bars of her new album, GREY Area. Amid the chest-thumping chaos of jazz flute and playground chants, on the bold first track “Offence”, the UK rapper aligns herself with male auteurs including Picasso, Jay-Z, and Shakespeare. This bravado lays the stage for a project that, in its fullness, actually takes the listener to dark, vulnerable, and tender places. First, though: a reminder that Little Simz is at the peak of her powers. The 24-year-old independent artist has been living in the midst of a whirlwind since dropping Stillness in Wonderland, her second full-length album (and 11th release in total), in December 2016. Simz is no stranger to success. By the time she was 21, Kendrick Lamar had called her “one of the illest doing it right now”, and she was the first independent UK artist to ever be listed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LittleSimz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LittleSimz/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6eXZu6O7nAUA5z6vLV8NKI?si=2qp_50qgTpan6beuhJOs9A

Key Cut: Offence                                                                                                                                      

Maisie Peters

Bio:

“The quiet town of Steyning in West Sussex, where Maisie was born and raised, was hardly the kind of cosmopolitan capital you assume all pop artists are raised in these days; she would have been more likely to see the town choir play church concerts than her own kind of idols. Maisie Peters knows that pretentious singer-songwriter cliché just as well as you do. “I love Joni Mitchell, and I listen to her in the bath – with the lights off!” she laughs, creating a caricature of the woman so many assume this gifted artist might be in real life. But there’s something different about this girl: one who, at the age of 18, has already spent years beguiling millions of followers with her breezy, folkish guitar pop. A Joni Mitchell fan she might be, but beneath it all there’s a regular teenager who’s more interested in modern chart superstars than the esoteric legends of her field. She is, quite simply, not all that bothered about seeming cool”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maisiehpeters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maisiepetersmusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2RVvqRBon9NgaGXKfywDSs?si=BR87lHqoSnSZ86S7MYT-kg

Key Cut: Worst of You                                                                                                                            

Malphino

Bio:

“Malphino are an outer-national, mystical band from an imaginary tropical island that has dreamt up a cinematic score and audio backdrop to their idyll. A promised land of hypnotic cumbia rhythms, subtle digital warbling, accordion textures, voodoo vapours and woodblock charm awaits the off piste explorer willing to step through the arch and Visit Malphino, the debut album from this London based collective of musicians and visual artists.

The joyous, often frenetic, style of cumbia that Malphino have landed on, tips its hat to the various denominations of modern cumbia movements worldwide yet carves its own unique, transcendental spin on the genre”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/malphino

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Malphino/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1hWJbIVGfYRmwRgmM6HFij?si=nkSZDeHcTB-m8zqnL5Fi7Q

Key Cut: Molienda                                                                                                                                   

Mathilda Homer

Bio:

“20-year-old Mathilda Homer’s contemporary soul is formed by blending traditional influences with modern, creative production. After leaving London for rural England in her formative years, Mathilda’s alternative education lead her to pursue music from a young age. Born to two established composers, music filled their family home and inspiration was found everywhere. Growing up in a social environment, Mathilda grew to be a natural performer and turned away from academia in favour of exploring her creative side. After moving back into London in her late teens to study, Mathilda connected with her now main collaborator, writing partner and producer Isaac. Finding each other a perfect fit creatively, the pair began writing, recording and relentlessly gigging their music in pubs
and bars around London.

Mathilda and Isaac’s natural rhythm and spontaneous writing process bore fruit and a body of work began to form, including Mathilda’s upcoming debut single ‘Ready When You Are’”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mathilda_Homer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathildahomermusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0uwGk8b2zINQFSKiLbK50Y?si=koQvT-q8TqymQIpgRN-oyA

Key Cut: Ready When You Are                                                                                                            

_______________

IMAGE CREDIT: @thegreatescape

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise):

Artists/Getty Images

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

https://greatescapefestival.com/

TICKETS:

https://greatescapefestival.com/buy-festival-tickets/

FEATURE: Inertia Creeps from the Man Next Door: Massive Attack’s Spellbinding Mezzanine

FEATURE:

 

 

Inertia Creeps from the Man Next Door

IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify 

Massive Attack’s Spellbinding Mezzanine

__________

EVEN though the album is not celebrating an anniversary...

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

Massive Attack are touring are bringing songs from Mezzanine on the road and introducing them to new fans. The reviews for their live shows have been great. Here, for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis assessed their recent O2 Arena gig:

“As Massive Attack perform an amped-up version of Man Next Door – Horace Andy’s voice quavering, its ominous dub backing freshly augmented with distorted guitars – the screens behind them flash up a warning against the seductive power of nostalgia. “All around you are two-dimensional images of people who died long ago,” it reads, over black-and-white footage of a person who died long ago, British pop artist Pauline Boty. “They say, ‘don’t bother with the future. Stay with us here. For ever.’”

This is an intriguing message to send out in the middle of one of those gigs at which a band play a beloved album from their back catalogue in full, but then Massive Attack’s live revisiting of their 1998 album Mezzanine is clearly a more complex and troubled affair than such gigs usually are. Most gigs like this are predicated on a comforting familiarity – the audience buy tickets knowing exactly what they’re going to get – which is not an accusation you could lob the way of tonight’s show...

In 1998, a lot of music sounded like Massive Attack’s debut album Blue Lines: umpteen trip-hop and chill-out compilations were packed with artists imitating it; you couldn’t turn on the TV without hearing something inspired by it pattering away in the background of an advert. At the time, Mezzanine seemed completely at odds with the mood of beatific stoned tranquillity the band had inadvertently unleashed. It was twitchy, gloomy and suspicious, filled with songs that fretted about surveillance and control, less fashionable topics then than in today’s era of data harvesting and digital footprints”.

Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall recently talked about the making of Mezzanine: some of the challenges involved and what the takeaway impression is from the recording sessions:

“Does it still feel raw? Marshall has entered the dressing room and leans against the wall, languid and softly spoken. “Raw. Yeah, it is to a certain extent. [Mezzanine] was the end of our trio but… it projected us to greater things, I suppose. We’ve been through different things which have made us a bit raw, but we’ve managed to patch it up.”

What is Marshall’s abiding memory of making the album? “It’s fraught with bad memories, but it was a departure from what we were used to and so, yeah, that’s kind of where all the heartaches came in.” Del Naja’s main memory “is probably the fight really. It wasn’t as simple as it used to be, because Blue Lines [their debut] was based on our collective history. Culturally and musically it was a big jam together. And then the second album [Protection] we’d become something, so we had a kind of routine and procedure. I felt that [with] Mezzanine, the procedure had to be ripped up, the rulebook had to be changed”...

The fight was about Teardrop, still their biggest-selling single; Del Naja and Marshall wanted former Cocteau Twins frontwoman Liz Fraser on vocals. Mushroom secretly sent the track to Madonna, who loved it and called, keen to record it. Having already worked with her in 1995 on a cover of Marvin Gaye’s I Want You – at the time, to Mushroom’s fury – Del Naja was incandescent and turned her down. He won’t comment on it now. “It was hard,” he shrugs. “I guess that is what I remember of Mezzanine: it was a proper struggle”.

Maybe Massive Attack are not keen to look at Mezzanine as a nostalgia trip but more as an album that is relevant today and whose messages, nearly twenty-one years ago, seemed to predict the future. In many ways, there is more corruption and deceit than there was in 1998 – Mezzanine is almost a light relief compared to the realities of today! The entire production and recording was a struggle. The tensions within the group almost split them and, in a way, it is almost like a 1998 version of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Even though the source of friction was different in each case, having this group working in such a heated environment could have derailed the record and led to disaster. Instead, like Rumours, there was this masterpiece born that sounded like nothing else – maybe that tension leads to creativity.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Robert del Naja and Grant Marshall/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Robert Del Naja wanted a more New Wave sound in terms of samples of themes but Andrew Vowels was sceptical. Grant Marshall wanted that New Wave sound and something quite edgy and dark. Although there was some tension and disagreement within the ranks, Mezzanine is considered a classic and one that mixed Trip-Hop and Electronic. There is this darkness and claustrophobic sound that mixes with a sense of calm and melancholy. Singles such as Teardrop (ft. Elizabeth Fraser) compared to something like Inertia Creeps sounds natural. There is never a sense Massive Attack were trying to cram diverse sounds together just for the hell of it. Lesser Electronic/Trip-Hop acts would do that without much thought but Massive Attack were keen to create this very evocative and eclectic album that had a range of moods. A range of samples are used on Mezzanine, including songs from artists such as The Cure and Isaac Hayes. The fact that Massive Attack are on this anniversary tour means the album holds a special place in their hearts. Even though the group was splintered and fraught before Mezzanine was released, one would not realise it. Before I come to look at the reception and reaction to Mezzanine, I wanted to bring in an article from Billboard regarding Mezzanine and how it managed to turn out so well:

“Yet what resulted in that perceived mess turned out to be what many consider to be Massive Attack's greatest album, despite the absence of the group's secret weapon, quixotic rapper Tricky, who left the fold shortly after Protection to focus on his fledging career as a solo artist...

 

Alongside Davidge behind the board, the group opted to go in a darker, more guitar-driven motif for Mezzanine, flexing their roots in early 4AD dreampop with the appearance of Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins on the album's signature hit "Teardrop" (which has since been used to wide renown as the theme to the sorely missed medical drama House), as well as a darker hue of dub reggae with Jamaican roots legend Horace Andy, the only artist to guest on all five Massive Attack LPs. His appearance on the third Mezzanine single "Angel"—one of three Andy songs on the album—is the one by which he is most well known. The track, which stems from Horace's 1973 lovers rock classic "You Are My Angel," truly takes flight in the remix provided by another longtime Massive associate, British dub giant Neil "Mad Professor" Fraser. And for the Guyana-born DJ and producer, collaborating with Andy was indeed familiar territory.

"I've been working with Horace Andy from when my studio was in my front room back in my 8-track days," he explains to Billboard. "Me and Horace, we are guys who have been through a lot of ups and downs together. Sometimes we're brothers. Sometimes we're like father and son. And sometimes we are enemies. We go back many years, man. One of the first things we dubbed up from Mezzanine was 'Man Next Door,' which was originally a reggae song done up by John Holt and Dennis Brown. Horace is a very special talent. He has a very unique style, and some people think he is Massive Attack (laughs), because they know his voice more than 3D or Daddy G".

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Everyone has their own memories of Mezzanine but, when I experienced it as a fourteen-year-old, it was a revelation. I was aware of Massive Attack’s work and was a minor fan. A lot of Post-Britpop mainstream music was being played at school and, when kids started to talk about Mezzanine, it was a breath of fresh air. The searing beats and that blend of the ethereal and intense was stunning and I was instantly hooked. Mixing samples in with original loops and expressions, such a full and wondrous album took me aback and I was keen to learn more. Teardrop and Inertia Creeps are my favourite songs from the album but, truthfully, every one of the eleven tracks shines and has its place. A lot of retrospective acclaim has come in for Mezzanine and, if you look at the reviews, they are glowing and keen to express their delight. AllMusic, in 2013, has this to say:

“"Risingson" is a dense, dark feature for Massive Attack themselves (on production as well as vocals), with a kitchen sink's worth of dubby effects and reverb. "Teardrop" introduces another genius collaboration -- with Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins -- from a production unit with a knack for recruiting gifted performers. The blend of earthy with ethereal shouldn't work at all, but Massive Attack pull it off in fine fashion. "Inertia Creeps" could well be the highlight, another feature for just the core threesome. With eerie atmospherics, fuzz-tone guitars, and a wealth of effects, the song could well be the best production from the best team of producers the electronic world had ever seen. Obviously, the rest of the album can't compete, but there's certainly no sign of the side-two slump heard on Protection, as both Andy and Fraser return for excellent, mid-tempo tracks ("Man Next Door" and "Black Milk," respectively)”.

In some ways, Mezzanine seems almost historic in terms of its sounds and the sonic palette. It is almost Victorian in its moods and mixtures but, in 1998, it was an album that resonated and spoke to the people. Now, over twenty years after its release, its words have adopted new meaning and there are scores of people discovering the album for the first time. Massive Attack are taking the album on the road and ensuring as many as possible to get to hear these epic songs. I have revisited Mezzanine and picked up stuff I had not noticed before. Whether it is a sample of a lyric that passed me by, Mezzanine is a record that keeps rewarding you. I think it is one of the best albums of the 1990s and one of the finest Trip-Hop records ever created. I am glad Massive Attack are still going and the tensions of recording their 1998 masterpiece did not break them. It is amazing to hear them talk about Mezzanine twenty years after its release with such insight and passion. Maybe things were quite anxious when it was being made but time has elapsed and they can view the experience with fresh eyes. The music throughout Mezzanine is wonderful and it deserves to be heard by the new generation. There is not a lot of great Trip-Hop around in the mainstream (if any) and I feel it is time to see a Massive Attack-like charge come through. The world is in a dark space and it would be easy to document the splits and uncertainties through music. Maybe that is the truth about Mezzanine: it is such a brilliant and singular moment that nobody...

IN THIS PHOTO: Massive Attack in Berlin in 1998/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Westenberg

CAN equal.

TRACK REVIEW: Stealth (ft. The Dap-Kings) - Black Heart

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Stealth (ft. The Dap-Kings)

Black Heart

9.5/10

The track, Black Heart, is available via:

https://open.spotify.com/track/5joZkgTCteYR5SWvSesUSQ?si=vTk4qxTlShOH0NVIn1PwrA

ORIGIN:

London, U.K.

GENRES:

Soul/Funk/Jazz

RELEASE DATE:

15th February, 2019

__________

THIS time around...

I get to look at some new themes and subjects to bring into this review. I wanted to start by speaking about Stealth himself but, then, look at collaborations and how the best ones stand aside. I will then talk about genres like Funk, Blues and Jazz and how they are under-used in music; artists embarking on a new chapter and able to be flexible with their material; supporting other artists and how online success can aid and boost a career – I will then look at Stealth and where he might head this year. It has been a busy last few years for the artist. In 2015, Stealth started carving his path into music with the E.P., Intro (he produced other work before then but Intro was the greater realisation of his vision and talent). That initial cut was influenced by artists such as Howlin’ Wolf and Hozier. I would not, as some have done, compare him with James Bay as that does him a disservice and I find Bay’s music incredibly boring and generic. The reason why his early work captivated was not because he was trying to be someone like James Bay; rather it was about the way he could project this powerful vocal and match things with edge and a forceful heartbeat. After the success of his early work, he started to turn heads and really got onto the live trail. People were talking about his shows in impassioned tones and he was receiving incredible reviews. There are artists today who have that deeper tone and style – such as Rag ‘n’ Bone Man and Hozier – but Stealth is a much more credible and talented artist. I often have a reason with people comparing newcomers to mainstream stars in order to give them some sort of credibility and boost. I find, if you listen to Stealth closely, he (I hope) is not trying to follow those artists and is looking at a much more original and less chart-based path. I think there is a lot of emphasis on support artists who are quite bland and uninteresting and, after Tom Walker won at the BRIT Awards recently, I do worry the industry is not looking hard enough for the next big thing.

Stealth has the ammunition and variety to stand well aside from the rather limited and mundane artists who seem to get a lot of focus. We often look at a slightly brooding male artist with a bit of cool and get this impression of who they should be and what they are like. Stealth is not someone who is going to fall into traps and you can lump in with the mainstream newcomers. Stealth is, as he will say, an insomniac with a flair for music. He takes inspiration from Jazz and Blues legends and funnels that influence into a big vocal performance and arresting style of music. There are dark tones in the music and a powerful voice but there is light and relief that can be found. I do feel there is a tendency, for modern artists, to go for something a bit personal and unsettled. I can understand why it is important to talk about your life but so much modern music pretty downbeat and lacks energy. I look for artists who can be personal and open but have a bit more power and flair. This is what you get with Stealth. He has built this promising career penning songs that have a real potency and power but there is a certain grace to be found. That might sound odd but I listen to his music and can hear so many different strands and colours. Rather than follow the lead of some of the less interesting artists currently playing, Stealth is a more eclectic, original and interesting artist. I do sometimes get worried regarding collaborations and, after some solo success, whether artists are making the right choice. I say this because I hear collaborations that are stuffed with people and things can get rather cluttered. There is a tendency for big artists to work with each other and it seldom leads to anything worthwhile or needed. It is a risk stepping alongside someone else but, when the chemistry is right, it sounds brilliant.

The reason I say this is because, on his Black Heart single, Stealth has united with The Dap-Kings. Many might associate The Dap-kings with the late Sharon Jones. Together, they created some of the finest music of the past few decades and we still mourn her loss. I think it is rare for popular artists to have a sort of backing band. It seems like a very odd thing where icons used to have extra vocalists and musicians. Smokey Robinson has his Miracles and, if you look back through music, there are examples of these big artists having this crew behind them. Now, we have Florence + the Machine but, like so many artists who hint at support, it is just a name and something intangible. I miss the days when you did get bigger vocal groups and the nature of being a solo artist was not literally performing on your own without any vocal support. Maybe it is me but a lot of the finer elements from music’s past have escaped. I do worry the solo realm is becoming less interesting and it is tougher for artists to make an impression. I am wandering off the course a bit because I wanted to talk about collaborations. Stealth has worked with other artists before but this is quite a big move. Performing with such a well-known and making it work is a hard thing to realise. Stealth has previously worked with Netsky and Metrik and this is very different for Stealth. I think this is the most appealing and striking collaboration from Stealth and it is great to see these two worlds come together. I hear a lot of collaborations in music and some of them work quite well and it is a good union. If the voices mesh well and you can get that rhythm clicking then it is great to hear. I feel so many of today’s collaborations are there to boost Spotify playlists and to stuff as many major artists together as possible. I cannot really think of a collaboration from the past few years that has truly struck my mind.

That might sound grim but, when it comes to Stealth and The Dap-Kings coming together, this is what I am talking about. They are a natural union and an interesting brew. Stealth has a more varied background regarding sounds and genres but you have the professionalism, history and assuredness of The Dap-Kings. It is hard to follow someone like Sharon Jones but Stealth is a different artist and someone who has his own voice. What we have is a great coming-together that has that distinct sound of The Dap-Kings with the powerful voice of Stealth. He recorded with them in New York and, in many ways, it must have been a dream come true. Even though Black Heart is not the most original song you’ll hear in terms of lyrical themes – the anticipation before a break-up – cliché is avoided with terrific vocal performances and great production. A lot of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ music was about heartache but I am finding so many artists talking about the same thing – maybe writing a song that is less about heartbreak and embraces happiness and something more joyous? That is a minor bug but it is no shock to hear an artist inspired by Jazz and Blues to open the heart and reveal a painful experience. The Dap-Kings worked with Amy Winehouse and Charles Bradley and have this experience working with these fantastic, if departed, artists. It can be hard making things click and having this sort of harmony. As I said, there have been some wasteful and average collaborations but it seems like Stealth and The Dap-Kings are in-step and perfect together. Let’s hope they work together again because their combined sounds are fantastic, rich and memorable. Black Heart is the sound of experienced artists aiming to create something wonderful and evocative and, for the most part, it is a big success. I wanted to move on and talk about genres that do not get enough exposure these days.

There are great Funk, Jazz and Blues radio shows where we can find the best of the genres but, listening to modern music, how often do we hear this sort of music? I feel like there is a tendency to promote Pop and we only often hear Funk and Jazz in the context of big hits – integrated rather than fully standing out on their own. By that, I mean we do not have the same Funk and Jazz legends as we did and I think these genres still fight for recognition. I am especially interested in Funk and Soul and wonder why more artists do not perform in these genres. The funkiness and uplift you can get is exhilarating and the mainstream could do well to bring more Funk to the fore. It can be hard predicting what people want to hear but I do feel like there is too much of the same thing being produced and, when you hear the mainstream best, it all sort of blends into one. Maybe Jazz will take a while to bed into the public consciousness and it will struggle to grab everyone – it is still a type of music that many turn their noses up at. I love a good bit of Funk and Jazz blended together and feel it can really lift the senses! I wonder whether artists are ignoring these genres because they are not steeped in its history and unsure how to pull it off. The Dap-Kings and Sharon Jones amazed the world with their insatiable and gripping music and, as we lose icons like Jones and Charles Bradley, music is becoming weaker and less interesting. I am not certain whether Stealth will remain in this territory but it is a style of music he excels in. Do we follow playlists and what tastemakers say too much and neglect music? I feel we do not really go deep enough and brilliant genres are overlooked.

Look through the back catalogue of Stealth and he has tackled many different styles and sounds. His potent and impactful voice is the common key but he is someone who is always experimenting and keen to try different things. I do hope we get to see a resurgence of Funk and Jazz because they are side-lined too much. We need to bring the fun and positivity back into music and, whilst Stealth’s latest single has some woes and pains, the general mood is more positive and fresh than you’d imagine. I often look at music for some sort of enrichment and lift and, largely, I am left disappointed. I do feel we are becoming more negative and less energised as people and music is reflecting that. We still have mainstream Pop and some sprite songs but I tend to find many of them lack soul and any sort of nuance. The reason why I want us to become more adventurous is because we can look back and see the artists who helped change music. How many people know about Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and their contemporaries? There is so much room to provide a modern interpretation of their music and add something thrilling to the mainstream. The core is so homogenised and is not stretching its imagination. I wonder why there is this sort of reluctance to revitalise genres fully and be more adventurous. I know there are artists who can get funky and utilise Jazz but it is a lot rarer than you’d think. Maybe Stealth will lead this charge and get other artists to follow his lead. I will move on but the most appealing songs I am discovering right now are those that break away from convention and have that beautiful, vintage edge. Listen to Stealth and The Dap-Kings getting together on Black Heart and you will definitely want more. Before I move onto the song itself, I shall talk a bit about Stealth and his rise to success.

He has been releasing music since about 2015 but I feel last year was when he really exploded and took a big step. The fact he has worked in different genres means his music is much broader and interesting. He has worked with Jamie Woon, Zella Day and Tigga Da Author during their U.K. tours and has performed overseas. Opportunities are coming and, the more he puts himself out there, the more accolades come his way. His music has been used on T.V. and he has done well on the iTunes charts. His songs have received support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, 2 and 6 (Music) and there is no stopping it. It is impressive when your music can reach a wide audience and make its way onto such broad stations. The flexibility he shows and the diverse nature of his music means he has this broad fanbase and popularity. Last year was a great one for him this year and, as I shall end on, it seems like this year could be bigger! I think many solo artists do get into a rut of performing on their own and do not really play alongside anyone else. They might be quite rigid regarding sounds and what they are speaking about and this can only lead to a slightly limited and predictable progression. If you have a sound that is solid and honed then that is fine but taking risks and being eclectic is a great thing. I love most types of music but I have found that there are few artists crossing genres and able to get their music to a range of demographics. Stealth is somebody who has always operated in a way that means his music gets out to the people and has no barriers. He is one of these rising artists that will keep on succeeding because he hooks up with other artists and writes songs that are genuinely interesting and new. I do wonder why more artists are not following his lead because, as he has shown, success can come your way and your music can get out to a huge amount of people. I am not one who features artists because of their streaming figures and all of that but, in the case of Stealth, you see the numbers and it is very impressive.

Black Heart begins with a strut and cool that is led by some funky-ass bass and great intention. I like how there is a bit of a fuzz and we get this very catchy and physical opening. Before a word comes in, we have this lovely introduction that adds its own weight and ground. I was excited to see where the composition led but, before I could get to that, Stealth came in and asked what is on the mind of the girl. This seems to be the beginning of the end for a relationship and one feels something has happened to cause this friction. Maybe things have run their course but this bond is going sour and the hero is asking for answers. You get a load of songs that talk about the same thing but very few have the blend of Funk background and quite testing, serious lyrics. It is a nice brew that works well and, with his voice firm and sensitive, Stealth lets his words out. With some cooing and backing from The Dap-Kings (and some incredible Jazz blasts) we have this song that rolls and strides with intention. Stealth, inspired by the composition and energy from The Dap-Kings, lets his voice strike and swagger. It is raw and exciting and definitely sucks you in. As things reach the end of the line and things are falling apart, the hero is seeing that black heart emerge and knows things are almost over. The background is great and we get nice horn blasts and rousing percussion. Vocal input is fairly sparse but adds a beautiful contrast to the deeper sound of Stealth. It is rare to hear a song that deals with a failing relationship have such energy and boldness. Even if the lyrics are tense and there is a bit of stress, you never sense that in the composition and performance. The chorus has this great mix of The Dap-Kings’ past work and Jazz-Rock bands like Steely Dan.

Our hero talks about a heart beating for someone new and one wonders whether it is him or the girl who is focusing on someone else. I get the impression his sweetheart has let him down but the hero is looking ahead. He wants to know why things have broken down but I get the sense this has been coming for some time and the break-up is no surprise. There is great catchiness and delight when you hear The Dap-Kings play and add to the mood. The darker words are elevated by this stunning and rousing coda. I love the composition and how it makes you feel. I do not hear many songs that incorporate horns and Jazz elements and, together with a Funk mandate, you get this deep and rousing song that brings a smile – even though the foreground is getting more tense and anxious. He compares himself to a cannibal being eaten alive and the girl being like this dirty waterfall. At one point, Stealth delivers a line and there is this call-and-response aspect. It is great to hear the song take this turn and it provides Black Heart with this extra level. At one point, when the music rises and the vocal gets bigger – as Stealth searches for clarity and tries to make sense of things – we get a glimpse of Stevie Wonder in the mix! The sheer force of Black Heart is impressive and I love how much is packed in. Our man is asking what has happened and he can see this once-loving heart is empty. Even if the central story and theme is nothing new, the images and wordplay gives new light to the trodden path of heartbreak and deceit. The song builds and then goes low to allow the bass to come in; the brass brings it back up and the percussion gives the songs its spine and discipline. The merry and dizzy blend gets into the head and you do wonder how the relationship worked out. It seems like this girl is a poisoned chalice and it would be foolish to go back to her. She seems to have her eye on someone else and Stealth was not given much of a chance. It might have been scary joining with The Dap-Kings and being able to make it work but the collaboration is wonderful. Stealth’s strong voice is given new potential and life by the band and they bring a lot of party and hope to a song that has a dark heart. It is amazing, in 2019, there are not more songs like Black Heart because the effect and reaction is amazing – after one listen you are stunned and want to go back! I shall end things here but urge everyone to check out the song and let it put you in a better mood. I hope things worked out with Stealth in the end but, having listened to a seriously funky song, you sort of know he will move on and find some peace.

He has already won hearts and minds and had his music shared on some of this country’s biggest radio stations. Having supported artists like Nothing But Thieves and Jamie Woon, that gig experience and new world has bled into his music. Stealth takes a little bit of everything and stirs it into this boiling pot. Stealth has a brand-new E.P. out later this year and big gigs. He is headed to SXSW and will play Parker Jazz Club, in Austin, on 14th March. It is an exciting year for Stealth and one where he can win the American audience. Black Heart is the latest step from him and one that will get him into new markets. Stealth is always looking to broaden his appeal and he has previously worked with Dance and Electronic names. Now, in Funk and Jazz, he can spike new minds and it makes for an interesting E.P. I wonder whether it will be this free-for-all in terms of sounds or whether there will be more focus. I welcome the possibility of having this work that ventures into different genres and takes in a lot. There is not enough of this happening in modern music and it needs to change. I feel like Stealth can go even further and add even more spark into the music. Black Heart has some wistfulness alongside the energy but I can detect an artist who has so much energy that is waiting to come out. Many have compared his voice to artists like Hozier but I think we need to start thinking about Stealth in more promising and better terms. Not that there is much wrong with the likes of Hozier and James Bay but, to me, they are quite boring and write songs that seem to be aimed at those who do not like to be challenged and want something really simple.

Stealth’s deeper voice might put one in mind of those acts but his music is much more interesting and he has greater promise. It is a hard time for male solo artists: female lone stars are providing more stunning music and they have an edge right now. The best male artists are those who break away from the mainstream sound and provide something much fresher and unique. Even though Stealth’s lyrical themes do not stray too far from love and relationships, he has a lot in his locker and should not be easily predicted. I will wrap things up now but keep an eye on the social media feeds of Stealth and see what he has coming up. I love the fact he has worked with The Dap-Kings and hope it is not this one-off thing. They fuse beautifully and there is a real sense of mutual respect there. Looking forward, there is a busy gig schedule for Stealth and he will be preparing for his E.P. later in the year. If you are a bit wary of embracing a song that seems a bit unusual and not like anything out there – as Black Heart has its own beat – then give it some time and let it do its work. If all collaborations can be this accomplished and fine then I will drop my reservations and welcome them in. These artists who cram loads of random names together and produce something pretty weak will do well to listen to Black Heart how how a collaboration should sound! Keep your eyes on Stealth as he is someone who will go a long way and continues to evolve. If people can shake off the easy comparisons – he might like them but I definitely do not – then he can genuinely appeal to a much broader sect and gain greater critical acclaim than those names. There is no denying his talent and the fact he is an artist with great potential. It is still fairly early on in his career but there are clear signs Stealth is about to drop a bomb. His beginnings were impressive and promising but, the more he produces, the more I feel the young man...

CAN go a very long way.

___________

Follow Stealth

Official:

http://www.stealthmusicuk.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/stealthmusicUK

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/stealthmusicUK

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/1EctmhyIb6003mVg77wgUb?si=K4sHjj1JRDSEuifS6ETzjA

YouTube:

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

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/stealthmusicuk/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/stealthofficialmusic

FEATURE: The Great Escape 2019: Ones to Watch: Part One of Three

FEATURE:

 

 

The Great Escape 2019

IN THIS PHOTO: Ferris & Sylvester 

Ones to Watch: Part One of Three

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THE names who will play at this year’s The Great Escape in Brighton...

 IMAGE CREDIT: @thegreatescape

are being announced and it is another busy and quality-stocked year! There are more names coming and, from all over the world, we will see artists converge to Brighton and entertain the people. From 9th-11th May (my birthday is on the 9th!), we will get to see some fantastic rising artists mingle and perform at this fantastic festival. If you have not been to The Great Escape festival then you owe yourself a trip down there. The weather will be (one hopes) fantastic and there are few better places to discover new music than Brighton – with such a wonderful backdrop and great people. There are so many wonderful artists heading to The Great Escape and, whilst it can be hard deciding which to go and see, there are some that stand away from the pack. I shall put together a few parts but, in this first edition, here are the first batch of acts that you need to go and see when heading to The Great Escape. Have a look, investigate their music and, when it is festival time, make sure you go and...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Big Joanie/PHOTO CREDIT: Helen Messenger Photography

SEE them in the flesh.

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Aaliyah Esprit

Bio:

“Aaliyah Esprit has had an incredible 12 months. Originally from Nottingham, she has since planted foundations in Manchester; splitting her time between both cities. In 2017, she put together a full live band with which she has supported both Denai Moore and Ash Walker., Aaliyah was announced last year as a pupil of the highly sought-after Future Bubblers programme, which has given us the likes of Yazmin Lacey and Skinny Pelembe amongst others in recent times”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaliyahesprit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AaliyahEspritMusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/73JRJE3o5cLbEOIoksppmG?si=wGOV_e0FQluAf1UC65dl5w

Key Cut: Energy

Alfie Templeman

Bio:

“15 year-old Bedfordshire songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alfie Templeman releases music written, played, produced & mixed by him entirely in his bedroom out of school hours. Compared to a young Mac Demarco, MGMT, Tame Impala, Harry Nilsson and Boy Pablo and tipped by Radio 1, The Sunday Times, The Observer, Vogue, NME, Clash, Dork and DIY amongst others, Alfie’s future is looking very bright”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/atemplemanmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atemplemanmusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6QzMY3tnu0m56eKUnr4uCF?si=cpD_49IIS6-CVTN_6ZJOKw

Key Cut: Yellow Flowers

Anna Calvi

Bio:

“Calvi has been revered in the British music industry since she emerged in 2011, a soulful songwriter, virtuosic guitarist and captivating performer. Both her self-titled debut album and the 2013 follow-up One Breath were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, with her debut also receiving a Brit nomination for ‘Best Breakthrough Artist’. She’s collaborated with Brian Eno, Marianne Faithful and, on the 2014 covers EP Strange Weather, David Byrne. In 2017, she composed the music for The Sandman, an opera directed by Robert Wilson”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annacalvi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annacalvi/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/50sSN9E5i4DJzYDclAXlSo?si=CDtVrfwbSeOqq2amAszShA

Key Cut: Eliza

Another Sky

Bio:

“When you listen to Another Sky, it’s probably Catrin Vincent’s voice that’ll catch your attention first. It is a weapon – peculiar, androgynous, lurching and defiant – that she wields to beautiful, evocative effect.
Channelling the brooding atmospherics of Radiohead and The xx, but with a little more bite and political charge, Another Sky’s music is dark, cinematic and richly textured. Layering ambient guitars with penetrating bass lines and anxious beats, there is a thrillingly haunting quality to it”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/anotherskymusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnderneathAnotherSky/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/08p5D6BYuwPqGsFuIDLNFr?si=8BqF2wLUS9iDI69kES8D1g

Key Cut: Chillers

Bang Bang Romeo

Bio:

“Fronted by vocal powerhouse Stars Walker and featuring Ross Cameron (guitars) and Richard Gartland (drums) Bang Bang Romeo are a young propelling force for female fronted bands and a strong and open voice for the LGBTQ+ community. Stars is being hailed by many prominent industry names as having a ‘once in 20 years voice’ and the band’s unrivalled larger-than-life performances are driving audiences wild up and down the country.

2018 saw Bang Bang Romeo play over 150 shows – their main stage-opening set at this year’s Isle Of Wight Festival drew the biggest audience for a first-on act in the festival’s history (according to John Giddings – festival owner). Their other main stage appearances included Tramlines, Victorious, second stage at Kendal Calling, headline slots at Y-Not & Truck and main stage at Doncaster, Cardiff and Leeds Pride”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bangbangromeo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbromeo/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0pYrJEBQD23sHMvxsBM3fO?si=SxiMia71Rp6NoVEy5uVEKg

Key Cut: Bag of Bones

Bess Atwell

Bio:

“Two years on from her debut album, the former solo project has evolved into a full band sound soaked in four-part vocal harmony fulfilling Atwell’s desire to create a more dynamic live show, with traces of traditional folk music. Atwell’s latest single ‘Grace’ is the more restrained, intimate successor of her August offering ‘Swimming Pool’, both of which have been playlisted by BBC Radio 6 Music. For fans of Sharon Van Etten, Fleet Foxes, and The National”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bessatwell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bessatwellmusic

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Pim5E5Lm03COsjHj2aEiK?si=uwi8iLHpStSoOyWj-nECGw

Key Cut: Cobbled Streets

Big Joanie

Bio:

“Eva Prinz & Thurston Moore’s art publishing house Ecstatic Peace Library are thrilled to announce the new record label entity THE DAYDREAM LIBRARY SERIES

In this series curated by Eva Prinz, Thurston Moore & Abby Banks a limited edition number of vinyl or cassette albums will be released in a pristine “collector’s edition” package with the highest quality recordings, impeccable design and will include handmade fanzines with the album’s liner notes, interviews with the bans.

The first year of releases will offer genre-crossing musics including opera, classical, punk rock and sound-healing. Each album in THE DAYDREAM LIBRARY SERIES will include a limited edition fanzine edited by Eva and Thurston with the musicians”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Big_Joanie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigjoanie/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/39cxr26gqrCiUgIkz4lA8j?si=weNOr7ITT_yAkg8eg7MxPg

Key Cut: New Year

Big Wild

Bio:

“As Big Wild, producer & composer Jackson Stell crafts lush soundscapes and sweeping melodies that challenge the status quo of electronic music. A former hip-hop producer, previously going by J Beatz in his native Massachusetts, Stell launched the Big Wild project in 2012 following a life-altering trip to Big Sur, California. His musical muse and spiritual home at the time of its inception, California was the ultimate inspiration that fueled the Big Wild sound: atmospheric electronic music powered by a wide-spanning emotional range. The Big Wild moniker itself is a direct reflection of the state’s natural glory and open spaces. Stell now takes his journey to the next chapter via his debut album, Superdream, released February 1 st , 2019 on Counter Records”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigwildmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigwildmusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0PxzGnCYBpSuaI49OR94cA?si=31OOSPHASEekMi1vrz4ocA

Key Cut: When I Get There

Biig Piig

Bio:

“Biig Piig is 19-year-old songwriter Jess Smyth – who found her way to music via Spain, Ireland and a previous life as a London poker dealer”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BiigPiigMusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biiggpiigg/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4GoD5FJCgC0lbzde7ly44M?si=0l84-aCnTjWjttDjJwhltw

Key Cut: Flirt

Bitch Falcon

Bio:

“Four years on from an initial explosive emergence, the Dublin-based three-piece haven’t so much discovered their voice as relentlessly refined it. If anything, they relish in sharp declarations, their signature sound always moving forward even when throwing a nod to the past. The aesthetic is raw, even a touch frenzied, yet the chaos is controlled in a ferocious through line that harnesses the strongest elements of rock, grunge, metal, hardcore and melodic electro-pop. Through it all, Bitch Falcon make this busy mix sing in a distinctive, once-heard-not-forgotten voice”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bitchfalcon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/b.tchfalcon/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6NsNTjFVfNwUfLpKbsmt4x?si=a1ym1_LzQfu9FzYKvltcig

Key Cut: TMJ

Body Type

Bio:

“Do you believe in karma? Do ya? Do ya?”

The first words we heard from Body Type were accusatory, playful, coy. They dared you to look them in the eye. To pay attention.

The song those words came from, ‘Ludlow’, seemed too good to be true. It made a racket while staying astonishingly controlled; the vocals sounded more like a sample from fifties cinema than anything recorded in this century, so deliberate and devastating in their delivery. Follow-up single ‘264’ exists in a completely different realm to ‘Ludlow’, but it’s equally as astonishing, just as clever and wry and beautiful as its predecessor.
Live, Body Type exceed the expectations set by their singles. All four members – Sophie & Annabel on vocals and guitar, Cecil on drums, Georgia on vocals & bass – are vital. They are, on a musical and emotional level, inexorably linked, each member’s importance going beyond musical skill or personality”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bodytypeband

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bodytypeband/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2gOqvEhTe5TjetSBfivC4D?si=xciZdCshSzKNAM9V-cxodQ

Key Cut: Palms

Charly Bliss

Bio:

“By 2014 Charly Bliss was a fully formed band, living in New York, working the standard barista/bartender circuit by day, rehearsing by night. They recorded and released their debut EP, Soft Serve, and played lots and lots (and lots) of shows. There was a purity to those years.
After they released Guppy through Barsuk Records in 2017, time spent out on the road increased, as did the Charly Bliss fanbase. But the essence of the band’s sound, two and a half minute torrents of blissfully tight chaos that blew the roof off the place, (not to mention the bandmembers’ lifestyles) didn’t change much.

When it came time to record a follow up, that’s when things shifted. They all quit their jobs to focus full time on music and challenged each other to write as many scongs as possible”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/charlybliss

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharlyBliss/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7axA2bNeZsae6t2mgxoSFh?si=b8pqBnF2SR6bSduErNOW6w

Key Cut: Ruby

 

Confidence Man

Bio:

“Confidence Man, arguably one of the hottest acts in the world right now, released their debut LP Confident Music for Confident People in April 2018. It followed a whirlwind 18 months which saw two sold out headline Australian East Coast tours and three trips to UK/Europe for headline shows, and a string of festival sets. Theirs was one of the most talked about sets at Splendour in the Grass, they had performances at Glastonbury, set punters abuzz at The Great Escape, completed a run with Falls Festival and took home the prized act of the festival from Golden Plains festival. Things didn’t slow down post release, with another massive sold out Australian headline tour, sold out club shows in Berlin, New York, Moscow, Manchester, Paris and London, plus a string of prime Northern Summer festival spots including Rock en Seine (Paris), and Parklife (Manchester)”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/confidencemantm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/confidenceman1

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0RwXnFrEoI8tltFvYpJgP6?si=mjijU_bPRU-jbPbXin4UWQ

Key Cut: Boyfriend

Dead Posey

Bio:

“WHILE FORMING DEAD POSEY, THE TWO TAPPED INTO AN INTENSE CREATIVE CHEMISTRY AND A NEWFOUND VISION FOR A ROUGH, BLUES-Y YET MODERN SOUND. THEY QUIETLY WORKED IN THE STUDIO FOR NEARLY A YEAR AND HONED THEIR SONGWRITING SKILLS, RATHER THAN DIVING INTO LIVE SHOWS AND THE CLUB CIRCUIT. THROUGH 2017 DEAD POSEY (JOINED BY ONE-TIME MEMBER KYLE FOSTER) RELEASED ONE SONG AT A TIME ONLINE, CULMINATING IN THE “FREAK SHOW” EP AND STIRRING UP A PALPABLE BUZZ”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dead_posey

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deadposey

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7qTUKYzO77RvL1Kxie0xUO?si=a2yrlhrvT8WOALLdzcYywg

Key Cut: Don’t Stop the Devil

Donna Missal

Bio:

“On her debut album This Time, L.A.-based singer/songwriter Donna Missal shows the elegant collision of elements at play in her music: a poet’s command of tone, a soul singer’s boundless intensity, a bedroom musician’s willful embracing of intimacy and experimentation. Along with channeling the raw passion she first ignited by playing in rock bands in her homeland of New Jersey, This Time expands on the melodic ingenuity displayed in recent singles like “Driving” and “Thrills.” Above all the album is a testament to the sheer force of Missal’s voice”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonnaMissal

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donnamissalmusic/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4QFHHdZkeqmneDQqKIjAN8?si=dDCTtT-ZQm2nNw36FgtOYg

Key Cut: Driving

Elder Island

Bio:

“Beware before entering Elder Island’s world because once you’re in you won’t want to leave. Be prepared to be led down paths from which you can’t come back, to be captivated by sensual, soulful, shapeshifting songs, to encounter lyrics littered with clues.

There is magic in Elder Island’s music and perhaps a little witchcraft. Trying to pin the Bristol trio’s sound down is pointless because the usual pop rules don’t apply. Textures matter as much as melodies. Genres bend and blend. Electronics rub shoulders with odd instruments. Katy Sargent sings as though casting a spell”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/elderisland

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elderisland/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3EnbnmqrrvApHJs6FMvYik?si=HJ23SnGXRrG4MtQre4sZMg

Key Cut: Bamboo

Ellis

Bio:

“Ellis is the musical project of Linnea Siggelkow. In November 2018 she released her anticipated debut EP, The Fuzz. The EP arrived following several months of excitement building behind Ellis, who, after generating buzz in her local scene on the back of opening stints with the likes of Soccer Mommy, Gabby’s World, Chastity, and Palehound, garnered international acclaim with the release of a series of singles, earning comparisons to Mazzy Star, Alvvays and Slowdive from outlets like Pitchfork, Noisey and Stereogum, who marked her out as one of “a new generation of exciting songwriters.” In early 2019 she announced she signed to Fat Possum Records who are reissuing The Fuzz on vinyl and will be releasing new material”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisthatperson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ellissongsofficial/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7EQmY1hAAeuJLa0GUNpKNN?si=YMYXBcATSn2sBo_BRiOgmg

Key Cut: The Drain

Ferris & Sylvester

Bio:

“Ellis is the musical project of Linnea Siggelkow. In November 2018 she released her anticipated debut EP, The Fuzz. The EP arrived following several months of excitement building behind Ellis, who, after generating buzz in her local scene on the back of opening stints with the likes of Soccer Mommy, Gabby’s World, Chastity, and Palehound, garnered international acclaim with the release of a series of singles, earning comparisons to Mazzy Star, Alvvays and Slowdive from outlets like Pitchfork, Noisey and Stereogum, who marked her out as one of “a new generation of exciting songwriters.” In early 2019 she announced she signed to Fat Possum Records who are reissuing The Fuzz on vinyl and will be releasing new material”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FerrisSylvester

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FerrisandSylvester

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1LnhhjMNydIGawXsnfNhCf?si=CZQKiPuNRD6ItBcOne4z0Q

Key Cut: (I Think That You Look) Better in Yellow

Fuzzy Sun

Bio:

“A journey through melodic, psychedelic pop is what’s to be expected from Stockport five-piece, Fuzzy Sun. The freshly formed line-up, fronted by the lulling vocals of Kyle Ross, sees a distinct and original take on chorus-heavy reveries. Daisy Valentines bold and melancholic synth, coupled with sweet and seductive harmonies is equally complemented by Lewis Jobson & Mitch Bancroft’s strong soothing groove through the rhythm section. Fuzzy Sun bring you contemporary pop, infused with psychedelia, dipped in naughties R’n’B nostalgia, with just a hint of disco flare”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FuzzySunBand

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FuzzySun/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/40uK7RAJlyEALdLWZ1qNmb?si=3PRMUMMjQ9qtW6YSEh9DUg

Key Cut: Want Love

Gender Roles

Bio:

“Formed over a combined love of the early UK math rock scene and garage rock in America, Brighton based trio Gender Roles have been making waves in the DIY/Punk scene for the last year.

In 2017, Gender Roles embarked on playing relentless shows in the UK and across the pond in the US in support of the release: dishing out a brutal blend of fuzz laden guitars, racing cymbals from Jordan Lilford and Jared Tomkins’ droning bass, that melds together to form a hazy blend of slacker rock vs. gritty punk”.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/genderrolesuk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genderrolesuk

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/62Qr6xBUFiFSOyhR4UKCKf?si=91BHSRkARIaqnK2dsPUFlw

Key Cut: About Her

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ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise):

Artists/Getty Images

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

https://greatescapefestival.com/

TICKETS:

https://greatescapefestival.com/buy-festival-tickets/

FEATURE: Deep Cuts: The Unexpected Fate of De La Soul’s Music Online

FEATURE:

 

 

Deep Cuts

IN THIS PHOTO: De La Soul/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

The Unexpected Fate of De La Soul’s Music Online

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ONE of the most pleasing announcements of recent weeks...

IMAGE CREDIT: Abraham Jay Torres  

was the fact De La Soul were putting their music online. There are two albums – 2004’s The Grind Date and 2016’s and the Anonymous Nobody... – but nothing else from them. The reason behind the lack of De La Soul music online is because of issues arriving around clearing royalties. Their 1989 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, was built on a foundation of eclectic and fantastic samples but the band did not get clearance for all of them. They faced reaction and legal threats when the album was released and a contract was signed that stated their music would not exist in any other format bar physical release. It is a shame sampling issues got in the way but, if an album like 3 Feet High and Rising existed online, there would be legal challenges and artists demanding money – it would be a complex situation and it could mean Spotify having to remove the album from their site. The landmark debut celebrates its thirtieth anniversary tomorrow and it would have been great to have the album online for new listeners to enjoy. The fact it one would struggle to buy the album on vinyl and it is expensive trying to hunt down a copy. I think there are C.D. versions but what happens when one wants to listen on the go or experience 3 Feet High and Rising in its vinyl goodness?!

 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

Yesterday, the BBC looked at the ongoing problems and whether there is going to be any resolve. It was announced the back catalogue would go online but, as I shall explore, the financial deal was not great. Things have been delayed and I do wonder whether we will see De La Soul online soon:

“For years, it has been shunted between record labels, none of whom could sort out the complex licensing issues around the record's numerous samples.

That was set to change on Friday, with the album primed to debut on Spotify, marking its 30th anniversary.

But it was pulled at the 11th hour, as the band said the deal was unfair.

On Instagram, the group alleged that record label Tommy Boy would get 90% of the profits from 3 Feet High (and several other classic De La albums that were primed for release) while they would see roughly 10%.

The deal is particularly complicated because of what the band describe as a "phantom $2m debt"; which Tommy Boy boss Tom Silverman claims he is owed.

"The actual offer was 30% to De La," David 'Trugoy' Jolicoeur told Rolling Stone.

"But with this phantom debt that's in the air - this $2m dollar debt - what he proposes is, 'Since you guys are getting 30, I'm going to take 20 of that 30 and kick it back to your debt'".

It is unfortunate De La Soul failed to predict the rise of digital music and how the landscape would change but one could forgive them back in the late-1980s/early-1990s. There is this dispute and rankle between De La Soul and Tommy Boy that is delaying so much fantastic music reaching the world. It is a tense situation that has reached services like Tidal:

“Upon learning of this deal, Jay-Z refused to put De La Soul's music on his Tidal streaming service; while A Tribe Called Quest star Q-Tip called for a boycott of Tommy Boy.

Noticing the bad publicity, the label decided to "postpone" its release of De La Soul's back catalogue until the dispute was resolved.

"Because Tommy Boy has not had the opportunity to sit down together with De La Soul and finalise our negotiations - something we've wanted to do for months - we have decided to postpone the digital release of their catalogue scheduled for tomorrow," said the label in a statement on Thursday night”.

I always feel it a shame when money gets in the way but, whatever angle you look at things from, it seems De La Soul are not getting their cut. It may not be easy to offer a fifty-fifty split given the fact that rarely happens in music but De La Soul created the music and they need their fair share. A raw deal would not be a good compromise and it would be wrong to force De La Soul into the digital marketplace on bad terms.

 IN THIS PHOTO: De La Soul in 1990/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Speaking with Billboard, Posdnuos reacted to the news of delays and a new compromise:

"It's a victory," Pos, of De La Soul, tells Billboard. "It's great that people who supported and understood what we mean to the culture, whether it's someone who's so dear and close to us like a Q-Tip, or someone who could admire the moves we've made creatively, but we ain't necessarily been in the room with each other nothing but maybe three times together, like a Jay-Z. You can have people just feel like, 'Culturally, I support and understand where they are coming from'".

De La Soul are recording their tenth album this year and one feels there might not be a deal brokered before then. A.O.I. and Kobalt released and the Anonymous Nobody... so a new album will go online and there will be no issues. I feel the first few albums from De La Soul, especially 3 Feet High and Rising, are essential and they are being kept away from a whole new marketplace. There are other acts who are not on streaming sites and they have their reasons for it but, in the case of De La Soul, one sees this barrier that can be broken down. Tommy Boy are being unreasonable and I feel there needs to be a deal where De La Soul are not short-changed.

There are reasons why things are so sticky and the delay of the digital releases might suggest Tommy Boy and De La Soul are conferring and trying to reach a compromise. As 3 Feet High and Rising turns thirty tomorrow, it will not be available online. One can purchase the record but even that is a difficult experience. So many people adore the record and there are countless fans-in-waiting who have not yet heard the kaleidoscopic majesty of this Hip-Hop masterpiece. So long as all the samples can be cleared and both sides can realise a deal that is fair and sustainable. De La Soul are heartbroken their music is not available online and there is so little there. They cannot be blamed for some of the problems of the past – regarding sampling and not seeing the rise of the Internet – but I know getting their early albums online will be a longer process than we all hoped. Even though one cannot hear 3 Feet High and Rising online and stream it in full, there are the odd few songs on YouTube that you can discover. It is not the full experience but it is better than nothing. I wonder how people will mark thirty years of 3 Feet High and Rising tomorrow – whether we will see a lot of the songs played or whether the lack of online availability will stifle what can be done. Let’s hope De La Soul, Tommy Boy and anyone else involved in the compromise can find some resolution and we can get De La Soul’s brilliant music online and reaching new ears. Although De La Soul are losing out and they want a fair outcome the ones who are suffering the most are the fans who desperately want to hear...

DE La Soul’s genius online.

INTERVIEW: ELVIN

INTERVIEW:

ELVIN

___________

THE fantastic ELVIN has been telling me about...

the video for her track, Wonder, and what it was like filming it. I ask what we can expect from her upcoming E.P., The Garden, and what sort of themes inspired the songs – she reveals whether there is a standout track/personal favourite from the E.P.

I ask whether there will be tour dates coming and which rising artists we need to follow; what sort of music she loves and the albums that mean the most to her – she ends the interview by selecting a great track I have not heard.

____________

Hi, ELVIN. How are you? How has your week been?

I am so great! Earlier this week, I was on Resonance FM with The Lallas and, last week, Hoxton Radio with Jodie Bryant. I am so encouraged by the fact I am suddenly getting so much support from independent radio.  

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I am a singer/songwriter-producer. I write and produce ornate, epic ‘popera,’ set in Electronic, Classical soundscapes.

 

Wonder is your new track. What is the inspiration behind it? What was it like filming the video?

Wonder is about the re-awakening and freeing of my child-like imagination. It marks the beginning of my creativity as an artist. This video is the second stage of the development of this idea as a special visual project. The characters in the video are all styled by me as toys from a toy-box - and it’s a live and acoustic version of the song.

Filming was quite the nightmare. I arrived on set to a gas leak and everyone standing outside. I had to stand on tables, flapping a dusty weird pollutant out of the room before I could even convince everyone it was safe to film. I had one shot at this - because equipment was provided for by Yamaha - so I had to demonstrate I was a worthwhile artist for them to support. Thank God we did the entire thing in one take and Raja Virdi, who has literally shot for Rihanna, London Grammar etc. etc. – and was a dream to work with.  

Once we got filming it flowed like magic under his guardianship.   

 

Your E.P., The Garden, is out soon. Can you reveal the sort of themes and songs that will appear?

The Garden is a magical world I’ve created to hold my stories and experiences. We travel via my ‘conscious stream’ by rowboat, which weaves in and out of the E.P. at different points. We start down The Garden Path at the beginning where I describe starting out on my musical journey and how that feels. We then end in a field of Lavender, where I lose my friend, Jessie.

Throughout, I use the garden as a metaphor. For example, Sweet Sensations is a blue/purple delphinium. So, in this song, I am describing the sensations I am being given in this time of my life as somebody giving me this flower and relating them in the context of a playground in the garden and riding my bicycle through the garden with this person.

Do you have a standout track from the set at all?

I am pretty excited about Valley of Roses. I love Latin and I am so thrilled to be getting away with dropping some Latin in the chorus. It’s my Valentine’s gift to all my fans as one rose is not enough! In this song, I get called back to love by a voice I can hear in the distance; the place I imagine to be a valley of roses where love exists in its purest form.

When did music come into your life? Did your parents play a big role?

Yes!  My mum is a flautist and a composer too. She taught me a great deal of what I know. My entire family is musical and actually that is my sister playing the glock and singing in the video for Wonder. She had to step in at the last minute because my glock player was sick - that’s just what the best sisters do! I am so grateful to her.

Which artists were important to you growing up? Who do you rank as idols?

The Beatles, Queen; Bowie...these guys were pretty creatively free and completely themselves. In adulthood, it’s been Marina and the Diamonds, Florence and the Machine. I love Laurel Halo too. It’s hard to pick just one idol: they’ve all been important to me in different ways.

How important and influential is London as a base in terms of creativity? 

It’s unbelievable how much where you live inspires and influences your music. My music has definitely changed since moving back to Shoreditch. I feel it’s is so much edgier and ahead of the curve because of the fact I live in the centre of the creative universe! I meet so many interesting people in London every single day. It’s not just the music they chose to share with me but their stories and keeping me knee deep in challenging, forward-thinking conversation.  

I love it here, but it’s also important to travel too. I am missing New York at the moment. Last year, I was making music for a label in Berlin that was entirely Techno. I spent a lot of time in the incredible parks of Berlin and this, plus their Wanderlust exhibition at The National Gallery, hugely inspired The Garden.

Do you have a standout memory from your time in music so far?

I think this past year has been one of the most incredible of my musical life and it just keeps getting better. I broke into the opening of The Ned (a hotel in bank) and it basically kick-started everything because it was there I met the marketing director of Yamaha and he gave me so much support in the early stages. But, honestly, I could write a book of my insane experiences of the music industry.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)? 

Usher - 8701

This album is most-closely correlated to my teenage emotional experiences. It was the backdrop to my breakups and parties.

The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Because their songs are so classic; they unite people with huge and profound statements in tandem with musical magic.

Disney Compilation Albums

Secretly, I love Disney. Please don’t tell anyone.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Haha. Ok. I would chose Nothing but Thieves. Besides loving their music, Dominic is a friend and he promised me he would teach me how to solve a Rubik Cube. I would ask for an infinite number of Rubik’s Cubes to be provided, because I am certain it would take that many!

Might we see you on tour in 2019?

Yes, please! Hopefully, if everything goes amazingly. If not, I will certainly do some special performances and I will make sure I let everyone on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter know and that they are invited.  

How important is performing? Do you prefer it to life in the studio?

It’s a shame I can’t perform more because all of this was born out of simply how much I love singing. It’s basically quite expensive for me to do so, because I don’t believe in my musicians not being paid and my sound is quite epic. I did a performance once where I needed so many performers on stage with me, the stage wasn’t big enough...so I had to put two trumpeters in the crowd, which ended up being amazing!  

I’ve also had a full orchestra play my music (the London City Orchestra) which, again, was completely incredible. Because I have a big sound, it might be a while before enough people are streaming or buying my music that I can feed that back into playing for a live audience. I have so many artistic ideas I am yet to make a reality! But, I’ll need to generate some support to make this happen.

For starters, I want to bring The Garden to life! One way I could do so is with brand partnerships, so I am looking into this at the moment. Plus, I am starting to generate interest from publishers and labels now which may be able to help.  

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rhi

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I love the fresh, new Electronic happenings in Berlin and Britain: Rhi and Laurel Halo, incredible female producers who, of course, I naturally want to support the most. Then comes my friends Titas and the Fox, who make lo-fi Electronic-Jazz.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Laurel Halo/PHOTO CREDIT: Sylvie Weber

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

No. I have very little downtime and that’s just the truth. If you want a career in music, you have to work exceptionally hard because it won’t financially sustain you, immediately (if ever). So, I work extremely hard. I make absolutely sure I make time for my friends, because nothing surpasses the importance of being a good friend. Other than this, sometimes, if I have time to unwind then you’ll find me in the steam room or on the tennis court!

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

I would love it if you played my friend’s music, Titas and the Fox. His E.P. is called Coffee and Eggs; he’s one of my best friends and I’m super-proud of him releasing his first pieces of music too!

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Follow ELVIN

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LauraElvin

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ELVINinthegarden/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Tg0zOdLeliVohClo9RYDD?si=egEwsokSSkee_XtqAuEW7A

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvsNMnP1782egQNPzztFvAA

FEATURE: The March Playlist: Vol. 1: The Mighty Solange

FEATURE:

 

The March Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Solange/PHOTO CREDIT: Daria Kobayashi Ritch for Vogue

Vol. 1: The Mighty Solange

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THERE are not many weeks where we get…

IN THIS PHOTO: MARINA

so much heavyweight music! Not only is Solange back with new material but we have tracks from Little Simz, Self Esteem; Morrissey, Sigrid and Emma Bunton. Jorja Smith and Loyle Carner have teamed up and there are cuts from FOALS, Stealing Sheep and Cabbage out there in the world! It is a packed and exciting week that, to me, is the best of the year so far! I cannot wait to see if the next couple of weeks can match what is out there at the moment as it will take some beating. If you need that extra boost for the weekend, this playlist should be right up your streets! From mainstream titans to newer artists, there is something in here for everybody. Take a good listen to the songs throughout and I guarantee there is enough in there to keep you occupied. The weather might be getting a bit cooler but it is clear music is getting…

IN THIS PHOTO: Cabbage

PRETTY hot right now.  

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

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Solange – Stay Flo

Emma Bunton – Baby Please Don’t Stop

Self Esteem – Girl Crush

Carly Rae Jepsen – Now That I Found You

Little Simz - Therapy

MARINA – Superstar

Morrissey – It’s Over

FOALS – Sunday

PHOTO CREDIT: Tanya and Zhenya Posternak for Vogue

Sigrid – Sight of You

Jade Bird – I Get No Joy          

Loyle Carner (ft. Jorja Smith) – Loose Ends

Stealing Sheep – Show Love

Peter Doherty & the Puta Madres – Who’s Been Having You Over?

PHOTO CREDIT: Jo Bongard

White Denim – Reversed Mirror

Cabbage – Torture

Wyclef Jean - Baba

Freya Ridings – You Mean the World to Me

Emily Burns – Too Cool

Jordan Rakei – Mind’s Eye

Sasha Keable – Treat Me Like I’m Yours

She Drew the Gun – Paradise

Tierra Whack – CLONES

The Cranberries – The Pressure

Ellie Goulding – Flux

Hozier – No Plan

PHOTO CREDIT: Aysia Marotta for i-D

The Japanese House – Marika Is Sleeping

Weezer – Living in L.A.

Tiffany Young – Lips on Lips

Bea Miller, 6LACK – it’s not u it’s me

Alphabeat – Shadows

Doja Cat – Juicy

Gia Woods – New Girlfriend

PHOTO CREDIT: @vylit_

Lots Holloway – Be Naked

Thandi Phoenix, Sigma – Say It

PHOTO CREDIT: Julia Håkansson

Julie Bergan - STFU

Toya Delazy, Raf Riley – Gqoma

TRACK REVIEW: Little Simz - Venom

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Little Simz

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Bridgland for CRACK 

Venom

9.8/10

The track, Venom, is available via:

https://open.spotify.com/track/3A0ITFj6kbb9CggwtPe55f?si=luy8XkdgRaSQphC_lbaVeA

ORIGIN:

London, U.K.

GENRES:

Hip-Hop/Rap

The album, GREY Area, is available via: https://open.spotify.com/album/4Wwm4xg2748zhYuzDRFTgY?si=tdqkd2uYQKOh37rrx-l-Wg

RELEASE DATE:

1st March, 2019

__________

I like this part of the weekend because...

it gives me the chance to review a bigger artist who I know I will have a lot to talk about. With her album, GREY Area out, I am interested in Little Simz and what she is putting into the world right now. I am focusing on a single track from the album – to allow me to go into detail regarding the track; this review would not give fair attention to all the tracks – but I wanted to talk about Little Simz in the context of British Hip-Hop/Rap and how the scene has changed; wordplay and how a dexterous lyrical approach is very rare these days. I also wanted to look at artists who are direct and are unafraid to document something important, darker and less commercial; what type of sound/artist will define 2019 and albums that are busy with sound and innovation – I want to end the piece by looking at Little Simz and where she might head. I have been a bit wary of British Hip-Hop and Rap the last few years. I put these genres together because they often overlap and it is hard to distinguish between them a lot of the time. In the case of Britain, I feel we have always lagged behind the U.S. – this is true when you look back a few decades. Consider the golden age of Hip-Hop – around 1986-1991 – and the magic that was emerging there. Tomorrow is the thirtieth anniversary of De La Soul’s debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, and that arrived in a year that also saw Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique come into the world. Those albums were less political and charged than a couple released the previous year: N.W.A. and Public Enemy delivering sermons and songs that stuck in the brain and have inspired generations. Music coming from Hip-Hop around that time was keen to talk about harder subjects like political corruption and the plight of the black American and, since then, the U.S. have spawned some truly great artists.

In this country, we do not really have the same pedigree. Maybe it is because of the subject matter and how our Hip-Hop artists write. We do not have the same experience of U.S. artists and there hasn’t been the same legacy. We do Grime pretty well but I am seeing a breed of new Hip-Hop artists emerging that are defining modern Britain. Maybe it will not be as extraordinary as the best we saw in America decades ago but Little Simz is leading the charge here. She, in a way, seems to have an element of the U.S. masters from the 1980s and 1990s but is adding fresh flow and personality. I think the British Hip-Hop scene will grow and expand but it has not really had a leader that can compel a revolution. I think Little Simz is the best Hip-Hop voice we have and able to challenge the very best in the U.S. right now. Look at U.S. artists like Kendrick Lamar and Cardi B and it has been a long way since we have mounted a credible opposition. Little Simz’s career has been blossoming and she has been growing with each album. I can make bold declarations because her latest album, GREY Area, has scored big reviews and is full of wonderful songs. I love her confidence and how there is not a weak moment to be found. A lot of Hip-Hop artists can be a little lacklustre at times or place the vocal above lyrics. It is not often you get this complete and near-perfect artist who ticks all the boxes and strides into their own league. When it comes to Little Simz, she is honest and herself on the page but she has her eyes open and is talking about what is happening around her. There is this varied and extraordinary sound that you cannot resist and holds so much power. I shall move onto a new subject but I wanted to talk about Little Simz’s role in modern Hip-Hop and how she is changing the game.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Bridgland

I have mentioned lyrics and how some Hip-Hop artists are a little inferior. Hip-Hop is a genre that has always been noted for its amazing sense of wordplay and flow and, in the U.S., they have always done it better than us. Again, this might go back to history and the fact they can do certain genres better than we can – the U.K. is stronger when it comes to Folk and other genres. I do think a lot of conviction can be sourced from having lived in a tough situation or being surrounded by bad legacy. A lot of modern U.S. Hip-Hop artists are reacting to their neighbourhoods and what is happening around them. There are racial and economic struggles here but the experience is different in America compared to here. In the U.K., we have plenty of problems that can be addressed but I think Grime and Drill music is talking about it more. Hip-Hop, here, is not quite as sharp and broad as in the U.S. but I think Little Simz will start this resurgence and growth. The reason I say this is because of her wordplay and how she attacks music. There are two modes when it comes to Little Simz. She switches between these firm and confident raps that are bristling and cutting and then she has a more tender and revealing side that allows the tone to change and a different side to emerge. Sometimes, that switch can be felt in a single song and there is no predictable and premeditated template when it comes to her music. She has this energy and sense of unpredictable lust that makes her music so exciting. I love how she can name-drop artists like Jay-Z and put him in the same verse as William Shakespeare (Offence). There is cheekiness and humour that can combine with this confidence and real sense of self. Whether you call her a Rap artist or Hip-Hop innovator, it all leads to the same conclusion: Little Simz is one of the finest artists we have in the country at the moment.

A lot of the more potent and ‘real’ songs coming out right now are being made by Post-Punk bands. We have Drill and Grime music but I do not feel they get as much attention as they deserve. A lot of times, the music is confined to certain radio stations and it means the messages do not spread as far as they could. Maybe there is an intensity and sense of anger in the delivery that means many are put off or they only give it a brief listen. The most powerful and resonating tracks are those that can give power and potency but they are accessible and there is a degree of calm. Little Simz creates music that has these wonderful phrases and ideas wrapped together; music that brings different genres together and a broad palette that allows listens to investigate, wonder and get involved. If she were to create a more straight-ahead and brutal sound then her words would not be heard as much and they would lose their gravity. Little Simz can be accusatory and call out those who deserve it but a lot of her quality and appeal comes from the way she looks at herself and how far she has come. She is confident and unapologetic but she looks at music icons who died young and understands mortality is never far away and there is always a sense of the unpredictable around. These two mindsets create sensational music that has depth and soul but there is that youthful confidence and ambition. Not only do the lyrics strike and resonate but there are great hooks and compositional elements that elevate the words and brew their own wonder. There are few Rap/Hip-Hop artists who put as much care into the compositions but Little Simz shows great musicianship. Because of that, her music can appeal to those who are not usually fans of Rap/Hip-Hop and want something more accessible. That word might seem quite damp but accessibility is important today. The reason Hip-Hop gold of the past survived and created such heat was because of that mixture of powerful and striking words and music that had a richness and depth. Back then, there was a lot of sampling but modern artists like Little Simz are using cross-pollination and genre-splicing more. Because of that, I feel GREY Area will be one of these Hip-Hop records that gets talked about in decades to come.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @tamcader

I am always fascinated by the classic age of Hip-Hop in the U.S. and whether things have evolved from there. It is harder to sample music and create big albums like It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Public Enemy) which is a shame. There is enough inspiration from political avenues so modern artists have a lot to work from. I feel Little Simz is a natural lead and voice because she has a confidence of who she is and how good she is. There is never any arrogance; more a sense she has come a long way and is not going to be cowed. Having felt a bit of isolation and strain living in London, she has taken some time to breathe and I think her current album is her most natural, ambitious and nuanced. The twenty-five-year-old Simbi Ajikawo amazed with her 2017 concept album, Stillness in Wonderland, and many asked how long it would be until she got the same mainstream credibility as many of her male peers. There is still this issue with gender-equality in music and how there are small and gradual changes – not as fast as one would like. Being a black woman in music is not an easy thing to handle and I feel we all need to do more. Little Simz is letting her music do the talking and she knows where she wants to head. The fact she is so confident and proud of what she is doing means people cannot ignore the music and there must be more opportunities at her feet. It cannot be long until she headlines festivals and, at the very least, she has to be seen as one of the best artists we have right now. Little Simz is someone who can talk about herself and her struggles but, like so many Rap/Hip-Hop artists, straying away from commercial avenues is important. I hear too many Pop records that take few risks and are following a formula. Listen to Little Simz and, on GREY Area, she talks about fallen idols and she sends out these barbs; she has a quick wit and has a hugely impressive flow. The combination is exceptional and the music busy and mind-blowing.      

I feel 2019 is already shaping up to a more interesting and diverse year than 2018. We had some great albums last year but I feel, more and more, modern music needs to change its tone and stray away from the commercial mainstream. New albums from Little Simz, Julia Jacklin and Solange have impressed because they are a lot more striking and mature than so much of the mainstream best. Each artist is open and revealing but they do not merely focus on themselves and their own problems. Artists that look at the outside world and tackle issues head-on are to be commended. In Little Simz, we have a young woman who knows she has a role in music and will do what it takes to get there. She understands her brilliance but there is always this sense that obstacles are around and the path is not always clear. That sense of understanding, intelligence and maturity is another reason why Little Simz can lead a Hip-Hop revolution and define 2019. This year is very young still but female artists are making more of a stand. Perhaps it is a reaction to the comparative lack of attention they get and how hard they have to struggle. I like to think the reason why female-made artists are stronger is because of greater emotional depth and a finer sense of innovation. The men are ambitious when it comes to music but there is something about female artists that makes them more daring and exciting; a mentality that pushes music beyond the ordinary and a lyrical style that is both personal yet universal. Maybe that is my personal opinion but there is something in it. I do think there need to be big changes made and the industry cannot deny great female artists much longer. Small steps are being made but there is a long way to go before we see any real improvement and parity.

Before I come to review Venom – from GREY Area – it is worth looking at the albums that have received huge reviews this year and, for the most part, they have been made by women. There are many reason why female-made music is stronger this year and I feel the industry needs to react. Festivals are still imbalanced and I get the feeling artists like Little Simz have always been confined to genre-specific festivals. Her music appeals to those who love Rap and Hip-Hop but it is broad and eclectic. She could make a great headliner at any festival and I hope she achieved that next year. If we want music to progress and inspire generations then we need to give spotlight to artists like Little Simz. She has released so much incredible music and I feel a lot of her inferior male peers are given chances ahead of her. I am genuinely excited about the new wave of British Hip-Hop/Rap artists and what they are saying right now. I still think the U.S. has a stronger scene right now but we are spawning so many hungry and exciting young voices. This will continue and I think, at the forefront, are women. Perhaps I have said enough but it is important to put these thoughts out there and not let them stand. The industry needs to do more and it needs to recognise how good artists like Little Simz are. She has created an album that could well walk away with album of the year prizes – it is hard to see too many records beating GREY Area this year! The reviews are celebratory and ecstatic and it is wonderful to see a British artist getting so much respect in a genre that, in my mind, has always been dominated by U.S. artists. Her new album boasts so many wonderful songs but, rather than give each a small review, I wanted to focus on one that I feel stands out and deserves greater affection: Venom is a natural standout and sensational moment from Little Simz.

It was hard selecting one song to highlight from GREY Area but I wanted to look at Venom because it lasted longest in my mind. It is the shortest track on the album but that does not mean it is the least significant. In fact, its opening is the most stirring and unusual. We have these haunting and Hitchcock-like strings that sting and spook with their creep. It is a strong and unexpected opening that definitely opens up your eyes and makes you wonder where the song is heading. Maybe it is appropriate that a song called Venom would start with such a stir. I feel a lot of Grime and Rap music can be a bit boring and samey because the musical dexterity is not there. It is all the same beats and electronics and it seems like the music is there merely to act as a guide for the vocal. When it comes to Little Simz, she understands the important role the composition plays and how much power can be exerted from an original and exciting sound. She manages to conquer when it comes to lyrics, music and delivery. There are not many artists who achieve that and, before a word has been delivered on Venom, you know you are listening to someone who is leagues ahead of the competition. After the uneasy and tense strings, Little Simz comes in with a fast and unexpected delivery. She is not standing still and the heavy sound that introduced the song makes way for this very focus and top-of-the-mix vocal. She looks at mental-health and suicidality – “Minds fucked even more than I realised” – and there is this black and tense situation. A lot of artists are tackling mental-health right now and Little Simz does so in a very direct and urgent way. She can see the turmoil around her and, soon, she turns to misogyny and the fact she is not given her dues. Using words like ‘ovaries’ and ‘pussy’ to describe the discrimination is fresh and will turn heads.

Little Simz is direct and wants people to listen. At a certain point, the vocal quickens and it is almost impossible to keep up with Little Simz. It is amazing how she manages to keep her breath and deliver the words without breaking concentration. The words tumble to give the song more tension and urgency. Little Simz is falling and going down and she is asking someone – maybe those who attack her – to follow her. She does not want to hear apologise and she is looking for answers. She is not sure whether she is going insane and what is happening right now. At every stage, there are these scenes of violence and threats. A lot of times, one wonders whether the fear is psychological or physical. Little Simz talks about having a gun pointed at her and this danger lurking around every corner. Having talked about mental-health, I wonder whether a lot of these images are part of her imagination or the realities of the streets are being laid out. The heroine sees struggle behind doors and people losing their minds; she is finding men willing to attack her and take advantage and, in life and music, misogyny raising its head. It is a song that will get everyone thinking and you need to listen to it several times just to get on top of everything said. Venom is the most exhilarating song on GREY Area and delivers so much in a short period of time. Those new to Little Simz might favour songs such as Selfish to get their feet wet but I think Venom is a stunning offering that everyone needs to hear right away! She has created this masterclass in delivery, lyrical power and musical dexterity. There is nobody out there like her right now and festival organisers everywhere should realise what a talent we have in our midst!

  PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Bridgland for CRACK 

She knows she is overlooked because she is a woman and she also understands how good she is. Little Simz spits and raps with such speed and directness. The words tumble out and, apart from the strings trying to keep pace in the background, it is Little Simz’s exceptional flow that captivates. She discusses bleak mental states and how she has never got that low – not one who will take herself out or let the world bury her. The venom coming from men and their oppression seems to weight the heaviest on her mind. After delivering this frantic and stunning passage, her voice cuts out and the song enters a new phase. Having heard lighter songs on GREY Area – such as Selfish (ft. Cleo Sol) – having this edgier and grittier sound is, in my mind, where she shines. The strings are replaced by a more booming drum (?) sound and the mood shifts once more. Whereas lesser artists might keep the same sound and show a lack of sophistication, Little Simz keeps the song snaking and, with each verse, brings in a new sound. She talks about things she has seen in the night: the dark crawl and the danger around; how it has affected her mind and why it would alarm other people. One of the biggest weapons in Little Simz’s arsenal is the fact she can be quite direct and bold with her language. There are expletives to be heard but they are never thrown in to cause shock at all. She is reflecting a true voice and is proving she is someone not be messed with. She talks about guys wanting blood and she is looking for the same. Whether she is being sexually harassed or there is violence on the street, the heroine is facing it down and warning she is not to be messed with. She chants the word ‘venom’ as a deeper voice also does the same – whether it is her voice processed or a man, I am not sure. The strings come back in and are less tense than in the introduction. I love how the violins add this sense of terror and gothic horror. It allows Venom to be a much more variegated and cinematic song than it would have been if it were just beats and electronics.

The juggernaut has been rolling and GREY Area has rolled out to the masses. The reviews have been four/five-star and I have not heard anything negative said about the album. It is rare when you hear an artist talked about in such fond terms with nobody offering even the slightest bit of constructive criticism. That is a sign you are doing something right and at the top of your game. Little Simz is far stronger than her male peers but she has also, on GREY Area, reconciled with a difficult past and you feel like she has addressed some issues that were troubling her. I get the sense of this young woman finding her feet and maybe feeling buried by the city and the people around her. She has not long entered the twenty-sixth year of her life and many could forgive her for having worries and fears. If the young artist feels strange at times, you would not really sense too much of that from her latest record. The sheer confidence and boldness throughout means you are always hooked and standing to attention. Her sound is not simply attack and pummel without range and emotional variation. She is someone who can switch between a more openhearted sound and rising and striking without too much notice. It is a heady brew and great mix that will appeal to the Hip-Hop/Rap elite and those who are new to the genres. It is hard to ignore Little Simz and I urge people to catch her perform. She is still giving interviews and busy spreading the word when it comes to her album. I know it is hectic but she seems to love every moment. It is wonderful hearing her talk about her music and how it came together. When she has chance to hit the road then I would recommend you watch the songs come to life on the stage. She is a fantastic live act and someone who can win every heart. I am not sure what her touring plans are like but look at her social media channels and she will keep you updated. There are few artists who are as sharp, lyrically, and have such a confident voice. It is exciting to think where Little Simz could head and what comes next for her. She is still so young and being this developed and assured this early, to some, could be a danger. In Little Simz’s case, I feel she can grow even stronger and her music can get even better – which is a scary thought when you think about it! We have one of the world’s best young artists performing in the U.K. right now and GREY Area is the album to beat this year. I do not think there will be anyone who can topple Little Simz’s masterpiece this year but, as others try, play the music and realise why many people are calling her...

A genius and innovator to watch.

___________

Follow Little Simz

  PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Bridgland for CRACK 

Official:

https://www.littlesimz.co/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LittleSimz

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LittleSimz/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6eXZu6O7nAUA5z6vLV8NKI?si=biE6zdthTWC07cNdcDCvwg

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC89IYKXyf15qNezA7IuFG1A

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/littlesimz/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/littlesimz

ALL OTHER PHOTOS:

Getty Images/Press

INTERVIEW: Birthday Card

INTERVIEW:

Birthday Card

___________

MY final piece of the week is an interview with...

the Brighton-based band, Birthday Card. I ask the guys what they can reveal about their new track, Shy Away, and whether there might be more material coming down the tracks; albums that they hold dear and how they have progressed as a band – they select some approaching musicians worth a shout.

The band talk about their musical upbringing and reveal which artist they’d support if they could; whether there are any tour dates coming up and tell me how they chill away from writing/recording – the guys each select a great track to end things on.

____________

Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Josh: Hey. Our week’s been good, thanks. We’ve been super-busy writing new material, rehearsing for upcoming shows and sorting out the last few bits ready for the release of Shy Away.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Josh: I’m Josh - I sing and play guitar.

Leslie: Hey. I’m Leslie, drummer of the band.

George: I’m George – I play synths.

Conor: I’m Conor – I play lead guitar.

Tom: Hi. I’m Tom – bass guitar.

How did Birthday Card find one another? Have you known each other long?

Leslie: We’ve all actually been connected in some way or another over the years - a few of us went to school together and also played together in an old band. The town we’re from is pretty small so even before we started playing we all knew each other in one way or another. 

Shy Away is your new track. What is the story behind it?

Josh: The song itself is about overcoming self-doubt and anxieties. This is told through the story of a slightly awkward introduction between two people which eventually blossoms.

I’d had the lyrics for some time and was waiting for the right piece of music to lay them over. When the other guys started playing their parts, it all seemed to gel perfectly.

Might there be an E.P. coming later in the year? 

Conor: That’s right. We’ll be releasing our debut E.P. in the first half of 2019. We’ve just been in the studio with Marcus Yates, who recorded and produced Shy Away - which is also the E.P.’s opening track. That’s all we can say for now…

Looking back at last year, how far do you think you progressed as a band? 

Conor: The thing I love about playing in this band is there’s always a sense of forward momentum, of taking the next step up. We had a great 2018: releasing two singles and supporting Sleeper on their sold out tour, which was a complete privilege. A year on, we’re now putting out Shy Away, which feels to us like a big step in the evolution of our sound and, likewise, gearing up towards our first E.P. It feels like we’re really building up our following at the moment too which is amazing, because we really believe in what we do. To have that appreciated by others is a great feeling.

What sort of music did you all grow up on?

Josh: My mum and dad used to play all sorts around the house when I was really young. One minute we’d have Nat King Cole on, then the next minute we’re dancing round the living room to Hanson. I also remember listening to a lot of The Neptunes and early N.E.R.D growing up.

Tom: Whatever was on my dad’s car stereo really: Punk, Reggae...you name it!

Leslie: Lots of Motown and R&B.

Conor: My dad has a pretty eclectic music taste so I listened to all sorts growing up - anything from The Clash and Bowie, through to New Order and Otis Redding. I’d say we all have a pretty rich musical background - in terms of listening - which all very subtly contributes to building our sound.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind? 

Josh: That’s a difficult question as there’s been many. My favourite memory would have to be the countless hours we all spent together waiting in Leslie’s shed before even knew the band was a band. So many of those ideas and parts that were written in there have been reused in songs that are in our current set.

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Tom: Pool by Porches. I think all of us in the band have probably listened to it about a million times each!

Conor: Hard to pick any single album, but one favourite is Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout. Paddy McAloon’s songwriting is timeless.

Leslie: It would probably be The 1975’s debut for me. It’s just so good!

Josh: In Search of… - N.E.R.D. My dad used to play it all the time. It brings back memories of good times.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Josh: I’d love to say Nick Cave but I don’t think that line-up would make much sense musically. So probably The Neighbourhood or The 1975.

As for the rider, I’d want Gucci sliders and some of that rum DJ Khalid’s always going on about on Instagram. I think it’s called Bumbu?

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Leslie: Don’t take our advice...

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play? 

Conor: We’ve got lots of dates in the pipeline which will be announced very soon, so keep an eye out for those. Our next shows are in London on Saturday, 2nd March, playing at Thousand Island with Only Sun and next Tuesday (5th March) at Komedia in Brighton, supporting the lovely Only the Poets.

If we came to one of your live shows, what might we expect? 

Tom: Faithful recreations of our recorded material, but in a world of their own. There’s also a lot of unreleased material in there too so, if you want to hear some new songs, come and see us!

 IN THIS PHOTO: SPINN/PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Crowston

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Josh: SPINN, for sure.

Conor: Not necessarily new but certainly on the up - I’ve been listening a lot to a House D.J. called Laurence Guy. Super-melodic and really relaxing.

Tom: I don’t think he’s particularly new but this producer called Lusine is definitely worth a listen.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Laurence Guy/PHOTO CREDIT: Esther Riess

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind? 

George: We’ve all worked quite hard at setting up our lives in a way where we get to spend as much time as we can writing and playing new music with each other. I honestly don’t think any of us are particularly interested in spending much time away from music: we have so much fun and get so much fulfilment out of doing it. It’s more like this is what we get to do to unwind from the stress of day-to-do day life.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Josh: Air Stryp by Big Red Machine

Conor: Please play Lovin’ You by Minnie Riperton

George: Freelance by Toro y Moi

Tom: I’d like to hear I Need Your Lovin’ by Teena Marie

Leslie: You Don’t Know – 702

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Josh Fletcher

FEATURE: The Changing Mainstream: The New Wave: Does Traditional Pop Have Power and Promise in 2019?

FEATURE:

 

 

The Changing Mainstream

IN THIS PHOTO: Julia Jacklin/PHOTO CREDIT: Jasper Soloff for Office

The New Wave: Does Traditional Pop Have Power and Promise in 2019?

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THIS week is especially strong...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Solange/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

in terms of album releases. There have been a lot of great albums released by men this year but, right now, it is female artists leading the charge. I will come to look at the mainstream and how the shape is altering but, today, we have treats from Solange, Self Esteem and Little Simz. There has been some cryptic talk and tease regarding Solange and whether she would be releasing an album soon. She is one of these artists who can put out little snippets and posts and get people whipped into a flurry. Now, with barely much time to take it in, she has put When I Get Home into the world. The fact that most American reviewers are still asleep and unable to give their thoughts provides a rare edge for the British press. There has not been a huge amount of feedback so far but, like 2016’s A Seat at the Table, it is another exceptional and personal album. Maybe it is a coincidence but the strongest albums of the year have arrived from female artists. With sexism in the industry still raging, the narrative is changing and reshaping what modern music is about. We still have a Pop core and sound but, more and more, artists like Solange are defining what constitutes real and important music.

She has provided energy in her latest album but, like the artists I will mention, the focus is more on personal revelation and deeper issues. I have noted this when it comes to modern music: how the traditional structures (looking at love in a very easy and accessible way) has been replaced by a broader and more challenging tone. Solange always provides spark and joy but her albums are more noted for other factors. The sophistication and depth one hears is astonishing; the songs tackle everything from race to gender identity and her latest is very much an album for the times. She does wear her heart on her sleeve but, rather than succumb to the ordinary and commercial, she has penned a record that has incredible weight and intelligence. With contributions from the likes of Tyler, the Creator and Sampha, When I Get Home is a rich and rewarding album but the central force is Solange. It is a bit early to get a feel from the critics but the fans love the album. Many have taken to Twitter to declare their affection. Maybe When I Get Home will surpass A Seat at the Table regarding reviews and fondness. There is strength and passion coming from the men but, in 2019, I am finding (already) the sharpest and most essential works are coming from women. Solange talks about a lot of challenging subjects but never in an angry or overly-complex way. One might expect a hugely rising star like her to produce something commercial and traditional but, like her strongest peers, the focus is very much on raising awareness and challenging perceptions – whilst sprinkling in a bit of heartache and personal confession.

A few more albums/artists I want to mention are doing a very similar thing regarding their sound and direction. Julia Jacklin’s new album, Crushing, is her second (the same as Solange) and is a step forward for her. Now, she has changed her lyrical perspective and looks more to herself. One can see Crushing as a very personal work that details relationship breakdown and her state of mind. Perhaps less jaunty and catchy as her debut, Don’t Let the Kids Win (2016), here is another case of a great artist taking a few years to take their music in a new direction. Solange and Julia Jacklin have different lives and experiences but both have produced potential album-of-the-year contenders! In an interview with The Guardian, Jacklin talked about the changes between albums:

“Lyrically, it’s quite a bit more basic than I used to write,” she says of her excellent new album, Crushing. “I always thought my second record would be really produced, like, ‘Watch out world, here I am!’ That’s how it always feels: that you’ve got to be a bigger, better version of yourself. But I was too tired to try to be anything more than I was.”

Who she was changed suddenly and without warning. As an intense touring cycle wrapped up, her long-term relationship ended and she returned home to Sydney to find a city that “didn’t really look the same”. Her gut reaction was to retreat into her new normal: more touring, a transient life she’d come to rely on and resent in equal measure. “With touring, I felt like I was just this thing that was getting from A to B,” Jacklin says, the powerlessness of that reality manifesting in a resigned shrug. “I felt totally disconnected from my own thoughts and my own wants and needs.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Nick Mckk for The Guardian 

Jacklin has spoken before of the early self-doubt that threatened to derail her potential, and how the process of performing her work on tour, to increasing crowds, reinforced the facts that she was deserving and legitimate. During the two years she spent on the road – “a really wonderful, turbo time of growth” – she also discovered that success in the music world was reliant on accepting its hazy parameters. “The social and business lines are just so murky,” she says. “Which I don’t love”.

One can hear a masterclass of narrative songwriting throughout Jacklin’s latest album and I think that is what defines the best records of this year. Whereas, in previous years, there has been a reliance on mainstream Pop and the disposable, common themes and sounds; this rich new seam of music is emerging that is much smarter, emotionally-complex and satisfying. The Independent gave their thoughts regarding Crushing:

“For my money, “Body” is the best thing on Crushing, a terrifically complicated breakup record that’s still got a hangar full of delights readied for takeoff. Those who fell for Jacklin’s 2016 excellent debut, Don’t Let the Kids Win, will find a continuity of alternative attitude and vintage influences. The video for new song “Pressure To Party” – Jacklin’s sneeringly ecstatic “three-minute scream” about what people expected of her after her relationship ended – is even shot in the same retro-fitted house as her first video, for “Pool Party”...

 

But there’s a deeper sense of personal connection to anchor Jacklin’s lyrical and melodic smarts. That snare drum keeps a relentless, nerve-snapping pulse throughout, with Jacklin sounding more confident in her contradictions: at once yearning to comfort a lover she’s dumped and then, on “Head Alone”, declaring: “I don’t wanna be touched all the time/ I raised my body up to be mine.” The rather glorious video for this one finds Jacklin running through the desolate streets of suburbia in a dress that looks like it’s been made out of 1980s curtain material for a sixth-form production of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet”.

The other two female artists who are changing the discussion and providing much deeper and interesting work in 2019 are Little Simz and Self Esteem. Let’s start with the latter. Before I go on, I am not suggesting previous years have lacked great songwriters and records but 2019 has begun with a real urgency and scent of change. Self Esteem is the moniker of Rebecca Taylor (Slow Club) and her debut solo album, Compliments Please, has received great reviews. Perhaps closer to Solange in terms of that mix of personal insight and addressing big themes in society, the album has that nice balance – this extends to the emotional palette. Complements Please can switch from funny and cutting to elegant and emotional. The compositions are stunning and Taylor, as a singer, has strengthened and brought more to her repertoire.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

Taylor is, as she explained to DIY in this interview, more ambitious and free compared to her Slow Club days:

“Fuelled by a myriad of factors all contributing towards the strong, confident voice that defines her work now – from the relief of finally “being as myself as I possibly can be” to the broader impact of the #metoo movement and “realising my rights as a woman for the first time, because I grew up with this idea that you’ve got to be ladylike and I was always too loud” - hers is a slightly more experienced pop outlook that feels genuinely refreshing.

“I have massive ambitions – too big – and I know I’ll die unhappy, but I now at least know that I’ve given it a go in a way that ticks all [my] boxes and I couldn’t honestly have said that before, so it’s great,” she says. “And now, it’s so brilliant and so much fun to do and I’ve made a job that I like loads and that feels like success”.

I think, aside from the great female artists striking right now, the main flavour of 2019 music is a greater depth and sense of sophistication. Artists are still talking about their lives and woes but the ambition is increased and the sound is much bigger and rich. Taylor is able to combine seriousness and style with a genuine sense of the upbeat and hopeful. You get this accessible album that is able to cheer you but there is a lot to unpack and discover.

The Line of the Best Fit provided their review of Compliments Please:

“Her love of hip hop is imbued in the very core of Compliments Please, shirking much of the folkish arrangements of Slow Club for a sound far bolder, and at 16 tracks strong it is clear that Taylor is not short of ideas. Brewing a concoction of high octane, R&B infused pop, tracks such as "Monster" and "Actors" bring an essence of unrestrained glee in both their compositions and Taylor’s soaring and emotive vocal. That aforementioned love of hip hop - most specifically Kanyé West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and inflections of autotune - is entirely palpable on "In Time", pounding beats reinforcing a chanted mantra of assurance amidst gospel euphoria.

In her first outing as a solo artist, Taylor surmises an important lesson for us all: that of prioritising your own path and growth in spite of others trying to pull you astray. “Only now am I feeling like it's alright to be ambitious or have ideas. It's blowing my mind,” she stated recently. “I was so girly, so submissive. And it's time to just be true. No one's gonna fuck with me now”.

James Blake can sit alongside artists like Self Esteem and Julia Jacklin. His new album, Assume Form, is, perhaps, his most emotional and revealing album yet and one that has plenty of colour. The common link between all these artists/albums is a sense of openness but that desire to move forward and learn something – as though the recording process has been like shedding skin and a cathartic experience.

 IN THIS PHOTO: James Blake/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Blake is part of this band of young songwriters who marries intelligent songwriting and production and is providing something more rewarding than the majority of the Pop mainstream. Little Simz is slightly different in terms of genres. Whereas you can sort of see a Pop common thread in Julia Jacklin (alongside Folk), Self Esteem and Solange (with R&B), Little Simz is in the Hip-Hop/Rap mould. Since 2017 – when Stillness in Wonderland (2016) bedded-in and resonated – Little Simz has grown and this has fed into her new album, GREY Area. In this article, it is revealing how the years have changed her perspective and outlook:                                                                                 

“Understandably, Simbi sees herself in a completely different space musically—which she partly attributes to having improved her own emotional well-being. “I don’t feel as down about things that happen in my life. I go through my emotions when I’m feeling them and I have my days, but maybe that’s because I’ve pulled it out.” It’s something that comes with experience, maturity and three albums under your belt. “Every time I do a project,” she adds, “it’s like I’ve collected a bunch of events that have happened to me, sat with it, and released all of it.” And you can see how she’s arrived at this point since the last album. In an interview with Noisey in 2017, Simz spoke of her desire to explore the world beyond London due to the lack of love she was receiving, telling the music writer Aniefiok Ekpoudom: “I need to be around people or in a place where I’m constantly getting better at my craft and becoming a better person, where I’m making progress. Being here can feel a little stationary, sometimes”.

If there is a common thread tying all these exceptional albums together it is a sense of growth and improvement. Maybe this is the new normal: musicians who are facing their pasts and channelling that need for hope into the music. There is a linked sense of hope and things improving combined with a very real and frank look at society at large. Already, many are talking about GREY Area in terms of being a benchmark this year; artists needing to follow it and this being a blueprint for the best of modern music. NME, in their review of GREY Area, made some interesting observations:

“On ‘Flowers’, the final track, Simz asks: “The ambition I have for myself – wanting to be legendary and iconic – does that come with darkness?”. Here, she reflects on her idols, like Amy Winehouse and Jimi Hendrix, and ruminates on their dizzying highs, but tragic endings. It’s a indication of the mindset she was in while writing ‘Grey Area’; the north London powerhouse was going through a dark time, which became pivotal in her creative process. You can hear this free-flowing energy – up and down– that runs through the album.

Across these 10 tracks, Simz utilises her most valuable commodity: honesty. Having stripped away the narrative cloak that shrouded the highlights of ‘Stillness In Wonderland’, she’s crafted a knockout record – and finally come true on her early promise. This is the best rap record of the year so far”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sharon Van Etten/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

It is not completely female-dominated at the moment but I am seeing this wave come through that is very different to music made by the guys. I have not even mentioned Sharon Van Etten and her excellent album, Remind Me Tomorrow. It has also scored wonderful reviews and I think it is because of the sense of personal and inventive. The best songwriters of the moment are breaking from Pop tropes and bringing more personality, story and intelligence to the party. I think Van Etten has always been this way as a writer but she has experienced a lot of change over the past few years. Motherhood, a sense of fear and dislocation have affected her work and her spectrum is much broader and interesting then most of the mainstream. I have mentioned some great albums but there is a definite feeling that, along with a narrative change, there is a sonic shift. I feel the mainstream and bigger Pop artists hold less sway because their songs, largely, are not as original and deep as those I have mentioned. Ariana Grande’s thank u, next impressed critics and it is one of the strongest Pop albums that has been released recently. She is someone who avoids a lot of the worst traits of modern Pop and creates something with incredible eclecticism and flair. Her lyrics are stronger and less formulaic than a lot of her peers and she is setting an example. As much as I love the best albums of the year, I think there is a sense of lacking fun and catchiness.

It is hard to explain but I think, if you have catchy and fun Pop, it tends to lack new perspective and can seem quite shallow. A lot of the songs are over-produced and there is a real absence of soul. On the other hand, the more arresting artists around are producing great albums but they tend to be less explosive, joy-bringing and hooky than many Pop records. Perhaps it all comes down to that argument regarding popular music and whether it has become less fun and slower. I think there has been this shift from slightly bland and peppy Pop to music that holds great weight and emotion but is less youthful and fun. Is it possible, at a time when great music has personal insight and big themes nestling alongside one another, to make things fun and frivolous?! All of the records I have mentioned have their bigger and brighter moments but the focus is very much on the lyrics and a sense of serious. Are there any exceptions to this ‘rule’? Can we still find something interesting in mainstream Pop that is not BRIT Awards-lite, commercial and overly-proceeded? Years ago, the mainstream was full with fun, fantastic and broad Pop but things have become more homogenous and bland. Maybe Sigrid is the one exception to the rule, I think. Her album, Sucker Punch, is receiving a lot of love and she is one of the few artists who can produce proper bangers but make sure they are intelligent and not just thruway – like so many of her contemporaries’ records.  

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sigrid/PHOTO CREDIT: Francesca Allen for Billboard

A problem with Pop artists like Taylor Swift, Rita Ora and Shawn Mendes is a feeling that they are being manufactured and guided according to a flow chart and Spotify demands. They have their own style and some good songs but Pop struggles to break away from this rather plastic feel and sense that things are less about expression and innovation as they are music-by-numbers and commercialism. NME, when reviewing Sucker Punch, have stated how Sigrid is a bit different:

“While she’s technically playing by the rules, though, there’s a streak of defiance in Sigrid. The Norweigan’s major-label debut single, ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ was a gigantic FU to sexist gatekeepers, while ‘Savage In Our Blood’ – a live favourite, sadly not on this album – is a political anthem for a new generation of decision makers. Debut album ‘Sucker Punch’ shows the best of both of these sides of Sigrid, though thankfully it’s the edgier one that wins out.

Most of all, though, it’s reassuring that ‘Sucker Punch’ doesn’t feel like a meticulously choreographed and cunning plot to make Sigrid a International Pop Superstar. These songs may well do that all on its own, and its certainly a marvellous cap on a two-year campaign that did just about everything right – but it’s also more than that. ‘Sucker Punch’ is the story of a young adult whose tales of friendship, love and more aren’t just relatable because they’re supposed to be – they simply are”.

 

I do worry the best of modern music is less about fun and getting inside that warm place in your heart but, instead, we have a more stimulating and challenging group of artists who are taking music in new directions. We have the Pop mainstream and some fun artists but their music, in my view, is less memorable than the promising names that are defining this year so far. I think Pop has lost a lot of its promise and power through the years. There are endless reports regarding the changes and how the mainstream has become far more formulaic and repetitive. I have been listening to a lot of older Pop from the 1980s and 1990s and noticing how things have changed since. Maybe it is the production sound or the way artists wrote but the Pop was fresh and captivated the masses. There is more choice than there was now and I think Pop has not evolved enough to truly grab the imagination. There are too many artists sounding overly-processed and bland; big artists who sound the same as their genre peers and a chart that is full of same-sounding nonsense. Maybe newcomers like Dua Lipa are adding their own spice and promise; Lady Gaga and her more established peers are more interesting but fewer people are looking at traditional Pop for inspiration. Maybe some big Pop records this year will get great reviews – including Sigrid and the upcoming album from The 1975 – but the more commercial and chart-friendly artist is far less appealing at a time when many people are favouring music with more emotion and substance.

I am not sure whether the change is a bad thing but I do miss those fun and epic Pop records. Instead, we have artists like Sharon Van Etten, James Blake and Little Simz who are providing this alternative reality. I have only mentioned a few artists to illustrate my point but there is a definite gulf in terms of musicianship, maturity and nuance when you compare an album by, say, Sharon Van Etten and someone like Little Mix or Anne-Marie. Pop and the mainstream will never be overthrown and ignored – there are a lot of teens and pre-teens who love it – but the best of the Pop mainstream will struggle to match the best albums we have seen this year so far – maybe Ariana Grande and Sigrid are exceptions. I have been blown away by the new releases from Solange, Little Simz; Julia Jacklin and Self Esteem and, whilst there have been great male-led albums, it is the strong and sophisticated female voice that has more power, individuality and promise than the more staid, soulless and routine workouts from the Pop ‘elite’. Songs I remember from my childhood are in my brain because they were catchy and there was this easy charm. I feel music is changing now so that the music we will remember years from now (from this time) will be defined by different considerations.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz/PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Bridgland for CRACK

Sure, there may be a few big choruses there but many of us will recall bold lyrics, eye-opening lines and fantastic albums. I think, whereas a lot of modern music is defined by singles and occasional moments, the best of the new releases are going to get people interested in albums as a whole. Because songwriters like Julia Jacklin are telling stories and portraying this expansive narrative, we need to listen to all the songs; albums of 2019 are very rich and every moments stands out. Less concerned with singles and creating an album with filler, I am discovering complete albums that keep me invested and keep my love of a full-length alive and burning. Maybe one must sacrifice a certain giddiness, chantable chorus and fun but, instead, we are getting something different that is not necessarily bad. This brings me back to the question as to whether traditional, mainstream Pop is as strong as it was and whether its popularity is based on considerations other than quality. I can see a change happening and there are far fewer standout mainstream Pop artists than there were a couple of decades or so ago. There is a distinct change and revolution happening; some titanic albums that have common links and will inspire generations to come. 2019 has started wonderfully and so many world-class albums have arrived over the past few weeks. Maybe it will take a while before everyone is converted away from the mainstream Pop artists and their sound to this alternative way but it will happen soon enough. Get behind this charge and these wonderful songwriters because this leap is...

PHOTO CREDIT: @wiesehofer/Unsplash

EXCITING to see.

FEATURE: Sisters in Arms: An All-Female, Spring-Ready Playlist (Vol. I)

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Potty Mouth/PHOTO CREDIT: Nazrin Massaro  

An All-Female, Spring-Ready Playlist (Vol. I)

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MAYBE I could have done one more winter edition but...

IN THIS PHOTO: Adia Victoria/PHOTO CREDIT: Joshua Asante

it seems we are in spring. The weather has been really warm this week and it seems like spring is here to stay. There is still a bit of rain and cold around so we can never write off winter and say it is fully gone just yet. In any case, I have collated together some songs that will get the spirits lifted and get into the blood. These are from some of the best females/female-led acts around and showcase what a range of talent and choice there is. I have been listening to some of the best new releases and some from a few weeks back and amazed by the brilliance. That sounds insulting but I feel the female-led/made music around from the underground is at its strongest right now. I am sure you will agree when you hear this playlist and let the music...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Weyes Blood

DO its thing.

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

____________

PHOTO CREDIT: @spoookylilly

Potty Mouth – 22

Brika – Distracted

Kathy Zimmer – Time

Jess and the Bandits – Already Written

PHOTO CREDIT: Juan José Ortiz Arenas

Pip Millett – Try a Little Tenderness

PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Gullick

Pixx – Disgrace

PHOTO CREDIT: Kathryn Vetter Miller for MOJO

Weyes Blood – Everyday

Tenille Townes – Somebody’s Daughter

Hollie Carmen – Plan B

PHOTO CREDIT: @synjstagram

Monica Martin – Patient

Bairbre Anne – 27

PHOTO CREDIT: Lucie Zorzpian

Du Blonde - Angel

Freya Ridings – You Mean the World to Me

Glossii – Jank (This Dirty Broken Town)

PHOTO CREDIT: Sophie Hur

Hatchie – Without a Blush

Christinna O – Lay It Down

Mint Field – Mer Mas Alla

Light Emitting Dinosaurs – Ambition

Jasmine Thompson – take care

Mollie Ralph – Nightwalker

PHOTO CREDIT: Penny In The Arrow

Rebekah Fitch – Poison

PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Desberg

Rén with the Mane – Burnin

Adia Victoria – The City

Ayelle – NBDY

Coco Bans – Miracle

Destiny Rogers – Tomboy

Amy Shark – Mess Her Up

INTERVIEW: FiFi Rong

INTERVIEW:

FiFi Rong

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IT is good to catch up with FiFi Rong as the video...

for her single, Sin City, is out and she tells me about it. I wanted to know which musicians/sounds were important to her growing up and if there is more music coming along soon – she reveals a rising artist that we need to investigate.

I ask how she feels she has progressed as an artist and whether she has any standout music memories; if there are any tour dates in the diary and whether she gets much time to unwind away from things – Rong selects a great track to end the interview with.

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Hi, FiFi. How are you? How has your week been?

I’m very good, thanks. It’s been very, very busy as always. Non-stop challenges.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m a vocalist-songwriter and I produce all my solo work and mix them sometimes too. My music is a fluid blend of many genres and elements. The main vibes consist of U.K. Bass and Underground and my Chinese flair in vocal delivery.

 

The video for Sin City is out. What inspired you to write the song and what was it like putting the video together?

It was a real story from my past in Hong Kong and I merged a lot fictional stuff such as murder in the story and song as I was watching serial killer documentaries while I was writing the song. It was not smooth-sailing making this video but I knew exactly what I wanted so I wasn’t discouraged at any point. Delay was not denial. It was just a matter of time. I knew I had the creativity and resources to finish it and put it out into the world.

I needed to make it just right, so it took a while. 

Might we see more material coming soon? What are you working on right now?

Next up will be a collaboration song called Nahi with a Berlin label, Save the Black Beauty, on their L.P. Also, I’m working on several projects, including a solo full length and more (smiles). 

Which artists were important to you growing up? Who do you rank as idols?

There are whole bunch of Chinese Rock artists that truly integrated authentic Chinese music into Western Rock. I think that influenced me a lot in regards what I’m doing now. It was once possible but a bit of a lost art as those artists were really going through a lot of poverty and pain. It wasn’t a chosen thing: it was the society.

Musicians who insisted on doing Rock had no money, unlike today’s Indie artists. Good art can come from any place but great art sometimes come from deep suffering. Idols: true legends like Michael Jackson, Eminem and some more...but not a lot.

How do you think you have progressed as a musician since you started out?

I have more patience and tolerance of the down-cycle when creativity doesn’t flow. I’m more productive on average and I like me more in general.

Your music has a very visual edge to it. Do you think in a visual sense when you are writing songs?

Not really. My music comes from words; words come from feelings and I make music for my words/feelings and I create visual to suit the music. It’s all in one package. But, if I was a filmmaker first and foremost, I would actually write music just for visuals, yes.

Do you have a standout memory from your time in music so far?

Hmm. There are lots of memories but what is burnt deep in my psyche has to be the U.K. tour with Tricky. It was my first time on a proper stage in O2 Academy Bristol. I almost died from fear on stage; didn’t know where to put my hands and I cried the whole night till second day as it was too scary and I was too disappointed in myself. And, on the second day, I was totally in the zone at O2. I had the time of my life. I was flying high! Then, Manchester Academy was even more amazing. I felt so connected and ‘one’ with everyone. Still, to this date, I can’t figure out how I got from day-one as a complete mess to day-two as a complete natural!?

My little mind went for the biggest rollercoaster ride of my life. I had many amazing writing experiences and good stage experiences but nothing was as thrilling as those three days. It’s like any drug: the first time gets you the highest as it’s unexpected.

Which albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)? 

There are too many in Chinese! But, on top of my mind, here are the English ones: 

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon and Tricky – Maxinquaye. 

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

I’m not picky. I just need good monitor system, good lighting and a room that’s not cold so I can relax before I go on (smiles).

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I’m still new in many ways and I haven’t come through - so I can’t tell them anything I haven’t nailed. Everyone has their own path and strengths and they are the best judges for themselves.

Do you think there are going to any tour dates coming up?

I’m independent, which mean I do absolutely everything and I have the freedom to take as long as need. I’m in the middle of my album creation so, until that is in shape, I wouldn’t want to distract myself. 

How important is performing? Do you prefer it to life in the studio?

Different challenges. Both are important because they make me grow. And growth is fundamental as, if I don’t grow, life loses its purpose. 

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I just found out a musician called Zoolon I’m digging. 

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I love learning in many fields. For me, it’s relaxing and fun in order to absorb new knowledge. 

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Lower Dens - Truss Me

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PHOTOS:

Stefan Oboski

FEATURE: LGBTQ% Pulling Down Barriers and Coming Together to Celebrate Diversity

FEATURE:

 

 

LGBTQ%

IN THIS PHOTO: Ariana Grande (she has received criticism due to the fact, as a straight artist, she will appear at this year’s Manchester Pride as a headliner)/PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Nocito for FADER

Pulling Down Barriers and Coming Together to Celebrate Diversity

__________

ALTHOUGH I have covered some pretty meaty topics...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Manchester Pride 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

over the past couple of days, I think it is important to tackle them and not let them sit at the side. I have talked about sexism in Metal; why we need to look at black Britishness and get rid of discrimination – another story has just broken. Ariana Grande is coming to Manchester Pride and will play the celebration. We all remember her concert in Manchester that was marred by a terrorist attack that claimed the lives of many of her young fans. Since then, there has been this bond between Grande and Manchester and, whilst the relationship started in tragedy, she has supported the city and played there since. There was a little consternation raised around the fact that, at an LGBTQ+ festival, Ariana Grande (a straight artist) is at the centre of the stage. The ‘backlash’ began with a rather anonymous commentator taking to Twitter and complaining but many of her fans discussed the issue and whether she was the right choice. There is an LGBTQ Chart that you can investigate and some great videos made by those in the LGBTQ+ community. I will end by putting together an LGBTQ+ playlist – from LGBTQ+ artists – and there is this bubbling and colourful community producing sensational music. Not all of the songs produced are about respect and being proud in their skin but there are powerful mantras and moments that are deserve mainstream acclaim.

 IN THIS PHOTO: LGBTQ+ artist Halsey/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

There are a lot of LGBTQ+ artists working in the mainstream right now but, as I have asked before, is a non-heterosexual viewpoint truly accepted and able to integrate? There are some artists who feel confident expressing their sexual preference and desire but the mainstream is, as has always been, white and heterosexual. That may seem rash but it the truth. I feel like there is so much brilliant LGBTQ+ music around that many only discover through festivals like Manchester and London Pride; some playlists on Spotify or the odd discussion here and there. As much as black and female-made music deserves great attention and respect, so too does the work of LGBTQ+ artists. Manchester Pride, like it southern counterpart, is a great event that helps raise awareness and, at its heart, a moment for LGBTQ+ artists to shine.

i saw many people discussing this so i wanted to chime in.... hope that’s okay 🖤🌫 pic.twitter.com/7joiZwI1QS

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) February 27, 2019

There is a debate, regarding Ariana Grande, that an LGBTQ artist should be at the centre but are we needlessly focusing on the wrong thing? She might not be, as she has claimed, to be the essential and true face of the LGBTQ+ movement but she wants to play for her fans and play her part. There are straight artists like Kylie Minogue and Cher who have a big following in the LGBTQ+ community but are heterosexual. It is about the music and how it connects with people rather than the specific messages and the origin of the artists. There will be LGBTQ+ artists playing at the Pride festivals and Ariana Grande’s inclusion will bring fans together and help play a big role.

Whilst I agree it is important, at Pride, to shine a light on LGBTQ+ artists, I do not feel booking a big name like Grande is betraying its roots and missing the point. Grande’s music has a big following and crosses boundaries; she has a large demographic of fans and her brand of Pop will surely go down a storm. Others have complained about the increased ticket prices for Manchester Pride - £71 for a weekend pass is a huge increase from last year – but that is nothing to do with the calibre of Grande and more to do with other considerations (things she is not involved with and cannot change). Another complaint that has been raised by some (regarding Ariana Grande playing) is the fact people who do not support LGBTQ+ music will attend.

I think people need to choose their words carefully. There is a marked and clear difference between those who actively oppose LGBTQ+ music and those who do not usually listen to it. Grande’s fans are not, as far as I know, discriminatory with regards LGBTQ+ music and are not only there to see her and ignore everything else. It is true many of her young fans will not be aware of LGBTQ+ music and its role but, if anything, their eyes will be opened and the festival will bring in fans who will discover all this great music. I think raising the profile of Pride, whether it is through booking a huge artist or taking it to more cities, is a good thing and people should not questions artists who attend.

A lot of young fans, as I say, do not usually attend Pride festivals so it will be a new experience. If a Pop artists like Ariana Grande was performing at a festival for immigrants, let’s say, then would she be judged because she is not an immigrant herself? I do not think an artist needs to be LGBTQ+ to play at Pride and we need to get people together. Were the festival to only book non-LGBTQ+ artists then that would be different – that is absolutely not what is happening. Artists like Sam Smith, Sia; Perfume Genius and Angel Haze are raising awareness and the profile of LGBTQ+ people and music and shattering barriers. Years & Years lead Olly Alexander is part of a mainstream act and, as someone who identifies as an LGBTQ+ artist. Musicians like Alexander have experience bullying, attacks and suffered from psychological disorders because of their sexuality. There is still so much misunderstanding, venom and bigotry that holds back a lot of progress in music. Just because one does not understand someone’s sexual orientation and skin colour, should that be a reason to attack them or turn a blind eye?! I think artists have a hard enough time succeeding in a tough industry without having to face hatred and alienation. As the mental-health crisis increases to a point of insanity, LGBTQ+ artists are being affected and many are hiding who they are or struggling to find an artist.

 IN THIS PHOTO: LGBTQ+/queer artist Bronze Avery/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The music coming from LGBTQ+ artists is as varied, deep and eye-opening as any you will hear and I think it should be much more involved in the mainstream. It almost seems tokenistic to have LGBTQ+ playlists and celebrate the artists. In the same way female-led music is not a genre, neither too is LGBTQ+ music: it is part of our fabric and, whether we know it or not, we all listen to music by artists who are part of that community. I recall reading about the late George Michael hiding his sexuality when he was part of Wham! because he felt that would damage his career. So many non-heterosexual artists either have to pretend they are straight or secretive regarding their sexuality because there are radio stations and labels that feel uncomfortable marketing that. I do feel that there are steps being made regarding LGBTQ+ music and making it a more common part of the music fabric. The fact so many artists struggle and suffer feels me with unease but Pride festivals are designed to showcase the best of LGBTQ+ whilst making a very loving, safe and celebratory space. I can see why some might be concerned a non-LGBTQ+ artists is booked for Manchester Pride but, rather than see this as a betrayal and bad move, it should be seen as a positive move that is designed to bring new fans and support in; an artist who backs LGBTQ+ music and is not trying to take the spotlight.

Of course, everything is not about Ariana Grande but the sort of reaction she has received from some regarding LGBTQ+ music and straight artist being involved raises some interesting debates. I feel like any support, whether from straight or LGBTQ+ artists, is a good thing and we should not question that. Going forward, I think we need to get out of this mentality that attacks artists and questions things rather than looking at the big picture. The reality we have right now is that LGBTQ+ music is a vital fuel but one not as dominant and visible as it should be. Artists are not the problem, because, as we can see, they are letting their voices be heard. Whether it is an artist talking about LGBTQ+ matters or one who identifies themselves as being in that spectrum, their role and place is vital and important. The songs and videos I have included in this piece are only the tip of the iceberg. Do some research and have a look at all the great music being made by LGBTQ+ artists. From Halsey and Sam Smith through to Hayley Kiyoko (artists either LGBTQ+ themselves or addressing the community through their music); these artists have an important role and are helping to change perceptions.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @belchev/Unsplash

I think music is very bland at the moment and LGBTQ+-led music is adding much-needed vitality, originality and boldness into the scene. We should be focusing on all the positives and possibilities ahead but, like people often do, the negatives are coming through and we are mired in the doldrums of criticism, doubt and negativity. Check out articles like this and this and acquaint yourself with the incredible LGBTQ+ artists around right now. I know I have protested and rambled for a bit but I think there was a lot to unpack regarding Ariana Grande/Manchester Pride and some of the reaction that has been generated. Music is at its strongest and most wonderful when artists of all races, colours and sexualities are together and given the same rights. Whilst this may seem like a far-off utopia, I am seeing changes and at least conversations are happening. Big mainstream artists like Ariana Grande might not be the best embodiment of the LGBTQ+ experience but they are helping to champion artists in the community and, through their profile and fan numbers, making more people aware of the great music available – and allowing them to help raise awareness and support a community that, whilst proud and vocal, still are not as accepted as they should be. Debate is good and anything that progressed and elevates LGBTQ+ music is a good thing. When Manchester (London and Brighton + Hove for that matter) rolls around, rather than asking why Ariana Grande has been booked, we need to see her inclusion as a good thing. More importantly than that, we need to stop the arguments and negativity and, instead, throw our weight behind a...

BRILLIANT and important community.

FEATURE: Alternative Classics: Radiohead – Hail to the Thief

FEATURE:

 

 

Alternative Classics

IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify 

Radiohead – Hail to the Thief

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I was going to include Radiohead’s album...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Radiohead’s Thom Yokre in Dublin in 2003/PHOTO CREDIT: John Spinks

Amnesiac into this piece but, looking at their back catalogue closely, I feel Hail to the Thief not only brims with quality and great moments but it was overlooked by many critics. There are, debatably, a few albums in the Radiohead cannon that can be considered classic and timeless – including Kid A (2000), OK Computer (1997) and The Bends (1995). By the time Hail to the Thief arrived in 2003, the band were immersed in a more Electronic sound. Maybe Kid A was more overtly Electronic than Hail to the Thief but Radiohead, on Hail to the Thief, mixed their traditional Rock backbone with their new phase. Hail to the Thief moves on from the styles of Kid A and Amnesiac (2001) and has an angry, more direct sound. That said...there is experimentation and shifts in mood right through the record. The band recorded most of the album in a couple of weeks with producer Nigel Godrich in Los Angeles. Hail to the Thief has a live sound and that is something Radiohead and Godrich wanted to achieve – rather than the overdubs and more rehearsed sound of earlier records. Thom Yokre was inspired by the War on Terror when writing the lyrics and right-wing politics in the West. A lot of political records fail because they are unfocused and lack genuine bite but, rather than this being a protest album, Hail to the Thief is not overtly-political and manages to mix tenderness and oblique subjects with deftness.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify

Coming from Kid A and Amnesiac, the band wanted to head in a new direction. Then, the band spent so much time in the studio manufacturing the music and editing. It was what was necessary to get the sound they wanted but there was a yearning towards the more immediate and urgent sound they had cemented prior to Kid A. Having spent so much effort and time on computers and being very precise, it was necessary for the band to work quickly on their next album. The sense of urgency and immediacy is obvious on Hail to the Thief. Yorke did not have time to rewrite lyrics and, whilst he did use methods employed for the previous two records (cutting up words and randomly mixing them), this process was a lot faster and more exciting. One can imagine the band being quite strained and tense with one another having recorded Kid A and Amnesiac – the amount of time and focus needed would have tested their friendships. In fact, this must have been the case with OK Computer in 1997. Hail to the Thief, happily, is an album where you can hear a more relieved and natural Radiohead; not slavishly processing, editing and tweaking – Hail to the Thief sounds like a very free and fresh revelation. Some songs (such as 2 + 2 = 5) were recorded very quickly whereas others (like There There) took more time to cement.

The band used sub-titles for the tracks so opener 2 + 2 = 5 had (The Lukewarm) beside it; Sit down. Stand up. had (Snakes & Ladders) alongside it. I cannot think of a Radiohead album with a more potent and memorable one-two – a perfect way to kick things open and get under the skin! One reason why I think Hail to the Thief should be regarded as a classic is the way it fuses lyrics and music. I think a lot of the themes the band were writing about back then – panic following the 2000 U.S. election where George W. Bush triumphed; the War on Terror – are relevant today and one cannot say the fear and paranoia has subsided. Even though there is a different (even more stupid) President ruling, we can take so much from Hail to the Thief and apply it to 2019. Yorke was not intending to write anything political but, surrounded by such mess and chaos, it was inevitable the album would be seen as such and it would be dubbed political. Yorke was a father of an infant sum so you get the nice balance of tense and loving. Songs such as Sail to the Moon have a real sense of emotion, protection and charm that juxtaposes Hail to the Thief’s more electric and nervy moments. A Wolf at the Door’s sinister verses and the anger on I Will show you Radiohead (Yorke especially) were in a state where they were fusing all the energy around them into the music. 2003 was a tense time for the world and many were uncertain how things would pan out.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Long-term Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich helmed Hail to the Thief/PHOTO CREDIT: Kristy Sparow/WireImage

Radiohead would take their Alternative/Art-Rock sound in another direct by the time they released In Rainbows in 2008 but this was a record that featured less digital manipulation and sort of returned to the conventions of their earlier works. There are dark themes on Hail to the Thief but the band felt the acoustic sounds and Pop elements outweighed any gloom. Clearly, there are many shades and sounds that makes Hail to the Thief so rich and rewarding. Even if songs like We Suck Young Blood were dismissed by some critics – Yorke felt the song was a bit of a laugh and was more a slave ship tune – it showed Radiohead were taking risks and could not be predicted. I love nearly everything on the album and think only The Gloaming is dispensable. Unlike a lot of earlier Radiohead albums where one felt the promotion was part of the process the band did not enjoy, Hail to the Thief was a different matter! By April 2003, posters spoofing talent recruitment posters appeared in Los Angeles and London. Slogans taken from the album appeared and there was this distinct look and feel to the campaign. Radiohead would experiment with promotional angles for In Rainbow but this was the first time where they were getting really involved and doing something different. In many ways, Hail to the Thief sounds like an alternative, sane political party against the terror and fear promoted by the U.S. President (and other leaders) around the time.

Nearly every Radiohead album is a belter and most of them are pretty instant. Hail to the Thief is a more complex album and one that reveals its true beauty through time. Maybe critics were rash when reviewing and those who gave it mediocre acclaim needed more time with it. Despite some mixed reviews, the album was greeted with acclaim and most critics got on board. Pitchfork, writing in 2003, has this to say:

“For its moments of gravity and excellence, Hail to the Thief is an arrow, pointing toward the clearly darker, more frenetic territory the band have up to now only poked at curiously. Experimentation fueled the creativity that gave us Kid A and Amnesiac, but that's old hat to Radiohead, who are trying-- and largely succeeding-- in their efforts to shape pop music into as boundless and possible a medium as it should be. Without succumbing to dilettantism, they continue to absorb and refract simpler posits from the underground, ideas that are usually satisfied to wallow in their mere novelty. The syncretic mania of Radiohead continues unabated, and though Hail to the Thief will likely fade into their catalog as a slight placeholder once their promissory transformation is complete, most of us will long cherish the view from this bridge”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Radiohead at Oxford’s Canned Appluase in 2006/PHOTO CREDIT: John Spinks

AllMusic, writing in 2012, provided their thoughts:

“The spook-filled "Sail to the Moon," one of several songs featuring prominent piano, rivals "Street Spirit" and hovers compellingly without much sense of force carrying it along. Somewhat ironically, minus a handful of the more conventionally structured songs, the album would be almost as fractured, remote, and challenging as Amnesiac. "Backdrifts" and "The Gloaming" feature nervous electronic backdrops, while the emaciated "We Suck Young Blood" is a laggard processional that, save for one outburst, shuffles along uneasily. At nearly an hour in length, this album doesn't unleash the terse blow delivered by its two predecessors. However, despite the fact that it seems more like a bunch of songs on a disc rather than a singular body, its impact is substantial. Regardless of all the debates surrounding the group, Radioheadhave entered a second decade of record-making with a surplus of momentum”.

If some felt Hail to the Thief lacked substance in 2003, I wonder whether the sixteen years since will change minds. I think some of the compositions were quite bold and different to what people expected from Radiohead. Future albums have changed things and I feel perceptions will be different if critics approached Hail to the Thief today. There is so much to love on the record. From the jittery opening two tracks to the sublime and transcendent beauty of There There – where Thom Yorke, after hearing it back, burst into tears -; it is a record that rewards patience and an open mind.

The fact Radiohead escaped the more monotonous process of Kid A and Amnesiac and returned to a happier state is evident when you listen to Hail to the Thief. They would carry that energy into future albums and I think Hail to the Thief was an important turning point. Down the line, Yorke said he would have changed the track listing and switched a few around; Nigel Godrich felt there were a few too many songs and it could have been edited closer. If Godrich feels it is his least favourite of the Radiohead albums, one cannot deny the weight and importance of Hail to the Thief. I feel the track order is fine and the opening two tracks are perfect. Maybe tracks six-through-eight (where there is a bit more gloom and a certain darkness) could have been broken up but I contest the assertion there are too many tracks. Everything has its place and I love the complete feel and texture of Hail to the Thief. I feel, as time elapses, the words and messages through the album become more relevant and, sadly, that might always be the case. The world is more divided and scared than it was in 2003 and I am listening to Hail to the Thief for inspiration and guidance. Whether it is the anger and tension on some songs or the serenity and grace on others, I feel fresh ears and eyes need to head the way of Hail to the Thief. It may not warrant the same genius-like tags of Kid A and OK Computer but, to me, Hail to the Thief is the perfect opener to this...

ALTERNATIVE Classics segment.

INTERVIEW: Kudu Blue

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDIT: Kay Ibrahim

Kudu Blue

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I have been finding out about the Brighton group Kudu Blue...

and what the story is behind their new single, Mountain Song. I was keen to know what they have planned going forward and how the band formed; what the scene is like in Brighton and whether there are approaching artists worth watching out for.

The band share their favourite albums and memories; they provide advice to musicians coming through and tell me what tour dates are in the diary – they select some cool songs to end the interview with.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey! We're great been working on some music and rehearsing so it's been fun! We also had a show in Bristol at the Louisiana with Cub Sport and a show in London supporting another Brighton band, Loyal, at the Moth Club.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Sure. We're Kudu Blue (Tom, Owen; Clem and Creeda). We all live in Brighton and have been making music Electronic tunes together for four years now.

Mountain Song is new. How did it start life and what is it about?

We actually wrote this well over two years ago now. It came together when we were rehearsing. Since then, it's gone through a few different forms to arrive at where it is now. The track is about knowing what's good for you but finding it hard to do it and having to deal with your own reluctance.

I love the harmonies in your music. Did you always experiment with harmonies or is it something quite new?

Thank you! I’ve always enjoyed recording harmonies but it's something that I’ve got much more into with the new E.P. and the tracks that we're recording at the moment. I also find it the most enjoyable part of recording vocals now. You can get really creative with them which I love.

Might we see more material coming down the line?

100%. It might seem like we've been off the scene for a little bit but we've been writing loads so have got bags of new material on the way.

How did Kudu Blue find one another?

Tom and Owen were childhood friends; they met Creeda in Brighton as well. I moved down from Birmingham and we all just met through our love of music. We were playing together in various different bands and projects in Brighton before we got together as a four-piece.

In terms of music, do you share tastes? Would one find similar albums in your collections?

Yeah. There are definitely artists that we all have a shared love for but we also have another side of our tastes where they are quite different. I think what's great about us working together as a group is all of our different influences come together to make something a bit different.

What is Brighton like as a base? How inspiring is the place?

It's beautiful. Coming from Birmingham, I really appreciate being by the sea and getting that fresh air every day. It is a really creative city and there's a close-knit music community here which is great. Everyone knows each other and supports each other’s music.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Hmmm. Probably playing KOKO in Camden. It was the biggest show we've done to date and the energy there was amazing. Hopefully we'll get to experience some more shows like that. 

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Clem: D'Angelo – Voodoo

I love every track on that album. D'Angelo is a big inspiration for me. His music is unmistakably his and you can hear so many influences in it.

Tom: Ram Narayan – North India: The Art of the Sarangi

While this album hasn't had any discernible influence on Kudu's music, it made me fall in love with music all over again; it showed me that music was capable of a lot more than I'd previously thought possible.

Creeda: In Rainbows – Radiohead

For me, it's just the most beautifully crafted album from start to finish. The soundscape is so ethereal and it’s probably the only album I've listened to over one-hundred times and still not got bored of.

Owen: Portishead – Dummy

I grew up in Bristol and this album is steeped in ’90s Bristol Nostalgia. Such beautiful, crisp production; so ahead of its time. And Beth Gibbons’ voice still haunts me to this day. 

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Probably Cher or Shania Twain. On the rider would be a bath tub full of Nik Naks. We’re all addicted at the moment. And some vegan toasties for Tom.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Keep plugging away. There are hard times but it’s worth it if you’re able to express yourself creatively. But also to look after yourselves and your mental-health. There are so many ups and downs that it can be tricky to remain stable in the music industry. It’s ok to take a break every now and then.

PHOTO CREDIT: Marieke Macklon Photography

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

14th March – Lille Vega, Copenhagen (Tennyson support)

15th March – Berghain/Kantine, Berlin (Tennyson support)

17th March – Hydrozagadka, Warsaw (Tennyson support)

21st March – Le Pop-Up du Label, Paris (Tennyson support)

23rd March – Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London (Tennyson support)

24th March – The Sound House, Dublin (Tennyson support)

6th April - The Old Market, Brighton (MOVES Festival)

PHOTO CREDIT: Bobbie Johnson/PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Wood

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Bobbie Johnson. She's a rapper, singer and producer from Brighton. She's amazing. Cousin Kula are one of the most exciting U.K. live acts at the moment mixing Prog psychedelics with Synthpop. I saw Moses Sumney at Royal Festival Hall in 2018 - and it was one of the best gigs I’ve been to.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Cousin Kula

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Yeah. We find time; we all like food A LOT. We like cooking and going out for food. Going to watch live bands and the occasional mad night out. Mmmmm, food.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Girls of the Internet - When U Go

Cousin Kula - Jelly Love

Kelis (ft. André 3000) - Millionaire

Childish Gambino – Redbone

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWU4e9J_hcPnACiTwSXV5Rw

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2kYJ8VmL78aetgtGxQV0Z4?si=Bt13RFnfSMm6Xhb3Jcfsjg

INTERVIEW: Threatmantics

INTERVIEW:

Threatmantics

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THE guys of Threatmantics...

have been speaking with me about the Welsh music scene and how they came to be; what inspired their new album, Shadow on Your Heart, and whether they have any gigs coming along – they reveal some rising acts to watch.

I ask about the boys’ record collections and tastes; which albums they count as favourites and the artists they’d support on the road given the chance – they each select an excellent track to round the interview off with.

____________

Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Andrew: Very good, thanks. The last week has been hectic: new album being released and all. Truthfully, it’s mostly been nice to hear how people have been enjoying it. I was told that one absolutely jam-packed bar in Cardiff put our album on in full as soon as the Six Nations game between Wales and England ended. I found the idea of that quite odd. I imagine it’s a bit of a departure from the typical Welsh bar’s post-game mix of Tom Jones and Stereophonics.

Heddwyn: We did stack all the Pop hits at the top of the album, so I guess that could work. This week has been totally full-on. Shadow on Your Heart is the first album we’ve put out ourselves, so all the stuff like mailing pre-orders; getting records in shops, coordinating the online stuff - it’s been an almost overwhelming shock to the system at times. Plus, my arm still hurts a bit from printing all those album sleeves. We had an artist, John Abell, design the cover art as a woodcut and we hand printed each one. When I say ‘we’, John did most of it: I helped. It’s a really physical process that’s kind of hard on the knees as well. Worth it though. Those covers are beautiful, individual works of art!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Heddwyn: We are a maverick Art-Rock four-piece from Cardiff. Myself on vocals and viola; Andrew on guitar; Graf on bass and Huw on drums.

How did Threatmantics start life? When did you all get together?

Heddwyn: We formed in Cardiff Art School way back in 2005. Back then we had a different guitarist and Huw would play the basslines on a keyboard while drumming. Andrew became our guitarist just before our second album and Graf invented the role of Threatmantics bass player soon after.

Tell me about your new album, Shadow on Your Heart. Was it quite a quick album to put together or was it quite a gradual process?

Heddwyn: The songwriting and recording of it was actually pretty fluid. The sound of it was well-formed and translated really well in the studio. It’s everything that followed that took time. We had a couple of hard maybes from some labels, but it became apparent we were going to have to put it out ourselves; navigating the music industry in its unfiltered state. At times it’s been like staring into the Ark of the Covenant: faces turning to melty plasticine as you try and navigate the PRS website. On top of all that, we decided to hand-print three-hunred record sleeves! The end, however, has more than justified the means.

What sort of themes and inspirations go into the songs on the record?

Heddwyn: Musically, this is our first record with a full-time bass guitar player. As a result, so many of the songs started with bass and drums. We’d never really written that way before. It’s definitely given the record a different sound. As for themes, there are a few. The use of respectable veneers to hide lies and malicious intent is a recurring one. I used quite a few films as jumping-off-points for some of the songs on there - Heaven’s Gate, Funny Games; Office Space, The Third Man plus a few more. To set the mood, or as a spark for other ideas.

In terms of music, do you share tastes? Would one find similar albums in your collections?

Graf: Not really. I think this is reflected in the difficulty to pin down what it is that we do. We all bring differing tastes and influences to the table, chuck it all in a pot and then poke it with breadsticks until you’ve got a meal/band (I might try and get the Fondue-Rock scene off the ground. Probably not though.) Obviously, we all cross over at various points but there’s very little we *all* totally agree on except maybe Mclusky/FOTL and Gorky’s/Euros Childs.

Heddwyn: You’d find completely different tastes between my C.D. collection, my vinyl collection and what’s on my phone. It’s a complete mess before we even think about comparing it to the rest the band.

Andrew: My taste is broad - which means I do touch on a lot of different aspects of the other guy’s tastes. If I had to say a point where our tastes coalesce, it’s Super Furry Animals and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci with a hint of AC/DC (one member might disagree with that last one).

You are a Welsh band. Do you find there is still an underappreciation of Welsh music and the quality there?

Andrew: There seems to have been a slight shift regarding attitudes towards Welsh music, in particular music sung through the Welsh language. The Internet has given an outlet for Welsh language bands to reach out further than ever and people are listening. That’s pretty heartening for me.

Graf: We are a European band. Now is not the time for pigeonholes and borders.

Heddwyn: We did record half the album in Paris after all. When we first started out, we’d get people come up to us really annoyed that we sang some songs in Welsh. Like we’d offended them somehow. That doesn’t seem to happen anymore, which is progress of sorts I guess. Though you still get people who are bitterly, stridently nationalistic about being Welsh but who really hate the language and anyone who speaks it. It’s really weird.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Andrew: Playing before The Zombies, ten minutes up the road from where I was born, was a big deal for me.

Heddwyn: That Rheola Fest was a lot of fun! There are so many moments from playing gigs or being on tour…or even just practice session. But maybe the thing that pokes through past all that was when we got the first box of our first album through from Domino. The feeling of pride in that plastic-wrapped bundle of legitimacy was pretty singular. It’s like when we finally finished hand-printing and then assembling our new record; seeing them all stacked up and ready to go. It’s a different kind of emotional reward to playing live. Not better, just different.

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Graf: Super Furry Animals – Radiator

Consistently my number-one album for the last twenty years. Had it on both sides of a C90 tape and listened to it on the bus to and from college every day which, with hindsight, may well have played a very large part in me making the decision to move from the Midlands to Cardiff. Every different machine, headphones or speakers I play it on brings out a new line or melody or hook I’ve not noticed before (even now). It really is the gift that keeps giving.

Andrew: Stevie Wonder – Innervisions

I first heard it at the start of summer, right after the long slog of GCSEs. Every time I hear it now, I’m taken back to that feeling of total freedom and warm breezes. The songs are amazing too, obviously.

Heddwyn: When I was very young, I got given my uncle’s collection of Bob Dylan records. At the time, I was obsessed with The Times They Are a-Changin’ but it’s probably The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan that’s stayed with me the most, even if that’s mostly due to songs that aren’t his.  

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Andrew: I’d support either Ariana Grande or Guided by Voices and would have all of the halloumi fries on my rider, please.

Heddwyn: I want halloumi fries! I’d love to support Micachu/Mica Levi. Thought the stuff she did with The Shapes was great and the soundtrack for Under the Skin was just ridiculously good. I’d be intrigued to see how she’d perform live now, how those two worlds would interweave.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Andrew: Don’t wait for someone else to do it for you. In 2019, it’s easier than ever to put yourself out there and control your own destiny.

Graf: You can do it. It’s in your own hands. Don’t wait for someone else’s approval. If you want to do it just get on and do it. Also, if that person seems a bit creepy or sketchy or useless it’s probably because they are a bit creepy and/or sketchy and/or useless.

Heddwyn: Don’t have only halloumi fries on your rider: get some fruit and veg on there too.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Graf: Firming up details of a London show in the very near-future and summer festival dates to be announced soon. We’re always open to offers.

If we came to one of your live shows, what might we expect?

Andrew: Graf climbing on something, usually.

Heddwyn: The unexpected! Guitar solos on viola, viola solos on guitar! Punk, Rock; Folk, Pop and Metal all coming at you from every conceivable angle. Oh, and Pokémon tattoos.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Silent Forum/PHOTO CREDIT: The Shoot

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Andrew: Silent Forum, Big Thing; Perfect Body, Omaloma; Los Blancos, Serol Serol; Joe Armon-Jones and PREP are all relatively recent artists I’ve enjoyed. Silent Forum recently supported us at our album launch show.

Graf: Silent Forum, Perfect Body and Oh Peas!

Heddwyn: Zefur Wolves have a new album out soon. Their last one was great. Troubled Soul is such a good song! Not sure if they count as new but I don’t exactly have my finger on the pulse.

IN THIS PHOTO: Big Thing

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Andrew: I mostly unwind from music by learning about music. It’s a problem. I’m the kind of guy who entertains himself by researching an artist’s chart history. Read in to that what you will.

Graf: Ah. Those sweet, sweet day jobs.

Heddwyn: Yeah, I work as a sound engineer/designer. Threatmantics ties in pretty well with that - there’s a lot of crossover. Away from sound and music it’s probably films, T.V.; PlayStation - the usual. I do enjoy a pub quiz. Huw probably has the most interesting hobby: he plays flag American football for Cardiff on the weekends.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Andrew: Carw - Lanterns

Graf: Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – The Wizard & the Lizard. It came up on shuffle while I was in the park in the sunshine this lunchtime which reminded me what absolute bonkers-genius it is

Heddwyn: The Victorian English Gentlemens Club - Fire in the Wife. Criminally underrated

Huw (in absentia): Mclusky - Lightsaber Cocksucking Blues. It’s what he would have wanted

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