FEATURE: Digital Love: You Me At 6: Hailing the Continued Growth and Popularity of BBC Radio 6 Music

FEATURE:

 

 

Digital Love: You Me At 6

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IMAGE CREDIT: BBC Radio 6 Music 

Hailing the Continued Growth and Popularity of BBC Radio 6 Music

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THIS is the week when the dreaded/loved RAJAR figures…

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 IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 6 Music’s much-loved mid-morning presenter, Mary Anne Hobbs/PHOTO CREDIT: Eddie Lock

came out. Basically, they tell us which stations people are listening to. Broken down in terms of region, age and so forth, they do indicate which demographics are listening to which station; whether personal change on stations makes a difference and what changes are occurring. I shall name no names here but, when news broke that Zoe Ball’s breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 has shed a lot of listeners, there were some who were keen to criticise and attack. Ball has a marvelous show and, whilst her style is different to that of her predecessor Chris Evans, she is a warm and energetic voice. It is natural a lot of Evans’ faithful have followed him to Virgin Radio and I know Ball has picked up a lot of fresh ears – she will be in that role for many years so we will see listener figures climb up. It seems that more and more people are listening to radio and, as this article explores, some of the biggest stations keep on bringing in the punters:

“BBC Radio 2‘s drop in breakfast audience affects the reach of the rest of the station too, with the overall listening figure falling 763,000 this quarter – from 15.356m to 14.593m. Ken Bruce now has the biggest show on the station, with a weekly average of 8.489m to his 9.30-12noon programme. Ken says: “After 34 years as a part of the BBC Radio 2 family, I’m astounded that the allure of my daily grumpy musings, coupled with PopMaster, continue to entertain. Many thanks to the long-suffering listeners.”

IN THIS PHOTO: BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball stops for a photo/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Radio 4 remains fairly constant year on year, but there is good annual growth for Radio 1 (up 327k to 9.563m), Radio 3 (up 120k to 2.028m), Radio 4 Extra (up 258k to 2.223m), 5 Live (up 509k to 5.242m), 5 Live Sports Extra (up 311k to 1.484m – highest in nearly 2 years) and 1Xtra (up 69k to 1.102m – highest since 2015)”.

Not only has traditional radio seen a bit of a rise but, happily, digital radio is feeling the sun shine on its back. Whilst the number listening to radio via a digital device has decreased, one cannot debate the continued popularity of digital radio:

“Share of listening to the radio via a digital device has gone down this quarter, whilst AM/FM listening has increased.

But the quarterly figures don’t represent the yearly trend though, with all digital listening going from 50.2% a year ago to 56% today, and AM/FM share going down to 44% from 49.8%.

Across all platforms digital listening grew by 58.9 million hours or 11.6% year on year. Listening via online and apps grew by 32.3 million hours (or by 34.2%) to now account for 12.5% of all listening and 22% of digital listening.

Listening via DAB grew by 23.9 million hours (or by 6.5%) year on year to now account for 38.6% of all listening and 69% of digital listening. Listening via DTV grew by 2.8 million hours (or by 5.9%) year on year to now account for 4.9% of all listening and 8.8% of digital listening.

PHOTO CREDIT: @juja_han/Unsplash

26% of adults now claim to own a voice-activated speaker, and 94% of those use the device to listen to live radio. This has boosted online listening in home, which is now the fastest growing platform and location, increasing by 27.7 million hours (or by 44%) year on year to account for 15% of all in home listening.

In-car digital listening grew 17.1 million hours or by 20% year on year and reached a new record share of 41.8%.

Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK, said: “This is a significant moment for digital radio with a 34% surge in online radio listening hours prompted by the growth of smart speakers. These speakers are now in over 26% of all homes and are good news for the radio sector with most people using them to listen to live radio”.

The more popular voice-activity speakers and radios are becoming, the more people will seek out great digital stations. Riding high in the pack is the ever-expanding and incredible BBC Radio 6 Music. I understand I have written several features (many in fact!) about the station but, f*ck it, if you are someone who takes offence at optimistic and passionate journalism then you are not my kind of people. Maybe the station has not experienced the same RAJAR boom as other brands this week but, as you can see from these figures here, and a more specific breakdown here, the health of BBC Radio 6 Music is pretty impressive. In fact, as the years go by, I do think digital radio will grow and reach new heights.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Steve Lamacq gets in the middle of Slay Duggee/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC Radio 6 Music

I will get into specifics regarding the presenters and aspects of BBC Radio 6 Music that means it is the only radio avenue for me and millions of others. There have been peaks and troths regarding listening figures but one can see that there are a lot of passionate listeners out there and, whereas a lot of the commercial stations are rigid and offer a particular sound/format, BBC Radio 6 Music is a sweet-leaf, scratch-your-diary-because-you’re-going-to-be-hooked haven that continues to blossom and delight. Maybe I am biased – as I am a long-time devotee rather than a new convert – but I used to listen a lot to stations such as BBC Radio 2 and Absolute Radio and, whilst the former has excellent presenters like Zoe Ball and Ken Bruce, I find there is something lacking. Perhaps it is the music not really resonating or something else but I am hooked and locked on to BBC Radio 6 Music. Whether you add Pearl Jam’s Ten and subtract Beyoncé’s 4, the result is the same: 6 is the answer! Some might say BBC Radio 6 Music’s biggest drawback is the inflexibility regarding recruitment; a lack of fresh faces that means, compared to some stations, it lacks a sense of evolution and ambition. Conversely, it is the passion and dedication each and every person at the station has for what they do that means they do not want to go anywhere.

The rest of this feature is going to be pretty gushing and positive – it would be perverse if I were to do a switcheroo and do a hatchet job on the station! – so let’s get out some minor, minuscule points out the way – something a bit constructive. I may have covered this before but the playlists every station has, to me, seems outdated in a digital age. At a time when new songs are coming in thick and fast, having the same songs being repeated and promulgated does seem strange. If you are someone like me who listens to the stations for seven-eight hours a day, hearing the same track two days in a row can be annoying. As much as I love tracks like Sampa the Great’s Final Form, it is one of several songs that has been rinsed to the point of the obscene; constantly being spun and that has, for me, bled all the life and interest out of the track. I am not alone and do feel that mandated repetition is a little jarring; given a lot of the artists on playlists release new singles in the meantime (whilst their previous one is still being spanked) and, when their album comes out, we do not hear any other tracks from it. The only other downside relates to the classic artists are played and how, with such an impressive body of work behind them, the same songs are played. Kate Bush’s birthday was celebrated on BBC Radio 6 Music last Tuesday (30th July) and I was touched.

I did not expect them to make such an effort for an icon of mine and, to their credit, they did her proud! I was laughing to myself the day before because a Kate Bush song was played. The presenter announced Bush would be played and, without blinking I guessed what song they’d play: the station plays Hounds of Love and, more often than not, it is Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Cloudbusting or Hounds of Love that gets the spin – it was the former, just so you know. I guess playing her music is better than not but it is not just the fault of BBC Radio 6 Music. From The Beatles to David Bowie, I do think the same songs are played too much. I am not sure whether there are station guidelines/preferences but what about digging into the albums a bit more creatively?! Playing familiar songs is good to a point but, when we have to hear the same tracks so often, it does feel a bit stilted. The only reason I bring this up is because BBC Radio 6 Music is synonymous with its sonic depth and passion for the vinyl crates. I want to do a general shout-out to all the presenters and producers who make BBC Radio 6 Music tick; ensure that numbers climb and survival is guaranteed – God help the BBC if they try and scrap BBC Radio 6 Music like they did before.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Chris Hawkins in an IDLES sandwich/PHOTO CREDIT: @ChrisHawkinsUK

Next year will be a decade since the station was saved and it is over seventeen years since it launched! That seems amazing. How many people who tuned in on 11th March, 2002 and heard Ash’s Burn Baby Burn beckon on this new station would have guessed it would still be around today?! I want to mention, in a large way, a few presenters that I listen to on a regular basis: Chris Hawkins, Lauren Laverne; Mary Anne Hobbs and Shaun Keaveny – with a bit of a nod to everyone else on the station. I love Steve Lamacq and his late-afternoon show; the clear enjoyment he has (as a veteran on the station) and the fact that he is constantly looking out for new music and discoveries. I also love Craig Charles and Cerys Matthews but, to be honest, every bone, vessel and patch of skin that makes the station a beautiful and vibrant climate should be congratulated. One can hear the soothing tones of Mary Anne Hobbs weekday mornings but (they can) also discover the U.S.-tough of Huey Morgan on Saturday. Chris Hawkins has enjoyed a boost in listener figures and, to be honest, I am not surprised in the least. He must be one of the hardest-working people in radio and I do love the infectiousness he gives – given the fact he starts at five in the freaking morning!

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Laverne poses with Michael Kiwanuka/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC Radio 6 Music

He is a quick-witted and really funny presenter who, like so many on the station, is eager to find the best new talent around. I remember him introducing Sam Fender to me and so many others. Hawkins is a busy D.J. who travels around the country to play. Based in MediaCity, Salford, his unique brand of brilliance runs seven days a week. Although he does two hours Saturday and Sunday, he does an extra half-hour during the week. Hawkins wakes me up and, when I am heading to work, he is perfect to have in the ears. Lauren Laverne takes over at 7:30 a.m. and makes sure breakfast is chilled and hot at the same time. I used to listen to her in the mid-morning slot and wondered whether she would be a great fit for breakfast. Taking over from Shaun Keaveny, it did not take too long for her to establish and hook in new listeners. Not only has Laverne been responsible for bringing record numbers to breakfast, she is an award-winning broadcaster and is fighting to ensure music is free and accessible to those who live with dementia. Laverne is the host of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs – having taken over from Kirsty Young – and I expect that appointment will be made permanent given the positive reviews and the excellent job she is doing.

One might imagine that Laverne’s breakfast show would suffer because of other commitments but, like Hawkins, she can bring that experience to BBC Radio 6 Music and, when it comes to music and reaching the public, she seems unstoppable – she has just completed a two-week break because, let’s face it, she has been working like a demon since the start of the year! I will not tread on well-covered ground too much but there are a few reasons why BBC Radio 6 Music is lucky to have presenters like Laverne. An experienced broadcaster – having worked for BBC Radio 2 and XFM -, Laverne seems to have found her home at BBC Radio 6 Music. The music featured on the show is the perfect blend of the uplifting and anthemic – lots of House and Dance – with the new, seductive and selective. There are no barriers when it comes to the sounds but, so long as the tune is ace, it goes in. Again, I have discovered new artists from listening to Lauren Laverne – Sampa the Great is one such example (even though Final Form has been ragged severely, I still love Sampa). Excellent features such as Desert Island Disco, House Music and The Maths of Life creates this structure and safety that means, like great T.V. shows, we will always tune back in. 6 Music Salutes gives a shout to people/events and music-related things that deserve a hearty nod; The People’s Playlist has a theme (usually relating to the news or inspired by something happening in music) and is a listener-curated collection of cool songs.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Tom Ravenscroft/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I have speculated whether the show needs another feature but I think it is perfect as it is. The fantastic producers on the show ensure that there is this great balance of popular features and great music but, at the front, it is Laverne’s charm, enthusiasm and humour that keeps us all up and smiling. So many stations have presenters who are less bothered about the music and are all about being a personality or trying to be an entertainer. Maybe that accounts for a slight shift from traditional stations to digital - but BBC Radio 6 Music succeeds and resonates because music is at the core. Presenters like Laverne are all about the best sounds; bringing them to the listener and ensuring there is not a wasted breath and moment. Lauren Laverne is back on breakfast from Monday and it will be good to have her back. Before I nod to two more presenters, I want to highlight those semi-permanent presenters who often cover. This week, we have seen Huw Stephens, Tom Ravenscroft and Mark Radcliffe stand in. I will talk about Radcliffe in the conclusion but I wonder whether presenters like Ravenscroft will be given a permanent slot. He is very popular and, as his father is the late John Peel, the man knows his music! Maybe there is limited space and opportunity but I feel Ravenscroft has proven himself and would be suited to a regular position.

Mary Anne Hobbs has also been off this week and is back on Monday. When BBC Radio 6 Music had a bit of a move around late last year, it was announced Hobbs would go from weekend breakfast to weekday mid-mornings. I really love her show and, like Hawkins and Laverne, Hobbs is a keen and tireless promoter of great artists. I think BBC Radio 6 Music shines because you know the presenters are always looking out for underground artists; revealing classics we may have forgotten about and, basically, making music their life. Hobbs radiates warmth and curiosity and that is something that we all need. Less feature-led than Laverne and Keaveny, maybe it is more about playing the music but Hobbs, like so many of her colleagues, has crafted a show that is hard to fault. If they were all structured the same then it would be rather anodyne and formulaic. Instead, we get this nice blend and change of pace as we transition from Chris Hawkins to Lauren Laverne and then to Mary Anne Hobbs. I know she has seen her listener figures increase and I hope that continues for a long time to come. Shaun Keaveny takes over 1 p.m. and is someone I respect hugely. He moved from breakfast earlier this year and has taken to afternoons effortlessly. A lot of the same features remain – such as Small Claims Court and the usual impressions (Paul McCartney among them) – but there are new features.

IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny (right) with Matt Everitt/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC Radio 6 Music 

Keaveny hosts an artist/band early each month: last month he had on the excellent Penelope Isles and, on Monday, he welcomes the legendary The Wedding Present into the studio at Wogan House. If you have not heard Keaveny’s show then tune in and witness the man in action. A key part of the show is the daily music news. The excellent Siobhán McAndrew has stood in a few days and I do hope she gets more of a role on the station down the line. Not only is Georgie Rogers making her excellent Super Women series and presenting on Soho Radio and foundation.fm, but she also does the music news. I think she is someone who would be brilliant fronting her own show on BBC Radio 6 Music but she has a great chemistry with Shaun Keaveny. In the regular music news slot is the excellent Matt Everitt. With his experience in the industry – having played with Menswear and The Montrose Avenue – his bond with Keaveny is infectious and joyous (even when they are taking the piss out of one another!). If you have not heard his show, The First Time with… then do so. It has just been named a top-ten Apple Podcast show and, alongside the book that accompanies the series, it is another essential thing you need in your life.

Maybe I am saying things I have already expressed but it is only because the station is a huge part of mine and many other people’s lives. The weekends have Mark Radlcliffe and Stuart Maconie bring their magic to the airwaves. They have features like Sampled Underfoot and The Chain – the long-running, listener-led giant – and there is that brotherly connection between Radcliffe and Maconie. They used to present afternoons during the week but the Salford-based duo are now on the weekends. I still maintain they are best when heard five days of the week and it is a bit of a shame they have a more reduced role. They are consistently funny and entertaining and, like so many people, I am now spending my weekend breakfasts listening to BBC Radio 6 Music. I have not yet mentioned Gideon Coe and Gilles Peterson; Marc Riley and Liz Kerhsaw; excellent series like Paperback Writers and the high-profile names they have had presenting on Sundays – Martin Freeman delivers his last show tomorrow; Rob Delaney presented a four-week run of shows before him. There is so much to enjoy about BBC Radio 6 Music and I know the future is very bright. I hope great presenters like Jon Hilcock, Tom Ravenscroft and Huw Stephens come into the fold more and are afforded more time on the air. I also really love Tom Robinson and cannot miss his show.

I know BBC Radio 6 Music celebrate big album anniversaries but, as The Beatles’ Abbey Road turns fifty in September, I wonder whether the station will sojourn to Abbey Road Studios and present there; have musical guests performing songs from the album and celebrating the final release The Beatles ever recorded. Maybe they will nod to the album but let’s hope they mark it somehow. BBC Radio 6 Music is there when you need it: it provides a lift and can give optimism in a grey world; it is a Mecca (Macca?!) for those who seriously adore music. Whether we want to find a great new band or rediscover some classic album, BBC Radio 6 Music is the place to be. There are other fantastic stations around but, in terms of the presenters, blend of music and quality, few can fault BBC Radio 6 Music. It has overcome some hard times and near-extinction but, with figures showing more and more people are embracing the station, it looks like things are smooth sailing (let’s hope). Maybe a few alterations – playlist-wise and giving more time to those presenters who cover for others – would be the way forward but, as it is, BBC Radio 6 Music is pretty awesome! This will be the last time this year I will write about BBC Radio 6 Music this year – as I know I can be a bit persistent! – but I hope those who are unaware of the station get involved. For those who want their music quality-steeped, their presenters engaging and passionate and their days golden, you definitely know…

WHERE to go!

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Follow BBC Radio 6 Music

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FEATURE: Queens of the Underground: Part Five: Laura Snapes

FEATURE:

 

 

Queens of the Underground

PHOTO CREDIT: Laura Snapes 

Part Five: Laura Snapes

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THE reason for doing this feature is to…

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @sebastian123/Unsplash

shine a light on great women in various corners of the music industry. So far, I have featured two D.J.s and two producers who are responsible for some truly incredible work. At a time when there is a move towards equality, I feel we have a long way to. Can one realistically say we are where we need to be?! In terms of festivals and line-ups, there is a glaring gulf that is not shrinking as expeditiously as it should be; there are still very few female headliners and it makes for shocking reading. It is a shame there is so little movement because, in every layer and sediment of the music industry, there are pioneering and exceptional women who go unrecognised. This is a slightly nerve-wracking experienced because, for my fifth installment, I wanted to talk about a fantastic journalist: Laura Snapes. I guess I shouldn’t be nervous because, let’s face it, Snapes is a far more accomplished and talented journalist I am but, as I take so much guidance from her work, I will try to be as succinct as I possibly can – thinks might get a bit lengthy but you’ll have to bear with me! Whereas it is easy to talk about producers Catherine Marks and D.J.s Georgie Rogers and Carly Wilford and include videos/clips of their work, when it comes to a journalist, the game is slightly different game.

Next week, I am shining a light on a great female photographer and, today, I feel it is important to acknowledge a fantastic journalist who I know is inspiring many people – myself included. Whereas the gender imbalance is not quite as severe in journalism as it is elsewhere in music – owing to the number of blogs out there – I do feel the most interesting voices are female. I love Snapes’ work because she tackles subjects like gender inequality; interviews awesome artists and has an incredible voice. Maybe I am a bit biased but, a little while ago, she reviewed Kate Bush’s debut album, The Kick Inside – my favourite album of all time; Pitchfork (who she was writing for) were revisiting a few of Bush’s key albums and Snapes’ review really stood out. I shall talk more about my personal respect for Laura Snapes but, before you go on, make sure you order Snapes’ book, Liberté, Égalité, Phoenix! It is out on in October and you can find more details here. Snapes contributes to the book and, if you want to know what it is all about, this should give you all the information you need:

“The first book from the French band Phoenix, who helped define the sound of an era.

With one foot in the French electronic music sound of the late 1990s and the other in the world of indie Rock, Phoenix have evolved from an edgy French band to one of the most influential and beloved indie acts of the last twenty years.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Phoenix/PHOTO CREDIT: Julien Mignot

The book draws on the band's personal archives, including photography of everything from their instruments to the notebooks in which every lyric and chord change were carefully notated. Accompanying this is an oral history of the Phoenix's journey in their own words. The book is a superfan's chronicle of the evolution of a band”.

As I said…I will circle back to my personal reasons for supporting Snapes’ work but, in order to show you the tip of her talent iceberg, I have found a few articles that are well worth investigating. I will put her social media and professional links at the end of this feature but, if you want to look at her work for Pitchfork then you can; similarly, one can check out her contributions for The Guardian. Snapes is The Guardian’s Deputy Music Editor and is right at the forefront of British music journalism; in my view, one of the most passionate writers around. I shall not include the complete review Snapes provided for Pitchfork regarding The Kick Inside but I have highlighted a few passages – I urge people to read the complete article as it is beautifully written. I have written about Kate Bush a lot (being a mega-fan) and have written my own features about The Kick Inside. The album is one of the most feminine and astonishing recordings ever; a sublime debut where this teenage artist shows so much confidence, originality and boldness – writing about incest, menstruation and sexuality at a time (1978) where very few female artists were not.

In Snapes’ review (also, if you want to find out more about Kate Bush’s music, read Graeme Thomson’s definitive biography), she really gets to the beating and beautiful heart of The Kick Inside:

“The limited presence of women in prog tended to orgasmic moaning that amplified the supposed sexual potency of the group’s playing. Bush demanded pleasure, grew impatient when she had to wait for it, and ignored the issue of male climax—rock’s founding pleasure principle—to focus on how sex might transform her. “I won’t pull away,” she sings almost as a threat on “Feel It,” alone with the piano. “My passion always wins.”

What made Bush’s writing truly radical was the angles she could take on female desire without ever resorting to submissiveness. “Wuthering Heights” is menacing melodrama and ectoplasmic empowerment; “The Saxophone Song”—one of two recordings made when she was 15—finds her fantasizing about sitting in a Berlin bar, enjoying a saxophonist’s playing and the effect it has on her.

But she is hardly there to praise him: “Of all the stars I’ve seen that shine so brightly/I’ve never known or felt in myself so rightly,” she sings of her reverie, with deep seriousness. We hear his playing, and it isn’t conventionally romantic but stuttering, coarse, telling us something about the unconventional spirits that stir her.

The Kick Inside was Bush’s first, the sound of a young woman getting what she wants. Despite her links to the 1970s’ ancien régime, she recognized the potential to pounce on synapses shocked into action by punk, and eschewed its nihilism to begin building something longer lasting. It is ornate music made in austere times, but unlike the pop sybarites to follow in the next decade, flaunting their wealth while Britain crumbled, Bush spun hers not from material trappings but the infinitely renewable resources of intellect and instinct: Her joyous debut measures the fullness of a woman’s life by what’s in her head”.

The other three features/articles I am quoting for are those that have made an impression on me. All of Laura Snapes’ work is impressive but her review of Kylie Minogue storming this year’s Glastonbury is amazing; I want to bring in a very recent album review and, firstly, a stunning interview she conducted with Sleater-Kinney. I have just reviewed the band’s latest single and, as I am in my thirties, I recall Sleater-Kinney’s (eponymous) 1995 debut. When the interview was published, I was looking at Snapes’ Twitter feed and I think there were a lot of people pointing the finger at Annie Clark (St. Vincent) regarding the unexpected departure of Sleater-Kinney’s drummer, Janet Weiss.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Sleater-Kinney (left to right: Janet Weiss, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein)/PHOTO CREDIT: Brigitte Sire

It was Weiss who suggested Clark as producer and, although there is a bit of St. Vincent and some Pop edges on Sleater-Kinney’s upcoming album, The Center Won’t Hold, the relationship between the band and producer was respectful, harmonious and friendly – one cannot say Clark’s new vision and guiding hand led Weiss to be jaded and fear the band was losing its edge. Laura Snapes sojourned to Portland, Oregon to interview singer-guitarists Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker. Again, read the complete interview to get a sense of Snapes’ style and commentary but, from the first paragraph onward, it is clear here is a journalist who can bond with artists, ask the right questions and always gets a fantastic interview. Similar to the Kate Bush review, I have chosen some standout segments:

“In mid-June, I am due to meet the trio to discuss their second second coming over lunch in Portland, Oregon, but I get an email hours beforehand saying Weiss is ill. Tucker arrives at the neighbourhood spot first, her striped earrings matching her monochrome T-shirt. It’s a shame about Weiss, I say. “Yeah,” Tucker says with a sigh, looking at the sky. “It is.” Brownstein appears, tiny and shaggily glam in a grey felted jacket. We head into the restaurant, which is straight out of Portlandia, the now concluded Emmy-winning satire of life in the zealously artisanal city that Brownstein wrote and starred in. She orders fish stew, while Tucker orders cornbread and asks the waiter what their “zero food print” certification means. It’s a programme funding climate-friendly farming, we learn, as Michael Jackson plays over the stereo.

Tucker and Brownstein sound crushed when we speak the day after Weiss’s news. They admit that she wasn’t unwell the day we met in Portland – this happened very recently and suddenly and they didn’t know what was going on. They tried band therapy. They won’t speculate on Weiss’s reasoning, although Brownstein says they thought “everyone was really happy about the record”.

But the show will go on. Brownstein says they are as determined to evolve as ever. “After these years, it might feel harder to take those risks, but that’s what I’m invested in. Corin and I took ourselves to the opposite side of the world to start Sleater-Kinney. There’s always been something impulsive and scrappy about this band and I don’t feel there’s another way to be in it except to adapt and evolve.”

Hang on – from singing about rape culture in 1995 to the violence of capitalism on No Cities to Love, Sleater-Kinney have never been mellow. Brownstein half-agrees: “That was the whole creed we came out of – 90s punk-rock feminism – but the older you get, the scarier it is to actually say you still want to be doing this because there are fewer stories in popular music by women of a certain age. Doing that when we were younger was almost taken for granted. Now you actually have to grab for it, be a little bit greedy and voracious.”

Expansive and adventurous, The Center Won’t Hold makes that statement boldly. There’s also the matter of Brownstein’s bare bum being on the cover of single Hurry on Home. She had wanted the whole band to be naked. “That was a bad idea!” Brownstein admits.

Tucker – and her daughter – agreed. “I was reading her texts aloud and she was like, ‘MOM! You’re not DOING THAT!’”

Before I go on, it is important that we fund journalism and ensure we can enjoy the work of Laura Snapes and her peers. Snapes contributes for a few different outlets but it is The Guardian that is her base and home. I have contributed to the site/paper because I rely on their great work but I would ask as many people as possible to contribute some money or subscribe - so that you can enjoy the fantastic work The Guardian does! There are fantastic sites and magazines closing their doors because they are not receiving funding and, in order to keep producing great-quality work, they struggle to stay afloat. If you do enjoy the work that The Guardian does, spend a few quid and help them thrive for years to come. I shall wrap things up soon but, keen as I am to outline the great work Snapes does, I want to bring in her review of Kylie Minogue at Glastonbury. If you all recall, Minogue was scheduled to headline Glastonbury back in 2005 – only a few women have headlined Glastonbury in the last fifteen years – but Minogue received devastating news: a breast cancer diagnose that meant she had to cancel. Sadly, the cancer has meant Minogue’s chances of motherhood (she can adopt, mind) are gone. I would have thought Glastonbury would ask Minogue to headline this year – as she was owed – but she was given a chance to shine on the ‘legends’ stage.

In a year when female artists are producing the best albums around – Lizzo, Julia Jacklin; Little Simz and Jamila Woods are a few of the prime examples -, it is a shame that quality is not rewarded in terms of festival gender balance. That said, Glastonbury this year was dominated by women: storming sets from Billie Eilish, Lizzo and Janelle Monáe are still bouncing around my mind! If Janet Jackson’s career-spanning set was let down by sound issue, Minogue suffered no such slights: her set was simply brilliant and she provoked more than a few tears in the eyes of those lucky enough to catch her in the flesh. One could get a real sense of the infectious energy Minogue brought in Laura Snapes’ review. Again, Snapes’ writing means one did not need to be at Glastonbury to get a feel of Minogue’s passion and flair:

“She cries as she tells this story, but doesn’t mention cancer explicitly – an omission that reflects how incongruous this dark moment was in her world. Kylie was about lightness, about transcending time’s limitations. Stock Aitken Waterman pop stars weren’t built to last, let alone evolve beautifully through decades’ worth of shifts in the fabric of pop and experience second, third, fourth heydays. That this was under threat in 2005 didn’t compute, to the degree that it felt like a national crisis in her adoptive home land.

Thank god, she survived, and made it to Glastonbury 14 years after her initial appointment and to a hero’s welcome. One of the artists who covered her at the festival in 2005 was Coldplay, and she brings Chris Martin on to perform with her. Worryingly, he’s carrying an acoustic guitar, another thing that frankly has no place in Kylie’s gloriously ritzy world. They proceed to perform Can’t Get You Out of My Head – one of the 21st century’s most futuristic pop songs – in a stripped-back style. While tantamount to forsaking her official gay icon status, the goodwill and charm of the moment carries them through”.

The showmanship, the incredible run of hits – it is absolutely phenomenal. So much so that the crowd keep bursting into chants of “Kylie! Kylie!” and bringing her to tears. Never mind the legends slot; next stop, headliner”.

Laura Snapes’ range and consistency is amazing. So many journalists review certain genres and artists; they write features about distinct things but do not have that wide an arsenal. Snapes has worked with NME and you can find a selection of her work here. I really love the work Snapes has done for The Quietus but, keeping focused, I want to bring in a review she recently produced. Not only did Snapes give a rightful kick against Freya Ridings’ eponymous album when so many were (wrongfully) giving it praise but, as I said, she is not limited in terms of genre.

I am not a massive fan of Kaiser Chiefs – they have never struck me as particularly interesting and relevant – but I did want to check out their latest album, Duck. I read a few reviews but could not get a real sense of the album and whether it was worth seeking out. I have bought several albums off of the recommendation of Snapes – and, conversely, avoided some she has slated – and her Kaiser Chiefs review convinced me that the cheeky chappies might be worth a listen this time around:

“Frequently while listening to Duck, you remember: this man judges a TV singing competition. It’s not that Ricky Wilson was indie’s greatest singer, but he knew what to do with his voice, a bawdy, beery thing that could definitely talk you into another pint. But now he’s a shiny-floor entertainer, parochial indie culture is dead, and Wilson sounds adrift. He won’t find an identity in the painfully strained Golden Oldies, a shouty song in sharp contrast to its broody sentiment. Nor in Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something, an unnervingly edgy vaudevillian number, Wilson bellowing about a girl locked in the bathroom while the sounds of knives being sharpened slice through the mix.

He’s more convincing as a ruffian George Ezra type: high on his band’s Motown merriment, he celebrates boyhood, “so innocent and joyful”, on People Know How to Love One Another, a song that bassist Simon Rix has unironically described as “a really important song and a great message for Brexit Britain”. Northern Holiday absolutely accepts Ezra’s invitation to ride shotgun underneath the hot sun, finding Wilson boasting of his ability to “order sandwiches in funny languages”, even though “they don’t make them like you do at home”. It’s shameless, but endearing, and echoes the quirky mundanity that powered the band’s rise 15 years ago (back when their now-departed drummer wrote the hits)”.

Of course, it is great when we read journalists like Laura Snapes review the new albums; report the news and latest happenings. The reason I am inspired by Snapes is the fact that she has this desire for change. Just look here at this article about Ryan Adams and the allegations of sexual assault aimed at him. I consider myself a proud feminist and I am horrified when male artists and music figures are making the news for the wrong reason. Over the past few months, I have become bolder as a journalist. Reading pieces by Snapes regarding musicians such as Ryan Adams has compelled me to get involved and have a say. There are so few male journalists calling out musicians who are shamed. There are few male journalists talking about gender inequality and asking for betterment in music. Maybe they feel they are unqualified and are taking a voice away from women but, truly, we need as many people as possible to speak up and join the conversation. Referring to the article Snapes wrote about Ryan Adams and toxic masculinity, a particular extract caught my eye, opened my mind and forced me to put (electronic) pen to paper:

“The concept of male genius insulates against all manner of sin. Bad behaviour can be blamed on his prerequisite troubled past. His trademark sensitivity offers plausible deniability when he is accused of less-than-sensitive behaviour. His complexity underpins his so-called genius. As I wrote for this paper in 2015: “Male misogynist acts are examined for nuance and defended as traits of ‘difficult’ artists, [while] women and those who call them out are treated as hysterics who don’t understand art.”

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IN THIS PHOTO: Ryan Adams/PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Hogan/Getty Images 

This was after, in response to an interview request, Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek told a crowd that I was a “bitch” who wanted to have his babies. Note, too, how many female geniuses are dismissed as divas, their art depicted as a symptom of disorder, their responses to mistreatment and calls for respect characterised as proof of an irrational nature”.

I have just scratched the surface here because, as you can imagine, Snapes has produced a lot of marvelous work across her career. She is an inspiration to women in music and upcoming journalists; she has made me a more aware and passionate writer and, as a male journalist, I feel I have asked myself a lot of questions: Am I doing enough? Can I be a better feminist? Can I be a better writer? What do I want to achieve? I look at Laura Snapes’ work and I am always stunned and moved. She is effortless when it comes to expertly reviewing music across the spectrum; her interviews are always deep and revealing and she writes fascinating articles. When it comes to influential figures, Snapes name definitely needs to be mentioned. As I stated, she has encouraged others to step into journalism and I started by talking about gender inequality in the industry. Although female journalist are becoming more common and heard, I do feel women in the press are not given the credit and respect they deserve. Laura Snapes is an experienced and always-compelling journalist and I take a lot of heart from her work. Although she is far stronger than me, I hope to get to her level one day – every time I read her work, I think my work sharpens. If you have some free time today, I would urge people to follow Laura Snapes, investigate her great work – remembering to pledge some money to The Guardian; pre-order her book, too – and discover a truly essential voice…

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @nickmorrison/Unsplash

OF music media.

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Follow Laura Snapes

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

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

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IN THIS PHOTO: Girl Ray 

An All-Female, Summer-Ready Playlist (Vol. VII)

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THIS is a busy day for me…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Natasha Bedingfield

and, as I go about my way, I need some great music to keep the feet moving and the mind focused. The weather is pretty good today and I think the temperature is at least manageable. Because of that, a lot more people are out and it will be a sunny one. In that spirit, it is time for another summer-ready collection of songs that highlight some of the best female artists coming through. These new tracks are definitely worth a second look and I hope you find something in the pack that tickles your fancy. From more commercial Pop through to something a bit deeper and more varied, there is a nice collection of sounds to get your ears around. On the start of this bright weekend, have a listen to the latest selection of cuts and…

IN THIS PHOTO: Keke Palmer

GET lost in the music.

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

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GHUM – Saturn

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Teddi Gold – Cash

foxgluvv – Desperately Seeking Susan

Ava Max – Freaking Me Out

PHOTO CREDIT: @heyjinnij

Cross Record – I Release You

Natasha Bedingfield – Kick It

Raye – Love Me Again

Jade Imagine – The News

Miquela – Money

PHOTO CREDIT: @jazminrenae

Kash Doll – Here I Go

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PHOTO CREDIT: Märta Thisner

Alice Boman – This Is Where It Ends

PHOTO CREDIT: James Loved for Under the Radar

Girl Ray - Show Me More

Little Boots – Jump

Jessica Mauboy – Just Like You

Teyana Taylor (ft. King Combs) – How You Want It?

Lila Gold – Big Sad Eyes

Daniela Andrade – Polly Pocket

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Tori Kelly – 2 Places

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Snoh Aalegra – Situationship

Lindsey Stirling – The Underground

Bre Kennedy – Jealous of Birds

Keke Palmer – Twerk N Flirt

Hannah Trigwell – We’re All Gonna Die

Clairo – North

Sharna Bass – 4:30am

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PHOTO CREDIT: Sorrel Higgins Photography

Lucy Whittaker – Touch 

FEATURE: The August Playlist: Vol. 1: Summer Girls and Guillotines

FEATURE:

 

The August Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: IDLES/PHOTO CREDIT: Lindsay Melbourne for DIY 

Vol. 1: Summer Girls and Guillotines

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THIS is an interesting week…

 IN THIS PHOTO: HAIM

where we have a mixture of some big releases and a lot of smaller ones. The more underground songs are interesting but it is the big tracks that have caught my eye. Not only is there new material from HAIM, IDLES and Elbow; we have some great cuts from Sleater-Kinney, Girl Ray; Iggy Pop, FOALS and Angel Olsen. I always love it when these great artists put out material together because it leads to a colourful and fascinating mix. If you need a boost and bit of a push to get you into the weekend, this new selection of tracks will definitely do the trick! Take a good listen and I guarantee you will feel revitalised and spiked by the great music. It another big week where some of music’s major players are…

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IN THIS PHOTO: Iggy Pop

CHARGING out strong!  

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

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Sleater-Kinney – Can I Go On

HAIM – Summer Girl

PHOTO CREDIT: Tess Janssen Photography

IDLES – I Dream Guillotine

PHOTO CREDIT: Laura McCluskey

Girl Ray – Show Me More

Elbow – Dexter & Sinister

PHOTO CREDIT: BBC Radio 6 Music

Iggy Pop – James Bond

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Knowles

FOALS – Black Bull

Boniface – Wake Me Back Up

The Futureheads - Listen, Little Man!

PHOTO CREDIT: Cameron McCool

Angel Olsen - All Mirrors

IN THIS PHOTO: Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande, Social House – boyfriend

Blanck Mass - Love Is a Parasite

PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Hudson

Sheryl Crow (ft. Chris Stapleton) - Tell Me When It’s Over 

PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Wilton

Friendly Fires – Silhouettes

Spinning Coin - Visions at the Stars

DRAKE – Club Paradise

Kojey Radical – 2020

Max Pope - Foot of the Hill

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Frank Turner - Jinny Bingham's Ghost

Tadhg Daly – Stuck in the Middle

IN THIS PHOTO: Tove Lo/PHOTO CREDIT: Dimitri Hakke/Redferns

Tove Lo (ft. ALMA) - Bad As the Boys  

Noah Cyrus – July

Death Cab for Cutie – Kids in '99

Max Cooper – Perpetual Motion

YUNGBLUD – Hope for the Underrated Youth

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BROCKHAMPTON – I BEEN BORN AGAIN

The Lumineers – Leader of the Landslide

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Idris Elba – On Life

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Tom Tripp – Glow

PHOTO CREDIT: Ralph Arvesen

Korn – Cold

Ghostface Killah – Party Over Here

MisterWives - whywhywhy

Cross Record – The Fly

TRACK REVIEW: Sleater-Kinney - Can I Go On

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Sleater-Kinney

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Can I Go On

 

9.4/10

 

 

The track, Can I Go On, is available via:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTZXBmRaQtw

GENRES:

Punk-Rock/Pop-Punk

ORIGIN:

Washington, U.S.A.

RELEASE DATE:

31st July, 2019

The album, The Center Won’t Hold, is released on 16th August, 2019 through Mom + Pop. Pre-order here:

https://www.banquetrecords.com/sleater-kinney/the-center-won%27t-hold/7790842

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THESE are interesting times for…

IN THIS PHOTO: Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein/PHOTO CREDIT: Rozette Rago for The New York Times

the tremendous Sleater-Kinney. I will talk about their new single, Can I Go On, in a minute but, when you look at how their music and line-up has changed recently, it warrants some discussion. I wanted to look at artists who evolve and go in a different direction; Annie Clark in the context of Sleater-Kinney and why she is a good force for them; this year being dominated by women and why I feel change needs to happen; artists that endure for years and continue to influence and inspire the generations; where Sleater-Kinney go from here and, indeed, why a lot of gossiping press around them is quite damaging. I have been a fan of Sleater-Kinney since the 1990s and, back then, they were seen as a great Riot Grrrl band; this potent and amazing force that formed in Washington D.C. and were destined for big things. They were indeed to go on and become a world-straddling wonder and their 1997 record, Dig Me Out, remains one of the best of the decade. Its raw look at survival and heartbreak might seem despairing on paper but (the album) is full of optimistic and guidance; brilliant sounds and this incredible band interplay. It was the debut of drummer Janet Weiss: she came in and added something to the band’s dynamic and gave them possibilities they did not have before. Maybe there was more energy and a different type of beat but Sleater-Kinney upped their games and hit new heights. Influenced by Blues and bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, their success has continued to this day and it is amazing to see Sleater-Kinney still performing. The forthcoming album, The Center Won’t Hold, is a bit bittersweet as it is the last one featuring Weiss. This New York Times article shows how the sound has altered slightly since their earlier work:

“Weiss, 53, declined to comment for this article. In the statement announcing her choice, she said, “The band is heading in a new direction and it is time for me to move on. I will never forget the heights we reached or the magnificent times Corin, Carrie and I shared. We were a force of nature.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Rozette Rago for The New York Times 

They wanted the album to sound “really gross,” Tucker, in contrasting lacy white, said, as her collaborators mmm-hmmmed in affirmation. “Like, disgusting, dirty, gross, dusty.” She went to a Depeche Mode show and got absorbed by synths; Clark and Brownstein saw Nine Inch Nails, and heard industrial.

The three or so weeks they spent in the studio with Clark were, to hear Brownstein and Tucker tell it, transformative. Choruses and bridges were revised; major keys were introduced; Tucker, whose raging vocals have helped define the group’s sound, sometimes sings two octaves higher than normal”.

Every act is going to alter and try something new but, in the case of Sleater-Kinney, they are getting some flak from certain corners. One cannot call their new music ‘Pop’ but there is definitely something new in the fold. Maybe the vocals are higher-pitched or the music is a little different to what we remember. I think any criticism levelled at them is wrong because people expect artists to sound the same all the time and scold them if they dare to do something new. Janet Weiss actually suggested working with Annie Clark (St. Vincent) – she has produced their new album. Clark, as a hugely successful artist, has brought some of her own ideas in but the core is very much the same Sleater-Kinney we all know and love. I do like the fact that they have broadened their sound and tried something different on their ninth studio album. The single Hurry on Home has been named one of the best Queer Rock tracks of 2019 and there is a sexiness/coolness that was missing from some of their past work. The band wanted something quite intense and scuzzy and, actually, I think their music sounds dirtier and more gravelled than their classic albums. The production is not as raw as it could have been but I think Sleater-Kinney have mixed experimental steps and new layers with their reliable foundation to create something incredible exciting and nuanced – the songs, I guarantee, will stay in the head and come back to you time and time again.

 IN THIS PHOTO: St. Vincent/PHOTO CREDIT: Jenna VonHofe

Annie Clark has been mentioned a few times when talking about the departure of Janet Weiss. I, like many, was very excited when it was announced Clark was working with St. Vincent. I am a big fan of St. Vincent and I feel she is one of the finest artists of our generation. The amazing songs from Annie Clark have thrilled and excited but, as a producer, how would that work? It is interesting when one big artist works with another like this – I mooted we need more of these high-profile collaborations. Not many people can complain about St. Vincent’s current material and I know The Center Won’t Hold will get some great reviews; rank alongside the best albums from this year and please fans old and new. There was this theory that, when Weiss announced her departure, that it was because of the addition of Clark as producer and her role. In fact, as Weiss suggested her and it would be silly to do that and get bothered by Clark’s presence, I think it was a natural end for her – having been in the band for a couple of decades. The sessions with Clark were really productive and she brought something fresh into the camp. It was not a case of Clark making Sleater-Kinney sound more like St. Vincent; she added her own vision and dimensions but allowed the band free reign. The Center Won’t Hold might sound political but there is more of the personal in there; discussions about sexuality, gender and empowerment. This interview from The Guardian talked about the themes explored and what it was like having Annie Clark in the studio.

“But Broken aside, The Center Won’t Hold isn’t explicitly political. “If people thought Sleater-Kinney was gonna put out some loud, anti-Trump record, they would be misguided,” says Brownstein. The restaurant has closed, so we perch outside. Sleater-Kinney have already written those songs, she laughs. “We’ve been addressing the #MeToo movement and shitty patriarchal systems of injustice and subjugation since 1995!”

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Sexual empowerment is in a state of hyper-evolution: now it would be the writer decrying Brownstein’s knickers who would be considered a traitor. “Gender as a construct is now like a mesh bag,” says Tucker, with relief. “It used to be so rigid,” says Brownstein. “The queering of the culture and the deconstruction of gender identity has freed up a lot of things for women.” She thinks her queerness challenges the idea that middle age is a sexual wasteland.

It’s all in the album’s best lyric: “There’s nothing more frightening and nothing more obscene than a well-worn body demanding to be seen,” Brownstein yelps on the euphoric Love, a love letter written by Sleater-Kinney to themselves, and to resistance through collaboration. It sounds a bit different now that Weiss has left – rallying cry turned eulogy.

But the criticism was misplaced. It had, in fact, been Weiss’s idea to work with Clark, who says she felt no fear about pushing Sleater-Kinney even though she was once a teenage worshipper of the band, whose posters were on her bedroom wall. After their 2006 farewell gig in New York, Clark was “so amped up that I kicked over a newsstand in excitement”. “Now,” she thinks, “there’s a lot of ways to move people’s hearts and make them wanna kick things over and scream.”

The group abandoned their original plan to work with multiple producers after their trial week with Clark in Los Angeles really took off. After that, Weiss didn’t return until the last two days of recording. She was busy, Brownstein laments in Portland. (Weiss works as a film and TV location manager, a career that started on Brownstein’s Portlandia.) There is a personal cost of being in a band, especially when each member has a very different economic reality: Brownstein a celebrity, Tucker a working mum, Weiss developing a new career”.

I do not believe Clark had anything to do with Weiss’ departure from Sleater-Kinney and, rather than see the former as a bad influence, let’s recognise her production talents and the fact she has created something new and exciting. Nobody can say Sleater-Kinney have abandoned their roots or sound foreign. They are still hitting hard and true to themselves but I think their palette is broader; their performances more rounded and the result deeper and more varied.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Jonny Cournoyer

I will talk about Sleater-Kinney’s future very soon because, right now, they have tour dates and they need to get a new drummer on board. I want to side-step and look at women in music this year. This is something I bring up in a lot of reviews – as I am reviewing more women than men at the moment – but I feel it deserves repetition. Not only have the best albums of 2019 been made by women but I feel they are displaying greater range than the men. I am not dismissing male artists and feel they are vital but I am hearing female artists of the moment and they are more eclectic and original. Little Simz is one of Hip-Hop’s biggest names whilst there is great Folk from Julia Jacklin; some passionate anthems from Lizzo and, with Sleater-Kinney releasing new material, some great Punk/Pop-Punk. I do think this year has been especially strong for women and I am not sure why. It is no bad or strange thing but, compared with previous years, we have seen this explosion. The year is not yet done and I just know there are going to be other titanic albums from female artists. Sleater-Kinney’s The Center Won’t Hold will be among the best releases of this year and there is a lot of talk about Lana Del Rey’s forthcoming record, Norman Fucking Rockwell. Maybe it is this determination (from female artists) to be taken seriously or show that, in an industry where there is sexism in every corner, now is the time for change. I am not sure but I am amazed by the sheer quality coming through. I think this will continue for a few years and there are so many great new female artists emerging. I do believe 2019 is one of the strongest years for music we have seen for a very long time indeed. Women are definitely leading and it is high-time the industry reacted and actually made some big steps.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Bands like Sleater-Kinney are discussing inequality and imbalance but I do not think the messages are resounding with the bosses and festival organisers. One will forgive me for repeating myself here but I do feel like the quality we are seeing from female artists is not being translated onto the stage and rewarded. Maybe next year will be the year when equality is closer and we will actually see change. I will move on to a new subject in a minute but I want to stay with equality and women in 2019. Sleater-Kinney are at the front of the charge and they are proving why we all need to be aware of the fantastic women in the industry. Maybe it will take a bit of time before there is true equality but we are still in a position where women are overlooked as headliners; their music is played less on the radio and we have to have these conversations. Maybe the next couple of years will get us on an even footing but I still have that fear things will be as they are now then. The rest of the year looks like it will be pretty special in terms of releases but, so far, we have seen this bounty from women in all genres. There are albums to come, as I said, from Lana Del Rey and Sleater-Kinney but take a look at the best albums so far this year – articles from various press sources – and you will see the embarrassment of female riches. I wanted to get that off my chest again but, moving on, one should be excited about new Sleater-Kinney material. They are a band who have inspired so many to get into music and will continue to do so for many years to come. There is always a danger, when you have played for years, that you’ll lose that touch and the spark that made you. So many acts go off the boil and they seem far less relevant as the years go by.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Sleater-Kinney have grown and changed since their start in the 1990s but one cannot accuse them of settling and waning. They have remained incredibly relevant, powerful and daring. St. Vincent’s Annie Clark has ensured that fire and intensity remains but she has brought new elements into the mix and given them a new lease. I do hope she works with them again but, at the very least, I know there will be many more albums from Sleater-Kinney. They are amazing and influential and we definitely need Sleater-Kinney in music right now. I think all the speculation and gossip that is around them right now is quite upsetting. Not only do we know Annie Clark has been a positive force and not the reason Janet Weiss is leaving the band but their upcoming album promises to be very special and interesting. All the rumours and chat threatens to overshadow the album and I do hope people listen to The Center Won’t Hold and not think about Weiss’ split and look for reasons why; listening to the songs and thinking Clark had anything to do with it. The band has set the record straight but I do think a lot of press outlets will mention the album in terms of Clark’s introduction. She has done a stellar job and I feel other musicians will be keen to have her on board as a producer. Sleater-Kinney are this magnificent force of nature and one has to respect them. To many of us, they are shining examples of artists who can transition through the decades and remain true to themselves yet willing to evolve. At their centre, as I said, is that true sound that has lasted for years, but they have mixed in something new. I will get to the new song from Sleater-Kinney, Can I Go On, in a bit but it is worth finishing on the point regarding Sleater-Kinney and their longevity. I loved them in the 1990s and they represented something illuminating, thrilling and wonderful. Look at the reviews their albums have accrued - and here is a group who have not lost a step through the years. They seem to get stronger as time goes by and that is down to their unwillingness to stand still and copy what is around them.

PHOTO CREDIT: Konstantin Sergeyev

The opening of Can I Go On is fascinating. There is this lovely combination of guitar and bass; a tapestry that has a sense of groove and brightness but there is a rawness underneath. The production allows the notes to shine and pop but there is a murkiness lingering underneath. When the vocals come in, one notices this sharp contrast. The electricity and potency of the delivery is a lot harder and sharper than the introduction. Our heroine talks about everyone she knows being tired and wired up to machines. There are toothy and growling strains from the electric guitar; some nice wordless backing vocals and Weiss at the back leading the song on and producing this steady heartbeat. You do need to spin the track a few times because it is quite busy and full. The composition is exciting and brings out emotions of its own. The song talks about friends being happy but, ironically, they are napping; the heroine cannot find her thrill and half the day is wasted away. When I listened to the song the first time around, I was thinking about the Internet and social media. Perhaps we all seem happy online because we are hiding behind screens and it is hard to tell. Perhaps we do waste a lot of time on computers and that creates social dislocation, anxiety and fatigue. I am not sure what the exact inspiration behind the song is but that is what I thought when listening. The chorus is this fulsome and catchy thing that asks whether they want to go on and whether, given these contrasts and themes being tackled, there are clear answers. Many have stated how Annie Clark has brought some St. Vincent to Sleater-Kinney and, in a way, she has. By that, I mean the chorus has a Pop edge but there is something there are major keys and something lighter. Sleater-Kinney still sound pumped and alive but there is one can detect a slight change in sound.

One can dance and sing along to the chorus but there is ample power and drive that will please the existing fanbase. Our heroine talks about everyone being funny but, as it seems, jokes do not make us money. There is still this sense of us being trapped and things needing to change in the world. Sleater-Kinney have said The Center Won’t Hold is not political but I cannot help but link their latest single with the state of affairs. We are living through a time when there are gulfs around the world and so much to be done. The severity is pronounced in America and, led by President Trump, one cannot help but listen to Sleater-Kinney and think some of their anger is directed at him. In a wider sense, one feels this tiredness and the observation that many people are floored and lacking energy. That might be a reaction to political situations or the way we conduct a lot of our daily deeds online. Modern life, it seems, is a bit rubbish and the band wonder whether they can go on and what the point is. That might sound grim and defeatist but it is not really. The vocal is incredible strong and impassioned throughout; this sense of defiance in the face of hardship and a strength that gives Can I Go On a definite buzz and appeal. The band sound incredibly tight throughout and I do love the fact there are nice little touches throughout (the buzzsaw guitar and some straining strings; backing vocals and nice little breaks here and there). The song is very busy, as I said, so you will want to come back and give it a listen after the first spin. Sleater-Kinney have kept their heartbeat traditional and reliable but, with Clark offering guidance and new elements, they have injected all these strands and sounds into their blend which is exciting indeed. Some purists might not like the new direction but I think songs like Can I Go On are phenomenal. If the rest of the tracks on The Center Won’t Hold sound like this then few can have complaints; the reviews will be strong and it will be another triumph for Sleater-Kinney. Maybe one listens to the music and wonders why Janet Weiss left the band and whether she was unhappy – I have already stated how, when it comes to Annie Clark, that appointment was one she endorsed. If you have not heard Sleater-Kinney’s latest jam then make sure you check it out. It is a wonderful thing and shows that they are one of the most important and enduring bands of the past couple of deacdes.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Suki Dhanda

It seems like Sleater-Kinney will be heading to the U.K. early next year to play but they are busy with U.S. dates at the moment. The Center Won’t Hold is out in a couple of weeks and it will acquire a lot of debate, interest and fondness. I do hope people can get beyond the changes in the ranks and the fact Weiss has left. I think Annie Clark has done a terrific job on The Center Won’t Hold and we have to give her respect for that. She is an amazing producer and has uncovered something new from Sleater-Kinney. I do know there are gigs but, without Weiss, it means there will be this transition. It is sad the long-serving drummer is not with Sleater-Kinney anymore but we cannot overlook her time in the band and how much she gave. It will be strange not seeing her on the stage but it is an opportunity to add someone new to the line-up and that will give Sleater-Kinney a new impetus – as Weiss did when she joined in the 1990s. Not all change is bad and, whilst it seems odd at the moment, it will be okay. Of course, there are no immediate plans for Sleater-Kinney to slow down or split so one can expect to see them releasing material for years to come. Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker are still leading from the front and I know they will be okay. It is an eventful time for Sleater-Kinney none the less and we all need to look forward to The Center Won’t Hold. It will be, as I have predicted, among the best-received albums of this year and the reaction to their new material has been very strong. I shall end things in a minute but I wanted to encourage people to get behind Sleater-Kinney and listen to their new track. Go and pre-order their upcoming album (the link is at the top of this review) and follow them on social media (the links are at the very bottom).

 PHOTO CREDIT: Rozette Rago for The New York Times

Even if you did not grow up around Sleater-Kinney, you have to admit that they are among the very best and most relevant acts around. Since their eponymous debut in 1995, Sleater-Kinney have provided stunning songs and, to many, a voice. So many have been caught up in the gossip and rumours regarding Janet Weiss and Annie Clark and forget about the music. We need to respect Sleater-Kinney because they have inspired other artists and their music has enriched and empowered lives. There are not too many artists who can make that sort of difference so, in ending, let us salute this wonderful group. The future will be very different for them and things will settle down soon enough. I do know they will be alright and their new drummer will settle in fine. Fans might need some time get their heads around it all but that is something they’ll have to do. Now, Sleater-Kinney are priming a new album and we should all look forward to that. Maybe The Center Won’t Hold is not the political explosion some were hoping for but it is rich with interesting songs that discuss empowerment and the personal. The compositions are broader and different to what we experienced on the last couple of Sleater-Kinney albums but I actually think there is a richness and nuance that was not there before; perhaps something more accessible to those not familiar with Sleater-Kinney. I love everything they do and it has been great reviewing Can I Go On. Some might look at the title and think it is a declaration from Janet Weiss but, no, it is not! Make sure you buy The Center Won’t Hold and show Sleater-Kinney a lot of love. They are a band who have experienced a bit of loss and separation but, even though they have lost a sister, they will carry on and continue to make inspiring music…

FOR a very long time.

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Follow Sleater-Kinney

FEATURE: Video Made the Radio Star? Highs and Lows: The Iconic MTV at Thirty-Eight

FEATURE:

 

 

Video Made the Radio Star?

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IMAGE CREDIT: Crush Creative 

Highs and Lows: The Iconic MTV at Thirty-Eight

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MAYBE it is arbitrary…

marking a thirty-eighth anniversary but, as MTV celebrates that birthday this week, I wanted to pay tribute. The station was born a couple of years before I was and, on its launch on Saturday, 1st August, 1981, the immortal phrase, “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll”, was announced; the first music video played on MTV was Video Killed the Radio Star by The Bugles. Since the very beginning, MTV was designed as a platform for music videos. I love the irony/humour of The Bugles kicking off MTV – a sort of message to say that the video would kill artists popular on radio. Rather than replace radio, MTV provided people with a new side to music; a more visual and cinematic approach that was quite new. Top of the Pops already existed but that was limited in terms of genre and artists. You didn’t get videos (for the most part) on Top of the Pops: MTV was a station that sort of had a bit of mixed fortune at the start. When I first encountered it in the late-1980s/early-1990s, I was staggered by all the brilliant videos. I was listening to music via radio and on a Walkman/Discman but MTV was this revelation; a station that opened eyes to amazing videos, new artists and, unlike a lot of radio stations, the sheer variety of sounds on offer was amazing – there were also interviews and features; a one-stop-shop for all eager music lovers.

Up until 1981, there was an enormous capacity for music videos. Sure, Top of the Pops played some but there wasn’t really an outlet where artist could see their latest video highlighted and enjoyed around the world. When videos were made, they got occasional T.V. time but radio was very much the medium for exposure. Perhaps there was a fear that music T.V. would destroy radio and artists would not be included in the world unless they made these big and commercial videos. Ironically, radio has not wavered and decline since then: one can debate the music video peaked in the 1980s and 1990s and now, at a time when we have sites like YouTube, videos hold less stock and fascination – as we mainly view them through laptops and phones and there is not the same sense of originality and spectacle. Before I get to the explosion of MTV, here is an article that talks about the station’s early success:

“The concept of playing videos 24/7 was a new one, unfortunately, the technology was not quite there yet and you would often see periods of complete black on the screen as an employee would have to physically switch tapes into a new machine called a VCR which I wrote all about in this blog.

There were also a lot of repeats because in those early days there were only a few hundred music videos that they had in their system. They would also have to put in stock NASA footage at twenty past the hour for what was called “local avail”. This local avail was the time period where local cable companies could sell advertising. The problem was no one wanted to buy advertising, so they were stuck having to fill this empty time slot. A lot of people would think these were actual videos…

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IMAGE CREDIT: Crush Creative 

The thing was even though MTV was only playing in certain markets, and not attracting a lot of advertisers, it was a success right out of the gate. Local record stores that were in locations where MTV was playing were starting to sell more records for songs that weren’t being played on the radio. Some of these early unknown bands included Men At Work, The Human League, and Bow Wow Wow. No, I hadn’t heard of them either.

Everyone knew what a DJ was but what the hell was a VJ? MTV wanted to go with more album-oriented rock at first featuring more well known and established bands. The problem was they found out their audience was younger than they thought so they moved into more top 40 based music. Another problem was a lot of the music in the top 40 was by unknown new singers and bands. There was also new styles of music people really didn’t know including “New Wave” and more electronic dance-based music.

This leads them to use younger presenters to introduce these new videos and artists and the term “video jockey” or “VJ” was coined.

Some of the first VJs at MTV were:

  • Mark Goodman

  • Nina Blackwood

  • Alan Hunter

  • J. J. Jackson

  • Martha Quinn (not the medicine woman..)

The VJs would start to become celebrities in their own right and sometimes MTV would use “guest VJs” such as Adam Ant, Billy Idol, Phil Collins, and Simon LeBon. Arguably one of the most famous VJs of all time would be “Downtown Julie Brown” who was the host of the Club MTV show from 1987 until 1992. Her full name is Julie Dorne Brown and had been a dancer on Top of the Pops. The show she hosted was one of the first that exclusively played dance music”.

I forgot to mention the video jockeys but that was another news aspect to popular culture: the visual side of radio, if you will. The notion of introducing videos and having this very visual and, as I said early, cinematic quality was a breakthrough. We could witness music in a fresh way and it meant those who were not fans of radio could see all their favourites hits. MTV did strengthen and diversify before long but racial exclusivity and a slight lack of genre expanse was a problem in the first few years. The earliest videos were from white artists largely and there was not a place for black artists. One can debate whether that was a conscious decision by MTV bosses or the feeling mainstream radio in the early-1980s was lacking black artists. Whilst many do not speak of Michael Jackson in positive terms today, one cannot ignore his contribution and importance regarding MTV’s survival and popularity – and the way he helped bring black artists to the station. The Root explain more in this feature that, whilst Jackson helped bring more black artists to MTV, maybe some of the harder-edged black artists from Hip-Hop and Rap were not featured heavily:

"MTV's playlist was 99 percent white until Michael Jackson forced his way on the air by making the best music videos anyone had ever seen," Rob Tannenbaum, co-author of I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution, told The Root. "Compared to Michael, MTV staples like REO Speedwagon and Journey suddenly looked even more boring. And when Michael's videos created higher ratings for MTV, network executives claimed they'd 'learned a lesson' and tentatively embraced the softer side of black pop music, especially Lionel Richie."

"Now they say they played 'Billie Jean' because they loved it. How plausible is it that they 'loved it'? Their playlist had no black artists on it," Yetnikoff scoffs in the book. "And at the time, Michael Jackson was black. So what is this bullsh-t that they loved it?"

The threats from Jackson's studio exec paid off, both for Jackson and his black contemporaries. "Yetnikoff fought for Michael and this music video to be played on MTV, and once the video was in rotation everyone understood why," said DJ Dave Paul, who is bringing his San Francisco-based club night, "The Prince and Michael Experience," to Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and even the tony towns of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., and Cape Cod, Mass., over the next few months. "It would have probably taken another two to three years, in my opinion, for MTV to [fully] integrate black artists without the success of 'Billie Jean.' "

It's important to note that MTV's embrace of "Billie Jean" wasn't just a cultural breakthrough. The music channel might not exist today had it not changed its tune on black music.

"It's not enough to say the Thriller videos forced MTV to integrate," Tannenbaum insisted. "Michael Jackson helped save the network from being shut down. MTV executives had expected to lose $10 million before they showed a profit. The network quickly lost $50 million, and its parent company was prepared to shut down MTV and call it quits. Jackson's three Thriller videos came out in 1983. In the first three months of 1984, MTV had their first quarterly profit. Ironically, MTV was rescued from failure by a musician who didn't fit the channel's original 'rock 'n' roll-only' format."

Since Jackson's magical steps lit up 30 years ago, black music videos have grown to the point where a few generalizations to describe them would never suffice to really capture it all. There have been significant strides in filmmaking quality due to technological advances and a wider palette of thought when it comes to conceptualizing what a video can be”.

MTV’s style was about quick cuts and stylised lightning. Not only did this bring more music video directors to Hollywood but it translated into filmmaking and some of the big film releases. We look at MTV as a platform for music videos, but it was much larger than that. MTV was practically a new language and an obsession for many. It gave a new lease and imagination to music and, once the station overcame its early issues regarding race and variety, it exploded. My early memories of MTV revolve around these incredibly imaginative videos. I recall seeing Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer for the first time on MTV and the beguiling stop-motion/Claymation affects that were so evolved then – it still seems ahead of its time now. Madonna was an early star and videos for tracks like Material Girl and Vogue were hugely popular and talked-about. I shall conclude soon enough but, when seeing MTV as much more than a way to see videos from across the music spectrum, The National explored its wider realm:

“It was influential - enormously so - and MTV became a channel devoted to selling a lifestyle as much as anything else. "The job changed," the legendary producer Rick Rubin said of making music in the era of MTV. "It became a job of controlling your image."

As Marks and Tannenbaum scrupulously describe, artists with any hesitation about their looks, or about the power of the music video to sculpt careers, were left behind, replaced by a new, MTV-savvy fleet of superstars. MTV was little more than a disaster for major performers such as Bob Seger who were uncomfortable with their looks; like the advent of sound in film had spelled the end for actors with poor speaking voices, the arrival of MTV often meant an untimely conclusion to the careers of those musicians with faces made for radio.

In their place came artists such as Madonna, U2, and Guns N' Roses, who understood the power of video to burnish reputations, to create mythologies, and to reach enormous audiences with unparalleled ease. Music videos became the arena where larger-than-life performers exchanged one persona for another, treating stardom as a series of masks to be donned and abandoned at will. The channel would soon expand worldwide, opening numerous outposts in Europe and Asia, and eventually launching MTV Middle East (formerly known as MTV Arabia) in 2007”.

Articles such as this chart MTV’s highs and lows but I think the station was always going to struggle to survive when people caught on; when other stations broadcast music videos and, crucially, when the Internet took over. As mentioned, YouTube is the biggest platform for music videos and that means we do not rely on TV as much. It is a real shame we do not talk about MTV in the same way as we used to because, at its peak, it was truly remarkable. I loved the fact I could find this station that showed amazing videos and music content. I found so many new artists and songs from watching MTV and I know for a fact so many popular artists upped their game in terms of videos so they could get featured on MTV – the same can be said of the most innovative directors. Returning to the article from The National and they highlighted the change from video broadcasts to a new style of programming on MTV that was more about reality shows – this continues to this very day:

“The second, and more significant, is MTV's eventual abandonment of the music video. The groundwork for this move had been laid decades before, when market research indicated that a half-hour of scheduled programming - any programming - would regularly beat 30 minutes of videos in the ratings.

MTV began slowly, rolling out game shows such as Remote Control and fashion programmes such as House of Style that offered at least a tenuous musical link. But with the introduction of The Real World in 1992, the sluice gates opened, and the tidal wave of reality was loosed - not only on MTV, which would soon introduce the likes of Singled Out, Road Rules, and yes, Jersey Shore, but across television as a whole.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Director Michel Gondry helped push MTV to new audiences with his groundbreaking videos of the 1990s/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

"That's really when MTV ended," says Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes of The Real World. With the buzz generated by its reality programming, MTV realised it had outgrown videos, and slowly began to jettison them from its schedule. Journalists penned obituaries for the video, and it was widely assumed that once MTV was no longer interested in playing them, neither would anyone else. They were completely wrong. The music video, left for dead after MTV abandoned it in the late 1990s, reinvented itself in smaller, fitter, fleeter fashion for its new patron - the internet”.

Every great innovation, format and revolution goes through its ups and downs and, sadly, had to compete with modern changes and progression. Many are remembering MTV at thirty-eight and were they were when they first saw it; the video that captured them and, for people like me, how long it took to come into our lives. One can argue the birth and popularity of MTV changed the relationship between artist and consumer; maybe there was less need to see them perform live as we could watch the videos but, to me, MTV helped boost so many artists; it brought girl and boy bands to the fore and gave the world some of the best music videos of the day. MTV gave us a lot of gold…and I especially love the Unplugged series.

MTV was a lifeline and essential fix for children back in my day. We could see a big artist in a new light and that simple visual aspect was essential: not just hearing someone from the radio but getting to see their videos, concerts and interviews. It heralded the modern=-day alternative, YouTube, but there is much more to MTV’s thirty-eighth anniversary than mere nostalgia. I want to end by sourcing from a 2008 article that seem to distil the essence of MTV and what it meant:

“Now watched by more than 340 million viewers in 139 countries (among them, Russia, China, and Vietnam), MTV has been credited with creating icons (Michael Jackson and Madonna leading a long and glittering list), influencing fashion, spawning movies and television shows (Flashdance, Miami Vice), saving the music industry, even ending the Cold War. Not to mention, according to its critics, leading several young generations to perdition.

MTV has shaped so much for so long, it is hard to recall a time when there wasn’t a blocky, graffiti-sprayed M (the channel’s break-all-the-design-rules logo is counted one of the most instantly identifiable on the planet) peering into the living room. But there was. Eons ago, when Ronald Reagan was in the first months of his presidency and Bill Gates had yet to make his first billion and cable television was boasting an unheard-of two dozen choices, there was no such thing as a 24-hour music channel…”

MTV will have its detractors and those who say its shone briefly and had more issues than triumphs. Others will use MTV as an example of a station that tried to control our tastes and was more about what was cool than what was good; maybe concerned with fashion and branding – there are those who have negative opinions and are glad the station is no longer a huge player. To many of us who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, it was a fountain of conversation and, as I shall repeat, opened eyes to new songs and the power of the music video. Seeing our favourite artists on the screen was a huge delight and many of my treasured young memories stem from seeing videos for the first time on MTV. I can still recall the day I saw Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun (from 1994’s Superunknown) and having my eyes opened to this weird and unique video; seeing Madonna and Michael Jackson create these ambitious and stylish videos in their prime; the cool adverts and those iconic logos – all of it sticks with me still. I think it is sad we no longer have music T.V. and, when we think of MTV and Top of the Pops, many want a return – there is something missing from the current climate. The Bugles sung about video killing the radio star but, actually, radio flourished (and still does): MTV was this great phenomenon and station that, whilst it only shone for a short time, we still talk about today. Thirty-eight years after it launched, I am remembering MTV and those stunning music videos. I have my top-ten list (of videos I saw on the station) but…

WHICH do you rank as the very best?

FEATURE: The Small Print: Are Music Copyright Laws Too Stringent?

FEATURE:

 

The Small Print

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IN THIS PHOTO: Katy Perry copied her 2013 song, Dark Horse, from a Christian Rap song, Joyful Noise by Flame, a U.S. court has ruled/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Are Music Copyright Laws Too Stringent?

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THIS seems to be something that crops up…

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @pichler_sebastian/Unsplash

more than one would expect. At a time when pretty much every sound, sub-genre has been explored, exploited and hollowed, is it becoming harder to write something truly original?! There have been a few copyright issues through the years where artists have been sued because their song bears similarities to an existing one. Ed Sheeran is one of the more recent cases where, again, someone has noticed something that rings bells – even if, in the case of Sheeran (Thinking Out Loud) being similar to Marvin Gaye (Let’s Get It On), it is hardly glaring and one suspects that the duplication was unintentional. It has not been long since the last big Pop copyright case – now another big artist, Katy Perry, is in trouble (the jury ruled against Perry after a week-long trial). As The Guardian reports, her song, Dark Horse, is very close to Joyful Noise. The track Perry is accused of borrowing from, I must admit, is not one I am aware of. The article shed more light:

“Katy Perry will pay damages to a Christian rapper after a jury in California found that her song Dark Horse plagiarised one of his tracks.

In Marcus Gray, who records as Flame, and co-writers Emanuel Lambert and Chike Ojukwu of his 2008 track Joyful Noise sued Perry and five other producers and songwriters who worked on Dark Horse. Among those sued include Dr Luke and Max Martin, and rapper Juicy J.

Gray’s lawyers argued that the beat of Dark Horse had been copied from Joyful Noise, but Perry and her co-writers claimed they had never heard the track, and were not aware of Gray. But Gray’s lawyer successfully argued that Joyful Noise was a widely known song, pointing to its millions of plays on YouTube and Spotify. “They’re trying to shove Mr Gray into some gospel music alleyway that no one ever visits,” argued Michael A Kahn.

Perry’s lawyer, Christine Lepera, countered by saying Gray and his team were “trying to own basic building blocks of music, the alphabet of music that should be available to everyone”.

I suspect that, around the world, there are many cases of artists who have a song that is quite familiar; one that sounds like another but there is never an intention to steal or rip someone off. I guess there have been cases where artists have just hooked a song, melody or chorus and assumed they could get away with it. There are a few things that worry me about putting Katy Perry in the firing line. For a start, the song was released in 2013 on her album, Prism. It has been six years since that album was released so it makes me wonder why it has taken so long to raise this case; why has someone just now decided to take legal action? Also, Katy Perry is just one of the writers of Dark Horse.

Like most Pop these days, there is a veritable army of other writers and producers. On Dark Horse, Jordan Houston, Lukasz Gottwald; Sarah Hudson, Max Martin and Henry Walter are listed as writers. I am pretty sure the record label (Capitol) will bear the brunt of the costs but one knows that Perry herself will have to pay out quite a lot if it goes that far. It seems a little cruel putting all the spotlight on an artist who, I suspect, had very little to do to with the music and sound – she would have been more responsible for the lyrics. I do think producers such as Dr. Luke would have helped more crafting the composition – are they going to face scrutiny and legal issues? If you literally use someone else’s music in one of your songs, sample-like, and do not clear it with the original artist then that is fair enough. My suspicion is that Katy Perry has not – as she claims – heard Joyful Noise. I have never come across the song and, whilst Flame’s creator claims most people have heard of the song, that does not mean Perry would have and, if she did, consciously copied any of it. I can see where artists are coming from when they claim there has been copyright infringement. If you work hard on a song and someone else profits from, technically, your work then that is egregious and unfair.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @leecampbell/Unsplash

There is this world of difference from piracy and intent and an accidental similarity. A lot of cases where artists have been taken to court – accused of plagiarism – have been dismissed but a lot of them have resulted in big payouts and damages. Look at a lot of classic tracks and older numbers and you can hear lines and expressions from old Blues records; hooks that are a very familiar and, in some cases, there is deliberate thievery – who can listen to Oasis’ Cigarettes and Alcohol and, when witnessing the riff, be reminded of T.Rex’s (Bang a Gong) Get It On?! I do think there should be a statute of limitations whereby estates and artists can only take legal action for a certain time after the second song has come out. Katy Perry’s Dark Horses is six and it seems, as I say, baffling action is happening in 2019. There are so many different songs being created daily and I can appreciate how hard it is for songwriters to create something unique and fresh. I know there is not this big lab where record labels and lawyers are checking every song that comes up and monitoring any cases of similarity and copycatting but I do think there needs to be a line drawn between obvious and explicit plagiarism and something quite minor. Listening to Dark Horse and it is not like you are hearing a rewrite of Joyful Noise.

Also, rather than attack someone and ask for a big payout, how about asking the artist of crediting a songwriter? Maybe having Katy Perry and team note Flame in the credits for Dark Horse or give a percentage of future proceeds? Another point to note is that, in many cases, the accused songwriter is using a common building block or sequence of notes rather than lifting a melody or sequence of notes. If there is a common series of notes that many songwriters use, is that the same as someone listening to a song and using a lot of it for commercial gain? This article from Forbes explains in more depth:

“In past decades, you didn’t see much of this. Bruce Springsteen didn’t sue John Cafferty because On the Dark Side had a Bruce vibe; Van Morrison didn’t sue Bruce because Spirit in the Night had a Van vibe; Curtis Mayfield didn’t sue Van because Crazy Love cut a Curtis impression; and so on.

Today, anything goes when it comes to music copyright cases and there’s big money in it. A recent annual report says global recorded music revenue in 2018 is up 9.7% over 2017 figures, for a fourth consecutive year of hikes.

Songwriters used to feel secure standing on the shoulders of giants who inspired them. Scientists often share the sentiment. Isaac Newton said in 1675 that he was “standing on the shoulders of Giants.” That wasn’t original. Five centuries earlier, Bernard of Chartres said we were all “dwarfs perched on the shoulders of giants … [so we] see more and further than our predecessors.”

Now some giants are shrugging, and some pop stars are falling off their shoulders and getting shaken upside down until money pours out.

It seems hard for music litigators to convince jury members—often with no musical background—that while some tone-and-rhythm sequences are original enough to warrant copyright protection, others are simply musical building blocks or “vibes” that don’t belong to anyone.

One famous recent case went the other way. A jury in the Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven case, Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin, threw out a song claim based largely on a simple motif, but one far more complex than the line in Joyful Noise. That jury found that an A minor chord and a descending bass line, common in many compositions going back to Bach and before, were not copyrightable. A Ninth Circuit three-judge appellate panel ordered a new trial, finding an “erroneous jury instruction.” But last June, an 11-judge panel decided to take another look and listen. That decision is pending”.

One can commend songwriters for protecting their work and sending a message to others: it is not right to steal material and, at the very least, ask for permission. Also, in many of these legal cases, it is big hits that are highlighted rather than underground songs. At a time when we can access most songs recorded, is money to main motivation for those who take legal action?

I can appreciate, too, an original songwriter seeing an artist like Katy Perry accusing millions of streams and the money that must generate. Is the main motivation for suing to get a slice of that pie or is it, as it should be, to do with the music alone? It is a tricky debate to wade in to but I think we will see a lot more high-profile cases come up. It is unavoidable. Artists who are sued do recover and carry on but there are financial and psychological implications. I think there needs to be greater definition going forward so that artists who might risk facing a court battle can avoid that eventuality. There is a difference between using a common sequence or building block and stealing many notes or a big chunk of a song. I do think there needs to be significant similarities between tracks and, in a lot of these cases, that is not the reality. This will rumble on but it is disheartening to see artists face accusation and, maybe, there will be rules and laws brought in that force songwriters and producers to consult a database or musical lawyer before they release tracks. Let’s hope it does not come to that because, largely, these big cases are rare; but it does raise questions as to what genuinely constitutes copyright infringement and whether artists intend to defraud. A Dark Horse has been punished and, sadly, turned a Joyful Noise into an…

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

UNHAPPY mess.

FEATURE: Scenes from a Diner Jukebox: Quentin Tarantino: The King of the Film Soundtrack

FEATURE:

 

 

Scenes from a Diner Jukebox

Quentin Tarantino: The King of the Film Soundtrack

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THERE is an obvious connection between film…

IN THIS PHOTO: Margot Robbie plays Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood/PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Cooper

and music that has existed for decades. A fantastic song can elevate a scene and stand in the memory for decades! Whether it is a slice of epic score or a classic Pop song slotted into a contemporary film, we all have our favourite moments from film where music has really stood out. I think the film score and soundtrack can be as important as what is happening on screen; sometimes more powerful than the script and more illuminating than the direction. At the very least, music and film have this natural chemistry and, when the combination is right, it can be absolutely magical. In terms of directors synonymous with their musical flair, there are a few modern examples that spring to mind. Edgar Wright is a brilliant British director whose film, Baby Driver, has a simply stunning soundtrack.

IN THIS PHOTO: Quentin Tarantino/PHOTO CREDIT: Time/Getty Images

Music plays a central role in the film and you can tell the directors who merely employ music to accompany a scene and those who understand the real depth and promise of pairing beautiful songs to wonderful scenes. To me, Quentin Tarantino is the master of using music to add layers and brilliance to iconic scenes. There is talk that his next film will be his last – Tarantino has announced plans to retire and it is sad that he might not be directing for long. There are various polls that decide which are the best songs in his films; the most memorable moments of Tarantino and music colliding - and we all have our favourite Tarantino soundtracks.

Tarantino is a broad and always-boundary-pushing director and his soundtracks have always captivated and engrossed. My favourite soundtracks are of the Kill Bill films but, when we think of his ‘definitive’ soundtrack, perhaps Pulp Fiction takes that honour – I will come to that more in a minute. Before highlighting five soundtracks from Tarantino that stand the test of time, I want to bring in some articles relating his current flick, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and its very specific and illuminating soundtrack. One might be forgiven for thinking Tarantino assembles all of the songs and puts everything together unaided. Mary Ramos is someone who is a big key to the success of Tarantino’s soundtracks. This feature from Variety spoke with Ramos about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and some of the classic soundtracks:

“His longstanding partner in this is Mary Ramos, who worked as a music coordinator on his first two features and then has been upped to music supervisor on every film since. Variety spoke with Ramos about her work on movies like “Pulp Fiction” and “Django Unchained” and, now, the joys of becoming effectively a 1960s KHJ DJ for a day — or many months, actually — as they worked on the playlist for “Once Upon a Time.”

We would think that ever since “Pulp Fiction,” which really was kind of a milestone for using existing songs in movies and making kind of latter-day hits out of them that, money issues aside, it’s going to be an automatic yes, almost all the time, for a Tarantino movie. 

You would think that, wouldn’t you? And that’s if this director chose regular songs — regular artists that are alive, now. But because of the nature of Quentin’s tastes, a lot of the artists are not familiar with who he is, or passed away and you’re dealing with the estate.

IN THIS PHOTO: Music Supervisor to Quentin Tarantino, Mary Ramos/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Obviously he is a big music fan, but he was probably never as obsessive about music as he has been with film. He probably knows more nooks and crannies than being the type of nerd who knows every single by every obscure artist. So is there any any sort of breakdown of how many of the choices come from you and how many come from him?

Well, that’s not interesting. [Laughs.] It’s more interesting to talk about Quentin and how these stories come out of his imagination, based on his experience. And so song choices, score choices, all these things are filtered what he may have come across when he was growing up or what really impressed him at a certain moment. Music definitely sets him off and gives him inspiration when he’s writing. And then from there, I can take over and help fill out his palate, once he’s set it up. But he’s a very musical director.

In the film’s end credits I counted close to 60 music cues. You can’t put out a 60-track soundtrack. Did you narrow it down yourself?

Oh, no, he’s very specific. From the very first soundtrack he did, he really approaches them thinking of his fans and really wants it to be a souvenir of the movie for his fans. And that’s why he has wanted to put snippets of dialogue … A lot of thought goes into the track listing. and you’ll be surprised by the track listing of this one. There’s a lot of very well-known songs that are in the movie that may or may not be on the soundtrack, and that’s not because we couldn’t get ‘em. It’s because he went through it and really decided what he wanted to share”.

Rolling Stone has also published a feature with Ramos and the big difference, as the article explores, is the fact that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is more specific time-wise regarding the songs featured on the soundtrack:

“According to Mary Ramos, Quentin Tarantino’s longtime music supervisor, the process for selecting songs for one of his films starts in a record store—which happens to be in his Hollywood home. What Ramos describes as Tarantino’s “record room” looks like a vinyl boutique, with LPs separated into bins labeled by genres like soul and soundtracks. “In the past, when we’ve started preparation,” she says, “he invites me over and I madly scribble as he’s talking a mile a minute and pausing to put the needle down on records. Everything starts in his record room.”

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The major difference with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was the time frame. For his poetic-license retelling of the intersection of Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, the Charles Manson posse, and fictional actors played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, Tarantino didn’t want any of the music heard in the film to go beyond one year (1969, when the film is set). Although they were approached by several name acts to record covers or – in the case of Lana Del Rey – offer up their own material, Tarantino stuck with his time-capsule idea. “Nothing later than 1969, some things from before,” Ramos says. “He was a bit more anachronistic with this. He wanted to stay very specific to the period.”

The Buchanan Brothers, “Son of a Lovin’ Man” (1969): Heard in a party scene set at the Playboy Mansion, this adult-bubblegum deep cut wasn’t made by actual brothers but by a trio of singer-songwriter-producers (two of whom went on to form the folk-pop duo Cashman and West). “It’s such a great dancing song, and it’s not that easy to find,” says Ramos. “That was a record in Quentin’s collection.”

Jose Feliciano, “California Dreamin’” (1968): The Mamas and the Papas, the Laurel Canyon quartet that so embodied the sunny air of the era despite their own inner-band turmoil, are a recurring motif in the movie. In one scene a character plays their “Straight Shooter” on a piano, and elsewhere actors portray Michelle Phillips and Cass Elliot. Puerto Rican singer-guitarist Jose Feliciano’s cover of their “California Dreamin’” is also featured. “There’s so much pathos in that version,” Ramos says. “Also, there’s something about using a song that has been over-used. It becomes wallpaper and you don’t really ‘hear’ it anymore. So using this alternative version was a beautiful way to have that song re-heard”.

I am ending the feature with, what I think, are the finest Tarantino soundtracks – choosing the best tracks from each album. A lot of directors have a great passion for music and understand how it can elevate a scene but, for Tarantino, it goes much further than that. One can detect an obsession and burning desire that means only the best songs will do. For many, the definitive Tarantino soundtrack is Pulp Fiction. One would think a film that weaves several crime stories in L.A. together would be filled with Rock and Metal but, in 1994, Tarantino subverted expected and assembled – with some trusty help – a beautifully broad and original collection of music. Screen Rant explains in more detail:

 “For Pulp Fiction, Tarantino selected a lot of surf music, because he saw this as the rock ‘n’ roll version of Ennio Morricone music and he wanted Pulp Fiction to be the rock ‘n’ roll version of a spaghetti western. Dick Dale’s now-iconic version of “Misirlou” bursts onto the soundtrack when the shot freezes on Amanda Plummer’s Honey Bunny threatening a diner full of people and continues through the opening titles until it’s replaced by “Jungle Fever” by Kool and the Gang in a shuffling of radio stations.

A movie playing around with music this much needs the goods to back it up, and thankfully, Pulp Fiction has it: Chuck Berry, Dusty Springfield, the Centurions. It might be the greatest movie soundtrack of all time”.

Whether it is Death Proof or Django Unchained, you are treated to these excellent soundtracks that stand alone as intriguing and eye-opening collections but, in the context of the films, they seem to give new life and fascination to scenes – lesser directors and writers would go for ordinary, commercial or overused tracks or would not value the importance of music. I think it is harder to compile a great soundtrack as opposed to creating an appealing score. Soundtracks contain songs many of us have heard so I feel there is that pressure to get it right and make sure the right song accompanies a particular moment – whereas a score is slightly different and there is not the same expectation. For those who want all Tarantino’s best soundtrack inclusions in one handy playlist; as NME explains, he has saved you the trouble:

“Quentin Tarantino has made a huge playlist of all his favourite music from his own films. You can listen to the playlist below.

Taking over Spotify’s ‘Film and TV Favourites’ playlist, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director has compiled almost four hours of his favourite songs that have all appeared in his own films.

Some examples of the songs included are Nancy Sinatra’s version of ‘Bang Bang’ from Kill Bill: Volume 1, Chuck Berry’s ‘You Never Can Tell’ from Pulp Fiction and The White Stripes’ ‘Apple Blossom’ from The Hateful Eight. The list contains over 70 songs…

In addition to the lengthy playlist, the soundtrack to Tarantino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is also streaming alongside an in-depth podcast in which Tarantino explains all his musical choices in the film, track-by-track.

The 31-track soundtrack was unveiled last week (July 25) and features the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, Neil Diamond and Deep Purple. It comes out via Columbia on July 26 to coincide with the film’s US release (the film comes out in the UK on August 15), and will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally”.

To finish up, I have listed what are, in my view, the essential Quentin Tarantino soundtracks; with the essential tracks listed and a link where you can buy each soundtrack on vinyl. Listen to each soundtrack through but, more importantly, go and watch the films and discover how each track is used to, often, devastating and brilliant effect. It is a shame Tarantino is retiring after his next film -there is a rumour it will be a Star Trek film – but we will always have his wonderful creations and, alongside them, these variegated, passionate and popular soundtracks.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack

Release Date: 23rd September, 2003

Labels: A Band Apart/Maverick/Warner Bros.

Standout Cuts: Twisted Nerve by Bernard Herrmann/Woo Hoo by The 5.6.7.8's/The Lonely Shepherd by James Last & Gheorghe Zamfir

Definitive Track: Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kill-Original-Soundtrack-Version-VINYL/dp/B0000CABE8

Review:

“After Nancy Sinatra's torchy "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" and Charlie Feathers' tough, swaggering rockabilly chestnut "That Certain Female" set the story and the mood, the record is devoted primarily to instrumental pieces that range from surging epics to the calm kitsch of Zamfir's "The Lonely Shepherd" to the intense funk pastiche of Tomoyasu Hotei's "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" (the song that kicks off nearly every trailer and ad for Kill Bill). The reduced presence of dialogue from the film -- a hallmark of Tarantino soundtracks -- is a reflection of the film, which places emphasis on action and visuals. Hell, even the tracks on the soundtrack have minimal lyrics, consisting largely of instrumentals. This gives it more of a meandering feeling, and the soundtrack kind of peters out, ending in two quick excerpts of futuristic electro music by Quincy Jones and Neu!, then a gaggle of sound effects and Kung Fu hits. Nevertheless, its cavalcade of contradictory moods has its own coherence, and it's more musical than most pop music soundtracks. Plus, this has no familiar material, nor does it have anything that would be a single on digital radio, which is why it works as an album on its own -- it doesn't just reflect the movie; it follows its own logic, and displays fearless imagination. It makes you hungry for Vol. 2, both the movie and soundtrack” – AllMusic

Music from the Motion Picture Pulp Fiction

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Release Date: 27th September, 1994

Label: MCA

Standout Cuts: Jungle Boogie by Ronald Bell, Kool & the Gang/Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon by Neil Diamond/Flowers on the Wall by Lewis C. DeWitt

Definitive Track: Bob Bogle, Nole ‘Nokie’ Edwards and Don Wilson - Surf Rider

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pulp-Fiction-VINYL-Soundtrack/dp/B000002OTK

Review:

“The songs go hand in hand with the corresponding scenes. It’s seamless, really. The moods that Tarantino is able to create with music, and that includes silence too, are spot-on. The surf music sets the time and mood without being too overwhelming. Tarantino mentions in the interview that he picked surf music because to him it sounds more like a spaghetti western than surf music, and that he doesn’t understand what surf rock has to do with surfing in the first place. The surf rock combined with songs like Let’s Stay Together by Al Green, Jungle Boogie by Kool & the Gang, and Lonesome Town by Ricky Nelson tell you that its the ’70s without cramming it down your throat. You know like the Forrest Gump soundtrack. The songs also give you insight to the scenes and characters, as well: Bruce Willis character Butch Coolidge singing Flowers on the Wall by The Satler Brothers, or Let’s Stay Together playing while Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) and Coolidge are discussing fixing the fight, for example” – Consequence of Sound

Reservoir Dogs: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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Release Date: 13th October, 1992

Label: MCA

Standout Cuts: Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede/I Gotcha by Joe Tex/Magic Carpet Ride by Bedlam

Definitive Track: Stealers Wheel – Stuck in the Middle with You

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reservoir-Dogs-Black-Vinyl-VINYL/dp/B00UOEP5FC/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review:

“Only five songs here were featured prominently in Quentin Tarantino's rousing crime film ("Little Green Bag," "Hooked on a Feeling," "I Gotcha," "Stuck in the Middle with You," and "Coconut"), but the record includes Steven Wright's introductions from the film (separately indexed, thankfully), as well as Tarantino's infamous interpretation of the meaning of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" and Harvey Keitel's monologue on how to rob a jewelry store. In total, that's about 15 to 20 minutes of material. Padding out the rest of the disc are three new songs that were heard in passing in the film -- "Fool for Love" is very good, "Harvest Moon" passable, and "Magic Carpet Ride" is abominable. After this, the disc has passed the half-hour mark by two minutes. The amount of music you'll actually want to listen to makes it even shorter, but it is a soundtrack you'll want to return to” – AllMusic

Jackie Brown: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture

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Release Date: 9th December, 1997

Labels: Maverick Records/A Band Apart Records

Standout Cuts: Across 110th Street by Bobby Womack and Peace/Strawberry Letter 23 by The Brothers Johnson/Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) by The Delfonics

Definitive Track: Bill Withers - Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jackie-Brown-Miramax-Motion-Picture/dp/B019GEFHGM/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review:

“Jackie Brown, Tarantino's long-awaited third feature, finds him exploring new territory, creating an homage to blaxploitation flicks as well as a surprisingly subtle character study and love story, and its soundtrack appropriately finds him in new territory as well. The soundtrack still features snippets of dialogue, which simply aren't as effective separated from the film as those from Pulp Fiction, but the unified collection of '70s soul and funk is refreshing. He has wisely selected a batch of songs that haven't been worn out by oldies radio, building the bulk of the album with cult favorites like Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street," Bill Withers' "Who Is He (And What Is He to You?)," Randy Crawford's "Street Life," Minnie Riperton's "Inside My Love," the Vampire Sound Inc.'s "The Lions and the Cucumber" and Pam Grier's "Long Time Woman." Only "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time," "Strawberry Letter 23" and "Natural High," as well as the Grass Roots' "Midnight Confessions," are familiar oldies items, but they play an integral part in the film itself and help make the soundtrack a thoroughly enjoyable, compulsively listenable experience” – AllMusic

Inglourious Basterds

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Release Date: 18th August, 2009

Labels: Maverick Records/Warner Bros. Records

Standout Cuts: The Green Leaves of Summer by Nick Perito & His Orchestra/The Man with the Big Sombrero by Samantha Shelton & Michael Andrew/Tiger Tank by Lalo Schifrin

Definitive Track: David Bowie - Cat People (Putting Out Fire)

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inglourious-Basterds-VINYL-various/dp/B002H3ET46

Review:

“The soundtrack to Inglourious Basterds might not have the road trip-ability that the soundtracks to Pulp Fiction and Death Proof do. This one is like a fine wine to be sipped at home on a Sunday night, something to put on as an appetizer before you pop in that DVD copy of the 1968 mercenary adventure Dark of the Sun you were inspired to rent after hearing its theme song utilized with such love and attention in Tarantino’s alternate universe WWII epic.

Sure, it’s a bit of a bummer that there isn’t any of the brilliant Basterds dialogue snipped in between songs like Tarantino’s previous soundtracks. I, for one, would’ve loved to have heard Brad Pitt’s whole spiel about scalping Nazis get dropped in before the powerhouse funk of “Slaughter” fills up my stereo speakers. But alas, this particular soundtrack is a bit different than Tarantino’s previous collections in that little drops of script will not help entice fans of Tarantino’s films into buying it. The soundtrack to Inglourious Basterds caters to the upper echelon of Tarantino appreciators, those who see the music as a crucial aspect of the whole unique filmmaking process of creating a Quentin Tarantino film as his systematic choices in camera angles and dialogue lines.” – Pop Matters

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Sly and the Family Stone – There’s a Riot Goin’ On

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

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Sly and the Family Stone – There’s a Riot Goin’ On

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WHEN it comes to selecting albums…

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Sly and the Family Stone (L-R (back): Larry Graham, Gregg Errico; Freddie Stone, Cynthia Robinson (front): Rose Stone, Sly Stone and Jerry Martini/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

for Vinyl Corner, I guess I have not looked the way of Funk that often. Although, as I will explain, Sly and the Family Stone changed their tone and sound for 1971’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On, there is a lot more to talk about than the sonic shift. The fifth album by the American group, the recording of There’s a Riot Goin’ On was marred by a period of heavy drug use by frontman Sly Stone and tensions within the group. If anything, however, some could say the tensions being felt and the problems the group experienced help create a darker, more challenging sound then their previous work – such as 1969’s much-celebrated Stand! Although There’s a Riot Goin’ On has gone on to top the lists of best albums ever and has influenced so many other artists, it was not apparent at the time (when recording the album) whether it would be a success…or whether it would get made at all. There was a lot of turmoil and disagreement in the Sly and the Family Stone camp when There’s a Riot Goin’ On was being made and, whilst that does not sound like a recipe for success, it did take the group in a new direction and opened up their music. If previous albums were more accessible Funk, There’s a Riot Goin’ On was more political, intense and provocative. Sly Stone was involved with the Black Panther Party who were insisting the music made by the band was harder-edged and reflective of the black power movement.

Filtered, rifling drum machines and a new energy defines Sly and the Family Stone’s fifth album. Although one might assume this was a record born of political motivation and aggression, a lot of personal and diverse themes run through There’s a Riot Goin’ On. (You Caught Me) Smilin’ is an ode to getting high and forgetting your troubles; Africa Talks to You (“The Asphalt Jungle”) is Sly Stone’s response to a lot of the grief he was copping from friends, family and the record label; Family Affair – the number-one single from the album – is about the highs and lows of being with family and the difficulties and triumphs experienced. Critics responded emphatically to There’s a Riot Goin’ On. This more mature brand of Funk was taken on by Funkadelic (among others) and the themes throughout There’s a Riot Goin’ On scored the social and political troubles of the early-1970s. In a retrospective review, AllMusic had this to say about Sly and the Family Stone’s masterpiece:

“This is idealism soured, as hope is slowly replaced by cynicism, joy by skepticism, enthusiasm by weariness, sex by pornography, thrills by narcotics. Joy isn't entirely gone -- it creeps through the cracks every once and awhile and, more disturbing, Sly revels in his stoned decadence. What makes Riot so remarkable is that it's hard not to get drawn in with him, as you're seduced by the narcotic grooves, seductive vocals slurs, leering electric pianos, and crawling guitars…

As the themes surface, it's hard not to nod in agreement, but it's a junkie nod, induced by the comforting coma of the music. And damn if this music isn't funk at its deepest and most impenetrable -- this is dense music, nearly impenetrable, but not from its deep grooves, but its utter weariness. Sly's songwriting remains remarkably sharp, but only when he wants to write -- the foreboding opener "Luv N' Haight," the scarily resigned "Family Affair," the cracked cynical blues "Time," and "(You Caught Me) Smilin'." Ultimately, the music is the message, and while it's dark music, it's not alienating -- it's seductive despair, and that's the scariest thing about it”.

Soundblab wrote these observations last year:

“But in essence, musically and lyrically (and let's not forget its cover) what we got is something that is certainly one of the most inventive and influential r&b/soul albums ever, drug binge or no drug binge, Black Panthers or no Black Panthers. His incorporation of rock and funk was actually one of the key influences then (on George Clitnon’s Funkadelic and all other incarnations for sure) and now, and the album itself currently is among the top sampled albums around.

With the elastic, drown out tempos of There’s A Riot Goin’ On Sly came up with something you can call ‘slacker funk’, maybe even inspiring all those slacker rockers that came on later (remember Evan Dando’s Lemonheads and their “My Drug Buddy”?). I guess they all listened to “(You Caught Me) Smilin’” quite a few times.

IN THIS PHOTO: Sly Stone/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

But incredible rhythm shuffles and intricate brass arrangements like on “Brave & Strong” are still there, and the album makes even the crude rhythms machines (or any rhythm machine, for that matter) available at the time sound good, as for example on the opener “Luv N Haight” or “Spaced Cowboy”.

Its acerbic and seemingly downtrodden lyrics are a matter in itself, but like in “Africa Talks To You," “The Asphalt Jungle,” or the closer “Thank You For Talking’ To Me Africa”, they certainly show a hefty dose of optimism; a bit veiled, but there nevertheless. The album’s full glory though, is embodied in “Family Affair,” probably one of the best funk/rock/soul tracks ever (musically and lyrically), showing the full complexity There’s A Riot Goin’ On as an album brought, and fully negating any negative opinions it has garnered through the years. An album to be cherished. Always”.

Go and buy There’s a Riot Goin’ On and snap up a vinyl copy as it sounds absolutely fantastic in that format! There is a debate as to which is the finest Sly and the Family Stone album but, to me, they do not get more powerful and memorable than There’s a Riot Goin’ On. This piece from How Land Echoes talks about Sly Stone’s delivery and some of the innovations that appeared on the album:

“His delivery is where the music gains some of its greatest moments though. The slurred words, which are at times indecipherable, only adding to the general sense of decay around the whole album. Lines come and go, but on specific lyrical points, Stone attempted to momentarily raise his game. The fact that his drawled register that cries out in desperation doesn’t hit the required marks only makes it that much more harrowing and real.

In Just Like A Baby Sly’s vocals are swamped within the murky instrumentation like a fish swimming beneath a surface of visibly impenetrable water. Confined to his mansion, he overdubbed the vocal takes to such an extent that the tapes began to audibly smudge.

Lyrically, the focus was mainly switched from what was going on in society to personal matters. On Brave & Strong he declares “Out and down, ain’t got a friend,” and you sadly tend to believe him. The fact that a rich man who had the adoration of millions could feel so hopeless and alienated was striking in its very notion at the time”.

I think what makes There’s a Riot Goin’ On distinct when compared with earlier albums from Sly and the Family Stone is the fact that, in some ways, it is a Sly Stone solo album; there was a lot of chaos and excess involved. CLASH explained in more detail:

“Recorded in a $12,000-per-month Bel Air mansion, replete with secret studio behind that bookcase, details of the recording are hazy at best. Most of it was done alone by Sly, or members of the band recording single overdubs – despite the track, this is no Family Affair. It was overdubbed to death, creating that awfully seductive murky sonic sludge…

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The world’s sharp corners are blunted, its bright lights are dimmed. There were bodyguards, guns, groupies, in-fights, affairs, a constant stream of celebrity guests, from Ike and Tina to Miles and Herbie. You can hear Bobby Womack, Ike Turner and Billy Preston on the record, you can sometimes hear the Family Stone. But what you can really hear is Sly, and Sly’s crying. Even when he’s yodelling”.

Not only is There’s a Riot Goin’ On seen as one of the finest albums of the 1970s but numerous artists have covered and sample the songs. Even though the album has a unique vision and sounds, the likes of Iggy Pop, De La Soul and Beastie Boys have dug into the grooves and extracted gold for their own tunes – passing this remarkable work on to new ears and uniting Funk with other genres in the process. It is a masterful and stunning album that sounds relevant today and still reveals layers of wonder. Put on There’s a Riot Goin’ On, close your eyes and let the incredible songs…

CARRY you away.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Rosie Lowe

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Rosie Lowe 

Rosie Lowe

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I have to thank BBC Radio 6 Music…

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Rosie Lowe

because they are responsible for so much of the music I listen to! I am capable of digging my own stuff and looking out there for what is good but I find the station is expert when it comes to discovering the very finest and most diverse artists. I have been conscious of Rosie Lowe since her 2016 album, Control. Tracks such as Who’s That Girl? and Nicole are glorious. Lowe can switch between the bright and evocative Neo-Soul sound to something chillier, more emotional and intense. Right now, Lowe is turning heads and recruiting new fans with her album, YU. It is a fantastic record and, although it has been three years since her debut, you do not really notice the gap. A lot of pressure is put on artists to follow up on successful artists and I do think that it cases pressure, anxiety and poor results. Cate Le Bon is a comparable artist who released Reward earlier this year – three years from her previous album, Crab Day. YU is a fantastic record from Lowe and one that, like her debut, has that mix of sounds. I think her current offering is more assured, bold and adventurous than her debut. Maybe it is the passing of time or life events that have gone into the music. Whatever the reason, the Devon-born artist is one of the most interesting and promising of the moment.

I cannot compare her work with anyone else and, at a time when we need more artists like Lowe, there is an absence. The way Lowe can fly and glide before swooping down; the layers of her music and the arresting vocals – there are so many different reasons why she is an artist to look out for. Birdsong is the song I first encountered from YU; played on BBC Radio 6 Music, it stuck in my brain instantly and I just love the unusualness of it. That might sound insulting but it really isn’t: the fact is, again, there is nobody like Rosie Lowe so her music has this unique aspect. The reviews for YU have been largely positive; critics keen to add praise and provide their thoughts. CLASH, in their review, had this to say:

“Delivered in Lowe’s trilling vocal, her pointed and pithy lyrics centre on fulfilment and possibility: ‘The Way’ joyously looks at a love-filled future; lead single ‘Pharoah’ asserts the “power in my imperfections that make me”, while even in dark times her independence blisters, as in final track ‘Apologise’, where she quite simply refuses to.

A confident and wonderfully coherent mingling of genres with an impressive roster of collaborators – see Jamie Woon, Jamie Jidell, Jay Electronica – it feels like a huge statement from a relatively new female artist in what’s sometimes a male dominated arena.

‘YU’ is a swagger drenched, masterful treatise from a woman with a new perspective, new weapons, and the confidence to use them. Careful now”.

PHOTO CREDIT: @smedleyshots for CLASH

The Line of Best Fit posted a positive review and they took a slightly different approach:

“I could go on, because YU is also never boring. Skip to any point at any track and there is something rumbling in the background - be it a scatter of hand claps. An extra layer of guitar. A rogue vocal sample. It oozes craft.

And that’s partly because it’s full of artists that are masters of craft. Not just Okumu - there are more players and more voices on this record, from Sam Shephard (Floating Points), Alfa Mist, Jay Electronica to a choir of Jamie Woon, Jamie Lidell, Jordan Rakei & Kwabs on “Birdsong”, which is just showing off.

The only thing that’s lacking on YU is a few more big hooks. “Birdsong” has it. “UEMM” does. “Little Bird” just about does. Some of the other tracks, though beautiful, can sometimes blur into one another, get a bit sluggish (I’m looking at you, “ITILY”).

Though taken as a whole, YU is a wonderful record. Okumu and Lowe are a dream partnership, and along with the rest of London’s modern soul players present on YU and hiding amongst other projects, have way more to give us over the next few years”.

I maintain 2019 is dominated by women. They are making the most original and satisfying albums and I also think they boast more variety than male artists. Rosie Lowe is a great example of the dexterity and brilliance coming from women in 2019.

Not only is Lowe’s music fascinating: when you read interview she has conducted, she is quite revealing and you get all these different jigsaw pieces. That is not to say Lowe is a puzzle but she has complexities and layers that are explored through YU. When speaking with The Guardian a few months ago, she talked about the three-year gap between Control and YU and discussed some of the themes addressed on YU:

“You sense that Lowe, 29, quite enjoys challenging people’s expectations. While she’s aware that the three-year gap since 2016’s debut Control doesn’t chime with music’s voracious appetite for the new, she’s unbothered by the wait. “My favourite artists take 10 years between albums, so I’m always like, pfft,” she says, shuffling into a cross-legged position on the sofa, a pose that, along with her thick elasticated headband and approachable, earth-mother vibe, makes her look like an off-duty yoga instructor. She’s also adamant about crushing any gendered assumptions about who’s in charge of her creativity. In fact, YU’s artwork, which crops most of her face, is a statement of intent. “I didn’t want a pretty black-and-white beauty shot because then I’d be trapped, and it would be less about the music.”

As well as touching on love and religion, YU also continues Control’s focus on feminism (Lowe’s debut featured the excellent Woman, an analysis of unfair standards), with Mango redressing the dynamic in the story of Adam and Eve. She says her feminism was influenced growing up by her mother and sisters, and has developed as she’s got older. “What I think has been prevalent in the last few years is that there’s not one version of feminism,” she says. “I’ve learned my feminism is not the ‘right’ feminism, it’s just my experience of misogyny. Or equality. I think it’s important to remind ourselves of that. A white feminist is going to have a very different experience to a woman of colour because they have to deal with different versions”.

I shall conclude the feature soon but, sticking with interviews, and I was struck by the revelations in The Line of Best Fit’s interview. Lowe chatted about psychotherapy and how that has helped; why she has worked alongside Dave Okumu for YU:

 “YU is built upon these relationships; whether cosmic, spiritual, or physical, these unspoken connections are the lifeforce of the record. It becomes clear during our conversation that there are two relationships at the heart of YU – two people in her life that this album probably wouldn’t be possible without. The first is musician and producer, Dave Okumu. After helping to turn her first album Control into reality, YU is as much a reflection of Okumu’s character as it is for Lowe. They have been longtime collaborators but never written together, so this was new ground for both of them. Again, Lowe had to give herself over to someone else for this to work. And luckily, it did.

“I want to work with people long-term, grow and develop with them – which is exactly what me and Dave have done. So we agreed to do this album together, no matter what happened or who was involved,” Lowe says. “We made that commitment to each other and it was natural that it would include writing together. It was actually quite scary going into this process and collaborating with him in that way. We thought, ‘Oh god we hope this works” because we’re best friends and long time collaborators. Luckily it did work and it was beautiful.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Nathan Barnes for The Line of Best Fit 

Lowe also studies psychotherapy alongside her musical career. Learning how the mind works has helped her to understand why her mind works in the way it does. Her training has enabled her to recognise her faults and deal with them head-on. Sometimes some problems are too big to face alone, and Lowe knows that she has people around her that can pull her through, as she sings on “UEMM”: You ease my mind / When you’re around it feels so simple to be / but through the night / it’s an empty shadow that stares back at me.”

“On my song. ‘Little Bird’, I actually started writing it about my nephew, who was around one and a half at the time. He was always falling over, taking a few steps, falling over again and hurting himself. I was just watching him. I wrote this song for him to let him know that you shouldn’t be afraid to fall. You’ve got to fall to learn to fly”.

Rosie Lowe is keeping pretty busy over the next few weeks and months. There is promotion still for YU and the business of touring. You can keep an eye on her dates and, if you can, I would recommend you go and see her play. She is a wonderful live performer and you get a different side to the music you do not hear on the albums. If you have not bought YU then snap up a copy because it is pretty damned good. I think it is one of those albums that will challenge for the best of 2019 and it is, as I started out by saying, so different to everything out in the world. Maybe there are not as many big hooks as some would hope for but those more interesting, intimate moments keep coming back to you when you least expect. There is so much detail and depth in YU that you listen over and over because it provides such a hit. I love Rosie Lowe’s music and I do hope we hear many more albums from her. She is a fascinating songwriter and I have read a lot of interview she has given. Lowe is always honest and arresting and, even though I don’t know her, I feel closer to her having read about her – it seems strange but there is this rare power that Lowe possesses! This year has been a successful and busy one for her bit, with so much love for YU out there, there is not going to be rest for Lowe…

QUITE yet.

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Follow Rosie Lowe

FEATURE: Queens of the Underground: Part Four: Lauren Deakin Davies

FEATURE:

 

 

Queens of the Underground

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PHOTO CREDIT: Bellanova Photography 

Part Four: Lauren Deakin Davies

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I was going to do another Female Icons…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Bellanova Photography

feature but, rather than that, I want to continue my Queens of the Underground thread. Next weekend, I will do a Female Icons piece and feature Tina Turner but, right now, I am spotlighting a great producer who warrants a lot of respect and love. So far, I have featured two D.J./presenters and one producer in this feature: Carly Wilford and Georgie Rogers; Catherine Marks yesterday. Like Marks, Lauren Deakin Davies is a fantastic female producer who is helping to break ground and bring more women into the studio. A lot of my features over the past few days have focused on women but I think it is important to champion great women in the industry as, so often, it is the men who get the focus. That is especially true when we look in the studio. The statistics still show that things are imbalanced regarding gender and production. Maybe it comes down to impressions regarding the careers women should be pursuing. We are still not talking enough about women becoming scientists, astronauts and engineers and so, when it comes to music, do we assume women should just be on the stage? So many of the biggest hits are written by men and most studio engineers are male; in terms of producers, what is the reason for a gender gap? Billboard ran a feature last year and posited a few theories:

“Why does record production remain the ultimate boys club of the music industry? There are myriad reasons, ­including a lack of role models. "I just don't think there are that many women interested," says songwriter-producer Perry, who, along with Missy Elliott, has been arguably the most successful female producer in pop and R&B, ­having worked with such hitmakers as P!nk, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Courtney Love and James Blunt. "Where are they if there are?"

But when women first start to ­produce, some say that ­uncomfortable moments can arise.

PHOTO CREDIT: CK Goldiing 

"There have definitely been times you'll [suggest] an idea and the artist will pass over it and the guy in the room will say the same idea and they'll say, 'I love it,' and you're like, 'Oh, my Lord,' " says Hope. "You can't really show any signs of not knowing what you're doing. You are at the helm."

"Sometimes people are like, 'Why is this girl in the room?' " says WondaGurl. "Earlier, I would never talk; I'd just play the beat. I wouldn't give ­direction much, because they wouldn't take it. Now they take it seriously."

Catherine Marks, who has ­produced Manchester Orchestra and Wolf Alice, says the initial leap from engineer to producer was "a difficult and unexpected ­transition ... When I first started out I always thought, 'Ooh, I can't wait to be in that role.' And the more I learned and the more I began to ­understand the studio dynamics and the ­responsibilities that come with that role, I was like, 'Maybe I'm pretty happy where I am.' "

While many male and female executives have been supportive, several female producers expressed dismay that more female artists don't seek out female producers. "It's ­interesting that a lot of female artists have this feminist message and they'll make their record with all men. It seems kind of ­hypocritical," says Hope. "This [woman] will get up to accept an award and be surrounded by straight, white, middle-aged men".

There are great female producers around and, whilst there is willingness for change and the chance for equality, I think there are a lot of reasons why women feel discouraged. Another argument comes down to parental leave and the assumption that a female producer might not be able to balance maternal responsibilities with production duties. There is a lot we need to discuss and dispel but making production a viable and attractive career choice for women and girls is paramount. I think more female artists will want to work with female producers if we get the numbers up. An American study shows that, whilst there are some remarkable female producers around, the numbers are not rising as fast as we’d like – and there are stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes still in place:

“Turning to producers, the percentage of women working in this role remained stagnant in 2018, and only 2 percent of producers across 400 songs were female. For producers, this translates into a gender ratio of 47 males to every one female. Only four women of color have worked as a producer on the 400 songs analyzed.

"Women are shut out of two crucial creative roles in the music industry," Professor Smith said. "It was critical to understand what factors contribute to the lack of women songwriters and producers in order to open up more opportunities and create sustainable change."

Through interviews with 75 female songwriters and producers, the study explores the lived experiences of women in music. More than 40 percent stated that their work or skills were dismissed or discounted by colleagues, and 39 percent said that stereotyping and sexualization were impediments to their careers. Finally, more than one-third said that the industry was male-dominated—a belief borne out by the numbers in the quantitative report. Women also cited instances in which they had been doubted or questioned and illuminated how the recording studio is a site for objectification and place where personal safety is a concern”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Laura Marling (Lauren Deakin Davies worked with Marling on her project, Reversal of the Muse)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

This might sound all bleak but, when turning to Lauren Deakin Davies, and she provides a perfect example of why we need more female producers. When I talked about Catherine Marks yesterday, I listed some of the artists she’s worked with (The Amazons and The Big Moon among them) and the fact she is so passionate, eclectic and dedicated. Lauren Deakin Davies is another one of these great female producers who many others are looking up to. So far, Deakin Davies has written over two-hundred commercially released tracks and seen her work played on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music. She was named producer of the year in 2017 and 2018 at the NMG Awards and is the youngest female producer to have tracks played on BBC Radio 2. Deakin Davies has this affinity and natural intuition that means she is a producer you definitely want to work with. She comes from a musical household and performs her own music as DIDI. As DIDI, Deakin Davies’ Pop-Punk sound is fresh and exciting and I think this gives her advantage in the studio. A lot of producers are not musicians themselves but Deakin Davies has that edge. She knows what is needed to succeed; she has that musician’s eye and realises what it takes to make a song shine and pop. Whilst a lot of female artists self-produce, there are standalone producers like Deakin Davies, Catherine Marks; Sylvia Massy and WondaGurl.

I am a particularly big fan of Lauren Deakin Davies’ production because it is so varied and nuanced. She can bring so much from a song and her expertise and experience really shows. I will continue on but I want to bring in an interview Deakin Davies gave last year to Music Tech:

“Working out of her impressive studio, The Den, Lauren’s productions have garnered interest from a range of high-profile artists, such as Laura Marling, Kate Dimbleby, Peggy Seeger and The Hoosiers. She also became, at the age of just 19, the Music Producer’s Guild’s youngest full member and has won two Producer of the Year accolades at the NMG awards. So how did her interest in music production begin?

“Well, I’ve been doing music since I was 11 years old and I’ve been in bands of varying sizes,” Lauren tells us. “One of the bands I was in when I was 15 started doing alright, and we ended up going to Universal Studios and Metropolis Studios and places like that. I remember walking into a studio and thinking, ’Oh my God, this is the coolest thing in the world!’, so I really got into it then. There was also a local studio called The Cream Room which had a young artist called Alexa Mullins. She wanted me to come into the studio to sort of make sure she was okay and enjoy it. She knew I was embarking on studying music production, so I ended up working at that studio for a while which gave me a lot of grounding.”

It wasn’t long before Lauren’s work started garnering high profile interest, and an invitation to join the Music Producer’s Guild landed on her doorstep, then at the astoundingly young age of 19. We ask Lauren what it’s like being the youngest member of the coveted collective.

“I’m not sure if I am still the youngest member to join, but I definitely was at the time (the youngest member now is still older than me when I originally joined though). My really good friend, who is also the bass player in my band, who is two days older than me, has just joined too. That membership was integral to when I was starting out. When I joined it meant I had a foundation and a base of people who were all willing to help. I ended up working on the Laura Marling project through meeting an acquaintance on the MPG panel. I wouldn’t have got that unless I’d been part of the MPG.”

In an already diverse career, one of Lauren’s most memorable collaborations involved the daughter of a popular broadcaster. “I think working with Kate Dimbleby on her album Songbirds is one of the most influential projects I’ve worked on. Kate is David Dimbleby’s daughter. She’d done a jazz album before, but she wanted to do something completely different, a whole album with no instruments – all just vocals. It was an interesting concept and quite challenging. All of the songs sound different but they’re obviously coherent as an album and it was just so interesting. It was like, ’How can you mix a 30-track vocal thing of random loops?’ There were 50 tracks on some of the songs, so that record was definitely one of the coolest ones, and Kate’s attitude was so positive. There are a few others: I really like the Danielle Lewis stuff that I’ve worked on; Minnie Birch’s albums as well. I’ve done quite a few albums but that’s the one [Kate Dimbleby] that sticks out for me”.

You can see the range of projects Deakin Davies has been involved with and some of the musical challenges that have been put her way. Working with such eclectic artists has strengthened her foundation and the projects Deakin Davies has been involved with its seriously impressive. The fact she worked with Laura Marling (on her Reversal of the Muse) stuns me as Marling is one of my favourite artists and someone I admire greatly. If there is a perception that many female artists do not want to work with female producers, Lauren Deakin is dispelling that. Having worked alongside Bella Gaffney, Minnie Birch; Kate Dimbleby, Roxanne de Bastion and Emily Mae Winters recently, it is wonderful seeing a great female producer working with some great female artists. If pioneering producers like Catherine Marks are working more with Rock and Alternative artists, Lauren Deakin Davies has more experience in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter/Pop realm. Deakin Davies’ advice to upcoming producers is to network and get out there. I think Marks gave similar advice when speaking with Georgie Rogers: see if there are any interns going at studios and don’t be afraid to ask around and get out there too. It may take a while to get to the position Deakin Davies and Marks are in but they both started on modest foundations. Through experience, learning and commitment, they have risen to the positions they are in now.

Lauren Deakin Davies is a producer who gets to know the artist before beginning work so that it gives her extra information and impetus when working on their material. The reason for me starting this Queens of the Underground feature is to highlight inspiring women who are working tirelessly and creating some fantastic work. I do think that Lauren Deakin Davies is a producer who will attract bigger and bigger names. I know there are girls and women out there who want to step into the studio but will feel hesitant and reserved. Maybe the wave of male faces seems daunting but producers like Deakin Davies will give them guidance and heart. I know Deakin Davies has spoken to young women about getting into the industry but I do wonder whether she has considered giving bigger talks and seminars as she has a lot of wisdom and experience to impart. I shall leave things there but I urge people to check out Lauren Deakin Davies’ work and follow her career. She is one of the best producers in the U.K. and, as I keep saying, proving an inspiration muse for women who are thinking of producing. I predict the future will see Deakin Davies producing albums for some of the biggest artists in the world and getting to work in the U.S., perhaps. Her award-winning career so far has been eventful but I think there are so many big years ahead. There are some truly fantastic producers in music but, when it comes to Lauren Deakin Davies, there is…

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Deakin Davies

NOBODY like her.

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Follow Lauren Deakin Davies

FEATURE: Hands Off! Continuing Cases of Sexual Assault and Inappropriateness in the Music Industry

FEATURE:

 

 

Hands Off!

IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Tate of Hands Off Gretel wrote an open letter to men (it was published in Kerrang!) who attend the band’s gigs, making them aware of some of the abuse/inappropriateness she and her bass player, Becky Baldwin, have faced/PHOTO CREDIT: Hands Off Gretel 

Continuing Cases of Sexual Assault and Inappropriateness in the Music Industry

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THERE are a couple of different stories…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Hands Off Gretel/PHOTO CREDIT: Neil Chapman — with Becky Baldwin.

that have got me thinking about the darker side of the music industry. It seems, in an age of social media where everyone can be aware of dangers and some of the worst sides of music, we are still seeing too many disturbing cases when women are being assaulted. It seems like the perpetrators have this ignorance like they will not be shamed or caught; maybe there is this age-old problem with certain men assuming they are above the law and immune to judgement. Not only is their widespread sexism in music but, more and more, male fans and those in the industry are crossing the line. Hands Off Gretel’s lead, Lauren Tate, recently wrote an open letter, addressed to the men who come to her shows. It was published in Kerrang! and makes for some upsetting reading:

“If you listen to UK punks Hands Off Gretel, you know that they don’t take anyone’s shit. Not only are they a part of the Riot Grrrl movement, but their songs showcase a vivid and emotional portrayal of the experience of being a woman. So, when lead vocalist/guitarist Lauren Tate and bassist Becky Baldwin are disrespected at their own shows by predatory men, they are going to speak up.

“Dear guys that come to my shows. Please stop kissing my cheek. Please stop sexualising myself and my bass player. Please let girls stand at the front more. Please be more aware that I really don’t want to be touched or told I am sexy. I am a MUSICIAN and I get messages and comments all day from men about myself and my female bass player being sexy or eye candy or some bullshit and it honestly kills my soul and makes my eyes roll into the dirt. I’ve seen ‘band’ posters cropped with just myself and Becky in them used to promote shows! Can you imagine how it feels to be the guys? It’s shite! SOOOO…

To all the guys that respect personal space, genuinely love my band for my music and let young girls stand up at the front I really really thank you. You have no idea how much it means to myself and many female musicians when we are valued for our skills and seen as equal to the guys in bands on the same bill. Please note that a lot of girls stand politely and smile when they’re skin is crawling in so many situations it’s mental.

We just want to be valued and respected. AND WE REALLY REALLY NEVEREVER EVER EVER WANT TO BE KISSED or touched all over believe me! … In this photo here I’m locking eyes with the girls I requested come forward in the crowd. I’m holding the guitar that I wrote every song on for the new album, the guitar a guy told me after the show to ‘put down and stop playing’!!! See… us women are fierce. I’ve heard so many girls in other bands talking about these issues with men at shows and how we tackle them. It’s starts with the good guys. Look out for the girls in the crowd. If you see someone being a dick or a general creep… Call them out. Make them aware. We need more amazing guys like you in the world to stop these shitty men ruining it all for everyone. Massive respect to all those guys that do this… gigs should be for everyone to be themselves and have fun. I shouldn’t be worrying about anything while I’m up there on the mic playing my music for my fans #handsoffgretel #discuss #talk #girlband#girlstothefront #feminism#equality #respect#laurentate #femalemusician #rant”

I am not keen on the way Kerrang! sort of ended that piece by suggesting that, if this letter makes you angry, you can listen to some of Hands Off Gretel’s feminist jams. I get what they mean by it: there is anger in the music and it can provide catharsis. I do feel like there is a genuine attitude that, maybe, if we ignore these incidents then they will go away. I have written about sexual assault and inappropriateness in music before but, more and more, incidents like the ones Tate describes are coming up. I know not all men who attend gigs are the same but I have read so many cases where female musicians are either sexualised and objectified or, worse, they are touched and molested at the stage. Whether a woman is stage-diving, getting sweaty in the audience or close to a fan, that does not give the right to a man to assault her or touch her. I am going to bring in a new of articles and cases where, from musicians through to cases at festivals, sexual abuse and predatory behaviour is still alive and well. Whilst the likes of Lauren Tate are asking for anger and change, I wonder how much the industry as a whole is doing to ensure women are protected and feel safe at gigs and on the stage. It does not just end there, of course. In the social media age, abuse, harassment and assault can manifest itself in the form of photos, tweets and posts.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Jonny Fox/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I do wonder whether music is a safe space for women. In a piece I am writing for next week, I am exploring the groupie culture and how that has been a bit of music for decades. There are cases of famous musicians years ago abusing their young fans; taking advantage of their status and perpetrating awful and disgusting acts. Before I look at some research and statistics, there is another case in the music news where rapper Jonny Fox is in hot water. The Guardian reported the news – Fox claims he is being harassed by women who claim that he is a sexual predator and sends bad messages through his music:

“Five women who raised concerns online alleging that the singer/rapper Jonny Fox is a “sexual predator” and emotionally abusive are facing a multiple libel claim of up to £60,000, court documents show.

The case, which has reached the high court, is an example of the clash between Britain’s defamation laws and the MeToo movement.

Fox, lead vocalist and founding member of the punk-rock band the King Blues, who is commonly known by the stage name “Itch”, alleges that the women have individually, and as a group, engaged in a “persistent campaign of harassment” spreading lies about him in a series of online articles published in 2016. He denies all the accusations.

According to court claims seen by the Guardian, the women he is suing variously sent him a “menacing photograph and message”, contacted his current partner about the claims, staged a protest at the band’s performance and encouraged “militant” action against Fox.

IN THIS PHOTO: Petrol Girls (their lead) is one of the five women being sued by Fox. (You can support Solidarity Not Silence here)/PHOTO CREDIT: Martyna Wisniewska

In the articles Fox was described as a “sexual predator”, “domestic abuser” and someone who turned “the feminism he raps about into a joke”.

“The women felt it was in the public interest for them to speak out to warn vulnerable young women. That’s why they have called their fundraising campaign ‘Solidarity not Silence’. They feel this claim is an attempt to silence them.”

The court claims say that, at one concert, a group of 10 protesters hoisted banners declaring: “Itch: Stop your abuse of women” and “Call it out”. They were eventually escorted out by security guards”.

I do worry about artists who have to face sexual assault, sexualisation and abuse. Unfortunately, the music industry has seen too many cases where men in groups have assaulted and abused their fans. This BBC article makes for illuminating and shocking reading – I have selected a couple of rather upsetting cases:

"I started a friendship with him back when I was like 14," Rachel says about the man. She doesn't know exactly how old he was, but says there were "rumours" he was older than 30.

He would use his position to get her into shows for free and introduce her to bands she liked. But then, after a night at the pub, they went back to his flat.

"I basically remember waking up laying on the side of his bed with him having sex with me. I remember pushing him off. I'm crying at this point and he just kept going and kept going."

She has no doubt that the way the music industry works contributed to what happened to her.

IN THIS PHOTO: Moose Blood 

"It's an easy preying ground for these people to find fans that want that little bit more - they want that backstage pass, they want to meet the band, they want to get in for free.

In 2017, Zoe accused the lead singer of pop-punk band Moose Blood of stealing nude photos from her phone and sharing them in the band's WhatsApp group.

Moose Blood have always denied this and last year announced they were taking a break from music, blaming "serious false accusations" against them.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, Zoe told us the situation only came about because she was such a big fan.

"I didn't realise it was a bad thing because they were my favourite band and I was a bit flattered by the attention.

"I was just thinking: 'Oh my God, my favourite band are here in my house', so I just didn't react to it the way I probably should have.

"I think bands need to take full responsibility and realise their status and the effect they can have on their fans".

These might seem like isolated incidents but there are many cases going unreported. From young female fans to artists and those behind the scenes, what is the solution? It might seem improbable to eradicate all cases of sexual abuse and inappropriateness but we need to get to a stage where music is not being dragged through the mud and women feel safer.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

This interesting article asked whether, like Hollywood, music was facing its #MeToo moment – in light of allegations against artists like R. Kelly and Ryan Adams:

“Stories of powerful players offering access in exchange for sex are rife in an industry where the #MeToo movement has so far had less visible impact than in film, TV, and media. That may be changing. In recent weeks, iconic artists R. Kelly, Ryan Adams, and the late Michael Jackson have finally faced a reckoning for alleged sexual abuse. Credit a rise in the power of female musicians and shifts in public opinion about sexual abuse. Change-makers are pressing their advantage at a time when old music-business institutions are waning in power, forcing the industry to reckon with a tradition of sexual exploitation that’s as deeply ingrained as the grooves of a vinyl record.

Ms. Powers says that one reason why this sort of sexual misconduct has historically been difficult to expose is that, unlike Hollywood, the music industry isn’t a centralized entity. Its male-dominated silos – including record labels, the concert-tour sectors, and media promotion – often protect abusers by enforcing omertà.

“In a society in which people are uncomfortable talking about sex, music was a realm where we could experience sexuality,” she says of an industry where ”groupies” were regarded as job perks and female singers and musicians were encouraged to play up their sexuality to advance their careers. “Because of that there’s been a kind of permissiveness around the music-makers’ sexual lives that we are now having to reckon with”

It is good that there is a call for change and there are areas of the industry where improvement is happening. I do think that there are far too many cases where women have to speak out and get angry about things that have happened at gigs; occasions when they have been taken advantage of and objectified. One of the most positive aspects of sexual harassment and assault in music is alternations occurring at some festivals. Teen Vogue reported a couple of months ago:

“Offset from the crowd, Kim Warnick, the executive director of Calling All Crows, has set up a table with information so fans, too, can learn how to help prevent sexual violence. It’s part of the #HereForTheMusic campaign, launched two years ago, working to end abuse and harassment in live music. Warnick, who has worked in sexual violence prevention for more than a decade, conducts most of the sliding-scale trainings. To date, the campaign has trained over 1,000 people.

The goal of the campaign is to give as many people as possible the tools to address this long-overlooked issue. It’s hard to have exact numbers on the pervasiveness of sexual violence in live music, given how few people report sexual assault. Yet some data does exist: A 2018 survey conducted by YouGov, a data analytics firm, involving 1,188 music festival attendees in the U.K. found that 22% of them had experienced assault or harassment.

In many cases, Warnick has found that venues and musicians had no process in place to respond to sexual violence. Even major players in the industry have been slow to address this. “I don't know that we ever actually laid out an official protocol prior to last year,” said Laura Sohn, the director of sustainability at Bonnaroo. “I think that was new for a lot of us in the industry.” For the second year, Bonnaroo will work with Calling All Crows in the days leading up to the festival to hold trainings for fans, staff, and volunteers. The festival's website also includes information on consent and sexual assault prevention.

Last year, Teen Vogue journalist Vera Papisova interviewed 54 women who said they were harassed at Coachella. While it doesn't work with Calling All Crows, the festival launched its own initiative called “Every One,” rolling out a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and assault, and providing spaces with trained volunteers for people to seek out should they experience it”.

It is clear that things are moving in the right direction but I was appalled hearing what Hands Off Gretel’s Lauren Tate had to say and what her experiences are. I know her case is not unique: there are women all across the music world that are facing the constant threat of assault, inappropriateness and attack. There needs to be stricter penalties for men who step too far. If anyone at festivals are seen assaulting a woman or make them feel unsafe then they should be given a man; a ban also needs to go to men at gigs who are culpable of incidents. There is a long way to go and we should not have to hear of these horrible cases where women are being taken advantage of and touched. It is harrowing and disappointing to see but, with more action from the industry; the affected speaking up and shaming those who go too far and calling for change then, gradually, we can see some genuine evolution. Most male fans and artists are respectful and nice but they are being let down too. Women should not have to feel unsafe at festivals, on the stage or anywhere, really, so we need to take action. These cases of assault and inappropriateness might be in the minority but we should not have to live in an age where women are made to feel…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @cristian_newman/Unsplash

UNSAFE and vulnerable.

TRACK REVIEW: Taylor Swift - The Archer

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Taylor Swift

The Archer

 

9.3/10

 

The track, The Archer, is available via:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=154&v=8KpKc3C9V3w

GENRE:

Pop

ORIGIN:

New York, U.S.A.

RELEASE DATE:

23rd July, 2019

The album, Lover, is released on 23rd August, 2019 through Republic/Taylor Swift Productions. Pre-order here:

https://taylorswift.lnk.to/LoverTw

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THIS is a bit of a departure for me…

because I do not often review a mainstream Pop artist. Taylor Swift is more than pure Pop but, when it comes to commercial artists, I tend to stay away. The reason I wanted to review her latest track was that, when one considers Swift, there is a lot to recommend. She may divide some in terms of her sound but, as an idol and someone asking for change, there is a lot to applaud her for. Before I react to her latest single, I want to talk about Swift as a huge star and how there is a lot of pressure on her shoulders; the fact that, just recently, she has started giving interviews after a three-year gap. I also want to move on to her role as a role model and how she will inspire the next generation; her brand of music and how it mixes in Pop, Country and other genres – seemingly more rounded than a lot of the mainstream music we hear at the moment. I will also discuss her role as a potential future headliner and icon and, also, whether we put too much expectation on bigger artists and whether we can separate the music from their personal life. I will discuss Taylor Swift and the fact she is giving interviews (after a long pause) but, when we think of the biggest artists in music right now, Taylor Swift must be near the top of the pile. With her, it goes beyond the music itself. Swift is not just an artist; she is a businesswoman and philanthropist who gives a lot to charity and is a big supporter of the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community. Maybe I should start with that. There are a lot of big artists out there but I do wonder how many use their platform for good; to raise their voice for causes and people. So often, one hears their music and they promote that but things rarely go beyond that. I do think that a lot of the biggest stars around are not really being vocal enough.

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For a while, Swift kept her political views away from music but she has spoken out. She is someone who is disgusted at the way America is going and what is happening. Even if you are a bit sniffy when it comes to Taylor Swift, you cannot deny that she has a certain power and charm that is hard to ignore. Her songs are varied and interesting and she is someone who puts messages into her tracks. You Need to Calm Down is about homophobic and her critics. ME! boasts a video that is glittery and extravagant whilst the aforementioned You Need to Calm Down is one of her most vivid and talked-about videos. She is a fantastic entertainer and has this incredible passion that one is sucked in by. Taylor Swift goes beyond merely music and performing. For so many out there, she is a guide and idol that is speaking for them and fighting their corner. With that, there comes this pressure and demand. I guess you can say the same for any big star but, with Swift, it seems like her every move is tracked. She is barely allowed a moment to relax and, one suspects, the reason she did not do interviews for a long time was because she needed some privacy and space. Many artists and young girls will want to follow in Taylor Swift’s footsteps but they will be seeing the media scrutiny and obsession and wondering whether it is such a wise move. For someone as popular and exposed as Swift, it is hard to lead an ordinary life. I know she has tackled criticism and pressure in her music but one wonders what happens behind closed doors. I do feel for a lot of Pop artists who have such a following and, whilst they inspire devotion, there is that downside where you can never get a breath and have time to yourself. This has been the way of music for decades and I do think there is this problem that we need to tackle. Not only do artists like Swift have to fight for their right for room and privacy, but there is that impact on their physical and mental well-being.

Swift has just begun conducting interviews again after a few years. I have not researched the reasons why she stopped doing them but one suspects that she was a bit tired of being picked apart and misrepresented. It is always interesting reading interview from Swift because she seems to be a lot more accessible than a lot of her peers. Rather than being someone in the business for fame, she genuinely does want to touch people and make a difference. In this interview with Elle, she talked about connecting with her fans and the nature of social media today:

 “So often with our takedown culture, talking sh*t about a celebrity is basically the same as talking sh*t about the new iPhone. So when I go and I meet fans, I see that they actually see me as a flesh-and-blood human being. That—as contrived as it may sound—changed [me] completely, assigning humanity to my life.”

And when it comes to social media, Swift considers it to be both a blessing and a curse because of the way people can be judged and treated, for better or worse, based on what they post.

“Our priorities can get messed up existing in a society that puts a currency on curating the way people see your life,” Swift began. “Social media has given people a way to express their art. I use it to connect with fans. But on the downside you feel like there are 3 trillion new invisible hoops that you have to jump through, and you feel like you’ll never be able to jump through them all correctly. I—along with a lot of my friends and fans—am trying to figure out how to navigate living my life and not just curating what I want people to think living my life is."

Swift has also had trouble figuring out where to set boundaries between her private and public life, how to be open enough on social media that she doesn't seem fake without compromising her privacy. "I’m not always able to maintain a balance, and I think that’s important for everyone to know about," she said. "We’re always learning, and that’s something that I also had to learn—that I’ve got to be brave enough to learn. Learning in public is so humiliating sometimes…."

But for now, things are going well, and she's enjoying that moment. "Do I feel more balanced in my life than I ever have before? Um, probably yeah," she said. "But is that permanent? No. And I think being okay with that has put me in a bit of a better position”.

There is, as I say, so much assumption from the media; they do like to fabricate stories and, when they are not doing that, the glare on big stars is immense. It is unsurprising that someone like Taylor Swift would need a break to reflect and relax. When speaking with MTV, she discussed the reason behind taking a gap from recording – between 1989 and Reputation – and how the album-making process is always different:

“Believe it or not, she's speaking from personal experience. While discussing what keeps things "fresh" for Swift after all these years, she admitted that she doesn't always feel inspired and happy from making music. As fans recall, there was a three-year gap between 1989 and reputation, and according to Swift, it was because she needed to take time for her mental health.

"It's not always fresh for me," she conceded. "There have been times when I've needed to take years off because I just felt exhausted or I felt really low or really bad. You never really have the same process making an album. Right now, thankfully, I feel really energized, which I'm feeling really grateful for. It's not something that I take for granted, that I feel this energized and this excited about this new music".

I just wanted to bring in a couple of interviews because it reveals a bit about Swift and the fact that she is relatable. Many of us do not really talk about musicians and their health and I think we need to do it more. Social media, pressures of modern life and musical expectations can all weight heavy and I do think that the likes of Taylor Swift are going to help raise awareness by speaking out and being open. I do think many people feel Pop artists are always happy and have this perfect life. For some, that might be true but the realities of modern music are quite stark. I am glad Swift is in a good headspace now and she is positive about making music.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Valheria Rocha

It is good Swift allows herself some time to breathe and step away from music because so many artists through the years have succumbed to the pressure or they have gone off of the rails. Let’s leave that aside because, when I was talking about popular stars speaking out more and discussing big issues, they could take a leaf from Taylor Swift’s book. She, for so many, is a role model and champion. She is a big supporter of the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community and she is keen to promote messages of togetherness acceptance and progression. She knows there is not the equality and understanding there should be but, for so many who feel isolated and alone, Swift is a light in the dark. For young girls and women out there, Swift is an advocate and inspiration. A few years back, there was a rise in girls playing guitar and it was traced back to Swift. The fact she has encouraged more girls to take up an instrument and get into music that way is fantastic. Swift is someone who has earned a lot of money through her work but she is a charitable individual and someone who wants to share her wealth in order to fund great causes. Recently, she donated a large sum of money to the Tennessee Equality Project and, again, it is an example of her standing with the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community. Swift is one of the most generous stars in music and is always happy to support causes she believes in. Rather than being this wealthy artist who throws money at charities to make themselves look good – it does happen -, Swift wants to make the world a better place and she wants to see greater acceptance and harmony through the world. So many people will look up to her, at the forefront of music, and be moved. There are artists who release music and not a lot else but Swift is always busy using her power and wealth to help improve lives.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @ashleyophoto

Not only is she charitable but she involves herself in other areas. As this article explores, Swift has used her personal experiences to help raise awareness for women who are sexually assaulted:

“Many of Swift’s fans and anybody who reads the news are probably familiar with at least some of the details of her lawsuit against Denver DJ David Mueller. The pop star accused the DJ in 2013 of groping her during a photoshoot, an accusation that eventually caused her to be sued by Mueller for defamation, after which she countersued.

Swift was eventually vindicated in court when the jury ruled that Mueller did, in fact, grope her.

Swift took an active role in these trials, using them as a public platform to bring awareness to the issue of sexual assault against women everywhere. “My hope is to help those whose voices should be heard,” Swift reported in a statement delivered in the courthouse. She tied her case in with other victim’ by thanking “anyone who feels silenced by a sexual assault,” pledging afterwards to make donations to organizations who assist those affected”.

I have talked a lot about Swift as a humanitarian and someone who wants to make a difference in the world and I know she will go down in musical history as one of the most inspiring artists ever. Swift is still only twenty-nine and she has decades more in the industry. So many people her age are just sitting around and watching others help change the world but Swift is at the front; always looking to make a difference. It is inspiring for everyone and for someone like me – who is not her usual target fan demographic – you get this very different impression about mainstream stars. I think many of us just assume they are obsessed with social media and fame; they have quite an easy life and are keener to line their own pockets rather than give something back. Taylor Swift is a very different type of artist and a human who has influenced so many people around the world.

It may be surprising to some to see I am reviewing Taylor Swift. I am not usually a big fan of mainstream Pop because it can be quite processed, overly-energetic and vague. I do think there is this core that put in generic lyrics and sound exactly the same. It can be depressing to hear that and, every year, people ask whether Pop music has gotten worse and why the older sounds were the best. I do think there are some great modern Pop artists around but the more commercial side of the market lacks real quality and longevity. Taylor Swift is not a straightforward Pop artist. She is someone who, on her eponymous 2006 debut, was a lot more Country-Pop then she is now. That album gathered some great reviews because, not only did Swift co-write all of the songs, but there was this huge maturity from someone so young – she would have been a teenager back then. The songs had elements of Country heartache but there was the youthfulness and slight naivety you get with Pop. It was a great blend and she built from there. On albums like Fearless (2008), she created something mature and accessible. Blurring the lines between Country music and Pop, Swift released an album that was very personal and accomplished; much more accessible and appealing than a lot of the mainstream fare – artists having teams writing for them and being more concerned with streaming figures as opposed the quality of the music. She kept her Country roots for 2012’s Red but that album was a bigger and more experimental thing; she talked about toxic relationships and, to many, Red was her most affecting and personal album. By 2014’s 1989, Swift released an album that was broader than her previous work and stepped from Country-Pop to Synth-Pop. This was a turning point for her and showed that she was not someone who was repeating herself and doing the same as her contemporaries.

1989 was the first album not to take shot at lovers: it was a more hopeful album and one full of self-discovery; although there were more emotional moments, it was a very different sound from Swift. Maybe it was a change of personnel and people around her but, with each album, she stepped into new ground and did something completely different. 2017’s Reputation is a much bigger and bolder record than anything she released until that point and it was another step forward for the Pop mastermind. So many modern artists do repeat themselves and bring out the same album time and time again. Swift is always keen to venture forward and, whilst relationships and heartache are never that far away, she documented something darker and deeper on Reputation. Her seventh album, Lover, is out on 23rd August and one suspects that this record will be a lot brighter and more optimistic than her previous one – maybe it will be quite dark but I sense something with more colour and positivity. I know Taylor Swift has her detractors and critics and, whilst her music is not for everyone out there, one cannot deny she is always evolving and experimenting. Her tracks are big and celebratory; she has a deeper side and is one of the most personal and intelligent Pop lyricists around. I do feel like the modern industry is harder than ever and it is so difficult getting a foothold and staying relevant. Swift has managed to transcend from this hopeful and appealing debutante to this blossomed and powerful mainstream artists who has not compromised her direction and independence. She does write with others but her voice is at the forefront; she calls the shots and she wants to make music that actually means something. Again, perhaps I am not who she is singing for – like a lot of Pop, there is a rather tight and particular demographic at work (unusually those under eighteen, let’s say)-, but I can appreciate her songs and the fact that she is changing people’s lives.

I have talked about expectation and the fact that we do heap pressure on artists. For someone like Taylor Swift, she is not afforded much quiet and privacy. Every move is watched and every song is pulled apart in a way you would not get with newer, less-popular artists. Swift handles the pressure with maturity and grace and, rather than rally too much against critics, she keeps pushing on. I do wonder whether were will see Taylor Swift headline a festival in the U.K. I believe she has headlined festivals around the world but when it comes to somewhere like Glastonbury, will we ever see the day? Ed Sheeran has, unfortunately, headlined Glastonbury and I feel Swift is a much more appealing and inspiring artist. Newer talent like Billie Eilish played Glastonbury this year and showed, in doing so, that there is headline worthiness there. I think Swift has been in the business long enough to warrant that sort of stage and I wonder whether there is reluctance to put a Pop artist on as headliner. It does happen but, more often than not, bands and other genres are favoured. Perhaps this will change over time but I do think that Swift has earned her striped and would make a genuinely popular headliner at one of our festivals. I do not hear her music often on the radio because, like everyone, I have my favourite station (BBC Radio 6 Music). It is ignorance on my part but I should listen to her music more; I think a festival appearance would make more people aware of her music; those who would otherwise avoid it. Swift is a fantastic live performer and I do think, at a time when Pop is still being criticised and compared with the past, festivals here need to book her. I have not mentioned Swift’s new song, The Archer, yet so I should probably get around to it! I know Lover is due to feature eighteen tracks – more than any of her other releases. It is clear Swift is in inspired mood at the moment and she has a lot to discuss.

It is clear The Archer is about cruelty in love and, as the title suggests, getting shot in the heart and avoiding the cruel slings and arrows of heartache. The opening notes of The Archer are quite calm and romantic. There is dreaminess and sense of composure as Swift comes to the microphone. If previous songs have been pretty buoyant and fired, this is quite different. Her voice reminds me of a cross between Lana Del Rey and Cyndi Lauper. Swift’s delivery is breathy and affected as she talks about combat; she is ready for combat and it seems like she is in the midst of a breakup. Swift observes that “cruelty wins in the movies” and she has thrown out a hundred speeches she was going to say to the guy. I have mentioned how Lover is an album with a more optimistic bent but I do think there will be more introspective tracks. Rather than attack her lover, Swift is discussing how capricious love is and how passion can come along easily and then leaves. She is leaping on the train and has this rather solitary nature. Maybe Swift has always been that way: someone who never stands still and cannot imagine herself with someone. I do think The Archer will get a remix at some point because its lyrics have a flexibility that suggest they could translate into Dance. Swift’s delivery is tender and delicate and, whilst never really blaming her sweetheart, you can tell there is an ache and sense of disappointment.  The chorus brings in this idea of the lover being an archer who is shooting arrows. Swift has been an archer too and, as the lyrics unfolds, you get these vivid images of the bond. Swift is one of the most original lyricists around and she documents and paints her plight in a very interesting way. With some 1980s synths backing her, there is this vintage sound that seems separate from the rather plastic and ultra-modern vibe of modern Pop today.

I know a lot of artists are bringing the 1980s into their music – such as Bat for Lashes – but Taylor Swift’s music seems a lot more mature and interesting than a lot of the modern Pop scene. Swift asks who could leave her and who could stay; she has cut her nose off to spite her face and beat herself up. Swift is hard on herself and not, as I keep saying, attacking her lover. So many artists jab at their lovers – and Swift has done this before – but Swift is looking at this situation/strain from different sides and looking inside herself. One might think The Archer is quite depressing and heavy-going but it actually a pretty accessible song. You can involve yourself in it and never feel like you need to be Taylor Swift to understand its words. Those expecting beefy chorus sounds and processed vocals might be in for a disappointment. Swift has created one of her most personal and evocative tracks to date. Her vocals get layered to create this ghostly sound and, when it comes to the spectral, she talks about waking at night and feeling like a ghost; she is wants to be held on to – the room is on fire and Swift notes how all her heroes died alone. Not only are the lyrics clever and illuminating but you cannot help but feel impressed by the poetic nature. So many modern artists rely on tropes and clichés but Swift does not go there. She sings how all her enemies started at friends and how she is broken right now – all the king’s horses and men couldn’t put her together again, it is said -; how she needs this protection and togetherness but something is getting in the way. It is never revealed why things have turned bad and how she has got to where she is. Perhaps it is a pattern she cannot get out of or a particularly tough time. The honest, emotion and maturity one hears throughout the song and, whilst The Archer is a lot cooler and slower than songs like ME! and You Need to Calm Down, it demands repeated listens and, I think, is more appealing. Because it is not a bold and colourful song, I do think it has the potential to cross over to a number of different radio stations and hit a wider demographic. Taylor Swift has always been a broad artist but, on Lover, she is mixing so many themes and sounds together. The Archer is a fantastic song and one that holds a lot of depth, intrigue and personal exposure.

On 23rd August, Taylor Swift will release Lover. Three singles have been released so far so it is hard to get a grip on the overall theme and sound of the album but, according to Swift, there is a more romantic gaze (than previous albums). We can find love in loneliness and hard times and it seems like Lover will be a pretty positive and potent album. We shall see what comes around but The Archer is a song I was eager to review. On every album, Swift adds something different into her sound and she, to me, is one of the best lyricists in modern Pop. With a new album, there will be tour demands and new expectation. I was keen to include new interviews from her because it shows a human side that often gets buried in all the glitz and promotional cycle. Swift is someone who has experienced pressure and had to take some time away from music. It seems like she is in a more positive place at the moment and I do hope that this continues. I am not interesting in the gossip side of things and her romantic life but I believe she is making plans for the future and, as she hits thirty in December, children are on her mind. I can imagine life is anything but normal and easy for one of the most influential artists in the world. With millions of followers online, Swift has a huge army behind her but I can imagine it is hard to just switch off and be a normal person. Her music has enriched lives and she is inspiring so many other artists. I guess songwriting is autobiography and she can get a lot of her emotions, feelings and angers out that way. I don’t know. It is a hard balance I guess but Swift is one of those people who seems indefatigable and incredibly strong. If you have not listened to her music or have been a bit reluctant before, take a look at The Archer because it is a genuinely great Pop song. Swift has such a varied career and it is impossible to label and define her. Not only is Taylor Swift one of the most varied and accessible artists in Pop but she is, as I have explored, someone who gives so much to others. It is not often we talk about Pop artists in terms of being an ambassador-like figure but, when it comes to Taylor Swift, she is…

A definite role model.

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Follow Taylor Swift

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FEATURE: She Can’t Love You: A Lost Treasure: Destiny’s Child’s The Writing’s on the Wall at Twenty

FEATURE:

 

 

She Can’t Love You

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A Lost Treasure: Destiny’s Child’s The Writing’s on the Wall at Twenty

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I was just wondering…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Destiny's Child at the 1999 MOBO Awards/PHOTO CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

whatever happened to girl groups and why the scene faded away. Maybe music has changed and evolved now, so that girl groups seem outdated. We have female bands…but perhaps focusing on gender is the wrong thing to do. At a time when there is gender inequality and a need for progress, are girl groups a sign of the past? It is a hard question to answer but I do feel like there has been a change from those brilliant girl groups of the 1990s and the first few years of the 2000s. There have been girl groups in music for decades but I think there was a real peak in the 1990s. With the likes of Destiny’s Child, En Vogue and TLC ruling the charts and crafting these sublime R&B/Pop cuts, it was a golden time. Destiny’s Child, I feel, get overlooked and are not as lauded as the likes of TLC and En Vogue – or British counterparts such as the Spice Girls and All Saints. Whilst Destiny’s Child’s definitive line-up would come after The Writing’s on the Wall, one cannot deny the brilliance and resonance of the group’s second album. The album was produced by Missy Elliott, Kevin ‘She'kspere’ Briggs; Rodney Jerkins, Eric Nealante Phillips and Beyoncé among others. When many think of the best Destiny’s Child album, they often look at 2001’s Survivor. Sure, that album has some of their biggest cuts but I think most gravitate in the direction of Survivor because it seemed like the group were on a solid footing after some of the problems that arose around the time of The Writing’s on the Wall – and how there were disagreements and problems within the ranks.

Destiny’s Child are R&B icons and have influenced so many artists around the world. They are one of the best-selling female vocal groups ever and combined a strong sense of independence, these huge anthems with a vulnerability – not to mention fashion sense and incredible power. Other girl groups would form after Destiny’s Child split but many have them to thank for forming in the first place. The incredible tracks and empowering messages have inspired the likes of Tinashe and Ariana Grande. I shall muse more on the girl group but I do think, as it is twenty today, The Writing’s on the Wall warrants new investigation. I think the album is more confident than their eponymous 1998 debut and there is a greater range of sounds; more hits and stronger vocals from the group - Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett; LaTavia Roberson and Kelly Rowland. At sixteen tracks, The Writing’s on the Wall is an ambitious record and there are a few fillers in the mix. Everyone will have their own favourite numbers but, to celebrate twenty years of a great album, Billboard ranked the tracks. I can agree with most of their selections and it is clear the mighty Bills, Bills, Bills, Jumpin’, Jumpin’ and Say My Name are the biggest hits – and the songs everyone thinks of when they talk about The Writing’s on the Wall. Rather than sugar-coating love, Destiny’s Child often employed a cynical and jaded view – never off-putting or negative; they were definitely striking out and not taking any crap.

On tracks like Jumpin’, Jumpin’, the fellas are in the club; they are “ballers” and their pockets are “full grown” – the group would have observed these cheaters on the dancefloor; the kind of guys they would have known and been let down by. One of the biggest hits of the late-1990s was Bills, Bills, Bills and it is genuinely one of my favourite tracks from that era. At that time in music, there was a lot of great R&B emerging; some brilliant Dance music and Pop nestling alongside one another. These brilliant groups like Destiny’s Child were providing a great blend of R&B, Soul and Dance and, in the process, put down these hugely addictive and memorable tracks. You only need to hear a few licks of Hey Ladies, Say My Name or Bug a Boo and you are transported back to that time. A lot of tracks from that period do not stand up to ageing but The Writing’s on the Wall sounds as compelling and fresh now as it did twenty years ago. Maybe girl groups have died out but the harmony-rich sounds of Destiny’s Child and their peers have found a new home; they have made their way into the new generation but I still think there is a potency that you only get with girl groups. That harmony and richness is all over The Writing’s on the Wall; there are those slamming hits and lesser-mentioned songs that deserve new ears.

I especially love She Can’t Love You. It is a gorgeous track that has been written off a token Latin song – something that girl groups and Pop singers were doing; maybe an attempt to be seen as varied and eclectic but not as authoritative and complete as you’d hope. I think She Can’t Love You is one of the best tracks on the album and it is a song that, once heard, gets into the brain and infuses every pore. Others disagree but that is the mark of a great album: everyone has their own opinions as to which are the strong and weaker tracks. In all honesty, most of the tracks on The Writing’s on the Wall are brilliant and the album never gets the full respect it has earned. In this Pitchfork review from 2017 they passionately assess the album and talk about what was happening behind the scenes:

“There is no better microcosm of what happened to Top 40 music between 1993 and 1999 than this. Bands like the “Star Search” winner were buried in a landfill of post-grunge, while R&B groups built out from soul and quiet storm to create a sound innovative enough to earn the “futuristic” label almost everything got in that pre-Y2K time. This bore itself out in the revival in the early-to-mid-’90s of excellent girl groups vaguely in the Supremes mold—TLC, En Vogue, SWV—but it would be Destiny’s Child who would become their true successors.

PHOTO CREDIT: Markus Klinko

The Writing’s on the Wall, one of the best-selling R&B albums of all time, is perhaps most known for what was going on behind the scenes. In spring of 2000, founding members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson fired, through an attorney, Mathew Knowles, the group’s replacement for late manager Andretta Tillman and, more importantly, Beyoncé’s father. They alleged that Mathew Knowles kept too much of the group’s profits and that the group’s attention was disproportionately allocated in favor of Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé, increasingly featured both as lead singer and in promo. “Ninety percent of the vocals you're hearing is Beyoncé and Kelly,” Mathew Knowles rebutted in the Houston Chronicle, “but they all got paid the same.”

The Writing’s on the Wall, by contrast, was recorded quickly, in about three weeks, and feels like it. Everyone sounds hungry, everyone has new ideas. You can tell from the intro alone: a Godfather-inspired sitdown, steeped in drama with a take of Spanish guitar from Andy Williams’ “Speak Softly, Love” and kept there by the four women styling themselves as Mafia dons—the capo di tutto capi played by, naturally, “Beyoncé Corleone, from the Southwest.” What seemed silly at the time coming from a barely established girl group makes more sense decades of concept albums and a world domination later.

The Writing’s on the Wall is presented with a loose religious theme—each track is introduced in the form of a Commandment, and the album ends with a prayer: “Amazing Grace,” dedicated to late manager Andretta Tillman. Specifically, its theme is confession: a catalog of relationships and the failings thereof…

This was, and is, fraught territory. Practically since the album’s release, Destiny’s Child have dodged accusations of man-hating. Beyoncé stood in front of that giant FEMINIST display at the VMAs not as a response to a couple of thinkpieces but to over a decade of misinterpretations of her work, starting here. Forget the dated technological references in “Bug a Boo,” its hapless-clinger archetype has stalked his way from pagers to cell phones to today’s social media. “Bills, Bills, Bills” was so vastly misunderstood the group had to patiently re-explain it in almost every interview”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The group were still in the teens when The Writing’s on the Wall was recorded so you can overlook minor flaws and some lyrical repetition; maybe some naivety regarding relationships and love. At the time, The Writing’s on the Wall received some muted acclaim but I think subsequent years have shown how influential it is. Its fusion of sounds and inspiring lyrical themes were carried into the next decade (the noughties) and Beyoncé especially would go on to huge solo success – not abandoning her Destiny’s Child roots; simply modifying the sounds and anthems to her own agenda. The confidence, quality and range on offer through The Writing’s on the Wall is amazing and I think that it is one of those albums that sort of got overlooked; it gained traction and relevance years after its release and, at a time when we do not really have girl groups like Destiny’s Child and fewer uplifting mainstream anthems, I think The Writing’s on the Wall is ripe for new reviews. It was a difficult period for Destiny’s Child and, whilst they would change line-up, the music on The Writing’s on the Wall is sensational! The big hits are timeless and instantly recognisable but there is more than the singles to get your teeth into. The Beyoncé-led group were providing inspiration and impetus to young women around the world but, in reality, The Writing’s on the Wall spoke…

TO so many more people.

FEATURE: Queens of the Underground: Part Three: Catherine Marks

FEATURE:

 

 

Queens of the Underground

Part Three: Catherine Marks

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I will feature other producers in this feature…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Marks wins the Breakthrough Producer of the Year at the Music Producer's Guild Awards in 2016/PHOTO CREDIT: Music Producer's Guild

but, so far, I have featured two fantastic D.J.s/presenters: Carly Wilford and Georgie Rogers. Both are remarkable and I believe they are going to be big names of the future. In a way, I am making a connection from Georgie Rogers to Catherine Marks. I have been a fan of Marks’ production work for years now and she is responsible for some of the best and more memorable albums of the last few years. Before I come to that, I want to talk about Marks and why she is such an extraordinary producer. She produced allusionlove’s single, It’s Okay to Talk – one of my favourite bands – and The Amazons’ latest album, Future Dust. There is something about each of these works that gets into the bones like nothing else. Maybe it is Marks’ feel and personality that helps shape potentially-great music into something essential and hugely memorable. Look at the work Marks has been involved with thus far and you can see the sheer range and quality on her C.V. She has mixed tracks for St. Vincent but, to me, her finest hour was producing and mixing The Big Moon’s album, Love in the 4th Dimension. Released in 2017, the album was recorded over twelve days and you can feel this very natural and pure album – the band did not give themselves enough time to second-guess and went with their guts.

It is an incredible record and, although the band’s music stands out, you can feel Marks’ hand guiding and getting the best from them. I want to talk about Marks’ chat with Georgie Rogers but, before I do, let me let Marks introduce herself (information is taken from official website):

“Catherine is a Producer, Engineer and Mixer.

- Winner of UK Producer of the Year 2018 MPG Awards

- Breakthrough Producer of the Year 2016 MPG Awards

-  Mercury Shortlisted Album 2017  for The Big Moon "Love In The 4th Dimension" (Producer)

- Grammy nominated for Wolf Alice "Moaning Lisa Smile" - Producer and Mixer

- Grammy Winner  2019 for St. Vincent - "Masseduction" - Best Rock Song  - Mixer

-  Grammy nominated 2019 for St. Vincent - "Massseduction" - Alternative Album - Mixer

Having long worked closely with legendary producers Alan Moulder and Flood, Catherine now has over 10 years of experience working in studios worldwide. Her production, mixing and engineering credits include Wolf Alice, The Amazons,  Manchester Orchestra, Blaenavon,

The Big Moon,  St. Vincent, Sunset Sons,  Foals,  Alex Winston,  PJ Harvey, Roman Lewis, Champs,  Kanye West, Ian Brown, MIA, Placebo, Ride, Killers, Mr Hudson and Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes. 

Catherine collaborates with both new and established artists and  always seeks to get the best out of those she works with. Completely in tune with the mechanics of the studio environment, Catherine is calm, devoted to and passionate about each project she works on. As such, artists will feel the environment is right to develop and experiment with their sound”.

I was aware of Marks before she sat down with Georgie Rogers but, in the Super Women series (where Rogers highlights amazing women across various fields), Marks sat down and discussed her career. Listening to Marks talk and she has this deep passion for what she does - and helping artists get the most from their music. Catherine Marks talked to Georgie Rogers about her path and, as Marks explains, she is not a gifted performer but has this love of music. She met the producer Flood at a Nick Cave concert 2001 and was given some valuable advice. Flood gave Marks the keys to his studio when he went off to work on a Killers album and, by learning that way and playing around with the studio/ProTools, she got a feel for production. That makes it sound quite simple: Marks’ progress and rise to success was difficult but she has grown through the years and is always learning. Rogers asked Marks about gender and the fact that, when she came onto the scene, there were not many female producers. Marks sort of kept her head down but also said that, yeah, she is a woman but she is also very good – Marks has helped shine a light on female producers and inspired many to come into music. I suggest you watch the rest of the documentary and it shows just how incredible Catherine Marks is.

I love listening to her talk about her career and process – maybe it is the Australian accent that gets me – and her body of work is staggering. From Eliza Shaddad to Sunset Sons, Marks has produced across a range of genres – she was engineer/mixer on PJ Harvey’s phenomenal album, Let England Shake. Not only is Marks an accomplished producer but she is also an award-winner. Last year, she was crowned UK Producer of the Year at the MPG Awards and was interviewed following her win. Here, she talks about her job and how she blends producing, mixing and engineering:

 “I love [engineering, mixing and producing] equally for different reasons,” she enthuses. “I haven’t done as much engineering for a while now, but a few years ago I engineered for John Parish and it was so awesome to be let free to do some interesting sonic stuff without the responsibility of the producer role. But I love production and being at the beginning stage of a record when you can’t wait to hear how it’s going to sound at the end. With mixing I just get totally absorbed. It’s like this awesome exploration of someone else’s vision.”

According to Marks, this blending of roles makes not only for a more varied working pattern, but can also bring numerous benefits to the project in hand.

“All the roles are really fluid,” she explains. “For example, I’ve just been working with Sunset Suns and the engineer we were going to use unfortunately had to go to hospital, so I ended up doing that. How things sound is very much part of production for me and I love creating interesting sonic textures.”

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Catherine Marks gives a speech at the Music Producer's Guild Awards in 2017/PHOTO CREDIT: Catherine Marks 

Marks discussed the variety of artists she works with and how her process changes from album to album:

“It varies from project to project,” she says. “With Manchester Orchestra the songs and the idea of the record had already been established, there was a real story thread that ran through the songs. What they were interested in was experimenting sonically and how far we could take it sonically. Whereas with The Amazons we loved going into the rehearsal room and ripping the songs to shreds and rebuilding them. Sometimes they had songs that were already written or they had an acoustic idea that we would transform into something else. It’s usually just me sitting on the floor saying to the drummer, OK play a Billie Jean beat, or let’s try this beat from Deus, and everyone just trying out different things with me basically directing a jam.”

With the clock winding down, conversation turns to the producers and engineers of tomorrow. In the space of just a few years, Marks’s reputation has transformed from up and coming star to contemporary studio icon. Though unable to reveal details as of yet, she currently has requests and projects piling up as her star continues to rise. Her advice to the next generation is simple: be yourself.

“I remember thinking, Why would someone want to work with me over someone else?” she concludes. “If you are unique you could provide something that someone else doesn’t have. Knowing how to set up mics and use software isn’t what people are interested in. They are interested in what you are as a person has to offer and what your personality will bring. I can’t be anyone else, I’m just me. It seems to work”.

I will end this feature by providing more of my thoughts regarding Marks but I have included her in this feature because she is such a pioneer; leading the way for women in the studio and breaking down barriers. I love her energy and attitude and the fact she is a definite leader. So many producers I know struggle to strike a balance between letting the artist get on with it and chipping in now and then and being too controlling. Marks’ talent is reading the room and knowing when to interject and how to perfectly work alongside a huge range of different artists. I think she is one of the best producers around and she is responsible for some of the best Rock and Alternative music of the moment. I actually interviewed her in December of last year and, among the questions asked, I talked about gender inequality and what was the most rewarding part of her job:

 “There are more female producers coming through, but the industry still is filled with male producers. Do you think it is harder for women to be accepted - and does more need to be done to turn the tide?!

I think we are in the process of the tide changing. There is, of course, always more that can be done. Having these kinds of conversations helps. The Music Producers Guild have also done a lot to give recognition to the women who are doing well in their field and hopefully that will inspire more women to be involved. I’m looking forward to the day when this isn’t a question that needs to be asked and it’s not about being male or female - just about being awesome at your job.

But, it’s important that we keep having these conversations to raise awareness but also to highlight those who are kicking ass and doing well to encourage and inspire. It’s a tough job irrespective of gender but can be incredibly rewarding.

Your job involves a lot of different aspects and roles. What is the most rewarding part of working on an album and seeing it come to life?

The most rewarding aspect is the relationships you build in this really unique context and usually in a really concentrated period of time. Watching an artist grow confidence or seeing what they had in their head all along fully realised.

It’s usually when the plan that I’ve had in my head comes together. Just making music that everyone involved loves!

Would you have any advice to anyone looking to become a producer? How does one get started?

There are many ways, but one suggestion is getting in touch with producers who you like and ask them if they’ll let you come and make them tea...learning on the job is how I started.

Also, don’t be discouraged if your first experience working for a studio or producer is a disaster. It’s all part of the learning process. It’s a very unusual working environment. People working in close proximity where emotions are much more magnified and heightened. Be prepared for your first situation to be horrible and trust me when I say the next person you work for will be infinitely better”.

Coming back to Catherine Marks’ talk with Georgie Rogers; she was asked about women in the studio and parental duties. Marks name-checked some great female producers when I chatted with her – “Olga FitzRoy, Marta Salogni; Heba Kadry, Steph Marziano; Anna Laverty, Laura Marling; Sylvia Massy, Linda Perry;  Rhiannon Mair, Lauren Deakin Davies and Alex Hope just to name a few...” – but she highlighted Olga FitzRoy as an inspiration; someone who is fighting for change so that women can have families and do not need to compromise their careers.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Zoë Jordan

There is this impression, still, that women are less reliable in the studio because of things like maternity leave and whether they can be relied upon. It is Stone Age thinking but there are still these attitudes that pervade. The likes of Olga FitzRoy are striking to make changes and ensuring great women like Catherine Marks are not discriminated against. I want to bring in one last interview, where Marks was asked about retaining big acts and how she works with high-profile artists; she was asked what advice she would give to people entering the studio for the first time – adding slightly new angles when I posed the same question:

“How do you get the high-profile acts to back to you?

I like to think I bring something different to the studio. Whenever I work with someone, it’s quite all-encompassing and absorbed. There are a lot of phone conversations, meeting up, and getting to know the person, getting to know what they want. Once I’m in the studio, they’ve got me, whether it’s for three weeks or six weeks. But that is my main focus. They’re getting 100 percent of me.

Have you got any advice for aspiring producers entering the studio for the first time?

I’d suggest the same approach as artists and don’t be afraid to use stuff. It’s also okay to ask questions about how something works, whether it be the best mic for drums or best amp for guitar on a particular sounding track. You don’t have to pretend to know how everything works. That’s basically how I learned. You’re not expected to know everything about every single bit of gear.

Just be well prepared, have an idea in your mind about what you want to achieve in the time that you’ve got the studio for. This means you  can be efficient because studios are expensive”.

Catherine Marks is an amazing talent and someone who has so many fantastic years ahead! Even though she has worked with the likes of St. Vincent and The Amazons, I know there are numerous acts out there who will have Marks on their mind – that sounds like a great game show or documentary, perhaps! I digress because, as you might be aware of from reading what I have included here, there is a lot of love for Marks. She is a respected producer, engineer and mixer and is helping encourage more women into the studio. I wonder whether we will get true equality in that sense but, with the likes of Marks influencing others, I think the day will come. Maybe there is still this perception regarding women in studios and some ridiculous stereotype. We need to highlight brilliant women like Catherine Marks. I shall end things soon but, three installments into this feature, and I am having my eyes opened to some music queens; incredible pioneers and professionals who are opening the door for their peers and are primed to become huge names. When it comes to inspiring figures, Catherine Marks definitely comes to mind. Her work is tremendous and she is part of this wave of wonderful female producers who are changing the game and opening up the discussion. Make sure you follow Marks on social media, check out her work and show her some serious love. There are some great producers out there in the world but none have the same qualities and talents as…

THE sensational Catherine Marks.

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Follow Catherine Marks

Official:

http://www.catherinejmarks.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/cjmarks

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/cjmarks/

UNCREDITED PHOTOS/IMAGES:

Getty Images/Catherine Marks

FEATURE: Spotlight: Penelope Isles

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

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Penelope Isles

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AS if a band like Penelope Isles…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Russ Leggatt

could get any more lovable and appealing, they go and appear on Shaun Keaveny’s show on BBC Radio 6 Music and kick ass! Not only did they perform on the hottest day of the year so far (Thursday, 25th July) but they came from Brighton (to London) and played a trio of songs that brought some serious cool. They were completely charming in conversation and came across as down-to-earth and funny. The sort of band you can hang out with and be mates with; this incredible crew that are providing some of the freshest and most original sounds around. Their Facebook biography is brief but, in short, Penelope Isles are described thus:

“Hailing from the Isle of Man, Penelope Isles is the sounds of Jack and Lily Wolter, with the help of friends Becky Redford and Jack Sowton. Currently based between Brighton and Cornwall, the band perform melodic fuzz pop with dynamics that will transfix and satisfy. Hypnotic, chiming bedroom pop music. For the lovers of Radiohead, The Magic Numbers and Deerhunter”.

Their music and live sets have this wide-eyed brightness and optimism that is impossible to ignore. On the surface, Penelope Isles’ music is sweet and bubbly but there is an underlying scuzz, scruffiness and rush that gives this sense of danger, the unexpected and complex. Their single, Leipzig, has been getting a lot of airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music and it is a track that seems to sum the band up: dizzying and twirling with a catchy chorus but it there is a raw core and punch that gets to the gut.

The band’s new album, Until the Tide Creeps In, is a ten-track gem that allows the band to breathe and venture. Although there are only ten tracks, a lot of tracks last over four minutes and there is incredible musicianship on display. Songs such as Not Talking display the dreaminess and haze that Penelope Isles do so well; a sense of floating in warm waters whereas Gnarbone is rushing, eclectic and lasts over seven minutes – although the song seems to fly by and you will come back time and time again. Although 2019 has produced some wonderful albums, I think Penelope Isles will compete for the best album award; they have the ammunition and songwriting brilliance in addition to range and natural chemistry. The reviews for Until the Tide Creeps In have been positive. This is DIY’s take:

“Brighton quartet Penelope Isles – centred around the brother/ sister duo of Jack and Lily Wolter – have never been particularly ‘cool’. Favouring pure melodies, and the classic, harmony-laden sensibilities of bands like The Thrills over the grungy riffs of many of their town’s fellow bands of note, it’s a viewpoint that’s made them hard to place in 2019.

Yet, on their debut, shying away from any kind of pigeonholing is a trait that works in their favour; moving between the heady sonic embrace of early track ‘Round’, ‘Not Talking”s fragile, swelling croon and the bigger, denser build of ‘Gnarbone’, it means the band can go wherever they like.

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What holds it all together, meanwhile, is this sense of something insular and emotional, of unashamedly bright melodies that throw you into the sunlight and make the darker moments even more striking. ‘Until The Tide Creeps In’ is a record totally out of step with any modern music scene, and all the more timeless and special for it”.

Underwater Record Store is my favourite track from the album because it sounds like the opening to a Quentin Tarantino flick! I can imagine a cool-ass heroine driving a classic car through the desert as the sun sets; a great shot that shows a trail of carnage behind her (as the camera pans back and, as the camera moves overhead (and does not look in front of the car), there is a pan to the windscreen where we can see a line of police cars and cops with guns pointing at her; a mischievous glint in her eyes as, looking into the backseat, we see someone tied up. Songs that provoke images like this and that sort of wild imagination should be applauded. Most artists do not managed to craft these songs often: Penelope Isles have done it ten times on their debut album! PASTE, when they reviewed Penelope Isles’ album, had these thoughts:

“Penelope Isles’ style ranges from psych pop to art rock, ringing with influences like Radiohead, The Hives, Grizzly Bear, Tame Impala, and maybe a pinch of the Flaming Lips. “Underwater Record Store,” the album’s fourth track, does sound like the kind of title Wayne Coyne would come up with for one of his own songs, after all; the image is evocatively bizarre, classic Lips, except it’s personal to the Wolter’s experience—it’s the only song on the record to make mention of their father…

It isn’t the first time the record references him, though: The cover boasts a picture of their dad building a sandcastle, taken when he met Jack and Lily’s mother, which reinforces the familial bonds woven throughout Until the Tide Creeps In.

“Underwater Record Store” is the Wolters’ sweet, ethereal ode to dad, Lily’s account of a childhood incident on a beach or perhaps, simply a dream. Given the plaintive and astral quality of the music, maybe it’s a bit of both, a yarn about the time she built a sandcastle and sat helplessly to witness the iniquity of passerby trampling her work. “My Dad took me to a real castle / To make me see that nobody’s got me down,” she sings in reflective appreciation of the lesson, of Dad, of the memory. Like so much of Until the Tide Creeps In, “Underwater Record Store” is space the Wolters have created to examine together their individual and joint pasts. It’s music to reminisce to”.

Have a look at the band’s website to see where you can catch them perform but, by the looks of things, they in Finland at the moment. It is great to see there is that demand out there and not only are they proving popular in Brighton but venues around Europe want to support them. It has been a busy past year for the band and, between completing their album and the media duties, there has been little chance to chill.

It is revealing reading interviews with Penelope Isles. Here, they talked with Brighton Source and they highlighted the band’s performance at this year’s Great Escape:

“On a breezy early-summer Saturday, at the Village pub in Hanover, we begin with reminiscences about the previous month’s Great Escape, where we first see Penelope Isles downstairs at the Hope and Ruin on the Friday afternoon. The set-up’s basic; the sound is edgy, but simultaneously lucid and vibrant. The band are fantastic: a sonic club sandwich filled with 60s-inspired harmonies, held together with cocktail sticks of synth ambience and topped with a fizzing, thundering, ten-minute motorik jam-out, called Gnarbone.

“It felt like going out with no make-up on,” says Lily Wolter (keys, vocals, bass) about the gig’s intimate, rough-and-ready nature.

We love them so much at the Hope that we go to see them again the following night, at the Sallis Benney Theatre. Surely they can’t be that good again? They are even better. This time, the sound is thick, warm and lush, and the place is rammed. To us, it feels like a turning point. And they appear to agree.

“I felt it was probably our most special Brighton gig,” says Lily. “But then I also felt that at the Green Door Store at the Great Escape”.

This interview shows that the band is a stunning live proposition and they can sort of transform depending on their setting: if there is a small space then they can do intimate whereas they are able to spread and expand where there is more room to manoeuvre.

Although the band love Brighton and know there is so much there for any musician – the venues and great people – they are thriving on the road and have this incredible connection. When speaking with DORK, the familial bond of the band was highlighted in addition to a stunning realisation: Penelope Isles have taken their first big steps and it seems like even better things are coming up:

“Also at the heart of Penelope Isles is of course family. Not for the Wolters any Gallagher-esque fisticuffs, instead it is an idyllic-sounding existence of shared hopes and experiences. "It's amazing", Jack admits, "It's a wonderful feeling, especially now we've started to travel. Neither of us have really done it before because when all your mates are doing it, we were skint because we used all our money to go on tour or something."

There's something infectious about his excitement for these upcoming travels, as well as the sheer pleasure and pride in finally having that debut under his belt. "We've fallen in love with it, we've fallen out of love with it and back again, and now I'm just really excited for people to hear it!"

With their largest ever headline tour in the bag later this year, and the first baby steps to album number two already begun, there is a sense that the tides are starting to swell for Penelope Isles. Bringing the seaside to a town near you, it's time to dive in”.

Penelope Isles have come a long way since their formation and, if you want to see how they sounded a few years ago, listen to Comfortably Swell and you can see the differences. They have always been excellent but I think the band have grown in confidence and have added more into their mix. The band is heading to the U.S. later in the year and it will give them a new audience; a fresh world and the opportunity to get their music played by new radio stations. They are definitely moving in the right direction and who can blame the world for latching onto this beautiful and dreamy sound? Penelope Isles are hard to describe and pin down because, as I said earlier, they mix the ethereal and calm with songs that fizz, blossom and burst. Until the Tide Creeps In is a fantastic record that warrants a lot of love and appreciation. The more you listen to it, the more the songs reveal themselves. They are so well-written and nuanced; fascinating, instantly appealing and accessible. You’d hate the band if they were jerks and made this great music but, as I started out with, they are sweethearts – they really are the complete package and everyone should throw their weight behind them. Check out their social media feeds (at the end of this feature) and keep an eye on Penelope Isles. These guys are going to be pretty huge very soon and, honestly, they deserve every ounce of credit and respect. Go and buy Until the Tide Creeps In if you can and go and support them on the road. Just one sip of their heady music and your mind wanders into this…

BEAUTIFUL and wonderful place.

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Follow Penelope Isles

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

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

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IN THIS PHOTO: Rico Nasty 

An All-Female, Summer-Ready Playlist (Vol. VI)

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IT doesn’t feel too summery out there…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Icona Pop

at the moment but the last few days have provided us with some great weather. These new tracks – a few are a few weeks old – should bring a sense of sunshine and heat and, when we need cooling down, there are some selections that will do the job. It has been a very exciting time for female-led sounds and I have tried to combine several genres and styles. As it is pretty rainy where I am (and maybe where you are), I do think we need something upbeat and energetic. Have a listen to the great tracks below and I am sure there is something that will catch your ear. It is another wonderful week with some seriously…

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IN THIS PHOTO: UPSAHL

TALENTED artists.

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

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Freya Ridings – Holy Water

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Bishop Briggs – Tattooed on My Heart

PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Hildebrand

Tia Gostelow – Get to It

Caroline Polachek – Ocean of Tears

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Vivian Girls – Sick

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Rico Nasty – Time Flies

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G Flip – Stupid

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Biig Piig – Sunny

PHOTO CREDIT: Lewis Parsons

Angie McMahon – And I Am a Woman

PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Engel for C-Heads Magazine

Nina Kraviz – I Want You

Icona Pop – Next Mistake

Miraa May – No Shame

Tegan and Sara – I’ll Be Back Someday

UPSAHL – Wish You’d Make Me Cry

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PHOTO CREDIT: Brynley Davies

Sans Soucis - Visible

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Hanne Hukkelberg – The Young and Bold and I

Emotional Oranges – Don’t Be Lazy

Mabel – Bad Behaviour

TWEN – Baptism

Rosalie Cunningham – Riddles and Games

PHOTO CREDIT: Marieke Macklon Photography

Rider – Jump

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Lauran Hibberd – Frankie’s Girlfriend

PHOTO CREDIT: Cara Robbins

Gothic Tropic – Drunk on a Rhythm

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JJ Wilde – The Rush

LAOISE – Seriously?

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Emily Breeze – Work

Hushtones – Heart on Your Sleeve

PHOTO CREDIT: Amanda Leigh Smith

FRANKIIE – Compare

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Chloe Tang - Take Care

FEATURE: The July Playlist: Vol. 4: Rocket Fuel to Get Us Away from This Burning Planet

FEATURE:

 

The July Playlist

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IN THIS PHOTO: DJ Shadow 

Vol. 4: Rocket Fuel to Get Us Away from This Burning Planet

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THIS week is a brilliant one…

IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift

for new music…and we have some rather eclectic songs on display. The 1975 have released a new track with an environmental message; Taylor Swift has given us a new single and there is music out from DJ Shadow & De La Soul, Liam Gallagher and Rat Boy. As the weather has been so unpredictable and sweaty, I do think we need to cool down with some stunning music and relaxing vibes. This is a particularly strong week and I am glad there are so many standout cuts in the selection. Have a listen to the amazing tunes and I am sure they will give your weekend a kick-start. Settle down, turn it up loud and let the music…

DO its thing.  

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

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

DJ Shadow & De La Soul – Rocket Fuel

The 1975 – The 1975

Taylor Swift – The Archer

Ross from Friends – The Revolution

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PHOTO CREDIT: Michele Yong

Metronomy - Walking In the Dark

Bat for Lashes - Feel for You

Liam Gallagher – Once

Rat Boy – Truth of the Youth

Feeder – Daily Habit

YONAKA - Rockstar

Marika Hackman – all night

YUNGBLUD – Time in a Bottle

PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Wilton

Friendly Fires - Run the Wild Flowers

LEISURE – Man

Broken Hands - Wrong Track

Aine – Dislocated

Bishop Briggs – Tattooed on My Heart

Mabel – Bad Behaviour 

Chrissie Hynde - How Glad I Am

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Blink-182 – Darkside

Sara & Tegan – I’ll Be Back Someday

H.E.R. – 21

Slipknot – Solway Firth 

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Lykke Li – neon

Violent Femmes – Not OK

PHOTO CREDIT: Guy Eppel

Caroline Polachek – Ocean of Tears

Alessia Cara - Ready

Emotional Oranges - Don’t Be Lazy

TRACK REVIEW: The 1975 - The 1975

TRACK REVIEW:

 

The 1975

IN THIS PHOTO: Greta Thunberg and Matty Healty/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/The 1975

The 1975

 

9.5/10

 

The track, The 1975, is available via:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWcfzAfuFyE

GENRE:

Spoken Word

ORIGIN:

Manchester, U.K.

RELEASE DATE:

25th July, 2019

LABEL:

Dirty Hit

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IT might be a bit unfair to claim that…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Anders Hellberg

this new track from The 1975 is entirely the work of The 1975. Although it is called The 1975, it is an essay/speech read out by environmental activist, Greta Thunberg. She is the central aspect of the song but, before I get there, I want to talk about bands that expand and grow hugely over time; why environmental issues are at the fore right now and we should be taking more notice; how bands like The 1975 are going to inspire others to talk about big themes in their music; role models and artists that we should be looking up to; a bit about Pop and how some are helping to redefine it – I will end by stating where The 1975 are heading and what lies in their future. Let’s start by talking about The 1975 as this act who have really blown up through the years. I remember when they released their eponymous debut back in 2013 and how different it sounds to what they are producing now. The band consist lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew ‘Matty’ Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann; bassist Ross MacDonald and drummer George Daniel. They have come an awful long way in a few years but I do like how they started. Maybe their self-titled album was not as ambitious and original as the work they are producing now but there were some hits and memorable numbers on the debut – no less Chocolate and Sex. They sort of upped their game by 2016’s I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It and, whilst that titled annoyed many people (it is a bit stupid!), it was another evolution for a band becoming more confident and experimental. I think The 1975 really developed their sound and became a lot more ambitious as time went on. Maybe few would have expected them to survive after their debut but, lo and behold, they continued on and last year’s A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships is their finest work. It has just been nominated for a Mercury Prize and many are tipping it to win.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Louise Haywood-Schiefer

This is a group who have come a very long way since the start of their careers and they seem to be growing stronger by the release. Listen to A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships and it is a very different beast to The 1975. They are less reliant on pure love songs or straight numbers that have great hooks and make you sing along. They are introducing new sounds and formats; stretching what an album can be and are becoming more socially conscious and bold as they go along. That will lead me to their latest song but one only needs to listen to what they have released recently to see The 1975 are one of the biggest bands in the world. This is a time when solo artists are dominating so it is nice to see bands like The 1975 around. I would hate the music industry to become too reliant on solo artists and, as there is not the same level of Rock bands as we had years ago, maybe it is harder for bands to succeed. The 1975 are leading the way and are proving what can be achieved; how bands do not need to sound the same and I do think we will see a lot of new bands form that are inspired by The 1975. I wonder how far The 1975 can go because, very soon, they are bringing out their album, Notes on a Conditional Form. In fact, I think the album is coming out next year but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it pushed forward, given the momentum they have created. I am not sure what their upcoming album will revolve around but, if it is anything like A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, then it is going to be a smash – that album was one of the best-rated of last year. Touring and adulation on the road has helped when it comes to The 1975 growing and expanding their horizons but I think they are looking around them and writing the types of songs we need to hear right now.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/The 1975

That brings me to the environment and other subjects that are not necessarily documented in music all that much. I know artists like ANONHI (4 Degrees) have talked about the changing climate and how serious it is but, largely, the mainstream still consists of artists talking about themselves. What this year’s list of Mercury-nominated artists shows is that we have some great British acts that are getting urgent and starting to talk about what matters. From Grime and Hip-Hop albums that investigate modern Britain and the realities of the street to artists tackling toxic relationships and gender imbalance, it is great to see something serious being injected into music. I know this is not new but I still feel like there is too much personal heartache and commercial sounds at the forefront. Given the fact the world is changing and the environment is under threat, I do think artists have a responsibility to talk about it and open eyes. I doubt there are many of us who want to experience too many days like we have done recently – especially the heat of Thursday! It was really unbearable and it is quite worrying to realise that this sort of heat will become more common. The problems with the environment are manmade and we need to do all we can to try and reverse climate change. Maybe it will be impossible to undo all the damage but it is imperative that we do all we can. It might be a bit scary talking about environmental changes in music and hard to articulate something moving but I feel more artists need to try. The 1975 are one of these bands who are not shying away from the big subjects and want people to react and take action. I do feel, as climate change takes hold, musicians have a very important part to play. I am not suggesting they can lead to revolution and solve all the problems around but I do not think the Government are doing enough.

If the Mercury shortlist shows anything it is that the best music at the moment strays away from the strictly personal and has a political edge. I do love artists that discuss their own lives but, as the world becomes more divided and there are so many problems around, artists are leading the way and doing what politicians should be doing. The 1975 are a fantastic band and, no doubt, will inspire people to make changes. The money raised for their new single is going to Extinction Rebellion – an environmental charity – and I do hope that our current Government are moved to take action and introduce measures…although that might be a bit of a stretch! Music is fine as it is right now but how many tracks open your eyes, move you and actually make you think?! There are not that many, I bet, and I do think that artists around the world need to start talking about big subjects. Many do already but I think we need a lot more recruitment and a louder voice. I am not surprised The 1975 have brought out this song that puts Greta Thunberg at the front because she is someone who is inspiring many. Only sixteen, she is an activist who is making speeches and calling for change. The 1975’s new track is less a traditional song and more Spoken Word; Thunberg delivering this impassioned and striking speech that calls for action and revolution. Some have claimed the messages are quite irresponsible and will provoke violence but it is clear what she is saying: we are being let down and the planet is in real danger at the moment. If we let things carry on as they are, it will mean extreme heat will be the norm and future generations will suffer. I am a bit worried how things will work out and what state the planet will be in (in) about twenty years. We all need to take action because we are reaching a point of no return – somewhere we do not want to be at all!

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Hughes

I want to bring in a couple of interviews The 1975 gave last year when promoting A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. I do not think there are many bands out there at the moment you can call iconic or role models. I feel The 1975 transcend mere band status and have a much bigger role to play. Matty Healy, especially, is someone who speaks out against gender inequality and wants balance; he is concerned about the planet and wants to see changes there. So many musicians remain quiet because they fear the label will object or fans will turn away but music’s huge platform is not necessarily being exploited by popular artists. More and more, issues big and small are cropping up and I do think musicians have a duty to bring them up in their work. In this interview with DIY, Healy talks about how tough it is being a human and the fears he has:

 “Instead, ‘A Brief Enquiry…’ looks set to beat with a far more human and fallible heart than these early technology-infatuated movements might suggest. Of course, there’s an overly complex explanation about the renouncing of his previous postmodern songwriting tendencies (“always referencing myself, always referencing another song”) to explain it all, but really it boils down to a far simpler point: “Everything is so ironic because the idea of sentiment is more difficult to deal with. Being human is more difficult than being ironic.”

At a time where society is more politically polarised than ever, and a fear of being publicly burned on social media has the world treading on fearful eggshells, The 1975 want to tap into the real, human feeling at the centre of it all. “You look at the Right, and the Right has got Nazis in it, so we put that in a box and we know that’s not a good place to go. And then you look at the Left and you’ve got this whole group of people who just won’t stand for any nuance.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/The 1975 

So everyone’s scared. I’m scared. I think that people are scared to feel, and they don’t know what to say. So I think that going deeper is where this record’s come from,” Matty explains. Later in our conversation, these fears manifest themselves in a way that’s echoed by many conscientious males in the public eye right now. “Let me ask your opinion on something,” he cuts in. “I can be quite tactile, so am I deluded or paranoid to think, would it be good for me to always have a chaperone in interviews if the journalist is female?” he questions. “I’m worried about being myself and just chatting. I know that women are made to feel uncomfortable by men, so is it my moral duty to say, would you like another person around? Or does that make me seem guilty? I’m not a bigot, and I’m not a racist and I’m not sexist, but what if there was some ridiculous scandal that was not true but managed to really discredit me?”

There are very few leads who are as open and revealing in interviews and, whilst someone like Matty Healy is quite accessible, there is also something pretty amazing about him. He is a bit of a role model but his path has not always been clear and straight. Healy has had to overcome problems and challenges but, as he explained to GQ, excess and addiction is not a good path – almost eschewing the traditional mantras or Rock bands and that idea life:

 “He starts to tick them off, “Sex, drugs, done all of them, that’s not a path to salvation. Not that I don’t have a good sex life, not that we need to get personal about it, but art, drugs, sex, religion... Religion, unfortunately, [is] not an option, especially if you live in England. They’re all just forms of losing yourself and I think I see that at shows, kids having that moment of freedom. That’s one of the only times I feel really free, when I’m on stage, not because people are looking at me, but because I’m fulfilling my purpose.” He adds, “I’ve learned more from artists who signpost toward utopian ideals as opposed to politicians and leaders that actually try and create them and fuck them up. Artists have taught me way more than anyone else really”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Hughes

Healy is a cleaner and more focused artist than he once was and many people should be looking up to him, I think. There are too many artists around with very little to say but The 1975 are almost like their own political party. They can craft music that is catchy and radio-primed but there are deeper messages and important themes being tackled throughout. In many ways, The 1975 are part of a movement who are redefining Pop and what it stands for. Even though there is a lot of commercial Pop flying about still, The 1975 are showing what direction it should be moving in. They are discussing themes around sex, politics and social issues but are pairing that with compositions and vocals that stick in the heart and has a lighter touch. Other artists like Billie Eilish are also taking Pop in new directions and it is pleasing to see innovators around who are not just following everyone else. I know other bands are compelled by The 1975 so it will not be too long until we see them make their way to the mainstream. Music is in a good state I think but there is still an absence of the biggest artists using their voice to actually talk about stuff that matters: still, there is this reliance on the commercial and personal. It is a bit sad to see but I guess it will be hard to override that. As we are made more aware of problems around climate change and the environment, I feel musicians will react and we will hear more songs that call for action and change. I shall move on in a second but I am glad The 1975 are riding high right now and delivering these very stirring and inspiring songs. I should probably stop with the gabbing and actually get down to reviewing The 1975’s eponymous track.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Campanella

The opening of The 1975 is soft piano and something quite tender. We hear a couple of voices (one of them belonging to Greta Thunberg) chatting and there is this delicate and tender piano line. It never really gets to the forefront but brilliantly scores Thunberg who comes to the microphone and, with a serious tone, she talks about what we are experiencing right now. Rather than get angry and fire the words out, there is this stern feeling but she never shouts or forces the issue. Instead, Thunberg talks about how we are living in an environmental crisis and we cannot hide from it. Many governments around the world are not calling it what it is and we need to start accepting that there is a huge problem that we need to face and rectify. We do not have all the solutions yet unless, as Thunberg says, we simply do nothing. It seems that there is this general apathy and inactivity that means the world is being destroyed needlessly. Nobody can ignore the facts and harsh truth and so, with that in mind, what are we to do? Thunberg states that the “older generations have failed” and this current climate battle is one we are losing. These words seem quite haunting and perilous but, rather than scare and put you off, they are designed to make you think and inspire. I do like the fact the composition is very much at the back and the attention is on the voice. Some artists, if they tried a song like this, would have electronics and all manner of sounds getting in the way. Thunberg outlines how political movements are failing but we as humans have not yet failed – and we can still turn this around if we want to. We need to recognise the failings of our systems and, if we do not do that, then we stand no chance. This sort of disaster has not befalling the world and we have seen nothing like this before. Now is the time to speak clearly and not be polite about things.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Thunberg recognises that this is a huge issue but we need to stop our emissions of greenhouse gases; it is a simple fix but so many of us are passive and ignorant. Maybe the track is not providing information we did not already know but, in this context, it sounds much more powerful and moving than it ever has. So many people are talking about the danger of emissions and the fact that nothing is being done to cut that down. One of the most emphasised and memorable parts of the song is the nature of black-and-white. Thunberg says that we are told nothing in black or white but, in the case of the planet and whether we continue, it very much is – we can either choose to go on or not. There are no grey areas regarding survival and the preservation of the planet and we can take transformational action to safeguard the world for future generations. Coming from the mouth of a teen, these words sound more moving and emotional than, say, an older person. It is almost like we have this girl who is fearful she will not live long enough to see old age because of the climate crisis. It gives The 1975 this very sad edge but, rather than drag the listener down, Thunberg is building us up and saying that we can make changes. Rather than sit around and accept that things are lost, we all can make that change and help keep this planet safe. Strings stir and build in the background and there is this symphonic quality to the track. Thunberg knows that individual change alone cannot redress the balance and reverse the damage done. There needs to be this systemic and widespread movement that pledges action and brings in laws. Cutting down on emissions and making sure we reduce pollution is key. Thunberg wants us to wake up and make the changes required because we can all do it and we have that power inside us.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Penguin

It might only be small changes – using public transport more and being more conscious of our environmental impact – but it needs to start now. There is clear emotion in her voice as the tracks nears the end. It might seem impossible but the facts are before us and we cannot ignore them. We are using so much oil and that alone is creating a huge impact. If we can recognise where the problems are starting and the main causes of climate change then we know what to do; how to make those changes so that we can start to make a difference. The final lines of the song are the most effecting. When it comes to keeping that oil in the ground, there are no rules and polices. Governments and big companies can do what they want and, because of that, greater intensity needs to happen; this is a moment to revolt and take to the streets. In the rather calm context, that sentiment hits you and it seems very extreme. Many will debate whether street-level protest can achieve that much but Thunberg is advocating something more extreme: it is time to rebel and create civil disobedience. The song ends there and you have to sit back and think. We need to take action today and, really, is the best way to see fast improvement and betterment hitting the streets and creating unrest?! It seems like all other methods have failed and maybe we have left it too long – revolution is the only solution to the problems we have caused. The 1975, with Thunberg, have created a track that will affect many people and let’s hope that there are people in power who have heard it and will be compelled to act. I do think we are in a situation where we cannot afford to wait and we do need to think about the next step. Whether it is making huge personal changes or civil disobedience, The 1975 is a song that you will not forget in a hurry.

The 1975 have been shortlisted for a Mercury for A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships and they must rank as one of the favourites right now. Others are tipping Dave, Little Simz and Anna Calvi for their albums but I do think The 1975 have a lot of momentum at the moment. Make sure you follow them on social media to see where they are heading but the next few months are going to be very busy for them. Not only do they have to prepare for the Mercury Prize ceremony in September but their album, Notes on a Conditional Form, is coming along. There are touring demands and it is going to be pretty hectic for a little while. I do hope they get time to chill and relax at some point because they have been pretty full-on for a while now. They are, debatably, one of the biggest bands in the world and they seem to be on their own level. I still look back to where they came from and how much they have developed since their debut. They almost sound like a different bands and it is quite amazing matching their debut album to their latest. Maybe it is just a natural evolution but The 1975 of today are far more essential and urgent than the band of the past. They are on top form and you can never predict what they will come out with next. A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships is an album very much of this time. Tackling some big issues and deeper subjects, bands like The 1975 show that you can mix the thought-provoking and serious with something more fun and catchy. The 1975’s new track will turn many heads and it will inspire some younger listeners. I do not think our current Government are truly aware of climate change and how serious things are now. I doubt they will take action and get involved like they should so, really, is it down to musicians to take their place?! That seems quite sad and alarming but I do know the likes of The 1975 and Greta Thunberg will compel many people out there to speak out and demand change. I shall end things here but it has been an unusual and great experience reviewing a track that is less musical as it is a stirring speech. I do not get to do that often so, when the opportunity arises, I am always keen. The 1975 is a song that will stun everyone and Thunberg really delivers this evocative and powerful statement. It makes me wonder whether other songs on Notes on a Conditional Form will be as original and bold but, as a potential first taster, it is stunning indeed. A track that gets into the head and stirs the blood, it is yet another arresting cut from…

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ONE of the biggest bands around.

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Follow The 1975

FEATURE: Into the Groove: Trying to Create That ‘Ultimate’ Music Podcast

FEATURE:

 

 

Into the Groove

PHOTO CREDIT: Rex 

Trying to Create That ‘Ultimate’ Music Podcast

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THAT title at the top…

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @moco1384/Unsplash

is a bit of a placeholder and I am not sure whether that will be an actual reality – Into the Groove seemed to fit what I want to do but, inevitably, something more apt will appear and form closer to completion. There are some great music podcasts around and there are lists and features that point you the way of the best around – there is a podcast designed for every music-loving soul, it seems. I have been trying to set up my own podcast for the longest time and I have also tried to get a Kate Bush podcast going. That might take a little while to get going but there are few Kate Bush podcasts so I think I can fill a hole. In terms of broader music, it is harder being unique and providing something different. I think a long running radio show such as Desert Island Discs gets into the heart because it features interesting people simply choosing eight songs (or discs) that mean a lot to them. There are great podcasts/shows like Matt Everitt’s The First Time with… that brings together famous figures from music and they literally talk about their first times – records, gigs and memories. It is another simple and popular format that combines interviewing with personal musical choices. There are a lot of podcasts around that are similar and each have their own little touches and special fabrics.

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 IMAGE COMPOSITE: Vinyl Me Please

It is challenging coming into the podcast market with something completely fresh that will take people by storm. You also need to think about finance and paying for the thing. The initial set-up and equipment is affordable enough but, when it comes to song clearance/licensing and paying for that; sorting out guests and other expenses…that can add up and you need to look at the other end: getting some revenue back and being able to afford a podcast. One might look at advertisers and sponsors but, if you are new, you might not be able to command big sponsors and get that much from advertising revenue. I have thought of all of this and, with a small budget, I think I can put a first series together. I have pitched ideas before but I think the latest incarnation holds promise. It will be a ninety-minute show divided into two: like a record’s A and B side, guests would pick six tracks in the first half and four in the second. Like a lot of music podcasts, the categories (relating to the songs chosen) would be specific. It would start with the first song the guest remembers – they recall that special moment when music came into their life. They would talk about the first album they bought and select a song from that; their most-treasured/favourite album (and select a track); their favourite artist and band – ditto regarding songs – and, oddly, pick a song from their favourite NOW That's What I Call Music! compilation.

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 PHOTO CREDIT: @oceanswide/Unsplash

I wanted to choose a couple of categories that are unusual because, not only was NOW That's What I Call Music! born the same year as me (1983) but because it sort of joins us all. We all have the series in common and, whether at school or later/earlier in life, we have some degree of exposure to NOW That's What I Call Music! That would end the first side/half. Like a record, it would then end and we would flip over. Throughout the opening half, the interview/process takes the same sort of form as Desert Island Discs where guests talk about their musical tastes and upbringing. Unlike most other options, this podcast is purely about the music – there will be personal discussions but, for the most part, it is all about music! That first side would last forty minutes and, before the second forty minutes, there would be an intermission/pause. We would lift the needle up and there would be a chat/special section that would last ten minutes. I am still working on the idea in full but I think it is important to break up the music and usual format and provide that transition. When the second half comes on, there would be four more tracks and a ‘bonus track’. The first track off of the break continues where the first side left off: a rather unusual category and, again, I think it would join us all: a favourite track from The Beatles.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Wilma

Everyone loves The Beatles – or they will do if they are on MY podcast – so it is a chance to chat about the band and select a song from them. The next track selection would be a track from a film soundtrack – the guest chooses their favourite film soundtrack and, after brief discussion, they can select a cut from it. The guest would then move on to new music: talking about a band/act that is fresh to them and setting up a song. The last choice would be their favourite track; the song that means everything to them. The ‘bonus track’ that I allude to can last no longer than one minute. It can be anything: from a T.V. theme to an interview or a very short song – something that ends that guest’s ‘album’ and would add a lovely finishing touch. That would commence the show and, whilst the podcast is digital and all the music would be sourced online, each track is included onto a record the guest can take away with them – the selection of songs from each guest is included in a playlist; the podcast would have its own Spotify channel and all songs featured are on there. It has elements of existing formats but the concentration on music discussion and those different categories means that it would set itself apart from everything else. It – whatever I choose to call the podcast series – would have bespoke playlists where guests get to talk about their musical experiences and would take interviewees from all corners of the media.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Laverne (who would make a perfect guest)/PHOTO CREDIT: Boden Diaries

From radio presenters and actors to writers and directors, it would be an interesting mix. I have not considered all of the ten names I want for the first series but I am thinking about BBC Radio 6 Music/BBC Radio 4’s Lauren Laverne – as she hosts Desert Island Discs – and musician Hayden Thorpe (formerly of Wild Beasts); also The Guardian’s deputy music editor, Laura Snapes. The idea is to go in-depth with the guests and explore what music means to them and the artists they were exposed to. I am still concocting what will fill that between-sides segment but it is a chance to kick back with the guests and do something different. In time that will come but I have always wanted to put together a music podcast that has a similar feel to the best around but has its own skin and dynamic. Coming in at ninety minutes a go, it is not too long but would allow enough time to go deep and feature an array of great tracks. Everyone’s tastes are different so getting that ‘ultimate’ podcast made might not be possible. Perhaps it is too subjective a thing but I do feel that striking that balance of relaxed and detailed is hard but, if done right, it is a perfect blend. My podcast (I will have to decide on a title: maybe Self-Titled?!). I am quite optimistic and I think I can get some great guests on.

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Hayden Thorpe (who would make another ideal guest)/PHOTO CREDIT: Phil Smithies

There are a lot of great music podcasts but, with so many music-lovers out there, you can find room and a market if you do it right. Just thinking about it, the guest can come up with their own album cover. During the conversation, they would reveal their favourite album covers and, when it comes to their own album (they take away at the end), they can design the cover – the album, as a possible title suggests, is self-titled and the album cover would be the cover image for each episode. I shall leave things there but, as I have been searching for a podcast I can invest in and push forward, I do think that this might be it. It is simple enough but has that deep conversation that urges a guest to look back to their childhood and when music arrived; bring it right up-to-date and really open up their vinyl collection. I have other ideas that I will add to the concept but I think, as it stands, it has legs. The guests are important and, whilst I have only two or three clear names in mind for the first series, I want to divide it between radio presenters, musicians; actors and directors/producers with a journalist and writer in there – making sure there is an even split of male and female guests. The podcast market is crowded but the demand is there and, when it comes to music, there is always going to be a place – if the idea has potential and the promise of longevity. The idea of chatting with a special guest, getting serious about music and playing some top tunes sounds like…

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PHOTO CREDIT: @brookecagle/Unsplash

PERFECTION to me.