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

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: The Golden Age of TV/PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Benge 

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

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THIS is a chilly day…

PHOTO CREDIT: ROSALÍA 

and we all need something to get the body warmed up! I think I have a nice selection of tracks that will do the job and provide some nice surprises. There is a good rang of music on display from some of the best female artists of the moment. If you are picky with your tasters, you will not be able to argue with the quality and variation. Have a listen to the songs below and I know they will make the weekend that much better and exciting. We are getting near to the end of the year, and I am always stunned by the standard that is being offered from women in music. Take a dive into this week’s female-led playlist and experience…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Mabes

ANOTHER bumper crop.

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

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The Golden Age of TV – Caught in Doors

Tallsaint – Model Effect

PHOTO CREDIT: Barbora Mrazkova

Charlotte Spiral –Wide Eyed

PHOTO CREDIT: Bu9boy

Aunty Social – Crack a Deal

Ella Henderson – Glorious

Jaz Karis – Summer Story

Alison Balsam – Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351: 1. Overture (Adagio) 

PHOTO CREDIT: Nina Manandhar

RAY BLK, Chip - Action

Jehnny Beth – I’m the Man

PHOTO CREDIT: Jess Gleeson

Stella Donnelly – Season’s Greetings

Lauren Sanderson – Upset

Emotional Oranges – West Coast Love

Lauran Hibberd – Sweat Patch

PHOTO CREDIT: @samanthacasolari

Jessie Ware – Mirage (Don’t Stop)

Mabes - Little Love

Melanie C, Sink the Pink – High Heels

Samantha Harvey – Get to Know You

Glowie – Unlovable

Soda Blonde – Terrible Hands

ROSALÍA - A Palé

Kelsea Ballerini – club

Iggy Azalea, Alice Chater - Lola

Tennis – Runner

Shaylen – Sprite

Bishop Briggs – CHAMPION

Madelin – Girl I Never Was

Josienne Clarke – Season & Time

Doja Cat – Streets

Karmic – Little Lucille

FEATURE: Stage Dive: The Highs and Lows of the Live Performance

FEATURE:

 

Stage Dive

PHOTO CREDIT: @paullywooten/Unsplash 

The Highs and Lows of the Live Performance

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TO me…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @paullywooten/Unsplash

performing on stage to a huge crowd would be one of the scariest things imaginable! I have done some public speaking and been on the radio, and that is absolutely fine. The idea of being in the spotlight and having to perform would be too much. What happens if my mouth dries or, if I were a singer, I forget the words to a song? That idea of leading a set and interacting with the audience…I would not vibe off of that experience. Chris Hawkins (BBC Radio 6 Music) has been behind some great documentaries in his time but, as part of a new series, Playing Well, he investigates live performance and the science behind it; how there is this addictive high and a sort of dependence. This BBC article explains more:

“A new Radio 4 documentary tracked the stress levels of musicians as they took to the stage. Presenter Chris Hawkins explains why they found the experience can be addictive... and dangerous.

Lots of singers have a ritual before heading on stage.

As a DJ, I've seen the group huddles, the performers who go quiet and the ones who get nervous - but I've never appreciated the sheer toll live performance can take on the body.

As part of Radio 4's new Art of Now series, Playing Well, I've been talking to musicians about mental health - and when we were given the chance to measure the stress involved in playing a gig, we got some surprising results.

PHOTO CREDIT: @vidarnm/Unsplash

Our guinea pig Marcus, from the band Pagans SOH, had to agree to a testing regime that involved giving 12 saliva samples on the day before, the day of the gig, and the day after.

"Interestingly, the day before the gig was very normal, which is a great sign for Marcus it means he's healthy," said Professor Catharine Loveday, who led the study. "He woke up and his cortisol went up just as it should do.

"The day of the gig, already in the morning it was quite disrupted [and] after the gig it shot right up by about seven nanomoles. That's really quite a large leap".

In the first episode, Hawkins discussed the life of the late Frightened Rabbit lead, Scott Hutchison. The musician took his own life last year and, whilst he was adored and seemed happy on stage, there was a certain sense of expectation and pressure on his shoulders; maybe a false sense of happiness and fulfillment. It is well known that a lot of musicians struggle with stage fright, and they struggle to get onto the stage and play. Having to summon the energy to gig so often can take a lot out of them and take its toll. Others love that buzz and feed off of the adulation and electricity. If I was a performer and had that confidence, I think I would feel that rush and carry it for quite a while. I wonder what happens when artists sort of ‘come back down to Earth’ and the endorphins wear off?

 PHOTO CREDIT: @sekibaku/Unsplash

One would assume that touring would be more brutal on solo artists, because they lack the support of a band and are often alone before and after gigs. I think it does depend on the person as to what affect gigs have. I have been to a fair few live shows, and I can imagine how demanding it is for every musician to perform their role. Even if you perform in a genre that does not necessarily require a huge amount of energy, there is still that physical demand of repeat gigging; having to hone your craft and deliver these great shows time and time again. If you are an artist who exerts more energy, the stamina needed to keep going for even a single gig is immense. For sure, the buzz of playing helps with endurance; the connection with the crowd can give incredible strength but, when it is all over, one has to decompress. You then need to rebuild and do it all over again. It is not only the effect the actual gig has that can cause problems. Consider the travel between gigs and how exhausting a commute can be. There is a lot of preparation and rehearsal needed so, before an act even gets to the stage, they have already sweated and struggled. In the case of artists like Scott Hutchison, one has to balance the thrill of adulation and applause coupled with the vast gulf between life on the stage and in a private light. Often, artists tour so much because they want to distract themselves from problems, or they suffer from mental-health issues and perform to get a high. That high can be addictive and, like any addiction, the crash that one suffers can be horrendous.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Also, bands are often in close confines with one another and, even if they have a great connection, there are always going to be tensions and problems from time to time. I think we all see artists play and, from a gig-goer’s view, it all seems pretty cool and something to be idolised. That may be the case with some, but how many of us consider the mental and physical impact involved with performance? Many performers get incredibly stressed before they play and have to carry that through a gig. Stress not only affects the mind, but it also affects the body and can be very dangerous. I have looked at the ups and downs of touring before; in that case, it was more to do with the physical repercussions and whether we get this idealised impression of touring. Mental illness is being discussed more. Musicians are opening up more and we have a greater understanding. It can be risky revealing the darker side of gigs, seeing as that can backfire. People go and see an artist so might not be willing to do knowing it is harming them. I have never really considered the short and long-term affects of touring and pushing too hard. Now, with so many artists about, there is competition and a lot of demand. Streaming and social media means music can reach anyone in the world; this means even smaller artists will get a lot of requests and feel the need to play as many gigs as possible.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @jakobowens1/Unsplash

Seeing as streaming music does not generate a sustainable amount of income – how many artists could live off of streaming royalties and profit?! -, touring is the only option. The BBC article talks about the long-term impact of gigs and demand:

“In an industry which has placed an increased emphasis on live work, musicians may run into difficulty when a punishing schedule offers their cortisol levels little chance to settle down.

Professor Loveday included "recovery time" as one of her five tips for looking after your mental health in the music business - all of which are included in the documentary.

Interestingly, one of the others was "hang on to your friends outside of music" - as being grounded is a crucial way to stop the intensity of the business affecting you negatively”.

Sociability and winding down are essential for musicians to remain grounded and not burn out. So many artists are hooked on social media or suffer from anxiety. It can be hard to detach or unwind but, more and more, artists need to find some precious time to be ‘normal’ and allow their bodies and minds to re-engage and calm. I have talked a lot about the negative aspects of performance when, in reality, there are many positives. Finding that balance where artists can play a lot and ensure they look after their health is often easier said than done. We can all appreciate that.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @tjump/Unsplash

That classic image of the artist or band getting huge ovation and rapturous love lures many people to the industry. I have seen it enough times and can see the genuine happiness on the face of the artists. Social media is good when it comes to promoting music, yet there is this false sense of connection; it can be very isolating and lonely. I know there is inherent loneliness with touring, but performance is the chance for artists to engage with their fans; to tear down the walls and anonymity of the Internet and actually be in the same space at the same time. The rewards from the point of view of artist and fan alike is evident. Life on the road can be sweet. Artists get to see different places and be afforded opportunities to see the world they wouldn’t be able to if they were in any other career. Also, so many musicians prefer live performance and that is what they work towards. Recording songs can be great, but you never know how people will react to them and how they come to life. Gigs are essential, not only to gain fans and exposure, but to get these songs tested and feel that direct response. Aside from sweaty vans and a lot of travel delays, there are some real benefits of being on the road and taking to the stage. The sheer rush artists feel when they are in control and in the zone is impossible to beat!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Wolf Alice/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I am not suggesting one thinks twice before going to a gig; worried that the artist they are seeing is masking pain and is going to experience a massive dive. The documentary series from Chris Hawkins and the BBC is essential because it demystifies this impression we have about the ‘tortured artist’ and whether their lyrics are exaggerated and melodramatic. Often, artists have to put on a façade on stage and, as I said, many artists have different personas: a more reserved private individual and someone who comes alive and is reborn on the stage. In the second episode of the Playing Well series brings together artists such as Wolf Alice and John Grant, who talk about the intensity and realities of touring. The new Radio 4 Art of Now series, Playing Well, shows that musicians are not often as open as sport personalities and famous figures when it comes to their mental-health and the effects of touring. Maybe there is this stigma or hesitation being so frank when there is the risk of losing fans and commercial stature. Being on the stage can allow artists the chance to release and express themselves in a way that is incredibly powerful and restorative. There are also the downsides that we often ignore or are not aware of – make sure you follow the Radio 4 series, because it is very illuminating and honest. That sort of returns me to my opening lines regarding myself and the terror of live performance. I could definitely appreciate the raw power you get from any performance, whether it is acoustic or electric. There is a magic in the air that is hard to describe. Having your music instantly register with an audience must provide a massive high – and it is understandable why so many artists love life on the road. There is that often-unexplored low and risk that artists run; the mental-health problems and the stress that can take a toll on the body and mind. Any series that promotes conversation about musicians’ wellbeing should be applauded, so it is great to see Chris Hawkins and BBC Radio 4 put such an important subject…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @timscreate/Unsplash

UNDER the spotlight.

FEATURE: The November Playlist Vol. 2: Darkness, Sadness and Fools

FEATURE:

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: FKA twigs

Vol. 2: Darkness, Sadness and Fools

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AS we inch closer to Christmas…

IN THIS PHOTO: Beck

there are a few festive cuts coming into the mix. That said, some major players have released some gold into the market. There is a posthumous release from Prince; new brilliance from CHVRCHES, FKA twigs and Frank Ocean; stunners from Róisín Murphy, Beck and Max Cooper. It is a brilliant week with lots of variation and some amazing tracks. I know there will be something in there for everyone; a perfect soundtrack to kick off the weekend! Take these sounds with you and get behind some simply amazing tunes. As it is cold outside and we all need a blast of warmth, this playlist is very sure to…

IN THIS PHOTO: Prince/PHOTO CREDIT: Manuela Testolini

BRING the heat.  

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

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FKA twigs – sad day

Beck – Dark Places

Prince – Don’t Let Him Fool Ya

CHVRCHES - Death Stranding

Róisín Murphy - Narcissus (Edit)

Frank Ocean – In My Room

Iggy Azalea, Alice Chater - Lola

Jehnny Beth - I'm the Man

Villagers – Did You Know? 

Jessie Ware – Mirage (Don’t Stop)

ROSALÍA - A Palé

Best Coast – For the First Time

Lanterns on the Lake - Every Atom

J Hus - Must Be

Coldplay – Everyday Life

Max Cooper – Nanotech

Doja Cat – Cyber Sex

PHOTO CREDIT: Kelsey Hart/Little Ghost

Kate Nash - Bad Lieutenant

Dave – Paper Cuts

Tom Walker – Be Myself

Bishop Briggs – CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Macpherson

George Michael – This Is How (We Want You to Get High)

Stella Donnelly - Season's Greetings

AJ Mitchell – Say It Again

Ozzy Osbourne – Under the Graveyard     

Rufus Wainwright - Trouble in Paradise

Graham Coxon - She Knows (From the End of the F***ing World 2) 

Glowie – Unlovable

Skip Marley (with H.E.R.) – Slow Down

Kitt Philippa – Fahrenheit

Dave East – Night Shift

TRACK REVIEW: Róisín Murphy - Narcissus

TRACK REVIEW:

 

 

Róisín Murphy

PHOTO CREDIT: Casper Sejersen 

Narcissus

9.7/10

The track, Narcissus, is available from:

https://open.spotify.com/track/5wbMrjW0AJz4JHwh7EzEb5?si=DzY8NGp1TNuOglLoIPcHHQ

GENRES:

Disco/Electro-Pop/Dance-Pop

ORIGIN:

London, U.K.

RELEASE DATE:

8th November, 2019

LABELS:

Mickey Murphy’s Daughter Limited/Loaded Records Limited

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I normally ensure I review a different artist each week…

but, having been hooked by Róisín Murphy’s single, Incapable, earlier in the year, I have looked out and asked when another track is coming. Our prayers have been answered and, whilst I will review a new artist on Sunday, I want to revisit Murphy and her special brew. I shall try not to repeat too much from my previous review but, this time around, I want to talk about Disco and good vibes; that mixture of potent beats and a sadder subject matter when it comes to creating something incredible; why Róisín Murphy is not only a vital role model and voice of today but is also endlessly entertaining; a bit about teasers and the way artists structure their music releases; some mention of next year and why Murphy could well be a big fixture of the festival circuit – and what 2020 might hold in store for the legend. If you are my age (in your thirties), your first exposure to Murphy would have been through Moloko. Moloko formed in Sheffield in the 1990s and, although Murphy is from Arklow in Ireland, she and Mark Brydon crafted this incredible career and produced some of the best and most memorable music of the ‘90s. There are a lot of bands who start off and can own a decade and then, years down the line, the music changes and softens. There is not that adaption and sense of evolution that makes them shine and pervade at a different time. It is interesting seeing these iconic artists continue to make music through time and noticing how they alter. One might expect a post-Moloko Murphy to change tact and head in a new direction, but that is not really the case. Look at her solo albums so far – Ruby Blue (2005), Overpowered (2007); Hairless Toys (2015) and Take Her Up to Monto (2017) – and there is this continuous sense of growth and exploration. I will cover this later but what I love about Murphy’s music is the fact she continues to liven up the scene.

She can drop these bangers and classic cuts that delight us and, just when we need another hit, she is back with another track! The fact Murphy has been recording music for decades and seems to improve with time acts as inspiration and impetus for musicians. I know Róisín Murphy is hardly knocking at Death’s door, but there is this sense of expectation and limitation imposed upon artists, especially women, when they get to a certain age. That may sound insulting, but that I mean is that there is still this ideal that suggests artists are at their most relevant and worthy when they are young and hip; when they put out music that is quite accessible and commercial. Murphy is not only one of the most characterful and energising artists on the scene; she is also someone who sounds much more progressive and current than anyone else. I do think there are wide swathes of music that have grown pretty dull and formulaic. I think Murphy is a role model, because she does not conform or rest on her laurels. She could easily have put out a modern-day version of her Moloko work or followed the mainstream when it comes to what’s trending and turning heads. Instead, here is an artist who is always looking to see where the next gem will come from. Róisín Murphy is a songwriter who puts her passion and heart into the music and can somehow release these songs that stay in the head for ages. There are artists who release nuanced and memorable songs time and time again, yet few can reach the powers and heights of Murphy. I also love how she is pretty funny and down to earth. A lot of artists are either quite distant or they can be a bit too serious on social media. Murphy is always funny, quick to communicate with her followers and, I have it on good authority, she sports a range of fascinating and unique outfits when she hits the stage. There are few as fun as her and, at a time when we need joy and brightness, I think Murphy is a definite tonic.  

The year is almost through, but Murphy is not slowing anytime soon and, with a new track out in the ether, she will get more demand for live performances and, maybe, an album. I will move on, but I want to bring in an interview from earlier in the year, where she spoke about her career progression and how she manages to endure and remain right at the top of her game:

“Of course, the industry has changed since that initial release 12 years ago. Reflecting on what happened in the following years after Overpowered’s release, Roisin touches on the financial crash of 2007 and how it had an impact on the industry, as well as herself. “EMI actually fell apart straight away after we put the record out, the whole thing ended,” she says. “Now everything has become compartmentalised. For an artist like me, there’s more options in terms of staying independent, and being able to just sort of do deals for specific projects in mind. I’ve done that for a little while and that’s been quite good in a way. Certainly creatively very good because whatever I want to do, I just go ahead and do it.”

This artistic freedom and sheer drive that Roisin exudes is something that’s helped her stay on top form throughout the years. “I don’t think there’s a secret to longevity, but I think my secret is just the people I work with, the fact that I can just change everything on every project by changing who I collaborate with.” She says, “The music is always the beginning of everything, while I’m a very visual artist and I make the videos and concept the art, deep, deep, deep, the music remains the very centre of it all. It’s the seed of everything”.

It is interesting to read that Murphy works in a visual way. I guess a lot of artists do but, in some ways, she already has a video imagined before writing a song, so she can work that way. That is interesting. I can imagine Murphy happening about a hook and then, before you know it, she is off to the races and already plotting a video – she is a talented and original director.  

Before I go, actually, I have found proof that, indeed, Murphy’s costumes and styles are like nothing else out there. She spoke with Quintessentially this year and was asked about her sense of style:

“You’re also known for your love of fashion. Where does that come from?

Róisín:  My mum is a very glamorous and beautiful woman. People used to stop her in Dublin and ask for her autograph – they thought she was a famous actress. I used to watch movies with my mum, black-and-white films back-to-back, and then draw the dresses with her after. A lot of my childhood fantasies involved dresses and clothes and things I was going to get when I grew up. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve been fascinated with the bridge between music and fashion. I’m not from a posh background but we were a very aspirational family.

My nana was always quite a matriarch and glamorous in her way too, with her red lipstick and fur coats. She ran a couple of businesses and was a big part of my childhood.

I was a total fantasist. I used to like to dress up like a Chinese lady and sit in my bedroom window in Ireland, waving to people as they went by in their cars. I also used to dress up as a ghost.

You’ve worn some incredible outfits in your time.

Róisín: The most dangerous outfit I ever wore was a Viktor & Rolf dress that was a lighting rig and a sound system! You’d wear it by having a tight steel bodice, and from that, these struts held the lighting rig above your head and the sound system around you. And then the dress clipped on around it. They put me on some high street, and it was windy that day, and the dress was like a sail!”

I digress…but I think it is good to paint a full picture of an artist who is fascinating and contains many layers. I might circle back to the looks of Róisín Murphy in the conclusion of this review but, pushing forward, I want to take a moment to talk about the way songs are presented today. Murphy is someone who started out at in a time when artists might rely solely on radio to get their music out there. They put out a single and, when it comes to album promotion, you’d either have magazine adverts, radio promotion or interviews. Now, with the Internet driving promotion, artists can utilise social media in their own way.

I am not normally a fan of teasers when we are awaiting songs, but Róisín Murphy sort of hits the right balance. When she was in Moloko, she could not have imagined a world that opened her up to a whole new world instantly and made promotion more electronic. This year, Murphy has released a serious of cuts that are not specifically for an album or E.P. Maybe we will see an album next year, but there are no firm plans or announcements at the moment. To transition from Take Her Up to Monto, Murphy has given us these effusive tracks that are dizzying and personal. Murphy knows just how hard it is to maintain a music career in these times. I am not sure whether she had an easier time with Moloko and whether the relative lack of the Internet made things easier; it is clear there is a lot of effort required. Teaser clips can be frustratingly inscrutable and vague, but I think artists need to hook people in and provide that excitement, rather than just giving a single over and letting it lay there. What makes the creative and promotional cycle that much more draining is the fact Murphy takes from her own life and is very frank. Last year, she spoke with The 405, where she was asked about her humorous approach to the raw and what it is like balancing all the spinning plates of music:

 “You often draw upon humour in your lyrics and visuals to deal with romance and difficulty. Why do you think you’re to this?

My father is a comic genius and he has the best ironic face I’ve seen since Les Dawson. Funny people don’t fuck you over. They are usually very intelligent, it takes a certain amount of intelligence to be witty. Wit is a very sophisticated thing and I’m aiming high. I’m aiming at sophistication in the lyrics. Humour is very good for describing things that fall between emotions. It’s on the outskirts of all those things. It helps me describe things that are complicated. When there’s moments of real sadness in humorous things, that’s when it really gets you. It’s just who I am and the way I look at things.

What is the hardest part about it?

Everything is hard. It’s not just the music, every single part of it is difficult. Putting the tour together, making the videos, keeping up on social media, there are millions of things I’m trying to catch up on. I’ve been getting up at 7am, I’ve got children, and I’m going to bed at 11pm every day for weeks, months un-end. I don’t see the point, you know? That’s me today, speak to me tomorrow it could be different”.

When one tries to put themselves in the shoes of an artist like Róisín Murphy, then they can start to appreciate the work and effort needed to simply see one song through from conception to completion. There is the aspect of conceiving a song and seeing it come to fruition. Now, artists are expected to keep active on social media and throw in teasers and posts; they have to knock on doors campaigning (in an Internet sense) and there is very little in the way of rest. As adverse to teasers as I am, I think Murphy has perfectly whet the appetite and she has readied people for this new song. I will be reviewing it soon, but this year has been one where she has put together these brilliantly funky songs. I haven’t really talked about the nature of Murphy’s songs and how they hit the mind and body. The ‘sad-banger’ is a sort of music where there is plenty of kick and energy, yet the subject matter might be heart-wrenching or a little more emotional. It is not a new phenomenon. Look at songs like Don’t Go by Yazoo, and you have an anthem that is pretty raw, but it has that enormous sense of movement and catchiness that elevates it to the status of a club banger. My favourite song of this decade, Robyn’s Dancing on My Own, is another classic example. There, we have a song where the heroine watches her lover kiss someone else, as she weaves shapes and is alone on the dancefloor. Róisín Murphy has not always dealt in heartache and longing.

A lot of her solo material has been filled with optimism and, even when Murphy is asking whether she is capable of love, there is a sense that she is using music to work through these concerns and has a positive outlook. All of this makes for one of the most important artists around. Murphy is the constant innovator and leader; she is giving music some of the most uplifting tracks around and, as I will explore in my review, she has not lost her golden touch. I recently put an article out that asked whether a Disco revival next year is the perfect way to lift a world that has gone through its fair share of challenges and dark days lately. Maybe it need not be exactly like it was in the 1970s concerning club culture, the fashion and songs, but I can hear aspects of Disco creeping into modern music and, every time I hear it, I feel like we could do more. I love Disco and think that it is some of the most important music put out in the world. Maybe she would not class her music as Disco – perhaps House or Dance would be closer the mark -, but there is no denying there is a strut and groove in the music of Róisín Murphy that recalls some of the best jams from the 1970s and 1980s. Although Disco’s death was celebrated by some at the end of the 1970s, it has never really gone away, and it is ripe for fresh investigation. A lot of the classic Disco anthems sported a wounded heart – Candi Staton’s Young Hearts Run Free springs to mind -, but that is good in a way. I do prefer the outright positive songs; if there is a relatable and universal sentiment at heart, it can resonate for decades. Murphy’s songs are true to her, and many other people will be able to relate and find strength in her words.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Marimekko

I love the way she can produce these fairly tough-going lyrics and team them with a composition that transports you to a club in the 1970s. I can well imagine Murphy setting her own club that encourages people to dress a little while; maybe one that is for mums and dads. I think I heard somewhere that she was thinking of running a club that catered for mums and dads, but I might be misremembering. I do think that 2020 is going to be a great year for Murphy. She has gigs before then in Australia, - and there will be many wondering whether there will be singles coming out or an album. I do think that a lot of the big festivals will have Murphy near the top of their lists. I think we could all do with a big show and something pretty exciting. There are many artists who fit the bill, but you get something truly wonderful with a Róisín Murphy gig. I am not saying she will be playing Glastonbury, but I would be surprised if her name is not in the running. With a run of great singles under her belt this year, there is a lot of momentum in her corner. She is in this exciting phase where anything seems possible. She is one these people that is such a breath of fresh air compared to other artists. Rather than provide rather bland answers and not really display any personality, Murphy has that common touch and honesty. I am not sure what she envisaged from life pre-Moloko, but it seems that fame was not on her agenda:

“Yet Murphy also concedes: "I think maybe, looking back at it, I didn't ever really want to be a pop star and I wouldn't really have suited being a pop star and it would have been extremely frustrating for me.  The reason I haven't in inverted commas 'compromised' is because I haven't been compromised by fame. Fame is the most compromising thing of all. The pressure that comes back from a big, big audience is on another level. Because they'll show you straight away if they're not enjoying it".

Like previous Róisín Murphy tracks, there is a long version and a radio edit. Because she is releasing singles, she is putting out these songs that expand and flow. I have listened to the full-length version of Narcissus, but am reviewing the shorter cut. It is no surprise that, even before I start writing my review, I am looking online and there are so many adoring and effusive comments about the song. Murphy is someone who commands a lot of respect and love and one would expect nothing less than a stone-cold banger. The opening wastes no time in getting the groove on! The bass and beats are taut and tight as crap! You are already tapping your feet and moving your body before Murphy comes to the microphone. Rather than slowly build and get us into the mix, Narcissus is a song that starts so fresh and alive. There is this tightness but, when Murphy sings, there is a coolness to the voice that balances against the composition. “Being left, being left…” begins the tale; “Being left with me, being left with me/Narcissus”. I love the way Murphy leads the vocals and then sort of backs herself up – a kind of call-and-response where she chants in the background. Many are comparing Narcissus to an old-school Disco classic, and you can see what they mean! It has that fizz and funkiness that defines the best Disco numbers, yet I am unsure who to compare the song to. Róisín Murphy has her own path and sound, so you get something very true to her, yet there is a sense of the classic and retro to her songs. That is a great thing, because there is so little in the way of spirit and rousing punch right now. With the stomping beat and strings strumming and stirring with potency, you are unable to resist the sheer energy and smile of Narcissus. I am not sure whether Murphy is talking about political figures that sort of look out for themselves or it is about a lover.

This is a sad story, as it is said, and this person is only loving what they hold. Whilst Murphy is letting the words out and having her say, you wonder whether she is still in touch with this person or whether it is a memory. There are not going to be any happy memories or endings; this narcissus is dying and you get this sense that the heroine is trying to wash her hands of the person. The full version opens the song up and allows for more breath and exploration. I am only assessing the shortened equivalent because it is the one that will feature on radio and most people will hear – head to Spotify and YouTube and you can hear the longer cut. I think Narcissus contains some of Murphy’s best lyrics for years. “Narcissus, she’s return into sand/If you fall in love with your reflection” is exquisite in its evocativeness and poetic touch. I am not sure whether Murphy holds ill feeling towards this person of whether she is looking back and providing some calm and measured education. I feel like there is a political component that could be about the wider world and powerful men who hide themselves in high esteem. If we look at the romantic sense, I feel like we are seeing this person who was only concerned with their own feelings and did not consider Murphy. There are some delicious strings that make me think of Chic and Earth, Wind & Fire. One gets this classic gold that bursts through the speakers as, when Murphy sings about this love going, she takes her voice down to its calmest and most serious. Narcissus twists and turns to create this sense of drama and defiance. If there is a finger dancefloor classic this year, then I haven’t heard it. I know Murphy has been captivating with her songs all year, yet she seems to have topped herself on this track! Hifi Sean & Crystal Waters are producing some great Disco, and I think it is them and Róisín Murphy that are truly bringing this sort of sound to the people! I might be wrong, but I am hearing very little in the way of true strut and dance today. I have been excited about this song ever since it was teased online. Not only does it live up to my expectations, but it exceeds them. One of the finest songs of the year, without a doubt!

 PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Hemy

I will wrap up but, when first I heard there was a new offering in the wind from the excellent Róisín Murphy, I was not going to be reviewing anything else. Tomorrow will see me cover an artist I have not reviewed before, but I will forgive myself for coming back to this very warming and satisfying well. I hope Murphy gets some time off before Christmas, as she has those Australian tour dates and she is busy pushing her music to the world. She is a legend who has not only survived the industry and its natural pitfalls but somehow grown more committed and amazing. I keep saying how next year will be amazing, and I stand by those words. There are a lot of artists coming through who are indebted to Murphy and are inspired by what she does. When she released albums like Overpowered, critics were branding her as weird; sort of dismissing her because of how she was dressed. The fact that Lady Gaga wore a near-identical outfit shortly after sort of suggests there is one rule for established artists and for the mainstream Pop acts. The music scene does need a bit of a spark when it comes to energy and songs that beckon you in. They need not be overly-happy; a sense of uplift and energy is all we ask. There is a lot of negativity circling, and I feel like music should provide some relief and pleasure against the harder realities of the world. I am glad Róisín Murphy is in the world and providing such colour, wonder and glitter. I love her fashion sense and the fact that she is a giggle; how hard she works and how deep her music is. I want to bring in a final interview snippet. Here, Murphy discusses (in 2018) how she is always looking forward and she is in a fantastically ripe period:

“NL: Is there any kind of artistic tension between making new music, which you obviously love, and working on legacy stuff like album reissues?

RM: It’s all just a massive positive to be honest. I’m in probably the most creative time of my life – I’m creative-directing everything I do, I’m directing videos for other people, I’m pumping out new music and working with all sorts of exciting people who want to work with me. And then in between, I can re-release these records that I’m really proud of. The next thing’s going to be re-releasing all the Moloko albums on vinyl, one by one. So there’s no kind of difficult tension there. I mean, I would say that the idea of doing a Moloko reunion tour or anything like that is totally off the table. Because I just don’t need to do that, and I don’t want to become some kind of heritage act all of a sudden. I feel like, even though I’m a woman of a certain age, my work’s relevant and has traction in the modern world. So what more can I ask for, really?”

It is full steam ahead for Róisín Murphy. If you are not familiar with her solo music, have a look on Spotify and buy her albums. There is nobody in music like her. From her looks to her attitude to the music she is putting out, Murphy is a marvel and an artist who continues to grow and mesmerise. I hope that she continues to make music of the highest order for…

 PHOTO CREDIT: MAX&Co.

YEARS and years more!

________________

Follow Róisín Murphy

PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Hemy 

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FEATURE: As We End a Wonderful Year… My Favourite Five Albums of 2019

FEATURE:

 

As We End a Wonderful Year…

IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Marten/PHOTO CREDIT: SHOT BY PHOX 

My Favourite Five Albums of 2019

___________

THERE is always a danger publishing a list like this…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Kiwanuka/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Ford/NME

a few weeks before the end of the year because, invariably, you are subjected to late arrivals and surprise releases! This is a risk that I am willing to take, because I have looked at the albums slated for release before 2020 and it seems like there is little in there that will budge my opinions – that said, one album in this list was only released a week ago! In any case, I have compiled the five albums that are, in my view, the best of this year. In each case, I am including a sample review, a link to the album on Spotify and a chance for you to buy it. Everyone will have their opinions regarding the finest albums of the year and that just goes to show what a strong year it has been. There have been a couple of albums that have won praise from every single person who has put pen to paper – including Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Ghosteen -, and I feel 2020 is going to be a very hot one. Have a look at my chosen five and, if you have not investigated these albums, make sure you get on it! In terms of politics and society, this year has been a pretty tough and unsettled one. When it comes to music, we have been treated to albums of…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Brittany Howard/PHOTO CREDIT: Alysse Gafkjen

THE highest quality.

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Jamila Woods – LEGACY! LEGACY!

Release Date: 10th May

Producers: Slot-A/Oddcouple/Peter Cottontale/Ralph Gene/Justin Canavan/Aminata Burton/Jamila Woods/Stephon ‘Mooch’ Brown/Jasmin Charles/Nico Segal

Label: Jagjaguwar

Standout Tracks: ZORA/MUDDY/BALDWIN (ft. Nico Segal)

Review:

“Each song is titled after its catalyzing figure and is brilliantly threaded with references, but Woods also connects their experiences to her own and those of her immediate bloodline. Racism and its side effects, from theft of culture and land to willful distortions and ignorance of black achievement, weigh heaviest on Woods' mind, yet her voice maintains a sweetness, unfurling like ribbon over the rhythms. Vulgar rebukes such as "Shuddup muthaf*cka, I don't take requests" are expressed with enough grace and melodicism to be as quotable and whistle-able as "I tenderly fill my enemies with white light" or "Take a picture if you want me quiet." Just like HEAVN, Woods' debut, LEGACY! LEGACY! is a modern R&B album recorded in Chicago, mostly with Chicagoans. There's more from Saba and Nico Segal, HEAVN collaborators who respectively add a tailwind-generating guest verse and beaming horns. Three-quarters of the songs, plus a garage-flavored remix of "BETTY," are dynamic Slot-A productions, covering sci-fi electro-soul of numerous shades and chunky hip-hop with elements of post-bop jazz, sometimes with an electric quartet. There's evidence his work was custom built, like when the keyboards burble and blare out of "Miles," evoking the namesake trumpeter's early-'70s dates, and the moment a sampled Geoff Barrow/Adrian Utley one-off elbows its way into "MUDDY," resembling the grit of Electric Mud (an LP recorded in Chicago with Chicagoans). This galvanizing declaration of pride, support, and discontent will no doubt inspire covers itself. Every public library should have at least one copy” – AllMusic

Key Cut: MILES

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGACY-Explicit-Jamila-Woods/dp/B07N56KQHV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UIKVA0KZ5I6H&keywords=jamila+woods+legacy+legacy&qid=1572939326&sprefix=jamila+woods+lega%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-1

Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA

Release Date: 1st November

Producers: Danger Mouse/Inflo

Labels: Polydor/Communion

Standout Tracks: You Ain’t the Problem/Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)/Final Days

Review:

“Working again with Danger Mouse and Inflo, Kiwanuka recorded the project in Los Angeles, New York and London, and it has an assured craft and folksy charm that elevates the artist among his peers. One gets the sense that Kiwanuka is a soft-spoken and humble man, one who's perspective on what constitutes blackness and groove-oriented music puts conventional and stereotyped notions on their collective rear.

While there might not be a "Cold Little Heart" with Kiwanuka, tracks like "You Ain't the Problem" mark its psychedelic territory. "Hero," "Solid Ground" and "I've Been Dazed" are rooted in expansiveness, with simple yet layered lyrics and composition. "Rolling" revels in its musical intelligence while one can feel the swell of "Final Days" and the closing track "Light."

Kiwanuka is therapeutic for all parties involved. It's honest, psychedelic, enlightening and recalls blackness defined by acoustic folk and the organic soul of past artists like Gil Scott-Heron, Bobby Womack and Otis Redding.

For the artist, it's a statement on self-acceptance, an implicit understanding that mental wellness involves a strong sense of self. (Polydor/Universal)” – Exclaim!

Key Cut: Solid Ground

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/KIWANUKA-Michael-Kiwanuka/dp/B07W5RV8HN/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2ZVTRDZVDEERD&keywords=michael+kiwanuka+kiwanuka&qid=1572939658&sprefix=michael+ki%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-2

Billie Marten – Feeding Seahorses by Hand

Release Date: 26th April 

Producer: Ethan Johns

Labels: RCA/Chess Club

Standout Tracks: Cartoon People/Blue Sea, Red Sea/Boxes

Review:

“Like its predecessor, Feeding Seahorses is an incredibly spacious album, yet when you peel away the trimmings, these songs all rely on nothing more than Marten with her guitar and her faultless, often double-tracked voice. The songwriting beneath these tender soundscapes feels naturally matured - not a surprise since Marten was still in school when her debut was released.

At its most sparse Feeding Seahorses can sound truly desolate and profoundly intimate, like on the excellent bare-bones Laura Marling-esque "Vanilla Baby" and delicate closing track "Fish", yet more fleshed out tracks work equally as well. "Blue Sea, Red Sea" is a delightful cut that bears an almost lawsuit-worthy resemblance to Pixies’ "Here Comes Your Man" while lead single "Betsy", the synth-laden "Boxes" and peaceful "Toulouse" are all excellent tracks.

This collection of softly sung songs forms nothing short of a gentle and reserved masterpiece. It would have been easy for Marten to have made this record with the same restricted tool set she used on her debut, however she opted for a riskier route that has certainly paid off. Throughout the album Marten refuses to place restrictions on herself, but manages to never go too far, and add more to a track than it needs.

On Feeding Seahorses, Marten has managed to skilfully navigate a true artistic tightrope by developing and building on the sounds of her minimalistic debut, without losing any of its original essence. Nothing is lost, only gained” – The Line of Best Fit

Key Cut: Toulouse

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feeding-Seahorses-Hand-Billie-Marten/dp/B07P6YF8G7/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=billie+marten+feeding&qid=1572939957&sr=8-1

Brittany Howard – Jaime

Release Date: 20th September

Producer: Brittany Howard

Label: ATO

Standout Tracks: History Repeats/Stay High/13th Century Metal

Review:

“Howard wrote and composed all of the music on Jaime, which manages to sound both far-reaching and solitary. She played all the assorted, mesmerizing guitar parts, and enlisted Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell, jazz pianist extraordinaire Robert Glasper, keyboardist Dan Horton, and drummer Nate Smith to play sessions with her. With these highly capable ringers driving the arrangements, Howard pushes the boundaries of sound and space in search of fulfillment and decency. In a world that requires so much fixing, the music works effortlessly. Armed with a deeper understanding of self, Jaime becomes her gospel of empathy. “I promise…to be wary of who I give my energy to. Because it is needed for a greater cause,” she vows on “13th Century Metal.” “And that cause is to spread the enlightenment of love, compassion, and humanity to those who are not touched by its light” – The Line of Best Fit

Key Cut: Short and Sweet

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jaime-Brittany-Howard/dp/B07T8ZTDYL/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=brittany+howard+jaime&qid=1572941046&sr=8-1

Billie Eilish – WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

Release Date: 29th March

Producer: Finneas O'Connell

Labels: Darkroom/Interscope

Standout Tracks: bad guy/you should see me in a crown/bury a friend

Review:

“There’s little to plausibly fault on the record. Previous singles are included sparingly (2018’s ‘When The Party’s Over’ and ‘You Should See Me In A Crown’), and there’s a real level of intrigue waiting on every song, partly as only two new songs (‘Bury A Friend’, ‘Wish You Were Gay’) got a pre-release. It’s an album that moves with purpose and knows when to hold the listener tight, or grab them by the scruff of the neck and drag them into her world. That said, one nitpick is the pacing towards the end, with the final three songs – ‘Listen Before I Go’, ‘I Love You’ and ‘Goodbye’ – providing an melancholy end close to an otherwise thrilling album.

‘When We All Fall Asleep…’, then, ticks all the boxes for a memorable and game-changing debut album. It’s enjoyable and familiar, but retains Billie’s disruptive streak. It’s a brave and resounding first step for an artist with bags of potential and over the next decade, you’ll no doubt see popular music scrabbling to try and replicate what this album does on every level. There’ll always be copycats, as Billie noted on her 2017 song of the same name, but none will be able to reach these heights any time soon” – NME

Key Cut: all the good girls go to hell

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/WHEN-ALL-FALL-ASLEEP-WHERE/dp/B07N7YYLFF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BYOGVMG8FSMB&keywords=when+we+fall+asleep+where+do+we+go&qid=1572941889&sprefix=when+we+fal%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-1

FEATURE: Off the Record: What Is the Future of Record Shops at a Time When the High Street Is Dwindling?

FEATURE:

 

Off the Record

PHOTO CREDIT: @halannahalila/Unsplash 

What Is the Future of Record Shops at a Time When the High Street Is Dwindling?

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I have been listening to the news…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @chloeevans/Unsplash

and, with every passing week, a chain of shops seems to disappear. This time, Mothercare is under threat of closure. I guess there are reasons why certain companies go into administration and suffer but, a lot of the time, there is that competition and choice you get on the Internet; rising rent prices and more and more of us shopping online. I know that record shops have very loyal customers but, with more and more shops being boarded up and there being uncertainty regarding Brexit, how long will we be able to hit the high street and buy records? I know HMV are surviving and have overcome scares regarding closure, but even that chain must be worried about the future; the fact vinyl has a big market but, when it comes to products like CDs and DVDs, there is not really that demand. I grant the fact we can go to a huge website like Amazon and get quick delivery of pretty much anything we need. Streaming means more people are able to get music for free, and I am seeing so many independent music shops struggling and locking up for the last time. There is no denying that records and music sales are steady and healthy. If CDs are on the decline, there is a hungry market for vinyl. Vinyl sales are overtaking CD figures, and I am glad to see a classic format enduring at a time when streaming is more popular than ever. Although vinyl sales are impressive and people will always crave a tactile record, I wonder whether a lot of this demand is coming from the Internet.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dmitrybayer/Unsplash

I live in London and realising that, if you want to buy a record, there are options. Working in Central London, there are not really as many record shops as you’d think. We used to have the HMV flagship store on Oxford Street, but that went when HMV were threatened with closure. There are some decent record shops in London, but a lot of them are smaller outlets and there is a problem with space and choice. I have done a lot of record shopping in Brighton, and there are a few cool record shops down there – Resident being my favourite of them all. I guess bigger cities like London will price a lot of record shops out and the rent costs are always sky-high! I do have a concern that a lot of established and popular record shops will be under pressure soon. There should always be a place for the Internet, as it provides choice and one does not need to travel. I think record shops, more than any other business, are defined by passionate staff and a very dedicated customer base. Record buyers love the experience of being able to browse and connect with like-minded folk. I have covered this subject before…but think about the sort of energy you get in record shops. You often bond with people who have similar tastes, and there is that buzz of the impulse purchase: finding an album that you could live without but would rather not do.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @macglassford/Unsplash

I don’t think you quite get that with online shopping, and you can never really have too many record shops – each one offers their own vibe and, in big towns and cities, the thought of commuting quite a distance to get to a record shop can be off-putting. One can attribute closing shops to problems with that particular organisation, but we will see more and more chains and shops close their doors in years to come. Whilst articles from a few years ago remarked independent stores are faring better than chains, many are having to diversify to stay open – putting on in-stores and selling coffee, for example. When popular independent record shops close, it is not a sterile and new business you are closing: these stores have built up a reputation and are filled with charm, warmth and character. With a General Election looming in December, the subject of Brexit must be brought into the conversation. We are not sure quite how impactful Brexit will be when it comes to production, tariffs and raising costs. Looking at an article from earlier in the year, and it seems like there is some uncertainty affecting many retailers and businesses:

“The uncertainty, though, has already started to affect parts of the music industry, whose CDs and vinyl are mostly pressed in Europe. “When I get records from the US, they can take ages to get through customs,” says Jon Tolley of Banquet Records in Kingston upon Thames, who has been involved in the Entertainment Retailers Association’s discussions with record labels about Brexit. “And, if that’s happening with every record that comes in, I don’t know how we’ll deal with it.”

PHOTO CREDIT: @rocinante_11/Unsplash 

The fear for record shops is that they are a long way down the major labels’ list of priorities. “They aren’t going to change their business models for our sake,” Tolley says. “Warner aren’t going to move their warehouse from France for us. I think a lot of shops aren’t aware of how damaging this could be, because it’s a fight for survival as it is, and they don’t have the bandwidth to think about five years down the line.”

Release campaigns will have to be lengthened to get stock into shops for release day, and, with production costs having already increased for UK companies because of the fall in the pound, tax and customs costs set to increase, and retail margins on CDs already low, there will be a knock-on effect. In short, physical music is going to become more expensive”.

With many of us unsure quite what will happen regarding vinyl trade and prices, there is always the danger that rising vinyl costs will discourage a lot of consumers. This feature explains more:

“It seems inevitable then that Brexit will raise productions costs for record labels, an increase which would need to be at least partially shouldered by consumers.

With the average record already retailing at over £20, the added expense may discourage some music fans from continuing to support the vinyl industry.

To make things worse, should Brexit negatively impact the wider UK economy, these price rises could also coincide with British consumers tightening their belts, possibly placing additional pressure on sales.

PHOTO CREDIT: @joshappel/Unsplash 

Then again, with 70% of all record sales already being attributed to a small core of dedicated ‘superfans’, who are more willing to overlook price increases, demand for vinyl may endure regardless.

Analysts have also expressed concerns about the continued growth of vinyl sales, given that an already bottlenecked supply chain could be made even worse by the possibility of tariffs and increased bureaucratic tape post-Brexit.

Add to this the elevated costs of production, and we could see many smaller indie labels and emerging artists shy away from vinyl as it becomes too cost prohibitive to produce.

We know there will be repercussions for the live sector post-Brexit, regarding musicians from the E.U. and beyond. I do feel there will be problems right across the music industry but, in conjunction with the unsure fate of the high street, will we have to say goodbye to some of our reliable and best record stores? It would be a crying shame to see that and, with the vinyl resurgence and profitability, it would be good to see the Government investing money in the music sector to ensure there is protection for record shops, live venues and other areas. It is always upsetting seeing a live venue close, and record shops sort of go hand in hand. My hope is that rents will not rise too steeply, and most record shops will be okay. The sheer passion for records will see punters keep shops alive, but I wonder whether we will see enough prosperity to allow new shops to open. Passion is a wonderful thing but, when it comes to record shops, other factors will come into play. Let’s hope that Brexit does not damage the survival of record shops too much – rising rent prices are a big issue, so they need to be stabilised. Every record shop that closes is a tragedy and, with so many shops on the high street disappearing, there is this real worry. Let’s hope that this county’s fantastic record shops continue to exist and bring in customers…     

PHOTO CREDIT: @annietheby/Unsplash

FOR a very long time to come.

FEATURE: Got It Covered: BBC Children in Need and the Celebrity Cover Version

FEATURE:

 

Got It Covered

BBC Children in Need and the Celebrity Cover Version

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A really interesting project has come out…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Former Doctor Who lead David Tennant and the current Doctor Jodie Whittaker have contributed songs to the BBC Children in Need: Got It Covered album/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

to raise money for BBC Children in Need. I am not usually a fan of songs that joins together a bunch of celebrities; covering a familiar song and leaving things at that. Normally, the song chosen is quite Pop-based and it doesn’t really surpass the original. I know the aim is to raise money, so one can have few objections to any song that comes out. I guess Live Aid sort of kicked off the phenomenon of uniting some famous faces to perform a popular song. Now, for this year’s BBC Children in Need, there is an album that is worth some pennies. BBC Children in Need: Got It Covered finds actors like Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Colman give their take on track we all know and love. Here are some more details:

“BBC Children in Need: Got It Covered is a brand new venture from BBC One and BBC Children in Need for 2019 which involves some of the UK’s biggest names from stage and screen as they band together to produce an entire album of cover songs whilst helping to make a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people throughout the UK.

A whole host of critically-acclaimed actors have volunteered their time to play a special part in this incredibly exciting project for BBC Children in Need - HELENA BONHAM CARTER CBE, JIM BROADBENT, OLIVIA COLMAN CBE, SHAUN DOOLEY, LUKE EVANS, SURANNE JONES, ADRIAN LESTER, HIMESH PATEL, DAVID TENNANT and JODIE WHITTAKER.

A special 60-minute programme follows the entire recording process and explores all the behind-the-scenes action as the actors face the challenging task of laying down their bespoke tracks at the legendary RAK Studios and Abbey Road Studios in London”.

1. Olivia Colman - Glory Box

2. Adrian Lester - I Wish

3. Jodie Whittaker - Yellow

4. Luke Evans - Smile

5. Suranne Jones and Half Moon Theatre - Symphony

6. Shaun Dooley and Grimethorpe Colliery Band - Never Grow Up

7. Himesh Patel - All These Things That I've Done

8. Jim Broadbent - Blue Moon

9. Helena Bonham Carter - Both Sides Now

10. David Tennant - Sunshine On Leith

11. The Actors - It Must Be Love”.

I would not normally write a feature about a BBC Children in Need project, but I am intrigued by the new album and the fact there are some really food interpretations. I know Olivia Colman can sing but have a listen to her take on Portishead’s Glory Box and it is almost as good as the original! Himesh Patel’s take on All These Things That I've Done (by The Killers) is brilliant, and David Tennant gives a new spin on Sunshine on Leith. There are a few misses on the album, but that is all part of the fun! I am not sure how BBC Children in Need decided upon the celebrities they would use, but there is a nice selection. Maybe the sole intention of this album was to raise money - which is fair enough -, yet there are some potential artists in the fray.

When we look at actors who have transitioned into music, the list is pretty short! Apart from folks like Alexander Armstrong and Jeff Goldblum, there are not that many crossing disciplines. This article from last year shows that there are actors who are musicians/want to become one. I do think we get snooty when it comes to actors and celebrities having musical aspirations. Maybe there is a similar sense of reservation regarding artists turning to the acting world too. I do like what is bubbling in the music world right now; I do think there is something missing. Perhaps recruiting actors into the music world is not the cure, but I think albums like BBC Children in Need: Got It Covered are a start. I know those on the album were nervous about recording their songs, as it is a new world for them and different from their usual jobs. What has come from the album are a few revelations. I think Olivia Colman could succeed in music and definitely has a voice that warrants greater exposure. Even though actors like Helena Bonham Carter have sung before, she proves herself to be a fine interpreter – her take on Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell is pretty decent. Have a listen to the album and you will find a lot of great songs that go beyond novelty. There have been cases where actors and non-musicians have successfully adapted.

The main objective of this feature was to promote the BBC Children in Need album, but I have been listening and think there are a few names that could well do well in a musical setting – if not a conventional album, they could step into musicals or add another string to their bow. In many ways, it is almost harder covering a huge song that writing an original, when it is unique and there is nothing to compare it to. It sounds like the BBC Children in Need: Got It Covered project was enriching for all those concerned, and I hope some of the contributors work together in a musical setting. Make sure you get the BBC Children in Need album so they can raise as much money as possible. I keep listening to the songs on the album and they are getting stronger. It is a solid collection of songs and contributors which makes me wonder whether there are other actors/celebrities who could genuinely succeed and survive in music. I do think music is at its strongest when it is varied and throws up surprises. I think it is great there is a whole album out this year to support BBC Children in Need, rather than the one track. Cover versions are always tricky and, whilst there are a few bouncing about, I would like to see more artists new and existing tackle older songs. In any case, I do feel like the BBC Children in Need: Got It Covered is a great project, and it also uncovers some hidden vocal gems. I do wonder whether we will see some resultant albums come from Himesh Patel or Luke Evans? That would definitely be…     

 IN THIS PHOTO: Olivia Colman and Pudsey/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

INTERESTING to see.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Liz Lawrence

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

Liz Lawrence

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THIS year has seen some wonderful…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Marieke Macklon

solo artists shine through and provide kaleidoscopic sounds. I have been especially impressed by Greentea Peng, Charlotte Day Wilson and Sam Fender. It is a very busy and exciting year, and I am looking forward to seeing how music looks next year. One artist who is on the rise and making big progress is Liz Lawrence. She released her new album, Pity Party, on 25th October and you can buy it here. Lawrence was formerly part of the duo, Cash+David, and has toured with Bombay Bicycle Club. Lawrence has been tipped as a name to watch and, with a fresh album in the ether, a lot of people are very excited. Lawrence is an artist who suggests artists such as Marika Hackman, St Vincent and Perfume Genius, but she has her own style and unique angles. None of My Friends is one of my favourite singles of the year and exemplifies what an exciting and interesting style she has. I really love Lawrence’s voice and how her songs are relatable and stay in the brain. Although Pity Party is a fantastic album, I think Lawrence’s best work is still ahead of her. Her finest songs are among the best out there, but this is an artist with many years ahead; someone who is growing and will be a massive name. Lawrence is proud her album is out there – as she should be! – and fans are reacting to it.

I want to bring in an interview she gave to NME, where she was asked about Pity Party and how it feels having it out there:

“You must be thrilled with the album and being at this point after your journey so far?

“I’m massively excited – you always get to this point where you’ve looked at it for a long time and now people get to hear the record in its entirety. I’m quite old fashioned, streaming and stuff is great but I do like the idea that someone is going to get the full picture, that’s really cool. I’ve never seen one of my releases in a record shop before so I’m really excited to go down to a shop and find one. You’ve got to right? You’ve got to go and hunt out your record.”

This record is very much all about honesty, tell us a little bit about the concept of ‘Pity Party’?

“Obviously it’s a phrase that I’ve heard people use. I was in a particularly self-indulgent move and someone said, ‘I’m a bit bored I’m going to leave your pity party’. I thought that was perfect because it sums up that tension and pull between serious aggravation and obstacles in your life and also how you approach them and how much you indulge your feelings towards it. Also, it’s just funny, I was quite keen to be a little bit humorous with this record. It has some weighty issues but I hoped to approach it with at least a bit of warmth and humour”.

Lawrence, for Pity Party’s creation, wanted to make an album on her own terms. Writing six of the songs in only five days, there is an urgency and sense of risk that pays off. She wanted to move out of her comfort zone and see what could result. What we hear is an artist unleashed and explored her full potential. As I said, I think Lawrence has her best years ahead, but Pity Party is a fantastic album and one that deserves a lot of kudos and attention. The album has been picking up some positive reviews. Thank Folk for That were keen to have their say:

“‘Navigator’ is the natural single on the record. A jaunty rhythm, colloquial wordplay and a clap-a-long chorus to die for make this the most memorable track from the record, but there is certainly more complex offerings to come and ‘None of My Friends’ pummelling basslines, distorted analogue interludes and evocative synth tones suggest darker subject matter along with more explicit reference to Lawrence’s eighties influences. The marvellous ‘USP’ reinforces her penchant for the unexpected by throwing a britpop aesthetic into the mix.

PHOTO CREDIT: Marieke Macklon 

These new songs are enhanced by incredibly rich vocals; there is also sense of absolute control on display; perhaps this is what differed in the live performance which felt much more unruly. The result of this is beguiling though, never more so than on the stripped-back ‘Shoes’ which is a heartfelt bout of introspection accompanied by a lone guitar. The contrast is jarring and over way too soon before ‘Want’ takes us back to the 90s. Here, the references begin to feel just a touch stale but thankfully ‘Life Again’ restores Liz Lawrence’s knack for a melody along with some visually satisfying songwriting and ‘What People Do’ maintains this. In some ways this is very typical English fare and the electronic embellishments contribute to this impression. This approach connects her new record to time spent in the synth duo Cash + David and this is never more evident than the wonderfully sweeping and metronomic ’10 Breaths’, where the combination of guitar and synth soundscapes compliment each other perfectly and it is during these moments when Liz Lawrence’s vocals really hit that sweet spot”.

If you want to go and see Liz Lawrence play, keep an eye out and make that date. She has had a busy 2019 and I am sure there will be a lot happening for her in 2020. I am predicting festival dates and, maybe, there might be the odd new cut here and there. I do think this year has been defined by female artists; Liz Lawrence is among the very best out there and someone that you need to keep a watch out for. I want to bring in a final interview, because Lawrence spoke with Wonderland about Pity Party and what she wants people to get from it; whether she has plans for the future:

“Do you want young people to listen to your music and be inspired by or relate to it?

I guess it would be really nice to feel like you can be empowering to people, whoever they are. But it’s not just teenagers – I think most people who have come to me about “None of my Friends”, for example, are people in their mid-to-late twenties, and they’re like ‘oh my god, that is my life, those are my friends’…

Do you put yourself in a genre, or do you feel like that’s an outdated mode of categorisation?

I think you have to – if you want to be savvy, you need to be able to very quickly market yourself. And that’s not me being cynical, it’s just if you really care about what you do, you need to find a way to explain to people very quickly why they should listen to it. It’s not a thing that many artists ever really get there with being able to do, ’cause it’s really, really hard. It’s sort of like trying to describe yourself in three words, or whatever. But I think indie-pop is fine; I tend to go for that.

What do you want from this in the future? Is it just to be happy and make a living out of it, or do you want that stadium tour?

I mean, I don’t think I’d be content with just being content. My friend asked me when I finished this record what I wanted from it, and all I could think was that I just want be able to make another one, and then who knows from there”.

The future is very bright for Liz Lawrence. Although she is keen to tour and work with other artists, the fact she has stepped out on her own gives her music more of a personal voice and sense of truth. I think Pity Party is one of 2019’s underrated gems and I am thrilled Lawrence’s fanbase is growing. Give her a follow if you can – links are at the bottom of this feature - and show her some love! It is a busy and crazy scene right now where some marvellous artists are shining and surging. In a crowded and exciting sea, Liz Lawrence is well worth some affection and time. As Pity Party shows, she is…

SUCH a talented songwriter.

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Follow Liz Lawrence

 PHOTO CREDIT: Marieke Macklon 

Facebook:

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

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Lizmusic

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lizlawrencemusic/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_hxr3s1SgF-9gnz-NlCg_Q

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5v4XGACPGcMZs2ANXBzVmC

ALL UNCREDITED PHOTOS:

Getty Images/Liz Lawrence

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

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HERE is an album…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I have wanted to include in Vinyl Corner for a while now. I am making changes to the feature going forward – first, I am not putting ‘Vinyl Corner’ in italics -, and I am broadening the scope of albums included. The ArchAndroid or, to give it its full title, The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III), is the debut album from the sublime Janelle Monáe. Arriving on 18th May, 2010, it started this decade off with an almighty bang! Recently, I wrote a feature about my favourite song of this decade: Robyn’s Dancing on My Own. That songs came out in 2010, but I completely forgot that Tightrope was released in the same year. It is the standout from Monáe’s debut; an album that contains more than its fair share of absolute tunes and classics! Even though there are other writers and producers in the mix, Monáe did not let others guide her voice. The fact she has a creative say and writes/produce throughout means The ArchAndroid is an album that is personal and strong. I think The ArchAndroid would be a weaker and less focused album if Monáe was singing other people’s tracks. As it is, Monáe guides this fantastic record; the second and third parts of her Metropolis concert series. The ArchAndroid, as the title suggests, centres around an all-conquering android, and wastes very little time in getting under the skin. Some have drawn comparisons to Prince, David Bowie and Michael Jackson when you listen to The ArchAndroid.

It is true those influences were in her mind, but it is a disservice to Monáe to say that other people’s fingerprints are more emphatic than her on. Guided by these great artists, Monáe proved herself to be one of the most captivating and compelling artists back in 2010 – she remains so to this very day. One of the strengths of The ArchAndroid is that we do not have a simple series of songs that are traditional and routine. This figure of the android represents the minority; the mediator between the minority and the majority; this heroine that is here to break the chains. It is a very powerful image, and I love that Monáe invented this powerful heroine, and gave herself license and great freedom regarding the songs. If she was just writing about love or copying her peers, maybe that would have been too restrictive and formulaic – would she have been able to spread her wings and truly hit her stride?! Monáe recorded the album during a very transformative and changing period for her. Although the album is pretty pricey on vinyl, I think it is worth the expense, as The ArchAndroid hops genres, mixes styles and conveys a range of emotions. Monáe is cool and sleek; she is demurer at some moments but, in every track, she is in command and hugely inventive.

In terms of musical influences, she not only splices genres, but there are elements of various different nations – Monáe incorporated elements of various places she toured in and, as a result, I think the album speaks and connects with more people than it would have had she been a little less itinerant. I was writing a feature the other day, where I was thinking about modern music and asking whether artists inject enough from the world of film. There is so much to love about film music/scores and soundtracks. I do think that the sonic world of cinema is not utilised enough by artists today. One reason why The ArchAndroid sounds so busy and widescreen, is because Monáe was inspired by film scores and soundtracks. It is hard to pin down and categorise The ArchAndroid, because it employs some Hip-Hop and Neo-Soul; there is Pop and Funk and little bits of everything. Such a busy album could have come across as overly-ambitious or muddled in the hands of other artists. Monáe sounds totally inflamed, committed and assured at every step. I remember hearing bits of The ArchAndroid in 20102 and, after nearly a decade, it still sounds so wild and unpredictable. There are songs that hang together like a suite and others that strut their stuff. You do not need to be a fan of a particular genre or time period to enjoy The ArchAndroid.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

It is not surprising realising The ArchAndroid won huge respect and celebration from critics. It was a revelation back in 2010 and brought to many people’s attention this new and thrilling artist. Here is AllMusic’s take on one of the best albums of this decade:

“The packaging alone -- the elaborate crown, the inspiration listed beside each song, etc. -- provides much to process. Liner notes from the vice-chancellor of the arts asylum at the Palace of the Dogs, Monáe’s residence, outline the (possible) situation fleshed out in the songs. In short, Monáe was genoraped in the 28th century, sent back to the 21st century, and had her organic compounds cloned and re-purposed for the existence of ArchAndroid Cindi Mayweather, whose directive is to liberate Metropolis from a secret society of oppressors. Understanding all this stuff enhances the enjoyment of the album, but it is not required. A few tracks merely push the album along, and a gaudy Of Montreal collaboration is disruptive, but there are numerous highlights that are vastly dissimilar from one another. “Tightrope,” the biggest standout, is funky soul, all locomotive percussion and lyrical prancing to match: “I tip on alligators, and little rattlesnakers/But I’m another flavor, something like a Terminator.” Just beneath that is the burbling synth pop of “Wondaland,” as playful and rhythmically juicy as Tom Tom Club (“So inspired, you touch my wires”); the haunted space-folk of “57821” (titled after Monáe’s patient number); and the conjoined “Faster” and “Locked Inside,” packing bristling energy with a new-wave bounce that morphs into a churning type of desperation worthy of Michael Jackson. Monáe might not have much appeal beyond musical theater geeks, sci-fi nerds, and those who like their genres crossed-up, but no one can deny that very few are on her creative level. She can sing, sang, and scream like hell, too”.

It is hard to hone to one aspect when explaining why The ArchAndroid is such a timeless and phenomenal album. I would say it is Monáe’s flexibility and adaptable nature. Whether it is the vocals, composition or the lyrics, she keeps things twisting, mobile and moving. It is head-spinning listening to an album like The ArchAndroid. The A.V. Club alluded to this when they reviewed Janelle Monáe’s debut:

“But Janelle Monáe truly earns the tag on The ArchAndroid (Suites II And III). Her sophomore album bounds among tracks that stray far outside the boundaries of her loose “soul” designation, and frequently strain at the basic conventions of pop music itself. Monáe’s chameleonic nature extends to every aspect of her performance, including her ever-changing vocals, which swing from Beyoncé-like diva strut on “Cold War” to punk-rock-cabaret snarl on “Come Alive” to pastoral, madrigal-esque balladry on “57821.”

But what sounds like a shambling mess in description is in practice frequently exhilarating, and always intriguing. Granted, Monáe’s vacillations occasionally create some jarring moments, such as a grating/beguiling interlude in which all the vocals are played in reverse (“Neon Gumbo”) following the album’s most radio-ready single (“Tightrope,” featuring Big Boi). However, such fluctuations are usually justified by the album’s loose concept, which continues the saga of Monáe’s android alter-ego Cindi Mayweather, first explored on her 2007 debut EP, Metropolis. But really, Monáe’s inexhaustible swagger and singular style sell both the high-concept theatrics and the schizophrenic sonics.

Janelle Monáe followed up The ArchAndroid with The Electric Lady in 2013. That was another big record and won her a lot of new fans. Dirty Computer came out last year and, like its predecessors, it was a solid and hugely memorable set of songs. Although Monáe has not dropped a step and all three of her albums have received overwhelming positivity, I think her debut is her best album. The ArchAndroid is one of those albums that blows your mind when you first listen and remains as stunning years down the tracks. I have heard tracks from the album since its release and they never seem to grow old or familiar. I think there have been few stronger albums this decade than The ArchAndroid. I would encourage people to get the album on vinyl, because I think it is one of these recordings that people will be talking about decades from now. If you have not heard it – or cannot afford the vinyl -, stream the album (I have included it at the bottom of this feature) and discover why it is such a revered and inspiring work. It makes me wonder why other artists do not follow Janelle Monáe when it comes to concept and scope. Maybe they feel they’d fail or be unable to hit the same peak as her. On one of The ArchAndroid’s biggest tunes, Monáe mentions a tightrope. On that tightrope, and through every golden moment of The ArchAndroid, Janelle Monáe…

IN THIS PHOTO: Janelle Monáe in 2019/PHOTO CREDIT: Janelle Monáe/Getty Images

WALKED with supreme confidence!

FEATURE: The Feast After the Banquet: The Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed at Fifty

FEATURE:

 

The Feast After the Banquet

The Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed at Fifty

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A few big albums are turning (or have turned) fifty this year…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park in 1969/PHOTO CREDIT: Barrie Wentzell

and one of the best of them all, Let It Bleed, is fifty on 5th December. A special, super-duper-deluxe edition of the album has been released - and it worth snapping up if you are a fan of the album. Maybe the price is a little steep, but such an important album is worth the investment. Reviews are already coming in for the Let It Bleed fiftieth. Here is what Louder Sound said about the set:

“If the Rolling Stones inadvertently slammed the coffin lid shut on the 60s with the disaster that was Altamont, then Let It Bleed, the band’s eighth UK album and released the day before, was a focused summation of the turbulent times both within and beyond the band.

Founder Brian Jones was out, his replacement Mick Taylor was coming in, and the scenes of televised violence from Vietnam and more suffused the Stones’ music.

Elsewhere, the outré mores of Live With Me – the first song recorded with Taylor and saxophonist Bobby Keys – are tempered by targeting the hips, although You Got The Silver’s concerns seems quaint in comparison.

But it all adds up to a filler-free classic. Containing mono and stereo vinyl versions as well as SACD counterparts, this anniversary edition is bolstered with a mono seven-inch of Honky Tonk Women and an 80-page book illustrated with previously unseen photos.

When you think about Let It Bleed, you have to realise that this was The Rolling Stones at their very best. 1968’s Beggars Banquet was still fresh in the mind and, with songs such as Sympathy for the Devil and Street Fighting Man among the best cuts, how could a band possibly expand on that?!

The Rolling Stones ended a fantastic-yet-turbulent decade with what must be considered one of their best albums. They were not daunted by the success and brilliance of Let It Bleed: 1971’s Sticky Fingers and 1972’s Exile on Main St. are all genius albums. I wonder whether a band has ever put together such a run of flawless albums?! Maybe The Beatles match them in terms of their output from 1965’s Rubber Soul to 1969’s Abbey Road. It is amazing that The Rolling Stones put out such a remarkable album, considering the loss the group suffered whilst recording. The band’s founder, Brian Jones, was dependent on drugs during the album’s recording and unable to contribute. He was fired and replaced by Mick Taylor. The blow of having to lose a brother rocked the band and meant that they had to quickly contribute with a new member and dynamic. Sadly, Brian Jones died shortly after (in July 1969) he was fired and never got to see Let It Bleed succeed and inspire. Alongside Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, Keith Richards had the job of handling the rhythm and lead guitar parts. I think Let It Bleed is one of the moist eclectic albums the band ever released and sort of saw them embrace a Blues sound that was more prevalent earlier in their career. The range of sounds and genres revealed through Let It Bleed is amazing. The Gospel tones of You Can’t Always Get What You Want and the Country-Blues Love in Vain sit beside one another comfortably. Maybe slightly more lascivious and grittier than Beggars Banquet, there is a lot of passion to be found.     

Some criticised the cover of the album and the fact that it was not as eye-opening as Beggars Banquet. Sticky Fingers would see them return to the iconic, whereas Let It Bleed did not have the same impact. I really like the cover of Let It Bleed and the fact that it is a little funny and weird. Let It Bleed is a wide-ranging album, but it is tighter than Exile on Main St. and more nuanced than Beggars Banquet. The track listing and emotional balance of the album is perfect. The album opens with one of the strongest tracks, Gimme Shelter; it instantly grips the listener and does not let them go. Ending the first side with Let It Bleed, the second side is not exactly a slouch! Midnight Rambler opens the side and we end with You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Let It Bleed opens and closes with epic tracks! Let It Bleed received hugely positive reviews and continues to amaze and fascinate critics. In their review, AllMusic had this to say:    

“Mostly recorded without Brian Jones -- who died several months before its release (although he does play on two tracks) and was replaced by Mick Taylor (who also plays on just two songs) -- this extends the rock and blues feel of Beggars Banquet into slightly harder-rocking, more demonically sexual territory. The Stones were never as consistent on album as their main rivals, the Beatles, and Let It Bleed suffers from some rather perfunctory tracks, like "Monkey Man" and a countrified remake of the classic "Honky Tonk Woman" (here titled "Country Honk").

 Yet some of the songs are among their very best, especially "Gimme Shelter," with its shimmering guitar lines and apocalyptic lyrics; the harmonica-driven "Midnight Rambler"; the druggy party ambience of the title track; and the stunning "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which was the Stones' "Hey Jude" of sorts, with its epic structure, horns, philosophical lyrics, and swelling choral vocals. "You Got the Silver" (Keith Richards' first lead vocal) and Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain," by contrast, were as close to the roots of acoustic down-home blues as the Stones ever got”.

Ahead of its fiftieth anniversary, I am listening to Let It Bleed and discovering new sides. Some of the songs I missed before – such as Country Honk and You Got the Silver – are starting to come into their own. Gimme Shelter, somehow, sounds even more biblical whilst Love in Vain seems to improve with age. I want to bring in a feature from Ultimate Classic Rock that highlights what I was saying earlier: Let It Bleed is the sound of The Rolling Stones at their daring and untouchable best:

“There was no telling, but from the sound of things on the album's best songs – "Gimme Shelter," "Monkey Man," "You Can't Always Get What You Want" – it wasn't going to be easy. The murder fantasy "Midnight Rambler," the "Honky Tonk Women" rewrite "Country Honk," "You Got the Silver," the first full song to feature Keith Richards on lead vocals – all are immersed in layers of anguish and unease. It's sexy, dirty, scary and on the verge of collapsing under the weight of impending doom.

And it's a brilliant work by a band at its absolute peak. The Rolling Stones followed Let It Bleed with Sticky Fingers and then Exile on Main St., two of rock's all-time greatest albums. The progression from Beggars Banquet up through 1972's Exile charts a band growing into and out of itself. Elements of each record find their way into the others, from the bluesy sway that dominates Beggars and appears elsewhere (including on Let It Bleed) to the druggy aftermath of the '60s that seeps into Bleed and completely takes over Exile. Let It Bleed is the middle link holding it all together”.

As we end the 2010s, we get to look back at an album that still sounds remarkably fresh today. When Let It Bleed came out, there was corruption, political turmoil and tension – race riots in the U.S. and the war in Vietnam. It is clear that numerous artists have been inspired by The Rolling Stones’ masterpiece, but I wonder whether any band since them has reached such an artistic peak. The Rolling Stones, of course, are touring still and we get to hear classic tracks from Let It Bleed. On 5th December, this remarkable album turns fifty, and I hope it gets the celebration and fresh exposure it deserves. There is debate among Rolling Stones fans as to which album is their very best. There is this divide between those purple patch albums: Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Exile on Main St. often fight it out for that top spot. To me, The Rolling Stones were at their most thrilling, broad and accomplished in 1969. Even as their leader, Brian Jones, was spiralling and about to depart the band, the guys produced this incredible cohesive and remarkable album. Play Let It Bleed now and it is clear that this masterpiece sounds so incredible…   

AFTER all these years.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Seven: Florence Welch

FEATURE:

 

Modern Heroines

PHOTO CREDIT: E S Magazine

Part Seven: Florence Welch

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THIS was a tough one to start off…

PHOTO CREDIT: Kathy Lo for The New York Times

as I was not sure whether to dedicate this feature to ‘Florence Welch’ or ‘Florence + The Machine’. The former is the lead of the latter; the ‘Machine’ element of the band, I think, refers to her musicians – there are other people who play with her (keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd; harpist Tom Monger and others). Rather than cause confusion – if I haven’t done that already -, I thought I would just keep it to Florence Welch herself. She is, as I said, the heroine behind the moniker; one of the most arresting voices this country has produced. As the primary songwriter and vocalist of Florence + The Machine, Welch is this flame-haired spirit who, I think, is among the finest live performers in the world. I shall come to the present day in time but, for now, let’s start at the beginning. I think Welch will be considered an icon of the future because, right from her debut album, she stood out and stunned. There is a lot to uncover through this feature – I shall try and get to the bottom of a rare and stunning artist. Florence Leontine Mary Welch was born in Camberwell, London on 28th August, 1986 to parents Nick Russell Welch, an advertising executive, and Evelyn Welch, an American emigrant from New York City who was educated at Harvard University and the Warburg Institute, University of London.

Whilst her home life would have inspired a creative spirit, it was her paternal grandparents who encouraged her most. They inspired a few songs on her debut, Lungs, and were crucial when it came to Welch going beyond dreams to chasing a music career.  Welch’s teenage years were quite turbulent. Her parents divorced when she was thirteen, and her maternal grandmother ended her life around the same time. Welch developed an eating disorder as a teen, and it seems that, among happier days, there was a lot of struggle and darkness. One can say many teenagers experience similar, but there was a lot of change and upheaval that affected Welch. Having her parents split and a dear grandparent die…these blows were huge indeed. Life before starting a band consisted of modest gigs and a lot of writing. Performing gigs with Isabella Summers (who has been in Florence + The Machine from the start) in 2006, the duo was appearing in small London venues; some of the tracks that appeared on Lungs were in their early stages, and Welch was working her magic. Although those early gigs and recordings were quite modest, there was a lot of buzz – it was clear Welch had a natural talent and hunger. Although ‘Florence + The Machine’ started as a private joke – kind of goofy and random -, the debut album arrived in 2009. Things were not instant and fully-formed before 2009. Welch had tried a number of guises in terms of sound and direction.

It was when Welch began writing with Isabella Summers that she discovered her sound and found her direction. Inspired by the breakup of relationships – not untypical for most songwriters -, Welch hit the studio with a great deal of enthusiasm and desire. Although she was not necessarily a skilled musician by this time, the fact she was relying on her vocals and words gave her a freedom that might not have been there was she a guitarist or pianist. Slowly, the band started to come together and form into this finished product. Robert Ackroyd (guitar, backing vocals), Chris Hayden (drums, percussion and backing vocals); Mark Saunders (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Tom Monger (harp) were recruited – and Florence + The Machine was born. Signing to Island Records in 2008, Welch had come a long way since the early days – where she was still trying to find her voice and playing with different ideas. Ready and honed, Lungs is a fantastic debut that heralded in a huge and intoxicating voice. We have witnessed a decade of Florence + The Machine, so there is this familiarity; we have seen Welch develop and flourish. Looking back, it is amazing Lungs is filled with so many hits; ripe with some of the band’s biggest numbers. Dog Day Are Over and Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) opens the album – if you are going to open your musical account with a bang, these are the songs you want up there! Kiss with a Fist and Drumming Song are in there. Perhaps her most famous song of the time, You’ve Got the Love – a cover of the Candi Staton classic – was a song Welch was very familiar with and keen to explore. Her version ups the passion of the original and adds new dynamics.

Although a lot of critics did not know what to make of Florence + The Machine – there were instantly connections with and parallels to Kate Bush -, there were some positive reviews for Lungs. It is a very big and passionate album so, perhaps, some needed a bit more time to take it in. I was moved the first time I heard it, and I was stunned by this singer who bled emotion and had this incredible power. It remains this intoxicating listen that has this primal physicality and sense of the mystical. AllMusic, in their review, had this to say:

“Precocious Brit Florence Welch fired a bullet into the head of the U.K. music scene in 2008 with the single "Kiss with a Fist," a punk-infused, perfectly juvenile summer anthem that had critics wiping the names Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, and Kate Nash from their vocabularies and replacing them with Florence + the Machine. While the comparisons were apt at the time, "Kiss with a Fist" turned out to be a red herring in the wake of the release of Lungs, one of the most musically mature and emotionally mesmerizing albums of 2009. With an arsenal of weaponry that included the daring musicality of Kate Bush, the fearless delivery of Sinéad O'Connor, and the dark, unhinged vulnerability of Fiona Apple, the London native crafted a debut that not only lived up to the machine-gun spray of buzz that heralded her arrival, but easily surpassed it.

PHOTO CREDIT: Dean Chalkley/NME 

Like Kate Bush, Welch has little interest (for the most part) in traditional pop structures, and her songs are at their best when they see something sparkle in the woods and veer off of the main trail in pursuit. "Kiss with a Fist," as good as it is, pales in comparison to standout cuts like "Dog Days Are Over," "Hurricane Drunk," "Drumming Song," "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)," and "Cosmic Love," all of which are anchored to the earth by Welch's knockout voice, a truly impressive and intuitive trio of producers, and a backing band that sounds as intimate with the material as its creator. [Lungs was also released in a Deluxe Edition that included Lungs: The B-Sides, a bonus disc featuring studio tracks like “Swimming,” “Falling,” and “Heavy in Your Arms,” the latter of which appeared on the soundtrack for Twilight Saga: Eclipse, as well as live cuts (“You've Got the Dirtee Love"), demos (“Ghosts”), and remixes (the "Yeasayer Remix" of “Dog Days Are Over").]”.

If Florence Welch was largely unknown before Lungs, her debut with Florence + The Machine definitely changed all of that! Ceremonials is an album that possessed a lot of similar strands to Lungs, but expands her voice and lyrical narrative. Produced by Paul Epworth, Welch and the band began working on the album shortly after the release of Lungs. Although there are, perhaps, fewer standout hits on Ceremonials, I think it is a more nuanced and complete album; more of personal statement. Welch worked with several others on Lungs’ songs – including Isabella Summers -, but the majority of the tracks were written by Welch and Paul Epworth. Perhaps the comparisons to Kate Bush were inevitable. After all, both were born into middle-class families and this ethereal, cosmic quality; both have incredible voices and a rare beauty. Ceremonials fared better with critics than Lungs. It was nominated at the Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album; Shake It Out was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group performance. The album debuted at the top of the U.K. charts and it was clear a star was born! The album was a huge success and sold over two-and-a-half million copies. In interviews, Welch stated she wanted Ceremonials to sound sort of like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet: a mix of the classic Shakespeare and the tragedy. The Chamber Soul feel of the album combines some classical with the modern; it is a bigger album than Lungs and one that experiments more.

This is how AllMusic assessed Ceremonials:

“It’s a contest that plays out at least once on each of Ceremonials' immaculately produced 12 tracks. Such carefully calculated moments of rhapsody would dissolve into redundant treacle in less capable hands, but Welch does emotional bombast better than any of her contemporaries, and when she wails into the black abyss above, the listener can’t help but return the call. Bigger and bolder than 2009’s excellent Lungs, Ceremonials rolls in like fog over the Thames, doling out a heavy-handed mix of Brit-pop-infused neo-soul anthems and lush, movie trailer-ready ballads that fuse the bluesy, electro-despair of Adele with the ornate, gothic melodrama of Kate Bush and Floodland-era Sisters of Mercy. Producer Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Friendly Fires) knows that the fiercest weapon in his arsenal is Florence herself, and he stacks her vocals accordingly, creating a fevered, pagan gospel choir on “What the Water Gave Me” and “Leave My Body,” a ghostly, Phil Spector-ish chorale on the surprisingly Beatlesque “Breaking Down,” and a defiant, uplifting horde of merry pranksters on the spirited “Heartlines,” resulting in that rare sophomore outing that not only manages to avoid the slump, but bests its predecessor in the process”.

The album turned eight on 28th October, and Welch was keen to mark Ceremonials’ birthday. She is an artist who takes great pride in her work and is grateful for the love it has been shown and how it resonates with fans. Having enjoyed a sense of anonymity before her debut album, Welch was definitely in the spotlight by 2011.

More and more people were taking an interest in her music; her gigs were getting bigger and, invariably, there was the usual press adoration and scrutiny. Before I move on, I want to bring in an interview Welch conducted with The Guardian back in 2011. Not only do we sort of capture an essence of her personality and uniqueness, but it shows how far she came as a performer and interviewee since the start of her career:

“Welch seems to have become more disciplined since emerging, three years ago, as a 22-year-old who would sing through her photo calls, then cheerfully babble to interviewers about believing in werewolves or collecting Scottish broadswords. In her very first interview, conducted in an east London pub, she continued speaking into the reporter's Dictaphone even while he was at the bar getting drinks… Inevitably, there followed one or two mean write-ups, mostly from music journalists knocking her un-rocky way of speaking (posh vowels, girls' school cadences) and too-trendy affectations. "Florence listens to music through a Walkman," wrote one early blogger. "Well of course she bloody does."

Three years at the industry's front edge seems to have taught Welch to hold herself back a bit; to get through each promotional marathon by staying quiet when she can. In the same self-governing spirit she's trying hard not to get as almightily pissed as she used to. A recent month-long tour in support of U2, she says, passed totally soberly. "I used to think it was all part of the performance to go out there, go on tour, and get as drunk as possible. Like, oblivion. Oblivion. Living almost out of control. And I think, now, I feel a bigger sense of responsibility to the fans. To the people who come to see me play."

PHOTO CREDIT: Dean Chalkley/NME 

This is second-album talk. Because it can go either way at this point; look at the example of her contemporaries. Adele's second effort, last spring's 21, confirmed her as music royalty. Duffy's second, the desperately ho-hum Endlessly, seems to have stunted, if not sunk, a promising career. "I'm more satisfied with this one than the last," says Welch. "But I'm still nervous about it. You're never completely happy, otherwise you wouldn't ever make the next one." Earlier, recalling her summer on the under-card of the big U2 tour, she'd said: "It's funny, in a way, I almost prefer being the support band. There's just less expectation."

She'll be fine with Ceremonials. My nerves, if any, are that fans of Lungs, that great dossier of discontent, must have been fans of its fury, its tartness. And on Ceremonials, Welch sounds really quite chuffed. Track one kicks off with a muffled giggle. By track five's foot-tappy harpsichord twangs, the mood is absolutely jaunty. The video for recent single "Shake It Out" even cast a giddy-looking Florence in the middle of a game of blind man's buff.

"I think the first album feels almost desperate. Being really desperate for someone. I was definitely in a more settled place for the second, which was helpful for my concentration because I wasn't, like, crying all the time."

One can definitely feel more confidence in Ceremonials. By the time How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful arrived in 2015, Welch and her band were world-famous and there was a lot of eyes cast their way. It is clear the time before the album’s recording was pretty full-on.

Welch suffered because of it – she told Zane Lowe in an interview how she had a bit of a breakdown -, and she wasn’t that happy. The first two albums were fairly close together and it was a whirlwind of promotion, recording and touring. It was clear Welch needed a rest and a chance to recharge. Maybe the glare of celebrity or the pressure of the industry was taking its toll. Time off was rare, and Welch found herself in this odd state where she was pretty unhappy and unwell. It is not a shock that the tone for How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is a lot more personal. Whereas there is more literature, fantasy and the colourful on the first couple of albums, her third still sound passionate but looks more into the self. It reflects the hard times and sense of rush that preceded How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. There were definite themes shaping Ceremonials. Death and water were subjects explored through that album. Although How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is more personal than anything before, there is this sense of a woman looking forward and trying to tackle her problems. Producer Markus Dravs was credited as bringing out a more vulnerable side to Welch on How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, but it is obvious she needed to reflect what was happening in her life; open up more to the listener. The mark of a truly evolving and wonderful artist is one who can develop but keep their identity.

What I mean by that is (that) Welch was exploring herself more on How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, yet she kept a lot of the same elements we heard on the first couple of Florence + The Machine albums. With every album, critics were opening themselves up more to the incredible and powerful brew of Welch’s music. I think the fact that she was so different to everyone out there meant that many took quite a while before they truly appreciated her music. The Telegraph reviewed How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful and had a lot of love to give:

“But you can be taken right back there – arms aloft among the floral head garlands that had not yet become so ubiquitous – by first single What Kind of Man. Those thunderous tribal beats – battered out as if from mammoth bones – are classic Welch. As are the chunky, punk guitar chords and fearless warrior vocals – don’t forget this is a woman who got her break after being overheard belting out an Etta James song in a club lavatory. What’s new is the more spacious and controlled tone Welch finds in the long, dreamy, organ-washed introduction. She builds her anger carefully as her man “wonders what to do with life” so that when those sternum-shaking beats kick in you’re really waiting for the release. When Welch berates the guys for letting her “dangle at a cruel angle”, she is suddenly the one with all the power. Like Kate Bush on Hounds of Love, she proves the heartbeat of the hunted victim can be more vital rushing through the ears than that of the hunter. There’s more at stake”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Naturally, with How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful being this more personal and revealing album, Welch was asked about her lyrics in interviews. Having taken some time out to rest and take stock, she put out this incredible album that garnered a lot of interest and appreciation. She gave an interview to NME and was asked what inspired How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful:

“Musically, ‘How Big…’ was inspired by her songwriting trips to Jamaica and to LA, where, like many before her, the sense of space and warmth and light seeped in (“We’ve opened our eyes and it’s changing the view”, she sings on the title track). She knew she wanted something that sounded “big, but not heavy”, inspired particularly by a late conversion to Neil Young (whose Bridge School benefit concert she also played at in October last year), plus listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty and Springsteen, in search of a “tougher” sound. Also key, though, was Fiona Apple’s last album, which Florence admired for the mixture of strength and vulnerability in its emotional frankness.

“Relationships not working out, trying to figure out how and why your relationship with yourself isn’t working out. That stuff humbles you and it’s human, things that everyone goes through,” says Florence. “That was the perspective I was writing from, whereas ‘Ceremonials’ was about imagining this thing I wanted to be… And it was funny, perhaps Markus was expecting me to come in, like, riding a chariot with a broadsword. And we did have moments where he was trying to get a push-through power chorus out of me and I was like, ‘Dude… I’m not in a very good place. I can’t pretend to write a like “IT’S GONNA BE AMAZING NOW, IT’S ALL GONNA BE FINE!” chorus. Like, I think it’s all gonna be fine, eventually. I don’t fucking know right now, though…”.

By 2017, there was word that Florence + The Machine were working on a new album. Welch made the announcement on 27th May, 2017 and, on 28th February, 2018, the band’s drummer, Christopher Hayden, announced he was no longer part of the clan. Of course, there was a lot of buzz around Florence + The Machine in 2018; the news that an album was due and what it might contain. Welch talked about what was being explore on High as Hope. I am not sure whether a fifth album is being worked on as we speak, but it is clear there are two halves to Florence + The Machine’s work. Lungs and Ceremonials are less personal and explore a variety of themes, whereas her third and fourth albums are more personal and focus more on subjects such as personal anxiety and relationships. That may sound simplistic, but it is evident a transition occurred following Ceremonials and how Welch felt following the album – and the busyness and pressure that greeted its success. Although Welch explores love and loss on High as Hope, there is a lot of positivity; her moving from a bad love a into this new phase where she was re-evaluating and rebuilding. I love how strong Welch is and was back then. I think she is more than an artist. She is an inspiration to a lot of people who have suffered setbacks and losses; a woman with a fantastic sense of style – Welch is renowned for her fashion and incredible looks – and a wonderful mind.    

High as Hope is the best-reviewed album of Florence + The Machine’s career. I think it has all the best elements of the earliest albums – Welch’s powerful voice and hugely variegated songcraft – but there is more focus; a personal aspect that connects you closer to her and makes the songs more relatable. It is the hope and sense of betterment that means the tracks have that positive nature and get right into the heart. When they reviewed High as Hope, The Times were intrigued and moved:

“Sorry I ruined your birthday,” she sings on Grace, a letter to the sister she has overshadowed for the past decade. Hunger is a pretty, string-laden song on which she sings about starving herself as a teenager, taking drugs and living for that moment on stage before concluding that all these things create a bigger hole than the one they were meant to fill. And High As Hope utilises restraint, something Welch, whose singing approach has in the past evoked the battle cry of Boudicca, is not generally known for.

Big God, a slow crawl of a song about waiting in vain for a lover’s text message, shows her capturing pain through subtle intonation. No Choir, on which Welch surmises that happiness is uneventful and therefore hard to write about, is an intimate and gentle reflection on turning inner turmoil into public product.

Throughout there is a feeling of someone trying to make sense not only of her life choices, but also of the impact those choices have had on the people around her. Aligned to florid, string-laden music, it makes for an album of depth and character from a woman with excellent taste, as her wardrobe of ornate vintage dresses — and choice of postcode — proves. South London for ever”.

When I think about Florence Welch, yes, there is someone who has battled demons and addiction, but here is also an incredibly strong human who puts her thoughts and battles into the music and seems to emerge stronger and more focused. I also think about her life away from music and how her London home must be full of wonder and charm: old books on shelves and an old bicycle in the hallway; lots of sweet smells, candles and this feeling of a modern woman living in this classical and bygone setting. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself, but I have this romantic vision of Welch (in fact, this video does take us inside her gaff). Maybe I am wrong, but Welch definitely stands out from the pack and is a lot more fascinating than most artists out there at the moment. I am excited to see where Florence + The Machine go next and what a fifth album might contain. I think Welch is a fascinating artist and someone who is influencing a lot of artists coming through – not just in terms of her voice and songs, but the way she approaches creativity and how she has overcome hard times. I will round off soon, but I want to bring in a couple of interviews from 2018.

In 2018, Welch was interviewed by The New York Times when promoting High as Hope. She talked about discovering her voice and the nature of her on and off-stage persona:

 “Florence has definitely gone through a transformation,” said her bandmate Isabella Summers, with whom Ms. Welch began playing music in her teens in South London, where she grew up. Ms. Summers, who plays keys in the group, went on to help produce and write some of Ms. Welch’s early work, including the 2009 breakout “Dog Days Are Over.”

“The first time I really found my sound was working with another woman, working with Isa,” Ms. Welch said. “As a young artist, you can struggle to find your voice, and it takes a while to say, ‘No, I want it to be like this.’ ” Now, she added, “I’m very O.K. with being in charge. Because I know that I know what I’m doing.”

For the tour following “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful,” Ms. Welch experimented with a more androgynous (for her) style, all angular suits. It was, she said, a reaction to her heartbreak: “I was almost angry at the more vulnerable, feminine sides of myself, because they seemed weak.” But it felt like a pose.

Now, she said, as she’s collapsing the boundaries between her on- and offstage life, she wants to wear more real-world clothes — even sleepwear. “On this record, I was embracing the femininity, embracing the things I really liked, embracing that you can still be powerful and strong and scary in a pink nightie,” she said”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Vincent Haycock

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Welch discussed addiction and the fact that, after a tough time, she realised what her closest relationship is: the one with music:

“You recently got a tattoo that says, “Always Lonely.” Why would you want that on your body?

Oh, ’cause I was super sad. Mixing High as Hope was a really lonely time in my life. I was in New York, and I had just gone through a breakup — one of those sad ones where it’s not very dramatic: You’re trying to do what’s best for both of you. You’re just getting on with stuff, which is oddly lonely in itself. I was thinking about the end of this relationship and “Why do I feel like the album comes first before everything? Are you perpetuating your own loneliness?” The closest relationship I’ve had for my whole life is with my music. Also, I guess, I thought it was funny.

At what age do you feel you were done with the eating disorder?

It’s not an overnight thing. It’s funny ’cause it’s one of the most insidious things you can have. I have a healthy relationship with my body now more than I ever did before, but it took me a long time. And it stays with you in really weird ways. So it’s hard to say, “When did you overcome it?” Because you would have overcome some of the behavior a long time ago but the head stuff, it takes a while. It comes back in really strange ways, which I was looking at in this record. It’s very hard to accept love. If you’ve been denying yourself nourishment in some way, you also have a tendency to deny yourself emotional nourishment.

You’re sober now. When is the last time you had a drink?

February the 2nd, four years ago. Being an extreme drinker was a huge part of my identity. Music and alcohol are sort of my first two loves. When I stopped, there was this sense that I was letting some ghost of rock history down that I just couldn’t cope anymore. It was monumental. It wasn’t like, “I want to be healthy and I need a change of pace.” It was like, “I’m going to die. I need to stop”.

I wanted to include these interviews, because it shows how open Welch is; the fact she has been through the wringer and transition. High as Hope seems like a sort of precursor to, perhaps, her most extraordinary album. High as Hope was nominated for a Mercury Prize last year (but lost out to Wolf Alice), and it is a remarkable album. Not only is Florence Welch a sensational writer and singer. Her live shows are also the stuff of legend. The difference between this fairly quiet and shy woman away from the stage and the fiery, dancing idol that has an adoring fanbase. Welch is a phenomenal live performer and puts her all into every show. Just before ending this feature, I want to bring in a review from a show she played during her High as Hope Tour last year:

“At her live show, it’s all about the theatrics, and she shows extraordinary stamina, appearing to gain a deeper warmth and strength as the night goes on. The opening lines from “Hunger” off High as Hope are as affecting as ever – “At 17 I started to starve myself/ I thought that love was a kind of emptiness” – but live you really see how the song builds in momentum to a rousing chorus, as Welch stretches out a hand to her violinist to signal those first, yearning notes.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lillie Eiger 

It’s quite something to watch her skipping and twirling her way across the stage in bare feet in a diaphanous gown of pale pink, with her vivid red hair flying behind her. In his wildest dreams, Dante Rossetti couldn’t have conjured up such a pre-Raphaelite vision as Welch. There’s a childlike innocence to the show in how it encourages you to use your imagination: giant folds of white material billow from the ceiling, evoking memories of a parent hanging washing on the line, or the sails of ships.

Welch is a heroine who is putting out some simply wonderful music. I think she will become an icon in years to come, as she continues to explore and take her music in different directions. Whether she is expressing from the stage, talking in interviews or recording in the studio, she is an artist impossible not to fall in love with. I think 2020 will be a big year for Welch and the band. High as Hope only came out last year, but I think Welch is in a better head-space now compared to where she was in 2018. Maybe that will lead to a new record; there will be tour dates for certain. If you have not investigated her music, I have prepared a playlist at the bottom that collates her best songs. You can feel a real change from some of the tracks on Lungs to what we find on High as Hope. Listening to Florence + The Machine’s music is like being brought into this new universe; a very tangible experience where you embrace the music and the visions Welch puts forward. There is nothing to it: play the music loud and…

FOLLOW her lead.

FEATURE: Waxing Lyrical: Music as a Way of Keeping the Past Alive

FEATURE:

 

Waxing Lyrical

IMAGE CREDIT: Dan Bingham 

Music as a Way of Keeping the Past Alive

___________

THE headline and title of this feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @jontyson/Unsplash

may sound like a pure nostalgia-fest – and I realise I have talked about my childhood and musical education quite a bit. I have also explored memory, dementia and how music can keep memories safe. I am not sure whether it is a general ageing or whether I am getting more fearful about the inevitable results of time passing. I am always fascinated by music’s power to take us back; to mark a point in time and provide these clear visions. I think modern music is soundtracking good memories for us all and we will look back in years from now and recall how various songs and artists defined a certain moment. It may be a personal thing, but I am finding myself forget things. I know for a fact that, fairly recently, I had memories of a school and times with friends. Now, those memories are either gone or very hazy. I guess we all go through, and there is not a lot we can do to avoid the march of time. One of my greatest fears is losing everything from my childhood – or at least to the age of eighteen. To get to a day when you only have memories of adulthood is a very daunting thing. Of course, you can remember the people who were there and, somehow, gain some form of recollection. My parents have photos of me when I was young; there are images of me and friends and, somewhere, there is the odd tape – I recall a particular birthday was filmed and I am not even sure whether that has survived.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @nordwood/Unsplash

Things that were once colourful and alive are sepia-toned or faded. I think my happiest days are when I was a child and, whist that might suggest a desire to stay there, I think it is important to keep the past alive to an extent. Where we came from and how we started life informs where we are today. Today, if you are a child, you can preserve a lot of memories because we have Smartphones; we can log our thoughts on social memory but, years ago, they were not options. Not only is it important to preserve the past to see how we have come; being able to recall friendships and pivotal times can influence us in the present time. For those with good memories or a lot of home videos, it might not be that hard revisiting those young years and keeping the past intact. For those with a different reality, music is an absolute godsend. I have discussed this before, but all of us have attachments to various songs because they scored something important. For me, I can name a particular song and it will bring back a certain memory. Maybe it will be a family holiday, but that will open up more recollections and memories. A lot of my school years are a bit murky, and yet I can remember faces, sounds and conversations because of a single song.

For instance, I listen to Informer by Snow and can revisit gym and P.E. lessons at high-school; I opened my G.C.S.E. results to Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5. (A Little Bit of…). From there, I can remember the days before opening my results and the feelings I experienced. I admit that these particular songs are not terrific, but they stuck in my head and, when I hear them now, it is like a home video or min-film. That may sound silly, although it isn’t for me. I think we can all find strength and clarity if we see how far we have come and how we started out. The idea of there being this blank canvas and only being able to hold on to memories from a few years back is unsettling. Whilst many of us have lost photo, friends and those direct ties to the past, the fact we can play these sense and mind-opening songs and be transported back is wonderful. More and more, I am listening to some old favourites because I can evoke fond remembrance and keep something very special close to me. I know there will be a day when these songs will only dimly light memories and they will not have the same potency. Think about your own lives and I know you will have your own mixtape and soundtrack that you could compile that scores various years and occasions.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @isabellwinter/Unsplash

Every year, new studies are being carried out to truly understand music’s power when it comes to memory. From those with degenerative illnesses or memory impairments, through to those who have suffered trauma…we know music is a wonderful aid. Even if people come and go from our lives, those songs that we fell in love with and hold dear will always be there. This BBC article explains how music helps us unlock memories:

“The hippocampus and the frontal cortex are two large areas in the brain associated with memory and they take in a great deal of information every minute. Retrieving it is not always easy. It doesn’t simply come when you ask it to. Music helps because it provides a rhythm and rhyme and sometimes alliteration which helps to unlock that information with cues. It is the structure of the song that helps us to remember it, as well as the melody and the images the words provoke”.

I can look at old vinyl records at my family’s home and they will take me back to childhood; where those records first came into my life. If it were not for music, I do not think I would remember as much and be able to retain so much from my past. Being able to reflect and draw from the past can be useful when we face problems today. I can think about music I was listening to as a child and it will bring to mind times when I was struggling or less happy. Although life is more complex in adulthood, I can remember how I dealt with those black moments and the fact I got through it okay. Similarly, I can remember a lot of the happy times and get comfort from that – I can give my brain little bursts when I am feeling low or confused today. Every one of has special attachments and, when we want to feel aligned and involved with our past – for various reasons -, music provides answers, fond memories and lessons. For me and so many others, that is…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @elidefaria/Unsplash

SUCH an important thing.

TRACK REVIEW: Dua Lipa - Don’t Start Now

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Dua Lipa

Don’t Start Now

9.1/10

 The track, Don’t Start Now, is available from:

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

GENRES:

Pop/Dance-Pop

ORIGIN:

London, U.K.

RELEASE DATE:

31st October, 2019

LABEL:

Warner Records UK

__________

THIS is a review…

PHOTO CREDIT: Janell Shirtcliff for Variety

I did not imagine myself doing but, as Pop music is changing and different artists are coming through, I wanted to review Dua Lipa and her latest single, Don’t Start Now. I have nothing against Dua Lipa – she is one of the most inventive Pop artists around -, but my attentions are usually aimed at other genres. Not only is Lipa one of the more original artists on the block; she is also one of the most popular in all of the world. Many might recognise her from the monster single, New Rules, which broke records and hit the top spot here. At a time where very few women go to the top of the charts, Dua Lipa definitely achieved something very rare and inspiring. Recently, she attended Cambridge University and made a speech regarding the realities of life in the music industry for young women. She talked about the scrutiny women face and what it is like on social media. Dua Lipa has also observed how Pop has changed and the fact that, in this modern time, the number-one song will sound very different to the one of next week. I want to discuss this first and, after, look at Disco and injecting more fun into the scene; social media and the pressures big artists face; gender equality and artists like Dua Lipa being able to affect change; I also want to talk about her family background. Let us chat about the new face of Pop music. People like me (in their thirties) will often get hung up on the music of the past. To be honest, it is not hard to see why many of us return to the Pop from the 1960s-1990s: there are massive hooks, melodies and that sense of life and positivity that gives you a lift and stays in the head. It is clear the landscape has changed very noticeably and gone through transformations.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Markus Pritzi

In terms of observations, many have noted how Pop in particular has become sadder and more repetitive; it is, maybe, a little less memorable because hooks are not as important as the personal and other considerations. Maybe it is a subjective measure as to whether Pop was better in my time or whether it is stronger now. Will many of the artists from the scene now (and the past decade) remain years from now? Will we recall song from today’s market the sane way as we do those older classics? Time will tell us the answer, but it is harder for artists to succeed, stand out and create something truly enduring. Dua Lipa is an artist who realises this and does not try to repeat what is already out there. Not only does Dua Lipa ensure that her songs are her own and have that special D.N.A., but she also ensures her videos capture the imagination and stand out. It is hard today, because videos are not necessarily used to market a song quite the same way as they were years ago. Because of that, there is this trouble artists face getting noticed and having a video that will be seen. For big artists like Dua Lipa, they have a solid and loyal fanbase, so it ensures the videos do well. In terms of how Pop is transforming and what defines today’s crop? Early last year, Lipa was asked about Pop and how she would define it:

It’s definitely changed. I think the artists are really the face of the music they make. It’s no longer the genre that dictates it. Artists have a lot more creative leeway, and the number one this week is gonna sound nothing like the number one next week. I think that’s what’s so magical about what’s happening. You never really know what’s going to be the next big thing.

How do you feel like you fit into that new pop landscape then?

Well, I always want to be able to reinvent myself, but in a way that feels authentic to me and something that I can identify with. My idea of pop has been P!nk and Christina Aguilera and Destiny’s Child and Nelly Furtado, but it’s also taking that modern-day twist, where you’re allowed to be a bit more adventurous and you’re allowed to talk about different experiences, personal experiences, which is something that P!nk did so perfectly. I feel in a time like now, you are really able to talk about everything and anything in the hope that somebody might be able to relate to it.

My place? I guess I just want to be able to make music that’s empowering, but I also don’t want to limit myself to being someone that just makes empowering songs. I want to be able to write songs that can also bring you down, and they kind of hurt at some point. It depends how people take it. I just want to play around.

I don’t want to be forgotten. I want to keep releasing music, and not every single song that you release is gonna be like, “Oh, this is the song going to the radio!” It’s just releasing music because you love releasing music, and you love playing around. There’s just so many artists and so much inspiration to be had that’s so brilliant that I think that’s what pop music is, is innovative”.

That desire Dua Lipa has not to be forgotten; this is something that plays on her mind when she launches a song. Her eponymous album of 2017 scored some positive reviews because it was clear she was not necessarily thinking about chart positions but what will resonate and remain. I do think a lot of what she does is aimed at making people feel better and stronger. A lot of artists are quite emotional and their music has that slightly teary edge. That is fine, but it can get a little depressing and it is harder to keep those songs in the head. Dua Lipa’s tracks are defined by energy and spirit. She wants to send out messages and statements and, at the same time, get people moving and together. I want to bring in a couple of interviews, where she was asked about her future material and how she sees her debut. This feature from The Face gives a bit of insight into Dua Lipa’s second album – the fact that it is going in a slightly new direction:

“Back in April, she told her Insta followers that after a predominantly electronic first album, the follow-up is going to have a lot more live instrumentation.

“I feel like you could dance through the whole record,” she says. ​“There’s lots of nostalgic elements to it. There’s a sample in there from the 1930s. It’s just a party”.

I know Prince is an artist who influences her, so will we see something taut, tight and funky for the second album? That would be a breath of fresh air in a Pop scene that is less defined by fun and hooks as it is by a set template and a rather listless sound. Many were attracted to Dua Lipa’s debut album, because it was a varied and personal work. When speaking with Vogue, the songwriter was asked how she feels about her debut:

“Your debut was such a solid pop debut. How do you reflect on Dua Lipa four years later?

“It was such a big part of my life. What I love about that record is that it’s a pop record but it’s so eclectic. I experimented with so many different sounds. My new record is still pop and it is really fun, but it is definitely more conceptual. I had the album title and went from that. After listening to it, it kind of feels like a dancercise class (laughs). I’m not trying to take myself too seriously but as a record it does feel more mature. I’m so excited to get going again. I’m ready! We’re on the countdown now.”

I am slightly ambivalent when it comes to modern Pop because, on the one hand, I know it needs to progress and reflect the modern times, but there is that feeling that artists are too similar and you would need a spectrum analyser to distinguish between those who have the same beats and voices. I know there are so many more artists out now compared to years ago, but there is a lack of originality from the mainstream. I think Dua Lipa, from the start, endeavoured to make something that was her own and tried to shake Pop up. A lot of eyes will be on her next year as she releases (I assume) her second album. Not only is there a lot of expectations; she also has scored some big hits, so there will be the desire from the label to release songs that will be big on the charts. Will this restrict her horizons and temporise her desires?

I am not sure, but it is clear there is a spark and fierceness in the heart of Dua Lipa. She takes no sh*t from anyone and is making music that feels right to her – not what is expected by the media and mainstream. Here is an artist in her twenties whose music has been streamed billions of times. It is obvious 2018 was a defining year for her. Variety ran a feature and spoke with Dua Lipa about her success. So many Pop artists come off as quite ordinary and do not have much of any important to impart. In the interview, Dua Lipa talked about her love of older music and how that is defining her moves. I mentioned how Dua Lipa’s future sounds might be more Disco-tinged. I think we need more of that in the industry. There is this rather depressing shadow being cast by Brexit and world affairs, so music that gets us kicking, singing and dancing is a much-needed thing. It seems like Dua Lipa is an artist who has that passion for the icons:

“They are definitely interesting, nostalgic feelings. I ended up listening to Prince, Outkast, old Gwen Stefani and No Doubt. It sounds like such a crazy clash of styles, but that’s just how I like to do things. Juxtaposition has always been a common factor in everything I do. It’s very ‘me’”.

What grabs a lot of people (when it comes to Dua Lipa) is her voice and how she is not moulding herself to be like anyone else. So many artists have this samey vocal sound, and it does get very boring and worrying. It seems that, at a time when we need Pop to be more energised, interesting and fresh, many artists are not taking chances or going beyond the routine. The Variety article highlighted Dua Lipa’s vocal punch; she talked about modern Pop and the lack of Dance-Pop sounds:

“Critics have rhapsodized over her smoky voice and rhythmic cadences that define the distinctive role she inhabits in the dance-pop genre: a singer whose songs are at once badass and cathartic. But it’s also true that the genre currently has few dedicated practitioners.

“Outside of Ariana Grande, it doesn’t feel like a lot of the established A-list pop stars want to make pure pop/dance music at the moment,” says Chris Booker of KAMP-FM in Los Angeles. Lipa is “doing the right collaborations [Silk City, Calvin Harris] and filling an obvious void”.

Lipa takes themes of emotional conflict and makes them accessible. “I love songs that aren’t necessarily the happiest and putting them to the happiest beat ever so you can actually dance to it,” she says. “‘Dance-crying’ is a term I’ve been using”.

I think (I hope) I have talked enough about Pop and how Dua Lipa is different to many others out there. It is very evident that she has determination and wants to change things. Given that Lipa is a very big star and has accrued so many fans, she does have to deal with social media. This is a subject that is always being discussed and it is something we all need to be aware of. Most of us spend too much time on social media but, for artists, they need to promote their music and rely a lot on followers and promotional platforms like Twitter and Facebook. With that exposure comes a lot of backlash; artists are open to trolling and there are going to be those people who want to criticise and attack. The impact this is having on the mental-health of artists is obvious. I think we do need to do more to ensure artists like Dua Lipa are protected and anyone who does cross the line is banned – we are seeing too many artists being negatively impacted by social media. In this interview, Dua Lipa was asked about the pressure she faces and how she deals with it:

“You’ve achieved so much as a pop star but conversely you must experience an awful lot of pressure too. How do you take care of your mental wellbeing, how do you make sure you’re ok?

“My family and my friends keep me grounded. I’ve also learnt to do social media in bite sizes. Social media has always been around for my generation, so for me it’s really fun to post pictures, tweet and update. But I’ve also received a lot of backlash for talking about political things close to my heart. I’m not one to say sorry, I like to stand by things I believe in, so sometimes I delete the app so I don’t start second guessing myself. Trolls can very easily give you anxiety.

PHOTO CREDIT: Elle 

“The thing that keeps me on social media – and this is more Twitter than Instagram – is my connection with my fans. They’re the reason why I download the app again, so I can talk to them. It’s the foundation that we’ve built everything on. My fans know me so well now that I get messages saying, ‘We know you need some time out from Twitter, we just wanted to tell you we missed you’. It’s like everything in life; it’s about finding and maintaining a healthy balance. You can’t always get it right, but you have to try”.

It is that connection and support she gets from fans that keep her on social media. Dua Lipa says she checks in, but not as frequently as many. It is hard to ween yourself away and there is that sense of addiction. I can only imagine what it is like for a young artist on social media in 2019. I do worry that a lot of pressure is being put on artists and, when it comes to selling their music, they are expected to spend inordinate periods on social media. I do feel like there needs to be barriers and curfews, because so many artists are suffering and finding that their mental wellbeing declines. A lot of artists do burn out or they need time away to recharge. Dua Lipa has a sensible head on her shoulders, and I think she has a pragmatic approach when it comes to social media. In several features, I have talked about women in the industry and how, even  today, we have to discuss parity and whether women are overlooked and why there is sexism. The issue (sadly) is not going anywhere, and so many female artists are subjected to abuse; many others are not booked for festivals or seen as inferior to their male counterparts. Dua Lipa and her contemporaries are speaking out, but the industry needs to do more to ensure that there is balance and progression happens as quickly as possible.

Dua Lipa has spoken about social media and how it can impact artists. She is also someone who wants to see changes in the music industry regarding the way women are perceived and celebrated. Not only are women of all ages provided fewer opportunities than men; more mature women are often consigned to the scrapheap, whereas older men are still exposed and promoted. In this article from The Independent, Dua Lipa spoke about gender and age:     

 “The Brit Award-winner continued by saying that some people are “very hypocritical” before explaining how these kinds of conversations can impact women in the entertainment industry.

“It feels like for men, getting older in an industry is celebrated whereas for women we’re instantly put down because we’re getting older,” Lipa says.

“It’s quite upsetting because why can’t we? As female artists, when we start something in our careers we want longevity and we don’t want ageing to be the reason we stop working or people stop being interested in us. We still have a lot to say and we still have a lot to bring to the table.

“I think it’s a lot to do with the conversations that are being made on social media.”

The One Kiss singer also spoke about how she is seen as a role model for young women, admitting she doesn’t always get things right.

“I will do whatever is in my ability to be able to do what’s right but at the same time I’m also learning and I’m not perfect,” Lipa adds.

“I think that’s something really important for them to remember, that we’re allowed to make mistakes and be ourselves and be young, but at the same time try and set a good example”.

Songs like New Rules are feminist anthems, and the young songwriter has spoken extensively about the #MeToo movement and gender inequality. One other reason why I wanted to focus on Dua Lipa is that she is a role model. Not only will she compel and motivate young women, but she is a good example for any artist. I think men in the music industry are not doing enough to affect change and raise awareness of sexism. I think we should all take a lead from Dua Lipa and her peers and ensure that change happens sooner rather than later. Not your average and processed Pop artist, I feel like Dua Lipa’s musical and familial background plays a role when it comes to her sound and attitude.

I will move on to reviewing Dua Lipa’s new song very soon but, before then, I want to bring in an article from The Guardian from 2018, where they talk about her background and her parents’ struggle:

“Her mother, Anesa, was born to a Kosovan father and a Bosnian mother. In the 90s, war came first to Bosnia, where Anesa’s mother lived, and then to Kosovo, where by now Anesa was living with her fiance, Dukagjin Lipa. Dukagjin was the son of a well-known historian, Seit Lipa, who at that time was the head of the Kosovo Institute of History. When conflict began to brew in Kosovo, Seit’s career abruptly ended. As Lipa tells it: “Once the Serbians came in, they wanted a lot of the historians to rewrite the history of Kosovo. To change it – that Kosovo was always part of Serbia and never part of Yugoslavia. And my grandfather was one of those people who wouldn’t, so he lost his job, because he didn’t want to write a history that he didn’t believe to be true.”

In 1992, Dukagjin and Anesa sought refuge in London, while their parents stayed behind in Kosovo and Bosnia. Seit Lipa died in 1999, the year that the Kosovo war ended. “He had a heart attack. And because the borders were closed, my father couldn’t go back to see him.”

Lipa was born in north-west London in 1995. “I’ve seen my parents work every day of my life,” she says. In Kosovo her father was training to be a dentist, her mother to be a lawyer. Sudden flight to London threw all this over, and for a long time Lipa’s parents worked as waiters in cafes and bars. In the evenings, her father took business courses. Her mother retrained in travel and tourism. “While I was going to school they were going to school”.

I think her parents’ work ethic has affected Dua Lipa and how she approaches music. Her parents worked tirelessly and they never quit. Maybe Dua Lipa wants to get success so, in part, she can repay her parents, but I think their example has touched their daughter and she wants to go far. I already highlighted how Dua Lipa is influenced by artists such as Prince and, when you mix that in with her family background, you have this artist who is going to be someone we remember years from now – quite a feat in this modern landscape! I am not sure when Dua Lipa’s second album is out but, in the absence of new album announcements, she has released a new single. It is time I get down to assessing it.

I would advise people watch the video for Don’t Start Now because, from the very start, it has plenty to recommend. The heroine wrestles with a camera and drops someone – maybe a member of the paparazzi? – and the song then goes into the club. That image of Dua Lipa tangling with someone leads me to believe that personal space is desired. She wants to be left alone or, at the very least, needs more space. She did a “full-180, crazy…” and talks about heartbreak. Did it change her? Maybe. She has ended up on higher ground; a safe plain and it seems like there is this indomitable spirit that cannot be extinguished. I speculated that media attention was what she was rebelling against – maybe it is her ex-lover or something from that romance? Unlike so many of today’s Pop songs, Dua Lipa is trying to make a track that relies more on fun and the beats, rather than a commercial formula and something quite downbeat. I do think a lot of the mainstream has lacked energy and punch and, although she is one of the biggest stars on the planet, I think artists like Taylor Swift lack the power to stay in the head – one listens to the songs and they are not recalled to the mind days down the line. The video has an infectiousness where Dua Lipa is performing and joined by a willing and supportive crowd. It is clear there is this defiance and renewal. Rather than wallow and get down on herself, she is shedding an old skin and looking to the future. I do like a song that has a definite strut and understands the importance of a good chorus. Don’t Start Now has some groaning, grooving bass and a solid beat. The song has this sense of movement and, whilst the chorus is not as emphatic and delirious as some of Pop’s best, it is a revelation in the modern market. There is this precursor to Dua Lipa’s new album; one where her voice and decisions are louder and where she turns the energy and catchiness up.

I liked her debut, but I felt like it was too familiar and similar to a lot of Pop at the time. Here, there is a clash of the new and vintage. You get the sense that Dua Lipa was taking influence from her record collection, rather than trying to fit in with the contemporary scene. Maybe that is just my view, but I can see that step and what we have is a Pop song with Disco edges that everyone can get behind! The heroine sends a clear message to her former beau: if you don’t want to see her dancing with another, then do not show up! In the video, Dua Lipa is enraptured by the music, the sweat and the crowd. Whether the song is based on a real-life relationship – I think she is in a committed relationship, but one can never tell for sure -, or whether it is based in fiction, I am not sure. The sheer conviction of the delivery makes me believe that the former is true. Don’t Start Now is a song that goes through various stages. The chorus is this rush and explosion that brings the heat and energy. The track then cools into more R&B territory and, as Dua Lipa goes from the heat of the club, she is pictured (in the video) is a more stately and stuffy party – one where she probably stands out because she is not dressed to the nines and part of that scene. Maybe the video’s scenes represents the transition from one love to a new life; maybe Dua Lipa is showing that she is not who she used to be and is embracing a different way of life. There is plenty of colour and beautiful imagery as we see Dua Lipa flee the party. One is always hooked by the teasing and hissing beat; the track keeps evolving and pressing, so one will come back to the track again and again.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Madigan Heck

I do like that there are beats that remind one a bit of Daft Punk; almost a whisper of House piano and a sound that is far more organic, ripe and appealing than a lot of the rather tin-like, over-produced and facsimile flavour of Pop – not to label every artist, but one will hear a lot of this circling about. Running in at three minutes, Don’t Start Now is the perfect length and never outstays its welcome. Towards the end, there are strings, pops and fireworks that fives the track plenty of colour and vivacity. Dua Lipa is the heroine who still feels the loss of a past love, but she is moving on and is not going to be defined by that bond. Everyone can relate to the song, and it will register in the hearts of many out there – not just young women either. One of Dua Lipa’s core strengths is her videos and, this time out, she has helped create a very memorable video that intrigues and compels you to watch. It is busy and beautifully shot…and I have watched it a few songs because it is so lively and cinematic. I have been a bit dismissive of modern Pop, but I feel like a lot of my observations hold true. Dua Lipa is definitely one of those artists who wants to make her mark and be around for a very long time to come. I think she will achieve that, because her tracks are very much her own work – even though she works with other writers and producers -, and one can hear something different and nuanced in her music. I think this all bodes well for her second album. I am not sure whether Don’t Start Now will be included in the mix but, considering the hugely positive reception the song has gained, I would be shocked if it was omitted. If you are not familiar with the work of Dua Lipa then I would recommend you give her new track a spin and then work back to her debut album – one can see how far she has come.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa at the 61st annual Grammy Awards (2019)/PHOTO CREDIT: EPA

2018 was, obviously, a very busy and successful year for Dua Lipa. She did well at the BRIT Awards and, not only was she honoured at the Grammys this year, but she performed with St. Vincent. Since the start of 2019, Lipa has been working on new music and touring. There is not a lot of chance to rest when you are a massive star, but let’s hope she gets some time off for Christmas! The awards coming her way are deserved, and I feel 2020 will be an even bigger year for her. Will she command headline slots at big festivals? Maybe it is a bit soon, but I feel Dua Lipa will already been in the mind of Michael and Emily Eavis for Glastonbury; she will get booked for European festivals – who is to say Coachella is out of the question?! Dua Lipa is in Spain as we speak, preparing herself for the MTV Europe Music Awards. Later this month, she heads to the U.A.E. and India, and I think she will wind 2019 down shortly after. It has been a very packed year for Dua Lipa and she continues to go from strength to strength. I am not a massive fan of modern Pop, and I do feel like it lacks the hooks, big choruses and instant memorability of the older tracks. Maybe that is just the way Pop is going and there is that generational divide; those who say Pop is getting worse and those who say it simply moving forward. Whilst I do not have a lot of time for Dua Lipa’s peers, I think she is one of the strongest artists around and is trying to take modern Pop in a much-needed direction. I am not sure how her 2020 is going to begin, but I guess preparations for her second album will continue. I will be genuinely interested seeing how her career develops and what lays in store for her next year. It is hard to succeed today, and I have respect artists who take chances and stand out. That is definitely the case with Dua Lipa. She is a role model for women everywhere and, for those who want to see Pop music lift its spirits and employ a bit more spirit, there is a lot of promise in the heart of Dua Lipa. For that, myself and so many other out there…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Markus Pritzi

WISH her all the very best.

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FEATURE: Stayin’ Alive: Why We Need to See a Disco Revival

FEATURE:

 

Stayin’ Alive

IN THIS PHOTO: Diana Ross at Studio 54 in New York City in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Bettmann/Getty Images 

Why We Need to See a Disco Revival

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I have mused before…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

how there are genres from the past which are making a bit of a comeback. If you think about Punk and how it has been adopted by Post-Punk bands, it is interesting seeing how artists of today are updating and revisiting older music. I think there are some styles that have been left in the past but warrant some revitalisation. Britpop has been left in the 1990s and, when the country is divided, I think there is potential for some new form of the genre. I feel Dance, Trance and the big sounds of the 1980s and 1990s have not really been adopted today. It is a shame to see, because we do need a lift and music is lacking a spark. There are some happier songs around, although there is a bit of an absence. I feel we could see something akin to Britpop coming back, but there is a genre of music that is synonymous with its togetherness and oomph: Disco. The reason I am spotlighting Disco, is because some feel it was born in 1970 – next year would be its fiftieth anniversary. I think Disco became popular towards the middle of the 1970s and, on 12th July, 1979, the anti-Disco sentiment reached a fever pitch when the Chicago White Sox held a ‘Disco Demolition Night’ during a double-header at Comiskey Park. That was sort of when Disco was ushered out and laid to rest.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

That said, you can listen to Pop music of the 1980s and realise that Disco never truly went away. Artists like Madonna were very much Disco-inspired in their early days – listen to her eponymous 1983 debut album to see what I mean! Disco influenced so much of the 1980s’ best music and the 1990s’ finest. You can draw a line from countless albums and artists and arrive back at Disco from the 1970s. Maybe Disco died because it lost its sense of inclusivity and diversity; it started out embracing everyone and became more white, male and straight towards the end of the 1970s. As this article explores, the glory days of Disco were a sight to behold – locations like Studio 54 became temples where people could congregate and unwind:

“The heyday of disco fashion blossomed from the music played at gay underground New York clubs such as the Loft, Tenth Floor,and 12 West in the early 1970s. Other clubs such as Infinity, Flamingo, the Paradise Garage, Le Jardin, and the Saint launched a disco culture that brought with it an anything-goes attitude and all-night dancing.

Studio 54 became the place to be seen in disco clothing such as boob-tubes, platform shoes, flared trousers and body-conscious shapes dressed in lurex, glitter and crazy patterns or colours. Studio 54 played an essential role creating the nightclub scene that is still with us today – a place where people dress to be noticed and in the latest fashion.

The successful movie Saturday Night Fever (1977) ensured that disco hung around for a few years before becoming very unfashionable when Punk Rock and New Wave became the new anti-fashion fashion”.

Like so many genres and movements, the music captured a spirit and a desire. These movements form through evolution: other genres being expanded upon or someone noticing something missing that needs to exist. I think, as we look towards a new decade, I think there are really no genres or great scenes now. Music is very wide-ranging and exciting, yet there is not this concentrated sound that could grow and build into something wonderful. Like Punk, artists could not just replicate what went before, as the world has moved on and artists will want to update and personalise. I think Disco arrived at a hard time and, had it started in the 1960s, it might well have survived longer. As it is, it burned brightly for a short time but was taken to heart by so many artists through the decades. One can say that, in some way, it is encoded in the music of today. You have to look hard, but there is a slight Disco element to some modern Pop. I think Disco could find a new purpose because, in 2019, the world is more divided than ever. There is still massive discrimination in terms of gender, race and sexuality; nations like the U.K. and U.S. are split and troubled and there is a lack of proper punch and explosion in music – in a happy, sunny way at least!

I think many people get this view of Disco being a bit naff, of its time and non-inclusive. Perhaps there were corners of Disco that were a little cheesy, but that was part of the charm! As this BBC article from last year explains, Disco allowed a togetherness and sense of community:

“Disco was never designed to grow old gracefully – instead, it has endured with brilliant defiance. More than four decades have now passed since its heady sound and style became a global phenomenon; its life so far has involved joy and pain, inspirational anthems and attempted murder (at 1979’s 'disco demolition night' stunt in Chicago’s Comiskey Park). Disco isn’t instantly afforded the same cultural reverence as rock 'n' roll or punk, yet its revolutions have been far-reaching. It continues to inspire music, movies and fashion, as well as events like London’s Brixton Disco Festival (28 April); these aren’t retro trips but a recognition that disco still does something for us.

Disco enabled female, gay, black and Latin artists to define their identities in increasingly fluid ways. Even kitsch hits could prove subversive: the Village People brought macho gay imagery to prime-time entertainment. Disco also fuelled the global collaborations that we now take for granted in modern music, whether it was the epic Eurodisco of Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder (I Feel Love, 1977), or British Indian producer Biddu. As Alice Echols writes in her book Hot Stuff: Disco And The Remaking Of American Culture: “Promiscuous and omnivorous, disco absorbed sounds and styles from all over, and in the process accelerated the transnational flow of musical ideas and idioms.”

The primary voice of disco was female (or at least, not conventionally male) – and one of the most soul-charged disco voices remains Jocelyn Brown, who developed her talent in US gospel choirs, before singing with acts including Musique, Inner Life and Cerrone, and co-writing her own hits including Somebody Else’s Guy (1984).

Disco may have been a victim of its own success (and rampant “cash-in” marketing) – but its pervasive influence remains impressive. It pushed the transformative power of nightlife onscreen – in the gritty Saturday Night Fever (1977), but also the 1978 musical comedy Thank God It’s Friday (featuring Donna Summer and The Commodores), and the British gay drama Nighthawks (1978); more recently, Baz Luhrman’s Netflix series The Get Down (2016) depicted disco’s impact on the birth of hip hop”.

Popular culture has this changes and waves, so it is understandable why a Disco scene like the one in the 1970s would seem jarring and odd as we head into 2020. Pop has lost its sense of hook; there are fewer big choruses and so many tracks today struggle to get out of third gear. Some people say that music today should carry a universal message and, as the world is in a difficult situation, does it seem right providing a cheery and unifying statement? I think Disco anthems are just what we need right now!

 PHOTO CREDIT: @matthewlejune/Unsplash

There is an argument that music needs to be fairly serious and artists need to write how they feel and what feels natural. More powerful than any sort of revolt would be a community-led, all-include revival like a new form of Disco. Not only would that join nations, genders and races, but it would provide a soundtrack that could provide timeless memories; maybe new clubs and spaces that would allow this release that we all know. It is obvious something needs to happen in music that has inclusivity and harmony at its core, rather than distance or anger. I have nothing against artists who rally and react to what is happening now. We need that energy and voice. What is sorely missing is a counteraction or any genre/wave that can provide optimism and, yes, escape. Disco served its purpose in the 1970s and its legacy remains. Whilst music is not defeated and lost, one cannot say it is in an especially positive mindframe. Returning to the threads and look of the 1970s would be throwback and weird; I think there is a way to bring Disco into the 2020 without it seeming nostalgic or repetitive. I think many people are yearning for big anthems, a sense of delirium and swagger that Disco provides. I know Disco has produced some heartbreaking songs but, even when artists were revealing pains of the heart, they were injecting some passion and energy. I think now is a good time to remember what Disco gave us (and still does) and take it into 2020. Not only could we get some much-needed lift; we would ensure that the dancefloors are filled and teeming…    

IN THIS PHOTO: Hush Hush, Coachella’s Secret Disco/PHOTO CREDIT: Koury Angelo

ONCE more.

FEATURE: (If You Were) In My Movie: Strings, FX and a Mighty Score: Bringing the Cinematic to Music

FEATURE:

 

(If You Were) In My Movie

PHOTO CREDIT: @kymasm/Unsplash

Strings, FX and a Mighty Score: Bringing the Cinematic to Music

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I recently stumbled upon a song…

that possessed some quickened and intense Bernard Herrmann strings. On the track, Psycho by slowthai x Denzel Curry, you get this fiery rush that takes you into this dramatic track. I love the sound of those strings as they sting, scurry and stalk with menacing and nefarious intent. I know there are Experimental and Electronic artists such as Anna Meredith and Hannah Peel that are wonderful composers who can project these immersive songs that are so interesting and layered. I think a lot of modern music relies on tropes and a simple structure. Maybe it more confined to Pop but, even in other genres, there is this lack of expression, originality and the cinematic. I understand not every artist’s music lends itself to something quite big and rousing; that is not to say they are confined. One of the reasons someone like Lana Del Rey resonates is because you have these dreamy strings that takes the mind to the 1950s or a French Riviera romance. Whilst musicians such as Thom Yorke are composing for film and stepping into that realm, I wonder whether modern artists are utilising film as much as possible. It does not even have to be a case of an artist using a sample from a soundtrack. The very essence of a film’s score/soundtrack can be employed to incredible effect. I am listening at what is coming out right now, and there are a few artists marrying film and music – not as many as you’d hope.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dmjdenise/Unsplash

The reason that Psycho track grabbed me is because I am familiar with Bernard Hermann’s score and hearing it juxtaposed against a Hip-Hop/Grime track is a wonderful clash! I think some of the best music ever created has this filmic and cinematic touch. I am thinking about composers like Brian Eno, who creates this wonderfully beautiful scores that summon visions of space, endless vistas and the endless expanse. So much of today’s Pop is flat and repetitive. I tend to find I am forgetting a lot of new music, as it lacks a necessary kick, surprise and vision. Whether we hear more Horror scores making their way into Grime or classical musical soundtracks being spliced into Pop songs, I do feel the worlds of film and music need to be closer bedfellows. So many songs from modern music are used in soundtrack, but what I am talking about is music with a cinematic sound. There are articles that examine the relationship between music and film, but I still think there is a whole world out there for music to explore. I am interested when musicians compose for film, as it allows them a sort of freedom and format that is not necessarily catered for in their regular life. Maybe it comes back to an issue that is going to limit creativity and expression in music: strict copyright laws. Artists can add cinematic touches through original compositions; they can mimic certain genres and composers, but I think having some of those original sounds mixed into the song.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Tamar-kali/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I think some of the most spectacular and varied soundscapes are coming from film composition. Whilst the medium has always been considered a white, male-dominated areas, there are women like Tamar-kali (The Mudbound composer) who are shaking things up. This New York Times article explains more:

“Tamar-kali is one of several new voices in a persistently white male milieu. “Mudbound,” directed by Dee Rees, was the Brooklyn artist’s first score, which she followed with the Netflix drama “Come Sunday.” She’s also reteaming with Rees for an adaptation of the Joan Didion novel “The Last Thing He Wanted.” As an Afro-indigenous woman in the New York punk rock scene, she said, she was already used to being “an outlier within the outliers.”

“It just kind of fuels your creativity,” she explained. “The ethos means even more to you, because you’re practicing it every moment — even in the pit, even at shows.”

Like a handful of other female artists, Tamar-kali wasn’t pursuing film composition, but was commissioned after a director heard her work. Mica Levi, a British rocker from the band formerly known as Micachu and the Shapes, was nominated for an Oscar for “Jackie,” which followed her shivering, queasy breakout score for “Under the Skin”.

I think film’s broadness and limitless imagination does allow artists to expand their horizons and explore new ground. In terms of exchange, I do wonder whether more traditional artists should be taking from film’s toy box and add fresh angles and colours.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @clemono2/Unsplash

I do wonder whether old-school film soundtracks and scores would inject fresh life into Pop; if some sweeping strings would give Rock a new insight. I know artists often think with scenes and mini-films in mind. I think certain genres and too rigid and so many artists seem to be repeating one another. Many modern Rock bands are using compressed drums and have a lifeless feel. One would not expect a complete overhaul, but I am interested to see how film music could integrate with more conventional music; whether it be in the form of samples deployed or trying to replicate a certain film genre in a song. As I said, there are barriers in place regarding sample clearance. I have heard a few songs recently that have used snatches of dialogue from films; there have been others with sound effects from other films and, when you hear that in a song, it breathes new life and possibility. I do think modern music has a lot to offer, and there are some truly original artists helping to shape a progressive and exciting future. There are still so many avenues and genres that seem tired and listless; music that seems to run through the motions and doesn’t stay in the mind. I think film scores and tracks have different tempos, feel and aims to the kind of music you hear on radio. It is interesting comparing them, but I think there is room for overlap.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @jan_strecha/Unsplash

I would love to hear something offbeat and quirky thrown into a track – maybe the theme from Catch Me If You Can (or something similar) in a Pop song – or the icy and exhilarating strings that are on the latest slowthai and Denzel Curry song becoming more common; little audio samples or film scores being sprinkled carefully to provoke a magical reaction. There are artists who are working like this and, as I said earlier, we have artists such as Thom Yorke and PJ Harvey who are composing for film, T.V. and the stage. Those already out there who are pushing boundaries with sound and splicing genres should be congratulated. I listen to film music, old scores and the work of the great modern composers and see potential. Songs need not turn into films or have any pretentious edge; rather, they would have an extra-special element and spark. Maybe it is just me, but I think modern music would be even more interesting and forward-thinking if the cinema was brought into the music. Some innovators are already doing this, but I think so many other artists could take music to new heights when they think about…  

PHOTO CREDIT: @dmjdenise/Unsplash 

THE bigger picture.

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

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: CocoRosie 

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

__________

TODAY has been a pretty…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Chela

damn blustery on, and it has been a tad hellacious out there! It is evident that the weather is getting cooler and more unsettled. To ease the tension and unhappiness of the autumn weather, put on some great songs from some awesome female artists. This week’s selection covers a range of genres and sounds. As we head towards the end of the year, the quality of music is not dimming one bit! Each of us will need a bit of a boost as we get into the weekend. This mix of tracks is sure to do the job. Make sure you dive into the best female-led sounds of the week and be sure to…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sudan Archives/PHOTO CREDIT: Claire Joanne Donoghue

TURN them up!

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

____________

NAVINA – Pieces

PHOTO CREDIT: Alec Bowman

Josienne Clarke – Slender, Sad & Sentimental

HAIM – Now I’m in It

Chela – Spirit Rich

CocoRosie – Smash My Head

Beach Bunny – Dream Boy

Miranda Lambert – Pretty Bitchin’

Martha Bean – Along the Lonely

Violet Days – Let It Happen

Mandy Moore – I’d Rather Lose

Teyana Taylor, Kehlani - Morning

Charly Bliss – Feed

Dove Cameron – So Good

ALMA – Have U Seen Her?

PHOTO CREDIT: Holly Rose Stones

Bang Bang Romeo – Beautiful World

Lennon Stella – Kissing Other People

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Black

Sudan Archives – Honey

Bea Miller – THAT BITCH

Bishops Briggs – SOMEONE ELSE

Emily Burns – Is It Just Me?

 

Kiesza – You’re the Best

Orland Gartland – Figure It Out

Hannah Diamond – Invisible

PHOTO CREDIT: @brynley.davies

Biig Piig – Pingu

Agnes Obel – Island of Doom

Greentea Peng – Sane

TRACK REVIEW: Thom Yorke - Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain)

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Thom Yorke

PHOTO CREDIT: Navad Kandar

Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain)

9.4/10

The track, Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain), is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03xFqbxUp8

GENRE:

Electronic

ORIGIN:

London, U.K.

The album, ANIMA, is available here:

https://open.spotify.com/album/5a4VSyY7zsfVVqHweYHG7R?si=VgyPaj4dSHqJGvUJf7KOYA

RELEASE DATE:

27th June, 2019

LABEL:

XL

__________

THIS is a review…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Burbridge

where I am sort of looking back and to the current day at the same time. Whilst Thom Yorke’s album, ANIMA, has been out a few months now, there is a new song/video in the form of Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain) – which gives me a chance to explore an album that I did not feature when it arrived. I will investigate that track in a minute but, before then, I have a few things to cover when it comes to Thom Yorke. I want to talk about artists who work in film and on soundtracks; those, like Yorke, who seem to improve with age and dealing with anxiety through music. I also want to mention music videos and how relevant they are in 2019; the value of music currently and a bit about the environment – quite a bit to pack in! I wanted to start off by exploring film soundtracks, because I am writing a feature at the moment that asks whether modern music is employing enough cinema; whether traits, sounds and tones of film soundtracks/scores are being utilised by today’s artists. Listen to the rich and varied music in film and I think a lot of it can be extrapolated and used by artists. Maybe that does not need to take the form of a sample; more like a case of artists being inspired by a particular sound and bringing that to music. I think film and music are linked and there is that close relationship. I do wonder, as artists like Thom Yorke show their chops in the film world, whether his contemporaries will follow suit. He composed for the 2018 soundtrack, Suspiria, and I think he has said that there are two halves of his career: life before Suspiria and life afterwards. That soundtrack sort of brings in some of the more experimental leanings of Radiohead around Kid A in 2000, but it is, essentially, Yorke stepping into a new world and being allowed that new freedom.

I think film composing allows musicians an opportunity to think in a different way; to take a different approach and they can then bring that into their regular work – I think working on Suspiria motivated a lot of what we hear on ANIMA. Although the two albums have their own tones, there is a big difference between Yorke’s Radiohead cannon and what he has produced on his own. I am mentioning film soundtracks and scores, because Yorke has contributed a song – that he worked on with Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea -, Daily Battles, for Edward Norton’s new film, Motherless Brooklyn. Yorke recently performed the song live in the U.S. and, as he wraps up the touring for ANIMA, it makes me wonder what his next steps will be. I think he has a natural flair for film composing and bringing his music to a different audience. PJ Harvey has collaborated with Thom Yorke before – they duetted on Harvey’s 2000 album, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea -, and Harvey is no stranger when it comes to T.V. and film composition. On BBC Radio 6 Music’s Sound and Vision on Sunday, Harvey talks about Thom Yorke and his Suspiria work; how it is some of the best stuff he has ever come up with. I think it can be liberating and restorative for artists to move into film and T.V. because it makes them think bigger and in a less personal way. Maybe there is a visual stimulus you get from film that you do not get in music generally. I can see Thom Yorke, in years to come, working on film and T.V. scores full-time. He has a natural flair and I think he will inspire other artists to move into the medium. I do think the experience has working on various film soundtracks means he is refreshed and reinvigorated when it comes to plotting a new album. I have a feeling his work on Motherless Brooklyn will have some say on his upcoming work.

Let us move on, as I want to discuss something PJ Harvey said in that Sound and Vision show: Thom Yorke seems to improve with age! I am one of the biggest Radiohead fans around, and I would place their 1995 album, The Bends, in my top-three of all-time. Radiohead are always evolving and, for my money, are one of the best bands there has ever been. I think they have made leaps and seamlessly moved through different phases and stages. One cannot ignore their monumental contribution to music and what impact they have had on other artists. As a solo artist, it must have been intimidating for Yorke to release something without his bandmates. Yorke has not released that many solo albums – ANIMA is his third -, and his debut came out way back in 2006. The Eraser is a fantastic album that gained some glowing reviews; he bettered himself on 2014’s Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, but ANIMA is his finest solo outing. If you count Suspiria as a true solo outing (rather than a soundtrack) then that means he has produced two masterful albums in two years. I am not sure whether it is his stage of life and event happening around him that have compelled him so; maybe Yorke has found this new vein and voice and he is on a very fruitful path. I cannot wait to see where he heads next and it goes to show that you can never predict artists and define them. I do think there will be other Radiohead albums, but Yorke seems to be in a very productive period on his own. I think his Suspiria album was a bit of an awakening and kick-started the next phase of his career. His solo work before that was great, but he really brought something different to the party on Suspiria. Suspiria – or Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) – is a horror flick, so that instantly put him in a new world.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Mamadi Doumbouya

He did not really deal much with horror tones in Radiohead (although OK Computer’s Climbing Up the Walls is eerie and intense), so that sparked something. ANIMA is not a horror-based album, yet it does have a dystopian edge and, perhaps, documents the horror and strains of modern-day Britain. There is no denying Yorke is growing stronger and stronger as a solo artist. It makes me excited for future work and where Yorke will go. I wonder, when Radiohead reconvene to the studio, if Yorke’s solo work will impact the band’s work – each member of Radiohead has been doing their own thing away from the band, so we might see a combination of all five and their individual works. I think we live in a time where there is still this immense stock placed on artists who are young and vibrant. Look at what is considered the most relevant and ‘best’ music, and there is this reliance on the trendy and hip. I feel artists tend to get overlooked when they reach a certain age. Although Thom Yorke is only just in his fifties, I do wonder whether many radio stations ignore his music because of his age; not realising that he is releasing some of the best work he has put his voice to. Maybe it is more common with women when we think of ageism, but there are many male artists who get confined to certain stations because they no longer fit a demographic. It is sad this is the case, and I would refer those who define artists by their age to Yorke and his peers; those who are doing sterling work. The young Pop elite might be favoured because they are cool, but musicians like Yorke are putting out work that is more compelling, richer and more memorable. Yorke seems to grow stronger, more inventive and interesting by age. I hope he continues to write and record for many years to come – the music world is so much better with him in it.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ettore Ferrari/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

I want to talk about anxiety because it is a subject that is being explored more and more in music. Listen to songs like Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain) and there is are anxious tones and this edgy feeling. Yorke has said, when it comes to ANIMA, he wanted to create something that reflects modern life and, when you listen to the tracks, the anxiety and darker sounds do not make you feel bad. Instead, you are slightly lifted and there is this catharsis. Look at Yorke himself and the man behind the music. Yorke’s wife, Rachel, died in 2016 from cancer. It is obvious that loss had a profound effect on him. Not only has Yorke absorbed the anxiety and division around him, but he has had to face a lot of sadness and tragedy. One might assume this would make him retreat and produce something morbid. Instead, I think Yorke has used music as a way of making sense of things and realises that artists need to discuss anxiety and depression in their music. I will bring in an interview snippet where he mentions that but, before then, I want to source from an interview where Yorke has opened up about the loss of his wife. As NME report, Yorke spoke with The New Yorke Times and talked about the experience:

“Yorke said whilst it was difficult to focus in the immediate aftermath, making music with the support of his Radiohead bandmates helped him to avoid “paralysis” from grief.

Yorke explained: “It was difficult to work after what happened. God bless Nigel and the others for gently pushing me to keep working. If I’d stopped and lost my relationship to anything musical, I really would have lost my [expletive], because I’ve always had that cathartic thing with music.

“Even though in moments of high stress it’s very difficult to connect with music in that cathartic way, what I found was that you do connect. You end up being surprised by music. It catches you unawares. It’s true that you can go through traumatic emotions, and your emotions can become dulled. Your way that you relate to the world becomes difficult.

PHOTO CREDIT: Beeld Alex Lake 

“You go into a sort of paralysis. But because I kept working, because I kept listening to music, I never felt that paralysis.”

Recently, Yorke also spoke about the grief he and his family faced during an emotional Desert Island Discs interview with Lauren Laverne.

When asked about being a father on his own, Yorke told Laverne: “I can’t hope to be their mum but we’re alright. I’m just really proud of them both. It stuns me most days. I can’t believe they’re anything to do with me. They’re just such great people”.

Whilst ANIMA does not explicitly refer to the loss of his wife, I think Yorke has managed to filter a lot of his feelings and thoughts into his work. I am one of those people who feels that, whilst it is valid talking about anxiety in music, are we living through a time where there is too much of it? By that, I mean is there an emotional balance? Do we have enough uplift in music, or are we resigned to the notion that all is lost? Yorke spoke with The Times earlier in the year and discussed the subject of sadness in music:

“However, I found a quote from a film-maker who said, ‘You know society is in trouble when it rejects sadness in art or music.’ That means it doesn’t want to see where it’s at any more. It is running away. So the more fear people have of expressing this side of what is going on musically, or through film or books, the worse off we will be.”

What is clear is that fans find solace in Yorke’s music. In a letter to one in 1996, he wrote: “The worst feeling is not thinking anybody else feels the same... I hope you are feeling OK today.” That sort of interaction has been a constant, so does he think his music actually makes people happy, rather than sad? “That’s another argument,” he says, nodding. “There’s a melancholy in my voice and some sounds we use, which means certain people hear us in a certain way. But I’m not bothered. I’ve never really got that myself.”

And what does Yorke do to alleviate anxiety? “Me?” he says, shocked, as if nobody ever asks. “Generally, really simple things. Running helps, and yoga is essential to me. Swimming. Physical stuff is really important. And reading a book!” He laughs, and I think of Fitter Happier from OK Computer. “I struggle if I can’t be making music.” Greenwood told me Yorke “devours” music. “It’s an essential part of me. I have to find new things to listen to all the time”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Burbridge

Thom Yorke has featured in some pretty memorable music videos through the year. I love Radiohead’s Street Spirit (Fade Out), Knives Out; Lotus Flower and Daydreaming; I think there is something magnetic about Yorke when he is on film. When ANIMA was released, it was accompanied by a fifteen-minute film – also titled ANIMA (or you can put it in lower-case if you prefer!) – directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (he also directed Radiohead’s video for Daydreaming and has worked with bands like HAIM). In the film, (I am sourcing from Wikipedia here) Yorke is on a train of uniformed passengers (Not the News). He meets the eye of a woman (Dajana Roncione) and pursues her when she forgets her bag (Traffic). They meet in the street, dance together and board a tram (Dawn Chorus). It is clear Yorke has a very important attachment to the visual – maybe that circles back to his love of film and working in that medium. I do wonder whether the rise in technology means music videos are more or less important than they were. Look at the video for Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain) and it sort of takes you back! The reason I prioritised reviewing Thom Yorke’s single over anything else was a chance to feature the video. It is an animated video and it sort of looks like something Fritz Lang would produce. It is grainy and black-and-white; there are greys and shadows; a series of figures moving on a street. We see an astronauts and aliens. It is a really memorable video and one that you could easily watch multiple times a day and not get bored of! I keep watching the video because it feels like its own entity. I think all great music videos should perfectly score the song, but they also need to work on their own and intrigue. There have been some great music videos released this year, but I feel a lot of artists are more concerned with streaming figures and do not necessarily put that much stock in videos.

Maybe it is the sheer cost or something else prohibiting explosion and incredible innovation. Maybe there are too many videos that we often miss the very best ones. I will always love the music video, and I think their place is crucial. I think so much of today’s music lacks a physical touch and does not have the ability to connect people. Music videos, years back, became conversation pieces. When music T.V. first came about, there was so much excitement and anticipation when a big video arrived. Often, the visuals themselves were as popular and talked-about as the song itself! There has been a change since platforms like YouTube came in, but I think videos are still really important. As I think about the link between film and music, videos seem to be the way to do that. Artists can give a song a new sense of belonging, life or belonging with a great video. Looking at the haunting shapes and scenes for the Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain), it is beguiling and immersive. Yorke, more than most artists out there, wants to create videos that stay in the mind. Just look at his ANIMA film, and you can feel how involved Yorke is and the fact he wants his music to go beyond the speakers. Not all artists have the same budget as Yorke, but I do think there is scope for most artists to produce videos that are pretty epic. I think one gets a whole new perspective on a song when they see a music video. You can listen on a streaming platform and feel one thing yet gain new insight and emotions when you watch the video. I will move in a second but, if you have not seen the video for Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain), maybe start there rather than streaming the song. I have been thinking, actually, about streaming music and whether artists can survive off of revenue from these sites.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Nick Pickles/Getty Images

I will bring in part of another interview Yorke provided, where he talked about his dislike for streaming and how artists are not paid what they deserve. It is a contentious subject, but one wonders how much streaming services can afford to pay artists, considering so many of us stream music for free. I am a big advocate of people subscribing and paying a regular fee, rather than getting stuff for nothing. I do think artists need to be compensated, because they work hard, and their music should not be out there for free. In terms of music’s ‘value’, do we often get caught up in financial terminology rather than what the listener gets from the music. Yorke answered that question when he was interviewed by The New York Times :

“What we’re talking about is the ultimate value of music. How do you define that value beyond the most simplistic terms of what someone is willing to pay for it?

The value is in the way you encounter music. It was going to a record shop with someone who you think is cool and trying to be as cool as them while they talked about the latest Red Lorry Yellow Lorry  record. It’s being around a friend’s house and putting on a record and talking about it with them. It’s having a girlfriend who’s constantly playing the Velvet Underground, and eventually you believe it’s great, too. The pleasure of discovering stuff like that is why music is so valuable. I guess we’re lucky that there are so many ways to discover music now, but at the same time I feel that “If you like this, you’ll love this” or “share this” is commodifying a deeply personal human experience between people. That experience is why music matters, because the experience stays with you forever”.

I should move on now and review Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain), as it is a remarkable song and one of the (many) jewels from ANIMA.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Navad Kandar

With music composed alongside producer Nigel Godrich, Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain) grabs you from the very start. Yorke said, concerning ANIMA’s themes, he wanted to explore dystopia and anxiety; a way of expressing these themes in a creative way. With odd pulse, frequencies and imagination, Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain) begins with gentle-yet-brooding electronics that sounds space-like and alien. If you watch the video alongside the song, that description is apt – as there is an aerial shot of debris falling through the sky. Yorke has always been moved by dreams and what they represent. I am one of these people who knows dreams are the way for the unconscious mind to work out things it was unable to do during the day. Most of us have really random dreams, and I have never really bought into symbolism and dreams having hidden meanings. That said, I think Yorke’s study of dreams and sleep has been a big part of his music for many years – more pronounced over the past few years, I would say. With his voice almost still and asleep, there is something strangely tender and resigned when he sings “I woke up with a feeling I just could not take”. Yorke has multitracked his voice so that we have layers and the same line overlapping. It creates this semi-somnambulistic chorus that creates this state of flight, disorder and dreaming. When we get to the first verse, a lot of the background fades and Yorke’s voice is more in the fore; less dreamy and sterner. When singing “Taken out with the trash/Swimming through the gutter”, you get the feeling of this man intimidating by the rush of modern life and being squashed. As the verse continues, Yorke sings about being swallowed by the city where there are “Humans the size of rats”. In a place where opportunity cracks and opportunity, it seems, stutters, Yorke is navigating this rough terrain and bringing the listener with him.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Killian Young

I love all the electronic stutters and buzzes as Yorke sings. You get the sense of a swarm of ants or a buzzing neon horizon. It is hard to place, but it adds so much atmosphere. This city life and busy rush is a feeling that Yorke cannot take. In one of the song’s most beautiful and emotional moments, Yorke delivers that line “I woke up with a feeling I just could not take”. It is this repeated thought and, when he sings, you believe every syllable and note. Almost as if Yorke was wrestling his stress and then fell asleep, the song transitions from the visions of chaos and crowds through to something that is more abstract or detached, perhaps. Yorke talks of “Walking in high heels” and “Breaking in your high heels”, which project two very different images! At once, you wonder what these lines refer to and whether this is Yorke in more romantic territory or letting his dream-busy mind take over. It is a wonderful twist from visions that stirred impressions of waking nightmares. Yorke, it seems, has tried hard to leave and break away. I am not certain whether he is referring to a relationship or holding on to memories; maybe he is trying to avoid the pressure of modern life but escaping into recollections. The more you listen to Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain), the more you look in different directions. The song’s title comes to mind and I wonder whether Yorke is referencing someone who is on their deathbed and not long for the world. Everyone will have their own interpretations, and I have looked at various interviews and can’t see anything where Yorke explains the lyrics and meaning. After a few spins, I have started to build a storyline and concept but, like all great songs, new angles occur from time to time. Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain) is one of the best songs Thom Yorke has released as a solo artist. ANIMA is a fantastic album stuffed with treasure. I love the video for Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain) because it provides striking visuals that give you a feel of the song without giving away its real truth and secrets.

I didn’t get much time to discuss the environmental impact of touring earlier in this piece. Thom Yorke has been vocal about the environmental cost of touring for years now, and has addressed the fact that he flies and is contributing to that damage. Yorke is a keen supporter of Extinction Rebellion and cannot do too much when it comes to his carbon footprint and touring. It is hard to protest against climate change and, as someone who needs to fly, answer those who highlight the hypocrisy. Musicians have very little choice when they are travelling long distances, but I do think Yorke’s considered awareness of climate change and touring might change things in the industry regarding the number of dates an artist plays and how they travel. If you need to take a plane, think about playing as many dates as possible in a certain area rather than one or two and needlessly going back and forth. That being said, Yorke has some tour dates coming up, but he is among a band of artists who are doing all they can to highlight climate change and how we can all do our bit. I was eager to review a track from ANIMA and sort of missed out when the album arrived earlier in the year – I am not sure what I was reviewing, but now seemed like a good time to get on it, what with a new video out in the world! Make sure you check out Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain), as it is a wonderful song and comes with that utterly engrossing and unusual video. Go grab a copy of ANIMA, as it is one of this year’s strongest and most interesting records. On a side note: if you have not heard Thom Yorke’s Desert Island Discs episode from a few weeks back, then do check in with it, as he discusses his recent music and a lot of other cool stuff. There are a lot of great and inspiring artists in the world, but Thom Yorke is very much…

A master in this own league.

________________

Follow Thom Yorke

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/thomyorke

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thomyorke/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CvTDPKA6W06DRfBnZKrau?si=KGGGAl7XQf-7GwU044a-PQ

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9BJwi8Q2AiLtLHdGlWqsrQ

ALL UNCREDITED PHOTOS:

Getty Images/Thom Yorke

FEATURE: The November Playlist: Vol. 1: Should a Hit Man on Solid Ground Fear the International Woman of Leisure?

FEATURE:

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Kiwanuka 

Vol. 1: Should a Hit Man on Solid Ground Fear the International Woman of Leisure?

___________

HERE is another bumper week…

 IN THIS PHOTO: La Roux

where some seriously big names are in the fray. There is new music from Gang Starr and Michael Kiwanuka; great cuts from Dua Lipa, La Roux and Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Throw into the mix excellent songs from HAIM, Greentea Peng and Pillow Queens and it is an eclectic, quality-heavy and hugely memorable week! It is getting near to Christmas so, in the mix, there are Christmas-scented tunes from Robbie Williams (ft. Jamie Cullum), Michael Bublé and Lucy Dacus. I am sure there is something in there for everyone and you will find a lot to love. Have a listen to this week’s best tracks and take them with you if you are on the go. It is guaranteed to get your weekend off…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Danielle Haim (HAIM)

TO a winning start.  

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

________

Gang Starr (ft. Q-Tip) – Hit Man

Michael Kiwanuka – Solid Ground

La Roux – International Woman of Leisure

PHOTO CREDIT: Craig McDean

Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra (with Sharon Van Etten) – Let’s Face the Music and Dance

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Thomas Anderson 

HAIM – Now I’m in It

Bishop Briggs – SOMEONE ELSE

Dua Lipa – Don’t Start Now

Cold War Kids – Beyond the Pale

PHOTO CREDIT: @stefypocket

Greentea Peng – Inna city

Alfie Templeman – Don’t Go Wasting Time

The Courteeners – More. Again. Forever.

Dove Cameron – So Good

Beach Bunny – Dream Boy

Young Bombs (ft. Aloe Blacc) – Better Day

Tame Impala – It Might Be Time

Emily Burns – Is It Just Me?

Miranda Lambert – Bluebird

Kane Brown – For My Daughter

ALMA – Have U Seen Her?

Pillow Queens – Brothers

Sudan Archives – Limitless

PHOTO CREDIT: Fryd Frydendahl

MØ - On & On

AJ Tracey, Skepta – Kiss and Tell

Robbie Williams (ft. Jamie Cullum) - Merry Xmas Everybody

PHOTO CREDIT: Jessica Challis

Lucy Dacus – Last Christmas

Vince Staples – Sheet Music - Episode 02

PHOTO CREDIT: Oscar Eckel

Biig Piig – Bar

Sam Smith – I Feel Love

PHOTO CREDIT: Josh Shinner

Jordan Mackampa – Parachutes

Michael Bublé - White Christmas

PHOTO CREDIT: @deaniechen

Sigrid – Home to You

FEATURE: The Most Memorable Live Performance Ever? Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York Album at Twenty-Five

FEATURE:

 

The Most Memorable Live Performance Ever?

Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York Album at Twenty-Five

___________

ON 18th November, 1993…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Nirvana took to the MTV stage and delivered what is, I think, one of the best live performances ever. Whilst some prefer their live sets to be bombastic, energised and full of spectacle, the sheer beauty and emotion of Nirvana’s stripped-back set will survive the test of time. For a band who built their name with these raw anthems…to captivate in such a way back in 1993 was hugely impressive. I guess Nirvana had performed some acoustic sets before – though I cannot verify that -, but few bands like them were playing MTV Unplugged. Nirvana released their final studio album, In Utero, in September 1993, so it was an unusual step to transition from their heaviest and rawest album to perform for MTV the way they did. I am revisiting this landmark gig, because the album of the performance is twenty-five today (1st November). Filmed at the Sony Music Studios in New York City, this Beth McCarthy-directed performance did not have the smoothest of starts. Quite a while before the day of recording, the band had been negotiating with MTV. The band did not want to repeat what most people did for an MTV Unplugged show: give us the hits and the big numbers, only replacing electronic guitars for acoustic. For a Grunge band like Nirvana, perhaps you would have expected them to play a lot of Nevermind songs and a few from In Utero – maybe one or two from their debut, Bleach.

Instead, Nirvana wanted to mix things up and give a performance that had some covers in. One can only imagine whether Nirvana’s performance would have been as memorable if they had neglected David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World and Lead Belly’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night? Kurt Cobain was nervous about playing an acoustic show because it would put him more to the fore. Nirvana’s usual gigs would have a lot of energy and, in that mode, Cobain could be buried in sound; he was lost in the sheer rush and headiness of the gig. With cameras on him and the volume turned down, this was a very different prospect. I can imagine how anxious Cobain would have been before Nirvana stepped on the stage before the gig – if he suffered stage fright or got a song wrong, that would have been recorded and would live forever. It is a testament to his focus and talent that Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged remains one of the most sensational and fascinating live performances ever. The fact the cardigan Cobain wore during the set sold for a whopping sum at auction proves how iconic that performance was. If there was this ordinary set that was quite drab…maybe the performance would not hit the senses quite as hard. Nirvana decked out their stage with lilies, black candles and chandeliers. Again, here was this huge Grunge band going against expectation and doing things their own way.

The funeral tone of the stage, to some, is a forebearer to Cobain’s suicide in 1994. I think any speculation that this was intended to be a farewell seems rash. Instead, there is this romance and calming vibe that, in my view, helped ease Cobain’s nerves. With guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston alongside Kurt Cobain and band members Dave Grohl (in a reduced percussive role) and Krist Novoselic on bass, Nirvana delivered a masterpiece. Although Nirvana were playing for MTV Unplugged, Cobain put his acoustic through an amp to give it more kick and electricity. I think Nirvana’s 1993 gig will inspire artists for decades to come. They performed the set in a single take – moist acts on the series didn’t – and didn’t really play many hits. Perhaps Come as You Are is their best-known song from the set: there was no Smells Like Teen Spirit or Breed, for instance. Kurt Cobain died on 5th April, 1994, and many look back to that Nirvana gig the year before to look for clues; to see whether there were hints at what was to happen. Rather than provide morbid theories and think of death, one should embrace the beauty and power of a generation-defining set. It would be incredibly hard to fault a performance as sublime and spine-tingling as Nirvana’s MTV set in 1993. Indeed, the reviews for the performance are near-perfect in their adoration and praise.

In this review, AllMusic provided their take:

“If In Utero is a suicide note, MTV Unplugged in New York is a message from beyond the grave, a summation of Kurt Cobain's talents and pain so fascinating, it's hard to listen to repeatedly. Is it the choice of material or the spare surroundings that make it so effective? Well, it's certainly a combination of both, how the version of the Vaselines' "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" or the three covers of Meat Puppets II songs mean as much as "All Apologies" or "Something in the Way." This, in many senses, isn't just an abnormal Nirvana record, capturing them in their sincerest desire to be R.E.M. circa Automatic for the People, it's the Nirvana record that nobody, especially Kurt, wanted revealed. It's a nakedly emotional record, unintentionally so, as the subtext means more than the main themes of how Nirvana wanted to prove its worth and diversity, showcasing the depth of their songwriting. As it turns out, it accomplishes its goals rather too well; this is a band, and songwriter, on the verge of discovering a new sound and style. Then, there's the subtexts, as Kurt's hurt and suicidal impulses bubble to the surface even as he's trying to suppress them. Few records are as unblinkingly bare and naked as this, especially albums recorded by their peers. No other band could have offered covers of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" and the folk standard "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" on the same record, turning in chilling performances of both -- performances that reveal as much as their original songs”.

Even if you were not around in 1993, just look on YouTube and see the videos. You will be blown away and moved by the performance! There is an anniversary edition of the gig that you should snap up and keep. Even after all these years, Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York remains unsurpassed. I think it is one of the finest gigs ever put down (maybe stronger than Nirvana’s set at Reading in 1992). Ahead of the album release of MTV Unplugged in New York, people are revisiting this wonderful musical moment. Before wrapping up, I want to introduce a feature from The Quietus that passionately details this era-defining performance:

 “Perhaps Cobain understood that the essence of any given piece of music might just as easily lie in its supposed artificiality, that this artificiality is no more or less authentic than a strummed-and-hummed version. Whether he would have thought about it or put it that way, who knows; he was an artist, a great one, and he may have been operating on instinct rather than theory. But instinct should not be confused with accident. And none of the things that make MTV Unplugged In New York so marvellous were accidental.

For a start, there is the performance he turned in; a performance of such wrenching emotional tension and commitment and – let’s not pretend otherwise – craft (he was a showbiz pro by this point; he knew exactly what he was doing) that it would have graced any format, any arrangement. This is not to suggest the other members of the band, and the wider ensemble on the night, were dispensible. Just that Cobain was, as ever, the glowing centre of the thing, and it was always going to stand or fall on what he did.

Also: he cheated. This performance wasn’t “unplugged” at all, in the customary sense that the only amplification was via microphone. Cobain ran his acoustic guitar through pedals and an amp, this rig being disguised as a monitor. And because pop music is not a sporting contest, nor a feat of spectacle like chainsaw juggling, but an art form, he was right to cheat. Cheating is, frequently, how you make the good things happen. Everybody should cheat in pop music whenever possible, as long as it makes the results more enthralling. Which this did.

Cobain was always a terrific singer, and on MTV Unplugged In New York he compressed his voice into a haunted rasp. This, alongside the sensitive playing of his fellow musicians, made his own songs, the earliest of which had been released four years prior to the session, sound steeped in folk, blues and bluegrass and as old as the hills. Or at least as old as the tour-de-force of a closing number, a version of Lead Belly’s 1944 arrangement of the traditional song ‘In The Pines’, which that greatest of folk-blues musicians had retitled ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’. Cobain knew of Lead Belly, and the song, thanks to Mark Lanegan, the Screaming Trees singer. He had played guitar on Lanegan’s own version on the latter’s first solo record, The Winding Sheet (1990) – which album was the most specific and immediate inspiration for the Unplugged recording. If Lanegan’s (superb) solo output since has at times resembled Nirvana’s record in mood and tone, that’s not him imitating them; it’s him carrying on with the idiom they borrowed from him.

When you’re reinventing yourself as the epitome of gritty, rootsy, “authentic” Americana, perhaps the least apt thing you can do is throw in an emphatic acknowledgement of all that stands in seeming opposition to that: something glam and queer and synthetic and altogether European. Which is exactly what Nirvana did; and again, this was no accident. Not only did they cover David Bowie, they covered one of his (then) more obscure songs, and certainly one of the strangest, ‘The Man Who Sold The World’.

MTV Unplugged In New York is the sound of Nirvana taking all the ground they want, and not giving an inch of it away. It’s the sound of them wrong-footing both their fans and their critics. It’s a magnificent set of songs, magnificently rendered. It didn’t make their previous albums redundant, or irrelevant: those remain formidable rock records, and the hits will be played as long as there are student discos. But nothing else they did has such breadth, or depth, or texture. Nothing else gives so full a picture of Cobain’s talent and sensibilities. Nothing else shows how artfully he could weave together pop’s contrasting strands. It almost didn’t happen. A day before the taping, Cobain was refusing to play. He made a lot of poor decisions in his all too brief time here; changing his mind on that was surely one of the best.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kurt Cobain during the taping of MTV Unplugged at Sony Studios in New York City on 18th November, 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Frank Micelotta

Maybe there are more celebrated live performances and live albums that are poured over in greater detail. Even were it not for Cobain’s suicide in 1994, I still think MTV Unplugged in New York would still be regarded as this classic; a moment in time where one of the world’s biggest bands stunned people into silence. I can envisage the relief on Cobain’s face when he left the stage and realised he has had got through it. Look back at the gig and you can feel the concentration and focus he has. If you are a fan of the concert or fresh to it, take some time to witness this incredible band deliver a truly spellbinding performance. In terms of its legacy, power and memorability, Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York…

MIGHT never be bettered.

FEATURE: Hell Is Round the Corner: Maxinquaye: The Brilliance of Tricky and a Seminal Debut Album

FEATURE:

 

Hell Is Round the Corner

Maxinquaye: The Brilliance of Tricky and a Seminal Debut Album

___________

THERE is a lot of buzz around Tricky…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Tricky in 1995/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

because his autobiography, Hell is Round the Corner, is released today (31st October). Even if you are unaware of the Bristol-born producer’s start and career, the memoir makes for a fascinating read. Tricky is one of the most compelling and influential names in music. Not only did Tricky help Massive Attack shape their 1991 masterpiece, Blue Lines, but the man himself created his own masterpiece five years later: the epic debut, Maxinquaye. The album was released on 20th February, 1995 and, as it is twenty-five in a few months, I wanted to investigate this spectacular album and the man who made it. Tricky’s more recent album, Ununiform, of 2017 is a fantastic work and shows he has plenty of brilliance and inventiveness left in the bones. I will come to Tricky’s debut soon enough. Before that, I would compel people to look back at the music of Tricky, because it is sensational. I am going to grab his autobiography today, because I am fascinated to know about this incredible producer and artist. Tricky does not give many interviews but, recently, he did speak with The Guardian and talked about his memoir/autobiography. He discussed loss – his mother died when he was a child – and the struggles he endured on the path to success. He is still performing live and his shows are a mix of the powerful and remote; Tricky remaining largely in the shadows, but providing this enormously memorable experience.

I will move on but, before I do, I wanted to bring in an exert from The Guardian’s interview, where Tricky discussed addiction; the men and women in his life and his childhood:

“The book’s title – Hell Is Round the Corner – is taken from a track on Maxinquaye, and it aptly describes a life in which violence and tragedy have lurked beside every success story. Born Adrian Thaws and raised in Bristol by his grandmother and aunties, Tricky had a happy, but unconventional, childhood: food often consisted of rabbit stew sourced from the family’s poaching expeditions; criminality was an accepted way of life.

Without his musical gift, Tricky’s prospects would not have looked bright: “Where I come from, a lot of people are either on drugs, in prison or dead,” he says. His uncles were gangsters and Tricky grew up noticing how people would treat him differently whenever their names were dropped: his food in a curry house would be upgraded; the atmosphere in a pub might suddenly change.

“Once, I asked my auntie why everyone was scared of my uncle Martin,” he says. “She said: ‘Because if he says he’s going to cut your throat, he’ll cut your throat.’”

The men in his life were tough guys, but the women who raised him were tougher. He saw his grandmother and aunties street-fight like his uncles (“The fighting was more vicious, cos men care more about their ego”) and observed them being strong in other ways, too: running the household and feeding the family while the men were away doing time.

“I’ve a kinship with women,” he says. “That’s why I’ve always put women in strong positions in music.”

Topley-Bird was the most important of these. He met her by sheer luck in about 1992 – she had been singing with schoolfriends outside his house. A few years later, they became a couple and had Mazy together; the relationship didn’t last, but they continued to collaborate musically on several more albums”.

Because Tricky was not given a lot of responsibility and input in Massive Attack, there was a sense of desire and anger building up. It is understandable that, for one as passionate and ambitious as Tricky, there was this energy inside that was not being fostered by the Bristol Trip-Hop group. I am not sure how Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird found one another – the two were in a relationship and had a daughter together, Mina Topley-Bird, who died earlier this year -, but it was clear Topley-Bird was the spark that was required for Tricky. He knew her vocals would add weight and direction to his lyrics. Like a lot of great albums, Maxinquaye had a pretty modest start. Tricky signed with 4th & B’way Records in 1993; he put together Maxinquaye at his London home studio. That sense of homely and modest betrays a record that sounds personal, yes, but also incredible wide-ranging, powerful and universal. Almost twenty-five years after its release, Maxinquaye is still giving up its secrets and resonating. With Martina Topley-Bird and vocalists such as Alison Goldfrapp, the record a lot of powerful female input; voices that give his songs a clash of beauty, passion and electricity. Maybe it goes back to Tricky’s upbringing and the role women played; maybe it was more of an aesthetic choice – I think Martina Topley-Bird, especially, helps give the album so much clout and nuance. With genres like Reggae, Soul; Rock and Techno mixing with one another, Maxinquaye is a cocktail of sounds and textures. It always sounds commanding and never loses focus.

Exploring subjects such as drug culture, cultural decline and the influence of his late mother, Maxine Quaye, Tricky’s debut never shies away from reality. It is a pretty hard listen at times and provides little in the way of real fun or romance. That is not to say Maxinquaye lacks beauty and lightness. There is this incredible juxtaposition and unity of darker and lighter shades; beauty and intensity entwined and somehow harmonious. One reason why I have a great respect for albums like Maxinquaye, is because they tackled some pretty weighty subjects. Romantic dysfunction and mistrust had many assuming a Freudian link (given the influence of Tricky’s mother); it is clear Tricky was deeply inspired by his mother and was writing from a female perspective – one reason why Martina Topley-Bird was chosen as a vocalist is to give authenticity to his lyrical style and voice. Whilst Maxinquaye does explore relationship struggles and frustrations, tracks such as Ponderosa and Hell Is Round the Corner are influenced by Tricky’s use of cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. Following Tricky’s departure from Massive Attack, he became more and more dependent on drugs. The stream of consciousness lyrics and frightening visions on some of the album’s tracks come from Tricky who, because of his drug use, was experiencing paranoia, delusions and mental instability. If one did not know about Tricky’s substance abuse and difficult past, maybe the songs would not seem as potent and emotional.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Rider

It is amazing to hear such a fluid, bold and disciplined album, given the struggles and anxiety Tricky was living with whilst creating the album. I do not think we will ever get to the bottom of an album that keeps on flowering and providing new layers the more you listen. Contemporary and retrospective reviews for Maxinquaye were enormously positive – I am not sure whether it received a review that was anything less than awestruck! There were artists like Massive Attack and Portishead (fellow Bristol acts) releasing these incredible Trip-Hop albums (although Portishead would hate that genre label!) – Portishead released their debut, Dummy, in 1994 and Massive Attack released Protection the same year. It is clear there was this strong scene and community that was offering an alternative to the mainstream at the time – this was the era of Britpop, after all. Maxinquaye, in my view, is more extraordinary and enduring than the work of Portishead and Massive Attack. It has that personal relevance that gives it an extra level. AllMusic provided their take on Maxinquaye:

“Once they're there, Maxinquaye offers untold treasures. There is the sheer pleasure of coasting by on the sound of the record, how it makes greater use of noise and experimental music than anything since the Bomb Squad and Public Enemy. Then, there's the tip of the hat to PE with a surreal cover of "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos," sung by Martine and never sounding like a postmodernist in-joke.

Other references and samples register subconsciously -- while Isaac Hayes' "Ike's Rap II" flows through "Hell Is Around the Corner" and the Smashing Pumpkins are even referenced in the title of "Pumpkin," Shakespear's Sister and the Chantels slip by, while Michael Jackson's "Bad" thrillingly bleeds into "Expressway to Your Heart" on "Brand New You're Retro." Lyrics flow in and out of consciousness, with lingering, whispered promises suddenly undercut by veiled threats and bursts of violence. Then, there's how music that initially may seem like mood pieces slowly reveal their ingenious structure and arrangement and register as full-blown songs, or how the alternately languid and chaotic rhythms finally compliment each other, turning this into a bracing sonic adventure that gains richness and resonance with each listen. After all, there's so much going on here -- within the production, the songs, the words -- it remains fascinating even after all of its many paths have been explored (which certainly can't be said of the trip-hop that followed, including records by Tricky). And that air of mystery that can be impenetrable upon the first listen certainly is something that keeps Maxinquaye tantalizing after it's become familiar, particularly because, like all good mysteries, there's no getting to the bottom of it, no matter how hard you try”.

One only need to look ta a few sample reviews to see how hard the album hit; how incredible it sounded years after its release. This review highlights the sheer variety and wonder of Maxinquaye:

“Not many artists have attempted to cover Public Enemy songs and one listen to 'Black Steel' will tell you why: how do you go about covering a rap song without turning out a parody or novelty record? Answer: you truncate the song lyric, get Maxine to twist her way around the words and drag in a Manchester speed-metal group for cut-up purposes. The effect is startling, especially when 'Hell Is Round The Corner' follows by taking the opposite direction into crackling, minor-key blues. When guitars finally come back into the mix, as on 'Brand New You're Retro', the central riff is so disfigured and energetic and screwed-up that you feel you're experiencing something new.

Self-hatred and poisonous relationships also co-exist in 'Maxinquaye"s patchwork quilt. On 'Pumpkin' these negative attributes take the form of Tricky's self-absorbed monologue, contrasted against Alison Goldfrapp's wordless entreaties and set to a mid-tempo stroll. More disturbingly, 'Abbaon Fat Tracks' takes on the mantle of a package of insults, while 'Suffocated Love' touches on a complicated S&M relationship, with Tricky's skewered logic to the fore. Something's not quite right in his mind, but then, as he insists on the avant-garde, unsettling, 'Strugglin' - the one song that teeters on self-indulgence - he's saner than most people.

'You Don't' shows Tricky can be buoyant, bouncy and irresistible, but it's left to the closing 'Feed Me' to finally spot hope on the horizon after the storm, as Maxine takes a vocal tour of England and meditates on the meaning of freedom. As the last note echoes off into the ether, you know you've been through a remarkable experience; 'Maxinquaye' is one of those rare benchmark LPs that reveals new layers with each listen, but never fully offers up its secrets. Literally, a hard act to follow”.

Maxinquaye helped shape the landscaper of Hip-Hop and Electronica; it is seen as one of the most influential Trip-Hop albums ever recorded and it is clear this mighty album has left its mark on the music scene. Although Tricky would go on to record other terrific works, I don’t think he was ever as spellbinding as he was on his debut – that is no slight on him; such is the importance of Maxinquaye.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Mustafah Abdulaziz

It is one of those albums that you need to listen to; to explore and let it carry you away. When it turns twenty-five next year, there will be a lot of celebration and tribute. I am sure new ears will discover it and, as big works by Massive Attack and Portishead have turned twenty-five, I wonder whether we might see a Trip-Hop revival. Albums like Maxinquaye have filtered into other genres and inspired scores of artists, yet there has not been a full-on revival. It would be interesting to see whether that might happen. Go and grab a copy of Maxinquaye if you can (or stream it), and familiarise yourself with this remarkable work. Tricky is a true icon, and make sure you pick up his memoir as well. There are few out there as pioneering, fascinating and strong as Tricky. I hope we see many more albums from him, and he enjoys a lot more years in music. I remember witnessing Maxinquaye back in the 1990s and not really having a frame of reference – maybe Portishead and Massive Attack provided a cushion, but Maxinquaye is in a league of its own. I was amazed then…and I am still awed now. Experience truly a magnificent album from…  

AN incredible artist and innovator.