FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Johnny Cash's I Walk the Line at Sixty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

Johnny Cash's I Walk the Line at Sixty-Five

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RELEASED on 1st May, 1956…

I Walk the Line is among Johnny Cash’s most-famous songs. It is one of the classics from the late, much-missed Country star. Ahead of its sixty-fifth anniversary, I wanted to put together a Lockdown Playlist of other tracks that contain the words ‘line’ and ‘lines’. I was going to do a Johnny Cash-only playlist, but I thought it would be fun to compile some songs that share that word. Before getting to it, NPR ran a feature in 2000 regarding the story of I Walk the Line:

“If you read enough articles, interviews and liner notes, you can try to piece together the story of what inspired "I Walk the Line," but Johnny Cash is a masterful storyteller. And even his good friend Kris Kristofferson has said he's half-truth, half-fiction. The humming at the start of each verse? Cash said he picked that up from Dr. Hollingsworth, a physician in his hometown who was always humming. Then there's lyric, `I keep my eyes wide open all the time,' which Cash said was based on a piece of advice from a Dale Carnegie business course.

And the melody line? Well, in his autobiography, Cash explains how when he was in the Air Force in Germany, he put a tape up on his reel-to-reel recorder and heard a, quote, "haunting drone full of weird chord changes, something that sounded like spooky church music." It turned out the tape was a recording of his band, the Landsberg Barbarians, but it was being played backwards.

"I had a conversation with Johnny the other day," Rodney Crowell says. "And we were talking about when he was in the military--he was in the Air Force. And his job in the Air Force, he sat with headphones on trying to pick up, I think, German Morse code. And, you know, when Morse code's running through the headphones, and he's, you know, pulling his eight-hour shift. I said, `Man, that's sounds to me like--that's where your--(makes guitar noises)--sound came from.' And he said, `It absolutely is.' He said, `When I first started writing songs, I was kind of keeping a little notebook and scratching things around with Morse code running through my head.'"

When Johnny Cash came back from the Air Force, he moved to Memphis, where he worked as a door-to-door appliance salesman. He started a band with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant, two guys from the local car dealership. They wanted to record a gospel record with Sam Phillips. He was the hottest producer in Memphis, the brains and ears of Sun Records. He helped create Elvis Presley's sound, Carl Perkins' sound, Jerry Lee Lewis' sound. `Sam Phillips was the man to see,' Johnny Cash told "Fresh Air's" Terry Gross in 1997.

"So I called him, and he turned me down flat. And then two weeks later, I called him, turned down, turned down again. He told me over the phone that he couldn't sell gospel music. So I went down with my guitar and sat on the front steps of his recording studio and met him when he came in. And I said, `I'm John Cash. I'm the one who's been calling. And if you listen to me, I believe you'll be glad you did.' And he said, `Come on in.'"

Cash recorded a few singles with Sam Phillips. And not long after, he went on the road opening for 20-year-old Elvis Presley, who was already on his way to becoming, well, Elvis. And wherever Elvis went, of course, adoring girls were sure to follow. Johnny Cash was 23 and married to his first wife, Vivian Liberto. On tour, Cash met temptation, and that is what led him to write "I Walk the Line." It is a proclamation of fidelity.

"It was kind of a prodding to myself to, `Play it straight, Johnny,'" Cash said of the song.

Cash originally played the song on the slow side.

"Well, Sam wanted it up--you know, up-tempo. And I put paper in the strings of my guitar to get that--(makes guitar noises)--sound. And with a bass and a lead guitar, there it was. Bare and stark that song was when it was released. And I heard it on the radio, and I really didn't like it. And I called Sam Phillips and I asked him please not to send out any more records of that song. But he said, `Let's give it a chance.' And it was just a few days until--that's all it took to take off."

The song became a huge hit across the country, and the line Johnny Cash tried to walk in his personal life got tougher”.

To mark sixty-five years of a truly terrific and fantastic song, this Lockdown Playlist is an assortment of songs that have the word ‘line’ and ‘lines’ in their titles. It is left for me to round things off by providing a nod and salute to…

A Johnny Cash classic.

FEATURE: Between a Man and a Woman: Kate Bush and Mark Radcliffe

FEATURE:

 

 

Between a Man and a Woman

PHOTO CREDIT: BBC 

Kate Bush and Mark Radcliffe

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I am ramping back up…

my Kate Bush features, as there are things that have come to mind that I need to discuss. It is interesting how, even though Bush has not put out an album for almost a decade – I am not including the 2016 release of Before the Dawn (as that is a live album) -, there is still this fascination and room for exploration. Ahead of the tenth anniversary (on 16th May) of Bush’s ninth studio album, Director’s Cut, it is timely that I am highlighting someone who interviewed her when she was promoting that album. I have been thinking a lot about Bush’s interviews and some of the best through the year. Whilst she has spoken with a lot of people through the years, there are people that Bush sort of ‘comes back to’ – those she trusts and has a great bond with. I may explore other interviewers in a bit such as John Wilson. The BBC Radio 4 Front Line host spoke with Bush when she released 2005’s Aerial, in addition to Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow in 2011. The same can be said for Mark Radcliffe. When you hear Bush being interviewed by Wilson, you can sense the rapport and warmth. This is a quality that reveals itself when one listens to interviews she conducted with Radcliffe. Unfortunately, for some reason, the interview Radcliffe conducted with Bush for 50 Words for Snow is not on YouTube (it was a few weeks ago) – so I will drop in the interviews for Aerial and Director’s Cut. One reason why I wanted to highlight Mark Radcliffe’s love of Kate Bush is because, before 2005, there had been this long-held desire and campaign to interview one of his music heroines (I shall explain more a bit later). Bush sent a ‘good luck’ comment to Radcliffe on BBC Radio 2 in 2007 ahead of his show moving to a new 8 p.m. timeslot (the message was played on the station on Thursday, 5th April).

One of Mark's fave vinyl possessions, his signed copy of The Sensual World by Kate Bush @RSDUK #RSDFillTheGap pic.twitter.com/q57wBvtVDf

— BBC 6 Music Studio (@6MusicStudio) April 18, 2020

When it comes to Kate Bush passion, there are few who exert the same level as Radcliffe! Born the same year as her (1958), I can imagine his love for her music started quite young. I know her holds her 1989 album, The Sensual World, in very high regard. One can be certain that, when Bush releases another studio album, Mark Radcliffe will get another opportunity to interview her. I know his BBC Radio 6 Music colleague and co-host, Stuart Maconie, is also a big Kate Bush fan (and he has interviewed her at least once before). Their weekend breakfast show would be the perfect slot for an interview. Let’s hope that Radcliffe and Bush get to combine once more very soon. Rather than simply drop in a couple of interviews between Radcliffe and Bush, I wanted to source some articles/interviews where Radcliffe discusses his experiences with Bush and why he loves her music. I wonder whether we will see a Wuthering Heights documentary from Radcliffe. As Kate Bush News reported in September 2020, there were rumours, suggestions and rumblings:

“BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Mark Radcliffe has posted several tweets recently of a trip he made to Haworth in Yorkshire, to make a film about Kate and the song that started it all, Wuthering Heights. The documentary should be aired sometime around Christmas. Mark has been a vocal supporter of Kate ever since creating the “Bushometer” on his radio show in the early 2000s before Aerial was released, counting down to his dream of interviewing Kate, which he has now since done more than once!”.

It would be good to see a documentary from Radcliffe as I myself have trying to pitch a Kate Bush documentary to the BBC and sundry sources – to little avail or much positivity from them. The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill was released in 2014 to coincide with Bush returning to the stage with Before the Dawn. That documentary, as I have said a lot, has some positives - though there are areas for improvement and some negatives…no less the mere one-hour running time and the fact the documentary is more an overview of Bush and her music rather than a deep dive! In August 2014, The Big Issue spoke with a host of people who talked about what makes Bush great – and what to expect from her gigs:

“On August 26, at London’s Hammersmith Eventim Apollo, Kate Bush makes her long-awaited, never-dreamed-of return to the live arena. Rumours of a big, theatrical extravaganza are buzzing, but the show has been kept firmly under wraps. This week Kate herself implored fans to just connect with the rest of the audience – and her – rather than view the shows through smartphones and cameras. As the excitement builds, The Big Issue spoke to a host of people who know and love her about what makes Kate great, and what to expect at the gigs… hold on to your hats!

Here, MARK RADCLIFFE, Radio 2 and 6Music DJ who’s bagged the best interviews with Kate Bush at her home, unravels the mystery of her music…

She’s got everything: she’s personable, beautiful, talented and yet she has a layer on top of that of sheer originality. She’s a one-off. Her work is magical. I love her voice, I love her piano playing, I love her composition and ideas. Her records take you to another place.

My favourite album of recent times is A Sky of Honey, the second disc on Aerial, which has birdsong all the way through, tracking a day with birdsong. I love the song on there Somewhere In Between, it works as a piece of pop music but it’s in the middle of this concept album.

There’s no one else in the whole world who would have thought of doing this. 50 Words for Snow, those long songs, just her at the piano; she does exactly what she wants to do and has the confidence to carry it through.

From a very early age she could make the music industry bend to her will, whereas the other way around was the norm. She then took time off to be a mother to her son, even though she was kind of working but not at any particularly great rate in those years.

Kate Bush is that old-fashioned thing, she’s an artist – she creates this music and a by-product is people want to know about her personal life. And she doesn’t want to tell them. She doesn’t want to put it on Facebook, it’s her private life. What she prizes over all else is being able to live a normal life with her family.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush captured in 2005/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton/National Portrait Gallery, London  

The thing I found most surprising when I met her is that she was completely normal, she’s a really friendly, chatty, welcoming, working mum. The first time I went to her house she hadn’t had time to make any food so she’s got this cheese flan from the supermarket, she hadn’t made any particular effort in what she was wearing, she was just going about her day and that day happened to include me as well as taking her son Bertie to school and whatever else she was doing.

She’s absolutely not crazy (despite tabloid clichés). It’s not for me to speak for her, but I don’t think she’s wildly over-concerned, my impression was she finds it quite funny that they think she swans around in a batwing dress in a gothic castle. She’s picking up cheese flans from the supermarket!

I never thought I would get the chance to see her live, I didn’t see her one and only tour and I just never thought it would happen. When I’ve interviewed her I’ve always asked about it and she always said “I’ve not ruled it out”, but I never took that as an indication she was really serious about it. So it was quite a big surprise when she announced the dates.

I would be very surprised if it was anything other than quite theatrical, dramatic and well-designed with some over-arching concept to it, but I’m guessing”.

She cares very much about what people think about the work. She always asks you very carefully about it. She is interested, and the reaction to records is very important to her, she pours her heart and soul into them.

She is wildly imaginative and creative, and she’s fantastically single-minded, quite pragmatic about what needs to be done, not an airy-fairy flighty idea: it’s work, it’s art, the process of creation, and she takes all that very seriously. She has meticulous control over all the music and the artwork. She’s a one-off, a true original. And she’s fantastically good humoured and giggly and smiley”.

Although I have said that Radcliffe holds The Sensual World in high esteem (which is true), the fact that he first got to spend a lot of time with Kate Bush when she promoted Aerial means that the 2005 double album holds a very special place in his heart. The album’s second disc, A Sky of Honey, is a mesmeric piece of work. In 2019, Jude Rogers was writing for The Quietus and spoke with Radcliffe about his music tastes. A Sky of Honey was one of his album picks:

“Kate Bush – A Sky Of Honey (one half of Aerial)

Picking half an album is probably cheating, but this half of the album is worth a whole album to me. I like A Sea Of Honey [the first half] too, don't get me wrong, but this is something almost beyond music. The idea of it being carried through birdsong, starting with her child's voice, then travelling through a single day in the summer through to night, with Kate imitating the birds herself, then going through to the morning… what an amazing idea. Seeing her doing this at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2014 was one of the highlights of my life. I'd interviewed her three or four times at this point – she's lovely, and once made me a cheese pie – and I'd always hate having to say, well, 'Kate, would you ever…', feeling really embarrassed to ask her about touring. I never thought she would again, but she'd always say, 'I haven't ruled it out.' And there we were.

I've loved how she treats releasing music as something to do when she wants to do it. I know she can afford to, but what a great attitude that is – she could have released a lot more of it, and been pressured to do so. I mean, I can barely imagine what it must have been like being a teenage girl in the 1970s emerging into a pop industry full of the middle-aged equivalents to today's Jeffrey Epstein figures. Unbelievably tough. To come out of that so assured and confident and do her thing without ever compromising – I admire that so much”.

As Radcliffe revealed to The Star (the banner headline/paragraph explained how “The fates dealt Mark Radcliffe a tough hand in 2018. In the space of 12 months his father died, his dog passed away, the BBC 6 Music radio show he presents with Stuart Maconie was abruptly shunted from weekday afternoons to weekend mornings and – most worryingly of all – he was diagnosed with cancer of the head and neck”), he won Bush’s trust. Even though she is fiercely private, he did manage to find out a little about her. I love the interviews he has conducted with Kate Bush - let’s hope the 50 Words for Snow interview goes back up soon (there is a good one Bush conducted with Jamie Cullum that is missing too). The long and fascinating Aerial interview is worth seeking out. I also really like the 2011 interviews. It is clear that Bush likes Radcliffe and enjoys speaking with him. There is a natural back and forth and chemistry that means, as I said, it is highly likely he will be invited back for an interview if and when Bush releases another album – let’s hope it is post-pandemic so that he gets to visit her at her home! I feel interviews are an important aspect of Bush’s career; in the sense we can learn things about her that we do not get from the music. There have been a list of one-off interviewers. In an exclusive club is Mark Radcliffe. I love a lot of the interviews Bush has conducted, though there is something special about her chats with Radcliffe. Each of their interviews is…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for 2011’s 50 Words for Snow

SUCH a wonderful and intimate listen.  

FEATURE: The May Playlist: Vol. 1: New-Found Power and Raised Self Esteem

FEATURE:

 

 

The May Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish

Vol. 1: New-Found Power and Raised Self Esteem

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THIS week…

PORTRAIT CREDIT: Briony May Davies

is another typically and reliably busy and quality-laden one for new music. There are great tracks from Billie Eilish, Jessie Ware, Self Esteem, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Kings of Convenience, girl in red, Sarah Close, Emma-Jean Thackray, Dawn Richard, Garbage, Mattiel, Royal Blood, and The Coral. Throw into the mix some Róisín Murphy, Little Mix (ft. Saweetie), PJ Harvey, Burna Boy, Warpaint, Julia Stone, and Manchester Orchestra, and there is something in there for everyone! If you require a boost and energy to get you into the weekend, then I think this week’s Playlist should sort you right out. There are plenty of great tracks to get you…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Jessie Ware

INTO the groove.   

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists

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Billie Eilish – Your Power

Self Esteem - I Do This All the Time

Jessie Ware - Please

Kings of Convenience - Rocky Trail

PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Kise

girl in red – Body and Mind

Emma-Jean Thackray  - Say Something

Dawn Richard – Boomerang

PHOTO CREDIT: María José Govea

Garbage - No Gods No Masters

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - We're On Our Way Now

Róisín Murphy - Crooked Madame

Royal Blood – Oblivion

Mattiel – These Words

The Coral – Change Your Mind

Little Mix (ft. Saweetie) – Confetti

Ashley Monroe – Gold

Squirrel Flower - I'll Go Running

Phoebe Green – IDK

PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Kasirye for The New York Times

Marianne Faithfull (with Warren Ellis) – Ozymandias

Sarah Close – I Can’t Trust Myself

Birdy – The Otherside

The Aces – Don’t Freak

Julia Stone – Queen

DJ Khaled (ft. Nas, JAY-Z & James Fauntleroy and Harmonies by The Hive) - SORRY NOT SORRY

Burna Boy – Kilometre

Kara Marni – Twisted Fantasy

Manchester Orchestra – Telepath

Alfie Templeman, April – One More Day

PHOTO CREDIT: Pooneh Ghana

Faye Webster - Cheers

PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Topete

black midi – Slow

Mannequin Pussy – Perfect

Bow Anderson – Hate That I Fell in Love with You

WILLOW (ft. Travis Barker) - t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l

Molly Burch - Control

Emmi – DRUM

PHOTO CREDIT: Furmaan Ahmed

CLOVES – Nightmare

Rosie Tucker – Different Animals

Natalie Gray – My Toy

Amy Shark - The Wolves

KAHLLA – Anything at All

Riva Taylor – Woman

spill tab - Anybody Else

BERWYN - I'D RATHER DIE THAN BE DEPORTED

Half Waif  - Swimmer

Anitta – Girl from Rio

Willow Kayne – Two Seater

Warpaint - Lilys (HBO Made for Love Cut)

Hayley Kiyoko - Found My Friends

PHOTO CREDIT: Masayoshi Sukita

Marc Bolan, T. Rex - Big Black Cat

PJ Harvey - The Pocket Knife (Demo)

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Forty-Five: Billie Marten

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern Heroines

Part Forty-Five: Billie Marten

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FOR this forty-fifth…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Katie Silvester

part of my Modern Heroines feature, I am including an artist whose debut album turns five this year. Twenty-one-year-old Billie Marten is one of my favourite artists and, as I have said before, her debut, Writing of Blues and Yellows, was my favourite albums of the 2010s. I was amazed by the maturity, beauty and phenomenal songwriting from the then-teenager! I will concentrate on her previous album, Feeding Seahorses by Hand, came out in 2019. I think that the album was a worthy and exceptional follow-up to an album that I hold in great affection. I think that her upcoming album, Flora Fauna, adds new elements, fresh energy and sonic elements to the palette. It is being released on 21st May. Make sure that you order a copy, as it is going to be a stunning album:

“Flora Fauna is the third album from Billie Marten. Raised in the rolling hills of North Yorkshire on artists such as Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, and Kate Bush, Marten’s critically acclaimed debut album Writing of Blues and Yellows, was released in 2016 when she was still just 17, while its follow-up Feeding Seahorses By Hand was similarly lauded in 2019 (# 53 in UK album chart).

Flora Fauna, was recorded with Rich Cooper in London. Marten’s new material blends those signature hushed, resonant vocals with a rapid pulse and rich instrumentation, her inspirations now stretching from krautrockers Can, to Broadcast, Arthur Russell, and Fiona Apple.

Built on the minimalist acoustic folk foundations she made a name for herself with, Flora Fauna is a more mature, embodied album fostered around a strong backbone of bass and rhythm. Shedding the timidity of previous work in favour of a more urgent sound, the songs mark a period of personal independence for Marten as she learned to nurture herself and break free from toxic relationships - and a big part of that was returning to nature”

I am going to quote from a recent interview where Marten discussed Flora Fauna and how her music has evolved and developed through the years. I think that Marten is going to be an icon in the future. At such a young age, she has already achieved so much. Like Laura Marling, she has prodigious talent for someone so young. I am curious to see how she develops as a songwriter - and, as she goes through her twenties and thirties, whether her music undergoes a bit shift (or whether she keeps a more acoustic and Folk temperament in the fold). The first interview I want to bring in is from The Line of Best Fit. If Flora Fauna feels like fresh bloom and a distinct new stage of Billie Marten’s career, perhaps Feeding Seahorses by Hand was a natural follow-on from Writing of Blues and Yellows:

“Marten's mindset has always been naturally focused. Born Isabella Sophie Tweddle, her metamorphosis into Billie Marten was no forced hand, but one she found herself growing into as her musical dreams progressed thanks to uploaded YouTube covers. With this growth came her exploration into songwriting, which took equal roles as a place to journal her own inner workings and as a means to chronicle observations, but it's her deep rooted personality traits that have kept Marten growing richer in a dried-out world.

"[The album] is just little pockets of the past two years. Writing really sporadically, there was a time when I just didn't pick up a guitar, and some of those songs came out of the depths of total..." she tapers off, and pauses, before breathing deeply. "I was not believing I was a musician at all - but actually these songs are some of the happiest I've ever written, so it was just a bit of living that came together in [these] 12 tracks at the end."

​Feeding Seahorses By Hand is undoubtedly a decided collection of songs. "I only made another one because I had enough songs to make an album," Marten says.

On her debut, 2016's Writing Of Blues And Yellows, came a delicate version of Marten: sparse folk sounds rang true, while she mirrored herself into a world that had offered her opportunity. A focal point stemmed from the fact its recording took place while she was still in school, and, unlike most, her decision to stay the course and finish her education meant for a while she stood with one foot on familiar ground, and the other firmly in the greener grass of promise.

Like a true child of the arts however, Marten finds literature fuelling her creative sun. No stranger to incorporating it into her music, on her debut she penned a track in tribute to the Brontë sisters, specifically Emily Brontë.

​"The correlation between literature and music, for me, was purely based on nature because I felt the people that were writing about it were my sort of community, and it was always a way for them to express how they felt through that."

"This time around I was reading writers that were quite vulnerable; a lot of first-person stuff, a lot of minimalism. My favourite book is L'Étranger - The Outsider - by Albert Camus. It floors me every single time. The first line is [translated] 'Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know.' Brutal things like that. I underline things in every book."

While Marten certainly has an unassuming air about her, the moment you delve into Feeding Seahorses..., the savage side spurred on by the likes of Camus shines through. "Blood Is Blue" features the brutal imagery of "I'm a slaughtered pig / and I’m happy to die," in regards to love, and a previous relationship. Continuing on she furthers this allegory with stark lines such as "So sit down, let's eat / fill your plate all up with meat...".

Her ability to gut vulnerable emotions for want of bare realism, only to then pull out its beating heart brings the truth of how Marten sees the world to light. The numerous references to the sea and marine life on cuts such as "Fish", "Blue Sea, Red Sea", and the album's title track may outnumber the more brutal, but it's this brutality that shows the multi-faceted mind to the environment she inhabits”.

I am really looking forward to the release of Flora Fauna and how it is going to be received. Marten has definitely captured the imagination and heart of the music industry. Looking at her social media feed and her music is being played and recognised by a lot of people! It is great to see such love being blown her way. I am not surprised. From her pure, rich and stirring voice to her amazing lyrical gifts, it is a moving and wonderful experience listening to Marten’s music. Going back to The Line of Best Fit. They reviewed Feeding Seahorses by Hand and had this to say:

“Despite the lengthy absence since her last record, a majority of this album was laid down on on a four track tape recorder at producer Ethan Johns's house in just two highly focused weeks of recording. This organic approach to recording has helped Marten maintain the rough-edge and natural feel of her debut - one of its most praised features - but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t expanded her sound. Where Writing of Blues and Yellows was deeply atmospheric with skeletal instrumentals, Feeding Seahorses By Hand features some more diverse arrangements, incorporating anything from synthesisers to slide guitars and drum machines to choral vocals. Marten masterfully incorporates these new elements with such subtlety and restraint it never seems excessive and never allows them to detract from the raw and subdued nature of the album.

PHOTO CREDIT: Marieke Macklon for The Line of Best Fit 

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

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

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

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

I can imagine that, after releasing a debut album, where was a little bit of pressure to get a follow-up out fairly quickly. Aged just seventeen when Writing of Blues and Yellows was released, it must have been quite a strange and suddenly-busy time. In an interview with EUPHORIA., Marten was asked about having to deal with a new career and workload at a very early stage in her life:

“You gained recognition and acclaim really early into your career. Looking back at it, do you think you were ever able to fully process it at the time?

Not at all. My head was all over the place, mostly due to relentless travel and the switching of scene, culture, accent, style of people was all very confusing. Luckily we made it out and I finished up school and decided to start making a small home in London. Now I’m much more settled and clearer on how everything works, particularly in the industry, with the knowledge of what to look out for and when to speak up and how to hold yourself with more confidence I guess. It was an experience.

How was the creative process different for this album compared with your debut?

Recording sporadically last time was very difficult but looking back I thought it was the norm. This time we had 10 or so days cooped up in Ethan’s house to really get a sense of this album as a whole rather than individual songs. We tracked everything on a four-track tape machine which was a new experience, but completely natural. I loved it.

Is the anticipation towards releasing this album different compared to releasing your debut?

You feel the general nervousness of something looming, but I try to forget about things like that.

Your debut album came out three years ago and your first EP was released five years ago. How has your relationship with performing some of those songs evolved over time?

That does seem like an incredibly long time already. I don’t play listen to anything that’s already been released, and will always treasure the first album, but I struggle to connect to those first songs as anyone would. Some of them were written when I was 13/14 which is madness to think I have the same sensibility and brain as I did then. This second time around it’s more band focused and there’s room to breathe, dance, relax, listen to the production. Of course, we still play the old stuff but I enjoy playing live a lot more now”.

I want to bring things up to date. Flora Fauna comes fairly soon after Feeding Seahorses by Hand. An interview I am keen to source from is from Adolescent. It is interesting learning about the background of Flora Fauna and what the creative process looked like:

“Adolescent: You referred to the upcoming Flora Fauna album as a way of pulling yourself out of a toxic pattern and finding ways to take care of yourself. What was that experience like?

Billie: I think people forget the amount of time it takes to learn to respect yourself. It’s something that no one talks about and it’s incredibly important; it’s the key to survival. If you don’t like or respect yourself, you can’t function. I didn’t take enough time to observe if I was really happy. Musically, I wasn’t inspired by anything. I think in the last eighteen months I’ve begun to understand what I need and appreciate myself regardless of who I’m with, which is enormous.

Adolescent: It’s a process a lot of us are still learning. It’s an interesting point that you made about being unhappy and how that negatively impacts your work. I think there’s a huge myth in saying that you have to be “tortured” to be a great artist—that it’s somehow conducive to being creative when that’s not the case.

Billie: I hate that! It’s not the goal to be mentally ill. I really wish we could get rid of the whole tortured-soul-artist thing. Also [the notion that] that if you’re a woman, you’re really troubled. That’s just a recurring storyline and it doesn’t make any sense. I’ve had a history of depression and anxiety, but it doesn’t define me. Sometimes when I write, that side of me comes out, and sometimes it doesn’t. It doesn’t mean that you’re forever a tortured soul.

Adolescent: What did the creative process look like for creating Flora Fauna?

Billie: My producer, Rich Cooper, and I started by writing in a room together. I’d bought a bass, which I’d never played before in my life. We just started playing together over a few weeks and [soon enough] we had a small collection of songs. The first thing I thought was that I’m going to make a rule, and the rule is, if I can’t see myself enjoying playing it live, then I should stop writing the song. That was the template we kept repeating.

Adolescent: Do you feel conscious of the evolution of your work over time?

Billie: I got lost listening to some old demos lately. It was bad singing, just bad! I thought I knew so much about how the world worked and I really didn’t. But you’ll never make a first album again, so there’s no point trying to erase it. It came out when I was seventeen and that’s fine. It will always be on the internet. None of the decisions that you make in your past you want to do now—it’s a constantly evolving thing”.

There are possible tour dates happening later in the year. If you can, go and see Billie Marten play live, as she is a sensational artist who is going to go very far. Marten is booked to play several photos this year - including Y Not Festival and Boardmasters. I feel she will go on to be seen as one of the country’s greatest songwriters. I have followed her work since before Writing of Blues and Yellows came out. I know we will see a lot more music from the incredible Marten! I shall wrap up now. There was no doubt I was going to include Marten in Modern Heroines as she is…

A huge talent one needs to respect and follow.

FEATURE: A Frank Discussion: Exploring Amy Winehouse’s Remarkable, Open and Affecting Debut Album

FEATURE:

 

A Frank Discussion

Exploring Amy Winehouse’s Remarkable, Open and Affecting Debut Album

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IN terms of albums that…

are underrated and are living in the shadow of their more successful and noted follow-up, Amy Winehouse’s debut, Frank, stands there with the best of them. On 23rd July, it will be a decade since we lost a remarkable artist. It seems scarcely believable it has been that long! Winehouse’s legacy and influence lives on through her stunning music, her fans and other musicians. I often wonder where Winehouse could have gone after the remarkable Back to Black – which turns fifteen on 26th October. Some say that Frank lacks real originality, and there are few tracks where Winehouse stuns and soars. I would disagree. In terms of some album information, this article provides more detail:

“Frank is  debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse. It was released on 20 October 2003 by Island Records. Production for the album took place during 2002 to 2003 and was handled by Winehouse, Salaam Remi, Commissioner Gordon, Jimmy Hogarth and Matt Rowe. Its title alludes to the nature and tone of Winehouse's lyrics on the album, as well as one of her influences, Frank Sinatra.

Upon its release, Frank received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned Winehouse several accolades, including an Ivor Novello Award. The album has sold over one million copies in the United Kingdom and has been certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI)”.

I am going to source a couple of review for Frank in a minute. I think that there are clear influences on the album, yet Winehouse never wears them too heavily on her sleeves. I think Back to Black is a more dramatic, sweeping and somewhat love-lost album. There is greater lightness on Frank. Whilst we do not have songs as cinematic and stirring as Back to Black and Love Is a Losing Game, there is so much quality and natural talent bursting through. Stronger Than Me is a remarkable opener, whilst In My Bed is a song that showcases Winehouse’s incredible voice. Eighteen years after Frank’s release and I don’t think we have seen anything since then that has the same sounds and components. There are modern artists where one can detect a link to Winehouse (such as Jorja Smith), through I think that she remains untouchable. Her debut shows so much promise and signs of what she would create on Back to Black. I want to bring in a review from The A.V. Club:

“Amy Winehouse arrived on these shores with a big voice, big hair, big story, big screaming tabloid headlines, big hits, big sound, big album (Back To Black) and one hellacious appetite for self-destruction. But she was already an established artist in her native England before Back In Black transformed her into an international pop icon. Now Universal is capitalizing on her stateside popularity with the U.S. release of her 2003 coffee-shop-friendly debut, Frank. Frank traffics in bratty attitude and retro sounds, but instead of Black's almost oppressively catchy Motown/girl-group stomp, the album features languid, wide-open neo-soul grooves and jazzy vamping: Think Erykah Badu with Nancy Spungen's Neanderthal taste in men. On the first song, "Stronger Than Me," Winehouse admonishes an Alan Alda type overly in touch with his feelings to stop being so thoughtful, considerate, and sensitive, and start behaving like a man. The songcraft is looser and more organic than Black's, but also more ramshackle and meandering, with Winehouse's fluid cooing filling in the empty spaces and doodling airily in the margins. Thanks largely to timing, Frank inevitably feels like a warm-up for Black, but as rough drafts go, this one's a keeper”.

There are hugely positive reviews for Frank. Most seem to be mainly positive, but they hint at weaknesses and a sense that she can go on to better things. I would like to think that there will be a new version of Frank released with extra tracks that then gets some fresh reviews. I think that it is one of the most impressive debut albums of the first decade of the 2000s. I listen to Frank now and it never fails to impress, move me and provoke so many different emotions. I will wrap up but, first, a review from PopMatters caught my eye:

“Quite possibly the most interesting about Frank is that it doesn’t sound much like it’s follow-up. While hip-hop producer Salaam Remi is on board for good chunks of both albums (and is behind the boards for Frank‘s more adventurous cuts), the post doo-wop flavor so prevalent on Black to Black isn’t here. What you wind up with is an album that walks the midpoint between Erykah Badu and Norah Jones. With that said, it’s only slightly less musically appealing than Winehouse’s current album, and a quick listen to the lyrics reveals no doubt as to who wrote these songs. The caustic attitude and real-life situations that made so many folks flock to Back to Black was there from Day One.

Album highlights include the Roots-ish “Stronger Than Me”, during which she completely emasculates a boyfriend, questioning his sexuality and saying he’s “longer than frozen turkey” (no, I don’t know what that means, either. Must be a British thing). She reinforces her affinity for hip-hop by flowing flawlessly over the aggressive breakbeat from Nas’s “Made You Look” (also produced by Remi) on the melodic “In My Bed”. Along the way, she dedicates a song to her guitar (“Cherry”), takes a hilarious look at gold-digging women (“F*** Me Pumps”), and stops to give us heartbreaking ballads like the delicate “(There Is) No Greater Love”. Hints of the self-destructive streak that would lyrically color Back to Black are present on songs like “What Is It About Men” and “Amy Amy Amy”.

What Frank winds up reinforcing is the fact that Winehouse’s success (unlike name-your-current-American-female-vocalist) is based on pure talent rather than good producers or gimmicks. From a musical standpoint, her two albums are quite different, but they’re both excellent works. From a lyrical and vocal standpoint, she has few peers in her age group. Anyone who fell in love with Back to Black would be wise to check this out (provided they didn’t already get the jump and purchase this as an import). The woman’s talent is undeniable. Let’s hope she sticks around long enough for us to enjoy even more of it”.

In July, when we remember Winehouse ten years after she died, Frank will get new focus and inspection. I think her departure was one of the greatest losses for the music world. After two different and incredible albums, there were some predicting she would become an icon and superstar. I think she is anyway, though I do still think of how big and remarkable Winehouse could have been with more time. I love listening to Frank, as it seems to be a singer less troubled and hounded than on Back to Black. By 2006, Winehouse was definitely in the media’s gaze. One gets the impression that a lot of the angst and heartache in the album can be attributed to the way she was constantly under the spotlight and being vilified. A fresher-faced, freer album means that Frank will remain very special and important. I would encourage anyone to listen to Frank the entire way through. It is a wonderful work that introduced the world to a peerless talent. Ahead of the tenth anniversary of Winehouse’s passing, a new generation of listeners will happen upon her work and be introduced to a sensational artist. To me, Frank is a truly…

CAPTIVATING debut.

FEATURE: The First Big Revolution: Kate Bush’s Never for Ever and a New Sonic World

FEATURE:

 

 

The First Big Revolution

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush signing her album, Never For Ever, at London's Virgin Megastore/PHOTO CREDIT: Chas Sime/Getty Images 

Kate Bush’s Never for Ever and a New Sonic World

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I understand I have covered…

Never for Ever in pieces before, though I have not really touched on one observation. Kate Bush would undergo various evolutions and musical leaps through her career though, to me, the first distinctive evolution occurred when she released 1980’s Never for Ever. I think that her first two albums, The Kick Inside and Lionheart (both released in 1978) are tremendous and showcase an incredibly confident and mature artist. One of the observations levied at those albums is that their compositions and sonic palettes are fairly simple. The Kick Inside is largely composed of piano, guitar, bass and percussion - albeit arranged beautifully and with some sublime moments. Even though Lionheart possesses some more evocative, inventive and unusual sounds – think of songs like Hammer Horror, Coffee Homeground and Full House – Bush was not allowed much time to consider musical progression and creating a second album that was an advancement and shift from her debut. Even so, what we hear on Lionheart seems quite a bit different and remarkable given the tight deadline and window for original expression. Following 1979’s The Tour of Life and the fact Bush not only had played songs from her first two albums and move on; she also incorporated mime, art and cinema into that show. With a greater degree of creative input and production responsibility – her first two albums were produced by Andrew Powell -, I definitely feel 1979 was the bridge between the sound of her first two albums and Never for Ever.

Quite a bit changed by 1980. Bush co-produced Never for Ever with Jon Kelly (who was an engineer on the first two albums). Bush assisted production on Lionheart but, now, she was in a position where she could mould and direct her music as she felt fit. It is natural that a more experienced producer would helm for the first album or two. It was clear that EMI had enough faith in Bush to be able to let her produce relatively unaided. Bush and Kelly had produced together for the On Stage E.P. (which was released on 31st August, 1979). They started work on Never for Ever the same month. Bush was only twenty-one at this point so, although she had relatively limited input on her debut and follow-up, she was still so young to be in a position to produce. I have written about the Fairlight CMI before and the fact that transformed Bush’s music. Inspired by peter Gabriel’s use and introduction of the Fairlight CMI – and having worked with him on a couple of songs from his third eponymous album of 1980 (which was recorded summer-autumn 1979) -, we hear splashes and shades from the revolutionary kit on songs such as Army Dreamers and Never for Ever’s third (and final) single, Babooshka. Recorded in 1980, this was a song where Bush could utilise the Fairlight CMI and show to the world that she was embracing modern technology and breaking away, to an extent, from what she recorded on The Kick Inside and Lionheart.

Babooshka is the opening track on Never for Ever. I think part of that is to do with the fact that it is quite an urgent and catchy song that would hook people in early. I think another reason is because Bush wanted to put a song at the top that superbly showcased how far she had come. I think she had this love and fascination with the Fairlight, so Babooshka’s use of that piece of kit might have contributed to the track’s inclusion at the start of the record. I was reading the new On Track… book that was written by Bill Thomas. He covered every song and album from Bush. Although the demo was recorded in 1977, the album version is incredibly different. Thomas notes that Babooshka is a prime example on Never for Ever of a crisper and more modern-sounding artist. In some ways, her first couple of albums were more classical and had a distinct feeling of the past. Perhaps the arrangements are more stifled and conservative on The Kick Inside and Lionheart. Never for Ever is Kate Bush unrestricted and liberated. A few other moments from Never for Ever demonstrated how Bush was cleaning the slate and starting afresh. Babooshka leads straight into Delius (Song of Summer). There is no gap and, as Thomas also notes, Never for Ever was sort of a concept album. Not in terms of an over-arching story and intention. Rather, some tracks flow together and Bush was, in some way, inspired by concept albums.

She was firmly at the helm, and I feel that she is amazingly assured as a producer (with help from Jon Kelly). Look at Night Scented Stock and the fact that it is a wordless bridge between The Infant Kiss and Army Dreamers. If Bush was not consciously making a concept album she was thinking, as a producer, about more than compiling songs. In terms of compositions, Bush had widened and expanded her output since The Kick Inside and Lionheart. Maybe she felt the production and sequencing on those albums were a little dry and routine. As such, Never for Ever flows, twists and seems more like a film than a series of chapters in a book. The album is more surprising, eclectic and progressive than her earlier work. It is amazing to hear what Bush managed to achieve on her first album as a co-producer. Never for Ever is a very underrated album. I think there is so much to enjoy. The songs are so interesting and deep. Bush was also changing things up in terms of her lyrical horizons. Overall, one can not really compare the sounds of Lionheart and Never for Ever. Bush would, arguably, take an even bigger leap for her next album, 1982’s The Dreaming. I wanted to revisit Never for Ever, as I had not really covered the sonic and production differences between her 1978-released albums and what came out in 1980. I think that Never for Ever opened doors and set a course for Bush as a producer and creator. The more I listen to it, the more that I realise the fact that Never for Ever is…

A delightful and fascinating album.

FEATURE: Second Spin - Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving

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THIS Second Spin…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay in the 1990s/PHOTO CREDIT: Simon King/Redferns

concerns an album by a band that remain underrated. Their eighth studio album, Automaton, was released in 2017. I think that Jamiroquai are a great group who have produced some sensational albums. One album that I remember buying fondly is Travelling Without Moving. The third studio album by the Funk/Acid Jazz band, it was released on 28th August, 1996 in Japan, 9th September, 1996 in the United Kingdom, 19th November, 1996 in Canada, and 14th, January 1997 in the United States. Travelling Without Moving sold over eight million copies worldwide and entered the Guinness World Records as the best-selling Funk album in history. One cannot argue against those credentials! This is a case of an album selling extremely well but one where the critics were a little mixed. Their previous album, 1994’s The Return of the Space Cowboy, received slightly better reviews. Maybe some were falling out of love with Jamiroquai by 1996. With their leader, Jay Kay, in top form on Travelling Without Moving, this is an album that deserves new inspection. Boasting huge singles like Cosmic Girl and Virtual Insanity, there is plenty to enjoy! I think that Travelling Without Moving is much more than a couple of big singles and not a lot else. The title track, Drifting Along and Spend a Lifetime are other great songs. Coming in at over an hour, perhaps one or two songs could have been taken off – it does seem like a bit of a long listen, even though it is a very strong album.

Alright and High Times were other successful singles. Maybe having the best songs in the first half of the album means there is a slightly imbalanced experience in terms of quality. Listening to Travelling Without Moving nearly twenty-five years after its release, and it still sound amazing and full of life. I really love the album, yet there are some mixed reviews for it. This is what Pitchfork noted in their review:

“Listening to Jamiroquai's Travelling Without Moving is like... well, it's exactly like listening to Stevie Wonder's Innervisions if it'd been recorded with today's digital technology. Oh, and this record leaves you feeling like you've just won the lottery, instead of feeling like you've just been permanently impoverished.

Travelling Without Moving is purely a funk record, circa 1977. The high- gloss studio production, the danceable rhythms, and the light- weight song topics ("You Are My Love," for example) are all primary elements of a classic disco album. The message: let's just dance and have some fun.

The album's got its moments of pure, unadulterated musical magic. Songs like the hit opener "Virtual Insanity," and the wave- your- hands- in- the- air getdown of "Alright" could be future retro club anthems. Even "Cosmic Girl" and its perfectly- executed disco smash production brings visuals of polyester, earth- tone- colored suits and the flashing squares of a 1979 dance floor.

Sadly, Travelling Without Moving has its duds, too. Songs like the bland "Use The Force" and the horrible reggae number "Drifting Along" will have you shaking your head in terror the second they emerge from the speakers. But hey, it's for this very reason your disc player is programmable.

Aside from a few of those tacky songs, Jamiroquai's third effort is an enjoyable one. As a "listening experience," you'd be better off with 1995's Return of the Space Cowboy. If you want to get people on the floor with some irresistible funkboard boogie, Travelling Without Moving will get your party started like you were the president of the '70s Preservation Society”.

There were some positive reviews for Travelling Without Moving. I wonder if critics who were a little down on the album years ago would think differently if they heard it now. I want to bring in an NME review that mixed some positives with criticism:

“IT WAS on the back of the sleeve of 'Speak Like A Child' by The Style Council that The Cappuccino Kid, wrote words to the effect (well, did anyone really dig a word he dug?) that all good records should contain at least one bass solo. No-one believed him, of course... apart from Jamiroquai.

And if the The Cappuccino Kid's diktat is indeed gospel, then 'Travelling Without Moving' is a work of genius. There are fantastic, elastic trousers made of rubber and plastic bass solos galore. There are rat-at-tat drum solos, too. There's some solo squelchy '70s synth squashing as well. There's even a crap didgeridoo solo that's dragged out for a couple of hours and turned into a song called - tuck your bib in, bubba - 'Didgerama' and that segues into 'Didgital Vibrations'! Ah, yes. And thereby hangs the tale of Jamiroquai's recorded long-playing woe. Jay Kay and his young funk guv'ners write a nifty pop song, y'see - the evidence of this can be found on the shiny singles that fleshed out their otherwise stodgy previous two albums. The single format doesn't allow them the time to get flash and simply showcases the song and Jay's fine voice. Give 'em a bit more space, however, and they insist on dragging everything out too long, proving just what consummate musos they are and wheeling that didgeridoo out.

'Travelling...' is an improvement on previous efforts because in amongst the funky wanking there are a handful of bittersweet gems. The fine single, 'Virtual Insanity', falls into this camp, as do the two matching swings through Jay's fairy-lit disco, 'Cosmic Girl' and 'Alright' ("We'll spend the night together/Wake up and live forever" is the epitome of Jay's romantic lyrical vision). Best of all is the whirlwind of percussion and bass that powers the wide-eyed 'Use The Force'. "I must believe", croons Jay breathlessly, "that I can do anything".

Unfortunately that includes reggae. Halfway through an album that's previously been surprisingly (and relatively) un-self-indulgent Jay slips into a cod West Indian accent - oh yes - and we're skanking. Bad move. The floodgates are now open and pretty soon the cute little songs have been dumped in favour of 50 flavours of arse. Didgeridoos, ballads, solos... anything goes, including any listener patience.

So it's back to 'Drifting Along' one more time just to check that accent out. Fantastic stuff! He's from Ealing, you know”.

It is amazing to think that an album can sell millions and be so successful, and yet it remains a little underwhelming in the minds of many critics! Travelling Without Moving has more than enough to enjoy. One does not need to be a fan of Jamiroquai to appreciate the album. It is very accessible and will get stuck in your head after a single spin. Despite there being one or two weak tracks, overall, Travelling Without Moving is a great listen. Go and check out the album, as I think that is was unfairly maligned by some corners. This incredible album offers the listener…

PLENTY of golden Funk and groove.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Remembering TLC’s Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

Remembering TLC’s Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes 

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FOR this Lockdown Playlist…

I am putting together some of the best tracks from TLC. I am also including some Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes tracks. On 25th April, it marked nineteen years since the world lost a hugely important artist. I will end by bringing in an article published on 2002 that remembered the great Lopes. Here is some background information concerning a wonderful and much-missed talent:

“Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. Lopes was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besides rapping and singing backing vocals on TLC recordings, Lopes was one of the creative forces behind the group. She received more co-writing credits than the other members. She also designed the outfits and staging for the group and contributed to the group's image, album titles, artworks, and music videos. Through her work with TLC, Lopes won four Grammy Awards.

During her brief solo career, Lopes scored two US top 10 singles with "Not Tonight" and "U Know What's Up", as well as one UK number-one single with "Never Be the Same Again", the latter a collaboration with Melanie C of the British girl group Spice Girls. She also produced another girl group, Blaque, who scored a platinum album and two US top 10 hits. Lopes remains the only member of TLC to have released a solo album.

On April 25, 2002, Lopes was killed in a car crash while organizing charity work in Honduras. She swerved off the road to avoid hitting another vehicle, and was thrown from her car. She was working on a documentary at the time of her death, which was released as The Last Days of Left Eye and aired on VH1 in May 2007”.

In 2002, The New York Times ran an article that discussed the history and rise of TLC. To me, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes was instrumental to their success:

“With a black stripe under her left eye and a reputation for volatility, Ms. Lopes was the catalyst and onstage focus for TLC. When the group titled its second album ''Crazysexycool'' in 1994, Ms. Lopes named herself ''crazy.'' That was the year she burned down the $1.3 million house belonging to her boyfriend, the football player Andre Rison. She pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and was sentenced to five years' probation and fined $10,000. She also entered an alcohol rehabilitation program.

''Drama comes in dozens and I know you love it,'' Ms. Lopes rapped in a song on her solo album, ''Supernova,'' which was released outside the United States in 2001.

In the 1990's, TLC reinvented the girl group for the hip-hop era, showing the way for groups like Destiny's Child. With sultry vocals and Ms. Lopes's sassy raps, TLC became one of the best-selling female groups of all time, selling more than 21 million albums in the United States. Its second and third albums, ''Crazysexycool'' and 1999's ''Fanmail,'' each won two Grammy Awards, for best R&B album and best R&B performance by a duo or group.

From the start, the three members of TLC presented themselves as independent women, promoting safe sex and self-reliance.

''Nobody can make me do what I don't want to,'' Ms. Lopes rapped on the group's 1992 debut album, ''Ooooooohhh . . . On the TLC Tip'' (LaFace). In early appearances, the women pinned condoms to baggy outfits, and Ms. Lopes wore one replacing a lens over her left eye.

Along with its songs about romance, TLC addressed crime and AIDS (in ''Waterfalls''), female self-esteem (''Unpretty'') and gang warfare and abusive relationships. Much of its material was by songwriters based in Atlanta, including Dallas Austin and Jermaine Dupri. Ms. Lopes wrote many of her own raps, often sharing songwriting credit.

Ms. Lopes was born in Philadelphia. She had described her father, who died when she was 17, as an alcoholic and disciplinarian. She is survived by her mother, Wanda D. Lopes, her siblings and a 10-year-old child she adopted last year.

She got her nickname when a boyfriend noted that her left eye was slightly larger than her right.

As a teenager, she moved to Atlanta to work with a rhythm-and-blues group. A talent scout, Ian Burke, auditioned her for a group he envisioned of streetwise, approachable girls. Mr. Burke, who now works for Ascap, recalled yesterday: ''All the girl groups that were out at the time were model-like individuals, like En Vogue. You would think, 'I don't know if I'll ever be able to land one of these girls”.

To remember Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes, this Lockdown Playlist combines the best tracks from her time in TLC, in addition to some of her solo work. TLC were very important to me when I was young. I was definitely drawn to Lopes as a performer. To remember her nineteen years after her death, here are songs with her upfront or in the mix with TLC. As you can hear, Lopes was…

QUITE a remarkable artist.

FEATURE: Heavy Weather: Musicians and Global Climate Change

FEATURE:

 

 

Heavy Weather

PHOTO CREDIT: @jontyson/Unsplash 

Musicians and Global Climate Change

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I was reading an article…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Markus Spiske/Unsplash

that appeared on the Pitchfork website that got me thinking. I think, at the moment, a lot of the music coming out is very personal and does not really look out at the wider world. That is perfectly fine. This is how music has been for decades. I feel a lot of artists are becoming more aware and conscious of politics and wider society. Last year saw #BlackLivesMatter sweep the globe following the murder of George Floyd. There are a few artists documenting climate change and its impact on the planet. I wonder, as it is the biggest threat to the planet that we have to tackle, whether more artists need to address a catastrophe that could wreak incredible damage – beyond the depletion and destruction that we have already witnessed. I want to splice in a few portions of the Pitchfork. It raises some interesting points and asks what musicians can do regarding climate change:

“Spend enough time with climate-inspired music, and you sense a larger philosophical struggle playing itself out, with artists taking as many divergent directions as there are coping mechanisms for bad feelings. Fancy a black joke? Maybe you should listen to Matmos’ 2019 album Plastic Anniversary, in which every sound is sourced from plastic materials. In the mood for a glamorous bit of end-of-days nihilism about it all? This is what Billie Eilish provides with her invocation of burning hills in California on “all the good girls go to hell,” and what Lana Del Rey offers, to an extent, when she sings, “The culture is lit/And if this is it/I had a ball” on 2019’s “The greatest.”

The artists doing that considering, and their vantage point, has a heavy bearing on their approach. On 2018’s “Our Street Is a Black River,” Laurie Anderson joined the Kronos Quartet to remember, in her cool, bemused tone—forever the sound of the woman next to you in the elevator who speaks to you out of nowhere—what it felt like to watch as the “sparkling black river crossed the park, and then the highway, and then came silently up our street” from her vantage point in downtown NYC when Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012. Anderson observed the chaos with childlike wonder: “From above, Sandy was a huge swirl that looked like galaxies whose names I didn’t know,” she murmured, the danger and portent lost in the flash of the light.

Singer-songwriter Natalie Mering, who records as Weyes Blood, explored the idea of hope amid apocalypse on 2019’s Titanic Rising. Over dreamy evocations of Laurel Canyon folk, she sang of “a million people burnin’” in a placid register. The album closes with a brief instrumental track titled “Nearer to Thee,” a reference to the hymn that the string quartet purportedly played from the deck of the Titanic as it sank. For the cover, she built a replica of her childhood bedroom, submerged it in a pool, then dove in and swam around. The final image is oddly serene: Mering gazes at us questioningly, her hair drifting upward while everything else—the bed sheets, the pillows, the teddy bear and trophies—stays put, affixed in place by set designers in scuba gear. The image was half publicity stunt and half private reckoning, as if Mering were conducting a controlled experiment: How would it feel to watch life as we knew it slip beneath the waves?”.

A clutch of electronic artists and composers have turned to the sound the Earth itself is making, as if trying to catch the planet in the act of moaning. This is the naturalist’s approach, and you can hear it play out across a wide range of compositions. As Pitchfork’s Philip Sherburne has noted, experimental musicians from across the globe have found ways to reckon with environmental destruction: Joseph Raglani’s 2018 album Extinctions features buzzing sounds from our globally collapsing insect population, while AGF’s Commissioned Work, from 2019, samples the cries of endangered lemurs. As fracking and deforestation threaten the Amazon, field musicians are weaving frog calls and rainfall into bucolic electronic music some call eléctrica selvática, or “rainforest electro. “There’s a sense of urgency to connect with organic sounds and recognize that we are part of this natural world,” said the Argentinian composer Pedro Canale, who records as Chancha via Circuito.

The tougher question, as always, is what all of this music might help us do, if indeed music can help us do anything concrete at all. The link between music and action is as elusive as the one between actions and consequences, or between feeling and doing. Although every activist movement needs some sort of inciting anthem, some sort of glue to help bring common purpose, such pieces of music usually emerge naturally, chosen by people. Music designed for collective action rarely works that way.

Music designed for memorial or grief, however, almost always does. Like music, grief asks nothing of us other than to feel it. The music that taps into these stiller waters tends to plumb deeper, more mysterious emotions that might, in fact, lead us to act out of our own private sense of volition”.

Those last points are especially relevant. I don’t think, if musicians are trying to get us to do something in a sort of preachy way, people will react proactively. If we present this grief and destruction as fact, then I think that has a more profound impact. In terms of music, if there was a song calling for action and asking us to all make a change, how well would this work in terms of the population pledging more time to fighting climate change?! If a song, on the other hand, lays out the truth and a listener is not being prodded or blamed, then that might have a more powerful result! Hectoring is tempting when we are seeing such horrific climate change. It is clear that music can be a hugely influential tool regarding awareness and reaction. I don’t think there is enough music out there at the moment that documents climate change. Some might say it is neither the role of a musicians or particularly appealing for the listener. I feel, regardless of gender, class or genre, artists have a responsibility to talk about big themes. In terms of a listening experience, the songs needn’t be too heavy or morose. As Pitchfork explained, a range of artists have approached climate change in different ways – whether it is more of a sonic soundscape or vivid lyrics being embedded into tracks.

It is encouraging to see some artists highlighting climate change or lending their name to important causes. Declan McKenna contributed to the recent Climate Live event. NME explain more:

“Declan McKenna performed ‘British Bombs’ outside the Houses of Parliament last weekend as part of a ‘Climate Live’ event. You can see footage of the performance below.

The performance, which took place on Saturday (April 24), was part of an international event to raise awareness of climate change around the world.

Elsewhere across the globe, fans will be able to see performances from the likes of Milky Chance, rising German star LEEPA and Japanese singer songwriter Anly.

A statement explained: “Led by members of Friday for Future youth climate groups, who organise the school strikes started by Greta Thunberg and supported by Music Declares Emergency, Greenpeace and many more, ‘Climate Live’ is bringing artists, activists and young people from across the world together through music to unite in the fight for climate justice and the race to safeguard the future of the planet”.

Whilst there is an issue with a lack of songs tackling the crisis, it seems that there is a charge coming from musicians in terms of their carbon footprints. From the use of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) to virtual gigs, it seems that measures are in place so that we do not see a return to massive worldwide gigs pre-pandemic. The Guardian explained more in a feature from earlier in the week:

“But a series of announcements last week, coordinated by the Music Declares Emergency collective, have challenged the idea that the industry is not taking the climate emergency seriously. After a uniquely difficult year for those in live music, perhaps this is an inflection point: can the recovery from Covid-19 be green?

“The music industry has the opportunity to lead here,” says Lewis Jamieson, a spokesman for Music Declares Emergency. “It can become the exemplar of a green recovery, and help the public to understand and support what that idea means.”

British independent label Ninja Tune has just announced ambitious and detailed plans in response to the new sustainability drive from the European Independent Music Companies Association. The label’s funds and pensions are divested from fossil fuels, it is installing renewable energy systems in its London headquarters and it is encouraging the pressing plants that supply its vinyl to switch to green energy.

Beggars Group, which includes indie labels such as 4AD, XL and Rough Trade, also announced major new carbon reduction commitments this week. Across the manufacturing and distribution of vinyl and CDs, digital distribution, and business travel, the group aims to cut their emissions almost in half by 2030, at a rate they say is aligned with the Paris agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Head of sustainability Will Hutton says that “the arts have an immensely powerful platform to help ignite social and legislative change. We need everyone involved – the live sector, record companies, streaming partners, and of course artists.”

Musician, composer, producer … Brian Eno

One new idea – also announced this week, and affiliated with Brian Eno – is Earth Percent, which is aiming to raise $100m (£72m) by 2030 from the industry itself to transition towards sustainability. The proposal is for artists, companies and individuals to commit a small percentage of their revenue to Earth Percent, which will redistribute the money to organisations working on the climate emergency, including those focused on the music industry, such as A Greener Festival, Music Declares Emergency and Julie’s Bicycle.

“This is the time to shake up how things are done across the industry,” says Sarah Ditty, head of programs at Earth Percent. “We need to be looking at how live shows, touring, recording, streaming, merchandise and engaging fans can function in a way that ensures artists and their teams can make a good living while minimising environmental impact”.

There are great charities one can support and look up when it comes to climate change. It would be unrealistic to have most artists writing about climate change and global warning. I feel, right now, there is relatively little exposure and documentation in music. Perhaps that will change in the months to come. Let’s hope so. After such a difficult past year or so, one can forgive artists for being in a different headspace or having new priorities regarding material. As we start to emerge from lockdown, I think there is going to be this desire to hear more from artists regarding the environment and escalating climate change. Not to say that this music will lead to huge and instant worldwide change, though I feel raising greater awareness and getting the listener to think more deeply is a great! Anything that can be done to provide awesome music and make people think at the same time is…

A good thing.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Pink Floyd - Animals

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

Pink Floyd - Animals

___________

I could have included this album…

 IN THIS PHOTO: David Gilmour on Fender guitar with Pink Floyd in concert in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 1977/PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Schultz

in Second Spin, as it is not one of Pink Floyd’s most-acclaimed release. Animals was released on 21st January, 1977. It is the tenth album from the legendary band. Coming between two hugely celebrated albums – 1975’s Wish You Were Here and 1979’s The Wall -, there are some mixed reviews for an album that I think is really strong. To be fair, I think a lot of the mixed reviews have come since the album was released. At the time, Animals received positive reviews from critics and was commercially successful. It reached number-two in the U.K. and number-three in the U.S.A. Recorded at the band's Britannia Row Studios in London throughout 1976, Animals carries on the longform compositions that made up their previous works such as Wish You Were Here. In terms of subject matter,  Animals concentrates on the social-political conditions of mid-1970s Britain. It was a change from the style of their earlier work. Tension within the band during production culminated in keyboardist Richard Wright being fired two years later. That may all sound like a recipe for disaster and commercial disregard, but I think Animals is one of Pink Floyd’s most rewarding records. I would recommend people grab Animals on vinyl as, like so many Pink Floyd albums, there is so much to love and immerse yourself in. Whilst not as accessible as albums like Wish You Were Here, I think that Animals is a fascinating album. I will bring in a couple of reviews for it soon. Before then, Classic Album Sundays wrote about Animals on its fortieth anniversary in 2017:

“The album is much more direct as it features confrontational lyrics loosely based on George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The Orwellian novel explores the corruption of power and human nature’s predisposition to destroy even the best ideals. The novel criticised Stalinism and represented the people within the different levels of communist society as animals. Somehow this seems particularly apt in the current political climate.

The pigs are the smartest animals and originate the idea of a rebellion against the farm’s oppressive owner. The pigs then run the farm and abuse their power. They use the dogs as secret police and to keep the other animals in line by killing those they considered traitors. The sheep are the mindless masses who follow the pigs’ every whim no matter how ridiculous they may seem.

Instead of critiquing Stalin’s political system, Waters used the metaphor to apply to people in thrall with, or subject to capitalism.

Waters felt compelled to write about society’s woes as he said at the time: “I think the world is a very, very sad place. I find myself at the moment, backing away from it all. I think these are very mournful days. Things aren’t getting better, they’re getting worse and the seventies is a very baleful decade.”

There are three pigs, two of which represent real characters. The first is the corporate pig, the second is Margaret Thatcher, and the third is Mary Whitehouse, leader of the National Viewers and Listeners Association who spoke of moral pollution through an intense censorship campaign. As Waters said “Why does she make such a fuss about everything if she isn’t motivated by fear? She’s frightened that we’re all being perverted. I was incensed by Mary Whitehouse, as I am by all book-burners and Bible-bashers: people who foster that sexual guilt and shame, who try and deny people any opportunity to fulfill their sexual destiny.”

When Animals was released in January 1977, it didn’t receive overwhelmingly great reviews. It came out during the punk and disco heyday, a time when Johnny Rotten had taken to wearing a Pink Floyd shirt on which he scrawled “I hate”.

Here is a bit of the Rolling Stone review: “For Pink Floyd, space has always been the ultimate escape. It still is, but now definitions have shifted. The romance of outer space has been replaced by the horror of spacing out… Animals is Floyd’s attempt to deal with the realization that spacing out isn’t the answer either. There’s no exit; you get high, you come down again. That’s what Pink Floyd has done, with a thud.”

Once again critics were proved wrong as Animals is many Floyd fans’ favourite. It is also interesting to note that Johnny Rotten’s position was slightly rocked when Floyd drummer Nick Mason later went on to produce The Damned’s 1977 album “Music For Pleasure”.

And forty years later, it’s message continues to resonate”.

I really love Animals and, for Pink Floyd fans and non, it contains some of their most interesting concepts and moments. I like the fact that you get a short song, Pigs on the Wing (Part 1), opening the first side and the epic track that is Dogs closes that side. Conversely, the second side finishes with the short track, Pigs on the Wing (Part 2); the long Pigs (Three Different Ones) and Sheep open that side.

In their positive review of Animals, AllMusic had some very interesting observations about one of Pink Floyd’s best albums:

“Of all of the classic-era Pink Floyd albums, Animals is the strangest and darkest, a record that's hard to initially embrace yet winds up yielding as many rewards as its equally nihilistic successor, The Wall. It isn't that Roger Waters dismisses the human race as either pigs, dogs, or sheep, it's that he's constructed an album whose music is as bleak and bitter as that world view. Arriving after the warm-spirited (albeit melancholy) Wish You Were Here, the shift in tone comes as a bit of a surprise, and there are even less proper songs here than on either Wish or Dark Side. Animals is all extended pieces, yet it never drifts -- it slowly, ominously works its way toward its destination. For an album that so clearly is Waters', David Gilmour's guitar dominates thoroughly, with Richard Wright's keyboards rarely rising above a mood-setting background (such as on the intro to "Sheep"). This gives the music, on occasion, immediacy and actually heightens the dark mood by giving it muscle. It also makes Animals as accessible as it possibly could be, since it surges with bold blues-rock guitar lines and hypnotic space rock textures. Through it all, though, the utter blackness of Waters' spirit holds true, and since there are no vocal hooks or melodies, everything rests on the mood, the near-nihilistic lyrics, and Gilmour's guitar. These are the kinds of things that satisfy cultists, and it will reward their attention -- there's just no way in for casual listeners”.

I will round things off in a second. I was very interested by a review from Pitchfork. They gave Animals a perfect ten when they assessed a masterful work:

“It begins somewhere for everyone. There's the first song that grabs your attention and seizes the imagination, the first album that demonstrates such overall strength and originality that it becomes something more for most listeners, just as there is the first kiss that awakens the soul and forever changes the vision.

I admit without qualm that it began for me with Animals. My brother was in college, and one day I went through his records and listened to the ones with the coolest covers. Animals fascinated me then as it still fascinates me today. It is the acute anthropomorphic fantasy, possessing a timeless quality that has thrust it into the category of "classic," though it may remain forever in the shadow of its more commercially successful older brother, Dark Side Of The Moon. Consisting of three tracks each longer than ten minutes and two tracks under two minutes, Animals is not for the attention- span- deficient. However, within this impenetrable fortress of radio- unfriendly tracks, we hear Dave Gilmour's guitars at their absolute best, get a full-on dose of Roger Waters' powerful lyrical imagery, and are presented with the worst elements of our own humanity- packaged in the skins of "Sheep," "Dogs" and "Pigs (Three Different Ones)". For those weaned on The Wall and Dark Side, you'll find Animals to be a whole new bag of feed. Where Floyd's two most recognizable albums made their mark with operatic aggression and fear, Animals deals in dirt- under- the- fingernails reality, the common smallness that simultaneously binds and repels us all”.

Go and get the vinyl of Animals if you can - or go and stream it if not. I think that Animals has received some negativity from some. Others compare it unfavourably to Pink Floyd classics like The Dark Side of the Moon. I think that Animals is underrated, which is why I was keen to put it…

INTO Vinyl Corner.

 

FEATURE: Hope Seems So Distant… Kate Bush’s Under Ice

FEATURE:

 

 

Hope Seems So Distant…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for The Ninth Wave/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush 

Kate Bush’s Under Ice

___________

I wonder whether…

many people break down the individual tracks from Kate Bush’s The Ninth Wave. This is the second side from her 1985 album, Hounds of Love. On Sunday, I marked thirty-five years since The Big Sky was released as a single. That single was released on 28th April. It was the final single from the album. I look at songs from The Ninth Wave and I am curious whether there was a temptation to put any out as single, or whether Bush felt she could not break up the individual tracks. I have written features regarding the songs from The Ninth Wave. I have not yet covered Under Ice. Coming after And Dream of Sheep, we get this rather sombre scene where the protagonist is adrift at sea and looking for salvation. Eventually, the heroine is saved after an ordeal alone at sea. I might rank the tracks from that second side in a future post. I think that Under Ice is one of the most evocative and stunning pieces of work that Kate Bush has ever recorded. Every track on The Ninth Wave has its own mood, texture and atmosphere. I love Paddy Bush’s harmony vocals on the song. I assume that it is the Fairlight CMI that she uses to get the stirring string sounds. We hear snippets of other voices as Bush sings about getting out of the cold water.

Before moving on to its lyrics, the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia drops in an interview source where Bush talked about Under Ice:

“Well at this point, although they didn't want to go to sleep, of course they do. [Laughs] And this is the dream, and it's really meant to be quite nightmarish. And this was all kinda coming together by itself, I didn't have much to do with this, I just sat down and wrote this little tune on the Fairlight with the cello sound. And it sounded very operatic and I thought "well, great" because it, you know, it conjured up the image of ice and was really simple to record. I mean we did the whole thing in a day, I guess. (...) Again it's very lonely, it's terribly lonely, they're all alone on like this frozen lake. And at the end of it, it's the idea of seeing themselves under the ice in the river, so I mean we're talking real nightmare stuff here. And at this point, when they say, you know, "my god, it's me," you know, "it's me under the ice. Ahhhh" [laughs] (Richard Skinner, 'Classic Albums interview: Hounds Of Love. Radio 1 (UK), aired 26 January 1992)”.

At 2:21, Under Ice is the shortest track on Hounds of Love. It acts as a bridge between And Dream of Sheep – where the heroine wishes she could sleep safely and dream of sheep – and Waking the Witch – where voices appear, urging the woman to stay awake so that she does not drown. In a way, Under Ice is the moment when the castaway gets into real trouble and realises that she needs to get out of the water. As we move through The Ninth Wave, there is a sense of acceptance and relative calm before the heroine is saved and taken back to land. I love all the little stories and chapters of that remarkable suite! Under Ice has this stern and almost haunted sound, where Bush’s voice seems to move in time with the strings. There is this seriousness and sense of foreboding in her voice. It is like Bush represents this ghostly figure or voice that is in the head of the protagonist; maybe her mind is urging her to cling to life and find a way out. There are not many lyrics in such a short song. The ones we do hear are stunning and so image-rich. One can listen to Under Ice and place themselves in the song; alongside the heroine as she is on a life raft or on her back trying to stay afloat – not sure of what lingers beneath the moody ocean. There is a division and difference between the two verses.

The first is almost like the heroine embracing the whiteness and icy expanse. There is something almost child-like. That is the impression one can get from reading the lines. When one hears the song, there is something more urgent and darker: “It's wonderful/Everywhere, so white/The river has frozen over/Not a soul on the ice/Only me skating fast/I'm speeding past trees/Leaving little lines in the ice/Splitting, splitting sound/Silver heels spitting, spitting snow”. The second verse is trying terrifying! Bush has said in interviews how being stranded in the sea and not knowing what is underneath is one of her biggest fears. That is scary on its own. I think being trapped under ice and having that above your head is even more alarming: “There's something moving/Under, under the ice/Moving under ice/Through water/Trying to get out of the cold water/"It's me."/Something, someone--help them/"It's me". Having to battle hypothermia, the unpredictable nature of the sea and this ice tomb, Under Ice delivers one of Hounds of Love’s most thrilling, arresting and emotional songs. It is no surprise that, on Waking the Witch, the heroine is exhausted and struggling to stay awake. On an album filled with gems and genius songs, Under Ice is one that does not get talked about in the same way as the singles on the first side such as Cloudbusting, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), and Hounds of Love. I think that Under Ice should be played more as, in its lack of layering and naked simplicity, it conveys so much weather and wind. By that, I mean Bush relies on the almost taunting string sound and her ghostly vocal to immerse us in a scene filled with dread and uncertainty. If songs on Hounds of Love’s first side are warmer, musically, and are more commercial, I feel The Ninth Wave is more experimental and varied in terms of its sound and mood. One listens to Under Ice and fears that the heroine will not make it out. Thankfully, there is a satisfying resolution where…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a shot from the Hounds of Love covert shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

SHE made it to safety!

FEATURE: A Revolution or a Brief Fad? The Rise of the NFT (Non-Fungible Token)

FEATURE:

 

 

A Revolution or a Brief Fad?

IN THIS PHOTO: On 12th March, Halsey (photographed above in 2015) announced she was turning her nightmares into art with the NFT series, People Disappear Here/PHOTO CREDIT: Jake Michaels for The New York Times

The Rise of the NFT (Non-Fungible Token)

___________

AS a music fan…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Doja Cat has launched her own NFT marketplace, Juicy Drops/PHOTO CREDIT: Jamal Peters

I use and rely on a mix of the physical and digital. When it comes to albums, I prefer vinyl and the tactile nature of it. I feel that the fact the vinyl rise continues means people will never completely succumb to digital music. So many artists are paid so little on streaming sites; music fans want to feel like they are buying albums and seeing some of that money going to the artists – even if the label gets quite a big slice. I think many prefer the fact vinyl does not disappear. It is something you keep and can feel like you own. I stream music a lot and feel it is very convenient. The problem comes, apart from streaming payments, with the ephemeral nature; how there is no real connection between listener and artist…or any sense of emotion and the physical. One of my worries is that too many digital routes and listening/buying options will take a way a lot of the soul, sociability and sweetness one gets from buying albums. The NFT (non-fungible token) is a fairly recent breakthrough that many artists and innovators have been keen to get behind. As Music Ally wrote last week, Doja Cat is taking full advantage:

“We’ve been covering the succession of stories about artists selling non-fungible tokens through the various NFT marketplaces that have sprung up in recent months. But Doja Cat is going a step further: she’s launching her own marketplace called Juicy Drops tomorrow (23 April), where she will also be selling her first collection of NFTs.

According to Uproxx, it’s a partnership with NFT startup Intellectable Holdings. “I’m helping to launch my NFT company so that I can actually own and control my art,” is how Doja Cat explained the launch. “I want to be able to make all decisions related to my creative vision and help other artists do the same.”

The first collection will include 3D visuals of “a spinning, metallic Doja image in a gilded frame, as well as an image of her cat Raymus”. Music, NFTs AND cats? Welcome to the internet in 2021…

If you’re following the NFTs space, we highly recommend a newly-published Music NFT Market Update from Water & Music’s Cherie Hu. It’s a 38-page report rounding up the flurry of launches; the money that’s being made; and trends around the marketplaces”.

Whilst a lot of people may be conscious of the fact that NFTs are making their way into music, they may not know what they are and how they work (it is quite a confusing idea). The Verge try to explain the phenomenon in their article:

“Non-fungible token.

That doesn’t make it any clearer.

Right, sorry. “Non-fungible” more or less means that it’s unique and can’t be replaced with something else. For example, a bitcoin is fungible — trade one for another bitcoin, and you’ll have exactly the same thing. A one-of-a-kind trading card, however, is non-fungible. If you traded it for a different card, you’d have something completely different. You gave up a Squirtle, and got a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner, which StadiumTalk calls “the Mona Lisa of baseball cards.” (I’ll take their word for it.)

How do NFTs work?

At a very high level, most NFTs are part of the Ethereum blockchain. Ethereum is a cryptocurrency, like bitcoin or dogecoin, but its blockchain also supports these NFTs, which store extra information that makes them work differently from, say, an ETH coin. It is worth noting that other blockchains can implement their own versions of NFTs. (Some already have.)

What’s worth picking up at the NFT supermarket?

NFTs can really be anything digital (such as drawings, music, your brain downloaded and turned into an AI), but a lot of the current excitement is around using the tech to sell digital art”.

I will come on to the advantages and drawbacks of NFTs but, for me, they are so new that I have not really got my head around whether they will last and whether they are the future of music. I can appreciate that, at a time when streaming companies are under the microscope and many cannot tour and earn money that way, NFTs are providing an interesting and profitable alternative. I want to source from an Uproxx article. They provide a timeline on which artists/people are utilising NFT. In March, a few big names put their name to them:

“Kings Of Leon had a similar approach to Lanez when it comes to NFTs. The veteran group minted their entire LP When You See Yourself, which they referred to as NFT Yourself, as an NFT and sold it alongside a collection of other art. Those who purchased the NFT were able to snag a digital download of the album, as well as limited edition physical vinyl.

While Halsey is known for her music, she’s also an incredibly talented interdisciplinary artist. That’s why she was relatively early to the NFT game. The singer auctioned off a handful of hand-painted characters she created in the collection People Disappear Here. “The characters are all inspired by figures that occurred in a series of sleep paralysis nightmares I had at home during the quarantine,” Halsey said in a statement. “After seven years of bed surfing hotel rooms around the world, adjusting to my own pitch black cave in California had a little bit of a learning curve. From toddler TV programming evil dentists, a child born with massive claws who scratched her way out of the womb, to a woman who stood at the foot of my bed and demanded I watch her masturbate. They were memorable to say the least.”

When Gorillaz announced they would be hopping onto the NFT game, it didn’t go quite as smoothly. While other musicians were welcomed into the world of NFTs, Gorillaz were chastised by their fanbase. The band announced that they would be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album by teaming up with the toy company Superplastic for a series of toys, collectibles, and, of course, NFTs. Fans weren’t to happy with the news though, and were quick to point out the devastating environmental impact that the sale of a single NFT has. A petition was even created to get the Gorillaz to stop producing NFTs, and it already has over 3,000 signatures”.

 IN THIS IMAGE: Gorillaz

I am all for inventions and concepts that are beneficial and inspiring for artists and fans. Whilst I do not feel that the digital revolution can ever replace things like physical music, I can agree that there are good arguments for support NFT. Bringing in a Music Ally article from earlier in the year, it does seem like NFTs are not a short-term or temporary revolution:

“Shara Senderoff, president of music/tech investment firm Raised In Space, thinks we’re going to be hearing a lot more about NFTs in the coming months, sparked by an even bigger trend. “We have a global mistrust in financial systems, and people are questioning motives, questioning agendas, questioning technology as it relates to the finances of individuals and the global economy,” she said.

“What you can see as a trend to come is the rise and the birth of new forms of transaction, and new forms of being able to put your money in places that maybe you can trust more. You’re simply willing to experiment because you have such distrust.” And Senderoff went on to add that this is why she thinks a trend “that is going to blow up” is NFTs and digital collectibles, including for music.

IN THIS PHOTO: Shara Senderoff 

“It’s the ability for a fan to purchase an asset that is scarce, that is limited, that is exclusive, and has potential offerings tied to that that make them as a loyal fan feel unique, feel rewarded,” she said. “I am focused heavily on where we’re headed with digital collectibles.”

Senderoff was talking on a panel session about investment and innovation around music/tech. Fellow panelist Suzy Ryoo, president of Q&A, talked about the opportunities for startups who are “replacing the pipes: replacing bad pipes with gold pipes and building new infrastructure for the creator economy”.

“If there are 50,000 songs being uploaded every single day [to streaming services] but there are 100 spots on playlists, what happens to the middle class of artists who are not represented on the master or publishing side by Universal, Warner or Sony?” said Ryoo.

“There is absolutely a huge opportunity to create real case studies around artists and labels and entrepreneurs having an independent mindset that is complementary to the major system, that is not in competition with it… that allows them to preserve their equity in copyright, as opposed to becoming part of a system that does not prioritise them”.

It is interesting reading about the ins and outs of NFTs and what they offer artists. I think a lot of people are asking whether they are sustainable and offer more benefits compared to disadvantages. It has been illuminating researching and discovering various perspectives!

I want to source from an article that spotlighted NFTs and provided some advantages and disadvantages. It seems, at this fairly early stage, there are slightly more advantages:  

“Benefits of NFTs

2020 turned the music industry upside down when it eliminated live concerts—a significant income stream for artists and their labels. As the world remains digital, artists are looking for ways to connect and create for their audiences, and NFTs provide a new outlet for them with several benefits.

Convenience

The first significant asset to NFTs is their convenience. Fans just need to create a digital wallet to have the chance to receive the content and then participate in an auction for a chance to win. This makes winning content as easy as online shopping.

No Middlemen

There are a lot of middlemen in the music industry.

When fans buy an album, stream a song, or purchase merchandise—some of that money makes it to the artist, but a lot of it goes to the record company or the streaming platform. The same middlemen are present even when we buy tickets for concerts. Record companies take a portion of ticket sales, and while artists make money there too–COVID-19 shut down the live concert market in 2020.

As a fundamental asset to crypto exchange, NFT transactions are direct transfers between the participants. The artist gets the money, the fan receives the content in their digital wallet.

Unique Content and Experiences

Artists have a lot of flexibility over the items they want to auction off. These tokens can be digital, but they can also be physical. Albums, digital art, sound bites, merchandise, and concert tickets are all forms of non-fungible tokens that artists are exchanging. Fans are happy to receive these rare experiences and are willing to pay for the chance to receive them.

Potential Drawbacks of NFTs

Not all change is good, and there are certainly those who will not benefit from the rise of NFTs. As it stands, it is a growing trend—and only time will tell if it is here to revolutionize the music industry further or die out.

Difficult for New Artists

The demand for a token comes from the market for art from a particular musician. Popular or established acts have no problem putting up tokens for auction and drawing in eager fans. For emerging artists, this demand doesn’t exist yet. Newer artists don’t have as much opportunity to benefit from the latest music trend.

Legal Obligations

Some artists have auctioned off the rights for fans to use sample packs in music. The fan purchases the ownership of the samples for complete creative control. This is one kind of token that can create legal trouble later on for the musician.
Established musicians often agree to a contract when they work with a record label. As the artist creates and releases tokens, they must be careful of violating any terms of these contracts.

Final Thoughts

NFTs are allowing artists to create new possibilities and experiences with their fans. Musicians are continuing to be creative with what they offer to their fan bases. As the situation with NFTs develops, it could completely revolutionize the music industry like how the internet did”.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Grimes

By ensuring that creatives have power and there is this form where equity can be established, then I think few can have major disagreements. I wonder whether there are any logistical hindrances or problems that have not been considered – that might be me being sceptical! Since streaming services and how they pays artists has been in the news for a while, many feel that non-major artists are getting the worse deal. There are a few more articles I want to drop in before wrapping up. Earlier this month, The Daily Utah Chronicle provided their perspective on a rising and interesting chapter for music:

“The internet is a wonderful resource for fans of music — platforms like Twitter and Patreon provide intimate and on-demand updates on everything from entertainment to personal details about the artistic process. But what if one-of-a-kind content was accessible for fans to own and consume in a way that benefitted the artists directly?

Most musicians received their revenue from touring, t-shirt and ticket sales prior to the pandemic. Now, NFT’s are being sought out as a means of bridging the divide of earnings that runs rampant in the music industry. Musicians in the top one percent of the industry are benefiting greatly from the growing popularity of streaming services, while others must raise their ticket and merchandise prices to compete.

Pop musician and visual artist Grimes sold a series of digital art pieces as NFT’s. The collection of ten pieces sold for a total of six million dollars — some one-of-a-kind and others produced on a larger scale. In a collaborative effort with digital artist Mac Boucher, several copies of a short video titled “Death of The Old” — set to an original song by Grimes — became the most popular piece from the sale.

The Future

NFT’s have the potential to completely transform the way that the music industry works, putting the power into the hands of the creatives who fuel the industry so tirelessly with their art. Allowing artists to directly put their work up for sale within the blockchain not only removes the need for marketing fees and management dues, but it opens a new avenue for communication between artists and their fans.

Artists have the ability to provide exclusive album art, music videos and behind-the-scenes information about their creative processes — artists can even release records exclusively as NFT albums.

As the music industry continues to rely on streaming services and alternative forms of revenue during a time of change, it seems natural that things should return to a place of equality and fair treatment for artists”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Mick Jagger

Despite some doubts and concerns, NFTs are allowing artists a chance to raise money for worthy corners and causes. Mick Jagger is an example of that. Cointelegraph reported on how Jagger used NFTs to raise money for independent venues:  

“The Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger is jumping into the nonfungible token craze to help independent music venues that have been adversely affected by the pandemic.

In an announcement from the music legend on Thursday, Jagger said he had started a 24-hour auction on Nifty Gateway featuring a nonfungible token, or NFT, based on a new song with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. The digital piece designed by artist Oliver Latta, also known as Extraweg, features a loop of a figure running through two human heads, with Grohl and Jagger’s “Eazy Sleazy” song playing in the background.

“The 30-second audio visual piece evokes a surreal essence of breaking through the barriers of the human mind and pushing forward on the brink of social collapse to provide a much needed moment of artistic relief as the world slowly transitions out of lockdown,” said the announcement.

There's a 24hr charity auction on @niftygateway at 6pm BST today for a piece of Eazy Sleazy digital art, created by 3D artist @extraweg - proceeds from this will be going to a few charities picked by myself and Dave Grohl @foofighters - find out more at https://t.co/fmNxlrVjcD pic.twitter.com/CoZEukn5cb

— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) April 15, 2021

According to the NFT’s description on Nifty, the proceeds from the auction will help raise money for independent music venues in the United States and the United Kingdom through local charity groups Music Venue Trust and the National Independent Venue Association. A portion of the proceeds will also go to environmental causes. At the time of publication, the highest bid is for $8,988, with 12 people having made an offer for the NFT.

Many musical artists have become involved in NFTs in the past year. Last month, Crypto.com announced it would be launching an NFT platform featuring work from Snoop Dogg, Boy George, Lionel Richie and others. Major institutions have also been using NFTs to raise money for charity — New York Times columnist Kevin Roose auctioned off one of his articles for more than $550,000, which was donated to the publication’s The Neediest Cases Fund“.

Whilst a lot of good and interest has come from the rise of NFTs and how they are being used, the form is not without its flaws and issues. The final article I want to bring in is from The Guardian. In the same way songwriters, session musicians and producers do not really benefit from streaming and are overlooked, there is a similar issue regarding NFTs. There is uncertainty around how the rights and ownership of songwriters, producers and session musicians apply in sales:

“Despite the clear traceability, there remains enormous uncertainty about just how the rights and ownership of the original creators – from songwriters and producers to session musicians – apply in an NFT sale that includes music. One songwriter behind tracks with tens of millions of streams has found themselves in the middle of this debate.

Speaking anonymously because they are preparing for legal action against the sellers, they said a song they co-wrote was sold as part of an NFT package for reportedly in excess of $10m. Neither they nor their music publisher were informed until the vendor contacted them with the offer of a cash “gift” that worked out at 0.07% of the reported sale. Attached was a contract waiving any future claim on the NFT or share of any re-sales. “Even though I asked repeatedly for them to break down how they got to this calculation, they wouldn’t reveal how much money it had made,” they said.

IN THIS PHOTO: A man browses digital paintings by U.S. artist Beeple at a crypto art exhibition in Beijing titled Virtual Niche: Have You Ever Seen Memes in the Mirror?/PHOTO CREDIT: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images 

There is no real precedent. Music sold this way tends to be new pieces specifically for an NFT sale, not preexisting songs that have already been commercially released. Songwriters are increasingly calling for a fairer share of streaming revenues, as well as an end to strong-arm tactics whereby major pop stars take a cut of songwriting royalties they had no involvement in writing: any further grabs on their rights are likely to be seen as callous.

There are people, who are naïve or new to the industry, who would sign immediately

Cliff Fluet is a partner at legal firm Lewis Silkin and does not represent either party. He says the argument of the NFT sellers would probably be that they are not selling the music, but the wider experience. “The sellers may argue until they are blue in the face – and they are probably correct – that the vast majority of the value is not for the music; the vast majority of the value is for the experience, the scarcity of the token and multitude of components and rewards in an NFT.”

The songwriter is concerned that in accepting the “gift” they could be in breach of their publishing agreement whereby the publisher typically needs to be involved in – and get a share of – all commercial and licensing negotiations. They also regard it as tantamount to a buyout as opposed to a licensing agreement. “I would never outright sell a piece of music,” they said. “You can ask for a period of exclusivity but I don’t think any publisher or songwriter would say, ‘Yeah, absolutely, go and take that for ever.’”

They suggest that the timing of this move cannot be discounted given how many musicians are still struggling a year into the global pandemic. “My first reaction when I got the email was thinking how generous this was,” they said. “I haven’t had much work for the past year and this felt like the universe finally delivering something. There are people, who are naïve or new to the industry, who would sign immediately. The sellers are playing on that mentality – that they just need to sign this bit of paper to get paid”.

As more and more people/artists use NFTs and the idea becomes more widely known and trialled will determine whether there is longevity. I think, at a moment in history when a lot of artists and creatives are struggling for revenue and finding that their income is hugely cauterised, NFTs could provide to be advantageous. In an article this week, NME reported how Janet Jackson is the latest artist to capitalise on the NFT trend:

“Janet Jackson is set to drop a range of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as part of the celebrations surrounding the recent 35th anniversary of her solo album ‘Control’.

Released in February 1986, the record included the songs ‘Nasty’, ‘When I Think of You’ and ‘What Have You Done for Me Lately’.

Jackson is now partnering with the gaming and augmented reality company RTFKT to release a number of exclusive NFTs and “augmented experiences” to celebrate the ‘Control’ milestone.

A portion of the proceeds from sales of the ‘Control’ NFTs – details of which are set to be announced soon via her website – will go to the US child sponsorship and Christian humanitarian aid organisation, Compassion International.

“Once again technology through NFTs creates a new lane for artists to express their art in an innovative way throughout the world,” Randy Jackson, founder of The Association Entertainment Corporation, said in a statement. “RTFKT is the leader in this medium. Janet and I are grateful to be working with them.

It is definitely an interesting modern breakthrough that shows no sign of slowing! Despite the fact that NFTs are not perfect and some people will object, it does seem like they will be…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kings of Leon/PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Followill

A real revolution and game-changer.

FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Fifty-Two: Pearl Jam

FEATURE:

 

 

A Buyer’s Guide

Part Fifty-Two: Pearl Jam

___________

I wanted to feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images

the Seattle-formed band, Pearl Jam, as their astonishing debut album, Ten, turns thirty on 27th August. It is amazing to think that Ten launched Pearl Jam into the world all that time ago! They are still going strong today – let’s hope they have many more years left in them! In terms of biography, here is some more information:

“Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's line up consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guitar), as well as Matt Cameron (drums), who joined in 1998. Keyboardist Boom Gaspar has also been a touring/session member with the band since 2002. Drummers Jack Irons, Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain, and Dave Abbruzzese are former members of the band. Pearl Jam outsold many of their contemporary alternative rock bands from the early 1990s, and are considered one of the most influential bands of the decade, being dubbed as "the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s".

Formed after the demise of Gossard and Ament's previous band, Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with their debut album, Ten, in 1991. Ten stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for nearly five years, and has gone on to become one of the highest-selling rock records ever, going 13x platinum in the United States. Released in 1993, Pearl Jam's second album, Vs., sold over 950,000 copies in its first week of release, setting the record for most copies of an album sold in its first week of release at the time. Their third album, Vitalogy (1994), became the second-fastest-selling CD in history at the time, with more than 877,000 units sold in its first week.

One of the key bands in the grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam's members often shunned popular music industry practices such as making music videos or participating in interviews. The band also sued Ticketmaster, claiming it had monopolized the concert-ticket market. In 2006, Rolling Stone described the band as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame."

Pearl Jam had sold more than 85 million albums worldwide by 2018, including nearly 32 million albums in the United States by 2012, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. Pearl Jam was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 in its first year of eligibility. They were ranked at No. 8 in a reader poll by Rolling Stone magazine in its "Top Ten Live Acts of All Time" issue. Throughout its career, the band has also promoted wider social and political issues, from pro-choice sentiments to opposition to George W. Bush's presidency. Vedder acts as the band's spokesman on these issues”.

To celebrate their debut album turning thirty this year and nod to their amazing work, this A Buyer’s Guide is all about…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Clinch/Universal Music Group

THE incredible Pearl Jam.

______________

The Four Essential Albums

 

Ten

Release Date: 27th August, 1991

Label: Epic

Producers: Rick Parashar/Pearl Jam

Standout Tracks: Even Flow/Alive/Jeremy

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/pearl-jam/ten-9e1b679d-3727-4559-82cb-4824c9250af7

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5B4PYA7wNN4WdEXdIJu58a?si=H4Q_sMiIQNy5poCYuMhs0Q

Review:

“Pearl Jam’s anguish was offset by their sex appeal—the throaty, virile belting; the Townshend-inspired guitar heroism; the strutting grooves. When, on the 1992 MTV Unplugged performance included here, the brooding Vedder doffs his baseball cap and carpets the stage with his curls, the female roar is ecstatic. But while there’s something of the alpha male about Vedder, his heroes on Ten are a strictly beta crowd. The album is full of maladjusted wimps beset by corrupt adults, from the girl on “Why Go” whose nonconformist streak is stifled by psychiatrists to the neglected classroom suicide on “Jeremy” to the boy on “Alive” whose mother lies to him about his dad’s identity, then invites him to bed. “Alive” is semi-autobiographical: The incest is fiction, but Vedder’s stepdad did masquerade as his real father for years. This early deception put the singer on his lifelong mission of defending the little guy, Ten’s Catcher in the Rye vision of kid-saving giving way to Kosovar-refugee benefits and songs about abused wives and police brutality. The band’s refusal to become massive rock stars stemmed, it seems, from Vedder’s constitutional refusal to become the enemy.There are four versions of this reissue, two worth exploring. For a smaller price tag, you get the Unplugged DVD, six unreleased bonus tracks and a full-album remix by longtime PJ fave Brendan O’Brien. His new take scythes through the original, revealing growls and guitars long obscured—sometimes it’s distracting, but often it lends the songs a newfound jolt. There’s also a $140 edition that adds four vinyl LPs, a reproduction of Vedder’s old notebook and a facsimile of his original demo cassette. It’s a relic and a shrine, commemorating a bygone time when music was something you caressed, dusted off and (good riddance) rewound.Ultimately, Pearl Jam’s plan worked. By the end of the ’90s they’d purged their fan base of everyone but diehards who argue about which bootleg performance of “Corduroy” is superior (“6/19/00 in Ljubljana, dude!”). Still, despite their best efforts, they could never quite make Ten go away. The album birthed many multi-platinum imitators, and, from Live to Creed, many of them made some very bad music. But that only highlights the virtuoso balance of indignation, heart and bluster that Pearl Jam pulled off her” – Blender (Deluxe Edition)

Choice Cut: Black

Vs.

Release Date: 19th October, 1993

Label: Epic

Producers: Brendan O'Brien/Pearl Jam

Standout Tracks: Animal/Daughter/Rearviewmirror

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/pearl-jam/vs-0e1c37b2-2a43-4c89-b779-d2a84150d9de

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/3BSOiAas8BpJOii3kCPyjV?si=OWjYB18zTSatRETiPbpqAw

Review:

“Pearl Jam are explosive. Few American bands have arrived more clearly talented than this one did with "Ten;" and "Vs." tops even that debut. Terrific players with catholic tastes, they also serve up singer-lyricist Eddie Vedder. With his Brando brooding and complicated, tortured masculinity, he's something we haven't seen in a while ­ a heroic figure. Better still, he's a big force without bullshit; he bellows doubt.

Like Jim Morrison and Pete Townshend, Vedder makes a forte of his psychological-mythic explorations ­ he grapples with primal trauma, chaos, exultation. As guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready paint dense and slashing backdrops, he invites us into a drama of experiment and strife. "Animal," "Daughter" and "Blood," their terse titles urgently poetic, are songs of a kind of ritual passion, tapping into something truly wild.

And when Vedder roars, "Saw things . . . clearer . . . /Once you were in my rearviewmirror," it seems that it's not only some personal sorrow that he's willing himself to tear beyond but the entire weight of the past itself.

Voicing the dreams and furies of a generation, Nirvana rock brilliantly in the now. They suggest a visceral understanding of rehab rites of passage and gen der overlap, stardom fantasy and punk nihilism. Their themes parallel both David Cronenberg's "venereal horror" and David Lynch's atonal wit, and their inchoate striving after feeling combats the blithe vacuity of outdated Warhol-style hipness. Blank generation? Not really, just young people fighting for some kind of meaning” – Rolling Stone

Choice Cut: Go

Vitalogy

Release Date: 22nd November, 1994

Label: Epic

Producers: Brendan O'Brien/Pearl Jam

Standout Tracks: Not for You/Nothingman/Corduroy

Buy: https://store.hmv.com/store/music/vinyl/vitalogy

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5pd9B3KQWKshHw4lnsSLNy?si=L2qK5B1WQAuOhWUz-2l8qA

Review:

“It isn’t merely in its music that the album is wacked out. Everywhere Vedder turns, something or someone is suffocating him, confining him, and his don’t-fence-me-in twitchiness reaches new levels of paranoia on Vitalogy (named after a dubious quasi-medical textbook published earlier this century, portions of which are reprinted in the album’s overloaded booklet). In ”Not for You,” he sits down at a table for two and has to leave because it’s too cramped. In ”Bugs,” he sees ”bugs in my ears/there are eggs in my head/bugs in my pockets/bugs in my shoes” and slowly flips out. Even in what appears to be a love song, Vedder snaps, ”You’re finally here and I’m a mess…Can’t let you roam inside my head.”

Well, at least he’s being honest. Three albums on, Vedder doesn’t sound any happier or any more at peace with himself. His sentiments can be as vague as fortune cookies (”He who forgets will be destined to remember,” ”The smallest oceans still get big big waves”). More often, he’s so bottled up that his lyrics sputter out in half-finished, inarticulate gushes; the sulking, lashing ”Immortality” appears to be a Big Statement song about death, yet you’d never know that from its obtuse lyrics. Even childhood isn’t a respite anymore. Vedder proclaims ”all that’s sacred/comes from youth” in one song, but ”Foxymophandlemama” ends with an adult (a therapist?) asking one of the ”children” if he had considered suicide. The child responds, almost playfully, ”Yes, I believe I would.” And then the album ends.

From the beginning, Vedder’s return-to-the-womb scream has clearly connected with a lot of people, particularly those who might feel disenfranchised or discombobulated. That fact is sadly telling (and understandable), but it’s also disquieting. Kurt Cobain had a similar mind-set, but he was also self-deprecating and had a sense of humor. Vedder doesn’t allow himself those feelings; he seems incapable of expressing joy or happiness, or even figuring out why he can’t. For his torment, he’s become a hero and icon. We cheer his every mumbled, incoherent statement and live vicariously through his pain. So, despite its musical advances, Vitalogy leaves an odd, unsettling aftertaste. You walk away from it energized, but wondering what price Eddie Vedder, and Pearl Jam, will ultimately pay for it. B+” – Entertainment Weekly

Choice Cut: Spin the Black Circle

Pearl Jam

Release Date: 2nd May, 2006

Label: J

Producers: Adam Kasper/Pearl Jam

Standout Tracks: Life Wasted/Comatose/Gone

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/pearl-jam/pearl-jam

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5PY2mZGCOMezmWH7hiCwFH?si=Js2Y1AatQbSTsyefvhfuvg

Review:

“Nearly 15 years after Ten, Pearl Jam finally returned to the strengths of their debut with 2006's Pearl Jam, a sharply focused set of impassioned hard rock. Gone are the arty detours (some call them affectations) that alternately cluttered and enhanced their albums from 1993's sophomore effort, Vs., all the way to 2002's Riot Act, and what's left behind is nothing but the basics: muscular, mildly meandering rock & roll, enlivened by Eddie Vedder's bracing sincerity. Pearl Jam has never sounded as hard or direct as they do here -- even on Ten there was an elasticity to the music, due in large part to Jeff Ament's winding fretless bass, that kept the record from sounding like a direct hit to the gut, which Pearl Jam certainly does. Nowhere does it sound more forceful than it does in its first half, when the tightly controlled rockers "Life Wasted," "World Wide Suicide," "Comatose," "Severed Hand," and "Marker in the Sand" pile up on top of each other, giving the record a genuine feeling of urgency. That insistent quality and sense of purpose doesn't let up even as they slide into the quite beautiful, lightly psychedelic acoustic pop of "Parachutes," which is when the album begins to open up slightly. If the second half of the record does have a greater variety of tempos than the first, it's still heavy on rockers, ranging from the ironic easy swagger of "Unemployable" to the furious "Big Wave," which helps set the stage for the twin closers of "Come Back" and "Inside Job." The former is a slow-burning cousin to "Black" that finds Pearl Jam seamlessly incorporating soul into their sound, while the latter is a deliberately escalating epic that gracefully closes the album on a hopeful note -- and coming after an album filled with righteous anger and frustration, it is indeed welcome. But Pearl Jam's anger on this eponymous album is not only largely invigorating, it is the opposite of the tortured introspection of their first records. Here, Vedder turns his attention to the world at large, and while he certainly rages against the state of W's union in 2006, he's hardly myopic or strident; he's alternately evocative and specific, giving this album a resonance that has been lacking in most protest rock of the 2000s. But what makes Pearl Jam such an effective record is that it can be easily enjoyed as sheer music without ever digging into Vedder's lyrics. Song for song, this is their best set since Vitalogy, and the band has never sounded so purposeful on record as they do here, nor have they ever delivered a record as consistent as this. And the thing that makes the record work exceptionally well is that Pearl Jam has embraced everything they do well, whether it's their classicist hard rock or heart-on-sleeve humanitarianism. In doing so, they seem kind of old fashioned, reaffirming that they are now thoroughly outside of the mainstream -- spending well over a decade galloping away from any trace of popularity will inevitably make you an outsider -- but on their own terms, Pearl Jam hasn't sounded as alive or engaging as they do here since at least Vitalogy, if not longer” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: World Wide Suicide

The Underrated Gem

 

Riot Act

Release Date: 12th November, 2002

Label: Epic

Producers: Adam Kasper/Pearl Jam

Standout Tracks: Love Boat Captain/I Am Mine/You Are

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/pearl-jam/riot-act

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/7AOWw68DEPnDmTpquZw8bG?si=ZbgJxy4uTum4MVXx3WG4Uw

Review:

“The moment that you realise the new Foo Fighters single is as good as the Great Lost Nirvana Classic that Lady Courtney’s promised is the moment that you realise that what they called ‘grunge’ – as concept, sound, nostalgia trip – is spiritually dead and buried. Pearl Jam always seemed eager to slip the genre’s yoke. But their string of irrelevant mid-’90s albums defined The Grunge Retirement: a tediously rockist mentality characterised by Neil Young solos, pointless live records and hippy proselytising. Yet Pearl Jam did not go down with grunge’s ship. 2000’s brooding ‘Binaural’ was steeped in rock classicism in the best possible way. And this, the band’s seventh studio album, goes deeper still. Right now, The Music might dabble in the ancient arts Led Zeppelin once practised, but Pearl Jam sound like full-on high priests. Mike McCready’s guitar solos are accomplished but never overwrought, and the awesome rhythm section of Jeff Ament and Matt Cameron tether Stone Gossard’s primal amp roar down into songs of undeniable might.

Straight out of the trap, there’s two that rank with Pearl Jam‘s best. ‘Save You’ is a magic carpet ride of bucking riffery and thrashing bead-shakers. Meanwhile, the Mellotron-ridden ‘Love Boat Captain’ is a gorgeous example of Pearl Jam‘s gnostic expansiveness done right, Vedder singing “To the universe I don’t mean a thing/ And there’s just one word I still believe/ It’s love”. Complaining that Eddie Vedder is morose is like complaining that Johnny Cash has a mostly dark wardrobe. Get over it: it’s what he does. His range has expanded, though: with a touch of Michael Stipe’s cryptic wisdom, ‘You Are’ and ‘I Am Mine’ unfurl grandly, while ‘Bushleager’ fields a spoken-word attack against Dubya, Vedder growling like William Burroughs: “He’s not a leader, he’s a Texas leaguer/ Swinging for the fence, lucky he got a strike”.

Pearl Jam sound content, and usually that’s the kiss of death to a rock band. Those waiting for another record as challenging as ‘Vitalogy’ will be left disappointed. But ‘Riot Act’ is the sound of a band entering a powerful middle-age. They still deserve your attention” – NME

Choice Cut: Save You

The Latest Album

 

Gigaton

Release Date: 27th March, 2020

Labels: Monkeywrench/Republic

Producer: Josh Evans

Standout Tracks: Superblood Wolfmoon/Take the Long Way/Retrograde

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigaton-VINYL-Pearl-Jam/dp/B083T63QXM

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5bTixyz2GHx1YUqNUdzfut?si=hhL3TbDwSrK_CowJA0hm_Q

Review:

“Elsewhere, Gigaton sounds more vital and unexpected. In the six years since their last studio album, a lot has happened in US politics and it’s tempting to suggest that might have something to do with it. Always good at rabble-rousing and nothing if not politically committed, you get the feeling that a certain urgency about getting their message across might have given Pearl Jam’s music a renewed sense of vigour. The burst of widdly-woo guitar shredding on Superblood Wolfmoon is precisely the kind of thing that would have caused Kurt Cobain to roll his eyes, but the track comes at you with such force that it’s irresistible. The pump organ of closer River Cross recalls sometime Pearl Jam collaborator Neil Young’s use of the same instrument, but its wheezing, hymnal quality is a perfect backdrop for Eddie Vedder’s impassioned vocal: punctuated by bass guitar and thundering drums, it keeps threatening to surge into lighters-out territory, but never takes the leap, as if to underline that the song’s message of optimism is cautious at best. Quick Escape does a lot of Pearl Jammy stuff – big soaring chorus, more guitar histrionics – but sets them against an atmosphere that’s authentically spacey and strange, as again befits lyrics that have taken on an entirely unwitting kind of currency. If you’re going to release a song about the human race facing such catastrophe that escaping to another planet feels appealing, now is probably the moment to do it.

The same impulse seems to have fuelled a desire to make music that reaches beyond the diehards. Dance of the Clairvoyants pitches angular post-punk guitar against limber electro-pop. Moreover, it does it really well. Never Destination stirs a small but nevertheless noticeable dash of impassioned soul influence into its punky stew, and Buckle Up is appealingly warm, off-kilter psychedelia with another lyric about uncertain futures: “Do no harm,” it counsels, “and buckle up.”

As for the rabble-rousing message, it’s more potent and engaging than you might expect. You don’t have to be a Breitbart subscriber to feel a little deflated by the prospect of another album telling you Donald Trump is an arsehole: unless your tastes in American rock tend to Ted Nugent and Kid Rock, it’s a point you’ve heard umpteen times. It says something about Pearl Jam’s renewed dynamism that they’ve found original ways of putting it. The humans departing earth on Quick Escape wearily complain about “the lengths we had to go … to find someplace Trump hadn’t fucked up yet”. Seven O’Clock’s gag about Trump as an indigenous American leader, “Sitting Bullshit”, is pretty good: the way the lyric slips from poking fun to a haunting fantasy of him as a wounded, depleted force, “throwing punches with nothing to hit” even better. Almost 30 years into a career you would once have put money on ending within five, Gigaton suggests Pearl Jam might still be around long after Trump is a distant memory” – The Guardian

Choice Cut: Dance of the Clairvoyants

The Pearl Jam Book

 

Not for You: Pearl Jam and the Present Tense

Author: Ronen Givony

Publication Date: 29th October, 2020

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Synopsis:

“There has never been a band like Pearl Jam. The Seattle quintet has recorded eleven studio albums; sold some 85 million records; played over a thousand shows, in fifty countries; and had five different albums reach number one. But Pearl Jam's story is about much more than music. Through resilience, integrity, and sheer force of will, they transcended several eras, and shaped the way a whole generation thought about art, entertainment, and commerce. Not for You: Pearl Jam and the Present Tense is the first full-length biography of America's preeminent band, from Ten to Gigaton. A study of their role in history - from Operation Desert Storm to the Dixie Chicks; "Jeremy" to Columbine; Kurt Cobain to Chris Cornell; Ticketmaster to Trump - Not for You explores the band's origins and evolution over thirty years of American culture. It starts with their founding, and the eruption of grunge, in 1991; continues through their golden age (Vs., Vitalogy, No Code, and Yield); their middle period (Binaural, Riot Act); and the more divisive recent catalog. Along the way, it considers the band's activism, idealism, and impact, from "W.M.A." to the Battle of Seattle and Body of War. More than the first critical study, Not for You is a tribute to a famously obsessive fan base, in the spirit of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch. It's an old-fashioned - if, at times, ambivalent - appreciation; a reflection on pleasure, fandom, and guilt; and an essay on the nature of adolescence, nostalgia, and adulthood. Partly social history, partly autobiography, and entirely outspoken, discursive, and droll, Not for You is the first full-length treatment of Pearl Jam's odyssey and importance in the culture, from the '90s to the present” – Waterstones

Buy: https://www.waterstones.com/book/not-for-you/ronen-givony/9781501360688

FEATURE: Spotlight: Bess Atwell

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Sequoia Ziff 

Bess Atwell

___________

I thought that I had already…

included Bess Atwell in my Spotlight feature. It appears not! This is another case of me highlighting an artist who has been around for a while but it is a case of some people not being aware of her music. I think this feature is timely, as Atwell recently released the single, Co-op. There is talk around a sophomore album/more material. Atwell released the E.P., Big Blue, in 2019. Back in 2016, she released her amazing debut album, Hold Your Mind. I want to bring in an interview from around that time – before moving more up-to-date. First, I would urge people to check out an amazing album:

“Bess Atwell's songs are written far from city lights, in the South Downs communities where she's lived for most of her 21 years. But in her debut album, Hold Your Mind, local folk and singer-songwriter traditions meet a pop sensibility. Produced by Michael Smith (12 Dirty Bullets), observations on identity, self-dismay and claustrophobic social media combine intimacy with rock hooks and gauzier, more expansive atmospheres. Timeless in essence, her songs are solid with modern detail, and a sure sense of place: strong foundations for a subtly fresh new songwriter. Atwell has honed her live craft around London and Sussex, regularly appearing at Soho's much missed musical hothouse the 12-Bar Club, and at annual appearances at Brighton's Alternative Great Escape. An intimate, direct performer with access to deep wells of suppression and doubt, her album's fuller sound is stripped to its essence in person. Atwell's songs find her version of the universal in concrete, domestic moments: a light in the kitchen, a key in the door, catching the train, and the delicate, sensual nostalgia of recalling the pale, close bodies of an affair. "Quiet, countryside places are where I see myself and my music," she says. "Not the city, where it's busy and things are happening right now. My songs need that moment of stepping away, and reflecting." Bess Atwell is a breath of fresh Downland air, confronting 21st century concerns with older wisdom. Already tipped by the Guardian, press is by 9PR and reviews are expected in all kep papers”.

I want to end by bringing in a recent interview where Atwell talks about Co-op and what she has planned for the rest of this year. I think Hold Your Mind is a really strong and interesting debut album. When she spoke with Impose, we discovered more about her younger life and what she wants people to get from her music:

“Your family moved around quite a bit when you were younger. Where are you originally from? And how do you think the constant moving shaped your music?

I was born in London, but grew up in a village in Cambridgeshire. I started writing songs by the time my family had pretty much settled down, in a small village outside of Brighton. However, the yearning for belonging was still with me, and I found comfort in the consistency of creating, whether that be art or music. I’m not sure it had a profound impact on my music, but the idea of home features heavily in the tracks on the album so who knows!

How would you describe your music? How do you want people to react or feel when they listen to it?

There’s a lot of domestic imagery in the songs because I wanted to ground universal, yet intangible, human emotion to the mundane, physical world. I try not to focus on how I’d like people to react to the music when writing, but when the songs are done it would be wonderful to feel everyone can relate in some way and that they could help connect us a little. Celebrating the human condition rather than shying from it.

Your debut album Hold Your Mind is out this month. What do you have to say about the process of writing and recording it?

There were a couple of years during my teens where I found myself almost incapable of writing anything coherent about the experiences I was having – specifically in regards to my family life. The oldest song on the album is one of the few I finished from this time; ‘Resolution’ which deals with that disjointed feeling.

It wasn’t until my first heartbreak at 19 that my emotions surfaced enough for me to start enjoying songwriting again, and finding comfort in it. During this time it felt as though the songs  were just coming to me, rather than me forcing them. So a lot of the songs on the album are from that experience, and came very easily. That experience broke my writer’s block and paved the way for me to write about different experiences too.

The recording of the album was a massive learning curve. It was weird for me to be, ultimately, in charge of a group of talented, trained musicians (the band I recorded with) and it took a while to embrace the responsibility for the sound of the album. We recorded most of the album in the studio in London, with the band, and those sessions were a lot of fun. My producer, Michael Smith, and I also had a few sessions out in the countryside where I live, when we simplified things and reconnected with the album sonically.

What are you most excited about with this release?

It sounds obvious, but people actually hearing the songs. I’m not really going into the release with any particular goal or expectation. I wrote these songs about my life, and the most I could ask for is that someone hears them and feels connected to my experiences too. I hope everyone can relate to the songs on some level”.

Although Bess Atwell is a unique artist and one cannot easily associate her with another artist, I was interested to know whether there were any other artists who inspired her. In 2019, Atwell spoke with Alt. Revue and was asked that very question:

“Could you walk us through your process of writing music?

Lots of artists say it, but it’s true; my best songs are written very quickly and just sort of pour out. The songs I labour over the most are almost always my least favourite.

Recently I’ve been writing with a drum machine which I find helps me to avoid slipping into repetitive rhythms. I tend to start with a chord sequence and then write melody and lyrics simultaneously. I’ll always neaten up the lyrics after because the first attempt isn’t particularly poetic.

What artists have inspired you in your career?

Johnny Flynn, Gillian Welch, The Beach Boys to name a few. As a teenager I listened to almost exclusively indie rock bands (Beach House, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, The National).

Currently I’m listening to a lot of solo artists - I used to avoid listening to other female, indie artists in fear that I’d end up sounding exactly like them and render myself useless but I realised I was missing out on so much incredible music. Julia Jacklin’s new record has blown me away, as well as albums from Soccer Mommy, Stella Donnelly, and Phoebe Bridgers.

Can you describe the vibe at your live shows? Also, what do you enjoy most about a venue when you do a show?

I’d say the vibe is.. moody? I try and come across as approachable on stage but the songs are a little dark so sometimes you just have to roll with it. I’m not super talkative when I’m up there but I don’t stress about it anymore. Sometimes all you can do is play your songs well and be appreciative.

I really enjoy the moment after sound checking when you can just wander around an empty venue with a cup of tea knowing that it’ll (hopefully) be full in a couple of hours. It’s the only moment you get to chill out if you’ve been travelling all day”.

This brings us up to 2021. I wonder whether there will be an album later in the year. Whilst there has been no official announcement, new songs like Co-op clearly point towards a larger project. I will end by bringing in an interview with Wonderland.  They focused on Atwell’s acclaimed new single and asked what comes next:

“With us getting a taster of spring the past weekend, singer-songwriter Bess Atwell is keeping the momentum going with her dreamy new single “Co-op”. Like the first blooms of spring, Atwell’s latest single unfolds with serene ripples of guitar strings surrounded by her lush calming vocals, leading us to a track that has us reminiscent of Lana Del Rey and Phoebe Bridgers. Similar to her previous offerings, the track maintains the same fresh and unique sound she has displayed throughout her career. Accompanied by a self-directed video, the singer puts the emotional context of the track at the forefront, directly referencing the lyrics with bold imagery and contrasting props.

Opening up on the single, the singer revealed, “It’s an illustration of mine and my partner’s life together. The relationship seemed to provide me with some sort of permission to recuperate from family trauma, as if realising for the first time that there was a life outside of that chaos lulled me into an emotional slumber. Through the song, I grapple with the desire for, and fear of, comfort. I used references to Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway to depict a vivid nostalgia and an affinity for trivialities that serve to calm when darker thoughts set it.”

Releasing the single under her new home at Lucy Rose’s Real Kind Records, the singer is ready to take her sound into a new era, and we caught up with her talking the signing, developing her music and what we can expect in the future from the singer.

Hi Bess – how have you been during this uncertain time? How has it impacted your music and creativity?

All in all, I’ve been okay. When I can’t change things I go to a relatively calm place, which is as much a surprise to me as it is to those who know me. It’s definitely forced me to confront some ugly parts of myself though, like my chronic impatience… which is particularly tricky when you’re trying to put a record out!

I write from my own experiences mostly, which is tough when most days look the same. When the first lockdown happened I was living with my parents to save on rent while I was meant to be on tour. I’m incredibly privileged that I got to save money when so many were struggling financially, but on a personal note it was a challenge that ended up fuelling my writing.

Congratulations on your new song “Co-op” which explores your life with your partner – what was it inspired by in particular?

Thanks! The song started off as a bit of a private joke. We lived together in a tiny boxy room within a shared house for a year. It was meant to be temporary while I found somewhere to live but we got quite comfortable. The house was above a pizza shop and directly opposite a Co-op. It was a time of refuge and routine. Not feeling particularly comforted and safe with my own family, and in the midst of dealing with an anxiety disorder, I attached a sense of security to that house and that relationship. The song is both a celebration and criticism of that time. We had a running joke that we couldn’t go to the shop without getting whatever song was playing stuck in our heads. One night, I walked through the door humming and he did the usual “did you even go to the Co-op if you don’t come back singing the pop song that was on?” and I told him I’d write that into a song one day.

How does it feel releasing new music when most of the world is in lockdown/everything feels so uncertain – what do you hope your music will bring?

Well, here in the UK we’ve just been given a date – 21st June for what people are calling our “pandemic independence”. There’s hopefulness in the air, so it feels like a nice time to release music. On a base level, I hope they just enjoy the music. Other than that, I’d love for people to relate to the lyrics and to find a universality in the specific. It’s all about connection and the easing of existential loneliness, for me.

What’s next for you? What are you looking forward to in 2021?

Imminently, I’m going to go and make some bread. That’s been my lockdown “thing” once I realised I probably shouldn’t eat a cake to myself every day. This year is going to be full of releases from me which is really exciting after sitting on this new music for so long. If the world allows, I’ll be touring in the autumn too. I also recently got a kitten so I’m looking forward to my first year with her”.

I am looking ahead to see what might come next for Bess Atwell. She is an artist I have been listening to for a while and, with everything she releases, one hears this quality and longevity! I hope that she does get to tour later in the year. I know that many people will…

FLOCK to see her.

_______________

Follow Bess Atwell

Official:

https://www.bessatwell.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/bessatwellmusic

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Pim5E5Lm03COsjHj2aEiK

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bessatwell/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bessatwell

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNUN18fwVbGq76oRdVKZDgw

FEATURE: Back to Live: Looking Ahead to the BRIT Awards and Indoor Gigs

FEATURE:

 

 

Back to Live

IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa is due to perform at the BRIT Awards on 11th May at the O2, London (she is nominated in three categories, including Album of the Year for Future Nostalgia)

Looking Ahead to the BRIT Awards and Indoor Gigs

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ONE of the things music fans…

 IMAGE CREDIT: BRIT Awards

are really looking forward to is the return of live music. Many artists have already organised gigs and tours for later in the year. Whilst a degree of uncertainty exists regarding how likely it is large-scale gigs can return by the summer, there are some positive signs. Reading and Leeds is hoping to put on a full-scale event this year where punters do not need to wear masks or socially distance. There will need to be testing and safety measures put in place. I will come back to that. Next month, the BRIT Awards is welcoming a live audience as part of a COVID-19 trial. This article from Billboard explains more:

“All attendees must consent to participate in a research program sponsored by the U.K. government.

The 2021 Brit Awards, set for May 11 at The O2 arena in London, will be both a celebration and an experiment. The show is expected to have an audience of 4,000 -- roughly one-fifth of the venue’s capacity. Here’s the surprising part: Audience members will not be socially distanced or required to wear face coverings in the arena.

In a statement, the Brit Awards characterize the show as the “first major indoor music event to welcome back a live audience – a pivotal moment in the return of live music at scale.”

About 2,500 tickets will be gifted by the recorded music industry to “key workers” -- the British term for “essential workers” -- in the greater London area. (This is meant to discourage longer-distance travel.) The remaining 1,500 tickets will be allocated for purchase by the nominated and performing artists and their teams, supporting record labels, management and show partners and sponsors. A “ballot” (lottery) for free tickets for key workers will open on Brits.co.uk on Thursday (April 22) at noon local time. But those free tickets come with a catch: All attendees must consent to participate in a research program sponsored by the U.K. government.

A statement notes: “The indoor ceremony and live show will form part of the Government’s scientific Events Research Programme, using enhanced testing approaches to examine how events can take place without the need for social distancing.

“Working closely with the Government to adhere to safety guidelines, this means The Brits, as the first live music show at The O2 in over a year, will play an important role in paving the way for the return of live music at scale as the UK emerges from the past year’s restrictions.

“…Audience members will not be socially distanced or required to wear face coverings in the arena, but they will be required to follow existing Government guidance when travelling to the venue and adhere to rules set out by the event organisers.

"Attendees must have proof of a negative lateral flow test result to enter the venue. As part of the wider scientific research on the trial events, attendees will also be asked to take a test after the event to gather further evidence on the safety of indoor settings, reduced social distancing and the removal of non-pharmaceutical interventions like face coverings.

"They will also have to provide contact details for NHS Test and Trace to ensure everyone can be traced in the event of an audience member receiving a positive test after the event”.

Geoff Taylor, chief executive BPI & Brit Awards, said: “This year’s Brit Awards with Mastercard is one of the most significant in the show’s history. Not only will we be celebrating the brilliant music and artists that have helped us through the pandemic, but we hope it will provide a path for the return of live music that fans and artists have so sorely missed … We’re… working closely with Government, The O2 and all our partners to ensure all safety measures and guidelines are adhered to.”

Danielle Kennedy-Clark, deputy general manager of The O2, said “We’re proud that The O2 has been selected to host the largest indoor capacity pilot event with The Brits. This scientific trial is an important step on the path to recovery for the live entertainment industry, and our operational teams are making the final preparations to be able to welcome people into The O2 arena again for the first time in more than a year”.

Whilst the O2 is a large venue that can safely accommodate thousands and stay safe, I think there will still be challenges. The BRIT Awards will be the first big event in this country since the pandemic started where we will see an event with so many people. It will be very odd and wonderful to see! Many festivals are cancelling this year as they are not sure whether they can go ahead safely. Some are going ahead but, for others, there is a risk that they might have to be cancelled at short notice. As we do not know what the guidelines and lockdown restrictions will be like in months to come, festival organisers are asking for a COVID cancellation scheme to avoid possible bankruptcy:

“Millions of tickets have already been sold and headline acts from Keane to Stormzy are preparing to return to the stage, but the organisers of hundreds of live music festivals planned for this summer are warning that if the government does not follow other European countries and offer to underwrite Covid cancellation insurance, they may be forced to pull the plug.

The national reopening timetable, largely unchanged since it was announced in February, will allow mass gatherings from late June. But scheduling a post-pandemic event brings significant financial risk, as a local or national spike in coronavirus cases could lead to a last-minute cancellation by public health authorities, which would leave festival organisers with huge losses.

PHOTO CREDIT: Colin Lloyd/Unsplash 

Government-backed insurance is the “big missing piece of the jigsaw,” said Greg Parmley, the chief executive of the Live trade association. “There is no commercial insurance available for coronavirus. Other governments are stepping up and helping; we feel like we are banging our head against a wall. We are seeing a steady stream of cancellations and it will get bigger until the summer.”

The music industry, festival organisers and promoters have been calling for several months for a government-based indemnity scheme. This would operate like a form of insurance by providing financial support if events were affected by the coronavirus crisis, similar to the film and TV production restart scheme announced last July”.

I hope that festivals can go ahead safely and organisers have security and backing from the Government. Many venues around the country will want to welcome gig-goers and artists into their space. We will see how the BRIT Awards goes and whether they can bring thousands of people in and ensure that there are no big risks or concerns. It is going to be wonderful to see so many buzzing people in the O2 after so long! I think this will give heart to venues and festivals. I guess, if people can show a negative lateral flow test and adhere to social distance rules when travelling to and from venues, then they could be allowed to go mask-less and not adhere to social distancing when they are at the gig. It will be a major turning point and breakthrough after an intense and hard year-and-a-bit. So many venues have struggled to stay open for so long. With there being this massive desire for live music to return safely, it seems like we are closer to that happening! I hope that festivals get backing and are insured this year. If not, we could see many disappear for good. The same goes for venues that need funding. Many venues will not be able to reopen at full capacity for a long time, so they will struggle and not be at their best right away. I think the BRIT Awards trial is good news that many of us have been waiting for. Although it is an experiment and people will be nervous, the ceremony on 11th May will also be a huge celebration. It does not mark normality and things being over. It does, however, signal a huge step forward that will give hope and spirit to…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Moqadam/Unsplash

VENUES and fans alike.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

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IN this Vinyl Corner…

I am including an album that turns fifteen quite soon. I am not overly-familiar with TV on the Radio, through I do really like their album, Return to Cookie Mountain. It is an album that I think people should pick up on vinyl, as it is brilliant. The New York band are still going and put out their fifth album, Seeds, in 2014. I think that Return to Cookie Mountain is their finest release. If you are not familiar with it, maybe stream the songs first. You will want to convert to vinyl, as the songs require repeated listens and full attention. I am going to bring in a couple of reviews for a terrific album. First, it is worth bringing in some background about Return to Cookie Mountain:

“Return to Cookie Mountain is the second studio album by American rock band TV on the Radio. It was released July 6, 2006, worldwide by 4AD, and issued in the U.S. and Canada on September 12, 2006, by Interscope Records and Touch and Go Recordings. The North American release features three bonus tracks, two of which are B-sides from the single "Wolf Like Me"; the other is a remix of "Hours" by El-P. Videos were made for the singles "Wolf Like Me" and "Province".

The album featured several notable guest vocalists: "Province" features backing vocals from David Bowie, who championed the band's full-length debut, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes; Katrina Ford of the band Celebration guests on "Wolf Like Me", "Let the Devil In" and "Blues from Down Here"; Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead sings on "Hours". This is their first album to feature the keyboardist Gerard Smith”.

It is interesting learning more about the run-up to the album and the political context in which it was released. In 2018, Vinyl Me Please examined the album and discussed the importance and strengths of Return to Cookie Mountain:

“Return to Cookie Mountain takes its name from the Super Mario World level, obviously, but not in any way that has ever been explained. It’s not like singer Tunde Adebimpe has ever come out as a staunch Nintendo fan who owned a Virtual Boy, or Sitek ever extolled the virtues of royal blue bib overalls. But wanting to return to a fantasy world, where the good guys are plumbers who ride long-tongued dinosaurs and the bad guys are mutated mushrooms and turtles throwing hammers, instead of living in the present of 2006 — with its endless war, its feeling like the end was nigh, and its democratically elected presidents leaving people in their own country to die in a flood — was understandable. Desirable, even.

2006 was a very bad year. Americans were halfway into the second Bush II term, and only months removed from his administration making a defacto public policy to ignore the dying black people in New Orleans during the fallout of Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster to hit America since the colonists made landfall at Plymouth Rock. The war in Iraq, then into its third year, showed no signs of being near a resolution, despite Bush dressing up in pilot cosplay and announcing Mission Accomplished. Everyday brought a new existential worry, a new way the U.S. government had manipulated reporters into backing foreign wars, a new indignity placed upon different parts of the populace. Post-9/11, it felt like we were on the endless conveyor belt to World War III, a multi-front battle that would take our troops from North Korea to Iraq to wherever else the Axis of Evil was deemed to spin. It was a different kind of dread than the one we experience in 2018; it was still novel to believe the U.S. government was on the brink of collapse back then.

It was as explicit as TV on the Radio ever got about the man sitting in the White House, but the message was clear: TV on the Radio were writing about the present, and the present had them down. The specter of the world of worries of 2006 hangs over Retrun to Cookie Mountain like ashes.

These are desperation songs, the full spectrum of post-9/11 anguish and angst distilled into 11 tracks. The most beautiful, resonant song here — “Province” — is about how in uncertain times, the bravest thing you can do as a human is choosing to love someone completely. The song that ended up in Rock Band 2, “Wolf Like Me,” is about how desire — for sex, for power, for success — makes you into a literal animal. The middle of the record is buoyed by songs that sound like they’re being performed by a chain gang in the 7th circle of hell. It’s not light reading.

It’s also the culmination of the arc of New York rock in the ‘00s — though they got famous in Brooklyn, drummer Jaleel Bunton is a star of Meet Me in the Bathroom for the stories he picked up bartending for the Strokes and others at Max Fish on the Lower East Side, which places TV on the Radio in both lineages — and the start of everything that came after. New York rock in the ‘00s was initially marked by new bands in the Lower East Side “bringing rock back from the dead”; the decade would close with bands in Brooklyn stretching the fabric of rock into microgenres too vast and varied to describe in any complete way here. That change was largely spearheaded by TV on the Radio, a band who took ‘70s prog rock, soul, New York punk, noise rock, and instrumental wizardry and melded it into Return to Cookie Mountain, their masterpiece, an album of spiritual campfire reveries for a great cataclysm.

While “Wolf Like Me” and “Province” are the twin peaks of Cookie Mountain, the album’s strength is in how it toes the line between subtlety and big, in-your-face moments, not only song-to-song, but in songs themselves. “A Method” goes from a barbershop quartet singing in a bombed-out building to a percussive gunfight at the end. “Let The Devil In” crescendos from Malone singing quietly over a drumline, till it becomes a full-throated, everything-but-the-kitchen sink bang-and-wail. All the group shouts fall away for the album’s penultimate song, “Tonight,” still the most beautiful ballad in the surprisingly deep TV on the Radio ballad songbook — they’ll never get credit for how good their ballads are —a song that reassures you that despite all the dread, and the deals-with-the-devil that are made earlier on the album, you have one life to live, and trying to let things go and living it is all you really have. “Life deals a measly portion, light on good friends and fortune,” Adebimpe sings over a tambourine and droning guitars, before concluding “Your busted heart will be fine, in its tell tale time, so give it up, tonight.” “I think everyone in the band is a closet optimist,” Adebimpe would later tell Spin in a cover story.

And that might be the ultimate message of Return to Cookie Mountain. While the album was created with guitar pedals and ennui, it resolves that to stay alive and sane in the world, you need to believe in love, believe in your ability to overcome your base instincts, believe in the power of being together with other people, and believe in the power of your art to give you personal liberation. A return to the innocence and fantasy of before might not be possible, but this album has no choice but to try”.

I am going to finish off with a couple of reviews. It is interesting to see how various sites and reviewers approached Return to Cookie Mountain. In their review, this is what The A.V. Club had to say:

“The music feels as loose as ever, almost improvised at times. The opening track, "I Was A Lover," establishes the rules: The song lacks any kind of verse-chorus structure, and it's constructed mostly with a simple beat, washes of distortion that sound like white noise, and vocals by members Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe. It's a bold song whose warm experimentalism will either click with listeners or turn them off.

A straightforward song doesn't arrive until track five, "Wolf Like Me," with its propulsive, steady drumming and melodic chord progression. But TV On The Radio still layers the song with noisy, though not distracting, layers of sound. (The band later repeats the style on "Blues From Down Here.") Throughout, Cookie Mountain rolls like a ship on water, steering into experimental moments, then gently rolling into less outré tracks. Yet even the group's more adventurous passages—like the droney "Tonight"—shouldn't alienate listeners outright; the warm, harmony-laden vocal interplay (which adds David Bowie on one track) always provides something to grasp.

TV On The Radio's 2004 album, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, seemed to lose its way during its later tracks, as if the band was swimming somewhere, but stopped to tread water before arriving. To a certain extent, Cookie Mountain suffers from repetition by the end, even before the three bonus tracks arrive. The noisy guitars of the eight-minute "Wash The Day Away" too closely resemble "I Was A Lover" and "Playhouses," but the song nevertheless feels conclusive. TV On The Radio previously seemed content to roam the open horizon; here, it's intent on exploring the far side. The journey is, once again, enthralling”.

The final review I’ll bring in is from Entertainment Weekly. They went deep and explored the phenomenal Return to Cookie Mountain with real respect and affection:

“The first song on Return to Cookie Mountain, the third album from TV on the Radio, drops the listener into a besieged bunker in the middle of some unnamed war. ”Held up in a luxury suite behind a red barricaded door,” a voice moans. Guitars emit a disquieting end-of-the-world hum until they fog up the senses, then recede. A sad orchestra bleats out funereal chords, and a piano tolls, over and out. The war this Brooklyn quintet describes is more emotional and metaphorical than literal, and it serves as an ominous opener for the album, a dystopian soundtrack in the tradition of art-of-noise classics by David Bowie (Scary Monsters), Radiohead (OK Computer), and Tricky (Pre-Millennium Tension).

These visual artists-turned-sonic architects have always loved to combine dread and drone. Now they’ve got the songs to go with their mastery of things-falling-apart atmosphere. Sometimes they drift into melodrama, but even ripe lines such as ”Hold your heart courageously as we walk into this dark place” are redeemed by the harmonies of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone. You won’t hear airier, more evocative singing on a rock record this year, from the Beach Boys-like dissonant harmonies on ”A Method” to the eerie counterpoint vocals of ”Hours.”

Studio chemist Andrew Sitek and the rest of the Radio gang turn the agitated introspection of ”Wash the Day Away” into unlikely grandeur, push ”Wolf Like Me” until it surges into a cold-sweat anthem, and construct a hypnotic reverie out of guitar, piano, and muted percussion on ”Province” (with a vocal assist from fan David Bowie).

The savvier arrangements, brimming with unsettling sound effects, put Cookie Mountain several steps ahead of its fine 2004 predecessor, Desperate Youth, Bloody Thirsty Babes. If the voices of Adebimpe and Malone are the album’s soul, the soundscapes-turned-songs are its unshakable foundation”.

If you cannot get the vinyl then listen to Return to Cookie Mountain online. Ahead of its fifteenth anniversary, I wanted to highlight one hell of an album! It still holds so much power and mesmeric quality so many years after its release. I would definitely recommend people investigate…

A stunner from 2006.

FEATURE: C’Mon and Blow It a Kiss Now: Kate Bush’s The Big Sky at Thirty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

C’Mon and Blow It a Kiss Now

Kate Bush’s The Big Sky at Thirty-Five

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I almost overlooked…

a terrific song from Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love. I didn’t forget that it existed; instead, I was unaware that The Big Sky is about to celebrate its thirty-fifth anniversary. Released as the fourth and final single from the album on 28th April, 1986, it reached number thirty-seven in the U.K. singles charts. With some phenomenal musicianship throughout - Kate Bush – vocals, Fairlight CMI, piano, Paddy Bush – didgeridoo, Alan Murphy – guitar, Martin Glover (Youth) – bass guitar, Charlie Morgan – drums, handclaps, Del Palmer – LinnDrum programming, handclaps, Morris Pert – percussion-, I think The Big Sky is the best song from Hounds of Love. The third track on the album, it is a moment of joy and ebullience after Hounds of Love and before Mother Stands for Comfort. The former song has a spirit and energy that definitely gets into the head, though the lyrics are quite heart-aching and emotional. Mother Stands for Comfort is chiller and more anxious. It is a song that ends the first side of the album with a sense of something a little eerie and disturbed. I feel The Big Sky is one of most uplifting and joyful songs in Bush’s catalogue. In terms of the background to the song, the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia gives us some more details:

“Someone sitting looking at the sky, watching the clouds change. I used to do this a lot as a child, just watching the clouds go into different shapes. I think we forget these pleasures as adults. We don't get as much time to enjoy those kinds of things, or think about them; we feel silly about what we used to do naturally. The song is also suggesting the coming of the next flood - how perhaps the "fools on the hills" will be the wise ones. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, Issue 18, 1985)

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

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

Not only is the composition propulsive and full of life; it was a difficult song that took a while to get together. Earlier versions are dramatically different to what we hear on Hounds of Love. The lyrics, in true Kate Bush style, have so many different elements and layers. I think there is fascination, whimsy, oddity and beauty through the song. Lines like ”That cloud, that cloud/Looks like Ireland/C'mon and blow it a kiss now…” evoke a sense of wide-eyed wonder and child-like glee. When she sings “You never understood me/You never really tried”, I wonder whether Bush is singing about the sky or someone in her life. “This cloud, this cloud/Says "Noah,/C'mon and build me an Ark/And if you're coming, jump” is another fantastic image that brings another smile. Bush, as a child and an adult, was clearly fascinated by the sky and its evocative and calming influences: “You want my reply?/What was the question?/I was looking at the Big Sky”. The chorus is mesmeric and has this momentum that builds and builds. I especially love the video. Directed by Bush, it features a cast of wonderful characters that seems like a fever-dream. Some fast and wonderfully insane editing means we get a range of striking images that never really coalesces into a flowing story. Instead, it is this collage that hooks you in and demands repeated viewing. Ahead of its thirty-fifth anniversary on Thursday, I wanted to nod to one of my favourite Kate Bush songs. Whilst it is played on the radio less than bigger Hounds of Love singles like the title track and Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), it is a real gem that deserves to be played endlessly. Decades after I first heard the song, it still manages to make me tingle…

AND smile.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Forty-Four: Nicki Minaj

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern Heroines

PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Demarchelier for The New York Times 

Part Forty-Four: Nicki Minaj

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THIS is a slight departure…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Dennis Leupold for Wonderland.

from my usual Modern Heroine features. I normally include female artists who might be quite new but are showing signs that they are icons and hugely inspirational figures of the future. Nicki Minja’s debut album, Pink Friday, came out in 2010; she started recording music quite a way before then. Her fourth studio album, Queen, was released in 2018. There are going to be a lot of people excited to se if Minaj offers up a new album soon (not that there has been an announcement). Despite the fact that she is established and has a legacy already, I think we will see a lot more from Minaj. At thirty-eight, one can argue there are other women at her heels when it comes to the title of ‘Queen of Rap’. That said, I still think she can hold that honour. Despite the fact that there have been some controversies through the years, Minaj’s philanthropy and extraordinary persona have turned into a modern-day heroine who inspires fans and artists alike. I am going to end this feature with a review of Queen – at the very end, I will drop in a career-spanning playlist. Before quoting from two fascinating interviews conducted around the release of Queen – one in 2017, the other in 2018 -, I want to  source from Wikipedia. They provide some useful background, in addition to (stating) why Minaj is such a phenomenon:

“Minaj's third and fourth studio albums, The Pinkprint (2014) and Queen (2018), marked a departure from the dance-pop stylings of her previous records and a return to her hip hop roots. The Pinkprint was critically acclaimed, spawning the single "Anaconda", which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Queen featured "Chun Li", which reached number 10 on the Hot 100. In 2019, Minaj released a collaboration with Karol G, "Tusa", which debuted at number one on the "Hot Latin Songs" chart and went on to become the longest-running number-one single on the Argentina Hot 100, having spent 6 months at number one on the chart.

Her feature on the remix of Doja Cat's "Say So" and her collaboration with 6ix9ine, "Trollz", both released in 2020, marked her first and second number-one singles on the Hot 100, respectively, with the latter making her the second female rapper to debut atop the chart after Lauryn Hill in 1998. Minaj is the first female artist of any genre to reach 100 entries on the Hot 100 chart, and is one of the only two female artists across all genres that have more than 100 Hot 100 entries, with the other artist being Taylor Swift.

Cited as one of the most influential and best selling rap artists of all time, and dubbed as the "Queen of Rap" by several media outlets, Minaj has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including six American Music Awards, twelve BET Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, one ASCAP Latin Music Award, and two Billboard Women in Music Awards. She has also been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards. Minaj was the highest-ranked female rapper on Billboard's list of the top artists of the 2010s. In 2016, Minaj was included on the annual Time list of the 100 most influential people in the world”.

I have got into Minaj’s work more than last few years. Although there have been controversies and feuds through her career, one cannot argue against the fact that Minaj is a sensational artist that will go down in the music history books. I do think, as I said, we will see a lot more from a modern-day leader who, in years to come, will be remembered as an icon. I think that she has helped open doors for so many women in Rap.

I want to move onto Queen and some of the interviews that Minaj conducted around the time. I learned a lot whilst researching. In this Wonderland. interview, we learn about some of the influence behind the title, Queen – in addition to why Minaj is so successful and respected:

“Miss Minaj is still here, a good eight years since she made her major label debut with the now classic Pink Friday, and even longer since she first caught the hip hop world’s attention with her witty and wild words, rapping and pushing mixtapes on the block in her native Queens, New York. She has a new album out called, resolutely, Queen, which bears the weight of that title, a tense, intense collection of songs about life as the commander-in- chief. Throughout the album, she raps of triumph and war, most pointedly on first single, “Chun-Li”, in which she slams those who try to make her out to be a villain, and pounds her chest while calling herself King Kong.

Her target on the album mostly remains nameless, though amongst others, Cardi B is an unavoidable spectre, as she is the only woman since Nicki’s reign began to have come close to her level of success. The previously inferred rivalry came to a head when they crossed paths at a New York Fashion Week gala at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan this September. Grainy video appears to show the two women, both impeccable in full-length ball gowns, with the Bronx-born Cardi trying to fight through a crowd of security and bystanders to get to a calm Nicki, eventually throwing a red high-heeled shoe at her Queens counterpart. Though Nicki was unavailable for comment after the altercation, when we spoke about a week before the chaos, she was coy but cutting. “My truth is I don’t have an issue with any woman in rap. If they have an issue with me they can suck my dick,” Nicki says.

She is the most successful female rapper of all the time, a woman who has achieved things that no other woman (or man, really) in hip hop ever has, an MC who has been able to become as successful on the global stage as any more conventional pop singer. By making pop songs (and singing the hooks for them) as gooey sweet as “Super Bass” while maintaining her New York bona fides with gutter tracks like “Beez in the Trap,” she has changed what it can mean to be a female rapper in the industry. Go to karaoke anywhere from Bangkok to Vienna, and you will hear people rapping to Nicki Minaj like they sing along to Katy Perry. She is the woman with the most entries on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts – ever. “When I was first trying to rap, female rappers weren’t out here getting paid a million dollars a show,” she says.

But though “success” is the theme of Queen, fame has never been the most interesting thing about Nicki Minaj. She’s a writer, a real writer, and at a time in which celebrity itself is honoured as an art, Nicki has always made actual art, with a command of language and metre and metaphor that is thrilling at its best, and, even with all of her accolades, often taken for granted. Born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and Tobago in 1982, she grew up in hip hop’s home, New York, where her family settled in Southside Jamaica, Queens. She had a tumultuous childhood, with an alcoholic father who burned down their family home at one point, a trauma she detailed on the track “Autobiography” from her 2008 tape, Sucka Free. But she was ambitious, auditioning to be a student at LaGuardia High School in Manhattan, best known as the school that inspired Fame, and a storied dramatic arts centre that has produced stars like Al Pacino and Eartha Kitt. “I majored in drama and theatre. We had all the freedom in the world to do any and everything we wanted,” she says.

She has put everything in our conversation on shaky ground, which is perhaps, for her, like levelling the playing field, since that seems to just be the atmosphere in her world. And the strategy, if something this instinctive can be called a strategy, works, at least on me in this conversation: has Nicki just been misunderstood all this time, a Joan of Arc that we’ve thrown into the bonfire? “I’m not going to change myself. People have to loosen the fuck up,” she says. For good and for bad, Nicki has never been afraid of controversy, sometimes with joyful effect and sometimes not. The night before we speak, she had a wardrobe malfunction which exposed her breasts live on stage, and to me, she admirably shrugs it off by saying, “Everyone has already seen my nipples.” But she can also be truly frustrating, like with her recent duet with New York rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, who pled guilty “to the use of a child in a sexual performance” in 2015 relating to a case involving a girl of 13 years-old. When discussing criticism of their collaboration on Queen Radio, she basically called the allegations fake news: “When I know somebody there’s nothing you can tell me about them.”

 PHOTO CREDIT: Dennis Leupold for Wonderland.  

Beneath the current chaos, it is wise to remember that there is real pathos in Nicki Minaj – she has proven again and again that she is a sensitive, creative, even vulnerable soul, no matter her current level of outrageousness. I ask her about a moment in 2015, when she read on stage at a benefit concert the famous poem “Still I Rise”, by Maya Angelou, about what it means to be a black woman in the face of all the shit the world dishes out. “Does my sassiness upset you?” Angelou asks in the poem at one point. “I didn’t realise even until I was up there reading it how much it resonated with me personally,” she says. “That poem reminded me that I will always come out on top. When your heart and your passion are in the right place, you come out on top. I know who I am.” She giggles sweetly and says she has a boyfriend now, though she won’t say much about him, just calls him “new boy” and says that pregnancy, something she has long publicly wished for herself, is on the horizon, too. “I’ve got to get married first then I’ll have a child. I might be closer than people think actually,” she trolls again but playfully so. “I love children. I’m not going to put that off for much longer”.

I look at some of the women in Rap and Hip-Hop today – like Cardi B and Bree Runway -, and they definitely owe a nod and debt to a trailblazer of the game. Before wrapping things up by bringing in a review of Queen, there is a 2017 interview from The New York Times that makes for illuminating and interesting reading:

“THROUGHOUT HER CAREER, Minaj has demonstrated a discipline and intelligence that is rare among other pop stars of her generation. She has what she describes to me as “the X-factor, which is just the thing you can’t put into words.” Onika Tanya Maraj was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, in 1982, and immigrated to Queens, N.Y., with her family at the age of 5. She began her music career singing with various rappers and working odd jobs. When she waitressed, she wrote lyrics constantly on the notepad she used to take orders. There is genuine pleasure in her voice as she reminisces about this. “I would take people’s order and then a rap might come to me just by what they’re wearing or what they said or did, and I would go in the kitchen and write it down, put it in the back of my little thing or my apron, and by the time I was done I would have all of these sheets of paper thrown around everywhere with raps.”

Since then, her career has been a checklist of milestones. In 2009, she was the first woman artist signed to Young Money, the label founded by Lil Wayne. Three mixtapes and three studio albums — “Pink Friday” in 2010, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” in 2012 and “The Pink Print” in 2014 — followed, and in March 2017, Minaj surpassed Aretha Franklin for the most appearances (76) by a woman on the Billboard Hot 100, a record Franklin had held for almost 40 years. She is the rare hip-hop artist who has successfully and sustainably crossed over into pop music. Minaj, M.I.A. and Madonna performed their single, “Give Me All Your Luvin,” at the 2012 Super Bowl. Days later she performed solo at the Grammy Awards. Her dance song “Starships” went platinum six times over. She even collaborated with Ariana Grande on 2016’s song “Side to Side,” and while the pairing was unexpected given Grande’s previously wholesome image, the song went triple platinum. Minaj does not temper her swagger or sexuality. Sometimes, when I am daydreaming, I marvel at the phrases “dick bicycle” and “If you wanna ménage I got a tricycle” from “Side to Side,” which are so damn clever and funny and vulgar but also accurate as hell for a song Grande once described as being “about riding leading to soreness”.

MINAJ’S PUBLIC IMAGE and personas are carefully curated. The tabloids have assiduously tracked her professional and personal lives and I restrain myself from asking about her ex Safaree Samuels, who appears on “Love & Hip Hop,” a reality television series about the music industry, and if she would ever give Drake a shot. (I restrain myself greatly.) I don’t know that anyone but her inner circle knows who Nicki Minaj really is.

This elusiveness is compounded by her fascinating catalog of performative alter egos, including Harajuku Barbie (a fashionista obsessed with pink and Minaj’s longest-running persona), Nicki Teresa (known as “The Healer”) and the sexually explicit Nicki Lewinsky — there is even a male persona, Roman Zolanski, a slightly exaggerated version of Minaj herself. She has a vocal range that can go from a high-pitched twittering to a growl in a few bars. In both music and regular conversation, she enjoys playing with accents, offering up valley girl-speak or island patois. During our time together, she switched to a British accent a couple of times and then effortlessly returned to her normal voice, a slightly affectless cadence that recalls her Queens upbringing. In public, she often wears dramatic makeup, dramatic outfits and a rainbow of dramatic wigs, which is to say she performs both on- and offstage. There is no point during our conversation where Minaj demonstrates anything but absolute self-awareness. She pauses briefly before she answers my questions, as if calculating every possible outcome to everything she says. By the end of the interview, I am impressed by her fierce intelligence.

At this point in her career, Minaj is able to reconcile, somewhat, her struggles. “I kind of love that I’ve had to go through so many hurdles to get where I am because I feel like I deserve it.” She is frank about what she has been up against. “I had so much going against me in the beginning: being black, being a woman, being a female rapper. No matter how many times I get on a track with everyone’s favorite M.C. and hold my own, the culture never seems to want to give me my props as an M.C., as a lyricist, as a writer. I got to prove myself a hundred times, whereas the guys that came in around the same time as I did, they were given the titles so much quicker without anybody second-guessing”.

Just before closing, The Independent were full of praise when reviewing Queen. Despite the fact she collaborates with a few artists on the album, it is her voice and talent that shines the brightest:

“Queen starts off with “Ganja Burns” and the sweet contrast of her singing voice against her cutting bars, flexing lyrical muscles against a tropical beat. She raps: “They done went to witch doctors to bury the Barbie”, a reference to the supposed hate train that is attempting to stall her career. She is even more direct when she raps “Unlike a lot of these hoes whether wack or lit, At least I can say I wrote every rap I spit” - surely a swipe at Cardi B who has been criticised for her reported use of ghostwriters.

“Majesty”, featuring Eminem and Labrinth, fails to live up to the imposing title of the album; Eminem asserts on his super fast verse “Let me keep it one hundred, two things shouldn't be your themes of discussion. The queen and her husband, last thing you're gonna wanna be is our subjects.” On paper, “Majesty” should be a thrilling collaboration but in fact, it is one of the few misses of the album, running for too long and lacking a cohesiveness between its three artists.

Hard as she may be, she still shows fans her vulnerable side: “Bed”, the second single released from the album, sees her team up with pop princess Ariana Grande for a seductive, playful number while “Thought I Knew You” unites her with The Weeknd. The two play the part of warring lovers who trade beautifully harmed accusations against each other. “Run and Hide” possesses an eerie production that plays out as Minaj opens up about her trust issues”.

Even though it has been a few years since Nicki Minaj released Queen into the world, she is still busy in the world and, very soon, I am sure we will hear something in the way of plans and new music. Not only is she the modern Queen of Rap; I feel that, in years to come when we look back on the women who broke boundaries and paved the way in the field, Minaj’s name will come to mind. Even if you are not a massive fan of her work, one has to appreciate all that she has achieved and why so many look up to her. Taking that into consideration, it is hard to overlook such a…

HUGELY important artist.

FEATURE: Sacrilege? A Masterpiece? A Segue? A Much-Needed Revisit? Kate Bush’s Director’s Cut at Ten

FEATURE:

 

 

Sacrilege? A Masterpiece? A Segue? A Much-Needed Revisit?

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

Kate Bush’s Director’s Cut at Ten

___________

I am doing a few features about…

Kate Bush’s Director’s Cut, as it turns ten on 16th May. Questions were asked when Bush announced the release of the album. As I have said in previous features, it was exciting that we got the news that she would be putting out an album in 2011 – as it turned out, we would have two that year! Bush had not reworked older songs in such an extensive way prior to 2011. Taking songs from The Sensual World (1989) and The Red Shoes (1993) and giving them a new lease of life was always going to draw discussion. I felt that her re-recorded vocal for Wuthering Heights – which was included on the 1986 greatest hits album, The Whole Story – was unnecessary, in the sense that the original is as good as it gets! Whilst The Red Shoes did not score a lot of acclaim in 1993, I think that a lot of people hold the album close to their heart. It is definitely an album that deserves some new attention. The Sensual World was celebrated in 1989 and it remains one of her best-loved albums. How would people react to the news that The Sensual World would be retitled Flower of the Mountain and include lines from James Joyce’s Ulysses? Bush originally asked for permission in the Eighties when she'd wrote the original. The Joyce estate refused to release the words.. She kept the backing track but came back to the lyrics for a track that would become The Sensual World.

On Director's Cut, Bush wanted to include the original version of the song. She contacted the Joyce Estate again. This time, they gave permission. I think that was a big reason for doing Director’s Cut in the first place. Some feel that the original is perfect so, even if you do get access to some classic literature, can it match the mood and beauty of the version on The Sensual World? How about updating the beloved Deeper Understanding and This Woman’s Work (both from The Sensual World)? If people did not like the new versions then the originals are always available! I think some critics felt that Director’s Cut was needless, in the sense the original albums and songs were great and should remain untouched. Others felt that some of the reworkings are inferior to the originals. I am going to bring in a couple of reviews for Director’s Cut in order to give you a sense of what critics were saying in 2011. I think that Director’s Cut was a way for Bush to look back at songs that, perhaps, were a little overdone and lacked necessary soul. All the lead vocals on Director's Cut and some of the backing vocals were  entirely re-recorded. Rather than keep the original compositions, the drum were reworked and re-recorded. A few of the tracks featured the legendary Steve Gadd. Danny Thompson appeared on bass; Mica Paris provides some great backing vocals.

Three songs on the album were completely re-recorded: This Woman's Work, Rubberband Girl and Moments of Pleasure. Two of those songs – This Woman’s Work and Moments of Pleasure – hold a very special place in fans’ hearts. I don’t think it was sacrilegious or wrong for Bush to return to some of her older tracks. They are hers to begin with, and I can appreciate that she had a chance to improve some songs that she was not completely happy with. As a new collection of songs, 50 Words for Snow, arrived in the winter of 2011, it was like Bush was clearing the way for new material – rectifying some wrongs and seeing to an important task before she could move on. I feel some of the new versions are stunning. I love how her voice sounds on Flower of the Mountain, Moments of Pleasure and This Woman’s Work. Even though Bush’s voice is different and deeper than it was in 1989 and 1993, I feel there is a new gravitas and weight that she gives to these songs. I like the fact that she took these tracks, stripped them back and then recomposed them. I think the vocals take centre stage and there is very little in the way of clutter and polish. You can hear that Bush holds affection for her previous work - she is not discarding the originals and casting them aside. Instead, she wanted to give them new respect and consideration.

 

I think the best way to approach Director’s Cut is as a completely new album – which, technically, it is! Though I have ranked my favourite five reversions, I am not someone who compares the old and new versions and critiques them heavily. My idea behind providing a ranking was to show that, actually, it was a great idea to come back to these songs! Bush really adds something new. In subtracting and taking away layers, she has given the songs room to breathe. In any case, just hearing Kate Bush sing is reason enough to love Director’s Cut! In her fifties (as she was then), she had not lost any of her power and beauty. Whilst she may not have the same vocal sound as she did years ago, her voice sounds amazing and has this smoky and deeper tone which is really pleasing. It was quite brave in a way to take on album like Director’s Cut, knowing that there would be objectionable corners and dissent from some fans and media outlets. Even though I would not place the album in my top-five of hers, I have been listening to it a lot in the run-up to its tenth anniversary and finding new things to love. It does not sound incongruous or strange placing tracks from two different albums together, as Bush has reworked them and it sounds like a complete body of work; a new album that is intended to flow and sound different. I also think that many people approached the original albums and discovered songs that they may have been unfamiliar with beforehand.

It would have been challenging following up the double album of Aerial (2005). That album came twelve years after The Red Shoes. After quite a gap, there would have been a desire and demand for another album quite soon after Aerial. I guess some people were wondering whether Bush would follow up Aerial. Happily, she was busy putting together two new, very different, albums. Rather than Director’s Cut being a passage or segue between Aerial and 50 Words for Snow, it was an important project where you can really hear and feel Bush working hard (and treating it as a completely fresh album). Whilst not every critics and fan was going to be entirely happy with the resultant Director’s Cut, it scored some very positive reviews. I will come to one of them very soon. Before that, I want to introduce sections from a Pitchfork review:

“What Bush has done on Director's Cut, put simply, is to strip the 80s from these songs. (That goes for the Red Shoes material, too, even though the album was released in the 90s.) The gigantic drums and digital polish, what both dated the music instantly and gave it that stark contrast between accessibility and the deeply personal, have been replaced with less showy rhythm tracks, and a warmer, more intimate atmosphere. On the original "The Sensual World", the elements drawn from Celtic folk felt like striking intrusions in an all-digital world. Renamed "Flower of the Mountain" here, those rustic elements no longer feel quite so out of place, whether you found the original an intriguing hybrid or an awkward merger of old and new.

The songs still don't have the feel of a band playing together, but they have a new unity, even the synthetic elements part of a lovingly handcrafted sound. "The Red Shoes", another Celtic-inflected standout, with one of Bush's wildest performances, gains a new intensity precisely because the instruments no longer feel so sterile. But not every element of this patchwork has been pieced together perfectly. The eerie keyboard textures on "And So Love Is", the kind of sour 80s kitsch beloved by Gang Gang Dance, seem surprisingly natural in this new environment. But Eric Clapton's bluesy wanking sounds even more out of place now, stadium pop bluster in a homemade world. It produces tension for sure, but the wrong sort.

It's the singing that just as often startles, though. Bush is less show-offy on Director's Cut than any of her pre-hiatus albums. For a woman known for her range, and her fearlessness at using that range, her performances are always tempered and often low-key here. As with so many songs on Director's Cut, "This Woman's Work" becomes almost shocking in its difference, not least because it's transformed from one of Bush's biggest showstoppers into something far more mournful, the singer restraining herself as if almost but not quite broken by love. The backing track is just as minimal, but deeper, the instrumental textures less brittle. A hushed, lonely Bush sounds as if she's drifting through a vast, lonely space. But instead of the original's childlike verses surging to grown-ass-woman longing on the choruses, Bush is more evenly paced here, communicating deep regret more through a bereft tone than diva theatrics. It's desolate and intimate, like much of Director's Cut, where the original's bravura made it feel both tender and defiant, like much of Bush's early work.

Even with an older and more reserved Bush occasionally putting the brakes on that melodrama, these reworked songs don't totally relinquish that unashamed grandiosity that makes Bush such a love-hate proposition. Director's Cut provides a unique opportunity to do an A/B comparison between a late-career artist and her younger self. But which you'll prefer likely depends on whether you favor a more assured artist working within her strengths, or a brash younger artist delighting in the defying of pop conventions”.

It is impressive how Bush managed to take a selection of songs from two previous albums and unite them into a cohesive and natural new whole. Other artists might have made the album sound inconsistent or poorly structured. Instead, Director’s Cut sounds like Bush has put The Sensual World and The Red Shoes out of her head and started from scratch. In this review from The Independent, Andy Gill discusses Bush’s new vocal elements and tones:

“Despite its being comprised of reworked versions of songs that originally appeared around two decades ago, Kate Bush regards her Director's Cut as a new album in and of itself.

And she's right to: There's a consistency and homogeneity about the 11 tracks (seven from The Red Shoes, four from The Sensual World) which echoes her work on Aerial, and which lends the project a character entirely its own.

This is largely due to her re-doing all the lead vocals, which has imposed a warmer, more reflective tone on proceedings. The most striking change is on the closing "Rubberband Girl", where she sounds oddly muffled: the original stratospheric yelps are gone, along with Jeff Beck's flashy guitar, replaced by an understated harmonica groove that aims for more hypnotic impact – as too does "The Red Shoes" itself, whose mesmeric mandola groove is nudged along by softly pulsing drums. Ironically, though less flamboyantly abandoned, Kate's vocals here better evoke the sense of possession in the dance.

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

All the new versions are longer than the originals, some considerably: completely re-recorded, "This Woman's Work" has almost doubled in size in this new, more restrained form. Originally written for the film She's Having a Baby, and frequently used in TV dramas ever since, this, ethereal re-imagining untethers the song from those associations, allowing it to float free again. A similarly effective renovation has been done to "The Sensual World", here retitled "Flower of the Mountain": denied the use of Molly Bloom's soliloquy from Ulysses in the original, Bush was this time granted permission by James Joyce's estate, and the effect is remarkable. With her voice up close and intimate, the undulating repetitions are hypnotically gripping, as Uillean pipes dance with abandon about the gently puttering groove, caressed with string-pad synths: yes, yes! It's the most genuinely sensual music you'll hear this year.

Elsewhere, the computer love song "Deeper Understanding" profits from a less brittle, more lovingly cossetting arrangement, while the balance between Eric Clapton's guitar and the fluting keyboards and backing vocals of "And So Is Love" seems much more subtly resolved in this new incarnation. That song's underlying message ("We let it in, we give it out/ And in the end, what's it all about?/ It must be love") could stand as the motif for the album as a whole, which constitutes the latest of Kate Bush's series of investigations of the nature of love, both sexual and spiritual.

It's her forte, and it's a theme which she has learned to express in music as much as in lyrics. Even when suddenly blurting out "Don't want your bullshit, just want your sexuality" in "The Song of Solomon", the attention to texture in the arrangement of harp, piano, murmuring synth and Bulgarian backing vocal creates a delicate web strong enough to carry her demand without snapping the song in two. That combination of gentle touch and toughness is a rare gift indeed”.

Ahead of the tenth anniversary of Director’s Cut, I wanted to do a series of features that approaches the album in different ways. Few of us would have known that, so soon after giving us a new album, Bush would be readying another for release in the form of 50 Words for Snow. It is testament to her hard work and organisation that she not only released two albums in 2011; she also managed to make them sound very different - and there was no sense of overlap between them. I am glad that Bush recorded Director’s Cut. It is a rare chance to see these familiar and older tracks approached and recorded…

IN a whole new light.

FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential May Releases

FEATURE:

 

 

One for the Record Collection!

IN THIS ILLUSTRATION: St. Vincent releases her sixth solo studio album, Daddy’s Home, via Loma Vista on 14th May/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: openchested 

Essential May Releases

___________

IT is that time of the month where I…

look forward and see which albums are arriving next month. May is a busy one for exciting albums. I am writing this on 14th April so, as I say, things can change between now and the time that this feature comes out (25th April). Let’s hope that there are no delays and rescheduled release dates, as the records due next month are ones you will want to get. I am chiselling down to the essential releases in May. 7th May is the first week for new releases. Squid’s Bright Green Field is one you will want to order. It is a much-anticipated debut album from one of Britain’s hottest young bands. This is what Rough Trade say about the album:

“At last the debut album from Squid and it's everything you wished for and more. Bright Green Field is produced by Dan Carey and released via Warp Records. It's an album of towering scope and ambition, it is deeply considered, paced and intricately constructed. With all band members playing such a vital and equal role, this album is very much the product of five heads operating as one. Some bands might be tempted to include previous singles on their debut - and the band already released two more in 2020 via ‘Sludge’ and ‘Broadcaster’ - but instead Bright Green Field is completely new.

This sense of limitlessness and perpetual forward motion is one of the key ingredients that makes Squid so loved by fans and critics alike, from BBC Radio 6 Music who have A-Listed previous singles, ‘Houseplants’, ‘The Cleaner’ and ‘Match Bet’ to publications such as, The Guardian, NME, The Face, The Quietus and countless others.

Bright Green Field features field recordings of ringing church bells, tooting bees, microphones swinging from the ceiling orbiting a room of guitar amps, a distorted choir of 30 voices as well as a horn and string ensemble featuring the likes of, Emma-Jean Thackray and Lewis Evans from Black Country, New Road. Whilst the album title conjures up imagery of pastoral England, in reality, it’s something of a decoy that captures the band’s fondness for paradox and juxtaposition. Within the geography of Bright Green Field lies monolithic concrete buildings and dystopian visions plucked from imagined cities. Squid’s music - be it agitated and discordant or groove-locked and flowing - has often been a reflection of the tumultuous world we live in and this continues that to some extent”.

I will try not to miss too many great albums out due next month. You can look at the full list of albums out next month, as it is a very packed time! The next album from 7th May that is worthy of investigation is Weezer’s Van Weezer. It is yet another album from the prolific U.S. legends. If you are a fan of Weezer, then you will want to pre-order a copy of Van Weezer. It promises to be one of their most interesting releases for years:

“Van Weezer is the 14th studio album from Weezer. The inspiration for this album derives from the deepest roots of Weezer - metal! What has metal got to do with Weezer, you ask? In his earliest years, Rivers was a huge Kiss fan; Brian was a big Black Sabbath fan; Pat worshipped at the altar of Van Halen and Rush; Scott loved Slayer and Metallica. The last time this vein of harder rock was mined by Weezer was on their much-loved 2002 album Maladroit; Van Weezer is primed to take that album's sonics many steps further courtesy of producer Suzy Shinn”.

Before moving onto the next album in May you need to order, I want to bring in a recent interview from The Forty-Five. The band’s lead, River Cuomo, talked to them about their current album, OK Human – they also looked ahead to Van Weezer:

“Their greed is matched only by Cuomo’s output. On January 29, Weezer released ‘OK Human’, an album of introspective lyrics soundtracked with a 38-piece orchestra. Drawing on classical inspirations, it’s an ambitious project with personal touches. Its lyrics, which deal precisely with being alone, are very 2020 – something Cuomo says is pure coincidence. “Most of the lyrics were written during 2018. Maybe 10% was written during the lockdown,” he tells me. Weezer started putting ‘OK Human’ together in 2018, recording the strings at Abbey Road. Just as they were finishing, however, they got booked onto Hella Mega. “We realised, we just made this classical-influenced album with strings and orchestra and piano. If we’re going to put that out and go on tour with Green Day, that just doesn’t make sense.”

They put ‘OK Human’ on hold and immediately started work on ‘Van Weezer’, wanting to “make a real stadium rock album with shredding guitars and blow those bands off the stage”. After putting the finishing touches on ‘Van Weezer’, however, everything was cancelled – making a big stadium record redundant. “We realised we just made the worst possible album for a lockdown. We couldn’t even play together as a band to promote that album!” he laughs. They went back into the studio to finish up ‘OK Human’, releasing it to comments that it was perfect for the moment. “It’s weird for me because everyone is telling us they think the album was written during the lockdown for the lockdown because they really relate to it, the way they have to live now, but that’s how I am all the time! That’s how I feel all the time.”

It’s clearly working for him: 14 albums down, and Weezer are far from done. In May, they will finally release ‘Van Weezer’, but despite releasing two full records and over 2600 demos in the span of a year, they have the next phase planned. “We’re working on a four-album set right now. I think they’re going to be eight songs a piece. They’re called Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and together they’re called Weezer Seasons,” he says, telling me that the first one will drop on the first day of spring 2022. On top of that, he’s working on a movie musical called Buddha Superstar with the Broadway producer responsible for the Green Day musical. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long. I think I just needed somebody else to come along and really encourage me,” he says”.

14th May offers five albums that people need reserve some pennies for. Juliana Hatfield’s Blood is worth seeking out. Go and pre-order Blood, as it promises to be a fascinating album from a hugely prolific songwriter:

“Over the past four years, Juliana Hatfield has kept fans engaged and intrigued as she oscillates between impassioned original releases (Pussycat, Weird) and inspired covers collections (Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John, Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police). This year she returns with her latest album of originals, Blood, out May 14, 2021.

Her 19th solo studio album takes a deep dive into the dark side with a lens on modern human psychology and behaviour. “I think these songs are a reaction to how seriously and negatively a lot of people have been affected by the past four years,” says Juliana. “But it’s fun, musically. There’s a lot of playing around. I didn’t really have a plan when I started this project.”

With the pandemic limiting studio safety and availability, Juliana took the opportunity to learn to record at her Massachusetts home with recent collaborator Jed Davis assisting from Connecticut. “Usually I work in a studio,” explains Juliana. “I did more than half the work in my room—with Jed helping me to troubleshoot the technology, and helping with building and arranging some of the songs--and then I finished up with additional overdubs and mixing with engineer James Bridges at Q Division Studios in Somerville, MA.”

The first single, “Mouthful of Blood”, is gritty and abrasive yet groovy and melodic. That duality is represented throughout Blood. It is eminently hummable and thought-provoking. Sophisticated but catchy. Challenging but danceable.

“I always love coming up with melodies and then trying to fit words into them—it’s like doing a puzzle,” says Juliana. “And I always find places to use the Mellotron flutes and strings, on every album, because those sounds are so beautiful to me. They are a nice counterpoint to the damaged lyrical content”.

Moving on, and Paul Weller’s Fat Pop (Volume 1) is another treat. Out on 14th May, this is an album that you should go and pre-order. I am a big fan of Paul Weller, so I will be sure to check out his upcoming album from the master:

“We may be cursed to be in the midst a global pandemic, buffeted by all of its stresses and pain. But everyone knows that art provides succour, that music is the most reliable balm. And for many there is further significant comfort to be drawn from the knowledge that Paul Weller is in the midst of an unbelievably prolific purple patch. Paul Weller will not let us down when we need him most.

Paul Weller releases his 16th solo album since his self-titled debut in 1992, which comes in just under twelve months following June 2020’s magnificent, chart-topping On Sunset. It’s not hyperbole to state that this new album, titled Fat Pop (Volume 1), is among his most compelling collections. It’s an absolute scorcher.

During spring last year, after his tour dates were postponed, Paul Weller needed something else to focus on. With many ideas for new songs stored on his phone, Paul started to record them on his own with just vocals, piano and guitar which he’d send to his core band members (drummer Ben Gordelier, Steve Cradock on guitar and bassist Andy Crofts) to add their parts. Despite it being strange not being together, it kept the wheels rolling and sanity prevailing. The band reconvened at Weller’s Black Barn studio in Surrey when restrictions were lifted to finish the work with the shape of the album becoming clear to all.

Fat Pop (Volume 1) – Paul adding the “Volume 1” to keep options open for a second volume in the future - is a diverse selection of sounds. No one style dominates. There’s the synth-heavy, future-wave strut of Cosmic Fringes, the stately balladeering of Still Glides The Stream (co-written with Steve Cradock), the chunky percussive groove of Moving Canvas (a tribute to Iggy Pop no less), and the kind of dramatic immediate pop symphonies on Failed, True and Shades of Blue with which Paul Weller has hooked in generation after generation of devotee.

As ever, Fat Pop, sees a number of guests contributing including Lia Metcalfe, the young Liverpudlian singer with The Mysterines who combines her tremendous vocal as well as a song writing credit to True. Andy Fairweather Low adds his distinctive vocals to superfly strutting Testify and Paul’s daughter Leah co-wrote and features on the classic 3 minute pop kitchen sink drama Shades Of Blue which will be the first single taken from the album. Hannah Peel is back in the fray adding her classic string scores to Cobweb Connections and Still Glides The Stream”.

Another great album out that week is Sons of Kemet’s Black to the Future. They are such a thrilling and original act that are hard to categorise or ignore! They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2018 and are one of the most exceptional Jazz groups in the world. If you have avoided the genre before, go and get Black to the Future, as it is an album that you will love:

“Sons of Kemet returns in 2021 with their new album Black To The Future. The follow up to 2018’s Mercury Prize nominated breakout release Your Queen Is A Reptile. This release finds the UK-based quartet at their most dynamic – showcasing harmonically elegant arrangements and compositions, coupled with fierce, driving material that will be familiar to initiated fans.

Led by celebrated saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Shabaka Hutchings, Sons of Kemet are a political, U.K.-based modern jazz supergroup comprised of musicians from across the globe.

Their sound combines modal and free jazz, African rhythms and modes, and Caribbean dub and Middle Eastern timbres, as evidenced by 2018's internationally renowned Your Queen is a Reptile.

This is their 4th record, and 2nd on Impulse! Compared with Your Queen is a Reptile, this album has featured vocalists and more of an emphasis on fuller compositions and arrangements. Guest artists include Kojey Radical, Moor Mother, Angel Bat Dawid, Joshua Idehen, D Double E”.

Perhaps the biggest album out in May arrives from St. Vincent. St. Her Daddy's Home album is one that is a must-pre-order. Annie Clark is one of the most inventive and consistently brilliant artists in the world. In this recent interview with The Forty-Five, we learn more about the album:

“Daddy’s Home‘ began in New York at Electric Lady studios before COVID hit and was finished in her studio in LA. She worked on it with “my friend Jack” [Jack Antonoff, producer for Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Taylor Swift]. Antonoff and Clark worked on ‘Masseduction’ and found a winning formula, pushing Clark’s guitar-orientated electronic universe to its poppiest maximum, without compromising her idiosyncrasies. “We’re simpatico. He’s a dream,” she says. “He played the hell outta instruments on this record. He’s crushing it on drums, crushing it on Wurlitzer.” The pair let loose. They began with ‘The Holiday Party’, one of the warmest tracks Clark’s ever written. It’s as inviting as a winter fireplace, stoked by soulful horns, acoustic guitar and backing singers. “Every time they sang something I’d say, ‘Yeah but can you do it sleazier? Make your voice sound like you’ve been up for three days.” Clark speaks of an unspoken understanding with Antonoff as regards the vibe: “Familiar sounds. The opposite of my hands coming out of the speaker to choke you till you like it. This is not submission. Just inviting. I can tell a story in a different way.”

The entire record is familiar, giving the listener the satisfaction that they’ve heard the songs before but can’t quite place them. It’s a satisfying accompaniment to a pandemic that encouraged nostalgic listening. Clark was nostalgic too. She reverted to records she enjoyed with her father: Stevie Wonder’s catalogue from the 1970s (‘Songs In The Key Of Life’, ‘Innervisions’, ‘Talking Book’) and Steely Dan. “Not to be the dude at the record store but it’s specifically post-flower child idealism of the ’60s,” she explains. “It’s when it flipped into nihilism, which I much prefer. Pre disco, pre punk. That music is in me in a deep way. It’s in my ears”.

Check out the The Black Keys’ official website, as their Blues covers album, Delta Kream, sounds really interesting (you can also pre-order it here). This is what Brooklyn Vegan had to say:

“Delta Kream (due May 14), is said to call back to the band's roots, placing emphasis on the sounds, styles, and artists that have played a key role in helping mold their sound. As described via the fan club website, it "honors [the] music of Mississippi Hill Country Blues, R.L. Burnside & Junior Kimbrough, among others who have influenced The Black Keys." Some of the other artists featured include other icons of the American country blues genre, including Ranie Burnette, "Mississippi" Fred McDowell, and Joseph Lee Williams — you can view the full tracklist and cover art below.

To get a taste of what the record might sound like, you can listen to the first single, "Crawling Kingsnake," a cover of John Lee Hooker's 1941 blues track, "Crawlin' King Snake," over at the fan club website (it's free to register). Earlier this week, the band tweeted out a link to John Lee Hooker's version of the track, a discreet teaser hinting at this cover and the forthcoming album. The record will be available for pre-order beginning Thursday, April 15”.

I will move on to 21st May. Gary Numan’s Intruder is an album from that week I would advise people to pre-order. Here is a bit more information from one of Britain’s very finest:

“Intruder is the 21st solo album from the iconic and influential Gary Numan. Intruder sees Gary reunite with producer Ade Fenton, who previously produced four critically acclaimed albums for Numan: Jagged, Dead Son Rising, Splinter and Savage.

With a career that has spanned nearly four decades, his approach to electronic music remains an inspiration to artists across genres and eras, from stadium goliaths such as Depeche Mode, Prince and Nine Inch Nails to alternative heroes such as Beck, Damon Albarn and Marilyn Manson. Even Kanye West owes him a debt, and David Bowie once credited him with “writing two of the finest songs” in British music.

Gary has had 23 top 40 singles and 15 top 40 albums in the UK. The British electro pioneer was also awarded the Inspiration Award for songwriting and composition at the Ivor Novellos in 2017”.

One album that I very much looking forward to is VWETO II. I think that it is only available digitally - but you will definitely not want to overlook this gem from a truly remarkable artist that puts out such exceptional and rich musical waves:

“VWETO III is intended for movement. It’s to be played when you birth yourself back outside after a long introspective period to get the things you need. It intends for you to be your own superhero and wants to be your theme for power.” Georgia Anne Muldrow”.

Gruff Rhys’ Seeking New Gods is also out on 21st May. I love Rhys’ work so, if you want some musical goodness, you will want to pre-order his upcoming album. As with every Gruff Rhys album, it is going to be packed with phenomenal moments:

“Gruff Rhy releases his new album Seeking New Gods through Rough Trade Records. This is Gruff’s seventh solo album. Seeking New Gods was recorded following a US tour with his band and mixed in LA with superstar producer Mario C (Beastie Boys).

The album concept was originally driven to be the biography of a mountain, Mount Paektu (an East Asian active volcano). However, as Gruff’s writing began to reflect on the inhuman timescale of a peak’s existence and the intimate features that bring it to mythological life, both the songs and the mountain became more and more personal.

“The album is about people and the civilisations, and the spaces people inhabit over periods of time. How people come and go but the geology sticks around and changes more slowly. I think it’s about memory and time,” he suggests of Seeking New Gods’ meaning. “It’s still a biography of a mountain, but now it’s a Mount Paektu of the mind. You won’t learn much about the real mountain from listening to this record but you will feel something, hopefully.”- Gruff Rhys”.

Another cracking album due on 21st May is Billie Marten’s Flora Fauna. The third album from the Yorkshire-born songwriter, I am a huge fan of her work. Make sure that you pre-order her beautiful new album. It is promising to be one of this year’s best and most interesting releases:

“Flora Fauna is the third album from Billie Marten. Raised in the rolling hills of North Yorkshire on artists such as Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, and Kate Bush, Marten’s critically acclaimed debut album Writing of Blues and Yellows, was released in 2016 when she was still just 17, while its follow-up Feeding Seahorses By Hand was similarly lauded in 2019 (# 53 in UK album chart).

Flora Fauna, was recorded with Rich Cooper in London. Marten’s new material blends those signature hushed, resonant vocals with a rapid pulse and rich instrumentation, her inspirations now stretching from krautrockers Can, to Broadcast, Arthur Russell, and Fiona Apple.

Built on the minimalist acoustic folk foundations she made a name for herself with, Flora Fauna is a more mature, embodied album fostered around a strong backbone of bass and rhythm. Shedding the timidity of previous work in favour of a more urgent sound, the songs mark a period of personal independence for Marten as she learned to nurture herself and break free from toxic relationships - and a big part of that was returning to nature”.

Very recently, Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo announced her debut album, Sour. After the runaway success of her single, drivers licence, many people will be keen to hear what she has to offer. Pre-order a copy from her website. Before the arrival of Sour was announced, Rodrigo spoke with Ben Barna from Interview Magazine. She was asked about the smash single and whether she feels, as such a young artist, there is room for growth and improvement:

“BARNA: It used to be that musicians weren’t able to see how many people were listening to their music in real time. What’s your relationship to the numbers?

RODRIGO: It’s a perk of the 21st century. I looked at them a lot, maybe the first week, just in total disbelief. I don’t really look at them anymore just because I cannot wrap my head around numbers like that. It’s really strange to put out music in quarantine, because I’ve actually never played a show with my own music. I’ve never met the people that are listening to the songs. So it’s just solely on social media and stuff, and sometimes that can be a weird world that feels disconnected from reality. But I hear stories. One of my friends said that yesterday she was on Melrose Avenue in L.A. and three cars pulled up next to each other and they were all blasting “Drivers License” at the same time and they just all turned it up and sang it at the same time. It’s stories like that where it’s real people listening to it that absolutely astonishes me.

BARNA: Do you fantasize about an alternate reality where “Drivers License” came out during a normal time?

RODRIGO: That’s a great question. I’ve never played a show with my own music in my life, so I’m really excited to do that one of these days. But if I could go back, I don’t think I’d change a thing. Honestly, quarantine probably contributed to its success. Lots of people are stuck in their houses, and, obviously, it’s been a hard, depressing, anxious time for all of us. I think this song is a sort of catharsis for a lot of people.

BARNA: You’re only 18 years old and you obviously have room to grow as an artist. Do you know which areas you need to improve in?

RODRIGO: I feel like I’m constantly growing. I’ll be a developing artist until I’m 85. I think the best songwriters are like that. I always listen to my songs and try to think of ways I can strengthen them. But yeah, I just turned 18. I truly don’t really know who I totally am yet. I don’t know the way I like to dress. I don’t know the way I like to act around certain people. I don’t know what my purpose is. I don’t know what people are my true friends. I’m just going to keep on making music and I’m probably going to be really confused along the way, and I think that’s the beauty of it. I’m trying not to pretend like I have everything figured out because I sure as hell don’t”.

There are three more albums I want to point people in the direction of. Coming to 28th May, there are some great albums that you will want to check out. The second album black midi,  Cavalcade is one such example. The hugely praised British band stunned on their debut album , Schlagenheim. They look set to continue this on Cavalcade. Pre-order a copy and discover what they have to offer:

“black midi’s new album Cavalcade is a dynamic, hellacious, and inventive follow-up to 2019’s widely-praised Schlagenheim, “a labyrinth with hairpin-turn episodes and lyrics full of dourly corrosive observations” (New York Times, Best Albums of 2019). It scales beautiful new heights, pulling widely from a plethora of genres and influences, reaching ever upwards from an already lofty base of early achievements”.

An album I am looking forward to is k.d. lang’s makeover. I really love lang. I think that she is both one of the greatest songwriters ever, yet she remains somehow underrated! I think that makeover sounds like a really interesting album. Rough Trade explain more:

“In celebration of Pride Month, Nonesuch Records releases KD Lang’s Makeover, a new collection of classic dance remixes of some of her best-loved songs. The album brings these remixes, made between 1992 and 2000, together for the first time, and includes ‘Sexuality’, ‘Miss Chatelaine’, ‘Theme from the Valley of the Dolls’, ‘Summerfling’, and the #1 dance chart hits ‘Lifted By Love’ and ‘If I Were You’. makeover’s cover art features a previously unseen 1995 portrait of lang by David LaChapelle”.

The final May-due album that you will want to go and pre-order is Kele’s The Waves Pt. 1. This is another album from one of the country’s finest artists. Go and pre-order it, because it looks set to be a treat. Kele spoke with DIY about making the album:

“Following the release of ‘The Heart Of The Wave’ earlier this month, Kele has now confirmed that his fifth solo album ‘The Waves Pt. 1’ will be released on 28th May via his own label, KOLA Records / !K7.

Sharing new track ‘Smalltown Boy’ alongside the news, Kele says of the record, “After the first lockdown I found myself in an odd position. We were due to start working on my second musical with the Lyric Theatre but when the lockdown came into effect those plans were thrown into disarray. I became a stay at home dad of a 3 year old and a 6 month old. Those initial days were hard but looking back they were also incredibly rewarding. In the rare moments of down time I would go up to my music room and play the guitar, looping myself, making this wall of sound. it became a type of therapy for me, something to calm me down as it seemed like the whole world was losing its head. I realised in those moments that I missed the act of performing, so I joined Instagram so I could upload performances of my old songs and songs that I love. It was a lifeline for me, to still feel connected to an audience, to still feel like a musician in this time of freefall.

“What also became clear was that I still had the desire to create. Usually when I make records it’s an ensemble affair, there are usually lots of other musicians and singers I work with, but as we were in lockdown I did not have that luxury of being able to work with other musicians. I knew I had to fill in the space of this record entirely by myself, which was daunting but also very liberating. This album is literally the sound of me.

“As I didn’t have so much time in the days to work on the ideas I had to be very focused with the little time that I did have. During the night I would go for long walks around the city on my own, listening in the moonlight to what I had recorded in the day, rearranging the songs in my head, trimming the fat. It became very clear to me that I had the start of a new record and it was going to feel very different to what I had done before.

“The initial plan was that the record was going to be solely instrumental, after 2042 I knew that I wanted a break from writing words. Although making that record had been rewarding it had also at times been quite traumatic for me, as I was forced to examine a lot of my own personal fears and anxieties about race relations in this country and the US.

PHOTO CREDIT: Katherine Anne Rose/The Observer 

I made 2042 in 2019, so when those same discussions about race came into sharp focus after the death of George Floyd in 2020 I personally felt that I needed a break from the heaviness, I knew that whatever I did next musically would need to cleanse me.

“Slowly I started adding words and vocal melodies to the ideas and I could see songs starting to take shape but it was important to me that the music felt fluid, that it drifted in out like the bobbing of waves, that if you let yourself succumb to it maybe it could take you somewhere else, somewhere far away from here”.

Those are a selection of albums that are announced for next month. There is a great range of artists and sound and, if you can afford it, then check out the ones that sound like your sort of thing. I am particularly looking forward to the new St. Vincent album, in addition to k.d. lang’s album. As the weather starts to warm up and we are getting closer to summer, I think that these terrific albums will help to warm the spirit and body even more. If you need some guidance regarding albums in May that are worth ordering then I hope that my suggestions…

PROVE fruitful.