FEATURE: Spotlight: Willie J Healey

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

sxxx.jpg

Willie J Healey

___________

EVEN though I think this year has been defined…

xxxxx.jpg

by women and the music that they are making, there are some great male artists who are producing astonishing work. The track, Songs for Joanna, is one of the year’s best and I am reminded of Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler when I hear him sing. He might not have had Knopfler in mind, yet it is hard to ignore a similar tone on Songs for Joanna. It is a breath of fresh air in modern music and I think it adds something brilliant to his instantly memorable music. Healey’s new E.P., Hello Good Morning, is out now and I will come to that very soon. When Healey released People and Their Dogs in 2017, there was a lot of curiosity and interest around this new artist. You can read interviews he gave at the time and, when you listen to that album, you notice the differences between his 2017 output and what he is releasing now. There is a lot of chat around Willie J Healey because of his new music and the fact he is contributing something rich and original to the scene. Rough Trade sum up Healey pretty neatly:

“Willie J Healey operates within his own lane. This is a musician who can write about any topic that grabs his attention: from wry observations and the innocence of young love, through to gothic visitations from the devil and alien abductions. He’s unconstrained by genre, moving at will between scrappy garage-rock, evocative Americana and sumptuous psychedelia. And it's all his own work, the product of obsessively writing song after song in his studio/garage/bedroom.

aaaa.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: Leonn Ward 

As an unconventional musician, it’s little surprise that he’s an unorthodox character too. On social media, he comes across as easy-going and carefree. In person, he’s unguarded, considered and immediately friendly. It’s unfathomable to imagine him being angry, but he’s adamant that he’ll do anything to protect his creative integrity, much like his hero Neil Young. He’s a curious mix between a young man with the world at his feet and an old soul.

As such, it makes perfect sense that he puts a contemporary filter on timeless ‘70s-flavoured sounds. It’s all there in his forthcoming EP ‘Hello Good Morning’ and his new album that will follow next year. It continues his relationship with new music champions YALA! Records, who released his previous EP ‘666 Kill’ in 2018.

Lead track ‘Songs For Johanna’ takes Willie’s pop nous to new heights, as if YALA! labelmates The Magic Gang teamed up with Elvis Costello. It’s a snappy tale of age-old teen dilemmas: love triangles, confused sexual identity and unrequited passions.

The idea, says Willie, came from his ability to tap back into that angst. “There’s so much confusion and all these emotions. Friends and family tell you that it’s all insignificant, but you don’t know that until you’re through it. Everything will pass.”

The rest of the EP also pulsates with his freewheeling, out-of-time approach. Inspired by John Lennon’s ‘Gimme Some Truth’, ‘Polyphonic Love’ is a bluesy/grunge hybrid - a simple plea to simplify life and leave the creativity to Willie. It’s followed by his purest love song to date, the Tame Impala meets ELO slow jam ‘For You’ and the rousing orchestration of the Brian Wilson-flavoured ‘Thousand Reasons’.

It tees Willie up to finally make the impact that his prodigious talents deserve. But what does he consider success to be?

He cites his high profile fans (and now friends) - including Laurie Vincent of Slaves, Orlando Weeks, Jamie T and Gaz Coombes - as inspirations. “It blows my mind because I love them all as artists. I can see why they’re all in the position they are and I want to be like that. But I’m flattered when anyone knows and likes my music. We get some hip kids at the shows and that’s cool. And we get some not-so-hip kids too, and that’s great. Everyone’s welcome”.

The reviews have come in for Hello Good Morning and it seems Healey is on the rise. He has grown in stature and his fanbase is growing. Tonight (18th November), he is at Rough Trade West to perform a live acoustic set  and do a Hello Good Morning signing (from 6 p.m.). You can buy Hello Good Morning now and see why so many people are tipping Healey for big success. If you get the chance to see him on the road, then make sure you do! I have been aware of Healey since he put out his E.P., 666 KILL, last year. It is interesting to see Healey sort of sandwich albums with E.P.s. I do wonder whether he might put out an L.P. next year because it seems like he has the ammunition and impetus.

The 666 KILL (or 666 Kill) E.P. is a remarkable work:

“666 Kill is an EP with an unusual genesis. Healey set himself an experiment: to rapidly put together a body of work from his first idea to completion without overthinking any part of the process. And so he’d write lyrics in his bedroom that were rich in violent gothic imagery – an ominous home invasion from the devil (666 Kill), an existential bullet-in-the-head (Lovelawn), and a metaphorical grim reaper (Learn Toulouse) – before rushing down to his studio / garage to record them as quickly as possible. “I was trying to touch on different ideas I had at the time: weird things like planes going missing and an obsession with death, which sounds really depressing but at the time I found it really interesting,” he explains. “We all have weird little things that run across our minds and we generally don’t say them out loud. For good reason! But it felt like an exciting process to write in that style and not put a filter on it.” A week later and it was done, with Healey having recorded vocals and almost all of the instrumentation himself. A fortnight later, however, he listened back and was pleasantly surprised at his latest creation. From the menacing country-folk of the title track to the beautifully bleak contrast of Lovelawn and the relatively uplifting closer When You’re Lonely, it echoes the low-fi introspection of Elliott Smith with the rawness of early Neil Young. A notable detour is the hypnotic rhythm and screeching sax that permeates through Guitar Music – ironically named given that it was the first song that Healey ever wrote on keys and features no guitar beyond some bass.

xxzz.png

Not only is Healey a tremendous songwriter with that very grounded and arresting voice; he comes across in interviews as very tangible and real. That may sound odd, yet there are songwriters who can be aloof, fake or a bit boring. Healey is a really interesting talent. In this interview from 2018, the Oxfordshire musician came across as very modest and charming:

“I’m a really happy person,” Willie beams. With the sun shining and leaves fluttering about like dancing fairies, our adventure in West London's Holland Park became our magical escape from the hustle and bustle of central London. Winning over the hearts of many with his natural charm and cheeky sense of humour, Willie J Healey has fun written all over his face.

“When I first showed some of the stuff to my friends they were like are you OK?” he laughs. “I guess I’ve just played on heavier themes than I have in the past. Yala! are putting it out for me too which is great. It’s quite slow, there’s no radio hits on there, but who listens to the radio nowadays anyway...?”

Stopping to chuckle, Clash feels like he might be right: “I hope people listen to it and enjoy it.”

Taking you on a journey through his nostalgic hints and DIY approach, Willie brings a very personal touch to his songwriting. “I did them all in a week and recorded them in that time at home. The one I spent most time on was probably ‘Lovelawn’ just because it has got a lot of words in it and I would go back and forth with them and switch them round.”

Having a successful album already under his belt, Willie has established unique and mellow elements in his guitar playing. Honing a woozy, blissful, slacker-rock sound, he was snapped up and before we knew it he was releasing a string of singles, and record ‘People And Their Dogs’ last year.

“When I started out being signed to a major label and putting an album out, there is this expectation that you explode and make billions of fans and lots of money.” His voice appears soft as he continues; “Then actually in reality it’s not always like that. It wasn’t like that for me but I think quite a lot of people haven’t heard that album. The people who have heard it, seem to really like it so I think it’s a bit of a slow burner, you know”.

With tour dates, a new E.P. and kudos from some big radio stations, Willie J Healey is turning heads and I think 2020 will be a big one for him! I think there are some great male singer-songwriters out there – such as Sam Fender - ; Healey is among the most promising and diverse. I love what is throwing out right now, and I will keep my eyes peeled for sure! Take a listen to his tunes and give him a follow on social media – links are underneath -, because he will be taking to festival stages next year and, who knows, there might be some more material. Healey is a consistent, always-evolving and improving artist with a bright future. Although his songs are crafted and worked on rigorously, he is the kind of artist who amazes and stuns… 

ssssss.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren McDermott for CLASH

WITH seeming ease.

_____________

Follow Willie J Healey

aasaa.jpg

FEATURE: Snapshots and Perfect Portraits: Remembering Photographer Terry O’Neill

FEATURE:

 

Snapshots and Perfect Portraits

xhjxhxh.jpg

IN THIS PHOTO: The iconic photographer Terry O’Neill died on 16th November, 2019 at the age of eighty-one/PHOTO CREDIT: IBL/Rex/Shutterstock 

Remembering Photographer Terry O’Neill

___________

IT is with a heavy heart that we have to say goodbye…

asassaa.jpg

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles captured by O’Neill at Abbey Road Studios, London in 1963/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

to another great music photographer. On 6th November, we lost Robert Freeman. He photographed, among others, The Beatles and now, a few days later, we have to mourn the loss of Terry O’Neill. Not only did he photo The Beatles; he snapped musicians such as The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Amy Winehouse – in addition to some of the most swinging and iconic stars of the 1960s. If you want to see his fantastic photos in book form, have a look on Amazon; it is well worth investing in a few volumes! Many might not recognise Terry O’Neill’s name, but you definitely will be familiar with his work! From the Iconic Images website, here is some information about the legendary photographer:

“Terry O’Neill CBE is one of the world’s most collected photographers with work hanging in national art galleries and private collections worldwide. From presidents to pop stars he has photographed the frontline of fame for over six decades.

O’Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s. While other photographers concentrated on earthquakes, wars and politics, O’Neill realised that youth culture was a breaking news story on a global scale and began chronicling the emerging faces of film, fashion and music who would go on to define the Swinging Sixties. By 1965 he was being commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.

IN THIS PHOTO: Amy Winehouse was photographed by O’Neill in 2008/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

No other living photographer has embraced the span of fame, capturing the icons of our age from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Amy Winehouse, from Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot to Nicole Kidman, as well as every James Bond from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

He photographed The Beatles and The Rolling Stones when they were still struggling young bands in 1963, pioneered backstage reportage photography with David Bowie, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Chuck Berry and his images have adorned historic rock albums, movie posters and international magazine covers”.

Perhaps his most well-known photographer are those of Elton John. He published the 2008 book, Eltonography, and you can see some of those astonishing photos. Check out a recent book of Elton John snaps, and you can marvel at his work. Whilst O’Neill created iconic images of famous actors - including one of his girlfriend Faye Dunaway in 1977 (they were married from 1983 to 1986) -, he went on to snap some truly huge figures. As a music fan, the world has lost another influential and vitally important photographer. This article from The Guardian pays tribute to the late O’Neill:  

“Terry O’Neill, the photographer who chronicled London’s 1960s culture by capturing the celebrities and public figures who defined the era, has died aged 81.

O’Neill, who was awarded a CBE last month for services to photography and was known for his work with the likes of Frank Sinatra, David Bowie and Elizabeth Taylor, died at home on Saturday night after a long illness, his agency said. He had prostate cancer.

asassasa.jpg

IN THIS PHOTO: Terry O’Neill snapped Elton John as he performed at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in October 1975/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

“It is with a heavy heart that Iconic Images announces the passing of Terence ‘Terry’ O’Neill, CBE,” a spokeswoman for the agency said. “As one of the most iconic photographers of the last 60 years, his legendary pictures will forever remain imprinted in our memories as well as in our hearts and minds.”

A biography on the agency’s website said: “O’Neill realised that youth culture was a breaking news story on a global scale and began chronicling the emerging faces of film, fashion and music who would go on to define the swinging 60s. By 1965 he was being commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.”

O’Neill helped capture an era of cultural and social revolution in Britain. He was one of the first people to shoot the Beatles, and would go on to work with the Rolling Stones, Brigitte Bardot and Sean Connery. O’Neill said of the Beatles: “I was only 20, and the youngest photographer on Fleet Street. It was obvious that John was the one with the personality, so I put him in the front”.

Many of us overlook photographer and people behind the scenes. When it comes to musicians, how many of us note the photographers, producers and other people who make the magic happen, whether that is visual or audio?! I hold such esteem for people like Terry O’Neill, as they capture musicians in ways we can never see them; showing new sides that reveal them in a new light.

 IN THIS PHOTO: O’Neill shot The Rolling Stones in 1963, before they signed their first record contract/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

Today, one can snap anyone on their phone and, in many ways, there is less affection and respect for photographers than there used to be. Some say photographers are largely unnecessary when we have so much technology, but think about the practical differences between an amateur fan and a professional. Now more than ever, musicians need to get their image out there and think about the visual side. There are great photographers out there that never get the credit they deserve. Terry O’Neill is one of the most reputable and respected photographers because of his incredible passion and talent. Look at shots he took of The Beatles and Elton John and you are mesmerised. I think photography is an extraordinarily medium that is always going to be an essential part of the music industry. I will wrap up in a minute but have a look at O’Neill’s Instagram to see his remarkable work. I want to finish off by quoting from an interview he gave last year, where he talked about his work and the fact there are few genuine icons/stars today:

“The cultural watershed of the 1960s gave working-class boys like me opportunities we wouldn’t have had otherwise. I wouldn’t have had a prayer of being successful in any other era.

There’s nobody around now I’d want to photograph. Amy Winehouse was the last person – real talent. All the proper stars have gone.

The Queen is the only person I’ve ever been nervous of photographing. I researched some horse-racing jokes to break the ice and thank God she laughed”.

The perfectionist in me always left me thinking I could have taken a better shot. But now when I look at photos of all the icons I’ve shot – like Mandela, Sir Winston Churchill and Sinatra – the memories come flooding back and I think, “Yeah, I did all right.”

Terry O’Neill died yesterday at the age of eighty-one and, when he says there are few worth photographing today, maybe he is right. Perhaps there are some great artists who can shine for the camera, but none with the magnitude of Amy Winehouse or David Bowie, say. We have lost a photographic giant but, as we know, Terry O’Neill’s phenomenal images…

 IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie is captured looking relaxed in 1974/ADDITIONAL CREDIT: Iconic Images

WILL always live on.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Nine: Lizzo

FEATURE:

 

Modern Heroines

eee.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: Campbell Addy 

Part Nine: Lizzo

___________

WHEN we consider modern female artists…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Lizzo in March 2019/PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Tanner for Rolling Stone

who will be remembered decades from now, Lizzo must be on most people’s lips. As we speak, she is dominating the planet and bringing her incredible live set to the people. She is in Europe at the moment, but she is heading to her native U.S. at the end of the month. Born Melissa Jefferson in 1988 in Detroit, Lizzo is this incredible artist who had the music bug instilled in her at a young age. She moved to Houston at a young age where she started performing; she later moved to Minneapolis where she began her career as a recording artist. Although her big moves happened from 2013, Lizzo performed with various groups whilst she was in Minneapolis – including Lizzo & the Larva Ink. Lizzo’s experience working with other groups and taking to the stage definitely helped her when it came to her solo career. I caught on to Lizzo’s music about two years ago, and it is really interesting looking back and seeing how she has grown as an artist. Her debut, Lizzobangers, is aptly named: it is a confident and memorable debut that shows Lizzo was complete and stunning right from the get-go! Released on the Totally Gross National Product label in 2013, Lizzobangers was re-released by Virgin Records in 2014 and won critical acclaim. There is a little bit of conflict regarding the album, as Lizzo herself removed the album (briefly) from streaming services; she wanted her career to start with the 2016 E.P., Coconut Oil. 

It is a shame Lizzo has sort of reset the clock and wanted her debut to be stricken. The album is amazing and received a lot of love. In their review, The Guardian had this to say:

“Don't tell us to slow it down, we won't listen – we're twentysomethings." She's speaking on behalf of her age group here, but Lizzo, a Texan rapper based in Minneapolis, could also be referring to her own delivery. In this super-charged debut, which harks back to early-90s hip-hop, she delights in speeding it up, be it to dazzle male counterparts, as on Pants vs Dress, or simply as a release. At times joyfully nonsensical, Lizzo's stream-of-consciousness rhymes can also be lethally pointed. When she declares herself "the only rapper with a womb/ That'll spit that 16 bars to send you rappers to the tomb", it doesn't sound like an idle warning”.

I love Lizzobangers, but I can understand why Lizzo might feel that better work was ahead of her. You cannot deny the fact Lizzobangers is uplifting and has bags of personality. Lizzo demonstrated she was a compelling singer and someone who could write songs with heart and then, when the mood called for it, raise the roof and get the body shaking! In their review, Drowned in Sound were full of wonderment:

“Then there are songs which straddle both these modes such as 'Be Still', which builds its foundations on rampant flute loops and loose rhythms only to give way to crunching, doom laden synths. 'Faded' apes 'Skankonia' era Outkast, its frantic pace culminating in a wash of oscillating feedback and stark strings. Lazerbeak and Olsen employing a subtle bombast that propels the tracks forward, yet never threatens to overrun the songs; constantly balancing their sounds with the fluidity of Lizzo's rhymes.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Lizzobangers is how momentum rarely drops across the 14 songs, each a delirious earworm, each more engaging and entertaining than the last. Lizzo's arrival feels like something definitive, as though she's teetering on the edge of major stardom so snap this up before she inevitably goes pure R&B/pop for her second album (she's already collaborating with Clean Bandit) and cherish this for what it is; one of the finest hip-hop”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Lizzo

As there were very few artists of Lizzo’s calibre around in 2013/2014, there was a lot of media interest. Perhaps Beyoncé matched Lizzo in terms of her style and sound, but Lizzo’s unique personality and story meant there were a lot of eyes trained her way. The early interviews are really interesting and, now that Lizzo is a superstar who has played enormous gigs, there is something quite modest and understated regarding those earliest interviews. When Billboard spoke with her in 2015, we learn a lot about the young star. One of the key messages Lizzo has been sending out is body-positivity: feeling comfortable in one’s skin and accepting who you are. She touches on this in the interview:

“For quick background, Lizzo was born Melissa Jefferson in Detroit and grew up in Houston, playing the flute, listening to gospel and Beyoncé, and later singing in an experimental rock outfit called Ellypseas. She eventually moved to Minnesota and, during a bout of writer's block, found a spark in Lava Bangers, an album of beats by producer Lazerbeak, best known for his work in the hip-hop collective Doomtree. While writing new lyrics over his music, she tweeted at him, saying she'd love to work with him, and soon after she found herself at a party with him, Ryan Olson of Gayngs and Poliça, and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. With Beak on the beats and Olson producing, she released her excellent debut, Lizzobangers, in 2013, mixing boastful and playful rhymes with messages about gender, race and politics.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lizzo 

"Everyone looks to an artist for something more than just the music and that message of being comfortable in my own skin is number one for me," she says. "It's like, 'She's comfortable in her own skin. Can I just put on her music and sing along and pretend I'm like that for a second?' That's the story I get from a lot of girls. They say, 'Thank you for making this body-positive music. Thank you for being a body-positive performer, and thank you for being you.' That helps me be comfortable. It's a journey but I'm getting there."

As her profile grows, she's also happy to get fewer questions about being a woman in hip-hop. "It's started to shift because what I stand for is something bigger than saying that I'm a female rapper," she says. "I feel like I've started to create my own culture of being a voice for something and that's what people want to know about. I love that because I am a woman and because I a rap and I look the way I look, I can connect with the demographic of people who feel like they have a voice in me. I'm glad I'm a woman, I'm glad I'm a rapper because I get to speak to these people who did not get spoken for in this genre”.

If Lizzo was a little reserved or dissatisfied with her debut album, her 2015 release, Big GRRRL Small World marks an arrival; a moment when this fantastic artist stepped into her stride. Just before I get to that album, I wanted to mention that, back in 2014, Lizzo appeared in StyleLikeU’s What’s Underneath project. She removed her clothes and discussed her relationship with her body. There are not many artists now who are talking about body image and that side of things. In 2014, Lizzo was a bit of a rarity. It is doubtless she inspired many men and women around the world in that respect.

In terms of changes between albums, there was not a huge leap. I think Big GRRRL Small World is a bigger and more ambitious album that Lizzobangers; maybe there is greater consistency and diversity. I maintain Lizzo was fully-formed from the off, so Big GRRRL Small World pushed her story on and brought her music to a new audience. Maybe this is the album where her career began (in her mind) and is a better representation of who she was and what she wanted to say. With some brilliant material already under her belt, critics were prepared for what arrived in 2015. Actually, as the album was released in December of that year – always a risky time to release -, some critics did miss it, assuming not a lot of awesome music would be out at this time. The Guardian are one of the sources that missed out and caught up with the album. In their review, The Guardian highlight the many positives of Big GRRRL Small World:

“These are important topics, not all of which are being discussed much elsewhere in hip-hop. You can understand why people are impressed, but the danger on focusing on them is that Big Grrrl Small World starts to sound like a worthy-but-dry exercise in earnestness, the kind of album that people describe as “necessary”: indeed, in some quarters Lizzo is perceived as being so right on that one reviewer expressed surprise at her lyrical thumbs-up for a chain of Brazillian steakhouses called Fogo de Chão, wondering aloud at what the rigorously vegetarian Sleater-Kinney made of their tour-mate knocking back the bacon-wrapped fillet mignon and slow-roasted costela de porco. But the Lizzo who at one juncture hollers “gimme a soapbox” is balanced out by the Lizzo who mutters, midway through My Skin, that she’s “done with the struggle”, adding, “I just want to enjoy life”.

When it came to defining albums in 2015, I don’t think there was anything as strong as Lizzo’s Big GRRL Small World – maybe Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly was more important, but Lizzo’s pearl is an album that deserves a lot of new appreciation and promotion. One of the reasons why I think Lizzo is an icon of the future is the fact she is such a positive role model. I know there are other artists who are sending out positive messages and setting a great example, but I know Lizzo is giving so much strength to people; going against the perceived ‘norm’ of a female artist: that they need to be skinny and look a certain way to sell records. In terms of creative progression, there were changes from Lizzobangers to Big GRRRL Small World. She was asked about her music and evolution early in 2016:

“You’ve moved around a lot. How would you describe your sound?

Even though I was born in Detroit and grew up listening to gospel music, my sound is very connected to Houston rap. I’ve always loved the swag and sing-songiness of rappers like Lil’ Flip and Mike Jones. So on record you’re going to hear a lot of Houston influence, whereas on stage you’re going to see straight-up Detroit gospel soul. Minneapolis has helped me grow on the production side. And if you listen very closely you’ll hear some classical influence – I was studying flute for half of my life.

aas.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: Lizzo 

How did the new album come together?

As soon as Lizzobangers came out, I started writing new songs, but lyrically it wasn’t going in the right direction. I made at least 25 demos that didn’t end up on the album. Then I finally got to a point where I figured out what I wanted to say and it flowed.

What else changed?

I think that I developed as a songwriter. I did less sitting down and writing in a journal and more freestyling in the studio, which made a huge difference.

With every album, Lizzo gets stronger and more electrifying. Maybe it is the passing of time and the fact she hones her live act. Maybe it is something else but, in years to come, you wonder just how good she will be! 2016’s Coconut Oil E.P. is, to her, really the start of her career, but one would be foolish to dismiss something as fantastic as Big GRRRL Small World. It is the perfectionist in Lizzo: not truly happy and assured unless she is at her very peak. If the U.S. songwriter was still seeking her finest work in 2016, this year’s Cuz I Love You certainly cannot be disputed or faulted. Whilst there are some more reflective and emotional tracks on the album, I think it is the sense of empowerment and confidence that defines Cuz I Love You. It is Lizzo’s finest achievement to date and provides a fascinating glimpse as to where she is going to head next. There are not many Pop bangers that stay in your head these days; Juice is one of those rare cuts that has that nuance and is an instant smash.

Although there are a few producers and writers in the mix, it is Lizzo’s voice and passion that stand out on Cuz I Love You. When we get to the year-end lists of the best albums, I expect many publications to name Lizzo’s latest in their top-ten. There is that nice balance of the heartfelt and anthemic that splices Disco, Soul; some Pop and other genres. The reviews for Cuz I Love You are the strongest of Lizzo’s career so far. In this review from The Telegraph, they talk about how accomplished Lizzo sounds and how impactful the album is:

“Her sound draws on a particularly sparkling vein of pop where disco meets rock and funk. Sophisticated operators such as Nile Rodgers, Was Not Was and the Tom Tom Club come to mind, as well as Pharrell and his squelching, bouncing soul grooves. Chord progressions draw on standard rhythm and blues tropes, and old-school horns and guitars punch in behind the vocals.

The most modern thing about this album is Lizzo’s unabashed attitude. She stamps herself over these tracks with the brassy pizzazz of Bette Midler crossed with Millie Jackson, with an extra dash of contemporary feminist fervour. “Only exes that I care about are my chromosomes,” she declares on the bravura Like a Girl, in which she threatens to run for president and win Wimbledon for good measure. I wouldn’t put anything past her: Cuz I Love You is absolutely splendid, a joyous album to put a smile on your face, a song in your heart and your booty on the dance floor”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Vogue 

Cuz I Love You is one of the best-rated albums of 2019, and it goes to show there is an immense amount of respect out there for Lizzo. It is in my top-ten albums of the year; I think there are plans for next year regarding new music. In another review, The Guardian were keen to give their kudos to Cuz I Love You:

 “Lizzo’s lyrical concerns roamed widely, but encapsulated the female experience: errant guys, lots of sex, not enough sex, body positive self-love – both masturbatory and more spiritual – and (as one righteous track on her debut, Lizzobangers, had it) Bus Passes and Happy Meals. In short, a little bit of everything. The styles, along with the producers, varied widely – Lizzo did backpack rapper, she did trappy, she did edgy digitals, she did straight-up flows, she did a bit of singing. Men from indie bands, rather than A-list hip-hop beatmakers, stood behind her consoles for Lizzobangers (2013) and 2015 follow-up Big Grrrl, Small World; Lizzo toured with Sleater-Kinney before opening for Haim. The unifying theme throughout was her wit and personality: she is an eye-rolling, natural comedian who landed on hip-hop as her metier.

Cuz I Love You marks a conscious desire for Lizzo to accentuate the positive, to make the biggest-sounding record a set of speakers can hold. Official production credits were unavailable for research purposes, but there are writing teams on board now.

I was checking Lizzo’s Twitter feed when the reviews were coming in for Cuz I Love You. I think there was one less-than-positive review and, in a moment of annoyance, Lizzo expressed her shock and disproval. That goes to show that she put her heart into the album and, whilst she cannot win everyone and gain positive reviews across the board, it is apparent that her stock is rising, and she is among the most popular artists of today. Lizzo is an artist who speaks to women and she has that relatable edge, but she also has this wide-ranging appeal that touches everyone. If you did not see her performance at Glastonbury this year, then you need to have a look! Lizzo is one of the most compelling artists and around; someone who will continue to burn and strike for years. I will end by bringing in a recent live review, but I wanted to source from an interview Lizzo provided Elle last month. Lizzo chatted about Cuz I Love You and what might come next:

 “But for Lizzo, success is not necessarily measured by chart positions or streaming numbers or awards shows. It’s about making the music she wants to make, and getting it to the people who need to hear it. “If my next album doesn’t do anything like this [one], and this was just a one-time thing, I’m going to be grateful. And I’m also gonna have a fan base that I can tour on. I’ve been touring for a long time—why would that stop? I’m gonna continue to do that forever.”

sa.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: ModCloth 

Then came Cuz I Love You, a genre-defying album that could double as both the female-empowerment playlist for your next girls’ night out and the cathartic soundtrack to your next breakup. “My songs feel happy, but they come from a sad or frustrated place,” she says. “My songs are always the silver lining or the ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ moments.” That’s especially true of “Soulmate,” “Truth Hurts,” and “Crybaby,” all three of which she either wrote or recorded through tears. “Those songs are actual anecdotes, like real stories about real moments in time. ‘Pull this car over, babe’—that is something that happened to me. ‘New man on the Minnesota Vikings’—that happened to me. ‘Old me used to love a Gemini’—that happened!”

Letting herself be that exposed and vulnerable wasn’t always easy. “I was the worst communicator, emotionally, when I was younger,” she explains. “I would stop talking to my family; I would stop talking to my friends. I would go deeper and deeper into that dark place, and the deeper I went, the harder it was to reach out of it.” It took her a lot of time and effort to change that, but now she prides herself on being vocal about how she feels. She even opened up about her mental well-being on Instagram back in June. “I’m depressed and there’s no one I can talk to because there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Life hurts,” she wrote. Her fans quickly flooded the comments with messages of love and support, thanking her for speaking up and letting her know she wasn’t alone. The next day, she returned: “I learned in the last 24 hours that being emotionally honest can save your life. Reaching out may be hard, but as soon as I did it, I was immediately covered in love.”

These days, Lizzo is happy to live life as herself. She’s busy touring and working on new music for 2020, but also trying to take time to enjoy her success so far. On the road, that means being present in each moment as it happens. So when she’s onstage and a crowd is chanting her name, for example, she can feel every syllable, every voice, coursing through her body. “I don’t need an encore chant after every song, even though they do that sometimes. But when it does happen, I open my arms to receive it, because it’s happening for a reason, and I’m so grateful for it.”

There are a lot of interviews out there, and I would suggest people follow up on them as Lizzo is a fascinating subject and is one of the realest and most accessible artists around. It not only her interviews and songs that are captivating and amazing: her live sets are among the most energised and hypnotic you will find. She is touring Europe at the moment, and she is collecting golden reviews and incredible feedback. Lizzo is conquering the globe and is an artist who will go from a star to an icon in years to come. I want to bring in a review of a recent live show where it seems like she brought her double-A-game:

 “Lizzo’s gig has so many high points that you could probably see it from space and mistake it for a major geographic feature. She starts the set in a pulpit wearing a gold robe in front of a backdrop of stained glass themed around hearts, launching full pelt into the gospel-house opener Heaven Help Me. At the end, for a huge rendition of Juice, she whips out Sasha Flute – an instrument named after a Beyoncé alter ego Sasha Fierce – and twerks while playing.

In between, Lizzo makes her fans inhale positivity and sigh out negativity a full three times, like a particularly bossy yoga teacher. Throughout, there is the joyous succour of a crowd of people singing an entire album of self-affirmation back at its author, who fans herself and tears up.

Amid the wall-to-wall bangers, a few questions surface. Lizzo performs without a band, and while singing to backing tracks is not rare at this level, it is a shame. The funk and the horns and the nimble, three-dimensional musicality of Lizzo’s album deserve musicians of flesh and blood.

There is also the small matter of the way this latest, most mainstream iteration of Lizzo centres on her sexuality. As liberating as the carefree jiggle is intended to be, a little of Lizzo’s intelligence, nuance and versatility is eclipsed by all the twerking going on. There is a clear line from Aretha Franklin’s Respect (which Lizzo quotes tonight) via Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All through to Lizzo’s music, and you can’t help but feel self-actualisation shouldn’t really be confused with wearing lingerie”.

Make sure you get involved with Lizzo’s music if you have not done so already…and keep an eye out for her in 2020. Cuz I Love You is one of this year’s best albums, and one feels she has not even neared her peak yet! This rate of progress is incredible, so I will be keeping my ears primed. It has been an incredible year for Lizzo, and I know she will have big plans ahead. She is, musically and in terms of her personality, a…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Lizzo

MODERN day titan.

FEATURE: Labelled with Love: Bella Union

FEATURE:

 

Labelled with Love

aa.jpg

IMAGE CREDIT: Bella Union

Bella Union

___________

I did start this feature off a while ago…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Brighton’s Penelope Isles are signed to Bella Union

but can’t remember which record label I included – I think it was Rough Trade Records. At the moment, Bella Union have a few fantastic artists with new cuts out. I have been listening to BBC Radio 6 Music and have heard songs from Dog in the Snow and Hannah Cohen. I am already familiar with both artists but do have a look at the incredible roster – links are at the bottom of this feature – and you will see a wealth of diverse talent. Have a look at the YouTube channel and you can see all the latest tracks from the Bella Union stable. In my view, Bella Union are one of the most exciting labels in the world and are housing some future icons. I have ended this feature with a playlist of current Bella Union acts and, if you fancy the sound of any of them, you might be able to catch them on tour. If you are down in Brighton, you can visit the Bella Union Vinyl Shop & Coffee, and I would suggest people do so. Founded in 1997, Cocteau Twins decided to set up a label. It was a chance for the band to release their own work and have ownership. I guess, when you are with a label, they will often have their own ideas of how a career should be run and the type of music they want their artists to release. When Cocteau Twins split, Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie took charge and started to recruit other acts. The Czars were one of the first acts to sign to Bella Union and, since 2000, Raymonde has taken control of operations.

 IN THIS PHOTO: John Grant is one of the biggest artists in the Bella Union stable

For over twenty years, Bella Union has been looking after some of the most innovative and original artists around. I do think that there are many decades ahead for the label and, at a time when loads of small labels are struggling, I think Bella Union stands as a rare success story. That said, there are some incredible labels that have endured for years and there are great cases of artists stepping away from a big label and setting up their own one. Having released music from the likes of Father John Misty, Laura Veirs and Mercury Rev, the history of Bella Union is variegated and exciting. Not only is the label award-winning – they have won the Independent Record Company of the Year gong at the Music Week Awards -, but they have a passionate and experienced boss in the form of Simone Raymonde. Take a look at their current line-up and there are few labels around that boast such a strong line-up. Lanterns on the Lake are another one of my recent finds and, through BBC Radio 6 Music (again!), they are a favourite. If you just had John Grant on your label, then I’d nod your way: Bella Union have Penelope Isles and Ezra Furman to boot! It has been a really strong year for the label, what with some of their newer acts releasing albums and some of the more established guards remaining busy and, importantly, with Bella Union. I think biggest labels have a lack of identity and can be rather faceless. Labels such as Bella Union have this family feel and one can tell artists are really looked after. I am looking forward to seeing which artists will come on board and what the existing paddock will produce next year. This is a short feature, but it is a love letter and shout-out…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The terrific Emmy the Great

TO one of music’s great labels.

_____________

Follow Bella Union

TRACK REVIEW: Moses Sumney - Virile

TRACK REVIEW:

 

 

Moses Sumney

zzz.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: Laura McCluskey 

Virile

 

9.3/10

 

 

The track, Virile, is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cq8zRq0G9I

GENRES:

Electro-Soul/Folk

ORIGIN:

California, U.S.A.

RELEASE DATE:

14th November, 2019

LABEL:

Jagjaguwar

assaas.jpg

The album, græ, is available from 15th May, 2020. Pre-order here:

https://www.secretlystore.com/grae-moses-sumney

__________

WHILST many are looking at this year and the…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Elizabeth Weinberg for The New York Times

amazing music that has arrived, I am looking forward to the artists who will define 2020. Not only has Moses Sumney enjoyed a career that has seen him working alongside Beck and Solange, but he has also toured with James Blake. Sumney is also looking to the New Year and his album, græ. There is speculation as to who will be releasing material next year, and there are a few artists I would like to see bring out albums. With momentum behind him, there are a lot of people looking forward to Moses Sumney and his next move. Aromanticism was released in 2017 and gained a lot of positive reviews from critics. I will discuss that album in a minute but, as we look to see what next year will provide in terms of music, Sumney is preparing his second album. Here, we learn about græ and what to expect:

“Moses Sumney evades definition as an act of duty: technicolor videos and monochrome clothes; Art Rock and Black Classical; blowing into Fashion Week from a small town in North Carolina; seemingly infinite collaborators, but only one staggering voice. A young life spent betwixt Southern California and Accra, Ghana — not so much rootless as an epyphite, an air plant. The scale is cinematic but the moves are precise deeds of art and stewardship. Sumney’s new, generous album, græ, is an assertion that the undefinable still exists and dwelling in it is an act of resistance.

There’s probably a biblical analogy to be made about a person who just happens to be named Moses, who flees the binary, splits a massive body into two pieces, and leads us through the in-between — holy and wholly rebellious. By breaking up græ into two multifaceted, dynamic pieces, Sumney is quite literally creating a "grey" in-between space for listeners to absorb and consider the art. Not strictly singles, not strictly albums, never altogether songs or spoken word segments on their own. It's neither here nor there. Neither/Nor, if you will”.

The album is not out until May, so we have a bit of a wait! Regardless, many are already excited to see what Sumney can produce after such a stunning and confident debut. I think one of the reasons an album like Aromanticism resonated is because of its unconventional nature. The title sort of gives it away: Sumney writing from an unusual perspective and not necessarily penning traditional love songs and that romantic ideal. When it comes to artists, labels will try to pull them in various directions and try to mould them into something accessible and rather ordinary. Sumney is not someone who necessarily feels romantic longing and cliché love songs are a good thing. Music is still dominated by these types of songs and, whilst it provides comfort to many, there are many who cannot and do not want to relate to them. As he explained with The New York Times in 2017, he grew tired of the love song:

“A lot of people were trying to pull me in a very pop direction. That’s immediately where most people saw me,” he recalled over breakfast earlier this month at the Soho Grand. Instead, he realized, “I didn’t have to go there. I could go weirder.”

“I’ve never been in love, in romantic love,” Mr. Sumney elaborated. Tall, with mini-dreadlocks and chiseled features, he was dressed, as he often is, in black: a sleeveless mesh shirt, pleated trousers. “I have experienced romantic attraction to varying degrees, and I have platonic love, and I obviously love music. But romantic love is its own genre, and that is something that I have never experienced full-blown.”

He added, “I was just bored with the love song, the idea of the love song as the archetype, and also the culture that suggests romantic love is the end-all and be-all of human existence. I wanted to question and challenge that on a personal level and on the social level — the personal is the social. I think I just felt alienated by the idea of pursuing romantic love. And I never fully saw myself in love songs, although I enjoy them. But I was wondering, what else is there?”

It might sound odd that an artist wants to eschew love and writing songs with lust and romance at their heart. If you have never felt romantic love or been in a relationship, it seems weird to write as if you have and, for many, that desire of togetherness is not what drives them. I am not sure whether Sumney’s forthcoming album changes that and he has, since his debut, fallen into a relationship. I do get a little weary of the overload we have in music; the raft of songs concerning romance, passion and heartbreak. It can get so predictable, and what of people who are not in relationships or those who feel they do not want to be defined by a relationship?  In some ways, Sumney is rebelling against the expectations of many. I would say that the vast majority of artists write about love and relationships at some point in their careers. As we are becoming more educated regarding different sexual preferences and mental-health, solitude and loneliness should not be stigmatised or ignored. There are those who feel more comfortable on their own, so their music is more likely to explore that. If you are listening to songs concerning splits or those who are in love, how are people going to relate if it does not chime true to them? Where are the artists who are discussing being alone or not chasing that romantic avenue? Sumney was asked about the romantic ideal in an interview with FADER in 2017; how it can be bad for our mental-health to subscribe to the notion that we all need to be in a relationship:

“In the book Against Love, author Laura Kipnis breaks down how our society’s obsession with romantic love is unhealthy. Do you think the romantic ideal can be bad for mental health?

When you’re conditioned to look at something as normal, the sadness that can come from not being able to obtain that is super taxing on your mental health. But also, you can be in situations that are psychologically fucking you up, but there’s a commitment to stay with that, because that’s what you’re “meant to do.” You get absent fathers, or moms with post-partum depression. It’s complex, because humans are social creatures, and I actually do think we need other people in order to feel sane. It’s really unhealthy, the idea that you need another half to make you whole, but also I don’t think it’s particularly healthy to totally self-isolate. There needs to be a balance, and I don’t think there is, currently.

PHOTO CREDIT: Alexander Black 

Moses was born in San Bernardino, a city an hour east of L.A.; at the age of 10, his parents, both pastors, moved the family back to their home country of Ghana for six years. It was a time that was tinged with homesickness for him, defined by the CDs his dad would bring back from the U.S. Moses taught himself to sing by carefully copying the runs and adlibs of Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, and Usher. He wrote his own songs from the age of 12, but kept it a secret, hiding his songbook under his mattress. “None of my friends knew that I wanted to sing,” says Moses. “I was a loner; I’d ride my bike around with some other guys from the neighborhood sometimes, but I didn’t have a lot of school friends. But [Ghana] taught me how to spend time alone, which is something everybody needs to learn.”

To play devil’s advocate, what would you say to someone who asked: “Why write about aromanticism when the world needs more love right now”?

Saying the words “the world needs more love” — using those words as a political device to imply that love all round is going to produce equality — is ignorant and unrealistic. The problem with the world is not that people who are different don’t have enough “love” for each other. The problem is that the people with power insist on using it, and maintaining it for themselves. Ultimately, when people say “we need more love,” what they are telling oppressed people is that they need to love the person that’s killing them. And what do they have to gain from that? A clear conscience? Some promise that in the afterlife, after they’ve been murdered by the people taking resources from them, that they’ll go to heaven because they have warmth in their hearts? It [goes back to] what we were talking about earlier with “Quarrel” — someone can love you and still be oppressing you, still not listen to your voice. Emphasizing love is a waste of time. What we need to emphasize is the dissemination of power, and a deconstruction of hierarchical structures that keep people at the bottom, and keep others at the top.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Sinclair

One can say that the world needs more love right now, for sure, but that does not necessarily mean we all need to be in relationships to make that happen. I think we all need to be more understanding and patient with the world. Sumney does not reject physicality and sex. Instead, he feels that one should follow their own path and not feel pressured to conform to what society feels is normal and typical. When Aromanticism arrived, many critics were impressed by Moses Sumney, as he was not doing what so many of his peers were. It would have been easy for anyone else to express their pains and joys about love and give the impression that a relationship is what they need to be happy. Sumney took a different approach and, whilst he was red-bloodied and engaging through the album, that never translated into someone who wanted to settle down or find comfort in a relationship. This review from The Guardian explains more:

“It’s unlikely, however, that Bieber would make a concept album about the nuances of being aromantic – the inability to feel romantic attraction. Sumney might sound swoonsome, but he’s singing about one-night stands, the narcissism of emotional detachment and the nuances of lovelessness. He is particularly tired of the age-old notion that humans need to find a soulmate in order to feel happy and complete. “I don’t reject romantic love,” says Sumney. “I believe that it exists for some people, but some people will never have it and that can negatively manifest within you.” Sumney wrote the album from a place of familiarity. As he asks on the track, Doomed: “Am I vital if my heart is idle?”

While all that might sound like some grave aftereffect of years spent swiping dating apps, Sumney finds optimism in ambiguity. The latter applies both to his genreless music (some Prince-like and sensual; one, Quarrel, like a warped James Bond song) and his identity. At one point, when I ask for his age, he replies: “I’m in my 20s but nobody ever gets it right and it’s perfect for me.” He is self-aware and sardonic, but he also recognises that at any given moment, people can change. On whether he is romantically inclined himself or not, he says, cryptically: “I think the idea that I am, and I am not, is what’s interesting”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Laura McCluskey 

I am bringing in a few interviews and talking about loneliness, because it is quite unusual in music. Not that it is the defining characteristic of Mosey Sumney, but he is someone who will give guidance and strength to others who do not want to fit into narrow moulds and write like everyone else. Many might assume that his music is quite bleak and defeatist, it is very deep and thought-provoking. Sumney is moved by passion, but that does not mean he wants to be committed or feels that is what makes him human. He has a love of art, philosophy and words; he is a stylish artist and someone who has a lot of different sides. There are few out there right now who are as engaging and fascinating as Mosey Sumney. It seems that Sumney uses music, in a way, of explaining who he is or revealing his inner-most self in a way he could not otherwise do. In an interview with SSENSE, he was asked about his childhood and the fact he always wanted to be involved with music:

“I’ve read past interviews where you talked about how being picked on as a child for singing in front of your classmates made you insecure about performing, even though you always knew you’d be a musician. Are you feeling more secure now?

t definitely feels better now. It feels like I’m a real person. It feels like I’m doing a thing that I was placed on this Earth to do. I find myself connecting more with my own kind of idiosyncratic nature. And that’s what I love about people like Grace Jones and Nina Simone. Or Björk, you know. People who are just weirdos. I see what they’re doing and it feels like both beyond the boundaries of what we know of human nature to be able to produce, but also honest, and natural, and innate at the same time. Which feels undefinable.

PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Gyamfi 

Although there is a nod towards philosophy towards the end of his debut album, it is a bit of a revelation. On Aromanticism, there is such depth and so many songs that move you and dig incredibly deep. There are few records as compelling, intelligent and nuanced than Aromanticism. Not only does Aromanticism stray away from the rather routine and boring love songs; Sumney talks about self-identification and touches on philosophy:

One way you’ve defined your identity in the media is by presenting your own personality via the ideas of others. You prefaced your last record with an examination of Aristophanes, and then on the record itself, you have a song called “Stoicism.” Where does your interest in Greek mythology and philosophy come from?

It’s so funny, because I think the record makes it seem like it’s been a deep interest of mine, but it only really emerged towards the end of making the record. I wanted to contextualize it in a way that reached beyond modern times.

We’re in such a place where people are [self-]identifying more than ever before, and that feels so modern to people, especially to the old guard. I wanted to contextualize identification as something that has always happened. We’ve always been looking for ways to define and describe ourselves, or ways to give cultural significance to our personal feelings. And so I needed to reach beyond when any of us were born to say, like, these concepts I’m thinking about have been around forever”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Tonje Thilesen

I will move on to talk about Moses Sumney’s latest track soon enough, but I wanted to discuss a few more sides to the man. I am very much in the present and engaged with what he is doing now. However, to get a full sense of who Sumney is and where he has come from, it is important to look back at his debut and the themes discussed. What strikes me about Moses Sumney is the fact that he is very human and flawed, yet there is something very spiritual, otherworldly and extraordinary about him. These contrasts make his music fascinating, and one is treated to an artist who is so different to anyone else out there. I have read quite a few interviews Sumney has conducted and I am always fascinated and hooked. He speaks in such a way that you are gripped and immersed in his world. I want to bring in an interview he gave to Clash Magazine, where he talked about keeping a dream journal; also how he was quite an ambivalent human and creator:

“The notion of dreams, too, is integral to the record; each song billows out, processing thoughts and emotions in often outlandish ways, a form of songwriting that works with an emotional, not mathematical, logic.

He tells Clash: “I don’t always remember my dreams but I started keeping a dream journal about a year ago, to document and remember as much as I could. Sometimes I write songs in my sleep - I’ll hear music and then get up and write it. I’ll have weirdly prophetic dreams. I think they’re definitely really important.”

“The sounds would emerge or present themselves as we would go along,” he explains. “But it was most important to me to start songs on my own before bringing in powerful collaborators, and that was the way that I could maintain my ideas. In terms of aesthetics, certainly.”

“I can feel satisfied and content but… that goes away,” Moses says at one point in our conversation. “I feel like a very ambivalent person - like, I can feel everything at different times. Everything I say about myself, the opposite will, at some point, become true. I don’t know. I’m curious to see how other people view that, how other people respond to that, because life is long”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Kinfolk

There is a lot to unpack when it comes to Moses Sumney, and he is clearly a deep thinker and original artist who warrants a lot of respect and time. I do like the fact Sumney does not follow everyone else when it comes to songwriting themes, and he has this need for solitude that does not mean he excludes other people. I do think it is hard to maintain a relationship and, for many, romantic commitment is not a goal of theirs. His debut album explored sex, but there was never this feeling that things had to lead to a serious relationship. Indeed, on his latest outing, Virile, the lyrics are fascinating and make you wonder. It is from his forthcoming album, and it (the track) is among his most arresting and interesting cuts. I have listened to the song a few times and am still investigating the lyrics and what each line could mean. Moses Sumney is intellectual and passionate, but he also has this very cool and stylish side. If you look at the photos in this review, one can see Sumney is very fashionable and looks great. Maybe it is not directly relevant to his music, but I wanted to bring in one last interview, where the journalist talks about Sumney’s grab after he has completed his photo shoot:

“The Los Angeles-based musician has just finished his Crack Magazine photo shoot, and he’s wearing a sharp ensemble of drapey black fabrics and small, round sunglasses. He’s immediately striking and as we speak his softly spoken demeanour commands attention. At the same time, he possesses an instant warmth, an aptitude for listening intently to what others have to say, and a dry wit.

“What we allow black men to do and the way we allow them to perform in terms of the way they dress, talk and express themselves is more limited compared to the ways that other men are allowed to perform,” he says. “There are things about the way I dress that would be more remarkable to people if I looked different, but I just don’t let that influence my style”.

The relationship between the seen and the unseen is a reccurring theme in Sumney’s aesthetic, and it seems to be the uniting factor in both his music and style. “I think that everything that we don’t understand with clarity is worth investigating,” he tells me”.

zzz.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: Shayan Asgharnia

Opening with wordless vocals and a combination of pointed piano notes and dreamy harp, there is a mix of emotions that open Virile. (I would suggest people watch the video for the song, as it is pretty eye-opening). In terms of the lyrics and their meaning, each listener will have their own thoughts; the truth does not reveal itself instantly, and there is a sense of ambiguity. I do like how the song opens and gets you curious right from the off. Sumney has always blended sounds and genres to create something very much his own. On Virile, there is that integration of the charged and tender. His delivery is soulful and impassioned. Rather than simply spit the words out or deliver them in a very ordinary way, Sumney seems to feel every thought and puts his all into every word. “On the long hike through Blue Ridge Mountains/I can feel the earth move”. One gets the impression of Sumney hiking and exploring nature, but maybe that is not the case; perhaps he is using mountains as a metaphor. Indeed, there is a feeling of mortality creeping in. Sumney discusses the fact that none of this matters because one day he will return to dust and matter. It may sound bleak, but there is so much beauty in his voice. I am not sure what compelled the song and its creation. One gets a feeling of peace in Sumney’s voice; in the pre-chorus, one gets this gorgeous elongation and sense of uplift. It is hard to describe, but there is dreaminess to the vocals and this rush of energy. It is a gorgeous sound. Despite the luminous and bright feel to the music and vocals, the lyrics in the chorus suggest something a little more anxious or pained. When singing “You've got the wrong guy/You wanna slip right in/Amp up the masculine/You've got the wrong idea, son”, I wondered what Sumney was referring to. Through all of this, the virility fades, and there is this sense of mystery to the words. When I said the words were quite oblique and everyone could make up their own minds, there is this mystery and detachment.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Keeler

“Dear son/We pick our own prisons” summons up images straight away, but I was not entirely sure what Sumney was referencing. I have talked a lot about how Sumney writes of loneliness and does not subscribe to the perception that we all need to be with someone to find meaning. Maybe there is a nod to that in the lyrics, yet his vocal twisting and passion sort of takes your mind somewhere else. Sumney is masterful when it comes to giving his words such character and attention. He goes from high to low notes; from fast to slow and, through it all, you dive into the song and try to walk alongside him. The pre-chorus swings back around – “Cheers to the patriarchs/And the marble arch/Playin' their part/The gatekeeper's march” –, and I had to listen a few times to see if I could figure what Sumney was singing about. Maybe there is this rebellion against being defined and what makes a man. Maybe Sumney feels like he needs to be a family man or he needs to follow society’s beat. Sumney never gives too much away, but one gets the sense that he is this false impression of him or he has to live a certain way. I love the vocals – Sumney’s strongest suit – and how there are so many dips and rises. He is one of the most expressive singers around and this all comes out on Virile. It is a fantastic track and a tantalising window into what we can expect from græ.

I am not sure whether Moses Sumney has tour dates coming up; one feels he will be relaxing as we head to the end of the year. 2019 has been quiet busy for him, and he is getting ready for græ. The album is a fair few months away, yet I urge people to investigate it when it arrives. So many journalists are asking which albums we are most looking forward to next year; the artists we hope will release new stuff. I think Moses Sumney’s upcoming album will be among 2020’s best, and few artists will match him when it comes to originality and quality. I shall leave things be in a second. It is amazing to see Moses Sumney grow and bring the world this incredible music. I think he is one of these artists that will continue to produce albums and grow stronger. I have talked a lot about Sumney and how he covers loneliness and refutes romantic love. It sort of makes him sound cold but, in reality, he is simply saying how, for some, being in a relationship is not what makes them complete. I do think the raft of love songs has put this pressure on people to be in a relationship or highlights how this is normal; anyone who is not in a relationship is somehow flawed or unusual. Credit to Sumney for following his own path and giving power and voice that those who feel the same way as him. Virile is a terrific track and a taste of what is to come on his sophomore album. In terms of themes, one would expect him to keep on exploring the notion of self and love; maybe there will be some more political edges but, whatever he brings to us, you just know it is going to be hot! I shall leave things here, but I want people to follow Sumney on social media and keep track of his musical progression. He is a terrific artist who makes music that is…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @ania_shrimpton

SO long-lasting and marvellous.

______________

Follow Moses Sumney

FEATURE: An Eternal Icon: Remembering Jeff Buckley at Fifty-Three: The Ultimate Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

An Eternal Icon

PHOTO CREDIT: Merri Cyr/Sony Music 

Remembering Jeff Buckley at Fifty-Three: The Ultimate Playlist

___________

WHENEVER we mark the birthday of a musician who…

xxx.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: Michel Linssen/Redferns

is no longer with us, there is this tinge of sadness. The legendary Jeff Buckley died in 1997 at the age of thirty, but he accomplished a lot in his career. His sole studio album, Grace, was released in 1994 and just celebrated (in August) its twenty-fifth anniversary. The influence of Buckley is clear: look around the scene and you can hear his essence and brilliance live on. Whilst it is tragic Buckley did not get to record a second album – he drowned mere hours before his band were due to fly in to start work -, he seduced and entranced legions of fans around the world. I am ending this feature with an ultimate playlist, but I suggest people check YouTube and you can see some of his performances. The book, Jeff Buckley: His Own Voice: The Official Journals, Objects, and Ephemera, was released last month and is well worth purchasing. Buckley died twenty-two years ago, but his majesty and remarkable music will live on. I think Buckley would still be recording today if he was still alive. Maybe his sound would be different to Grace; I feel he would gone through various stages and changes. I am curious what he would make of social media and the current scene. As tomorrow would have been Jeff Buckley’s fifty-third birthday, I felt it important to show my respect for one of my favourite musicians ever – Buckley’s music means so much to me and, even though I never met him, I miss him a lot. To end, I have compiled a Jeff Buckley playlist that shows…

WHAT a talent he was.

FEATURE: A Mighty Waterfall: TLC’s CrazySexyCool at Twenty-Five

FEATURE:

 

A Mighty Waterfall

TLC’s CrazySexyCool at Twenty-Five

___________

I have a few album anniversary pieces…

 IN THIS PHOTO: TLC in 1994/PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Jordan Smith

coming up over the next few weeks. As we are ending this decade, it is inevitable that we are turning our attention to huge albums that ended previous decades with aplomb. TLC’s CrazySexyCool is a case of an album defining the middle of a decade, rather than ending it. 1994 is, in my view, the finest year for music ever, and we have celebrated so many titanic records from that year already. Many will overlook CrazySexyCool, but think about all the incredible tracks on the album and the numbers we are familiar with but do not consider classics – those that sort of grow on you and get ingrained in the mind. There were a lot of fantastic girl groups on the scene in the 1990s, but I think many people overlook TLC. Their 1992 debut, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, is incredible, but I think CrazySexyCool took them to a new level. Whilst, creatively, TLC were on a roll and had critical support behind them, there were personal issues in the ranks. Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes was involved in a very volatile relationship, which was impacted on the group and the relationship between Lopez, Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas. Although there were producers such as Dallas Austin and Babyface (who worked with Madonna on her 1994 album, Bedtime Stories) on board, the tensions that were evident affected productivity.

En Vogue released Funky Divas two years before TLC unleashed CrazySexyCool. On 15th November, 1994, CrazySexyCool hit the world and it combined Hip-Hop beats and smooth jams. Although there is optimism and youthfulness on CrazySexyCool, it is a more mature and daring effort than their debut. Maybe that was a reaction to the scene around them or a necessary evolution, but TLC delivered a masterful album in a year that is defined by genius, innovation and huge consistency. Gone was the slight naivety of the debut to be replaced by something more sensual, cutting-edge and bold. Apart from TLC and En Vogue, there were not many girl groups offering the same blend of R&B sexiness with a commercial edge. With the band growing and able to produce such phenomenal songs – in spite of difficulties within the camp -, CrazySexyCool is an album that inspired a lot of other acts and sounds sensational to this day. CrazySexyCool is seen as one of the biggest albums of the ‘90s and its defining anthem, Waterfalls, is one of the greatest songs of that period. At a time when we do not really have girl groups, it is almost sad looking back and seeing what was happening in the 1990s. I wonder whether celebrating CrazySexyCool’s anniversary will provoke new groups or start a fresh scene. In a contemporary review, AllMusic shared their thoughts of CrazySexyCool:

“On their second album, TLC downplay their overt rap connections, recording a smooth, seductive collection of contemporary soul reminiscent of both Philly soul and Prince, powered by new jack and hip-hop beats. Lisa Lopes contributes the occasional rap, but the majority of CrazySexyCool belongs to Tionne Watkins and Rozonda Thomas. While they aren't the most accomplished vocalists -- they have a tendency to be just slightly off-key -- the material they sing is consistently strong.

As the cover of Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend" indicates, TLC favor erotic, midtempo funk. Yet the group removes any of the psychosexual complexities of Prince's songs, leaving a batch of sexy material that just sounds good, especially the hit singles. Both "Creep" and "Red Light Special" have a deep groove that accentuates the slinky hooks, but it's "Waterfalls," with its gently insistent horns and guitar lines and instantly memorable chorus, that ranks as one of the classic R&B songs of the '90s”.

The instant quality of the songs and the sheer variety of sounds and moods on offer meant that CrazySexyCool resonated with their existing fanbase but brought in new followers. The chemistry between the three members of TLC shows and the album sinks in because there is so much to enjoy. Rather than stick with a Pop sound or talk about love in a very simplistic way, each song has a different personality and appeal. I think CrazySexyCool is not only an album that inspired other artists; I also think it could direct and infuse a modern Pop and R&B scene that lacks a certain spark and catchiness. In a review from 1994, Entertainment Weekly provided their take on TLC’s second album:

“After proving the appeal of their brightly colored mix-and-match clothes, condom consciousness, and kiddie-cute hip-hop with multiplatinum numbers, TLC return with CrazySexyCool (Arista/LaFace), an album filled with adult-female sexuality — although still not always of the most mature kind. The spoken word ”Sexy” takes the form of a crank phone call in which an unsuspecting male is telephoned, flattered in no uncertain terms, then humiliated.

This hide- and-seek coyness is essential to TLC’s attitude and allure, but also points to the shallowness of their lyrics, none of which express an idea half as original or up-to-date as the album’s state-of-the-art production. That probably won’t stop fans from gobbling up this pop confection. It would take a nation of millions to hold back the slinky ”Creep” from becoming a hit. But it’s the Prince-inspired ballad ”Waterfalls,” and the mournful left-field funk-rock of ”Something Wicked” that hint at the artistic greatness TLC might achieve if freed from commercial concerns”.

There is often glibness when it comes to album anniversaries. Some people turn their noses up because they think it a case of nostalgia or certain albums are being given kudos and attention they don’t deserve. In the case of CrazySexyCool, here is a moment that truly announced the arrival of a sensational band. TLC’s sophomore album upped the game and, years later, influenced and opened the door for new groups. This NME feature explores CrazySexyCool and talks about its legacy:

“But more than sales and accolades, ‘CrazySexyCool’ paved the way for the next generation of girl groups. Taking what they had learned from watching those that came before them — such as the likes of SWV, En Vogue and R&B boybands like New Edition and BBD — TLC packaged a fresh new attitude and unique swagger that inspired the next wave of girl power. Some of the fans who grew up listening to the group went on to take centre stage themselves: All Saints, Little Mix and, on a much larger scale, Destiny’s Child and the Spice Girls – something Mel C acknowledged in an interview with The Guardian last year.

As fresh now as it was in 1994, ‘CrazySexyCool’ remains forever in style. Like Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’, Janet Jackson’s ‘Rhythm Nation 1814’, Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ or Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’, its prototypical approach to production and unflinching cultural commentary keeps it relevant regardless of era.

Today, TLC are still America’s biggest-selling girl group. T-Boz and Chilli continue to tour – they’ve just announced they’ll be returning to London next year – and in 2017 they released a self-titled album, their first studio album in 15 years. But ‘CrazySexyCool’ will always be that album”. 

TLC would take five years to follow up CrazySexyCool with the fantastic FanMail. Whilst not as celebrated and enduring as CrazySexyCool, FanMail contained the incredible anthem, No Scrubs. A lot of groups would struggle to follow an album that sold by the bucket-load and gained incredible celebration - CrazySexyCool was nominated for six gongs at the 1996 Grammy Awards. I listen to the album now and it still surprises and moves me! The songs are compelling and hit you instantly, but you keep going back and finding new sides and nuggets you missed out on back in 1994. Although the trio are now a duo, and their eponymous 2017 album did not fare as well critically as CrazySexyCool, they have announced their Whole Lotta Hits Tour and will be coming to London next year. People still hold a lot of love for TLC and, in this article, Rozanda ‘Chilli’ Thomas talks about CrazySexyCool and plans for the future:

“The title supposedly referred to the band's personalities: Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes brought the crazy, having recorded her vocals on day release from court-mandated rehab, after burning down her boyfriend's house in a jealous rage. Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, with her no-damns-given demeanour and raspy vocals, was effortlessly cool; while Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas was, for the sake of this anecdote, "the sexy one" (she also had an incredible voice and no shortage of attitude).

Propelled by the hit singles Creep and Waterfalls, it became the first album by a girl group to reach diamond status (representing 10 million sales) in the US. Globally, only the Spice Girls' Spice has sold more.

Thomas was asked about CrazySexyCool and what it means to her; how TLC wanted their greatest album to represent and say:

"CrazySexyCool was our version of I'm Every Woman. Every woman has a crazy or a sexy or a cool side. You can be all three, but one is definitely more prominent than the other."

What's the dominant characteristic for her?

"A-ha!" she exclaims with a hearty laugh. "It depends on the day. The crazy might be the more dominant one at times. But cool or sexy? I don't know. It just depends."

Making the album was a lot of fun. We didn't feel the pressure of the second album jinx - we were just excited to be in the studio coming up with new material," says Chilli.

PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Jordan Smith

"And I remember when we were done, a guy at Arista records said, 'It's a great album and you guys will probably sell a couple of million'.

"We were like, 'A couple of million? We're going to sell five million. At least'.

"My great-grandmother used to tell me when I was little, 'When you become an adult, the years will go by super-fast'. I didn't know what she meant when I was a kid, but I get it now!"

It is sad that Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes cannot see the impact CrazySexyCool has had twenty-five years after its release; the fact she is not able to tour with the band is another tragedy. TLC are on the road and will get to play cuts from CrazySexyCool to new fans and those who were around to witness CrazySexyCool in 1994.

It will be an emotional occasion but, next year, TLC are embarking on a big tour and, with festivals like Glastonbury already garnering speculation and attention, might there be a big spot open for them?

“But she and T-Boz are ready to take the record back out on the road in 2020.

"We have a bunch of beautiful visual surprises and we're very proud of the hard work we've put into putting the show together, so we're very anxious for you to see it," she says.

Is it hard to perform the songs without Left Eye, who died tragically young in a car accident 17 years ago.

"We felt [her absence] more obviously right after she passed, when we had to continue to work," says the singer. "But over the years you heal. And I don't think you can ever heal 100%, 'cos that's our sister and we love her. But her memory lives on through us, and we don't look at it as a sad thing any more."

And what does she make of the rumours that TLC will make their Glastonbury debut next summer?

"Is that what you heard? I heard that too. That's what I'm hearing," she giggles, slyly”.

I am spending some time today to revisit an incredible album that stands among the very best of the 1990s. CrazySexyCool  is a wonderfully sublime and brilliant album that sounds so good and addictive today. I know CrazySexyCool will stand up for years to come because, as I said, the songwriting/producing and group chemistry is sensational. Twenty-five years after it arrived in the world, CrazySexyCool  is an album well…

WORTH celebrating.

FEATURE: Silent Nights: Could Artists of Today Pen a Christmas Classic?

FEATURE:

 

Silent Nights

asasassa.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: @eugenivy_reserv/Unsplash 

Could Artists of Today Pen a Christmas Classic?

___________

IT may seem depressing to bring up Christmas music…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rayhennessy/Unsplash

when it is the middle of November! One cannot fail to notice that Christmas usually starts around October! We are ‘treated’ to Christmas adverts and then, after a few weeks, Christmas songs start to make their way into shops and supermarkets. At the moment, it is not too bad in terms of the songs played – it usually gets a lot worse by the end of November. There are enough of us who like the classic Christmas tracks and, to be fair, I can listen to iconic tracks by Slade and Wizzard all day! There is that divide between the more contemporary Christmas songs and carols such as Silent Night – which is, in my opinion, the definition of Christmas. I think people are more annoyed with how early we start hearing Christmas songs, rather than the ones we are used to. There are some naff Christmas songs, but the all-time best rank alongside the best songs ever written. All I Wat for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey is a strong Pop number in any era. The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York features the wonderful Kirsty MacColl and is an unconventional take on Christmas – in the same way Die Hard is a pretty atypical Christmas film! We all debate as to which is the best Christmas song of all-time (I love The Pogues’ classic), and we all do revel in hearing these songs that we have grew up with or associate with this time of year – even if we have listened to them dozens of times!

In the same way there have not been too many updates to the Halloween/Halloween-themed songs, the Christmas market has not seen too many entries through the years – at least nothing that holds the same weight as the golden oldies. Maybe the 1990s was the last decade when a modern classic was penned – Mariah Carey’s Christmas staple came out in 1994. Maybe current artists are a bit worried that a Christmas song might be a bit of a commercial misstep. If it is not an instant classic, they can be associate with a turkey (I will limit the Christmas puns) rather than a cracker (sorry!). I can understand that but, every year, we do see attempts. More often than not, modern artists are putting their own spin on the established breed – including recent reworkings from Robbie Williams with Jamie Cullum, Lucy Dacus and Michael Bublé. Artists have a lot of affection for those older numbers, but I do think there is a window for a modern song. Whether artists want to follow The Pogues and create a song that is funny and unusual or stick with a more tried-and-tested route. I think it would be possible to create a modern classic. In terms of the lyrical and compositional formula, the song needs to be fairly similar to the ‘standard’ Christmas sound – I think a Grime or Rap Christmas song is less likely to endure compared to something Pop-based.

At a time for music where joyous choruses and happy moods are in short supply, I think there is an incentive to pen a Christmas song that extends beyond the seasonal. It might be hard to summon images of joy and togetherness, but I feel there is a call for it. There is always a place for the Christmas classics, yet so many different versions have been recorded making me wonder whether we will see some modern gems. There are articles that ask whatever happened to modern Christmas songs. Why is it hard to generate something that can rival the best of years past? Maybe the standard is high, or artists do not have the incentive to write a song that will only be played at a set time of year. Maybe modern artists recorded Christmas songs years ago because the market was healthier in that respect. There was this race for the Christmas number-one and, as such, we saw some great Christmas tunes. Now, the Christmas number-one is not necessarily concerned with Christmas – we usually see X Factor winners and random songs hitting the top. I would be interested to see a modern Christmas classic – or one that could become a standard – and, although I turned my nose up at a Rap or Hip-Hop Christmas track, maybe there is scope, if the tone was right. Christmas songs are great in the sense that they need not be confined to specific aspects of Christmas; they do not need to be just about family or snow, for instance. The glut of modern Christmas songs is strange, but I think there is potential for some current artists to step up and pen a Christmas great. The older songs are good; one could do with a few alternatives in the market. Maybe, soon enough, we will receive a new Christmas song(s) that…

RANKS alongside the absolute best.

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

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

AASA.jpg

IN THIS PHOTO: Princess Nokia 

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

__________

AS we are gearing up for another weekend…

dsss.jpg

 IN THIS PHOTO: Orchards

it is that time to bring together some wonderful female-led sounds. This playlist is particularly varied and autumn-ready. It has been great compiling the various tracks and exploring the finest out there at the moment. The weather is, as you’d expect, a little rubbish - and it does not look like we will see much sun for a bit. Because of that, I have compiled an assortment of top tunes from some big artists and those working their way through the ranks. If you are in need of a boost and some inspiration this weekend, have a listen to these tracks and I am sure you will be lifted. It is a cold one so, rather than braving the elements, put this music in your ears and you will…  

 IN THIS PHOTO: Maude Latour

WARMED up instantly.

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

__________

Sharon Doorson – Peaches

Hayley Kiyoko – L.O.V.E. Me

PHOTO CREDIT: Katie Frost Photography

Rews – Birdsong

Kaash Paige – 64’ 

Baby Rose – August 5th

Tei Shi – Matando

zzxzx.jpg

Princess Nokia - Balenciaga

Oh Wonder – I Wish I Never Met You

Maude Latour – Starsick

asasas.jpg

Katie Pruitt – Out of the Blue

Sody – What We Had

Rachel Chinouriri – Where Do I Go?

Alex Jayne – Messy

Grimes – So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth (Art Mix)

The Veronicas – Ugly

Orchards – Sooner

RAYE (with Jess Glynne) – Love Me Again (Zac Samuel Remix)

Lily Ahlberg - Moonlight

Hannah Diamond – Love Goes On

Pumarosa – Fall Apart

aaaa.jpg

Siv Disa – moths

sww.jpg

Shanti Celeste – Sun Notification

Millie Turner – Hide+Seek

Violet Days – INK

Billie Eilish – everything i wanted

FEATURE: The November Playlist: Vol. 3: Burning Heather with False Gods

FEATURE:

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Pet Shop Boys 

Vol. 3: Burning Heather with False Gods

__________

THIS is another strong week…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish

and I am excited by what is out in the world. As we inch ever-closer to Christmas, there are no Christmas tunes in this playlist, but I am sure some will come in over the coming weeks. Instead, there are new tracks from Anna Calvi, Beck; Pet Shop Boys, Billie Eilish and Glass Animals have awesome music out! Make sure you get involved and spin the best of this week. In the pack, as usual, is that nice blend between the mainstream artists and those that are slightly more underground. As the weather is a bit overcast and chilly, you will need some great tracks to get things cracking and moving in the right direction. I guarantee there is plenty in today’s selection that will get you…

IN in a good mood.  

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

__________

James BKS (feat. Q-Tip, Idris Elba & Little Simz) - New Breed

Anna Calvi – You’re Not God

Billie Eilish – everything i wanted

Pet Shop Boys – Burning the heather

Glass Animals (with Denzel Curry) – Tokyo Drifting

Jake Bugg – Kiss Like the Sun

ddsds.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: Mikai Karl

Beck – Everlasting Nothing

Camila Cabello - Living Proof

SSS.jpg

Wye Oak – Fortune

Metronomy – Insecurity

xxx.jpg

IN THIS PHOTO: Anderson. Paak

The Game (ft. Anderson.Paak) - Stainless  

ssaaasas.jpg

Okay Kaya - Baby Little Tween

zzzz.jpg

Taylor Swift - Beautiful Ghosts (from the Motion Picture, Cats)

eee.jpg

Charlotte Lawrence - God Must Be Doing Cocaine

xxx.jpg

Alfie Templeman – Who I Am

PHOTO CREDIT: Alexander Black 

Moses Sumney - Virile

xxxx.jpg

Elley Duhé - GOOD DIE YOUNG

ccc.jpg

The Vernoicas – Ugly

sdd.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: Hollie Fernando Photography

Willie J Healey – Thousand Reasons

The Lathums – I Know That Much

Princess Nokia – Balenciaga

FLETCHER – One Too Many

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - Wandering Star

CVV.jpg

Hannah Diamond – Love Goes On

PHOTO CREDIT: Sony Music Canada

Céline Dion – Lying Down

xdf.jpg

DJ Shadow – Rosie

de.jpg

Hayley Kiyoko – L.O.V.E. Me

xx.jpg

Jessie Reyez – Crazy

IN THIS PHOTO: Lauv

Lauv & LANY – Mean It

Baby Rose – August 5th

Lady Antebellum – Be Patient with My Love

Hoops – They Say

Fall Out Boy – Bob Dylan

TRACK REVIEW: Anna Calvi - You're Not God (From Peaky Blinders Original Soundtrack)

TRACK REVIEW:

 

 

Anna Calvi

PHOTO CREDIT: Roger Deckker 

You're Not God (From Peaky Blinders Original Soundtrack)

 

9.6/10

 

The track, You're Not God (From Peaky Blinders Original Soundtrack), is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_-74U4V1Hw

GENRES:

Art-Rock/Alternative-Rock

ORIGIN:

London, U.K.

RELEASE DATE:

12th November, 2019

LABEL:

Domino Records Co Ltd

__________

WHEN approaching today’s review subject…

sss.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: Eva Pentel

there are a few things that I need to explore. In terms of Anna Calvi, she is someone I have been a fan of for years now - and I have seen her music develop and build. For her latest track, she sort of assumes the psyche of a T.V. character; writing a tortured song that sort of steps away from her usual template and explores new realms. I shall come to that soon but, before then, I wanted to touch on live performance and how she sort of captivates audiences because of her power and abilities. There are some performers who come off as quite quiet and softly-spoken off of the stage and then transform when they are on the stage. Calvi is not particularity shy, yet she does speak in quite a gentle and delicate way. She has a beautiful speaking voice, but she seems to evolve and transform when she performs. Maybe it is the allure of the stage or the fact she can lose herself, but one gets impressions of Kate Bush in that respect – the fact that both are amazing live performers but assume much bigger personalities when they perform. Calvi knows how important it is to connect with the crowd and bring her music to the fans. Having released Hunter last year and been nominated for a Mercury Prize this year – she lost out to Dave for PSYCHODRAMA -, there are a lot of eyes her way. People want to see her amazing tracks up-close and personal. As such, one is treated to this phenomenal live set that brings the songs fully to life and showcases this artist with an enormous voice and insane guitar skills. Like St. Vincent and Taylor Swift, Calvi has been responsible for more women picking up a guitar and wanting to play. I do think there is this impression that Rock bands and male artists are the only great guitars players and women stick to singing. I think perceptions are changing and, with Calvi striking hard and leading the way, we are seeing attitudes change.

There are a lot of great bands and female artists who play guitar, yet I still think there is sexism regarding women and the guitar. Anna Calvi is one of the finest players around and, combined with her amazing voice and incredible tracks, Calvi’s live sets are the stuff of legend. When she played London’s Roundhouse recently, critics were keen to have their say. Louder Than War wrote thus:

“Swimming Pool was performed in silence, I’ll Be Your Man built from a finger tapping intro before busting into an explosion of noise and by the time we get to Don’t Beat The Girl Out Of The Boy we’re realising that we’ve gone this far still marvelling at the voice that must be one of the strongest in the business that she pushes further and further as the evening goes on. A powerful voice that throughout the evening is flawless.

And then there’s the guitar playing.

Whilst all the above is going on she’s shredding her guitar like Hendrix or embracing it like Carlos Santana. Standing with it at arms length over her head and finally wrestling it to the ground as the final song, a cover of Suicides Ghost Rider throbs along and brings the night to a close.

From The Camden Barfly to this in just over eight years (Xposure live for John Kennedy’s Xposure show on XFM – Arrows of Love & Wild Palms book ending the night). She was always going to be this good we hoped and after a few chance meetings at the Summer Festivals she’s now cracked the big venue game. Three fabulous albums, three fabulous musicians (Alex Thomas on drums, Mally Harpaz on additional percussion and keyboards) and tonight, another elegant, almost Prince-like performance that was also aided by a near perfect audience willing to stand and soak all these tunes in across one evening (shame about the phones).

Anna Calvi is at the top of her game at the moment, big festival headliner in the making with a handful of potential James Bond theme tunes up the sleeves of her flamenco outfit”.

Because Anna Calvi has such an affinity with the stage and knows how important it is for artists to perform and hone their craft, it is great she has been chosen as the Ambassador for next year’s Independent Venue Week. The week is, as is obvious, celebrates venues around the country. From the relatively new and small to those more established and capacious, we are shining a light on hallowed spaces that not only provide opportunities for artists to cut their teeth and get invaluable experience, but venues enrich local communities and provide important cultural centres. Also, in terms of jobs, there are many people who rely on venues. This article from DIY explains more about Independent Venue Week 2020:  

 “Anna Calvi was announced as the new ambassador for Independent Venue Week 2020 today, in a gathering at London’s 229 venue presented by the BBC’s Huw Stephens.

Helming the seventh year of the campaign, which celebrates grassroots venues around the country, she takes over from last year’s representative Novelist. Previous ambassadors, meanwhile, have included Wolf Alice, Tim Burgess, Frank Turner and more.

Taking up her post today, the singer - who was nominated for this year’s Mercury Music Prize for third album ‘Hunter’ - revealed that she would be announcing a special show in conjunction with IVW, and that the project was close to her heart because she’d met her drummer of 10 years at a small venue”.

Calvi is, as you’d imagine, chuffed at being selected and she will get to shine a light on the amazing and crucial venues we have. Not only did Calvi meet her drummer at a small venue, but she played a lot of intimate venues earlier in her career; without which, she might not have had the chance to build her career and record at all. Music fans need music venues to see which artists are worth exploring and get that sense of community and connection. I will explore venues in more detail closer to the start of Independent Venue Week, but Anna Calvi is a brilliant Ambassador and will relish the opportunity. As part of her role, Calvi will be talking about venues and their importance; she will champion these great spaces that we need to preserve. There are a lot of venues closing around the country, so ensuring we protect the ones that are still in business is paramount.   

zza.jpg

Anna Calvi has been busy promoting Hunter and touring. It has been a very busy year, and Calvi has enjoyed success and adulation. I will nod to her honours and the fact she won the Fender Play Award presented by Q, but I wanted to talk about a passion of Anna Calvi’s: Peaky Blinders. There are a couple of reasons why Calvi composed the score for Peaky Blinders – she came in on the fifth series and has added something wonderful to the show. Not only has Calvi been afforded the chance to bring her talents into this new world and add her own spin; she is also fascinated by the genderless-ness of its lead character, Tommy Shelby. Calvi explored genderless themes on Hunter and has used her experiences and passion to incorporate something arresting, cinematic and moody to Peaky Blinders. I have not seen the show myself, but I have heard the score and am excited to review a new track from Anna Calvi. In this NME interview, Calvi talks about composing for the show:

“Those who have been watching will now be well-acquainted with Calvi’s impact on season five of Peaky Blinders. Having penned the score, her dramatic breaths, guitar virtuosity and cinematic soundscapes are now indelibly married to the tortured psyche of Tommy Shelby.

“It wasn’t difficult, it was just a lot of fun,” she tells us. “It was incredible for it not to be about me and to really try and get into another character. When I was doing it, I really felt like I was him. I really got into the mindset of Tommy Shelby.”

What you were like around the house at that time?

“Moody! Very moody…”

On continuing her themes of blurring the lines between masculinity and femininity, Calvi says: “The idea of evoking something genderless is definitely something that I explored on my record [2019 album] ‘Hunter’. There’s something about Tommy that’s not just his wife or Lizzie making him have a feminine mind. There’s something intrinsically weirdly genderless about him as a character. Maybe it’s because it’s not about him saying things – you feel his thinking just by his stare.

“You’re almost a shadow to the character.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Roger Deckker 

With director Anthony Byrne confirmed to helm Peaky Blinders season six, does Calvi fancy sorting out the music again?

“I’d love to.”

Perhaps a cameo this time too?

“I feel that I’d look pretty cool in all the Peaky clothes. Maybe I could just be some kind of drunk whore in the background. I’d just want to glare in the back.”

As for her own new material, Calvi assures us that it won’t be another five years for her to release another album. She’s already at work on her next record, and claims it has somewhat of a ‘Peaky’ feel to it…

“A lot of the work I did for Peaky was me just playing around with the guitar to get some interesting soundscapes,” she adds. “That’s whet my appetite to do more of that”.

When it comes to soundtracks and scores, more and more artists are stepping into that area. I explored this when reviewing Thom Yorke recently – who composed the score for the film Suspiria and has created some of his best work since that time. I do think artists can heighten their senses and add something stunning to the worlds of film and T.V. I can see artists of all genres stepping into T.V. and film and Calvi herself seems a natural when it comes to this side of things.  There is nothing to suggest Calvi cannot balance composition and her normal songwriting. It seems like she has a great passion for Peaky Blinders, so it will be interesting to see what comes next. Artists such as Kacey Musgarves, Weezer and Lauryn Hill have contributed music to soundtracks over the past week, so it is becoming more and more desirable. I shall move on in a minute, but Anna Calvi will provide inspiration for other artists who have been tempted by film and T.V. and want to explore this side of things. I think it is interesting what Calvi was saying about blurring gender lines and not having these conventional boundaries regarding songwriting and a character like Tommy Shelby. I am not sure whether Calvi is composing for the sixth series, but it seems like she is very keen and it will definitely bleed into her forthcoming album – she will have learned new skills composing for Peaky Blinders and will, no doubt, incorporate that into her own music.

Anna Calvi is this inspiration that I will soon cover as part of my Modern Heroines features. I feel she is a future icon and has many years ahead of her. I did mention her guitar playing and how she is encouraging others to pick up the instrument. I forgot to mention the Fender Play Award and the fact she is shining a part for other women. This article discusses the award and Calvi’s feelings:

“Anna Calvi has said she hopes to be an inspiration for aspiring female guitarists as she celebrates a win at this year's Q Awards in association with Absolute Radio.

The singer, songwriter and musician spoke to Official Charts as she was named the winner of the Fender Play Award at this year's Q Awards - a prize that celebrates an artist at the forefront of guitar music today.

"It's incredible for me because I started out as a guitarist before I was a singer," she said. "The guitar has always been a form of expression for me. It's something that I love doing so much and people seem to like the way I do it, which is really lovely."

Anna - whose three studio albums have all been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, including her latest album Hunter - explained that the record has picked up a growing female following, something she hopes will inspire the next generation of guitarists.

"I was the only girl in my world who played the guitar," she recalled. "Which was strange, but I noticed a lot of the things I liked doing a child were supposedly meant for boys. I liked Skateboarding, climbing trees, playing football, guitar. It was confusing to me that they were supposedly boy things because I always found them fun.

Anna - whose three studio albums have all been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, including her latest album Hunter - explained that the record has picked up a growing female following, something she hopes will inspire the next generation of guitarists.

"I was the only girl in my world who played the guitar," she recalled. "Which was strange, but I noticed a lot of the things I liked doing a child were supposedly meant for boys. I liked Skateboarding, climbing trees, playing football, guitar. It was confusing to me that they were supposedly boy things because I always found them fun.

"I think it's important to remain excited by what you're playing," she explained. "Developing as a guitarist is so important and not just repeating yourself over and over again. I've tried to expand my palette with each record. I'm looking forward to seeing what that brings next".

I am not sure whether we will see more women picking up the guitar in years to come, but it seems like there is this revolution occurring. I still think there are limits placed on women and these gender roles imposed. Calvi is someone who always blurs gender lines and is helping to break down barriers. Having this idol who is owning the stage and producing some of the best music around, there are few as strong and inspiring as Calvi. I shall come to reviewing Calvi’s new song, but I wanted to bring in a couple of others themes that seem relevant when we explore Anna Calvi and her music. I have spoken a lot about sexism and inequality in the music industry. We are heading into 2020, and one wonders whether there will be balance and parity regarding festival line-ups and how women are represented. I do think there is a long way to go until we see actual equality, yet there are small steps being made all of the time. So many female artists have to face sexism and the struggle of being recognised.

Anna Calvi has faced obstacles and had to overcome a lot of ignorance in her career. In some ways, Hunter was a way of finding her true voice and discussing subjects such as gender rights. In this interview, Calvi touched on themes of gender stereotypes and women being overlooked:

“I’ve always had a quiet speaking voice”, she says at the south London offices of her record label. “And when I started to sing it was a way of releasing all of that introversion.”

“It was a time to rebuild my life, my identity and confidence”, she says. “I wrote the record very much in tandem with falling in love again and exploring being happy and experiencing pleasure and being more free. All the possible things a human can be, which is so restricted by the constraints of having to perform one’s gender. That was what I wanted the record to feel like.”

As a rebellion against women’s invisibility, gender stereotyping and its limitations on humanity, she made her boldest record yet: Hunter – an album she wanted “to feel visceral and primal and wild and messy and have a rawness to it”. And she put out a statement of intent on her website, laying out her views on its themes. “If I hadn’t gone through that difficult time, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to have been so risk-taking in the music”, she says. “It does feel quite exposing”.

There is a long way to go regarding gender roles and ensuring that the playing field is level and fair. There have been steps made this year, but we are still in a situation when festival line-ups are male-heavy and there are fewer opportunities for women. Big and important albums like Hunter and being celebrated, so it is only natural the messages of female empowerment and importance will be taken to heart.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mathew Parri Thomas

More and more, Calvi is this incredible leader who is shining a light and paving the way for others. Not only is she battling against sexism and gender roles; she is an artist in a queer relationship and, gradually, there is this acceptance and visibility of queer artists. Maybe we have not seen true acceptance, yet I feel like artists such as Shura and Anna Calvi are opening up doors and conversations. In 2019, we should not be talking about the need to do more to promote queer artists, as one would hope they would be naturally embraced. This is not quite the reality, so it is vital artists like Anna Calvi are heard. She spoke about queerness and her experiences in this recent interview with The Independent:

 “Both Hackman and Calvi have written songs about unwanted male intrusion into queer female relationships – “Boyfriend” and “Don’t Beat the Girl Out of My Boy”, respectively. “When you’re in a gay relationship and you’re out in the world,” says Calvi, “you can feel that your love is protecting you both, and you can feel really happy. But there’s always this risk that someone’s gonna try and break this beautiful thing that you have and say something to you, or try and make you feel uncomfortable. That feeling of being present in this beautiful thing can change and I just have this rage in me. Like, ‘F***. Off.’ And that’s what that scream is,” she says, referring to a guttural, drawn-out yelp in the middle of the song. “I will protect this beautiful thing that I have with all my life, and my defiance of you is my happiness. Nobody is gonna make me feel that we don’t have a right to be in this space, and to express ourselves.”

Calvi is buoyed by the increasing acceptance of queer artists into the mainstream, though she worries about her identity being commodified. “I talked to a journalist who was a bit older who was saying, ‘Is this whole sudden queer thing the new counter-culture, like the punks?’ And I tried to explain to her that the main difference is that if a trans person doesn’t feel they can be understood... we’re talking about life and death.

People kill themselves. It’s not just for fun, it’s not about what music you like or what hobbies you have, this is about people’s lives. And I think it’s really dangerous to try and condense it and make it a product. But I do think it’s great for me as an artist that there’s a family of queer artists. The difficult thing is if only people in that community hear about each other, then there’s a sense of ghettoising. I suppose equality is only when it’s not even a thing anymore. And we obviously are far away from that being the case.”

The problem, she continues, “is our world exists around the idea that the default human is a white male. Anything else is an exotic anomaly. That’s the big problem. Because the default is male in our world, there’s this feeling that if a woman wants to exist on equal terms, we have to almost become male”.

The subject of queerness is being brought into music more, but the reality for queer artists and people is quite stark. I do hope 2020 is a year where there are more discussions revolving around gender and sexuality; that we are going to see truly huge steps taken that means, in years to come, no artist should be overlooked and have to struggle – this extends to race and class. I shall leave things there, as I am keen to dissect and explore Anna Calvi’s Peaky Blinders track, You’re Not God. It is intriguing to speculate whether Calvi will continue to compose for the show, and whether she will bring some of the darker energy for that soundtrack/score and mix it into her own music. Who knows what Anna Calvi’s next studio album will contain. It is rather exciting to speculate! Right now, we have this Peaky Blinders track that is truly sensational and immersive. It shows what a phenomenally eccentric and talented composer and artist Anna Calvi is.

I love the opening of You’re Not God, as it reminds me a bit of The Dead Weather and Jack White’s work on Lazaretto. There is this eeriness and darkness that is both Gothic and contemporary. You get this raw and bellicose drum and a voodoo bite from the guitar that instantly summons visual projections and imagination. Even if, like me, you are not steeped in Peaky Blinders and familiar with it, you can appreciate the song and its meaning. I do know about Tommy Shelby and what he brings to the series. Unlike her studio work and her normal output, Calvi is putting sound at the forefront. If Hunter is an album defined by its powerful themes and Calvi’s voice, You’re Not God is defined more by its sonics and visual nature. I do love the fact Calvi is at her experimental best on this track. The guitar grunts and grumbles as we get this musky, bat-like and ghoulish wail from the background. You are transported to the murky and evocative scenes of Peaky Blinders, but Calvi brings something more to the music. From the sound of the first few moments and this enticing dynamic, the percussion comes to the front. Playing off of the cymbal, there is this calm and measured tease that actually has a lot of tension and menace. The wails come back in, before there is a drone in the background that increases and gets louder. Suddenly, you go from a dark and terrifying scene to somewhere safer. That sense of safety and respite might be misplaced as Calvi enters with breathy vocals. There are few actual words to the song and, as you’d imagine from a Peaky Blinders piece of music, the emphasis is more on the sound and composition. I had to go back again and again to the song, as it is rather heavy and big the first time.

It is an amazing song, and one that moves through different phases. I did notice that slight Jack White influence and some of his work. Mixing in that with so many different emotions and possibilities, one is drawn into this phenomenal song that can be appreciated as a standalone track. I could see it being well-received on an Anna Calvi studio album, because there is so much texture and nuance. There is a Peaky Blinders playlist that unites all the tracks so you can sort of see where the latest cut fits in and investigate other Anna Calvi contributions. I am reviewing this track without seeing the scene it accompanies or how it fits in with the show. I wanted to go in blind as it were to see if it would lead me in a different way. I think you could get too clear an impression of a track if you see which scenes its scores, so hearing it on its own has been important. I was amazed from the first moments, and I can tell how natural Anna Calvi is where it comes to composing. From that ghostly and oddly majestic start to the unnerving calm of the percussive cymbal through to Calvi bringing in a sensual-yet-exhausted breathlessness to the song, each listener will have their own scenes rushing through their heads. I have not really explored soundtracks and scores lately. I appreciate them when watching film and T.V., though I never usually listen to them out of context as it were. Hearing You’re Not God on its own terms has given me a fresh appreciation of composition. I usually listen to music with vocals, but hearing this extraordinary sound with very little vocal interjection is stunning. I suggest people listen to You’re Not God and, if like me, you are not a viewer of Peaky Blinders, you might want to do some investigating!

Anna Calvi is heading to the U.S. soon, and she will be busy up until the end of this year. Having enjoyed a successful year of awards, nominations and some incredible gigs, Calvi will take that energy and positivity into 2020. I am not sure whether she will release a new album (in 2020) but there will be new gigs and I am sure fresh opportunities. Calvi has expressed how she’d love to continue writing for Peaky Blinders, so fans might yet get another chance to hear her work on the screen. I have enjoyed reviewing Anna Calvi’s latest tracks and talking about one of the most important artists of this generation. Not only is Calvi a guitar icon and someone who is battling against sexism and helping bring queerness more to the forefront; she is also the Ambassador for Independent Venue Week next year and she will help illuminate the importance of venues. I do wonder whether Calvi will adopt more roles like this in future. She is an essential artist and she is providing so much strength for so many out there. I can envisage her genuinely affecting progression and breaking down barriers. Maybe she is a bit slammed right now, but one can imagine Calvi acting as a spokesperson for the music industry and helping to bring about necessary change. As a musician and singer, Calvi is already inspiring others and giving a voice to those who didn’t have one previously.  If you have not checked out Anna Calvi’s music, ensure you get involved and have a look at her Spotify account. Give her a follow on social media (all links are at the bottom of this review) and step into her world. Calvi is an amazing artist and someone who has many golden years ahead. I feel 2020 will be her most successful year and one where she will collect awards, big festivals slots and…well, who knows just how far she can go. 2019 has been a monster year for Calvi and she continues to go from strength to strength. Get behind, follow and respect a rare musical artist with immense talent, feverish passion and…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Birch/Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd. 2019/Press

A hugely powerful voice.

________________

Follow Anna Calvi

FEATURE: No Charge: The Future of Music Journalism/The Pressure on Artists to Produce

FEATURE:

 

No Charge

PHOTO CREDIT: @patrickian4/Unsplash 

The Future of Music Journalism/The Pressure on Artists to Produce

___________

THIS is a sort of double A-side…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @andrewtneel/Unsplash

kind of feature, I guess. It ties together because, as I am looking around music and the media right now, a few things strike me. I wonder whether there is such thing as ‘writer’s block’ or whether there is a natural point where the mental ink well just runs dry. At the moment, I am struggling to come up with new ideas for features; not quite sure how to proceed. I guess, if you are writing something new every day, there is a point where you have sort of covered everything. The charge sort of ends and you need to get the juice back in the batteries. I might explore how best to approach writer’s block in a future article, but I wanted to look back at a topic I have covered a few times before: the state of modern music journalism. Every month, I hear news that a music website is either having to scale its operations back or close entirely. As more and more artists come onto the market, there is that demand for coverage and column inches. There are few industries that provoke as much passion as much – this extends to journalists. So many of us – myself included – sort of take for granted websites when it comes to getting our news and fixtures. I have just checked on Pitchfork and The Guardian for what is happening right now. Whilst I do my best to support these sites (donating where I can), I understand the cost involved in producing their stories is exceptional.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @andrewtneel/Unsplash

Think about the costs a big site like The Guardian or The Line of Best Fit might have to shoulder. They have to go to gigs and review – this all costs. When interviewing artists, there are costs involved there and it can be quite eye-opening when you consider just how much is needed, financially, to keep us updated. The fact there is so much competition around means (big sites) often have to spend a lot of money either interviewing huge stars or producing these detailed features. I am indebted to music websites, because they help me when it comes to inspiration and what is happening right now. For the most part, I am looking out for news and features; I am not really that interested in reviews. It is staggering to think how many times I go to various websites to stay informed and find fresh leads. When possible, I contribute to sites to ensure that I do not have that ethical quandary. There are many that exist purely for free and rely on advertising to keep them afloat. I run a very small blog, yet I feel I am constricted because I generate no profit. Of course, I want to keep doing this for a bit, but I think it is hard to diversify and improve without money. I have been thinking, for a long time, about making videos that cover classic albums and various sides of music. Apart from a slightly nervousness, I feel the money needed to keep this up and reach people is too much.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @andrewtneel/Unsplash

I do not feel right asking people for money because they can go to other websites and a lot of people do not have spare pennies to pay for music journalism. It may sound like music journalism is dying out and, in years to come, it will not exist. That prediction can never come true, because musicians cannot solely promote themselves. There is always going to be a place for journalist. Artists need feedback and reviews; we need t know the latest music news and all of us, at some point, will buy a magazine or check a music website. I think there is that split between successful magazines that can continue and thrive because of sales and advertising revenue and those sites that struggle because the profit margins are razor-thin. There are articles that claim music journalism is not dying, but merely changing. To keep the audience hooked and invested, each site needs to have their own voice and style. Putting some humour into the mix or creating something positive. Indeed, some people look for a more negative take on an artist because it is different and bold. I do worry that, whilst some magazines are stable and new websites are cropping up, it is the free nature of media that means a lot of great journalists will struggle – and it puts off future generations from embarking on that path.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @andrewtneel/Unsplash

I want to source from a Europavox article that talks about music journalism in the digital age:

“For anyone harbouring optimistic thoughts about the future of journalism, it’s been a sobering start to the year. BuzzFeed and HuffPost, leading players whose viral content and revenue-per-click strategy were once considered groundbreaking, laid off over 1,000 employees, while Condé Nast, the media conglomerate that owns publications such as GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired, and Pitchfork, announced that by the end of the year all its titles will be behind paywalls. For sites and publications lacking in cred or venture capital millions, things are even bleaker; newsrooms and staff positions across Europe and the US have been decimated, with 2018 being the worst year for media redundancies since 2009.

How did we get here? The Internet was supposed to be the dawn of a brave new world for publishing, the multimedia possibilities of the digital age allowing anyone, anywhere, to access a wealth of real-time information. Editors could no longer act as gatekeepers, nor could journalists afford to be cavalier when it came to facts – anything could now be checked in an instant. The advent of smartphones and social media accelerated such changes; blogs, bystanders, and so called “citizen journalists” could help break – and shape – stories in ways that were impossible for TV or print. If knowledge truly is power, then the web is one of humanity’s greatest inventions.

qwqqwqw.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: @cdubo/Unsplash

I think, as I say, there is this assumption that journalism should be free because we can get music for nothing – why would we pay to see something written about a song we paid nothing for?! It is an interesting debate but, as we are swamped with music and, if you pay for every song and article online, could you afford it all?!

“Part of the problem resides in perceived value; as music itself has become just another free – and readily available – commodity, the number of people willing to pay to read informed debate around it has also dwindled. Viewed like this, the difficulties facing music journalism are the same faced by music in general: ensuring content creators are adequately remunerated for their efforts, and gaining attention in an increasingly fractured culture. Yet clearly there is still some demand for intelligent, thoughtful writing. Therefore, the question becomes: what should music journalism look like in 2019, and what does it need to do to survive?

It has never been easier to make, and release, music. SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube…a sea of sounds, representing every conceivable style and genre, washes across the Internet every day. Navigating this vast ocean – in modern parlance, “discovery” – is no easy task; one could spend days clicking on links and following hashtags, and find nothing but mediocrity”.

Music journalism is important because it provides different takes; we are not solely relying on the mainstream or one person’s thoughts. In the same way as literature allows us to escape, keep our imaginations sharp and ensure we are informed, music journalism is essential for those who adore music and are hungry to see how the scene is changing.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @matthewkalapuch/Unsplash

Artists always need that exposure and love, so we all need to, when we can, help subsidise sites we use a lot; try and buy music so that artists can continue to record for years to come. I know music journalism will continue and always be a thing, but I am seeing so many sites and publications disappearing because they cannot afford to keep things going without getting paid. Maybe it is a sign of the digital times, but I do think that we all need to donate where we can to sites; the Government needs to help fund music journalism to ensure that artists get covered and we all are able to get our fix of all the latest moving and happenings in the music world. I grew up reading magazines like NME and would hate to see the industry suffer because of a lack of capital. That said, there are some great blogs and websites that are able to produce excellent work because of their supporters and advertising – maybe everything is not lost in that sense.     

 PHOTO CREDIT: @matthewkalapuch/Unsplash

Maybe there is a connection but, as I think about music journalism and whether it has a strong future, I am also concerned about artists and the pressure on them to keep putting out new work. I am not sure whether there is a cause and effect link or a profit and demand connection, but I do feel artists are suffering because of the nature of modern music and how many others are out there. Because we can get music for free and there are platforms open to everyone, there is going to be that demand. This is especially true of mainstream artists but, when they release an album or single, there is that almost instant expectation to put something fresh out. Whereas the word ‘charge’ in the first part refers to finance and music media, here there is more of a physical and physiological meaning – artists being drained and tired by the effort they put in. Again, I am not suggesting all is hopeless (far from it) and modern music is in trouble. I do thing there is this feeling that artist need to be perfect or unique. As more and more musicians come along, parameters change, and the competition gets stiffer. For those who feel the quality of music has declined over the decades, consider how tough it is for artists now. For those starting out, there is the struggle to get noticed. Not only do artists have to use social media all the time to get people their way; their music has to have that spark and innovative streak so that it resonates.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @matthewkalapuch/Unsplash

Mainstream artists have commercial pressure from labels, meaning they not only have to keep releasing music to stay relevant and popular…there is also that problem with fitting into the mainstream but also being original. This article from last year talks about perfectionism and the impact it can have on mental-health:

“More pressure comes from anxiety and perfectionism, says Cornelius – common issues for those working in the performing arts. “All artists put stuff out there to be judged, but the music industry is particularly challenging because you’re not just being evaluated on your music – it’s what scene you’re in, what you look like and what label you’re on. You then look critically at yourself, in the way that you think you’ll be viewed. It’s very destructive.”

No support. No advocate. No super. No sick leave. No annual leave. Long hours. Poor diet, occasionally comprised solely of liquids”.

Maybe there is a definite reality for a major Pop artist and a band that are just coming through. I do worry that artists are always having to think about their next move and are not being afforded time off. Constantly having that pressure can be a negative when it comes to songwriting. I think it is harder to come up with material if there is a sense of pressure; artists that are allowed more freedom and room can come up with more natural and better music. It is hard for artists because there is not only the recording of material they need to think about.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @austindistel/Unsplash

There is the social media side of things, promotion and touring. As I am going through a period of slight period of creative stagnation, I can only imagine what it is like for artists – those who have a lot of eyes and ears trained their way. There is this assumption that, unless an artist releases an album every year or two, they have faded away or they will be forgotten about. Fans will show patience, but I do wonder whether the labels are thinking about how their artists cope with stress and deadlines. This article from The Independent investigates how artists have to meet expectations and it can lead to some serious problems:

“Will Gore, who worked in press regulation for a decade before moving into journalism (he is currently executive editor at The Independent), suggests that the “rock and roll” narrative beloved by so many tabloid journalists (and media consumers) “perpetuates a myth that musicians somehow ought to be capable of superhuman fortitude – until, that is, they burn out”.

He adds: “Yet the cases of burn-out, mental breakdown and even death only seem to add to the superficial allure of lives lived fast and dangerously. It’s not hard to suspect that this perception suits the industry down to the ground when it comes to marketing and sales – but it is hardly likely to help vulnerable stars who strive to meet such unrealistic expectations”.

xxxx.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: @lensinkmitchel/Unsplash 

I will wrap things up in a minute, but I hope next year provides an opportunity for big labels and the industry as a whole to take a deeper look at the way artists are marketed and what is expected from them. Maybe things are that much more competitive now, but is the natural reaction to that pressure on an artist to the point where they are releasing material quickly and not producing their best work? Also, there is the strain on their mental and physical health; the fact artists need to take time off and, with that, there is that pressure for them to return. I think there is some great music around at the moment. In my view, the best albums have been released by artists who have had some time away; been allowed a period of reflection and, as such, have felt less anxious when it comes to the next album. I can appreciate the fact the industry is tougher now than ever, and artists in all walks and levels have to keep their name and music out there. I just think there are more downsides than positives when labels and fans are a little too impatient and feel releasing single after single is the best thing for an artist. Maybe some artists can defy the odds and strike out on their own terms, but many are struggling. I have spoken to several artists who feel like there is too much pressure on them to keep bringing out music. As we wind down this year, I do hope a lot of the big labels will think about how artists feel and whether they are expecting too much – that might seem like commercial suicide or something impossible! I started by discussing the future of music journalism and some personal writer’s block. As I type my final words, something positive has emerged: I have cured my writers block…

ddd.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: @lensinkmitchel/Unsplash

IF only for a moment.

FEATURE: My Wave: Keeping the Dream Alive: Is It Ever Too Late to Take a Radio Leap?

FEATURE:

 

My Wave

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: fendri 

Keeping the Dream Alive: Is It Ever Too Late to Take a Radio Leap?

___________

MAYBE the title of this feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @filmlav/Unsplash

is a little mysterious and vague, so I should explain. I have been promising myself I would get into radio and sort of chase the dream, as it were. There have been some delays and, as with every dream, real life sort of gets in the way. I should explain the precipitating factors to the latest delay. For some, it might be as easy as taking up a course or getting the right training; readying themselves for a career in radio and that would be that. It might be a long process, whereby they have to start from the bottom rung and then move their way up the ladder. In my case, I have clarity in the sense I know which radio station I want to work for – it is not a case of starting with one and then finding out whether it is a good fit. In my case, there are other factors delaying my ambitions. Depression is raw enough to deal with as it is and, when it can make a regular job hard enough, it does make me wonder whether I would have the requisite energy for a career in radio. I am loathed to start at the bottom but, without that experience and training, it would be unrealistic to simply come into the station of my dreams and get the basic training there – even if I do have a lot of similar experience and skills from my time in journalism. Also, I am dealing with other medical concerns at the moment – including a voice issue (which I hope to get resolved) and living with a mild form of autism; shyness at the very least is another barrier for anyone going into an industry that is so public and is live.

xxxx.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: @joaosilas/Unsplash 

I appreciate, too, that radio is a tough business and there are limited opportunities. At a time when we have Internet radio and podcasts, one does not necessarily have to get a degree and work their way through local radio. So long as you can promote your station and get the word out, people will come your way. Living with conditions that do make going out and socialising incredibly difficult, of course, will impact radio and aspirations in that area. I have been meaning to get a Kate Bush podcast running but, with very little money and problems getting a production company on board, even making those first steps are very difficult. I guess there are many out there who grew up around all sort of music and dreamt of one day becoming a producer or D.J. At the moment, production seems like the logical area, as I need to build up the confidence, fluidity and skills to be able to broadcast live without error. I could easily go onto a radio show as a guest but helming a show and being in control of the show would be different. Production is very difficult, yet I feel it is something I could take to easier, and it allows me chance to slip in some songs and have input when it comes to selection. Those childhood days when I was making mixtapes and listening to the radio; one day hoping I could have the chance to play my favourite songs and explain what music means to me.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @joaosilas/Unsplash

That is what so many of us music lovers want to aim for in life, so the opportunity to be set free in that way is always on my mind. Whilst I realise there are obstacles I have to face, I also wonder whether things will happen at all. It can be daunting dedicating yourself to a career and taking that risk. One usually starts as a radio broadcast assistant, but salaries can be quite low if you are not working for the BBC – which is where I want to be. It is important to have a salary you can live on and, living in London, that is not always possible. There is also that concern about age and whether it is too late to start out. Apart from anything else, I do get this worry that it might be too late in life to start out. I am thirty-six now and, whilst broadcasters and producers can be any age, many in the top rungs started out when they were a lot younger than me. If, one day, I become a broadcaster and make my way to the mic, have I left it too long to aspire towards a production assistant role? There are few advertised jobs in the area I want to work and the competition is very fierce. One can be self-sufficient and make their own show, but I have such a clear idea of where I want to be and who I want to work alongside – would having my own podcast or show set me in the wrong direction?

xcccc.png

Maybe these are irrational fears but, as I see what radio can do and how powerful it is, that desire to be part of a cool team at a great station burns hot. It is always hard to step away from security and a stable life and chasing that dream. If it all fails, what happens then? I do have to battle with various problems, that will naturally curtail a great deal of confidence and assurance. I think the age thing gets to me. Radio is not exactly a young person’s game, but I do get the niggling feeling that I should be a hell of a lot closer to my dream by now; can someone in their mid-thirties really embark on a career where age, in a way, does matter?! The benefit of having a podcast is that you have autonomy and can dictate what it sounds like. Even if you launch your own radio show, you can change it from show to show and not have to rely on a set format. As I said, I do know the station and show I want to be on, but a lot of legwork needs to happen from now until that happens. A lack of finance and time at the moment is curtailing anything in the way of real endeavour and results. Just when I think I can be happy enough in journalism and making do with that, the radio bug comes to me and it seems like the only thing I need.

I think I will make a bigger effort in 2020 to move towards my dream, but I can appreciate it will not be that easy or quick. Every time I listen to the radio, I can hear the joy radiating from the speakers. Not just in terms of the music, but the people who are sending it to us. I love the thrill of discovering a new act and showcasing a cool track; the pleasure of dusting off a classic that someone has not heard in a while. Whether that is as a D.J. or as a producer, I need to find a way to push forward next year and work towards that dream. I have the musical knowledge and passion so, teamed with some experience and focus, I hope to be in a better position this time next year. I come back to that question as to whether my age will count against me. If I were already established, then I would not feel like age is a barrier or worry. Coming onto the ladder is a slightly different thing. I am determined to press on and push things forward. I shall see how things go and do what is necessary to get where I need to be. My hope is that I haven’t left things too late and the dream to play the music I love is not out of reach. I am not one for resolutions and using the first day of a new year to change who I am but, with radio and music capturing me this year in a way it has never done before, I feel like I have to…   

vc.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: Shutterstock/Argus

TAKE a chance.

FEATURE Spotlight: Sudan Archives

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

NNBBNNBNBBNBN.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Sudan Archives

___________

ONE cannot glean much when it comes to Sudan Archives …

kkmkmkm.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: Samuel Trotter for The New York Times

merely by looking at Wikipedia page! I guess it is never the most reliable source but, in the case of Sudan Archives, there is very little. Her real name is Brittney Parks and she is based out of Los Angeles. She is signed to the mighty Stones Throw Records and she started playing the violin in fourth grade; she, rather unbelievably, was kicked out of her family home as a teen because she told her mother she did not like her name – she preferred her nickname, ‘Sudan’. I guess the few lines that are on her page are pretty eye-opening and interesting! Even though her album, Athena, is her debut, it has been collecting some great reviews and is a natural progression from her E.P.s, Sudan Archives (2017) and Sink (2018). I realise I have featured quite a few female artists in this feature this year, but 2019 has been a very strong one for female artists! I intent to include more bands – some of which might be female-led -, but there are some terrific solo artists around that deserve a spotlight. I think 2019 has been an extremely varied year in terms of genres. More than any other time I can recall, we have seen so many fascinating and new sounds come to the fore. In terms of Sudan Archives’ music, it is hard to hone it to one genre. There is R&B and Electro mixing in with something spiritual and calming. It is a mighty blend and one that is bringing more and more to her world. I have included her social media links below, so make sure you give Sudan Archives a follow!

She is making music that goes deep into the soul and really does something wonderful. I think she has a very long and prosperous future, so I am interested to see where she heads next. I will bring in a couple of reviews for Athena but, before then, I want to quote from an interview she recently gave to The New York Times, where she talked about her music and upbringing:

“With a dozen songs on two EPs that she released in 2017 and 2018, “Sudan Archives” and “Sink,” Parks, 25, has already earned a place among boundary-defying R&B innovators like FKA twigs, Frank Ocean, Solange, SZA, Kelela, Sampha and H.E.R. They have been turning R&B into an elastic, futuristic realm where fantasy and self-revelation, otherworldly electronics and real-world musicianship are constantly recombining. With “Athena” she pushes even further, sonically and emotionally, allowing her songs to be more revealing. “I washed away my fears and trusted my own ears,” she sings in “Confessions,” the album’s first single.

Sudan Archives’ music was forged from instinct, happenstance, discipline and research. Parks grew up in a family that attended a small Church of God three times a week, for ecstatic services with harmony singing and speaking in tongues. The church’s clapping and stomping — survivals of gospel’s African heritage — echo in the music she grew up to make.

She was in elementary school when Barrage, a fiddle-centered Canadian band mixing Celtic and international influences, came to perform there and she decided she wanted to learn the violin. After-school programs got her started, but she learned the rest by ear. She improvised along with the singers in church, and she taught herself to hear musical architecture and to invent melodic lines.

“This discipline that I had at a young age to keep playing an instrument — that’s what separates me from a lot of artists,” she said. “The violin chose a path for me.”

She also opened up her lyrics. On her EPs, songs like “Nont for Sale” put a cheerful, empowered face on conflicted relationships. But on “Athena,” Parks also explores darker, angrier, more confused moments: succumbing to desire, pulling away from codependency, recognizing inner angels and demons.

Working with collaborators led her to be “wilder” in both music and lyrics, she said. “I had people around me, they knew what the song was about, so they were holding me accountable for my own feelings. I felt like I couldn’t hide”.

I always like seeing where a musician came from and how their early life affected their progression. We often digest albums and discover artists, but how often do we think about where they started out and how their music comes together? Maybe it is unfeasible to dedicate that much time to every single artist, yet there is something about Sudan Archives that compels study and curiosity. I would urge people to do some research and read interview she has provided. Whilst I am relatively new Sudan Archives and her majesty, I am making up for lost time and checking out her E.P.s. When the end-of-year lists come out that celebrate the best albums, I would expect Athena to be in the mix:.

The reviews for Athena have been pretty glowing. There is nobody out there like Sudan Archives, so many people are marvelling over this artist who is new and stunning. I want to highlight a review from Pitchfork, who were very positive when it came to Athena:

“Within her highly synthesized songs, Parks details sumptuous natural imagery in verdant metaphors (“Iceland Moss”), and in her parallels between a youthful relationship and the unorthodox grace of sea birds on “Pelicans in the Summer.” “Glorious” feels like a prime contender for crossover —a guest verse from rapper D-8 comes and goes without any serious impact, but the track builds a stronger case for her secret-weapon capabilities as a hip-hop collaborator.

It’s a rare thrill to be able to hear an artist making leaps and bounds in their work in such a short span of time, to follow along as their explorations get deeper and weirder. Having developed a sound so distinctly her own, Parks has liberated herself from any preset expectations of genre or style. She warns listeners as much on Athena opener “Did You Know,” where her reflections on childhood ambitions to rule the world are muddled by adult insecurities. Her resolution is promising within the context of the song as much as her whole catalog: “At the end of the day, I’mma get my way”.

There is no denying Athena contains music that is beyond breathtaking. I wonder whether this beauty and gorgeous sound emanates from her musical influences, or whether it was more inspired by her childhood and teenage years; where she faced some transition and was discovering who she was as an artist and creative person. In any case, you need to check out Athena - as it is a mighty debut indeed.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Black

I shall wrap up, but I want to bring in The Guardian’s take on one of 2019’s brightest diamonds:

“In actual fact, Parks’s debut contains some of the most electrifying and viscerally gorgeous music put to record this year. She may have been inspired by north African one-stringed fiddle-playing and ethnomusicology more generally, but Parks wears her erudition lightly. (The Archives portion of her name is a reference to her penchant for crate-digging, while Sudan is a long-standing nickname.) On Did You Know, a groovy neo-soul number with undertones of rumbling unease, the strings are subtle, doubling as pleasingly textured percussion. On the sultry, uncomplicated Down on Me, they provide warming echoes of the vocal melody. On the stunning Iceland Moss, a compellingly breezy combination of R&B, trip-hop and dreampop, they resemble an acoustic guitar.

That said, Athena is most successful when Parks wields her instrument with a certain brashness. Glorious, which features Ohioan rapper D-Eight, is knitted around a thumping beat and a folky, faintly Celtic fiddle figure. Confessions, the album’s standout, centres on a blissful, gospel-infused melody accented by sharp, tart bursts of violin. The resulting sweet and sour confection is tremendously moreish and, like the rest of this album, testament to its creator’s skill and superior sonic palate”.

Sudan Archives is actually playing in London next week, so make sure you go and see her play if you can. I can only imagine how immersive and wonderful her live sets are! To be in attendance will be a wonderful thing. I think Sudan Archives will be a festival fixture next year and will go on to play bigger and bigger venues. In a year stuffed with talent, Sudan Archives definitely stands out and has a glorious career ahead of her. If you need a new musical fix for this week, I suggest you stop at the feet…

OF Sudan Archives.

___________

Follow Sudan Archives

xxxxxxxx.jpg

FEATURE: Like a Virgin at Thirty-Five: Celebrating Madonna’s Sophomore Breakthrough

FEATURE:

 

Like a Virgin at Thirty-Five

bbb.jpg

IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in a rare photo from the Like a Virgin shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Meisel 

Celebrating Madonna’s Sophomore Breakthrough

___________

TODAY marks thirty-five years…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in 1984/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

since Madonna’s Like a Virgin was released to the world. When it comes to Pop starts, Madonna began with a bang in 1983! Her eponymous album arrived a time when there was a positive Pop atmosphere, yet few burned as brightly as Madonna. I think that album remains underrated and is a hugely important one. Success followed its release, and the nature of Madonna’s music shifted in the year that followed. There was a sexiness and rawness to Madonna, but Like a Virgin took more risks and was a more adventurous album. Not many artists could commend the sort of power Madonna had after her debut. Hiring Nile Rodgers to come on board as producer, there is more kick, groove and attitude on Like a Virgin. In terms of stepping up and pushing forward, Madonna did it significant on Like a Virgin – she would continue to do so through most of her career. Madonna was buoyed and motivated by the success of her debut and had long-dreamed of producing. Sire Records were not quite in the position to give Madonna full control over production at such an early stage in her career. Instead, she produced alongside Nile Rodgers. I think they work well together, and the expertise Rodgers brings to the plate helped make Like a Virgin such a remarkable album. Madonna had heard what Rodgers produced with David Bowie on his 1983 album, Let’s Dance, so knew that she would be in good hands.

I think her debut is incredible, but her sophomore release is even finer. You can hear this artist coming into her own and distinguishing herself as a future icon. Whilst not the Queen of Pop at that early stage, Like a Virgin is a vital transition from a somewhat naïve and bubbly Pop artist of her debut to the more empowered and risk-taking singer only a year later. Recorded quickly at Power Station Studios in New York, you can feel the infectiousness and pure simplicity of the music. Whilst, on the surface, the music appears to be quite ordinary, here are songs that shine and sound incredible today – Like a Virgin is an album that has inspired so many others. The fact digital recording was employed on Like a Virgin gives it a different sound to that of Madonna. Rodgers recalls seeing Madonna at a New York club in 1983 and knowing that she would be a star. As such, you can tell how committed he was to ensuring Like a Virgin was a success. The rapport and chemistry between Madonna and Rodgers drove production forward and there was a lot of mutual respect. With collaborators such as Stephen Bray (her former boyfriend) on writing duty, Like a Virgin is a sure-fire work of gold. All of the tracks on Like a Virgin are great, but there are few finer singles than the title cut and Material Girl.

Both are incredibly memorable Pop songs that have bounce, heart and depth. Madonna had strengthened as a singer since her debut and was showing new sides. I like the fact that the songs were not simple love songs that any chart act could produce. Angel was inspired by a girl who was saved by and fell in love with an angel. It seems a bit strange that the title cut – and one of Madonna’s most-famous songs – was not actually written by her. Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly penned the track and Steinberg said he based Like a Virgin on his experiences of love. Rodgers was not convinced that Like a Virgin had a hook memorable enough. Madonna liked the demo (sung by Kelly) and, after the song stuck in Rodgers’ head, it was included on the album. When we think of Madonna’s best albums, many of us overlook the brilliant Like a Virgin. It is much more than a couple of big singles; this album confirmed Madonna as a star to watch! This is the moment Madonna stepped into the spotlight and began to asset her sexuality like never before. Few female Pop artists were doing so at that time, so Like a Virgin opened eyes and doors. As her music went everyday love and touched on social issues and race, Madonna became a focal point and was being dissected as a Pop act with edge and intelligence. There are few sophomore albums as important, progressive and influential as Madonna’s 1984-released gem.

xxxx.jpg

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna captured during the Like a Virgin shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Meisel 

Like a Virgin is an album that still holds a lot of weight and, when you look at modern Pop artists, you can tell that many of them have taken the album to heart. If Madonna didn’t singlehandedly transform Pop and bring sex to the fore for women, she played a big part. She would release better-reviewed albums (such as Like a Prayer in 1989 and Ray of Light in 1998), but Like a Prayer is definitely ripe for re-investigation. The reviews for Like a Virgin were positive in 1984, but I think there are some retrospective reviews that are helpful; they show how the album sounds years after its release and how Pop has changed since then. AllMusic had this to say in 2009:

“Madonna had hits with her first album, even reaching the Top Ten twice with "Borderline" and "Lucky Star," but she didn't become a superstar, an icon, until her second album, Like a Virgin. She saw the opening for this kind of explosion and seized it, bringing in former Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers in as a producer, to help her expand her sound, and then carefully constructed her image as an ironic, ferociously sexy Boy Toy; the Steven Meisel-shot cover, capturing her as a buxom bride with a Boy Toy belt buckle on the front, and dressing after a night of passion, was as key to her reinvention as the music itself. Yet, there's no discounting the best songs on the record, the moments when her grand concepts are married to music that transcends the mere classification of dance-pop.

These, of course, are "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin," the two songs that made her an icon, and the two songs that remain definitive statements. They overshadow the rest of the record, not just because they are a perfect match of theme and sound, but because the rest of the album vacillates wildly in terms of quality. The other two singles, "Angel" and "Dress You Up," are excellent standard-issue dance-pop, and there are other moments that work well ("Over and Over," "Stay," the earnest cover of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here"), but overall, it adds up to less than the sum of its parts -- partially because the singles are so good, but also because on the first album, she stunned with style and a certain joy. Here, the calculation is apparent, and while that's part of Madonna's essence -- even something that makes her fun -- it throws the record's balance off a little too much for it to be consistent, even if it justifiably made her a star.

In terms of Madonna albums, I think Like a Virgin is the one I link to my childhood. I remember watching the video for Material Girl when I was about seven or eight (I was born in 1983), and I might well have heard the odd snippet of Like a Virgin earlier than that. I listen to it now and then and it sounds remarkably catchy and interesting.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Meisel

Lots of modern artists are inspired by 1980s Pop, yet none have the same soar, affinity and boldness as Madonna. In their review of Like a Virgin, SLANT had this to say:

 “Like a Virgin, the record that launched Madonna into unearthly super-stardom and went on to sell over 10 million copies domestically, defined a generation with hits like “Material Girl” and the now-classic title track. Though not as innovative as her debut, the album stands as one of the most definitive pop artifacts from the indulgent Reagan Era. The mid-tempo ballad “Shoo-Bee-Doo” and a soulful cover of Rose Royce’s “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” proved Madonna could churn out more than just novelty hits, while the sugary “Angel” and the irresistible “Dress You Up” contributed to the singer’s record-breaking list of consecutive Top 5 hits (16 in all). The retro-infused “Stay” and the percussive “Over and Over” are the album’s hidden gems; a frenetic remix of the latter resurfaced on 1987’s You Can Dance”.

Like a Virgin is thirty-five today (12th November) and it is cool to see its creator continuing to release music and tour. Madonna remains at the core of Pop and countless artists have her to thank for their success. Maybe the Pop mainstream could learn a thing or two from an album that is in its mid-thirties. There are artists out there are who are pushing boundaries but what about those instant hooks and that upbeat feel? I think that is largely missing, so Like a Virgin is an album that serves as much a purpose now as it did back in 1984. If you have not played it for a while, put it on and experience Like a Virgin thirty-five years after its release. It is an album that is impossible to ignore; one that stays in the mind and…

ENVELOPS the senses.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: The Chemical Brothers - Surrender

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

The Chemical Brothers - Surrender

___________

I have investigated The Chemical Brothers before…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Chemical Brothers (Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

but I don’t think I have thrown a spotlight on Surrender. Maybe 1995’s Exit Planet Dust and 1997’s Dig Your Own Hole are seen as bigger and more important albums, Surrender cannot be overlooked. In fact, it is a masterful creation and one with its fair share of classic cuts. A special series of shows went down on BBC Radio 6 Music over the weekend (and on Friday night), and you can check out Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons speaking with Lauren Laverne about the album. I think there is a lot of fascination regarding the album, because there is nothing like it in the market today. On 21st June, 1999, this enormous, instantly fantastic album arrived that would help see the decade off in style! I was familiar with The Chemical Brothers when Surrender arrived – I experienced Dig Your Own Hole first-hand and then tracked back to Exit Planet Dust. Whilst we have Electronic innovators today, nothing really packs the same punch and memorability as groups such as The Chemical Brothers. Not only do people celebrate albums like Surrender because it takes them back to a moment in time; it also enhances the present and, to be fair, there are more than a few artists out there inspired by the Manchester duo. I am not surprised there was celebration on BBC Radio 6 Music; just over twenty years after Surrender arrived, there is still so much affection for it. On 10th June this year, The Chemical Brothers announced a 20th Anniversary special edition of the album, featuring B-sides, new mixes and a book.

You can check out the package here but, if the vinyl there is a bit pricey, you can get the original album for a much more reasonable price. Not only does Surrender feature some of the most daring and thrilling compositions from Rowlands and Simons, but there are some excellent collaborators who add that extra sprinkle of magic. Among the artists on the album are Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) and Bernard Sumner (New Order). I think a lot of artists collaborate because it will help their streaming figures, or it is a commercial move. I wonder how often they consider which artist would be the perfect choice for a song and bringing it to lie, rather than bringing in someone who will is popular and will get them a lot of attention. Listen to the vocals of Noel Gallagher on Let Forever Be and, together with a hearty nod to The Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows, it is a wonderful blend. Unlike their previous two albums, there is more experimentation and variety in terms of genres. There is some Rave on Hey Boy Hey Girl and that incredible Psychedelia on Let Forever Be. Maybe commercial success gave The Chemical Brothers the impetus to push boundaries and explore new territory. Whilst Beth Orton – who did collaborate with the duo on their first two albums – did not appear on Surrender, there is still an embarrassment of riches when you consider the names who help shape and guide this fearless record. I love the fact everything hangs together and sounds so right. There is not a filler track on the album, and Surrender is such a kaleidoscopic and busy album that it is impossible to dislike or ignore; one does not have to be a fan of Electronic music or Rave to appreciate Surrender.

Riding such a wave, The Chemical Brothers received a lot of praise for Surrender. In their review, Pitchfork talk about the high-profile guest appearances and the instantaneousness of the music:

“Surrender will receive a ton of hype based on its superstar guest appearances, and none more historically relevant than “Out of Control” with New Order’s Bernard Sumner on vocals. Being electronic dance music freaks from Manchester, New Order is like the holy grail to the Chemical Brothers and it’s easy to see why. The Chemicals share with their Manchester predecessors an obsession with hypnotic, melodic, dance beats. “Out of Control” works so well it could be a lost track from Low Life. After his turn on “Setting Son” with the Chemicals in 1996, Oasis’ terminally out- of- style Noel Gallagher returns for another psychedelic, Beatles-esque anthem on “Let Forever Be,” again snagging the rhythm track from “Tomorrow Never Knows” off Revolver.

Surrender is both the Chemical Brothers most immediately satisfying work and, perhaps not coincidentally, the most like a rock album of their career. Unlike a fair share of techno, these songs feel like “songs,” not a collection of clever samples and a race to the fastest BPM on the planet. Yeah, you can go out and buy your jungle, your trance, your trip-hop and your ambient, but why would you when you’d be sacrificing the greatest gift of all: Surrender’s love and understanding”.

A lot of albums from the late-1990s have not survived that well, or they sound a bit dated and of their time. Surrender definitely captured a mood and lit a fuse, but I still feel it is inspiring and head-spinning today. Grab the album on vinyl, as it sounds even better when you drop the needle and hear songs like Music: Response fill the room. When we consider these decades-enduring albums like Surrender, I wonder whether they will still be lauded and covered so passionately in another couple of decades. As I said, maybe it comes down to the fact Surrender has no modern comparison and it is ageing so gracefully. In this NME review, they highlight the eclectic nature of the music and, at the same time, underline the fact that there are fewer revolutions and revelations than their previous work, perhaps:

 “And as it happens, 'Surrender' is excellent. From the opening faux-naive Kraftwerk simulation of 'Music: Response' right through to the final, Jonathan Donahue-assisted fry-up 'Dream On', it's simply a joy to listen to. Tellingly, the pair are most successful when they try something new (for them, at least). Like the irrepressibly sleek techno of 'Under The Influence', or 'Out Of Control', the best collaboration Bernard Sumner has sung on. Bobby Gillespie's also there, apparently, moaning. Its rumoured Sasha remix makes perfect sense.

'Hey Boy Hey Girl' you know, suffice to say it's a great moment in acid-bongo-pop fusion, while the Brothers' take on silken Chicago house, 'Got Glint?', even slides into graceful Balearic homage. These aside, though, and we're back on familiar ground. The album's nine-minute centrepiece, 'The Sunshine Underground', is essentially 'The Private Psychedelic Reel' smeared with glitter, and 'Asleep From Day', featuring Mazzy Star's permanently 'dreamy' Hope Sandoval, replaces previous folk-scarred outings with Beth Orton. Nice, but not quite the ticket”.

It is obvious The Chemical Brothers have influenced other artists, such as Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx. There are even playlists collating artists who have been influenced by them. The Chemical Brothers released No Geography earlier this year and showed that, two decades on from one of their most important albums, they have lost none of their step and brilliance. Even if you were not around to experience Surrender back in 1999, you can play it now and it will leave its mark. It is such a bold and wonderfully exciting album that you will need to play it a few times just so you can take everything in! Just one taste of The Chemical Brothers’ Surrender and you will be hooked. It is an album…

IMPOSSIBLE to resist

,

FEATURE: A White Dress and Mist to the Sword-Wielding Alter Ego: Kate Bush, The Early Years: 1978-1980

,

FEATURE:

 

A White Dress and Mist to the Sword-Wielding Alter Ego

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Kate Bush, The Early Years: 1978-1980

___________

THE reason for writing this feature (if one were needed)…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during her Tour of Life in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

is to highlight a period of Kate Bush’s career that often gets overlooked in favour of her activity around Hounds of Love (1985) - or the transition from The Dreaming in 1982 to that landmark record. I have a lot of respect for Kate Bush’s entire career and, whilst Hounds of Love is a masterpiece that was recorded when she was in a very happy and calm space, I am intrigued to look at where it all started: a wide-eyed and beguiling teenager whose debut album, The Kick Inside, arrived in 1978 and was like nothing that came before – it remains this peculiar and stunningly beautiful album that has no equals or soundalikes. I am not simply going to cover her work from The Kick inside to Never for Ever (1980) and just leave things there. What I wanted to highlight is how Bush sort of started out; how she changed from this unique-if-misunderstood artist right at the start to one who, by 1980, was in the production chair and only two years away from The Dreaming – an album she produced solo and, whilst it divided critics, it remains underrated and hugely important. With any great artist, there are the early and later years. They are distinct and provide contrast. I prefer the work of The Beatles from 1963-1965, whereas many feel their greatest work was recorded between 1966-1969. I guess it depends on what you look for in music and what age you were when you discovered that artist.

There is a definite split between Kate Bush prior to 1980 and where she moved from The Dreaming and into Hounds of Love. A third revolution occurred when she released Aerial (after a twelve-year gap) in 2005. If, like The Beatles, Kate Bush came into her own and produced her most complete and bold work by 1982, I feel the first three years of her career (she recorded music before 1978, but I am taking the start of her career as the moment Wuthering Heights was released in January 1978). I guess part of my motivation for writing this is the fact a lot of radio stations play Kate Bush songs from Hounds of Love and tend not to venture too far beyond that. Whilst her 1985 album is a vital work, look at how she started out and the variety of her music. Of course, when it comes to debut singles, they do not come as majestic and original as Wuthering Heights. Many might argue there have been finer debut singles – although none come to mind! –, but there are few songs that arrest the senses like Wuthering Heights. In terms of the biggest changes between the early Kate Bush albums and the later works, one can say she became more confident and took more control of her work. Some dismiss albums like The Kick Inside as being very high-pitched and quirky; Bush as this very wide-eyed singer who was easy to parody and overlook.   

I can appreciate there was a distinct sonic and musical shift that happened after Never for Ever, but I love her early sound and how gorgeous it is. The Kick Inside, back in 1978, received some positive reviews, but there were those who did not know what to make of Bush. Many felt Wuthering Heights the best she would do and she was this one-hit wonder. The Kick Inside is my favourite album ever because it is a hugely positive, intriguing and deep album. Bush, still a teenager, sounds so alive and ambitious in every track. She writes about love, but she does it in a very different way to her peers. The Kick Inside is a very sexual album with sensuality and poetry. There are some fantastic female songwriters around today, yet I feel few have the same brilliance and insight as Bush. The Kick Inside is a very feminine album and one that contains little negativity. So many songwriters, when discussing love, are accusatory and anxious; they point fingers and rake over broken glass. Not only does The Kick Inside – and most of Bush’s work – paint men in a very positive light, but her use of language and imagery is stunning. In their review of The Kick Inside, Pitchfork unpicks some of the songs’ key moments and how Bush’s extraordinary voice brings to life her songs:

“The louche “L’Amour Looks Something Like You” treads similarly brazen territory though lands less soundly. She fantasizes about “that feeling of sticky love inside” as if anticipating a treacle pudding, and there is an unctuous gloop to the arrangement that makes it one of the album’s least distinctive songs.

More complex desires tended to elicit her more inherently sensual and accomplished writing. “Moving,” her tribute to dance teacher Lindsay Kemp, is so absurdly elegant and lavish that its beauty seems to move Bush to laughter: There is deep respect in her admiration for him, in concert with piercing operatic notes and impish backing vocal harmonies that sound like they should have been handled by a chorus of Jim Henson creations. “You crush the lily in my soul” as an awed metaphor for the timidity of girlhood gone away is unimpeachable.

What made Bush’s writing truly radical was the angles she could take on female desire without ever resorting to submissiveness. “Wuthering Heights” is menacing melodrama and ectoplasmic empowerment; “The Saxophone Song”—one of two recordings made when she was 15—finds her fantasizing about sitting in a Berlin bar, enjoying a saxophonist’s playing and the effect it has on her. But she is hardly there to praise him: “Of all the stars I’ve seen that shine so brightly/I’ve never known or felt in myself so rightly,” she sings of her reverie, with deep seriousness. We hear his playing, and it isn’t conventionally romantic but stuttering, coarse, telling us something about the unconventional spirits that stir her”.

Many state Bush went on to make better music; you cannot argue against the sheer unexpectedness and affect her debut album has. It was different to anything around. Bush did not want to copy songwriters like Carole King, feeling they were too dramatic and dependent on heartbreak. Bush arrived with a different attitude, a staggeringly agile voice and songs that have remained hugely popular to this day.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Albums like The Kick Inside cannot be defined by songs like Wuthering Heights and The Man with the Child in His Eyes. The latter is an observation by Bush that a lot of men have a sense of childhood locked inside them; that they retain a sense of innocence, despite their older years – an amazing observation, considering she was thirteen when she wrote the song! I do think there are tracks on The Kick Inside that many people have not heard that warrant greater exposure. Aside from Wuthering Heights, there is this mesmeric Strange Phenomena and the gorgeous Feel It; the swoon and skip of Oh to Be in Love and The Kick Inside – a brilliant finale about incest and suicide. Look around at the most daring and original songwriters today and few have matched Bush when it comes to her fearlessness and range. Lionheart was released late in 1978 and, so soon after The Kick Inside, it is inevitable that the album would not soar as high and make the same impact. Wuthering Heights hit number-one – making Bush the first British female artist to have a self-written number-one song -, and The Kick Inside hit the top-five in many countries. Again, Lionheart is an album that does not get a lot of praise and anything like the same focus Hounds of Love receives. Yes, there are weaker moments on Lionheart, but songs such as Symphony in Blue rank alongside Bush’s best-ever moments.

By 1985, the Pop landscape had changed. Artists like Madonna were making Bush’s most sensual moments seem almost tame. In the late-1970s, Punk was still raging and Bush was this bolt out of the blue. She had critics on board by Hounds of Love but I do think her earliest work requires retrospection and fresh appreciation. Lionheart has some flawed moments, but Wow, Kashka from Baghdad and Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake are remarkable works. If Kate Bush’s music changed and grew after 1980, her visual flair was there from the start. Maybe the video to Wuthering Heights seems quite basic, but it is striking, classic and perfect – it fits wonderfully with the song. Lionheart’s Wow is another gem that is backed by an incredible video – Bush beguiling and enraptured throughout. With every album came new confidence and achievements. Bush set to work on her Tour of Life (or The Tour of Life) not long after Lionheart as released, and it began its life on stage on 2nd April, 1979. There is no doubt Bush’s experiences planning and executing her Tour of Life bled into her future work and the fact she did not want other people producing her work. That incredible tour redefined what a live Pop/Rock show could be. Her incredible songs were brought fully to life with these physical, eye-opening routines and theatrical flair. The Tour of Life remains a marvel where Bush let her fevered imaginations and ambitions flower and bloom.

Bush, even by 1979, was in a league of her own and turning into this star. 1980’s Never for Ever was the last album where Bush had a co-producer – she worked alongside Jon Kelly and she would take what she learned on Never for Ever into The Dreaming. Whilst The Kick Inside and Lionheart are undermined when it comes to great songs for radio exposure, Never for Ever remains the most neglected. In only a couple of years, Bush had transformed from this almost girl-like figure we saw dancing gracefully in the Wuthering Heights video. On Never for Ever, she evolved artistically and visually. In the video for Babooshka – the album’s lead single of April 1980 -, we saw two sides to Bush. The song talks about a wife and her desire to test her husband's loyalty. In order to do so, she takes on the pseudonym of ‘Babooshka’ and sends notes to her husband in the guise of a younger woman - something which she fears is the opposite of how her husband currently sees her. Babooshka arranges to meet her husband, who is attracted to the character who reminds him of his wife in earlier times. In the video, Bush transforms from a woman in a veil spinning a double bass to this vixen who is wild-eyed and revealing. The fact that Bush was scantily-clad for that video would not shock people who read her lyrics, but her videos up until that point were relatively chaste and less revealing.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for the single, Babooshka (1980)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

Bush wanted to her videos to reveal the essence and true potential of the songs. This visual boldness and ambition was another reason why she stood out in the 1970s and 1980s. At the turn of the decade, Bush was still relatively new; the Pop market was fairly bland and there was nobody like her around. Whilst I will always prefer The Kick Inside, it is clear Bush was producing some truly outstanding material on Never for Ever. With greater production responsibility, Bush was becoming more experimental in the studio. I know The Dreaming and Hounds of Love have some incredible tracks, but listen to All We Ever Look For, Egypt and The Infant Kiss and how wonderful they sound. One hardly hears them on the radio and, even as a huge fan of Bush, I do not listen enough to these tracks. The complexity and beauty of Bush’s voice, teamed with her poetic and hugely intelligent lyrics sound fresh and original today – even though countless artists are inspired by Bush. Bush started moving in a more political direction by 1980. The last two songs on the album, Army Dreamers and Breathing, were, perhaps, a reaction to the feeling from the press that Bush was quite flighty, insubstantial and lacking in seriousness. That was not the feeling from a lot of critics, but there were some who highlighted Bush’s spiritual and mystical side; wondering whether there was any depth beneath the skin.

Two years before The Dreaming would see Bush holler down in the studio and produce her most varied and challenging album, she was showing seeds of what was to come. I can understand why a lot of fans and critics gravitate towards albums such as The Dreaming and Hounds of Love. Her voice grew deeper and more masculine, her songwriting became more enterprising and she won enormous kudos. I respect that, but I love those first few years; where Bush was starting out and seducing the public. It is more than forty years since Bush put out her debut album, The Kick Inside, and it knocks me back! Lionheart is an underrated album with ample promise, whilst Never for Ever is the sound of a young artist coming into her own. Not only did the music grow stronger and more adventurous, but look at her music videos and visual side. It is clear Kate Bush is unique and remains unparalleled, but look around the Pop landscape of today and I wonder whether we will ever see anyone with half of her magic and genius. I think things have become too safe and predictable so, now more than ever, I think music fans, artists and radio stations should pay more attention to Bush’s oeuvre from 1978-1980. There are some rougher moments, for sure, but there is also so much beauty, firepower and unbelievable songwriting! Kate Bush would hit her commercial peak by 1985, but seeing her first steps and moves in the music industry is…    

TRULY inspiring to watch.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Eight: Christine and the Queens

FEATURE:

 

Modern Heroines

OOOO.jpg

IN THIS PHOTO: Héloïse Letissier (Christine and the Queens)/PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Lake 

Part Eight: Christine and the Queens

___________

THE latest part of my Modern Heroines feature…

ddd.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: Mehdi Lacoste

is tricky, because the woman behind Christine and the Queens is Héloïse Adelaïde Letissier - she has also been known as Chris. Right now, Chris is a new persona; a reinvention that pushes forward the work from one of the most innovative and consistently brilliant artists in music. There are these artists who produce albums that are impossible to fault; I think Christine and the Queens’ creator is someone who will continue to release world-class records. For the purposes of marking a modern heroine, I will use the words ‘Christine and the Queens’, rather than Héloïse Adelaïde Letissier. One might say it is a bit early to tip Christine and the Queens as a potential icon. Recently, she was handed the Q Icon gong and was quite surprised when interviewed on the red carpet. Christine and the Queens has won more than the Q Icon award this year, and she continues to get stronger and more amazing. I have so much admiration for Letissier, and her musical guise of Christine and the Queens is not only producing staggering music; she is also breaking down barriers when it comes to gender and sexuality. This is why, in a way, I was unsure whether to choose Letissier in a feature exclusively about female artists, as Letissier is a fluid and gender-neutral artist in many ways. She rallies against sexism and exclusion – and has faced it a lot -, but I feel she is such an empowering artist for so many women and is also helping shift the narrative when it comes to women in music. 

Not only is Christine and the Queens an amazing artist, she is also one cool mother*cker! Listen to her speak and she is so wise, articulate and funny. Christine and the Queens embodies the image of an age-old heroine but is so modern and forward-thinking. One has that artist who speaks as loudly to men as she does women. Christine and the Queens is an artist who is often asked about her sexuality and how she identifies. Even in 2019, there is this fascination with and confusion over a queer artist and the sexual spectrum. I guess there is a way to go until there is this ready acceptance, but Christine and the Queens is giving voice and power to those in the shadows; artists and fans on the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ spectrum who feel they are misunderstood and overlooked. The heroine also continues to provide this powerful and evocative music, proving that women in modern music cannot be ignored and seen as a minority. Also, through the use of French and English lyrics, Letissier is adding something much-needed and unconventional. Not many non-English-speaking artists sing in their own language. I think artists like Christine and the Queens and Rosalía (a Spanish singer and songwriter) are vital and helping make music more bilingual, colourful and interesting. Born in 1988, Letissier was raised in a creative and academic household. Her father taught English at the University of Nantes, whilst her mother taught Latin and French at the local middle school.

Her parents’ careers meant that the budding songwriter was exposed to literature and recommended classic writers. With exposure to great works and intellectual conversation, the mind of the child was being nourished and informed. I am always fascinated seeing how these influential artists start life and whether you can see the musical seeds being planted from a very young age. Letissier studied Theatre and was inspired by local drag artists/musicians when she visited London in 2010. When performing early in her career, these drag artists accompanied Letissier – she soon became Christine and the Queens. If the ‘Queens’ were her backing band, maybe the definition has changed now. Perhaps it is a less physical thing; maybe a wide spectrum that reaches to queer artists and female queens through the world. After releasing her debut E.P., Miséricorde, in 2011, she put out another the following year. There were some minor hits on the E.P.s but, like any hungry and blossoming artist, her best days were still ahead. Although Christine and the Queens was being celebrated in her native France and in countries like the U.S. and U.K., it was the 2015 single, Tilted, that truly opened eyes and horizons. It was released from her first English E.P., Saint Claude, but touring of the song meant that it soon took on a life of its own.

The song made its way to the U.K. in 2016 and Christine and the Queens’ name was becoming more familiar – buoyed by live performances and radio exposure. Christine and the Queens’ Letissier said she did not want to choose to sing all in French or English: having the chance to mix the natural with the universal means that her music sounded pure, intriguing and diverse right from the off. Were she to sing all in French, it might not have translated and been taken to heart so readily. Similarly, if her music lacked the mother tongue, a lot of the beauty, romance and intelligence would have been lost in translation (or not, as it were). It is hard to pin down influences when it comes to Christine and the Queens, but one can tell that David Bowie – in terms of music and image – is important; there is some Kate Bush, Michael Jackson and Soul inspiration. The debut album, Chaleur humaine, was released in 2014 – a couple of years before Tilted became a smash in the U.K. The album came out in the U.S. in 2015, with a lot of the French lyrics worked into English. Not only are the lyrics and music different on Chaleur humaine and Chris, but one can see a radical visual shift from 2014 to 2018. Look at the heroine on the cover of Chaleur humaine and she has long hair, a bunch of flowers and a look that suggests thoughtfulness and pensive consideration. That is not to say Christine and the Queens was a very feminine and commercial artist in 2014; more that changes did occur, and Chris is an album that eliminates gender and changes the narrative. I do love the debut album because, in 2014/2015, it was such a fresh, original and interesting album.

sss.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: Laura Pannack for TIME

Chaleur humaine is full of wonderful moments and, with Letissier providing this incredibly sensuous, moving and diverse voice, one could not help but to fall in love with the music and show full respect to its creator. A lot of critics, when reviewing the album, were new to Christine and the Queens, so did not necessarily have the same frame of references as her fans; not as in-tune to her progress and previous work. That said, there are a load of positive and glowing reviews for Chaleur humaine. This is what AllMusic had to say when they reviewed the album:

“As Chaleur Humaine unfolds, Christine reveals herself as less of a disguise and more of a prism for Létissier's distinctive outlook. She addresses her pansexuality throughout the album, subtly on songs like the aforementioned "Christine" and more directly on "Half Ladies" and "iT," a call-and-response track with the Queens where her backing band sings "She's a man now/And there's nothing we can do." This fluidity extends to the ease with which Létissier blends French traditions with contemporary pop, hip-hop, and R&B. She mixes all of the above on "Paradis Perdus," an interpolation of Kanye West's "Heartless" and Christophe's 1973 hit "Les Paradis Perdus," transforming them into something with its own emotive power. Elsewhere, the band balances the urgency of songs such as "Safe and Holy" and gentler moments like "Nuit 17 à 52" with a grace reflecting Létissier's former life as a dancer. Indeed, Christine and the Queens' emotional and musical agility only makes Chaleur Humaine's heartfelt, thoughtful pop that much richer and rewarding”.

Listen to Chaleur humaine and I think it sounds somehow stronger and more arresting than it did when it was released. Maybe that is just me, but this is an album that keeps unfurling and revealing itself the more you listen. Christine and the Queens was just what the music world needed back in 2014; critics were quick to praise a debut album full of life and passion. Here is what The Guardian wrote when they tackled Chaleur humaine in 2016:

“Chaleur Humaine is a rich and rewarding album that works whichever way you slice it. If you want to take it as an extended musical treatise on queer identity and non-binary sexual orientation, there’s plenty here to keep you occupied. Take, for example, the opening track iT’s declaration of “I’m a man now and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” (Later in the song, an unconvinced Greek chorus suggest: “She draws her own crotch by herself but she’ll lose because it’s a fake.” Or take Half Ladies’ defiance in the face of abuse: “I’ve found a place of grace … every insult I hear back darkens into a beauty mark,” she sings, before another fantastic chorus – one on which her love of Michael Jackson shines through – sweeps the song along.

If you just want to treat it as a collection of beautifully wrought pop music, then it functions fantastically as that, too. The sound Letissier and her collaborators – sometime Metronomy affiliates Ash Workman and Gabriel Stebbing – have constructed is hugely appealing: a simultaneously intricate and spare lattice of softly glowing electronics and occasional misty hints of R&B and hip-hop, not least on No Harm Is Done, which features the rapper Tunji Ige and piano. The songwriting is perfectly poised, subtle and restrained without being wilfully opaque: it never clobbers you over the head, nor do you have to unpick the songs to find the tunes. There’s a deeply affecting combination of delicacy and force behind her collaboration with Perfume Genius, Jonathan, or Safe and Holy’s combination of pattering hi-hat, piano and marooned sweeps of ravey synth”.

I will come to Christine and the Queens’ second album, Chris, soon enough, but I wanted to bring in an interview that appeared in The Guardian. Naturally, as Chaleur humaine was unveiled and the songs were shared and dissected, the woman behind Christine and the Queens was thrust into the public eye. Always cool, fascinating and thought-provoking, it was good to hear about Letissier and her early life; how she sees Pop music as a universal thing that is not confined by commercialism, but speaks to those of all ages and sexual orientations: 

 “Maybe it was the chakras, but if your country’s biggest pop star was eyeballing you in the street, you’d probably smile back. Letissier, 28, is Christine and the Queens, the alter ego that transformed her from a depressed hermit into (whatever she says) a one-woman charisma machine. She broke through in France two years ago with debut album Chaleur Humaine (human warmth) – intimate, groove-heavy synth-pop that suggests Björk producing peak Michael Jackson. This March a semi-translated version scored stellar reviews in the UK. And since then, her live performances have won thousands of fans.

At Glastonbury in June, undeterred by a downpour and post-Brexit misery, Letissier flexed her muscles at the sky, and challenged the weather: “You want to fight, rain?” She won the battle, seamlessly intertwining excerpts from crowdpleasers Pump Up the Jam and Uptown Funk with her original material, while performing her own slippery choreography (a kind of avant-garde mash-up of pop, hip-hop and contemporary dance) with her four-strong troupe of male dancers. She accidentally dropped the mic after her last song but she could have done it on purpose – critics crowned her the act of the festival.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Letissier’s sexuality was never an issue for her parents, although she says she battled some internalised shame. She can trace her queerness back to the age of four while watching Michael Jackson’s Captain EO at EuroDisney. “I remember being excited for the first time, sexually excited. At some point he’s dancing, and he’s opening his jacket, and there is a rainbow shining out of his chest, and I was like, oh!” She laughs. “I know, it’s so queer! My whole life is queer.”

Letissier worries that questioning her identity promotes this individualism. But her lyrics are the antithesis of narcissistic pop, and she wants to be contagious, not admired. She concedes a little. “Lyrics of really huge pop bangers right now make me think about advertising – sentences that could thrill you but are empty in the end. And for that, I don’t really feel like I do belong in the pop realm.” Kendrick Lamar is more her bag. “I didn’t grow up in Compton, I don’t know what he’s really talking about, but because it’s personal – money and love – it strikes universal terms. This is being inclusive. If an old lady can sing my song that comes from a queer young girl’s perspective, this is, for me, pop music at its best. You get to have many realities going on at the same time”.

There was a lot of interest and expectation when Chaleur humaine bloomed and the music made its way around the globe. When talking about the new Christine and the Queens album, Letissier stated that it was a range of moods and textures – from the more sexual to the vulnerable. If Chaleur humaine is more slow-burning and a warm record, Chris is a more instant and red-hot offering. Gone were the long locks and flowers of the debut cover; replaced by a different-looking heroine who was in a new phase. A lot of Chaleur humaine concerns Christine and the Queens’ struggle as a young queer woman; or the way she was perceived and accepted. Chris is that change to a powerful, liberated woman who wants to become less apologetic and embrace her sexual – more lustful, flirty and confident. Again, there was nothing like Chris in 2018 until the album came out! Christine and the Queens helped change Pop on the debut and continued to do so on Chris. As this review of Chris attests, Christine and the Queens was just what Pop music needed in 2018:

“A self-declared pansexual fronting off-kilter songs about queer identity, Letissier washed up at the moment gender fluidity was becoming a significant social issue. For her follow-up, she has raised the ante: the artist formerly known as Christine has become Chris.

Pop has always been a haven for sexual non-conformity, from the camp flamboyance of Little Richard and Mick Jagger to the gender-bending of superstars such as David Bowie, Prince and Lady Gaga. What is interesting about Letissier is that she focuses on the psychologically difficult aspects of growing up as an outsider.

Alongside celebratory anthems of love and desire (Comme Si, Girlfriend, Make Some Sense), Chris tackles body dysmorphia (Goya Soda), bullying (What's-her-face), the threat of physical intimidation (The Walker), prostitution (5 Dollars), sexual self-loathing (Damn – What Must a Woman Do) and suicidal depression (It Doesn't Matter). Yet somehow Letissier invests this angst-ridden material with sweetness and strength, so that every song sounds like an act of upbeat defiance”.

I think Chris is one of 2018’s best albums and one that warrants continued listening. The sophistication of the music sits alongside a simplicity that means the tracks are instant and accessible but there have a lot of layers and different sides. It is hard to pick a standout song, because all of the tracks have their own personality and slot so well together. It is a fantastic album, and I love the way Christine and the Queens progressed and strengthened from that promising debut. It makes me wonder whether a third album will see her change course; just what does she have in store?

I want to source from one more review of Chris, as it did receive passionate praise across the board. NME were keen to have their say, and they remarked on the differences between Chaleur humaine and Chris.

“It’s the shadowy flip-side to its predecessor. 2016’s ‘Chaleur humaine’ was a soft-edged evocation that found ways to simply exist as tilted in a world that prefers straight lines. Bolstered by her growing fame and remarkable rise to the top of pop, ‘Chris’ is an album that flaunts the idea of being a strong, threatening, sexually empowered woman. Flecked with generous amounts of provocative Spanish (it’s fair to say Duolingo won’t teach you a phrase like “para follarse”), ‘Damn (What Must A Woman Do)’ is particularly bold, with gasped whispers punctuating cartoonish, ‘Dangerous’-by-Michael-Jackson production. And ‘Goya Soda’ headily combines spluttering bursts of synth with a flash-lesson in art history, blending Francisco Goya’s twisted, demon-filled paintings with fizzy pop and doomed lust. “As he eats my heart out I’m on my knees,” Chris sings.

Following in the formidable footsteps of Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bowie, and other such icons of creative evolution, Christine and the Queens is clearly striving to be a similar sort of chameleon-like artist, riveted on challenging both herself and her audience. On the evidence of ‘Chris’ – a deft and bogglingly-intelligent record, which somehow sounds blissfully effortless too – she’s earned her own place in the pop icon history books”.

o.jpg

IN THIS PHOTO: Christine and the Queens performing at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: Gaëlle Beri 

This year has been a successful one for Christine and the Queens; comprised of some big tour dates and festival appearances. There was a collaboration with Charli XCX on Gone, and it makes me wonder whether a future album might involve some hook-ups with modern Pop artists. Héloïse Letissier is a hungry artist, and there is nobody out there like her. I mentioned how engaging she is in interviews and the sort of impression she leaves. When speaking with The Fader last year, she was asked about authenticity and how some of Chris’ songs were based on hard experiences when she was young:

 “Do you find it difficult to be authentic to yourself while also, presumably, wanting to continue to be successful?

Not really, because first, I don't know how to be successful. (Laughs.) Honestly. Maybe I will never reciprocate what happened with the first album. I have a relationship with writing that is really intimate, and brutally honest, but it's because before writing pop songs I was writing, and am still writing constantly, in journals, short stories, poems. I have this relationship to writing that is an everyday unveiling. But at the same time, I'm in love with what the pop song is, so most of my references for the second record were immediate, catchy pop productions like Cameo, or Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, or Michael Jackson's "Dangerous." And it's about how to mix this relationship I have as a writer that says "I," with this more immediately tasty pop landscape. I kind of don't think it's natural for me to work around that. So it's like, I'm going to do a production inspired by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, but I'm going to talk really simply about feeling depressed.

Actually I'm reading a lot of English writers. For example, I just got a Maggie Nelson —

ZZ.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

I read that this album was also partly a response to being bullied when you were younger. Do you consider this album a form of revenge?

I wouldn't say revenge, actually. I think this album is about embracing all of the emotions a bit more, including anger, but also horniness and extreme sadness. There is a song called "What's Her Face" that addresses the idea that no matter how empowered I get, it doesn't negate the fact that I still remember sitting alone on the bench in high school. And that's actually part of the powerful woman I am now. It's a piece of it. I wouldn't say it's revenge. I'd say it's cathartic. I like to take the stamina from that anger and put it into dancing.

What role will the dancing at your live show play in transmitting these ideals?

Since it's so much an album about interactions and sensuality and otherness, the dancing was really interesting to work on from the beginning, because as I said, I wanted to cast characters with me. It was kind of like searching for the right roles for a movie. I didn't want to do a singer plus dancers to decorate the scenery. I work with a collective that's called La Horde, three French people who work on collective writing and kind of help me cast the team of dancers/characters.

On "Girlfriend" I wanted to work around what does it mean to perform the idea of a man? How can we diffuse it slightly? What does flexing mean at some point? We kind of built choreography around it. For "Doesn't Matter," I knew I had to do a duet with a male dancer. This is why I love Michael Jackson, because he was really clever in that the dance was a second way to sing the song, and you remember the choreography as much as the song”.

Who knows what 2020 holds for Christine and the Queens? I know that there will be rumblings concerning an album, but there are no definite plans or set date. I think we are watching this future icon shape before our very eyes. With music that strong and addictive, people will want to hear from her for many years to come. I do think the modern Pop landscape has changed a lot, and there is quite a bit missing. There is very little fun and pop; I do think that artists like Christine and the Queens are setting an example of what music should be. She will only get stronger and stronger. Q recognised her as an icon and, in this modern scene, I think she fits the bill and deserves that honour – even if she is not quite certain whether it is warranted and what being an icon entails! If you want to see Christine and the Queens bring it to the stage, keep an eye on the official website for the latest news. She (and her band) have played some great festivals and gone down a storm. This is how The Independent assessed her headline turn at All Points East:

 “Héloïse Letissier is on fire. Figuratively speaking – the French musician’s headline set at All Points East on Sunday is a writhing masterpiece, confirming her status as one of the most exciting popstars on the planet – but also, very nearly, literally. So abundant are the show’s pyrotechnics, all blazing flares, dense smoke and deafening explosions, that the air is thick with the smell of party poppers, and a small part of the stage seems to have caught alight.

dd.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: Lexie Moreland/WWD

A group of burly men rush on with extinguishers, out of place among the lithe, androgynous dancers surrounding them. But Letissier – AKA Christine and the Queens, though she has cropped it to Chris for this latest phase – continues to sing, dance and contort, either oblivious or unconcerned. The show must go on.

The whiff of danger is in keeping with a somewhat apocalyptic evening. Just as Letissier was due to arrive on stage, a rainstorm erupted. Now, after a few songs from her excellent Eighties funk-inspired second album Chris, it has given way to a dramatic red sky. Whenever the singer steps out onto the walkway that stretches into the crowd, a forceful breeze causes her unbuttoned shirt to billow like a cape.

Letissier, for her part, is a potent performer, thrusting and flirting her way through a set full of sexual tension and premature climaxes – halfway through, a confetti canon showers the air with gold. During the gender-bending anthem “iT” from debut album Chaleur Humaine, she thrashes around on the floor, and then squares up to a female dancer in a display of lust and hostility.

I do think 2020 will be the biggest year for Christine and the Queens in terms of Héloïse Letissier’s success, growth and honours. One would be foolish to rule out a headline slot at a huge festival; maybe there will be a new album out and, on top of all that, the chic and whip-smart heroine will be talking with the press…and generally being awesome! I am a huge fan of hers – as you can tell! – so will be watching closely to see what happens. Whether you want to refer to her as Héloïse Letissier or Christine and the Queens, here is a woman whose energy, passion and spirit…

CANNOT be tamed or predicted.

TRACK REVIEW: Prince - Don’t Let Him Fool Ya

TRACK REVIEW:

 

 

Prince

Don’t Let Him Fool Ya

 

9.4/10

 

The track, Don’t Let Him Fool Ya, is available from:

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

GENRES:

Funk/R&B/Pop

ORIGIN:

Minnesota, U.S.A.

RELEASE DATE:

7th November (YouTube)/8th November (Spotify), 2019

LABELS:

NPG Records Inc./Warner Records Inc.

__________

THIS time around…

I am taking a slightly different approach to the review, whereby I am assessing a song from an artist who is no longer with us. Prince died in 2016 and, since then, we have seen a few posthumous releases. I am one of those people who is interested in posthumous releases, but I do feel like estates will release anything to keep the fans happy. It can get a bit disrespectful and the quality does dip. In the case of Prince, there is this legendary vault that contains all the material he recorded; it is said that he has enough stored in there to keep people happy for many years to come. Whilst some artists who have died sort of recorded everything whilst they were alive and there might not be too much more left in the cupboard, in the case of Prince, there is this treasure trove of material. I will not do my usual review structure where I discuss various subjects and apply them to the wider musical world. As this is Prince, I wanted to concentrate on him and talk about various things specific to him. Before moving on, NME tell is about his latest track, Don’t Let Him Fool Ya:

 “Recorded in 1982 at the late icon’s home studio on Kiowa Trail in Chanhassen, Minnesota, the track will appear on a new reissue of ‘1999’, which is out on November 29.

The song is among 35 previously unreleased tracks on the forthcoming reissue.

Fans will be able to get their hands on a Super Deluxe Edition (comprised of 10 LPs and a DVD), a Deluxe Edition (2CD or 4LP 180g vinyl/download and streaming), or the standard remastered version (1CD or 2LP 180g Purple Vinyl/download and streaming).

The Super Deluxe Edition’s DVD is a full, previously unreleased concert film shot at Prince’s Houston Summit show in 1982. Also included in the top-tier package are 23 previously unissued studio tracks (recorded between November 1981 and January 1983), and a complete live audio performance of the ‘1999’ tour”.

I do love the fact that Prince spent so much time at his Paisley Park estate and crafted so much material. It might be sad to reflect on the notion of him alone and not really having anyone in his life. To Prince, music was his religion and real calling. He did get time to experience love, but one feels a more solitary life suited him; maybe he was not comfortable with the idea of being a family man and choosing that path. It is sad we will never get another interview from him or witness one of his blistering live performances. It will be four years next year since he departed, and we are still getting so much interesting stuff coming out. This latest track was mooted for an album that was released nearly forty years ago. I do wonder just how deep his archive is and whether we are going to get material that was recorded right at the start of his career. Prince released a lot of material in his lifetime and, whilst his later albums might not rank alongside classics like Purple Rain, one had to marvel at the sheer drive and work ethic of The Purple One. He was completely besotted by music and was, I think, trying to express himself through his art in a way he couldn’t do away from it. Many artists do that, but I think Prince did struggle and had a tough time of things. That might sound vague, but I can sort of identify with someone who could not navigate life and the usual social routes like everyone else; who might have felt a bit overwhelmed by things and had that one passion that consumed him. The hours he logged at Paisley Park means fans will get to hear his work for a very long time to come. Although one or two of the posthumous cuts have not been world-class, the overall quality is surprisingly sharp and it means we are all looking forward to seeing what comes next.   There is that ethical argument that asks whether it is right to release material by artists after they have died; they did not have say and the sense of control has been lost. That is true of many artists, yet Prince had this vault so that people could hear his work when he had passed. I do agree that many estates are trying to generate money from artists when they have departed, but Prince’s estate know that he would have wanted these songs out, and it would be a shame to see them locked away and ignored.

I want to move on and discuss a few other things about Prince. There has been talk for years about a biopic and documentary. I do wonder whether it will ever see the light of day, but a Prince biopic would be amazing. There is an ethical debate as to whether anyone can portray Prince and whether it would be right. I think a documentary would be great, but there are many networks and production companies who are trying to bring Prince to the screen. I am sure Prince’s diehard fans would be divided when it comes to a biopic, but there are many out there who would love to see it happen. This year has seen a lot of biopics coming to screens and it seems like Hollywood’s appetite has not dimmed. I can appreciate how a biopic keeps a musicians relevant or alive; it means they can reach new generations and we can see the music burst and be explored in a new way. Prince is a fascinating icon but, as he is gone, will we get a fair representation and will it do him proud? I think talk of a biopic has died down a bit but, back in December of last year, this article arrived that discussed a possible biopic and the best way to approach it:

“Hollywood’s obsession with throwback aesthetics can really push boundaries, and right now, a movie based on Prince‘s music catalog is catching my eye. Variety dropped the news that Universal Pictures has finally acquired the rights to a number of musical classics by the late pop icon after the studio “aggressively” worked to get them. The word is that Prince’s estate has been shopping the film’s concept for a while, although we shouldn’t hope for a typical biopic to be put in the works.

Instead, a jukebox musical centered on Prince’s music will spawn from this deal. This is evidently preferable to any run-of-the-mill biographical drama, as the estate figures that the musician’s feature film debut Purple Rain already covers those bases. This in spite of the fact that Purple Rain is still a largely fictional take on the artist, even if it has helped to craft Prince’s elusive image over the years thanks to his memorable work as its protagonist, the Kid.

PHOTO CREDIT: Manuela Testolini 

The bottom line is that mining Prince’s songs for a movie that could potentially align with his values is the way to go. There are already a couple of Prince-centric ventures in development as it is. Ava DuVernay and Netflix are teaming up for an epic documentary about him. Elizabeth Banks wants to retell the story of a chambermaid who accompanied Prince to a film premiere in her hometown (becoming a “queen for a day”). Universal is avoiding the competition of fidelity in favor of something more creative and that makes their project noteworthy”.

Not to completely exploit his name, but I think a think a Prince musical could be a better step. Instead of having a usual biopic structure, you could bring something to film or the theatre that would do him proud. I think there was talk of a musical, but I have not seen that materialise. There might be a musical in the U.S., but we have not seen anything in the U.K. It is difficult to balance things and make a project that will please everyone. However Prince is represented on the screen or stage, it is impossible to encompass all sides of his work and not omit anything. A lot of biopics have been criticised for either holding back when it comes to sexuality and explicitness – that is true of the Queen and Elton John biopics -, or there are issues with timelines and facts. As this article from The Guardian explains; would filmmakers strike that golden note?

“Prince’s evocative and lascivious songs could tell any number of stories, but it’s probably fair to say the film won’t centre on Darling Nikki, the sex fiend whom the singer meets “masturbating with a magazine” in a hotel lobby. At best we might be granted a montage scene set to Gett Off, although 23 positions could be a lot to get through in four minutes. The point is that Prince’s music is daring, spiky and kinky, and it might be hard to tease out a coherent narrative from songs as different as Raspberry Beret and I Would Die 4 U. It’s also likely that the queer edges of Prince’s music might get blunted by this type of endeavour – although if the film features a take on When You Were Mine with a male-male-female threesome in it I will be the first to doff my cap”.

Whilst we might have to wait a long time for a film or theatre production to arrive, there is a Prince memoir out in the world. The Beautiful Ones was originally designed to be the best book ever – that is what Prince had in mind. He was still working on it just before he died, so it is a case of the work being unfinished. It is out now and, if you want to grab a copy, there is a lot to enjoy:

“Prince was a musical genius, one of the most beloved, accomplished, and acclaimed musicians of our time. He was a startlingly original visionary with an imagination deep enough to whip up whole worlds, from the sexy, gritty funk paradise of “Uptown” to the mythical landscape of Purple Rain to the psychedelia of “Paisley Park.” But his most ambitious creative act was turning Prince Rogers Nelson, born in Minnesota, into Prince, one of the greatest pop stars of any era.

The Beautiful Ones is the story of how Prince became Prince—a first-person account of a kid absorbing the world around him and then creating a persona, an artistic vision, and a life, before the hits and fame that would come to define him. The book is told in four parts. The first is the memoir Prince was writing before his tragic death, pages that bring us into his childhood world through his own lyrical prose. The second part takes us through Prince’s early years as a musician, before his first album was released, via an evocative scrapbook of writing and photos. The third section shows us Prince’s evolution through candid images that go up to the cusp of his greatest achievement, which we see in the book’s fourth section: his original handwritten treatment for Purple Rain—the final stage in Prince’s self-creation, where he retells the autobiography of the first three parts as a heroic journey.

rrr.jpg

The book is framed by editor Dan Piepenbring’s riveting and moving introduction about his profound collaboration with Prince in his final months—a time when Prince was thinking deeply about how to reveal more of himself and his ideas to the world, while retaining the mystery and mystique he’d so carefully cultivated—and annotations that provide context to the book’s images”.

In the same way we might see a rather watered-down and edge-less biopic, there are those who have reviewed the biopic who say it lacks real surprise and passion. Perhaps it is because Prince died unexpectedly and he was not able to see the project through to completion. It is tragic that he never got to see the memoir hit the shelves. He did have high hopes for it but, sadly, he died in 2016 and there has been this long period where others have been involved and the final product is not quite as electric as it could have been. I want to bring in a couple of reviews that explain how, even though the memoir is pretty good, it is not quite as strong as it could have been. Here is a sample review:

“This book is the shadow cast by one you will never read. On 29 January 2016, Prince chose Dan Piepenbring, a 29-year-old Paris Review editor, to help him write his life story. Less than three months later, he died, from an accidental fentanyl overdose, at the age of 57.

Prince’s original title remains, but instead of being the formally radical memoir that he hoped would be “the biggest music book of all time”, The Beautiful Ones is a curious collage of autobiography, marginalia and memorabilia, introduced by Piepenbring’s memories of the artist’s final months. The author credit is therefore a conundrum. Is this truly a book by Prince – or just one about him?

As a child, Prince used to scan the world with uncanny intensity, as if it were “coded for me”. In that spirit, perhaps the best way to approach The Beautiful Ones is as a dossier of evidence for the reader to decode.

ddd.jpg

His idiosyncratic likes (Chaka Khan, Kung Fu Panda 3) and dislikes (Ed Sheeran, Ayn Rand), along with his thoughts on race, religion and music, help to make a star who was often regarded as an otherworldly enigma feel like he would have been fun to hang out with, his astronomical self-belief salted with a lively sense of humour. When Piepenbring praises his writing and adds, “I’m not just saying this to inflate your ego,” Prince laughs: “I don’t think you could if you tried”.

I do feel like Prince is a figure who had such a rich life that, like a biopic, a memoir cannot really do full justice. If Prince were to write it all himself and still be working on it now, maybe he would have put out the book that he always envisaged. Not to say The Beautiful Ones is a disappointment: instead, there are glimmers of brilliance and insight. That said, Slate remark how there is plenty on offer:

“What follows are a couple hundred pages of previously unseen flotsam—photos, drafts of lyrics, notes on the Purple Rain screenplay, a storyboard for a video, etc.—salvaged posthumously from the somewhat disorganized archives at Prince’s Paisley Park compound, accompanied by some quotations from press interviews over the years. All of this material is charming, often hilarious (it includes Prince’s high school cartoons and his sarcastic captions to a photo album he made while recording his first album in 1977 and ’78), and occasionally fascinating. Perhaps most striking is the Purple Rain treatment, where we find a much younger Prince again writing at length about his upbringing, this time in the guise of the backstory for the movie’s fictionalized protagonist, who was at this stage called Prince instead of the Kid. While it’s obviously exaggerated—instead of a divorce, he has the parents’ relationship end in a murder-suicide—the way he writes there about the mother’s drinking, the father’s fits of domestic violence, and the emotional trauma they inflict on their child feels like it adds something, at least in feeling and likely in fact, that’s missing from the middle-aged Prince’s more guarded and perhaps sentimentalized account. How much so, I suppose now we’ll never know”.

Prince counts in Don’t Let Him Fool Ya and, when contemplating the introduction and the beats, there is a little element of Let’s Go Crazy (from 1984’s Purple Rain). You can sort of hear the direction Prince was moving in when he recorded Don’t Let Him Fool Ya in 1982. Whilst a lot of Prince’s best music was recorded at Paisley Park, this track was laid down at his home studio at Kiowa Trail in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The synths and electronics swoon and brood in a funky and sexy way; the beats are tight and driving whilst Prince’s vocals are typically striking and tasty. If you can hear Prince in modern artists like Jay Som and Childsih Gambino, there can only be one original. Here, on this unreleased track, The Purple One is seemingly talking to a girl who has been fooled by a sweet-talking man. Maybe she has been sucked in and charmed by someone who is going to leave her. “I know he got a big old Cadillac…” says Prince and, whilst that sounds decent, the man is going to have to take it back. Whether that means he is a liar or he does not have the money to afford it, it results in the same thing: heartache for the heroine. One can imagine Prince watching from afar as this woman is being taken in by this snake. The man has fancy clothes, sure, but he cannot afford them and he will soon be stripped of his assets. Considering the tone and sound of songs that made it onto 1999 in 1982, I wonder why Don’t Let Him Fool Ya was omitted. It is a song that, whilst not the best cut on the album, would have made a worthy addition! The song’s title is a mantra-cum-seduction that warns the girl off him but also, oddly, sort of brings her closer to Prince. I feel like Prince is talking about a man who was spinning lies and, with him being revealed and outed, he can now make his move and show he is stronger and better.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

There is always something sexual in Prince’s voice, so you never know whether he is looking to make a move or simply providing wisdom and warning to a woman who is being fooled. Prince went to City Hall to pay some bills and saw a picture of the man hanging on the wall – he is wanted and a deadbeat. The best Prince tracks are those that get you singing along instantly and stay in the head for days. Whilst Don’t Let Him Fool Ya does not sport a chorus as rapturous and memorable as 1999, there is more seduction and foreboding in Prince’s voice. Rather than provide a celebratory song, this is a moment that requires a measure of maturity and calm. That said, the sheer passion and energy that is provided pushes the song forward and rattles around the brain. There are wonderful growls and purrs from Prince; the hook is pretty epic and memorable. In fact, Don’t Let Him Fool Ya seems similar to I Would Die 4 U in terms of the composition – I can hear some similarities. It is clear that Prince had seeds of Purple Rain in his mind in 1982 and was moving in that direction. The more you play Don’t Let Him Fool Ya, the more you wonder why the song was not on the 1999 album. I think it could have fitted on the second side and offered a new angle. Maybe Prince felt the song was not quite finished; it is not as tight as other songs on the album and could have worked fine as a B-side. No matter, because we have this great song that is delighting people. Even the songs Prince didn’t release are stronger than most of what is out in the world right now – showing how far ahead of his time he was and what a genius he was.

eee.jpg

Usually, I would end the review by saying what an artist is up to and where they are going next. Sadly, with Prince, we do not have tour dates to look forward to. As I opened by mentioning his vault of unreleased material, it is not the case that Don’t Let Him Fool Ya is the last we will hear from Prince – far from it! There are different estimates out there regarding his vault and how many years of songs are in there. I do think there are decades worth left unreleased, so we can still hear the master do his thing long, long after he left us. There are question marks in the air regarding a Prince biopic or musical. I would like to see something that does him proud and ensures Prince’s incredible genius is fully displayed. Maybe we will get something in 2020; one cannot deny that we are feeling Prince’s loss hard. I will end by paying a tribute to an icon that is still thrilling us years after he died. It was a shock when he died in 2016, and I wonder what plans he had regarding new albums and projects. Prince was discovered at his Paisley Park estate, so he was going about his normal working day when he died. I feel like he would still be touring and would have released, maybe, four or five albums in the time since his death. There is nothing we can do to bring him back, but we are lucky that Prince was so prolific and gave so much material to us when he was alive; he has left this vault that will continue to bless the people for generations. Has there ever been anyone as alluring and captivating as Prince?!  In terms of musicianship, he was spellbinding; he remains one of the greatest singers ever and his musical palette was so diverse! I shall wrap things up in a minute, but I want to bring in an article that captures some beautiful words by poet Hanif Abdurraqib; he penned these for the introduction to the book, PRINCE: The Last Interview:

“To call a musician ahead of their time is an oft-used phrase that — far too commonly — gets attached to some mundane or uneventful exercise: a suggestive lyric here, or a music video there. For Prince, to be ahead of one’s time meant to have an active hand in both shaping music — how it would be heard, how it would be interpreted, how it would be distributed — and how he would use it to shape himself for generations to come.

Though Prince could be a difficult interview subject, I can’t help but sympathize with his reasons for being so. Interviewing at its best is a match between what a speaker is willing to give of themselves, and what a listener is willing to take away. I’ve been on both sides of that table; I have sympathy for both speaker and listener. Interviews can fail when there is an expectation that something large must be revealed: some long-held truth, finally unraveled for a waiting public. I find the best interview — as both speaker and listener — is one of restraint, where the tools necessary to unearth something during the more silent moments — patience, a sharp ear, and a ready pen — are used to bring about some of the best moments of the conversation.

For a lifetime spent first trying to figure Prince out, only to end up attributing him with an over-imagined lore, it was easy for me to detach from the idea that Prince — as mystifying as he managed to be — was also very human. It was there in his music, his visuals, his passions and his curiosities — his humanity. And toward the end of his life, it seemed the being human was his biggest shift yet. During a 2014 interview for Rolling Stone, Prince tells Brian Hiatt that he is entirely uninterested in talking about the past, despite that his past had, by that point, held so many gems worth unearthing and unraveling. “there is no place else I’d rather be than right now,” Prince tells Hiatt. “I want to be talking to you, and I want you to get it”.

I can imagine it will not be long until we are treated to a new Prince song or album! There have been generous offerings through 2019, so I feel 2020 will be ripe with new stuff. It seems off saying ‘new’, knowing that Prince recorded this material years ago. His loss will be felt for decades, for there is nobody as enticing, regal and brilliant as Prince! Whilst Don’t Let Him Fool Ya is not the strongest posthumous cut I have heard from Prince, it is a fantastic song and one that could easily have fitted on an album like 1999. I shall wrap things up here to say that, whilst we miss the master every day, the fact he has this stuffed vault of fantastic music means that Prince will be with us…

sss.jpg

FOR a very long time to come.

_______________

Follow Prince

FEATURE: Why Can’t You Be Nicer to Me? Can Social Media Head in a Positive Direction in 2020?

FEATURE:

 

Why Can’t You Be Nicer to Me?

sssss.jpg

PHOTO CREDIT: @austindistel/Unsplash 

Can Social Media Head in a Positive Direction in 2020?

___________

THIS is a topic that has been on my blog before …

444444444.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: @vheath/Unsplash

and becomes more and more relevant with every passing day. I am putting it back on my blog, because Dua Lipa has just spoken out and asked whether social media is too negative; why can’t it be nicer and a more pleasant space. I guess, with so many people using Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, it is hard to tackle every case of trolling and abuse. It is a shame musician have to face such negativity. Whilst it is never excusable, certain celebrities and politicians will evoke backlash and criticism because of the things they say. If you are Piers Morgan or someone who says whatever is on his mind, one cannot blame some people getting angry and letting their opinions be felt. I think trolling is wrong in every case, yet there are some people who sort of willingly put themselves in the firing line and do not really care if they offend people. When it comes to music, why is there such antipathy and hatred aimed the way of big stars?! This BBC article brings Dua Lipa into the debate, as she asks why social media has turned into such a pool for hatred:  

“Pop star Dua Lipa says social media is a breeding ground for "hate and anxiety".

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she urged users to "be nicer to one another" online, for the greater good

The 24-year-old told host Louise Minchin: "Some days I don't read into the comments.

"Some days maybe I feel little bit more vulnerable and I dive in and I almost go looking for things I don't want to see."

zzzz.jpg

IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa/PHOTO CREDIT: Luc Coiffait 

Other popular young stars like Selena Gomez have recently expressed their concern about patterns of behaviour on social media, with the actress describing it as being "terrible" for her generation at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Last month, Dua - whose first name means "love" in her mother tongue, Albanian - called for better mental health care in the creative industries.

Now she's admitted while it's still fun and useful for her to use "amazing" platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, she too has to log off as soon as faceless trolls make it a cause of anxiety.

The One Kiss singer declared it should be everybody's mission online to "to share positivity and encourage kindness".

"I feel like that's something we should all do, we should encourage kindness and protect our fans and protect ourselves - just be nicer to one another. I feel like we'd all have a much better experience on social media if that was the case”.

I do think that there is far too much negativity on social media. I am very much of the opinion that, if someone does not have anything positive to say, it is best not to say it. Just think about the physical and emotional cost of trolling and what effect that has. An artist like Dua Lipa will get a lot of love and respect, but there are those who will hit out and slag off her music. Some people will get really personal and cruel and, whilst some might say this is all part of music, I would disagree.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @austindistel/Unsplash

If you do not like someone’s music, why go out of the way to say that on social media? It is not constructive for them and, instead, you are making someone feel rotten for no reason. Music is subjective, and I am not a fan of a lot of modern sounds. I am not a fan of Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran, but I never go out of my way to hate on Taylor Swift’s music or attack Ed Sheeran. Maybe the anonymity of social media means people feel safe stretching the definition of free speech; perhaps people feel venting and being mean on social media is a way to feel better or there is so much stress in the wold that they have no choice. Musicians can block people who say something negative, but that does seem like cleaning rocks on a beach that is being deluged by an oil spill: as soon as you have scrubbed one rock clean, it gets drenched in oil. In other words, there is always a fresh wave of haters and idiots who will replace those you block. I am glad artists are taking time away from social media and recognising that the toxic impact is too much. It is hard being in a business where one has to use social media to promote music. Artists deserve to read positive fan comments and they will post songs/teasers to get their music out there; news about tour dates and that sort of thing.

zxz.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: @brookecagle/Unsplash

On the one hand, one cannot ban people from social media for saying something obnoxious, but we do need to promote a more positive message. Some might cringe when Dua Lipa asks for more tolerance and love online because, as we know, that is being heavily outweighed by the anxious and negative. There are articles out there that outline how we can have a more positive experience online, but I do feel it will take a lot of hard work. I think we all need to think about how we are going to be move forward in 2020. I do think it will be a more positive year than this one, and there are things to look forward to. Music, more than anything in the world, should be a positive thing. There are so many great videos, songs and moments to explore, so it always bugs me when an artist is being targeted or feel drained because of abuse they get online. In 2020, instead of feeling it necessary to go after artists or say something hateful, realise that there is potential to be good and make a positive contribution. Dua Lipa, of course, was not just talking about negativity solely aimed at artists. Look at social media in general and most people’s Twitter feeds contains a lot of negativity and downbeat content. We can never erase all the bad and foreboding, but the desire of social media was, back before it was invented, to connect people and to give us opportunities we did not have before – reaching people around the world and providing a healthy and fascinating platform. We can all do more but, at the very least, we need to think about the impact seemingly harmless comments have on people. So many artists are taking time off from social media or quitting altogether because they are feeling overwhelmed or anxious because of what they read. I think social media can head in a much more positive direction next year (and needs to); we can all pledge to use sites like Twitter and Facebook…

xxxxxx.jpg

 PHOTO CREDIT: @christinhumephoto/Unsplash

FOR the power of good.