FEATURE: Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them: Tom Gatti’s Revealing and Insightful New Book

FEATURE:

 

 

Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them

IMAGE CREDIT: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 

Tom Gatti’s Revealing and Insightful New Book

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IT is not often that I focus on a book…

IN THIS PHOTO: Bernardine Evaristo/ PHOTO CREDIT: David Levenson/Getty Images

but a fascinating new release arrived on Thursday. There are a lot of books dedicated to great albums and why they are so important. We do not often read about albums that are important towriters. I think that every album affects people differently, though it is interesting learning why different people have different reactions. Tom Gatti has released Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them. As the title suggests, it is a book where a series of writers discuss why particular albums are important to them. It is a book that every music lover should have on their shelf. Waterstones tell us a bit more:

“From Bernardine Evaristo to Neil Gaiman, fifty of our finest writers divulge their favourite album and the story behind their adoration in this addictive love letter to the power of music.

Our favourite albums are our most faithful companions: we listen to them hundreds of times over decades, we know them far better than any novel or film. These records don't just soundtrack our lives but work their way deep inside us, shaping our outlook and identity, forging our friendships and charting our love affairs. They become part of our story.

In Long Players, fifty of our finest authors write about the albums that changed their lives, from Deborah Levy on Bowie to Daisy Johnson on Lizzo, Ben Okri on Miles Davis to David Mitchell on Joni Mitchell, Sarah Perry on Rachmaninov to Bernardine Evaristo on Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Part meditation on the album form and part candid self-portrait, each of these miniature essays reveals music's power to transport the listener to a particular time and place. REM's Automatic for the People sends Olivia Laing back to first love and heartbreak, Bjork's Post resolves a crisis of faith and sexuality for a young Marlon James, while Fragile by Yes instils in George Saunders the confidence to take his own creative path.

This collection is an intoxicating mix of memoir and music writing, spanning the golden age of vinyl and the streaming era, and showing how a single LP can shape a writer's mind.

Featuring writing from Ali Smith, Marlon James, Deborah Levy, George Saunders, Bernardine Evaristo, Ian Rankin, Tracey Thorn, Ben Okri, Sarah Perry, Neil Tennant, Rachel Kushner, Clive James, Eimear McBride, Neil Gaiman, Daisy Johnson, David Mitchell, Esi Edugyan, Patricia Lockwood, among many others”.

There is a connection between the world of literature and music. I feel a lot of artists are inspired by literature and books. Writers, in return, take influence and motivation from music. Gatti’s book brings together authors and songwriters to get their take on particular albums. Not only does it provide us with fresh perspectives on well-known albums. There are going to be albums mentioned that many of us have not heard. That fresh discovery is so rewarding for the reader. As much as I love hearing authors speaking about albums and why they are loved, having a collection of testimonies Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them provides a different angle.

It is no surprise that Gatti’s tome is already accruing some positive reviews. I have ordered the book and feel like it will compel other authors to embark on similar projects. In their review, The Guardian observed the following:

“Perhaps unsurprisingly it turns out that writers tend to value literary effects and skills, and to draw literary comparisons. Deborah Levy, who chose Ziggy Stardust, calls Bowie a “great writer” who has influenced her “more than Tolstoy ever will do”. Sarah Hall compares Radiohead’s OK Computer to “a great short-story collection” and Musa Okwonga loves Outkast’s Aquemini as he loves “the collected short stories of Kurt Vonnegut – every time I return to both works, I find some new way of looking at the human condition”. In less celebratory mode Daljit Nagra links Morrissey – “grudgingly” via the Smiths’ Meat Is Murder and the 80s yobs who smashed his parents’ shop windows and painted the shutters with racist slurs - to Philip Larkin. “Like Larkin, I’d have Morrissey leave the limelight, so I can love the best work before he smashes the shopfront of his own great tenderness.”

The entries can be just a few hundred words long – some of them began life as a column in the New Statesman where Gatti is deputy editor – but throw up some vividly disparate autobiographical vignettes. In the mid 80s the teenage David Mitchell, who’d “never been in love, much less fallen out of it”, first heard Joni Mitchell’s “raw autobiography” of California heartbreak, Blue, on his Walkman while wandering around his hometown of Malvern. His encounter with the great and dark Christmas breakup song “River” came on a June day “halfway across the golf course”.

Around the same time Will Self was in a cavernous flat off the Cromwell Road in west London “with a needle stuck in my arm, the barrel of the syringe full of blood” as Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks “strummed his heart strings”. The poet Will Harris recalls how his father once made him “sit through the eight-minute album version of Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’” which, very indirectly, led him to Warren G’s Regulate ... G Funk Era.

Taken as a whole, the collection’s many observations and angles amount to a richly textured snapshot survey of artists on art. And at their best the pieces reveal something useful about the writer, the music, the world at large and the world at that moment. For Linda Grant, Joni Mitchell’s Hejira clearly laid out “the great paradox of 70s feminism”, the desire for independence from men and also for a “love that sticks around”. It also crystallised the strange and powerful relationship between the listener and the artist: “I never saw her perform live. I don’t want to. I’ve no interest in sharing her with total strangers because none of this is about her, it’s about me”.

Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them is a really immersive and compelling book that gives us some very personal takes on particular albums. It has made me think more carefully and personally about particular albums. Normally, I listen to albums and do not really consider why they mean a lot to me. If we all think about it, our favourite albums are so loved because they affect us in a specific way – or they are attached to special memories. Given the great reviews that many have afforded Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them, there will be plenty of demand for…

A sequel.

FEATURE: Second Spin: The Human League – Crash

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

The Human League – Crash

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IT is strange how…

some bands produce an incredible and faultless record and then, on their next couple of releases, sort of slump. Not to say that is what happened to Sheffield’s The Human League after the release of 1981’s Dare. That album is such a classic and it contains some of their best tracks – The Sound of the Crowd and Don’t You Want Me among the gems. 1984’s Hysteria was the next studio album. It wasn’t really up there with Dare. Despite some strong material, critics did not react as positively. Following Hysteria, the band delivered Crash. That title might be ironic: considering some of the reviews, many felt it was a bit of a disaster. I don’t think it is the best album from The Human League, though it is one that has some great moments. This year will see many people revisit Dare on its fortieth anniversary. It seemed that Crash was a difficult album to record. During a period where things were quite tense in the band, one can understand why there is a slight lack of focus and quality. Released on 8th September, 1986, Crash does contain some pearls. It is hard to find many reviews of the album. I will bring (a mixed) one in soon. I do think that people should seek out Crash and give it another chance. Bringing in some background, and one gets a sense of how The Human League developed and adapted after the release of Hysteria:

“After spending two years recording their fourth album Hysteria, which met with only moderate commercial success, the band struggled to record further material. By 1985, musician/songwriter Jo Callis had left the group. Virgin Records, worried by the lack of progress in one of their leading acts, called the band principals to a meeting where a solution was sought. As the problem was perceived to be the lack of production, it was suggested that the band take up an offer to work with Minneapolis based production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jam and Lewis had written for and produced the S.O.S. Band, Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal, and had just finished working on Janet Jackson's breakthrough album Control. They had developed an interest in The Human League after the success of their US releases; they were also seeking an opportunity to cross over into mainstream pop and saw The Human League as the perfect opportunity.

In February 1986, The Human League were flown out to Minneapolis to work at Flyte Time Studios with Jam and Lewis. After initial enthusiasm on both sides, the working relationship began to break down. Jam and Lewis had total control over the final album and insisted that their own tracks take precedence over the band's material. Jam and Lewis were also intolerant of the band's laid back working methods and their lack of musical technical ability.

After four months in Minneapolis, a sidelined Philip Oakey pulled the band out of further recording and they returned to Sheffield leaving Jam and Lewis to complete the album using session musicians. Oakey said later:

We like to be in control in the studio. We don't like giving that up to a producer. That's why we had a big, final argument, and we just decided to go home and leave them to finish it off. It just got to the point of who had the power, and in that instance...They were the men behind the mixing console, so they had ultimate control.

Keyboard players Philip Adrian Wright and Ian Burden also had been sidelined by Jam and Lewis. Wright would not recover from the humiliation and immediately left the band upon their return to the UK. Burden eventually quit the band in 1987.

The album name was taken from a moment in the studio during the recording. Oakey described it thus:

It's from a crash cymbal, because it's a disco album again with lots of cymbals. One day somebody said “what sorts of cymbals do you want, a ride or a crash?”, and we thought, “what a great title!”

Although at the time the band had all but washed their hands of the album post production, when released it quickly became an unexpected success. One of the Jam and Lewis compositions, "Human", was released as the album's first single and became the Human League's second number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and their first UK top-ten hit in over three years (no.8). Follow-up singles "I Need Your Loving" and the 1988 UK-only release "Love Is All That Matters" were less successful, failing to reach the UK Top 40. The album itself peaked at number 7 in UK (where it was certified Gold for sales in excess of 100,000 copies) and number 24 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. Oakey, with hindsight, states that it was this album that saved the band's career and one of the main reasons they are still recording today.[citation needed] However, he also stated in 1995 his disconcert with the record, saying: "The Jam and Lewis album [Crash] was just like being a puppet for four months. It was interesting to pick yourself out of the industrial north of England and dump yourself in Minneapolis. Great experience, but it just wasn't our album".

I have a lot of time for Crash. It is an album that has some weak spots, though it is not as bad as some people say. I opened by remarking how bands can produce a classic and then not live up to that standard very soon after. If Dare is the masterpiece from The Human League, I think that Crash is an album that is worth listening to. I want to source one review for Crash. This is what AllMusic wrote in their assessment:

“The Human League turned to American R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in the wake of their success with Janet Jackson's Control, and the combination brought the group its second number one hit with the Jam-Lewis composition "Human," which harked back to the earlier "Don't You Want Me," albeit with a gentler tone. The album's second single, the Control-soundalike "I Need Your Loving," was also a Jam-Lewis song (as was the U.K.-only third single, "Love Is All That Matters"), but the bulk of the album was made up of group-written songs with appealing backing tracks that maintained their dance appeal while eschewing the overtly synthesized sound of previous albums. That made Crash an improvement over the lackluster Hysteria, but still not on a par with Dare”.

Human is the big hit and success from Crash. I also feel that there are four or five other tracks that are really good. Overall, I would say Crash is an album that has its moments and should not be seen as a disaster. It wasn’t until the band’s eighth album, Secrets, of 2001 where they recovered some of their form and got back on track. That being said, I do think that 1986’s Crash is…

WORTHY of some more time.

FEATURE: An Impossible Choice: The Best of the Best: Kate Bush’s The Whole Story

FEATURE:

 

 

An Impossible Choice

The Best of the Best: Kate Bush’s The Whole Story

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THE year 1986…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1985

was a very interesting one in Kate Bush’s career. The previous year, she released her masterpiece fifth studio album, Hounds of Love. After promoting the album quite heavily (including interviews in America), she was one of the most popular artists in the world. Not to say that her previous four albums were overlooked. Hounds of Love was a huge declaration and incredible release that took her to new heights. It was her biggest album to date in America, and there would have been decisions as to what came next. I am going to do more features in the run-up to its thirty-fifth anniversary on 10th November. The Whole Story was what came in 1986. I feel like the greatest hits compilation was a definite end of a chapter. It would be three years after the album until Bush released another album. 1989’s The Sensual World was a new stage for Bush. I have spoken before about Kate Bush greatest hits collections. There have been others since 1986 – including 1990’s This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978–1990. Although The Single File 1978-1983 arrived in 1984, that was just an assortment of singles to that point rather than a greatest hits package. Hounds of Love’s success and brilliance inevitably led to calls for a greatest hits album. Bush might have been reluctant to put one out earlier in her career. Before continuing, here is some critical reaction regarding The Whole Story – in addition to some comments from Bush regarding the album:

“Roger Holland in Sounds (UK): "Over the last nine years and five albums, Kate Bush (...) has matured into quite the most sensual, expressive, and creative artist this country can now boast". Colin Irwin, Melody Maker (UK): "This glorious retrospective collection... she's playing a high-risk game, and more often than not her irrepressible flair, her instinct for a hook, and her gift for unusual and gripping arrangements carry her through." John McReady, NME (UK): "More useful and more enjoyable than the constipated jangling of a hundred and one little lads with big mouths and even bigger clothes allowances. Such people are not worth a carrot. Meat or no meat, Kate Bush is streets ahead." Andy Strickland, Record Mirror (UK): "A monumental tribute to this craziest, coziest girl-next-door. (...) One of the most refreshing compilation LPs it would be possible to put together."

Kate about 'The Whole Story'

Yes, I was [against the release of a compilation album] at first. I was concerned that it would be like a "K-tel" record, a cheapo-compo with little thought behind it. It was the record company's decision, and I didn't mind as long as it was well put together. We put a lot of work into the packaging, trying to make it look tasteful, and carefully thought out the running order. And the response has been phenomenal - I'm amazed! (Kate Bush Club newsletter, Issue 22, December 1987)

It wasn't chronological because we wanted to have a running time that was equal on both sides, otherwise you get a bad pressing. In America, where I'm not very well known, they didn't realise it was a compilation! ('Love, Trust and Hitler'. Tracks (UK), November 1989)”.

I am excited about the anniversary later in the year, as it will provoke questions whether it is time for another greatest hits album. I think, after ten studio albums and a career that has exceeded forty years, there is definite scope for an expanded collection that takes us from 1978’s The Kick Inside through to 2011’s 50 Words for Snow. In my view, it must have been exceedingly hard narrowing down the tracks to include on The Whole Story. What we do have with the twelve tracks is a representation of Bush’s incredible talent and progress.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a still from the 1986 Experiment IV video (which she directed)

I want to discuss the tracklisting and importance of The Whole Story. Before that, there is a review of the album from 2018. Marking forty years since Bush’s debut album  arrived, this article examined a hugely important album:

“40 years ago, the world was blessed with one of the weirdest and most wonderful artists it has ever seen. The world was blessed with a frizzy haired 19 year old singing about Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights whilst dancing in a forest wearing fantastically bold red lipstick and green eyeshadow. The world was blessed with Kate Bush.

With five albums worth of material to work with, The Whole Story sees Kate take the best of her brilliant early catalogue and assemble it into one amazing compilation. 32 years on, this record has not aged a day, with every track still proving timeless, fuelling its listeners with all of Bush’s raw emotions.

The Whole Story takes the listener away on a musical ride through some of Bush’s most iconic moments from the beginning of her career. Hearing Bush’s early work in particular showcases the evolution of her wonderfully wavy vocals and wild imagination. From her softly sung piano ballad ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’, written at the age of just fourteen, to her spacey-orchestral experiment track ‘Wow’, taken from her second album Lionheart.

Bush uses The Whole Story to really showcase the formation of her now trademark quirkiness. With tracks like ‘Babushka’, (about a woman romantically fooling her husband) and the iconic pop anthem ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’, being flawless demonstrations of her ability to continually surprise listeners and push boundaries. Every track on The Whole Story shows the pure creativity and song-writing talent possessed by Bush – a skill heard in every one of her song’s piano notes and every drum beat.

Opening this compilation is the genius ‘Wuthering Heights’, which Bush remixed and re-recorded herself for this project. This remixing was done purely with the intent on giving the song a more mature sound, replacing Bush’s original vocals for the track when it was released in 1978, when Bush was just 19. This minor alteration in sound really does highlight the subtle change in vocal depth and resonance Bush developed in the eight years between the original track release to the polished and perfected iteration heard on The Whole Story.

Kate Bush creates magical worlds through her music, vocals and lyrics that has the fantastic ability to transport you away to a wondrous place where anything could happen. A place where Catherine and Heathcliff are together; a place where God will let you be another person to escape from the excruciating feeling of loving someone too much. The Whole Story is a vessel that ultimately transports the listener to the depths of Kate Bush’s imagination.

Kate Bush is not a singer, she is an artist. In fact, she is one of the most important artists of our time, and one that will continue to shape the music industry forever. Listening to The Whole Story is all the proof you need”.

It must be strange for an artist to have a greatest hits album out. They might feel like it defines them or is a bit of a full stop. It was clear Bush had a lot of material left in her. Rather than it being a chance to cash in on the success of Hounds of Love, it allowed new fans to discover her previous work. It also provided people the opportunity to see how Bush, from album to album, produced very different sounds and songs. I will explore Bush in 1986 a bit before the anniversary of The Whole Story. Although there were singles released and activity, it was a less busy and eventful year than the one previous (there was another 1986 release, The Hair of the Hound, which featured all four of her music videos from the album Hounds of Love. It was released on 16th June. Bush also appeared during the Comic Relief live shows in April, performing Breathing and singing the duet, Do Bears..., with Rowan Atkinson). Whereas greatest hits collections are meant to bring in the most successful singles and, to a degree, most accessible songs, I think Bush has some fascinating deeper cuts. With only two songs from The Kick Inside – the singles, Wuthering Heights (with a new vocal) and The Man with the Child in His Eyes -, some might have felt that album was short-changed. Some might say that including The Dreaming’s title track (which only charted at forty-eight) might have denied other tracks. That album’s Suspended in Gaffa would have been a good selection. Hounds of Love’s The Big Sky is also missing. Narrowing it down to a dozen tracks means that some cuts miss the grade. Listen to the five albums prior to The Whole Story, one realises that there are so many non-singles that are also worthy.

As it traditional with greatest hits collections, there is a new track. It is a chance for an artist to give a new song a home or give the listener extra incentive to buy the album. I have already spotlighted The Whole Story’s new track, Experiment IV. I may revisit it ahead of 10th November. I love the track and wonder where it could have sat if it was available for inclusion on Hounds of Love. I think the song has an element of Peter Gabriel’s Shock the Monkey (the first single from his fourth eponymous album of 1982) – an artist that Bush worked with several times. I forgot to mention that, in addition to The Whole Story, 1986 saw Bush appear on the Peter Gabriel song, Don’t Give Up. The powerful diet appeared on his So album. The single was released on 27th October (the same week as Experiment IV). I love the fact that Bush had two singles out from two different albums that are very different themselves. Although I said 1986 was fairly quite or Bush, she actually had quite a bit on! I wonder how much say Bush had regarding choosing songs to appear on The Whole Story and whether she would have preferred some non-singles being in the mix. I feel EMI could have stretched The Whole Story to fifteen tracks. That might have meant it needed to be a double vinyl/C.D. release. I will leave it there. As it is five months until the thirty-fifth anniversary of The Whole Story, I am going to pepper a couple more features in beforehand. If you have not heard the album then do so now. It gives new context to the songs and the albums they are taken from. It must have also been hard deciding which tracks to put where, but I feel like there is a great balance - so that tracks from the same album are not bunched together and there is nothing jarring and disjointed in terms of the sonic flow. It is a fitting tribute to an artist who, on her first greatest hits compilation, had a dozen of her finest songs…

ALL in one place.

FEATURE: Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure: Blue - All Rise

FEATURE:

 

 

Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure

Blue - All Rise

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THERE are various musical anniversaries…

that make me feel really old. Blue’s hit, All Rise, was released twenty years ago! I recall when the song came out. At the time, where was a wave of boybands around that each offered their own thing. Whilst some were generic and lacked identity, we had something a bit different in Blue (Antony Costa, Duncan James, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe). To be fair, they were not too different from the usual boyband crop. They had a bit of personality and cool that definitely made their songs stronger than a lot of the competition. I think that many of their songs get labelled as being ‘guilty pleasures’. Whilst not all of their tracks match the level of All Rise, there are some good cuts in their catalogue. I especially like All Rise. Not only does it have a catchy chorus and a clever lyrical angle. The guys supply great vocals, and there is a terrific, polished production sound. It is no surprise that the song was a success. I don’t think you really hear Pop/R&B tracks like All Rise anymore. We have boybands, though the music they perform has changed and evolved - K-Pop is more dominant and popular when it comes to girl groups and boybands. Because of that, maybe some feel Blue’s All Rise is a bit outdated or unfamiliar. I definitely feel it is a lot stronger than a guilty pleasure (not that I think any song can be called such). Before moving on, here is a little background to one of the big hits of 2001:

“All Rise" is a song by British boy band Blue. It was released in 21 May 2001 as the lead single from their debut album of the same name. "All Rise" was co-written and produced by Norwegian production team Stargate, who went on to produce several of Blue's biggest hits from 2001 to 2003. The song contains elements from the theme from The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix (1975), composed by Bent Fabricius-Bjerre. Stargate previously used the sample in their production of "Not for the Dough" (1999) by Norwegian hip hop group Multicyde.

The song became a hit worldwide and helped the group break the charts in Europe and Oceania. It peaked at number four in the United Kingdom, number three in Australia, number one in New Zealand, and number 15 in Ireland. The song has received a Gold certification for sales of over 400,000 copies in the UK and also went Gold in New Zealand. In Australia, the song received a Platinum certification for sales exceeding 70,000 copies. The band performed the song during the first series of The Big Reunion in 2013”.

I feel 2001 was a particular strong year for tracks. There was a lot of Pop/R&B crossover, and a strong continuation of the quality and consistency we saw in the ‘90s. If you have overlooked Blue or feel that all boybands are not worth investigating, I would suggest people check out All Rise. Taken from the debut album of the same name, All Rise is a smash. Despite the fact the album received some mixed reviews, there are other tracks on the album that are worthy of study. In their review, this is what AllMusic said:

“Blue were not the average boy band. Yes there were four of them, standing there in a line, looking good and singing, note singing, not playing any musical instruments. But the foursome of Duncan James, Antony Costa, Simon Webbe, and Lee Ryan actually did appear to have talent. This is not to say that other boy bands didn't have that in abundance, but there was something about Blue's songs that marked them as different. For a start there was the production, which was slick and creamy smooth. Soulful in a way that harked back to the Temptations or the Four Tops, and they weren't boy bands were they? Secondly regarding soul, the vocals were sung as if there was some real feeling, and that maybe is what separated Blue from their peers. Having arrived seemingly from nowhere in the summer of 2001 with the hit "All Rise" that pop radio couldn't stop playing, and hitting number one with both the follow-ups "Too Close," which was a cover of the little heard (in the U.K.) track by Next and "If You Come Back."

After three successful singles came the debut album All Rise, which hardly surprisingly entered the chart very high at number two. What was surprising was that after the fourth single, "Fly By" was released, the album went one place better and topped the chart six months after its initial release. The lads had street cred, too, and Webbe broke into the occasional rap on the tracks "Fly By" and "Back to You." "Bounce" does exactly what one would think it should, it bounces on the offbeat, and "Girl I'll Never Understand," "Back Someday," and "Best in Me," the three tracks that close the album, are slow R&B ballads, while it would have been nice to end on a high. However, for all the Westlife and Boyzone ballads and good looks since the late '90s, Blue may be not really that different from the American prototypes *NSync and Backstreet Boys after all: attitude yes, different yes, but something new, not really”.

I am not a huge fan of boybands, though I do like the big hits from the best of the bunch. All Rise is a hugely memorable and singalong song where Blue show plenty of attitude, quality and harmony! Although the song boasts a fair few songwriters (Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Hallgeir Rustan, Simon Webbe and Daniel Stephens), the band very much make it their own. Blue released their fifth studio album, Colours, in 2015. I am not sure what the future holds. Whilst other boybands from the 1990s and 2000s have gone their own way, Blue are still together. Twenty years after its release, All Rise still stands up and has plenty of punch. Rather than it being a guilty pleasure, All Rise is…

AN awesome track.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Fifty-Four: Laura Mvula

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern Heroines

Part Fifty-Four: Laura Mvula

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LIKE I am doing with…

next week’s Modern Heroines subject, MARINA, it might have been prudent to wait until Laura Mvula’s new album, Pink Noise, is released before writing more. Not only do I want to build up momentum for the album and get people buying it; I also think that I have opportunity to look back and see how far Mvula has come. I think Pink Noise is shaping up to be her finest album yet. In terms of inspirations, there is a lot of the 1980s to be found – a lot of artists at the moment are experimenting and bringing the decade into their mix. I am going to drop in a couple of interviews that Mvula has conducted. Before that, here is a little information about Pink Noise:

“Pink Noise explores a side of Laura previously uncharted. As triumphant as ever, the album is a battle cry and stark reminder of the sheer talent of the critically acclaimed artist. This is Laura in a new found light - still reflecting her distinctive signature sound but showing the progression of an artist who has come into her own. Contrasting confessional lyricism with compelling and infectious synth pop, Pink Noise feels completely and uniquely Laura. Her artistic prowess knows no limits - take the neo-soul meets art pop of ‘Remedy’ for example, or the darker, pulsating ‘Conditional’ that injects bombastic funk into indietronica. She feels rejuvenated too, especially on electro pop stunners ‘Magical’ and ‘Before The Dawn’. This is Laura Mvula at her most ambitious to date, leaving no stone left unturned in this cosmic new realm.

I have always loved Laura Mvula’s music - though I think she has hit on a sound right now that suits her perfectly. So fresh, uplifting and memorable, there is a mix of emotional weight and the lightness one feels. Pink Noise’s singles have indicated that we are going to receive a triumphant and awesome album on 2nd July! Go and follow Mvula on Instagram and have a look at her official website. I think that Pink Noise is going to be among the very best of 2021. I am going to work my way up to a new interview from Mvula. Pink Noise is her third studio album. I want to look back on her previous album, 2016’s The Dreaming Room. It is a gorgeous record that exceeds her debut, Sing to the Moon (2013). After five years, there is a huge appetite for a new Laura Mvula album. I think that she is not only an incredible songwriter and artist; Mvula is inspiring and incredibly interesting. I feel she will be a huge name of the future and someone who will continue to inspire others. Pink Noise is a sonic shift away from The Dreaming Room. That said, I really love her previous album. In their review, this is what AllMusic remarked:

“The Dreaming Room is somehow more sumptuous and emotive than Sing to the Moon, Laura Mvula's impressive 2013 debut. Written and produced primarily with Troy Miller, who she met while working on the soundtrack for 12 Years a Slave, it's another categorically evasive set that updates and amalgamates traditional forms of blues, jazz, R&B, and orchestral pop. For all its unearthly charm, it nurtures the soul. Mvula's rich voice prances across songs of perseverance, salvation, survival, hope, and pride. Everything is transmitted with a contagious form of optimism, even in darker moments like "People," where Mvula mourns "They strip us down and rape our minds, our skin was a terrible thing to live in," then marvels "How glorious, this light in us," her words accentuated with a congruent verse from Wretch 32. The only other guest appearance comes from Nile Rodgers, whose golden and unmistakable rhythm guitar is threaded throughout "Overcome," one of the many highlights of this powerful album”.

I was captivated when The Dreaming Room came out. Phenomenal Woman and Overcome are two of the strongest cuts of Mvula’s career. I have mentioned Phenomenal Woman when I recently reviewed Laura Mvula. It is a sensational song. Before collating some interviews, I want to quote from The Guardian’s review of The Dreaming Room:

“The Dreaming Room is a rich stew. It’s vivid, cramming a lot of information into barely half an hour of music. Even the most commercial tracks are pretty odd – as evidenced by the off-kilter funk and yelped, incomprehensible chorus of the single Phenomenal Woman, Mvula’s interpretation of her grandma’s instruction to “write a song I can lift me spirits, write a song I can jig me foot” – and even the quiet moments prickle with intensity: the ostensibly straightforward piano-and-vocal section in Show Me, recorded in such a way that Mvula appears to be singing directly into your ear, the tranquil piano chords disrupted by the noise of her feet on the pedals. Lyrically, it’s preoccupied with relationship woe and black empowerment. The artist who declined to attend the Brits in protest at its woeful lack of black nominees is present on People – “our skin was a terrible thing to live in” – while there’s also a lot of raw, often harrowing stuff about Mvula’s divorce, the tracks on which she appears to come to terms with the collapse of her marriage outnumbered by those where she seems inconsolable: “I miss the wonder of a future with somebody,” she sings on Show Me’s hymn-like opening, “Oh God, where are you?”

It should be much harder work than it is. But like Joanna Newsom, Mvula pulls the listener along with her through the most serpentine songs: however winding their routes, the melodies are almost always beautiful; however much the musical scenery shifts, it is always striking. You do wonder what its commercial fate will be. Despite the discrepancy between its advance publicity and its contents, Sing to the Moon went gold, but there are moments here strange enough to make Sing to the Moon sound like the work of the new Adele by comparison. Or perhaps audiences will be seduced by The Dreaming Room’s invention and originality, which would be entirely fitting”.

Both of Mvula’s albums have been nominated for Mercury Prizes. I am not sure whether Pink Noise will be released in time to receive a nod this year – perhaps it will be in the shortlist next year. It shows that she is a consistent and hugely impressive artist! I want to bring in a couple of interviews, as it is interesting learning more about Mvula. Things have changed quite a lot since The Dreaming Room was released. There is an interesting 2016 interview from The Guardian that caught my eye. Before quoting a section about The Dreaming Room, there was one regarding her upbringing and her parents that was very interesting:  

“I grew up in a very Christian household,” she begins. “The family unit was… tight. Our socialisation, mine and my siblings, was centred on family, church life, school.” It was “a house of love. But if I was to be critical, I would say that there was a lot of growing-up I wasn’t exposed to.” When she went to sixth form college in Solihull, aged 16, “it was the first time I took a bus”. She says that she enrolled at the Conservatoire, aged 18, with the chief intent of finding a musician to marry.

“It was. I wanted a saxophonist.” Mvula shrugs: she was a child of the 90s, sax was cool. Her point, anyway, is that “I was sheltered. Massively sheltered.”

At the Conservatoire she met someone right away. “Themba. Just a stunning human being to look at. He had such presence.” She spotted him while they were singing in the same choir. “I literally said to myself, ‘Yes, thanks!’ Even without speaking to him.” They became friends, then a couple. “We had a lot in common. Fathers in the church. Two siblings. I felt a very instant connection. I wanted to spend all of my time with him – I did spend all of my time with him. Not a lot of studying in those years.”

They got married after graduation. Everyone approved the match. “Particularly in church, we were put on a pedestal. I could think to myself: ‘We are people who lots of people admire and now we get to build our own way of life.’” Themba encouraged Mvula’s musical ambitions, forming choir groups and jazz ensembles with her. It was Themba who suggested she write music of her own. The demos that resulted from this – Mvula working on a laptop, equipped with not much more than a mic, a keyboard and a piece of composition software – caught the ear of a producer, Steve Brown, and his manager, Kwame Kwaten. Both would become key figures in Mvula’s career to come.

PHOTO CREDIT: Julian Broad/The Observer 

Mvula believes that she’s written “a beast of an album in The Dreaming Room. I never thought I’d be able to. I couldn’t be left in a room on my own. So how could I write?” She only got around this obstacle, she says, because for weeks on end Dionne and Mariama “found ways to be in the room with me, but not in the room”. They’ll have to do something similar again, soon, when Mvula takes to the road for a run of gigs. She feels guilty about this (“These are people who have lives of their own”), but at the same time she doesn’t feel ready to give up her career. Music has been “a way to grieve about my marriage, and make sense of what it means that my life has changed”.

With her computer open on the table, it suddenly occurs to Mvula that she can show me some of the curious processes that went into composing The Dreaming Room. While writing, she explains, she often recorded herself using her laptop’s camera – in case she should hit on a “moment in time thing” and later want to recapture it. Many of the videos Mvula shot are hours and hours long. We scroll through them. They tend to show her hunched over a keyboard in casual clothes or pyjamas. One video has her sitting in a desk chair, singing phrases into a microphone, when suddenly she whips off her headphones and disappears from view”.

The third album from Mvula has come after a period of transition and struggle. Rather than there being personal trauma and romantic strife, the songwriter has changed label. I do not know what her experiences were like with her old label. It seems like she is in a better place now. Mvula discussed this with the Evening Standard this year:

“There are a few lyrics on Laura Mvula’s forthcoming third album that will make the listener think she’s been through a nasty break-up. Take this, on Conditional: “I don’t cry no tears for you/I needed love unconditional.” Or this, from the comeback single, Safe Passage: “Never imagined I would ever be free from your story/Staring in the face of it, I finally see I’m everything I need.”

And they’d be right, but this isn’t necessarily romantic trauma. At the start of 2017, the Birmingham musician’s record label, Sony, told her they were dispensing with her services via a brief email. Both of her albums to date had received wide acclaim and prestigious Mercury Prize nominations, and the first, Sing to the Moon, had been a gold seller. Prince had messaged her to ask to be on a track on the second, The Dreaming Room, which he loved, but she had to turn him down because Nile Rodgers was already on it. Talk about a rock and a hard place. So this bad news came as no small surprise.

“I thought I was an important artist. I just remember feeling I’d been unfairly treated, not necessarily with the decision itself but with the manner in which it had been dealt with, which I thought was rude and careless,” she says. “I’d apologised so much for who I was right from the beginning. I’d tried to be the most palatable version of Laura that I could be, and played this game with real class and elegance, so to be let go in that way, I just felt, ‘Hold on a second!’ The least I could have had was a real conversation.”

She discovered the term because she wanted to be able to describe the sounds she was going for, which can be better summarised for the layperson by saying simply, “really really Eighties”. The processed boom of the drums opening Safe Passage reminded me of the beginning of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love, though Mvula says she was going more for Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. Weighty analogue synthesizers dominate the songs. The rolling bassline and artificial horn blasts of the brilliant Got Me have strong echoes of When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going by Billy Ocean, no less. The ballad What Matters would fit nicely on the end credits of a John Hughes film and features an unrecognisably smooth contribution from rocker Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro”.

I will leave things in a bit. Just before then, there is a song from Pink Noise that will be highlighted by many reviewers. It is the single, Safe Passage. I reviewed the most-recent single, Got Me. Safe Passage was the first single to come from Pink Noise. This NME article provided us words from Mvula regarding the story behind the song:

“Describing the new track, Mvula said: “‘Safe Passage’ is a poem about the vehicle that takes us all from the space where we feel like we’re drowning, and we’re trapped to the promised land, which actually exists.

“It’s not a dream, it’s not a fictional place. We can go there. We can go there like right now. We just have to tap into ourselves to our love relationships. ‘Safe Passage’ evokes that feeling in me. It reminds me of a time when feeling positive emotions was much simpler, much less complicated.”

Mvula added: “Writing the song was a struggle because I had to really dig for it. But as it revealed itself to me, it struck me down like lightning on the Damascus Road, and I was grateful for it. I was so scared of letting myself down.

“And I was so exhausted of caring only about pleasing people and things around me. And I wanted and needed release from that. That’s what ‘Safe Passage’ is”.

I will leave things there. I am a big fan of Laura Mvula, so I am really looking forward to seeing what Pink Noise offers up. From the singles so far, it sounds like another triumphant release! I feel Mvula  is one of the best and most inspiring songwriters in the world. Let’s hope that she has many more albums in her. In Laura Mvula, the world is lucky enough to have such…

AN incredible talent.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Shaybo

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight:

Shaybo

___________

IN today’s Spotlight…

I get to focus on one of the strongest and brightest Rap artists in the U.K. Even though she is so young and embarking on her first steps, Shaybo has so much confidence and quality. She has not reached her peak yet - although, the music she has released to date suggests an artist who has found her feet and is wasting no time in establishing herself! I am eager to bring some interviews together so that we can learn more about Shaybo and what she is about. She is an artist who has come into my life recently and has made a big impression! The Primary Talent website tells us more about a rising powerhouse:

“Born and raised in south east London, Shaybo the hard-hitting truth-telling female rapper is not here to play games. With a passion for rapping running through her veins, Shaybo's fervent lyrics, and catchy melodies expose a highly versatile artist whose sound has the power to provoke a profound response across all genres.

Being no newcomer to the rap scene, Shaybo has always been a creator at heart, dabbling in rap since her early teens where she became a household name with the already bubbling UK rap scene, growing up in southeast London inevitably shaped her to become the honest, driven and highly spirited individual that she is today. A firm believer in the strength of community amongst women, the sounds of Shaybo lyrics are charged by the electricity that connects people. Her lyrical delivery and content is what people resonate with males and females.

Shaybo has the accolades and momentum in her favor with her most recent releases 'Bonjour cava' and 'Ya Dun Know' gaining huge attention from her 'Real One Fans' with the upcoming release of her EP 'Queen Of The South' featuring top tier artist there will be no limit on what she will be able to accomplish in the near future”.

Having featured on a string of singles this year (including a collaboration with Jorja Smith, Bussdown), one feels that an album or mixtape is imminent. Such fertile and consistently brilliant output is consistent with an artist who adored and fell for music very early. I think there were plans for an E.P. or something bigger last year. With the pandemic raging, things have been put back. We shall see what the rest of this year holds. In this interview with CRACK, we learn more about Shaybo’s career, early life and fanbase:

“Born Shayon Brown, she was just 13 when she began releasing YouTube freestyles and building a following, before suddenly going quiet. Then, in 2013, she edged her way back into the spotlight with Guess Who’s Back – a single which announced her statement of intent over an ominous road rap beat. But then, again, silence.

That second silence lasted seven years, a lifetime in the music industry. Her first wave of buzz, built from frequent freestyles on the then-popular street rap YouTube channel Rap City, belongs to a time when road rap was still deep underground. But that was the past – and she’s not looking back. “I was locked in the studio for about five months just crafting,” she says, of her new EP Queen of the South. “My voice is an instrument and it’s part of the song, I’m not just rapping over a beat, so no matter what I put out there, what they’re getting from my music is all of me,” she says, softly.

Born in Nigeria, Shaybo grew up in south London, first Lewisham and later, Woolwich – areas that are home to two of the largest Nigerian communities in the UK. Due to waves of immigration from West Africa in the past couple of decades, she finds herself caught between two cultures, blurring the notion of Black Britishness with her cadence and what she describes as ‘cultural language’. The Yoruba wit and humour oozes from her on record, where she often rhymes in Pidgin before going back to road slang or vice versa. On her Link Up TV HB Freestyle, she raps: “Mummy I’m famous now/ How you tryna send me shop to go and get Lyca/ I don’t care which aunty’s in Naija/ Oya take back your fiver”. While she jokes about those moments, which are often a rite of passage for people with family ‘back home’, it also speaks to her duality as a Nigerian-British woman.

Shaybo doesn’t delve deep when asked about her past. She nods fleetingly towards the challenges she faced as a young person, coming of age in south London and affiliated with the streets – stories and themes she frequently tackles in her writing. But her new music reveals an emotional depth to Shaybo that longtime fans may not expect: “I want people to see the good and the bad. I want to show them anger, love, heartbreak and all the things girls where I’m from can relate to.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Michelle Helena Janssen for CRACK

Before the Covid-19 lockdown, she even wanted to invite her fans to eat jollof rice, stew and chicken with her at an EP launch party. “I just want to do things in a much more grounded way. Before I’m a rapper and I’m this and that, I’m a person who has to live life as well.”

Shaybo is confident in her belief that her fanbase will buy into Queen of the South and the story she’s telling, not just because of any notions of ‘realness’ or the fact she’s a woman in a male-crowded drill scene, but because she’s a storyteller. “People have given me the title of ‘queen of drill’ but I’m not really interested in that, I’m not just drill. I guess because it’s popular at the moment…” As an MC, her ability to move with ease from poignancy to humour is one of the qualities that makes Shaybo so infectious – she is so clearly having fun. On her recent Tiffany Calver Freestyle for BBC 1Xtra’s Rap Show, Shaybo was smiling the whole way as she reeled off bar after bar, punchline after punchline, in her piercing and boisterous flow (“Anger is my issue, aside from that I’m cool,” she beams). The road rap productions may have become drill beats in the intervening years, but her presence and skill is as sharp as it ever was – or better”.

I think that the next year or two will see Shaybo hook up with other artists and producers. I feel like she is at her most powerful and honest when performing solo. That is when one feels Shaybo at her very best. I am interested in how Shaybo’s career has taken off and the interest courted from labels. Her delivery and flow is different to other rappers. She is shaping up to be one of the U.K.’s greatest rappers. I think it is worth bringing in a feature/interview from DIY. They went into more detail regarding the themes I have just mentioned:

“Shaybo’s MCing style, though, is unique, articulating her alpha female energy by peppering her English bars with insults and slang in Yoruba, the language of her native Nigeria. “There’s a huge Nigerian community in London, so I felt like I wanted to embrace my culture while rapping,” she says.

She almost left music behind in her teens. “When I used to do music, I used to be, in a way, a delinquent,” she says. “I used to get in trouble a lot, into fights a lot, but I just felt like I was misunderstood. I felt like I couldn’t articulate myself. I went into music because it’s a way of expressing how I feel.”

After her parents encouraged her to explore other avenues, she decided to study social work at university. “I wanted to be in my community and be able to help people. It’s very important to have somebody to help you, somebody who relates to what you’ve been through.”

She used that experience to help survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire, setting up programmes to help traumatised children. “When I was young, I experienced certain things. I have bad PTSD. I know how to relate to [the kids], but through training I could articulate myself in a formal way. I did one-to-one sessions and a fitness programme, partnering with a gym. It was a good feeling.”

Black Butter, the label that broke UK artists like J Hus and Octavian, also noticed Shaybo’s talent. She inked a deal with them last year. Ever since watching a Netflix show based on an Arturo Pérez-Reverte novel, Queen of the South, where she identified with the main character, she’s called herself that. Her EP of the same name is due to come out later this year; a record that points to varying sides to Shaybo’s artistry. She locked herself in the studio, recorded between 60 and 70 tracks, then picked out “the best ones that just show different things that women can relate to”.

Switching between no-nonsense barring and deeper explorations of real life issues, ‘Queen of the South’ represents a cross-pollination of different strands of UK music — drill, rap, Afrobeats. On it she’s worked with Ghanaian producer Guiltybeatz, who’s worked with Beyonce — “He’s an artist himself, so he understands both sides of the spectrum and we just create really well together” — Kenny Allstar producer’s Nostalgia, and the MOBO-winning Victizzle, who produced ‘Ya Dun Know’.

Where Shaybo’s baby face was known only in pockets of South London before, now she’s getting props from all over. Lily Allen, Katy B and So Solid Crew have all reached out. Cara Delevigne followed her on Instagram today (“I almost fainted!”), but she’s also backed by rap tastemakers DJ Semtex, Julie Adenuga, Joey Clipstar (whose Hardest Bars freestyle series she appeared on), and has supported the likes of MoStack and JAY1.

Shaybo describes her return to music like “watching a little sister grow up.” Rapping as a 13-year-old, and a self-described tomboy, she didn’t feel like women could identify with her. “I’m more than happy that females can relate to me now, and they look at me as somebody who’s just raw,” she says, “[someone] who just says what they’re thinking. So I’m very happy about that part.” Things are different now, and Shaybo’s having her moment”.

I am going to wrap up soon enough. There are a couple more interviews that I wanted to introduce. If you have not discovered Shaybo already, follow her on social media. I think that we are going to get more music from her in 2021. In spite of the pandemic, Shaybo has made big impression this year.

Shaybo talked about female representation in Rap when she spoke with Wonderland. last year. She looked at the situation in the U.S. and compared it to how things are in this country:

“Still learning a decade into her career, it’s this experimental approach to her craft that has helped Shaybo develop as an artist. “I’ve failed so many times that I know what not to do,” she admits. “I want girls looking up to me to see that, when I was that age, I was doing music and just developing myself. Evolving. I want them to feel empowered, like strong independent women that don’t tolerate nonsense from anybody,” she adds, delivering a presidential-style mission statement. “I want them to feel like no matter what situations they go through — whether it be heartbreak, work pressure, relationship pressure, or just dealing with friendship groups — that they don’t have to tolerate things and feel confident in what they do and how they speak.”

While Shaybo believes female representation in UK rap music is definitely improving, she doesn’t think it’s on the same level as in the US. “In America there are so many female rappers and different styles that people can listen too, and I feel that the UK should have that as well. We’re getting there,” she considers optimistically. “It’s about encouraging the next generation to see that it’s possible.” It’s unsurprising, then, that Shaybo — whose 2021 aims include a vast tour (“hopefully I can sell out the O2 Arena”) — has her sights set on going global. “I want to show the next generation of women that I can cross over to the African market, or the American market, and that I can be a worldwide success,” she manifests. “I want future female rappers to see that even somebody from the UK can be as international, or as big, as their American counterparts.”

It’s this versatility that really shines on her long-awaited debut EP, “Queen of the South”, the release of which was delayed to give space to the Black Lives Matter movement. “I felt like it was a time for the whole of society to reflect, and see what’s wrong in the world,” she insists. As someone who’s always on the go, the effects of lockdown have given Shaybo space to reflect personally, too. “It was hard for me to stand still,” she recalls, “but sometimes you have to be able to live in the moment and observe what’s going on in the world. It just let me chill out”. Now though, she’s ready to show everyone what she’s been working on, promising that the best is yet to come. “Musically, I’ve evolved to another level,” she asserts. “But, because I’ve got so many songs in my archive, people have only heard the beginning stages. They’ve not heard what I’ve been making recently, so I’m happy for people to hear my story.” After all those years developing herself, evolving her sound and mastering her craft, Shaybo’s time is now”.

As you can see, there was anticipation regarding a debut E.P. At the time of writing this (6th June), there has been no announcement on her social media pages regarding a release date. I am sure that we will hear in good time. There is a great deal of excitement as to what Shaybo will deliver.

The final interview I want to source from us from THE FACE. They fired some questions at her. Whilst they are not in-depth questions, there were some interesting answers:

“20%: At what point did you realise you’d be able to do what you love for a living?

I’ve been rapping on-and-off for about ten years – so since I was 13. I always wanted to do music, however I was encouraged by my family to go to uni and get an education first. So after I managed to get all of that done, I decided that music was the perfect calling for me and I just went for it.

40%: What kind of emotions and experiences influence your work?

It’s a lot to do with my life. When I went into uni it made me reflect on my life and why I am the way I am. I was very hood-affiliated so I used to be very angry. I used to get in trouble a lot, so I just pull from experiences and the things I’ve been through. Whether that be my anger or my love situations, I just articulate myself through music.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Bridgland for Wonderland. 

70% What can artists do to help save the world?

When you get to a position of influence and you have people looking up to you, I think it’s very important to give back to your community. I feel like there are so many ways the world can be saved but you have to start within your community first. You need to encourage people to do stuff for the community or bring awareness to certain situations that are happening in the world”.

I shall leave things there. Go and fololow Shaybo, as I think that she will rise and rule this year. Whilst we have great female rappers like Shaybo, Little Simz and Bree Runway, there is still not the equality that we need to see. I think that the likes of Shaybo will encourage other women. Hopefully, barriers and doors will be broken down, as Rap is so much richer with gender diversity and equal opportunity! With the incredible Shaybo in our midst, the U.K. and world of Rap has a talent…          

TO be proud of.

_____________

Follow Shaybo

PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Bridgland for Wonderland. 

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/shaybomusic/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/shaybomusic

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ShayboMusic

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVADYfI0B3tioY313DNrSYg

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5QdfW7A9eh0XjCyg9XAZpy

FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Fifty-Eight: Eurythmics

FEATURE:

 

 

A Buyer’s Guide

Part Fifty-Eight: Eurythmics

___________

ONE of my favourite acts ever…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ilpo Musto/REX/Shutterstock

are in A Buyer’s Guide now. I discovered Eurythmics as a child and was instantly hooked on their music. Before I come to deciding which of their albums is the best and the ones you’ll want to own, here is some biography:

“Eurythmics were one of the most successful duos to emerge in the early '80s. Where most of their British synth pop contemporaries disappeared from the charts as soon as new wave faded away in 1984, Eurythmics continued to have hits until the end of the decade, making vocalist Annie Lennox a star in her own right, as well as establishing instrumentalist Dave Stewart as a successful, savvy producer and songwriter. Originally, the duo channelled the eerily detached sound of electronic synthesizer music into pop songs driven by robotic beats. By the mid-'80s, singles like "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and "Here Comes the Rain Again" had made the group into international stars, and the group had begun to experiment with their sound, delving into soul and R&B. As the decade wore on, the duo's popularity eroded somewhat; by the late '80s, they were having trouble cracking the Top 40 in America, although they stayed successful in the U.K. By the early '90s, Eurythmics had taken an extended hiatus -- both Lennox and Stewart pursued solo careers -- but they reunited occasionally for recording or tours.

The origins of Eurythmics lay in the Tourists, a British post-punk band of the late '70s formed by Lennox and Stewart. The pair met in London while she was studying at the Royal Academy of Music. Stewart had recently broken up his folk-rock group Longdancer and was writing songs with guitarist Pete Coombes. Immediately after meeting, Stewart and Lennox became lovers and musical partners, forming a group called Catch with Coombes, which quickly evolved into the Tourists in 1979. Though the band only was together for two years, the Tourists released three albums -- The Tourists, Reality Effect, and Luminous Basement -- which all were moderate hits in England; two of their singles, "I Only Want to Be With You" and "So Good to Be Back Home Again," became Top Ten hits.

During 1980, Lennox and Stewart's romantic relationship dissolved and, along with it, so did the Tourists. Though they were no longer lovers, Lennox and Stewart decided to continue performing together under the name Eurythmics and headed to Germany to record their debut album. Featuring support from various members of Can and Blondie drummer Clem Burke, among others, the duo's debut, In the Garden, was released in 1981 to positive reviews, but weak sales. Following the failure of In the Garden, Stewart set up a home studio and Eurythmics recorded a second album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), which was released in 1983.

"Love Is a Stranger" was the first British single pulled from the album, and it became a minor hit in the fall of 1982, a few months before the LP appeared. The title track was released as a single in the spring, and it rocketed to number two on the U.K. charts; shortly afterward, it climbed to number one on the American charts. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" was helped enormously by its stylish, androgynous video, which received heavy airplay from MTV, who had only recently become a major influence within the music industry. After "Sweet Dreams," Eurythmics re-released "Love Is a Stranger" and it reached the U.K. Top Ten (number 23 U.S.), beginning a string of hit singles that ran for a year. Touch, the duo's third album, was released toward the end of 1983 and continued their success throughout 1984, spawning the hits "Who's That Girl?" (number three, U.K.; number 21, U.S.), "Right by Your Side" (number ten, U.K.; number 29, U.S.), and "Here Comes the Rain Again" (number eight, U.K.; number four U.S.). During the course of 1984, Annie Lennox's theatrical gender-bending was becoming increasingly notorious, which helped their record sales. At the end of the year, they released the soundtrack for the film adaptation of 1984, which received poor reviews and sales, despite the Top Ten U.K. placing of its single, "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)."

Released in the spring of 1985, Eurythmics' fourth album, Be Yourself Tonight, boasted a tougher, R&B-influenced sound and featured a duet with Aretha Franklin, "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves." The duet became one of three hit singles from the album, in addition to "Would I Lie to You?" (number 17, U.K.; number five, U.S.) and "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (number one, U.K.; number 22, U.S.). Revenge, released the following year, followed the R&B and soul inclinations of Be Yourself Tonight to a harder-rocking conclusion. Though the album peaked at number 12 in the U.S. and spawned the number 14 hit "Missionary Man," its sales were noticeably weaker than its predecessor. In the U.K., the group was slightly more popular -- "Thorn in My Side" reached the Top Ten -- but it was evident that the group was past the point of its peak popularity.

As appropriate for a group passing their commercial pinnacle, Eurythmics began branching out into other areas. During 1985 and 1986, Dave Stewart produced a number of superstars, including Bob Dylan, Daryl Hall, Tom Petty, and Mick Jagger. Annie Lennox began a short-lived acting career, appearing in Revolution. Eurythmics reconvened in 1987 to release Savage, which was greeted with mixed reviews and weak sales. That same year, Stewart married Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama who had also appeared in the "Who's That Girl" video; she would later be a member of Shakespear's Sister, which was produced by Stewart. In 1988, Lennox had a hit duet with Al Green with "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," taken from the Scrooged soundtrack. The following year, Eurythmics released We Too Are One, which sold well in Britain, reaching number one, but poorly in America, despite "Don't Ask Me Why" becoming their first Top 40 hit since "Missionary Man." Furthermore, the reviews were decidedly mixed on the album.

Eurythmics quietly went on hiatus as of 1990, releasing Greatest Hits the following year. Lennox began a solo career in 1992, releasing Diva, an album that would eventually sell over two million copies. Stewart continued producing records and writing film soundtracks, as well as forming a band called Spiritual Cowboys. In 1995, he officially launched a solo career with the release of Greetings from the Gutter. Lennox and Stewart re-formed Eurythmics in 1999, releasing Peace, their first new studio album in a decade”.

To honour an iconic and legendary duo, this A Buyer’s Guide recommends the finest Eurythmics albums, the one that is underrated, their final studio album – I will also bring in a book that makes for useful reading. Here is a guide to the…

FANTASTIC Eurythmics.

_____________

The Four Essential Albums

 

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

Release Date: 4th January, 1983

Label: RCA Records

Producer: David A. Stewart

Standout Tracks: Love Is a Stranger/The Walk/This Is the House

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/eurythmics/sweet-dreams-are-made-of-this

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5jNDWA19BJbE24x1UUJGRY?si=W4j_0qKkQNWJcY9IgPdKzg

Review:

“By the early 1980s, the electro-pop sounds of Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra, and Gary Numan had seeped into the pop mainstream courtesy of a slew of Brit-poppers like Vince Clarke by way of Depeche Mode and Yaz, but synth-pop had been predominately male-driven up to that point. Not only did the Eurythmics’ breakthrough Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) give the genre a distinctly feminine voice, it helped give it soul, marrying the intentionally artificial, repetitive elements and robotic rhythms of techno to more organic sounds (a cornucopia of live flute, scat-like vocals, and synthesized organ creates a jungle milieu on the brief “I Have an Angel”; trumpets sound a lover’s forced departure on “The Walk”), not to mention Annie Lennox’s smooth, soulful voice. This was no more evident than in the title track (the album’s final single and the duo’s first U.S. hit), an ode to masochistic desire in which Lennox’s supple vocal takes on the stern, dominant tone of a taskmaster—and, mirroring the androgynous, Grace Jones-inspired dual personas of many of the group’s music videos, she is also the subordinate.

“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” is a triumph of computer programming, boasting what this magazine’s own Ed Gonzalez called “the single greatest use of a prolonged synth line in the history of dance music” in our list of 100 Greatest Dance Songs, but it’s the album’s opening track, “Love Is a Stranger,” that is, perhaps, an even bigger coup. The very first line paints love as dangerous, frightening, and enticing with eight simple words: “Love is a stranger in an open car.” Her taut harmonies stretched out atop Dave Stewart’s drum computer beats and percussive grunts, Lennox goes on to describe the series of chemical and emotional disturbances that comprise the experience of love and lust, essentially achieving what poets and philosophers have attempted for centuries: “It’s guilt-edged/Glamorous and sleek by design/You know it’s jealous by nature/False and unkind/It’s hard and restrained/And it’s totally cool/It touches and it teases/As you stumble in the debris.”

Though Touch, which was released later that same year and brought the duo even more success, maintained the Eurythmics’ synth-pop sound, it implemented more Caribbean and dub styles and veered increasingly toward the pop mainstream. Sweet Dreams is more faithful to snyth-pop’s avant-garde roots, incorporating the jittery computerized drum patterns and sliced-and-diced vocals-as-snyths that would become even more prominently used by the likes of Art of Noise. The minimalist tech-pop song “Jennifer” gives us, aptly, minimal narrative information, an ominous synth bassline that sounds like it could have been composed by John Carpenter percolating beneath a simple arpeggio while Lennox beckons to the titular character who, we glean from the sounds of waves breaking and a bridge that consists of the softly repeated line “underneath the water,” has drowned. Only the album’s b-sides “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” “Monkey Monkey,” and “Baby’s Gone Blue” (later included on the 2005 remastered version of the album) are purer descendents of the electro-pop sound that influenced Dave and Annie’s sweet dreams” – SLANT

Choice Cut: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

Touch

Release Date: 14th November, 1983

Label: RCA Records

Producer: David A. Stewart

Standout Tracks: Right By Your Side/Cool Blue/Who’s That Girl?

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/eurythmics/touch

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/4WHI6fYfLxXBKGev2xNanW?si=dkS1-TuPQsy_rnZ8aorj0Q

Review:

“Eurythmics followed their 1982 breakthrough album Sweet Dreams with the superior Touch, which yielded three hit singles and kept the innovative duo at the forefront of the 1980s British new wave explosion and MTV phenomenon. Mixing cold, hard, synthesized riffs with warm, luscious vocals, the duo crafted some of the most unique and trendsetting music the 1980s had to offer. Subsequent albums found the duo leaning heavier toward straightforward rock -- this album found them at the height of their electronic incarnation. The lead single, "Here Comes the Rain Again," is a melodramatic opus, complete with pre-techno beats, sweeping strings, and Annie Lennox' rushing, cool vocals. The soulful "Who's That Girl" is an icy, steamy throwback to the torch songs of yesteryear, with Lennox oozing sensuality from every syllable emitted from her lips. The final hit, "Right by Your Side," finds the duo in a cheerful, Caribbean-inspired mode. Other standouts include the seven-and-a-half-minute disco trance of "Paint a Rumour," the driving "The First Cut," and the icy, spellbinding, and sparse "No Fear No Hate No Pain (No Broken Hearts)." The cool, sophisticated musical experimentalism all over Touch cemented Eurythmics' reputation as one of the most innovative duos of their time; the hit singles solidified their reputation as dependable 1980s hitmakers and MTV mainstays. Touch is a testament to what Eurythmics were at the height of their electronic-techno phase and, without doubt, is a milestone in 1980s pop music” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Here Comes the Rain Again

Be Yourself Tonight

Release Date: 29th April, 1985

Label: RCA Records

Producer: David A. Stewart

Standout Tracks: Would I Lie to You?/Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves (with Aretha Franklin)/It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/eurythmics/be-yourself-tonight

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2tbXCl8en5ZDVnHIk1OZGI?si=HuWlb1-EQ4OedXuc34BMhw

Review:

“There is no denying that Eurythmics were at the forefront when it came to experimenting with their music via synth sounds and the usage of Lennox’s hauntingly, but incredibly soulful voice. For many, Be Yourself Tonight was a departure from this formula and was even perceived as “selling out” given its phenomenal commercial success. I disagree. Even with the introduction and implementation of a more traditional lineup and usage of instruments, their distinctive and somewhat unconventional take on the norm was still in full view.

Be Yourself Tonight is no doubt Eurythmics’ most commercially successful studio album to date. The album spawned four singles, with the aforementioned lead track storming the charts around the globe, ultimately securing the number one spot in Australia, whilst cracking the top ten and top twenty in the US and UK respectively. Two months later, the duo released the gospel inspired “There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart).” Again proving that Eurythmics where onto something special, the song hit number one in three countries, including the U.K., the only number one the band has ever achieved there. A harmonica solo by the legendary Stevie Wonder adds an extra, soulful layer to an already ethereal song.

Towards the latter half of 1985, the band turned up the soul to full blast by releasing “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves,” featuring the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. The feminist anthem was filmed in the now historical Music Hall in Detroit, Michigan and also featured three of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers. Mike Campbell provided the lead guitar, Benmont Tench on the organ the legendary Stan Lynchan on drums, all bringing an extra layer to a song that remains anthemic to many women around the world to this very day. Tina Turner was originally offered the track by Eurythmics, but was unavailable. Imagine if there is a long-lost demo floating around somewhere out there of the Queen of Rock going head-to-head with Annie Lennox. One can dream.

The fourth and final single from the album was “It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back).” Whilst it did break into the top 20 in the UK, it failed to make an impact elsewhere, like the album’s first three singles. The duo did go on to receive an Ivor Novello Award in 1986 for best song, recognizing the composition’s musical and lyrical importance.

There are some other treasures on this album too. “Conditioned Soul” opens with some beautiful instrumental work courtesy of the pan flute, which continues throughout the track, coupled with Dave Stewart showcasing some of his spectacular guitar work. Another equally interesting track on the album saw Elvis Costello join Lennox on vocals on the romantically fear laden “Adrian.” Yes, the commerciality is present in this album, but it was a move in the right direction both financially and yes, even creatively”- Albuism

Choice Cut: There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)

Revenge

Release Date: 30th June, 1986

Label: RCA Records

Producer: David A. Stewart

Standout Tracks: Missionary Man/Thorn in My Side/When Tomorrow Comes

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/eurythmics/revenge

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5vl4lQTP3L0avOrXQizFso?si=N0pT1j1zRUGdLnz4I7aKOQ

Review:

“This 1986 album is a turning point for the Eurythmics, towards rock stadiums and away from the electro synth-pop of their first four albums. I was very big on the Eurythmics at the time. Along with Queen, the Pet Shop Boys and Prince (and yes, I admit, a little bit of A-ha too) they were one of the few bands I followed in ‘real time’. The rest of my listening material was made up of discovering Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Genesis and David Bowie.

Revenge was a big commercial success at the time, and its easy to hear why, there’s some great songs on here, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it again after a long hiatus, surprised to find that I still know ALL the words. Missionary Man is undoubtedly one of the sexiest, most subversive songs you’ll find about a preacher (Dusty Springfield notwithstanding) and clearly the raw mix of sex and religion appealed greatly to me at that age (still does tbh). Lennox has never sounded sexier and more dangerous, her vocal style and lyrics during the Eurythmics were always that of a strong powerful woman. She only ‘did vulnerable’ in her solo work, perhaps because it was safe then to do so, she’d already proved herself.

The first side contains all the hit singles – Thorn in My Side, When Tomorrow Comes and Miracle of Love, which was all over the radio in 1986 – but the second side isn’t filler. The Eurythmics never really did filler, some of their more interesting songs and inventive music is on the non-single fare. Even the throwaway Let’s Go – simply about jumping in a car with your lover and going for a drive – is sublime in Annie and Dave’s hands.

However, it’s always the soft slow ones that get me the most, and at the time I was particularly taken by the last track, I Remember You. It came to represent a confused not-quite-love-yet-too-close-friendship at the tender age of 13 with a boy at my athletics club. We used to walk home together afterwards, bike handlebars not quite touching.

Forgive me for a moment of nostalgia including most of the lyrics here: “And I remember you, you were the back-yard boy, hiding in the wreckage of broken dreams, standing by the railway line, standing. Oh – we were so young, we didn’t realise just what we’d done. Oh – we were too young. And all the sweetness has been taken out of this place, so many memories are knocked down or replaced. And I can’t stand to see the shifting time, taking me further – leaving you behind” – Random Record Review

Choice Cut: Miracle of Love

The Underrated Gem

 

In the Garden

Release Date: 19th October, 1981

Label: RCA Records

Producers: Eurythmics/Conny Plank

Standout Tracks: Belinda/Take Me to Your Heart/Your Time Will Come

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/eurythmics/in-the-garden

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/1tpBcNFC8Wxy4Ci3woWwTx?si=cx9_3M6jQcyQpJr7Olo5NQ

Review:

“Eurythmics' debut album, In the Garden, is the missing link between the work of the Tourists, who included both Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox, and 1983's commercial breakthrough, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). Co-produced by Kraftwerk producer Conny Plank at his studio in Cologne, Germany, it has some of the distant, mechanistic feel of the European electronic music movement, but less of the pop sensibility of later Eurythmics. The chief difference is in Lennox's singing; even when the musical bed is appealing, Lennox floats ethereally over it, and the listener doesn't focus on her. As a result, In the Garden wasn't much of a success, though when Eurythmics streamlined their sound and emphasized Lennox's dominating voice on subsequent releases, they found mass popularity” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Never Gonna Cry Again

The Final Album

 

Peace

Release Date: 19th October, 1999

Label: RCA Records

Producers: Eurythmics/Andy Wright

Standout Tracks: 17 Again/Peace Is Just a Word/My True Love

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/eurythmics/peace

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/3u6LBuJSC7bIXSI63EzHYU?si=U-VWunWBSFKuWY1VuOo7Pg

Review:

“By definition, pop reunions are all about togetherness. But on the first new Eurythmics recording in ten years, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart practically turn their recommitment into a concept album. The opening cut and first single, "17 Again," traces the circle that runs from the meeting of these former lovers to where they are today, even quoting their immortal first hit, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." Like Lennox's vocal, it's atypically strained but still affecting: "You and all your jewelry and my bleeding heart/Who couldn't be together and who could not be apart."

Lyrical echoes of their failed romance and hugely successful partnership resonate throughout Peace. Yet for a duo that broke through on a hook-happy synth-pop wave, Peace is low on the catchy choruses and instant-gratification electronics that defined Eurythmics, instead favoring ornate orchestral arrangements. Despite the presence of Stewart's trad-rock guitars on the Stones-y "Power to the Meek" and the grungy dud "I Want It All," the album's multiple stately symphonic ballads remain closer to Lennox's somber solo work than to the spunky spirit of the pair's peak-era delights. Peace charms with repeated listenings, but its well-crafted down-tempo musings lack the old urgency. This is Eurythmics without the rhythm” – Rolling Stone

Choice Cut: I Saved the World Today

 

The Eurythmics Book

 

Eurythmics: Ultimate Collection (Pvg Artist Songbook)

Authors: Eurythmics

Publication Date: 4th April, 2012

Publisher: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation

Synopsis:

“This songbook includes nearly 20 top tunes from the globally adored British pop duo, Eurythmics, all arranged for piano, voice and guitar. Includes 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)', 'There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)', 'Thorn In My Side' and more” – Amazon.co.uk

Buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eurythmics-Ultimate-Collection-Artist-Songbook/dp/1458422011/ref=sr_1_1?crid=197294X3N8CV5&dchild=1&keywords=eurythmics&qid=1622708351&s=books&sprefix=eurythmics%2Caps%2C164&sr=1-1

FEATURE: Groovelines: The Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

The Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes

___________

IN this Groovelines…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Doobie Brothers in Amsterdam in 1975 (L-R): Tiran Porter, Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter, Michael McDonald, Keith Knudsen, John Hartman, front - Pat Simmons/PHOTO CREDIT: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns/Getty Images

is a song that is not adored by all. I really love it and remembering hearing it for the first time as a child. What a Fool Believes is one of those classics that has lost none of its memorability and popularity. There have been different versions of the song. I am interested in the one by The Doobie Brothers. It is the standout track from their 1978 album, Minute by Minute (What a Fool Believes was released in January 1979). The album got the award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and received a nomination for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards in 1980.  What a Fool Believes won them three Grammys, including Song and Record of the Year. There is an interesting article that gives us some story regarding What a Fool Believes. Before that, I want to bring in some Wikipedia background:

"What a Fool Believes" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by The Doobie Brothers (with McDonald singing lead vocals) for their 1978 album Minute by Minute. Debuting at number 73 on January 20, 1979, the single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1979 for one week. The song received Grammy Awards in 1980 for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

The song was one of the few non-disco No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 during the first eight months of 1979. The lyrics tell a story of a man who is reunited with an old love interest and attempts to rekindle a romantic relationship with her before discovering that one never really existed.

It was claimed that Michael Jackson contributed at least one backing track to the original Doobie Brothers recording, but was not credited for having done so. This was later denied by the band”.

Although Stereogum are not completely sold on the legacy and brilliance of What a Fool Believes, they gives us some backdrop and useful information:

“There weren’t a whole lot of #1 singles in 1979 that didn’t at least nod toward disco. The Doobie Brothers’ “What A Fool Believes” stood out. It wasn’t disco. It wasn’t funky dixieland, either. Today, the song is considered a foundational yacht rock classic. But yacht rock wasn’t an actual genre; it was a retrospective category. Instead, “What A Fool Believes” was vaguely soulful soft rock, written by two of the key figures in the coming smoothed-out moment and recorded by a band in transition.

In the four years after they first hit #1 with “Black Water,” the Doobie Brothers didn’t land so much as a top-10 single. The band still sold albums, and they were still a live draw. They made their now-iconic guest appearance on a two-episode arc of What’s Happening!!, teaching Roger and Rerun about the evils of bootlegging, in 1978. But the Doobies had nothing to do with the disco wave that had taken over pop music, and they probably seemed like a relic of a distant post-’60s past.

And yet the Doobie Brothers were changing. Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, a former Steely Dan sideman, had played on “Black Water,” and he became a full-time Doobie soon after. Meanwhile, frontman Tom Johnston was suffering from bad health, including a bleeding ulcer that kept him off the road for long stretches. Since the Doobies needed a new lead singer to tour, Baxter suggested another Steely Dan contributor: Michael McDonald, a native of the St. Louis suburbs who had serious piano chops and a big, burly voice.

Michael McDonald started writing “What A Fool Believes” on his own. He had the first verse, and he had the general storyline. He knew that this was a song about an old ex-couple, their breakup distant in the rearview mirror, meeting again to catch up. The man thinks they’re about to rekindle things. The woman is just being polite. The man has a hell of a time letting it go. McDonald couldn’t finish the song. Ted Templeman, the Doobies’ producer, heard McDonald’s fragment and told him that it was a hit, that he needed to finish it. Eventually, Doobies bassist Tiran Porter told McDonald that Kenny Loggins was hoping to write some songs with him.

Kenny Loggins came from the Seattle suburbs to Los Angeles in high school. As a young musician, he had stints playing guitar in a later Electric Prunes lineup and writing songs for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In 1970, he met the former Buffalo Springfield and Poco member Jim Messina, and they formed Loggins And Messina, a smooth-rock duo who went on to sell a whole lot of records in the ’70s. (Loggins And Messina’s highest-charting song, 1972’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” peaked at #4. It’s a 5.) Loggins And Messina split up in 1976, and Loggins kicked off his solo career nicely, getting to #5 with the 1978 Stevie Nicks duet “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’.” (It’s a 6.)

The story of those “What A Fool Believes” lyrics is a classic grown-up pop music tale. A man thinks he’s in love. A woman isn’t into it at all. And so it turns into a reverie for the man, who can’t let go of this bygone era or of the idea that the era is destined to start again: “The sentimental fool don’t see/ Trying hard to recreate what had yet to be created once in her life.” McDonald and Loggins know that the guy is deluded and that the couple won’t get back together, but they sympathize. Those lyrics, unfortunately, are a weird syntactic jumble that, at least for me, don’t really evoke the ache or the awkwardness of that situation: “As he rises to her apology/ Anybody else would surely know/ He’s watching her go.”

“What A Fool Believes” is clearly a well-made song. McDonald delivers it with verve and passion and personality. His big, heavy voice has enough versatility to hit upper-register notes — a natural baritone willing itself toward falsetto. The recording is thick and lush, with a whole lot going on. There’s a vaguely samba-ish rhythm and a sea of analog synths. The people who made the song knew what they were doing”.

I really love The Doobie Brothers and their great hits. Although there are various versions of What a Fool Believes, it is the one where Michael McDonald sings lead that leaves the biggest impression. It is a song that never fails to warm my spirits and get me singing along – this is the case with so many other people. Over forty years since it was released, What a Fool Believes continues to…

MOVE me hugely.

TRACK REVIEW: Lorde - Solar Power

TRACK REVIEW:

 

 

 

Lorde

Solar Power

9.7/10

The track, Solar Power, is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsP_lzh2-8

GENRE:

Dream Pop

ORIGIN:

Auckland, New Zealand

RELEASE DATE:

10th June, 2021

LABEL:

Universal Music New Zealand Limited

PRODUCERS:

Lorde/Jack Antonoff

__________

I have a lot to cover off…

when talking about Lorde (Ella Yelich-O’Connor). The New Zealand artist released a new single, Solar Power, earlier in the week. It is taken from a forthcoming album of the same now. Though we do not have many details of that, the title track is a brilliant offering. Many people are calling it a ‘return’. I think artists get these label applied when they take some time out to craft material and do not put loads out year after year – like Lorde has been missing in action and has been discovered! To be fair, her second studio album, Melodrama, was released in 2017. It is not as though she has been away all that long. Unsurprisingly, the Internet and social media went mad when she put out a new song. Although not everyone has been sold by Solar Power, it is a song that has received plenty of love. It has arrived when the weather is pretty hot and we need something uplifting and summer-tinged. I will work my way to reviewing the new single, though I want to look back and bring in some interviews where we discover different sides to Lorde. She is in her early-twenties at the moment, so one can forgive the fact she has taken some time to work on her third album. I want to start with an interview that takes us back to when Lorde was young and was turning on to music.

In this 2017 interview from The New York Times, we learn about Lorde’s earliest influences. I discovered a lot of things that I did not know already:

“But sometimes she removed the headphones and let the songs wash over her. She has been fascinated by pop music, relating to it in both intuitive and analytical ways, since early adolescence, when, she has said, she would play tracks by Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado on repeat, trying to figure out their magic. Her taste broadened to include more idiosyncratic sounds, and today she will talk with fervor about Katy Perry one moment, Kate Bush the next. She discusses pop in the language of a zealot and describes “Melodrama” as an act of zealotry. “I have such reverence for the form,” she said. “A lot of musicians think they can do pop, and the ones who don’t succeed are the ones who don’t have the reverence — who think it’s just a dumb version of other music. You need to be awe-struck.”

She brought up “Teenage Dream,” the smash Katy Perry single from 2010, which creates a poignant swirl of lust and nostalgia in under four minutes. “There’s this sadness about it, where you feel young listening to it, but you feel impermanence at the same time,” Lorde said. “When I put that song on, I’m as moved as I am by anything by David Bowie, by Fleetwood Mac, by Neil Young. It lets you feel something you didn’t know you needed to feel.” She regarded me closely. “There’s something holy about it”

 PHOTO CREDIT: Arkan Zakharov for FASHION

I have been listening to her new song, Solar Power, a fair bit. Although Lorde herself has spoken about musical inspirations behind it, others have compared the song to other tracks/artists. I think that Lorde is a very original and individual artist. That said, like everyone, there are artists who have compelled her. It is hard to believe that the twenty-four-year-old artist has released so much and been so busy! I do sometimes worry the pressure young artists are under. I might touch on that more later. Going back to that interview from The New York Times. It is interesting reading about Lorde’s musical discoveries and how she came to be signed:

“Lorde, whose real name is Ella Yelich-O’Connor, was born in 1996, the second of four children; her father, Vic O’Connor, is a civil engineer. Her mother, Sonja Yelich, is an award-winning poet whose work has been anthologized multiple times in the “Best New Zealand Poems” series. Ella was a bookish kid. She led her middle-school team to a second-place finish in the 2009 Kids’ Lit Quiz World Finals, a global competition. Shortly afterward, she sat for a morning-show interview on Radio NZ, estimating that she’d read “a bit more than 1,000 books” in her lifetime. She wrote her own fiction too, enamored of Raymond Carver and Kurt Vonnegut. When I asked her to characterize this work, she said only, “It wasn’t very good.” Sonja Yelich told me that when Ella was 14, she proofread Yelich’s 40,000-word master’s thesis: “People said, ‘You’re crazy to entrust this massive undertaking to your child.’ ” (Yelich has routinely accompanied Ella on her travels and is as much confidante as chaperone. You can see her dancing beside Taylor Swift in a 2014 awards-show cutaway as her daughter performs.)

PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Munro for Vogue

Ella joined student musicals and began performing acoustic Amy Winehouse and Kings of Leon covers around Auckland with a friend named Louis, who played guitar while she sang. In August 2009, Louis’s father emailed a recording of the pair performing Duffy’s “Warwick Avenue” to Scott Maclachlan, an A.&R. executive at Universal New Zealand. Maclachlan wasn’t looking for a guitarist, but Ella’s voice intrigued him. He signed her to a development deal and worked, until a couple of years ago, as her manager. He told me that, early on, he “had very traditional A.&R. ideas of finding songs, finding a producer and putting them all together” — but Ella, whose sense of self was too strong to submit to others’ writing, chafed. “After a couple years,” Maclachlan went on, “we got to a point where it was, like, well, write something yourself. So she did. It was a little clunky, arrangement-wise, but the lyrics were really good. And if that’s working, everything else is fixable.” Ella’s precocity helps to explain the wave of Lorde Age Truthers that arose after “Pure Heroine,” with people speculating, tongue only partly in cheek, that she must be a grown woman. In 2014, The Hairpin obtained a birth certificate confirming that Lorde was, as she claimed, a teenager”.

As I have said with a lot of interviews, it is illuminating and important finding out about the artists behind the songs. Rather than simply review Solar Power and leave it there, I wanted to connect more with Lorde and see how this remarkable and immensely popular artists has grown and progressed through the years. Her debut album, Pure Heroine, was released in 2013.

  PHOTO CREDIT: Arkan Zakharov for FASHION

There is a great interview that FASHION published in 2017 (the year Melodrama was released). Thinking about how she was signed as a pre-teen and how she went on to discover/working with producer Jack Antonoff makes for fascinating reading:

“Lorde was born to artistic parents and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. After an imaginative childhood, she started singing alongside her guitar-playing friend and posting the songs online. (Interesting fact: To this day, Lorde doesn’t actually play any instruments. “I’m hyper-musical, but I don’t really play anything,” she says. “I write the songs with different chords because I know exactly what I want chord-wise, and then I sing out the chords. I’m very musical, just not in the traditional way, I guess.”) She was discovered when she was 12, and then Universal gave her a development deal.

It’s important to remember here that Lorde is only 20 years old. That means she was 12 in 2009—the heady days of Hannah Montana and the purity-ring-wearing Jonas Brothers. But the young artist didn’t want to sing songs that other people wrote for her. She didn’t want to be manufactured. She resisted and was instead allowed to develop her sound by herself.

That sound, as you imagined earlier, changed everything. Suddenly this shy, introverted, creative teenager—who wrote her first album, Pure Heroine, as a kind of journalistic endeavour chronicling the absurdity of adolescence—was a global phenomenon, complete with famous friends and paparazzi and zany Internet rumours. The success of Pure Heroine could have broken her; Lord knows success has damaged a fair number of talented teens.

But it didn’t, obviously. Lorde kept living her life. That isn’t to say she didn’t learn from the experience, though. “The main thing is that you’re the only one who has to go home and still be you and live with what you’ve done that day,” she says. “And so when it comes to making a decision about something, if people say I should go a certain way, I think, ‘You guys get to go home and take off the hat; I never get to take off the hat.’”

Lorde learned things during her time away from the spotlight, too. Most of them, in some form or another, are what constitute Melodrama. You can hear the life lessons—or at least the journey between experience and life lessons—about heartbreak, the weight fame has on connection and the inconsistent yet palpable thrill of attraction as well as the restless energy of being young and alive. Of course, translating all those lessons into music required some help.

That help mostly came in the form of Jack Antonoff, who, depending on your proximity to hip millennial culture, you might recognize as the guitarist from the band fun., the leader of the band Bleachers or Lena Dunham’s boyfriend. Antonoff and Lorde bonded quickly over a shared willingness to start completely from scratch. The goal was to build her album as if Pure Heroine hadn’t happened. “It was such exploration,” she explains. “The instinct is to assume that I wrote all the lyrics and he did all the production, but sonically this album is so my baby”.

I am going to focus in on Melodrama soon. I want to hook in an interview from The Guardian. Not to tread over the same ground too much. It is worth highlighting what happened to Lorde after Pure Heroine was released and how her life changed:

“After 2014, she pulled back and slowed the pace of her life. She returned to Auckland and bought a house on the water. Ever since she was 13, when a friend sent a tape of her covering a Duffy song to Universal Records in New Zealand and she was signed to a deal, Lorde had been managed by a Universal A&R man called Scott Maclachlan. Post-Pure Heroine, she changed management – a simple case, she insists, “of wanting to poke my nose into different areas”. All of her significant songs up to this point (the four that formed a 2012 EP, The Love Club, and the 10 of her debut album) were co-written with a talented New Zealand songwriter called Joel Little. But Lorde and Little also parted company. These dissolutions were amicable, Lorde insists. “It was really just a case of going where the work needed me to go. It’s hard to have ill-will with that. I’m the nucleus of what’s happening. And I’m going to take that to a lot of places in my career. I don’t think there’s anything strange about that.”

Through 2015, it became trickier for those outside Lorde’s sphere to follow what she was up to. She is not much of a presence on social media (vowing at one point that “all words [will] go into songs instead of tweets”), and though she performed the odd one-off show, provided vocals for a Disclosure track, and worked on the soundtrack for a Hunger Games film, she faded from frontline view. Having been seen and heard by the world, she wanted to resume, as much as possible, her old life with her friends. “Hugs and dinners,” she describes it. “Trips to the beach. Going to dumb bars in the middle of intersections.”

She moved into the waterside house in Auckland on her own. “I come from a big family,” she explains. (Her mother, Sonja Yelich, is a poet and academic, her father, Vic O’Connor, is a civil engineer; Lorde is the second of four siblings.) “We grew up in a house full of love and activity and screaming and crying. When I bought the house, people asked: ‘Isn’t it going to be strange living by yourself?’ And I was like: ‘No! I adore the feeling of being able to spread out my brain.’”

Aware that she couldn’t put off work on her second album for ever, she started assembling notes and ideas on the coffee table in her lounge. This was hastily covered with a towel whenever friends visited: she wasn’t especially proud of the half-formed work. “I was writing about nothing. I wasn’t in the right zone. [These songs] would pass off fine, but they meant nothing to me. I was writing stuff that maybe sounded cool, that were trying to be cool. But they weren’t vividly me”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Mary Ellen Matthews

Elle featured Lorde in June 2017. It is another hugely immersive and revealing interview. There are a lot of really wonderful sections of the interview. I was particularly struck by the sections that mention the importance of New York and the connection she and Jack Antonoff share:

“At first, flying back and forth between New Zealand and Los Angeles, she did the dance prescribed to all new pop stardom recruits, going on blind dates with other songwriters and producers, hoping to discover a magical musical connection. But the scene didn't suit. "Everyone's making music in L.A. now—which is great if you aren't the shyest, most introverted nerd," she says, laughing. "I found it a little too social. I made my first record in New Zealand with very little discourse—I was just my own unit. In L.A., it's very, 'Oh, what project are you working on?' I was like, 'I need to be out of this.' " She also needed the right partner in crime, and found one in Jack Antonoff, the Grammy-winning producer and songwriter behind Fun. and Bleachers (and boyfriend of her new pal Lena Dunham), who has worked with Grimes and Taylor Swift, and who cowrote and produced much of Melodrama. And she needed the right city. New York, a place Patti Smith described in 2010 as having become "closed off to the young and struggling," i.e., bereft of real bohemian spirit, provided a sort of counterintuitive blank slate. "There are no musicians here anymore," Ella says. "New York felt like a ghost town musically; it's spooky. It's like a weird pioneer town. And it's cool to be able to rebuild now that everyone is gone."

The city, the collaborative intimacy with Antonoff, the mourning of her teenage self, the breakup—it all combined to allow Ella to hear new sounds again. "I was waiting for that next thing. I knew I wasn't a teenager anymore; I wasn't having those experiences," she says. "Then it was just like this curtain fell, the rain started—all of a sudden, it was an emotion revolution! I was just like, 'Ah fuck, there's all this other shit going on!' " The new sounds she heard were weird. Giant swirls of electronic noise, elaborate melodies, disjointed piano lines leading into dramatic, crescendoing choruses. The lead single, "Green Light," about that moment when you're so close but not quite over someone—"Honey, I'll come get my things but I can't let go / I'm waiting for it, that green light, I want it"—is "a very confusing, strange piece of music with insane Euro dance pianos," Ella summarizes. Her team "loved it," but they warned her, "It's going to take people a while to get." Even her rarefied tribe of creatives was worried. "A lot of my friends who make pop music were like, 'It's very complex, there's a lot of parts; people aren't going to get it.' " But Ella trusted her gut—and her fans. "The one mistake people make is when they assume the audience is less intelligent than they are," she says. "I have so much faith in the pop audience, because I am the pop audience. I was like, I know they can handle this, but at the same time I was like, maybe I'm being crazy?”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Seliger

That takes us up to her critically acclaimed second album, Melodrama. Circling back to that interview from The New York Times and it is clear how Pure Heroine put Lorde on the map. It must have been quite daunting trying to following such a notable debut album:

“Lorde owns a house in Auckland, where she grew up, but for the better part of the last year she has been living at different hotels around New York, trying to finish her second album, “Melodrama.” She began writing it about three years ago, first in her childhood home and later at a villa she bought on what she described as the other, fancier side of Auckland’s Waitemata Harbor. Lorde has a neurological condition known as sound-to-color synesthesia — when she hears certain notes and sounds, corresponding colors appear — and she describes making music in intensely visual terms. “From the moment I start something, I can see the finished song, even if it’s far-off and foggy,” she said. Her goal is to correct the colors and sharpen the contours until the precise configuration of chords, rhythms, emotions and textures she has been glimpsing all along snaps into focus. “It’s about getting the actual thing to sound like what I’ve been seeing.”

The album that made Lorde a celebrity, “Pure Heroine,” came out in 2013. It was a marvel of understatement — unhurried electronic beats, pared-down harmonies, empty spaces. Her lyrics brought an unlikely incandescence to avowedly mundane snapshots of suburban teendom. “Pure Heroine” sold more than one million copies in five months, making Lorde the first female artist with a million-selling debut album since Adele and establishing her as a wunderkind pop auteur. Kanye West introduced himself as a fan; Taylor Swift became a buddy; David Bowie clasped Lorde’s hands in his and proclaimed that listening to her music “felt like listening to tomorrow.” The question nagging her here in New York, as she worked to meet the new album’s June release date, was what the day after tomorrow sounded like”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Perou/The Guardian

Melodrama is such a stunning and nuanced album. I went on a dig to see how the album was constructed and came together. That, invariably, takes us back to the interview that The New York Times ran:

“As Lorde worked on “Melodrama” at home in New Zealand, she papered over a wall with notes for songs, like a sleuth tacking up scraps of evidence, trying to tease out their connections and fill in their blanks. This allowed her to “skim the whole album,” she said, and “to make sure I was touching all the bases I wanted to touch: ‘Oh, I haven’t said this, so let me find a good place to do it.’ ” She soon devised color codings for each song, with different hues denoting different themes. “A song about partying would get a certain color,” she explained, “but it might be a sad song, and that got its own color, too.” As she studied the wall, patterns and imbalances emerged: not enough red here; too much yellow there. On her kitchen table she arranged yet more paper, editing and shuffling lyrics around. When friends visited, she hid the table beneath a patchwork of hastily arranged bath towels and instructed them to steer clear.

Pop music has always been a result of teamwork, but in recent years hypercollaborative approaches have become prevalent, with stars bringing legions of contributors to bear on single songs. One writer might provide a vocal melody for a prechorus; another might supply one redolent turn of phrase for the second verse. Lorde’s process is strikingly solitary by contrast. She does not play an instrument, which means she must eventually enlist the help of collaborators, but even then she amasses personnel slowly and sparingly”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Coachella 

There is another big interview that gives us some insight into Melodrama and its inspirations. NME spoke with Lorde in 2017. Melodrama’s starting blocks and perspectives are definitely not your run-of-the-mill things!

“Reflecting her disorientating experiences with fame, one of Lorde’s early ideas was to write the album from the perspective of aliens stepping outside of a hermetically sealed environment for the first time. She ended up drawing inspiration from a more familiar source: her friendship group and their interactions (taking “field notes”, as she puts it). “A lot of being in America was about watching people’s faces and realising I didn’t really know what they were saying,” she says. “I would meet American boys and be like, ‘I don’t even think I’m being an accurate version of myself because I’m so confused by who you are.’ A lot of going back to New Zealand is about knowing how to decode people again.”

Lorde invited her gang round to her new house and, well, things got messy. The idea of a house party ended up forming a narrative thread to link the songs, which jacknife through intense, intoxicated highs and slumping lows, hook-ups and break-ups. ‘Melodrama’ captures the wild, wired energy of being young enough that a night out still feels like anything could happen. “I do believe in the transcendent nature of partying, still,” she says.

At the same time, things in the outside world were fast heading south: the refugee crisis, Syria, environmental catastrophe, Trump… An interesting time to be the official voice of the youth. “Oh boy,” says Lorde, rolling her eyes and laughing. “And young people have never needed a specialised spokesperson – one young voice – less than right now… I’ve always known that it’s bulls**t when people would say ‘voice of a generation’. I’d be like, ‘I’m gonna nip it in the bud now… This is not what this is, and it will never be that.’”

‘Melodrama’ is very much a personal statement. “The first record was ‘we’ and ‘us’. And this record is ‘I’,” she says. “The focus does close in. I think that was necessary to get to the level of frankness that’s in there.” And yet the world’s horrors seep in, mixing with the fevered feelings. “I hate the headlines and the weather,” she sings on ‘Perfect Places’. “But when we’re dancing I’m alright.” Recurrent words in the lyrics are “party”, “rush” and “violence”. “It’s about contrast: really big and grand, and really tiny and intimate. Going from the personal, emotional stuff to the headlines and the web. It goes from the world  to my bedroom. You’re talking about literal, out-there violence and, like, heart violence”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Perou/The Guardian

Let’s move slightly away from the music and Melodrama. I have read various interviews where the person interviewing Lorde has described how she comes across. Some say she is quite nervous, whereas others have different perspectives. I wanted to raise it, as a lot of people might not know about the woman behind the music. There are a few interviews that I want to highlight. The first, from Elle (which I sourced from earlier), tried to sum up Lorde:

“Face to face, Ella comes across as a poised, gracious, and grounded human being—the kind of person who worries you didn't get enough of the "amazing" maple butter that came with the pancakes. But she also seems a little skittish. When the waiter appears for the third time at an inopportune moment midconversation, jostling her train of thought, you can see the disruption radiate throughout her body. It's hard to reconcile this person with the one a three-second Google image search pulls up: posing for photos with Hailee Steinfeld at Dior; standing in for Kurt Cobain alongside Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic at Nirvana's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction; hanging backstage with Drake and Jaden after Kanye West's 2015 celebrity pomp-fest Yeezy show. How does an artist who says celebrity is fundamentally at odds with her creative process balance the demands of being Lorde with the emotional sanctuary required to be Ella? "New Zealand," she says, eyes stock-still pools of blue. "That's why I am so passionate about going home. Most of my friends are people I knew before I was famous. I'm very thankful that I never feel like the smartest person in the room, or the coolest person in the room, or the funniest. When I'm there, I'm just there. People forget that I've done anything. They say, 'Ella's this weird old dowager with a nice house’”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Davison for The New York Times

It is interesting reading how various interviews describe Lorde and comment about her gestures and interaction. Coming back to the NME interview. They give another perspective regarding an artist who can beguile and impact everyone she meets:

“Lorde, as I’ll learn over the short time we spend together, is very self-deprecating. Clad simply in a dark sweatshirt and trousers, she’s also quick to laugh, eloquent and very down to earth. And of course, she’s also massively famous. In the past four years, she went from teenage songwriter to millennial figurehead. She befriended Taylor Swift, Lena Dunham, Karlie Kloss. She curated a soundtrack for one of her generation’s defining film franchises, The Hunger Games. She made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list of world-shaking young people. She was asked to help induct Nirvana into the Hall of Fame, and then to pay tribute to David Bowie at the BRIT Awards, where Gary Oldman, by way of a no-pressure introduction, announced her as “a young lady who David himself said was the future of music”.

I also want to bring back the great 2017 interview from The Guardian. They provide a commentary about Lorde that I felt warranted a mention:

“Eccentricity was, and remains, central to her appeal as an artist. It seems perfectly right, in the desert today, that her outfit should admit no surrender to the conditions. It’s 99F (37°C) outside, but Lorde wears an oversized black T-shirt, a complicated tangle of necklaces, Adidas Superstars, and blue jeans so wide in the leg that, when she moves about, she has to be supporting about a kilo of denim. “One of my favourite things,” she says slowly, watching me scribble notes about her outfit and no doubt anticipating this paragraph, “is reading in magazines what I wear from the perspective of a male journalist. Always interesting.”

She is like this: relentlessly alert. In conversation, she plunges into new ideas with the enthusiasm of an undergraduate enrolled on her dream course. She searches for the better-expressed phrase or analogy – which isn’t always necessary, because she’s very good off the cuff. (On the difficulty of maintaining a friendship with someone as famous as Taylor Swift: “It’s like having a friend with very specific allergies. There are certain places you can’t go together. Certain things you can’t do. There are these different sets of considerations within the friendship. It’s like having a friend with an autoimmune disease.”) And though her youth finds an outlet, for instance when she agrees with something and yells, “Totally!” or “Truly!”, she expresses herself for the most part with the fluency of someone at least a decade older.

“I’m like an old witch when I talk,” she says, her Kiwi accent flattening certain vowels. “I do meander. But I always come back around”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jess Gleeson

Just before getting to reviewing, I want to return once more to the interview from The Guardian. Although it was conducted four years ago, hearing Lorde discuss her ambitions and aims is wonderful to read:

“There has even been a perverse satisfaction in not being able to win over everyone this time. Lorde is like one of those kids who were slightly too clever at school; they find it difficult to stay motivated when tasks are too simple. So if not everyone has yet been won over by the 2017 incarnation of Lorde, that leaves more winning-over to be done as an incentive for the rest of the year. “I’ve talked to other artist friends about a moment in their careers when they’ve felt themselves stop getting better. So it was almost nice, in a way, to come to this second record and realise: ‘Ooooh, I can still be crap at this.’ It meant there was still so much to learn.” She says she’s come to appreciate that a second album, though an appallingly pressurised thing in the moment, should only be a part of a wider career collage.

“I want to be really, really good one day,” Lorde says. Her legs start to twitch again. Her arms begin to flail, making their shapes. “I think I’m pretty good now. I think I’ve made a good start. But I want to be Paul Simon.” She thumps her hands down hard on the table. “I want to be Leonard Cohen.” (Thump.) “I want to be Joni.” (Thump.) “Fucking.” (Thump.) “Mitchell.” (Thump.) “And that takes time”.

I am going to assess and dissect Solar Power. Lorde herself has revealed the influences behind the song. We also discover which two modern-day queens appear on backing vocals:

“Lorde offered a full breakdown of her long-awaited new single, “Solar Power,” during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music One Friday, June 11th.

The track, Lorde said, was borne during a summer on Martha’s Vineyard, when she came back from a long day of swimming and began playing around with a Yamaha DX keyboard. She said the melody reminded her of Robby Williams’ song “Rock DJ,” and when she later took the song’s skeleton to producer Jack Antonoff, she set about capturing a distinct summer vibe.

“We had all the windows open. It was summer. And then we just followed it through,” Lorde said. “I sampled cicadas on my phone for the last few summers. I was like, it has to have the cicadas in it. I really wanted to capture [that] there’s something so specific about the New Zealand summer.”

Along with the Robby Williams nod, Lorde cited Primal Scream’s “Loaded” as a major influence on the track. While Lorde said she arrived at the melody organically, she cited the 1990 Madchester classic as “100% the original blueprint for this,” and said Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie even offered his approval.

PHOTO CREDIT: Christoph Gateau/Picture-Alliance/DPA/AP 

“I wrote the song on the piano and then we realized like, this is, it sounds a lot like ‘Loaded,’” Lorde said. “It’s just one of those crazy things that like, they just were the spiritual forebears of the song. I reached out to Bobby and he was so lovely about it. And he was like, you know, these things happen. You caught a vibe that we caught years ago. And he gave us his blessing.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Lorde spoke about inviting Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo to provide backing vocals on the song, marking the first time she’s had other vocalists sing on one of her songs. “I just knew it had to be a gang,” she said, adding, “the sentiments were not just mine alone to deliver. So yeah, it really it’s everything I hoped it would be in terms of having other people on it. It’s fun not to be alone. Finally.”

And Lorde offered a bit of a teaser for her forthcoming album, saying it, too, was inspired by both a steady process of rejuvenation and New Zealand summers. “I think people realize that about me now, I’m one who has to go away and figure it out and I’ll be back and I’ll bring you a full universe when I come back, but it takes me a minute,” she said. “And I feel like you can hear that in the work and the whole album”.

I love the Solar Power video. Directed by Joel Kefali and Ella Yelich-O’Connor (Lorde), it is such a bold, bright and brilliant video! I think of the song as a call for human connection and a way of distancing ourselves from distractions and technology. The lyrics are definitely among Lorde’s most-quotable and best. Some people have spotted elements of George Michael’s Freedom! ’90 and Primal Scream’s Loaded. In the first verse, Lorde’s voice is huskier and almost whispered. We see her, at first, lying on the beach with some women around her. She gets up as the camera follows her in a single shot. There is a sparseness to the production and vocal which allows for greater impact and a sense of focus. Rather than throw layers and too much in right away, the first verse is quite unadorned and simple: “I hate the winter/Can’t stand the cold/I tend to cancel all the plans (so sorry, I can’t make it)/But when the heat comes/Something takes a hold/Can I kick it? Yeah, I can”. Apart from a nod to A Tribe Called Quest’s song, Can I Kick It, there seems to be more to the lyrics than the weather. On one level, yes, Lorde is embracing the beach and the summer heat. (As a New Zealander, she probably doesn’t experience winters and weather quite like we do here in the U.K.) I also feel there is something personal and more emotion-based to those words. In terms of the visual representation, Lorde seems happy and blissed-out on a sunny beach!

One might expect big electronics and a punchy chorus that injects exploded sun into the veins. The real gift of the song is a sense of anticipation. Lorde keeps things quite chilled and sensuous. There is a quality to her voice that draws you in and compels. The video finds her flitting and dancing about the beach (as the camera has not cut away). We get this single take where the heroine is introducing dancers on the beach (set in this paradise setting). The lyrics are sumptuous, almost carefree yet evocative: “My cheeks in high colour, overripe peaches/No shirt, no shoes, only my features/My boy behind me, he’s taking pictures/Lead the boys and girls onto the beaches/Come one, come all, I’ll tell you my secrets/I’m kinda like a prettier Jesus”. I particularly like that last line. There is wit, colour and arresting scenery to be found through Solar Power. There is a build-up to the 2:00 marker. The video keeps with this single shot, as we see men by the sea with a raft - and Lorde appears alongside a couple of women. I was not expecting the concept we have in the video. I feel it works really well and it is beautifully shot. The fact that Lorde co-directed the video is great. Not cutting away and having too busy a shot means that there is this fluid and calming effect.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Universal Music/YouTube

The lyrics, as I have said, are brilliant: “Forget all of the tears that you’ve cried, it’s over (over, over, over)/It’s a new state of mind — are you coming, my baby?”. My favourite lyrics bring colours, the beach and technology together in a beautiful cocktail: “Acid green, aquamarine/The girls are dancing in the sand/And I throw my cellular device in the water/Can you reach me? No, you can’t”. Before coming to the turning point in the song, there are lines that made me wonder as to their meaning: “Turn it on in a new kind of bright, it’s solar (solar, solar, solar)/Come on and let the bliss begin/Blink three times when you feel it kickin’ in/That solar power”. The chorus sees Lorde joined by the full cast in a line as she grooves and dances seductively on the beach. I love the vibe of the chorus! There is something exotic, tender and swooning about it. Lorde elongates the song’s title and creates this warm and calming wave. It is a change of sound to the verse, and it provides this sensation that is part sun-kissed, part moonlit. With a light beat behind her, one feels island vibes and this incredibly pleasing sensation. I cannot fathom or understand those who have dismissed the song or felt disappointed by it! Maybe they were expecting something banging and fully-charged. Instead, we get a song that is perfect for the summer. It is a great introduction to the Solar Power album! I have listened to the song numerous times. Whilst I love it all, it is that chorus that I keep coming back to. The video looks gorgeous. Lorde herself looks beautiful and super-cool. It is a feast for the ears and eyes! The blissful and insatiably beautiful chorus rides to the end. It is the perfect end to a triumphant and stunning single from Lorde. I cannot wait to see what the Solar Power album offers!

Before closing things up, I am bringing in an article where Lorde talked more about the Solar Power album and what we might expect:

“The decade-defining artist confirmed that ‘Solar Power’ is the title track from her hugely anticipated third album (no release date or title yet) and says the sun-kissed tune is the perfect introduction to what comes next.

“Every song on the album, I did say it has to sound like the sun, and this one in a big way. It sounds like the beach, the waves, the girls lying on the beach. I really wanted it to have that vibe. The guitars, the drums – everything’s so sunny.”

Despite what’s been “a pretty wild [year] for everyone”, Lorde has been trying to spent a lot more of her time in nature and her time outdoors has heavily impacted the sound and themes of the new album.

“It’s definitely my most complex work – as a producer, as an arranger, as a musician. But I also love how light, playful, and fun it is."

"I hope it makes people go outside and really just get out there and listen to what the natural world has to tell them. That's my goal for this [album]."

COVID forced her indoors for a while, just like everyone else, but "I try and spend all of my time that I can outside, wherever that is."

"I have a variety of secret spots that I go to. But I also spend a tonne of time in the studio. I was in New York with Jack [Antonoff, producer] working on this stuff last summer. So, between the studio and a perfect beach somewhere, that’s kind of my vibe.”

She's even made use of the sun and the sand for the 'Solar Power' video, capturing that "infectious, flirtatious energy that starts to come [in summer]." And there's more where that came from.

“We made a whole bunch of videos for this album,” Lorde explained. “We built literally basically a universe on a secret beach. The first video is me introducing you to the world of the album and the videos, I play a kooky tour guide almost.”

And yes, she’s also seen the reactions that flooded social media when the mASSterful ‘Solar Power’ artwork was unleashed earlier this week”.

I am looking forward to a third studio album from one of the finest artists of this generation. As people have labelled Solar Power as a ‘return’, maybe there is that pressure on Lorde to excel and deliver something even more astounding than Melodrama. If the title track is anything to go on, she is moving in a different musical direction. Most artists evolve, though I am particularly curious about Lorde and what she will deliver on Solar Power. It must rank alongside the most-anticipated albums of 2021 – I assume that it will come out later this year? Solar Power is another remarkable song from…

 ART CREDIT: Sam McKinniss

THE always-brilliant Lorde.

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FEATURE: Kate Bush’s Aerial: Revisiting An Endless Sky of Honey

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush’s Aerial

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

Revisiting An Endless Sky of Honey

___________

I am revisiting Kate Bush’s Aerial…

because it is an album I did not cover fully during my series that ranks the songs from her studio releases. The reason for that is that its second side/disc compromises nine songs. It is a gorgeous, glorious forty-two-minute suite of songs that is a nice accompaniment to the first side, A Sea of Honey – a shorter half that is more conventional and has seven standalone tracks. Originally entitled A Sky of Honey, we hear and feel a complete day. From Prelude and the morning awakening through to Sunset and on to the darkness of Nocturn, it then ends with the wonderful title track. It is a hugely impressive series of songs that I always heard as a suite. On the album, the individual tracks are there so we can see the titles and feel them as their own songs. As of mid-May 2010, Aerial was released for the first time on iTunes. The second disc, A Sky of Honey, then ran as one continual track - its title was changed to An Endless Sky of Honey (the track titles merged altogether on the sleeve). In 2011, Bush re-released Aerial alongside others of her albums on her own label Fish People, where they appeared again in 2018 in Remastered versions. The reason why (for one) An Endless Sky of Honey was changed back to A Sky of Honey is because of the involvement in the album of Rolf Harris. Due to his convictions for sexual assault, In the 2018 remastered edition, A Sky of Honey was returned to its original nine tracks. The spoken parts parts that Harris originally voiced (An Architect's Dream, The Painter's Link) were removed and replaced by Albert ‘Bertie’ McIntosh (Bush's son).

I am going to talk about the second disc of Aerial and why I feel we need to see a return to An Endless Sky of Honey/a separate project that explores the songs. I think it is important to source from an interview that was conducted in 2005 by The Guardian. One needs to remember that there was no expectation for a Kate Bush album in the 2000s. After 1993’s The Red Shoes, there was little intimation and suggestion that she would release an eighth studio album. Whereas some rumoured that she had retired or was super-reclusive, the simple fact was she was taking a break, working on her first double album, in addition to being a mother to Bertie (who was born in 1998). I wouldn’t normally say that a new album after twelve years is worth the wait. In the case of Aerial, I definitely think that it was! Not that I want to source the entire interview - though it is interesting reading the interaction between Bush and Tom Doyle:

“We have been waiting for Kate Bush. For 12 years, she has been missing, Garbo-like, from public life, leaving tabloid reporters to rattle up frothing reports, and patient fans to gratefully absorb every molecule of drip-fed information. Until very recently, EMI Music's directors were chewing their nails down to their elbows wondering if their most elusive signatory would ever finish making her eighth, long-gestated record, Aerial. The rest of us could rely on nothing but whispered rumour, adding to an already towering myth.

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

Yet here, in Kate Bush's home, there is a 47-year-old mother of one, the antithesis of the mysterious recluse, dressed in a workday uniform of brown shirt, jeans and trainers, hair clipped up in practical busy-busy fashion, all wary smiles and nervous laughter. We shake hands, tentatively. She seems tiny (five foot three-and-a-half inches) and more curvaceous than the waif-like dancer of popular memory.

Famously, Kate Bush hates interviews - the last was four years ago, the previous one seven years before that. So the prospect of this interrogation, the only one she has agreed to endure in support of Aerial, must fill her with dread. Around us there is evidence of a very regular, family-shaped existence - toys and kiddie books scattered everywhere, a Sony widescreen with a DVD of Shackleton sitting below it. Atop the fireplace hangs a painting called Fishermen by James Southall, a tableau of weather-beaten seadogs wrestling with a rowing boat; it is soon to be familiar as part of the inner artwork of Aerial. Balanced against a wall in the office next door is a replica of the Rosebud sledge burned at the dramatic conclusion of Citizen Kane, as commissioned for the video of Bush's comeback single, King of the Mountain, and brought home as a gift for her seven-year-old son Bertie.

Can she understand why people build these myths around her?

"No," she begins, apprehensively. "No, I can't. Pffff. I can't really."

You once said: "There is a figure that is adored, but I'd question very strongly that it's me."

There is silence. A stare. You did say it ...

"Well supposedly I said that. But in what context did I say it?"

Just talking about fans building up this image of you as some kind of goddess.

"Yes, but I'm not, am I?"

So, do the rumours bug you? That you're some fragile being who's hidden herself away?

"No," she replies. "A lot of the time it doesn't bother me. I suppose I do think I go out of my way to be a very normal person and I just find it frustrating that people think that I'm some kind of weirdo reclusive that never comes out into the world." Her voice notches up in volume. "Y'know, I'm a very strong person and I think that's why actually I find it really infuriating when I read, 'She had a nervous breakdown' or 'She's not very mentally stable, just a weak, frail little creature'."

This is how 12 years disappear if you're Kate Bush. You release The Red Shoes in 1993, your seventh album in a 15-year career characterised by increasingly ambitious records, ever-lengthening recording schedules and compulsive attention to detail. You are emotionally drained after the death of your mother Hannah but, against the advice of some of your friends, you throw yourself into The Line, the Cross & the Curve, a 45-minute video album released the following year that - despite its merits - you now consider to be "a load of bollocks". You take two years off to recharge your batteries, because you can. In 1996, you write a song called King of the Mountain. You have a bit of a think and take some more time off, similarly, because you can.

Two years later, while pregnant, you write a song about artistic endeavour called An Architect's Dream. You give birth to a boy, Albert, in 1998 and you and your guitarist partner Danny McIntosh find yourselves "completely shattered for a couple of years". You move house and spend months doing it up. You convert the garage into a studio, but being a full-time mother who chooses not to employ a nanny or housekeeper, it's hard to find time to actually work in there. Bit by bit, the ideas come and a notion forms in your mind to make a double album, though you have to adjust to a new working regime of stolen moments as opposed to the 14-hour days of old. Your son begins school and suddenly time opens up and though progress doesn't exactly accelerate ("That's a bit too strong a word"), two years of more concentrated effort later, the album is complete. You look up from the mixing desk and it is 2005.

If the outside world was wondering whether Kate Bush would ever finish her long-awaited album, then it was a feeling shared by its creator. "Oh yeah," she sighs. "I mean, there were so many times I thought, I'll have the album finished this year, definitely, we'll get it out this year. Then there were a couple of years where I thought, I'm never gonna do this. If I could make albums quicker, I'd be on a roll wouldn't I? Everything just seems to take so much time. I don't know why. Time ... evaporates".

Coming back to Aerial, and I am fascinated with A Sky of Honey vs. An Endless Sky of Honey. Bush performed the songs as part of Before the Dawn in 2014.I saw the same thing about Hounds of Love’s second side, The Ninth Wave (which was also performed in 2014)…but it would be great to see a short film based around the song suite on Aerial. Whilst one can enjoy A Sky of Honey on Aerial, I would be very interested having a separate vinyl that was An Endless Sky of Honey. All of the songs on their own are terrific – I especially love Prelude, Aerial Tal and Somewhere in Between -, but I think of that second disc as one piece. I immerse myself into the whole that is The Ninth Wave, rather than seeing them as individual songs. Maybe we will not see another remaster where there is a restoration to An Endless Sky of Honey. I have spoken about it before. I really love the idea of, similar to Bush’s concept for Before the Dawn – where the conceptual suites from Hounds of Love and Aerial were paired -, playing out these songs as a narrative whole. Although the albums were released twenty years apart, I think The Ninth Wave would make an intriguing first half of a short film; one where the heroine is adrift at sea and battling for her life against the uncertainty of the water as she clings to hope.

Fast forward, and Aerial’s An Endless Sky of Honey could be her in her home admiring the beauty. A stark and welcomed contrast where she is at peace and we get a dichotomy. It would make for an epic piece. I listen to Aerial a lot and, whilst I love A Sea of Honey, it is the second disc/side that always draws me in. It is the scope, power, diversity and blend of colours and emotions Bush mixes that intrigues me. Perhaps these song cycles could feature in a wider whole. Not a musical based on Kate Bush’s albums; perhaps a feature where there are central characters that either live within the songs or we hear Bush’s tracks soundtrack the action. To see these gorgeous songs visualised away from the stage would be fascinating. To the best of my knowledge, there has not been a great deal of Bush music used in films. I know she wrote a track for the 1994 film, Castaway (where she was originally approached to appear). Andy Samberg asked Bush for permission to use Cloudbusting in his film, Palm Springs (she accepted his request). These are cases of her music playing against someone else’s story and vision. To have a film where An Endless Sky of Honey could end the second act would be wonderful. I think 2011’s Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow would perfectly open the third act; perhaps a part of the film where the heroine/characters have aged. Of course, Bush’s career is not through - so one does not know how the film would end. Some might say that, unlike The Ninth Wave, An Endless Sky of Honey might be a little drama-less and anticlimactic – that is the point, really. Bush loved recording Aerial, so one could never rule out the possibility that the album could feature more heavily. She does not often grant permission to use her tracks – and she mist get requests every week! -, so it would have to be something special that she would love. I will leave it there. I have been struck and hooked back in by A Sky of Honey and its possibilities, either on a new vinyl or on the screen. Bush’s music is so powerful and fantastic that it is interesting to imagine…

JUST what could be!

FEATURE: Spotlight: ĠENN

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Bridie Florence 

ĠENN

___________

THIS time around…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Holly Whitaker

I am focusing on a band that I really like. I am aware of the music of Janelle Borg. I was following her when she was based out in Malta. As the guitarist for ĠENN (pronounced Jenn), I am intrigued by the new group and what they are putting out. The quartet is Leona Farrugia, Janelle Borg, Leanne Zammit and Sofia Rosa Cooper. Their amazing debut album, Titty Monster, was released in 2018. I will come to their new E.P., Liminal (sourcing a review and a track-by-track feature). The first thing I want to drop in is a little biography from the band’s Bandcamp page;

“Leona (vox), Janelle (guitar) and Leanne (bass) are originally from Malta and moved to the UK to complete their lineup with drummer Sofia. ĠENN have toured extensively across the UK and Europe, including support for Acid Mothers Temple, Honeyblood and The Orielles”.

I am really intrigued by the wave of bands coming through right now. The past few years hasn’t been overly-packed with bands. That has changed recently. Though ĠENN are not sparkling new, they are starting to get more attention and column inches in 2021. I think they will go a long way and have a lot more music in them. They are so connected and powerful as a band. One can hear and feel the harmony and affection between them. This means their music gets into your head and you keep coming back to it.

The first feature I want to quote from is from Fred Perry. They shot the band some quickfire questions that provided some illuminating answers:

“Name, where are you from?
We’re ĠENN and we’re based in Brighton. Leona (vocalist), Leanne (bassist) and Janelle (guitarist) are originally from Malta. Sofia’s (drummer) from the UK.

Describe your style in three words?
Unapologetically honest, relatable and badass.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Leanne: Easy - getting to see Gojira at the Melkweg in Amsterdam last June. The energy of the people and the band was unreal, plus it was Mario's (drummer) birthday so he got a pie to the face and crowd-surfed at the end! It was an experience.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
Leona: It would probably be The Doors. Growing up, I listened to them closely and I must say they are one of my main influences.
The other band would be IDLES - they literally changed my life and the way I see things. They helped me get through some really rough times and I just love watching videos of them performing live. They are real people who worked super hard. I can’t wait to see them live and hopefully meet them one day.

Of all the venues you’ve been to, which is your favourite?
Leona: The Orpheum Theatre in Malta. It makes me feel nostalgic and reminds me of how unique Malta can be. First time I went there was when I saw a local band called Stalko. Their music lit this old theatre. It’s one rare beautiful jewel and I wish we could play there one day.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Sofia: Molly Burch. She’s definitely not unsung amongst fans but I still believe not enough people know about her. 'Please Be Mine' is one of my favourite albums!”.

A song lyric that has inspired you?

Leona: Leonard Cohen "Hey. That’s No Way To Say Goodbye"

A song you wished you had written?

Janelle: Nocturne No.2 in E flat by Chopin or Claire de Lune by Debussy...because they're two mesmerising pieces that I adore. Plus I've always wished I was a better classical musician”.

If you are looking for a talented new band that you want to add to your rotation, I can recommend that you get involved with ĠENN. They are sensational and producing music of the highest quality. Dead Good Music spoke with Janelle from the band recently about their incredible new E.P. One can sense her excitement and relief:  

“You’ve recently released your new EP, Liminal. How does it feel to know that it’s out there?

Janelle: Huge relief is an understatement. We’ve been working on the EP for the past year or so, so the fact that it’s out there and it’s been so well-received is a relief!

On your interview with Reel Culture, you mention how you wanted Liminal to highlight how much change has happened to the band from debut album Titty Monster. Do you feel you were able to do this?

Janelle: Yeah, definitely! I think the fact that the EP was wholly written and finalised during the first lockdown managed to highlight that element of liminality that we wanted to portray when we initially set out to write the EP. We all agree that it managed to capture a specific moment in time.

Your sound is quite varied and uses elements from multiple genres, which ties in to the travelling world of ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’. Does having that scope and freedom help with the writing process?

Janelle: Well, in this case, we were basically stuck in different houses, trying to write an EP, so we weren’t super free and all But yeah, mentally we never set out to sound like anything in particular, and everyone’s free to experiment with their sound. I guess this sense of experimentation and genre-lessness is kinda becoming our signature thing. Personally, I love it!

While ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’ aimed to get away from everything, ‘Catalyst’ dives in the middle for revolution. How important is it as a band to write music around current events?

Janelle: As a band, we’re becoming more and more aware of social injustices. Living in Brighton helps as it’s a vibrant city that’s rife with protests and activism. Last year’s events, in particular, made us reflect on stuff and I guess music was our way of challenging all of these extrinsic and intrinsic turbulences into something that made sense for us.

What’s next for ĠENN? What are you looking forward to doing once normalcy can resume?

Janelle: Gigs and travelling! We’re honestly a pack of wanderers so we can’t wait to indulge in a cycle of travelling and gigging…and, of course, eating at service stations and random cafes around Europe”.

I am keen to get to that track-by-track of Liminal. The last interview that is worth highlighting is from Dreainisfree. Conducted last year, they spoke with Janelle during the first lockdown:

“I read an article before this interview and it said you're the "girls next door, turned punk bad asses". Is that fair?

In a way we're very relatable as people, because for us it's very important that we're approachable. Some musicians curate their image and it's nothing like real life. We're very down to earth! We want people to feel like they can get up on stage and play too! Nowadays with social media, people try to portray this unobtainable image. What you see with Ġenn is us. There's no fake.

What was it like, working with David Vella?

Ah we were going to record with him in June - he's a really nice guy. He's more of a mentor to us, he's recommended things to us, confirmed our thoughts. He's helped us a lot. His studio is next to the beach as well, so we were really looking forward to it. I'm not sure when we will get out there to write again, but we will at some point.

So you've swapped Valetta for Brighton. Palm trees and Prickly Pears for The Pavillion. What made you choose Brighton?

So basically we knew if we wanted to make it in the music industry, we were going to have act sooner rather than later. We were back and forwards to Malta and the UK a lot and it was getting exhausting. We were obviously operating under another name then Cryptic Street, we knew if we wanted to take this to the next level we needed to leave Malta. There are so many talented musicians and bands in Malta, but due to its size opportunities are very limited. We had other ambitions.

The drummer at the time didn't want to leave Malta and so I was scrolling online musician forums, Brighton bands and I contacted Sofia and we asked her if she wanted to join us and she said yes.

We actually met her a few hours before our first performance together was due to start in London! We've been together ever since. We decided on Brighton as there are some aspects of it that are similar to Malta and we thought that would have a positive impact on us. It also has a pretty good music scene and its close to London. We decided to choose the name as we were entering a new chapter”.

I would urge people to listen to Liminal as it is a terrific work from ĠENN. I was curious about the tracks on the E.P. and the inspiration behind each. Luckily, Joyzine covered that:

“1. Feel

Leona – Musically, the song was inspired by the song structure of The Doors and Lou Reed’s ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ – it’s drone-centred and infused with psychedelic elements, giving space for the vocals to shine through. It culminates in a shoegazey bridge that showcases our love for experimentation, 70’s music and jamming. The lyrics personify a relationship with drugs and the dependency that stems from that sense of escapism.

2. Mackerel’s Funky Mission

Leona – I think ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’ is an escapism mechanism….  you sort of pretend to be someone else – in this case a fish – to escape from a current situation. It’s fun to pretend you’re something else and write from that perspective. It was also inspired by the lockdown as I wanted to be a fish just to be able to travel, and also by my love for the sea. I tried to be as visual as possible with the lyrics and the story.

3. 23rd March

Leona – When I was writing this song’s lyrics, I was thinking about the current political situation… with Covid, Brexit, BLM… The chorus is written in the style of a Maltese expression…. In Malta, when someone is seen as ‘evil’, there’s a tendency to say that you’re gonna pray for someone’s soul since this particular person needs your prayers to be saved… Very biblical.

4. Catalyst

Janelle – This track’s origins can be traced back to around 2018 when Leanne and I were jamming on this riff that we really liked but was a bit too dark for what we were doing at the time. Fast forward to 2020, and the main riff proved to be perfect for this EP.

5. Just Another Sad Song

Janelle – Leona came up with the main guitar riff and we kinda evolved it one night in her living room. This song was written really quickly and we decided to keep the demo name as the official name since we thought it’s kinda cheeky and sarcastic.

6. Falling Out

Janelle – Another song that can be traced back to the past – this time 2016. In fact version 1 of “Falling Out” was debuted in Barcelona in 2016. We evolved it and changed it a billion times. The EP version is the latest iteration of this tune and we refer to it as our “New Song” (Warpaint), pop/disco-influenced moment”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Andras Paul Photography 

It is important to finish off with a review for Liminal. I have seen a few online and they are all positive. I do think ĠENN are going to be really big before long. They seem like a festival-ready band that can delight the masses. In their review of Liminal, this is what DIY offered:

“Six tracks across a little over 20 minutes means ‘Liminal’ is a record that gallops rather than canters. Not so much bridging the gap between psych and post-punk, as occupying the murky waters beneath said bridge, each track on offer differs aesthetically somewhat from the next, something that maintains the record’s pace, even with some tracks getting caught in their own distinct hypnotic grooves.

Opening track ‘Feel’ is built around a chunky bass and sporadic lead guitar licks, building steadily towards a hypnotic conclusion. Following track ‘Mackerel’s Funky Mission’ tells the story of the titular Mackerel’s journey to Malta and with its Ian Dury-esque delivery, retains plenty of grit and gravel to make it a fitting inclusion.

Elsewhere, ‘Catalyst’ takes things in a darker, more sinister direction. As much a call to arms as it is the record’s centrepiece, a frenetic bass rumbles beneath claustrophobic guitars and steadfast percussion, all the while the gang-chant calls for revolution never seem far away.

It falls to the final track on offer to showcase the group’s poppier side. Feeling like a heavier, crunchier Haim offering, ‘Falling Out’ is the perfect conclusion to the record. Harbouring echoes of bands such as Fleetwood Mac, its verses are jaunty and angular, while the chorus glossy and perfectly produced.

With such a degree of differing aesthetics on offer, some might assume ‘Liminal’ to be a record that feels disjointed, instead what it does do is confirm Ġenn to be both versatile and multi-faceted, and still managing to have a whole lot of fun”.

Go and check out ĠENN on social media and listen to their new E.P. I am not sure what they have planned in terms of touring later this year. I am sure we will see them perform live very soon. I am a big fan of what they are doing and feel they are primed for major tours. Make sure that you check out…

THIS exciting young group.

____________

Follow ĠENN

PHOTO CREDIT: Bridie Florence  

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/genntheband/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/genntheband

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/genntheband

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEa7MROHzVbosHOVDYby8Xg

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5mZ836Fy59tOJEcqWfN771

Bandcamp:

https://genntheband.bandcamp.com/music

FEATURE: Station to Station: Part Thirteen: Craig Charles (BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 2)

FEATURE:

 

 

Station to Station

PHOTO CREDIT: BBC Radio 6 Music

Part Thirteen: Craig Charles (BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 2)

___________

FOR a Station to Station feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Channel 5 

I spotlight a terrific broadcaster who is among the most influential out there. I focus on British radio talent, as I do not listen to too much international radio. In most of the people I include, there is so much more to the bow than radio. That is especially true of Craig Charles. An actor, comedian, D.J., journalist and all-round hero, Charles is one of my favourite broadcasters. I will bring in some interviews soon enough. Before getting to that, here is a little bit of biography regarding Craig Charles:

“As well as his early appearances on shows such as Radio 4's Loose Ends (1987–88), and Kaleidoscope, in the early 1990s, Charles could be heard on the London Radio Station Kiss 100 (Kiss FM) as the Breakfast show presenter. In 1995, Charles played the Porter in Steven Berkoff's adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, on Radio 4.

Since 2002, Charles has been a DJ on BBC Radio 6 Music presenting The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show, on air on Saturday evenings 6pm to 9pm, where he plays a diverse range of funk and soul music, from classic tracks to the latest releases, and provides publicity for less familiar bands. Charles explains the context for the music and carries out interviews with guest musicians. He was with the station at its launch, and while it was being tested during the previous year, under the name Network Y. Charles has also hosted the station's Breakfast Show (2004), and sits in for other presenters including Andrew Collins, Phil Wilding and Phill Jupitus and Radcliffe & Maconie.

From January until November 2014, Charles also broadcast the Funk and Soul Show live on BBC Radio 2, immediately after his 6 Music show. He regularly sits in for Janice Long, Steve Wright and Jo Whiley, and has presented numerous programmes on the station, including The Craig Charles Soul All-Nighter (2011), which he hosted continuously for 12 hours, and the Beatleland (2012) documentary on The Beatles. Charles has also chosen music as a guest of other broadcasters such as Ken Bruce on Radio 2 and Liz Kershaw on 6 Music. Charles covered for Graham Norton on Radio 2's Saturday mid-morning show during Norton's 10-week 2015 summer break. From 16 April 2016, Charles presents the House Party on Saturday nights on BBC Radio 2, with the show airing between 10pm and midnight. For eight weeks from April–June 2020, he also presented Craig Charles At Teatime between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays on Radio 6 Music. The show was sometimes billed as Craig Charles Weekend Workout on Fridays”.

I listen to The Craig Charles House Party on BBC Radio 2 and The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on BBC Radio 6 Music. Charles is so effusive, passionate and joyous to listen to! He has so much love and commitment to music - and he really wants people to hear the tunes he spins. I hope that we hear Charles on the airwaves for decades more. He is a tremendous talent who is warm, witty and cheeky!

I think it is important to source some interviews so that one can discover more about Charles. In 2015, The Guardian sat down with him. We learn more about his upbringing and career:

“Son to an Irish mum and West Indian dad, he grew up on the Cantril Farm estate in Liverpool with “a thousand white families and us. We couldn’t help but stand out. Liverpool was quite a racist place in the late 60s.”

His CV is full of relative oddities, too; TV and radio gigs you might suspect would be interesting niche items or straight-up flops, that have gone on to be huge hits. Robot Wars, in which Charles enthused wildly about wonky homemade robots blowing each other up, became one of the biggest shows on BBC2 at the time. Takeshi’s Castle, in which Charles enthused wildly (you might spot a theme here) about Japanese gameshow contestants diving headfirst into rocks, was a huge cult hit. The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on 6 Music now boasts 250,000 listeners, making it one of the most popular shows on the station. Even Red Dwarf, the show that made Charles’s name as Lister, the last human in the universe, was hardly a mainstream proposition; everyone said sci-fi and comedy couldn’t mix. It broke ground in other ways too, being one of the first TV shows to feature black characters who didn’t discuss race. “We’ve done it for 30 years nearly and the colour of our skin hasn’t been mentioned once,” says Charles. “Black comics will talk about being black, and I think that’s important to their comedy. But we tried to take it out of that racial lineage. Kind of the opposite of Richard Pryor when he said – and I’ll clean this up for you – ‘Anyone seen that new show set in space? Logan’s Run? Ain’t no blacks in it … someone’s planning on us not being around!’”

As a teenager, Charles displayed a gift for spoken word – another way to make himself stand out in working-class Liverpool, and he used his quick wordplay to talk himself out of sticky situations – “Making people laugh and charming them,” as he puts it, which is basically what his job title is these days. Buoyed by a rising punk poetry movement that included the likes of John Cooper Clarke and Attila the Stockbroker, he began to make a name for himself on the burgeoning Liverpool alternative scene.

It was an exciting time, with many Scouse bands – the Teardrop Explodes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Echo and the Bunnymen – making inroads into the mainstream. Charles was originally in bands himself: his group were due to play at the Temple club one night when it got cancelled because Teardrop Explodes needed it for a four-night homecoming gig. He was so pissed off, he leapt up on stage before the band was due on and recited a poem about their singer Julian Cope. It’s a poem he can still rattle off in full now, and he does so at manic speed, ending with a flourish: “Ladies and gentlemen, the Teardrop Explodes!”.

I can well imagine a film or documentary about Craig Charles’ life, as he has been through so much and there have been so many phases. It would make for a compelling and inspiring story. Beloved by so many people, he makes for truly essential listening. I have discovered so much different music listening to him. It is like an education hearing Craig Charles on the radio!

Before coming to another quite big interview, there was a nice interview that YorkMix conducted in 2015. Among other things, Charles discussed his phenomenal then-new compilation, Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club Volume 2:

“When did you fall in love with funk and soul?

I suppose it was when my dad came over to England in the late Fifties, kinda with a bagful of records and a pocketful of change. I spent my whole childhood listening to people like Ray Charles, Louis Franklin, Otis Redding and Nat King Cole, that kinda stuff, so I guess I got into it at a dead early age.

Then in the early Nineties when Kiss FM became a legal radio station I hosted the breakfast show there and started to build up my record collection.

Then of course the BBC 6 Music show [Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show] started about 12 years ago, and it’s been going ever since.

Tell us about your new compilation album.

It’s called the Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club Volume 2. It’s doing really well I’m pleased to say! I’m really proud of the music that’s on it, it’s 18 pure party starters. What we tried to do with the album is recreate the feeling you get when you’re in the club, and I think that came across.

It’s great putting the compilations together. It’s not a history lesson – although the radio show’s rooted in the golden era of black American music from 1960 to the 1970s, a lot of the music I’ve chosen is the European response to that music.

So it’s bands that are recording now, touring now, performing now, like Cookin’ On Three Burners, The Bamboos, Take Five, The Excitements, bands from all over really”.

Prior to coming to a recent interview Charles did with The Guardian, there was a quick-fire one from Vice that was published in 2017. Whilst I prefer a deeper interview, I do like what gems are offered up when slightly random questions are posed:

“What would your specialist subject on Mastermind be?
Funk and soul. But like, it's such a big genre, so you'd have to trim it down. Specialise in a kind of soul, like northern soul, you know.

What's the best fact you know about funk?
I know so much. I'm not an expert, but I know a few things. I think someone did a Mastermind about Red Dwarf. We did a special called Universe Challenge, where we had four fans against four members of the cast, and they battered us. They knew what time it was on a clock in the middle of a scene. How shit must our acting be if they're looking at a clock at the back of a wall?

What would your parents have preferred you to choose as a career?
They wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher or some profession. When I told them I was going to be a poet, you wouldn't have wanted to witness that conversation. "I'm going to be a poet, mum!"; "Get the fuck out of here." They wanted me to go into a profession, lawyering or doctoring or something like that. They didn't want me to be a showman”.

I will wrap up soon. Whilst the pandemic has been tough for everyone, I think a passionate D.J. like Crag Charles has felt the pinch! He would have loved to have played festivals and gigs, but there has not been the availability and opportunity this year. Last year, he was interviewed by The Guardian. There are a lot of really interesting segments from the interview. I have selected those which caught my eye:

“He cites as an example Curtis Mayfield’s Pusherman, which includes the N-word in the lyrics. “I played it at a 6 Music live event, and then when it went on to the BBC Sounds app there was a warning saying some people might find this offensive.”

Charles is baffled by the culture wars – and cancel culture. Is it tough as a comic to be told what you can and can’t make jokes about? “Sometimes I feel I don’t want to stick my head above the parapet,” he says. Isn’t it dangerous if somebody like him becomes scared of saying what he thinks? He smiles. “Simon, I’ve been scared to say what I think since I was born.”

He’s not joking. And this is what makes Charles fascinating – so outspoken in some ways, cautious in others. “You choose your battles and choose them wisely,” he says.

A moment later, he’s talking about Black Lives Matter, and he’s certainly not holding back. “I don’t mind take the knee, but they are just gestures, and I’m not that big on gestures. Once you’ve finished gesturing, you need to do something about it.” Take casting, he says – there’s plenty to be done. “We need people in positions of power to turn round and say, when you’re reading the script, stop thinking in white and black. Most parts can be played by a white woman or black woman, a white man or black man. Stop thinking of Caucasian actors. And especially these days posh, Caucasian actors. I think it’s very difficult for working-class actors and performers to get a foot in today on telly. It’s all just posh bastards. D’you know what I mean? It really is.”

Charles is still not done with worrying. He fears that live music may never return to what it was. “I’m taking bookings for next summer, but I’m doing it fairly halfheartedly because I don’t think people are going to be comfortable enough to go partying and raving and mingling all those body juices in a nightclub or at a festival any time soon. I think it’s going to take a long time.”

As for his biggest ambition, that’s simple, he says. “I suppose it’s a slog trying to stay relevant. I just want to be relevant, you know. I don’t want to be a footnote. I’m more tired, I’m saggier, and this is a young man’s game. You’ve got young thrusting bucks who want my job, and they’re probably cheaper than me. So it’s a struggle to just stay on point, and you gotta fight for your right to party.” And now the smile is back on his face, and he’s singing. “The Beastie Boys were never wrong,” he says”.

I really love Craig Charles and make an appointment to listen to his radio shows as much as I can. Even though Charles wants to stay relevant and has a lot of competition, there is something he offers that very few others do. His combination of deep knowledge and a truly addictive personality (one full of verve, humour and delight) are the reasons why he has remained so popular. The magnificent Craig Charles is…

NOT going anywhere anytime soon!

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: The 2021 AIM Awards Shortlists

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Arlo Parks/PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Kurunis

The 2021 AIM Awards Shortlists

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I wanted to put in…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Dry Cleaning have been nominated in the Best Independent Album in association with Spotify category for New Long Leg (4AD)

a timely Lockdown Playlist, because the AIM Awards announced their shortlists earlier in the week. There are some great categories and artists that I will incorporate into a playlist at the very end. Before then, Music Week wrote about this year’s ceremony. Arlo Parks is recognised in four categories:

“Arlo Parks has said that she is honoured to be shortlisted in four categories at the Association of Independent Music (AIM) Awards 2021, as the full list of nominations is revealed.

Parks won in the One To Watch category at last year’s event, and follows that success with nominations for UK Independent Breakthrough, Best Independent Track, Best Independent Album and Best Independent Video. The artist’s haul of four nominations is the most this year, with Yorkshire group Working Men’s Club scoring three.

Parks is signed to Transgressive Records – which is up for Best Independent Label – and released her debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams earlier this year. The London-based artist won the breakthrough category at The BRITs last month. She starred on the cover of Music Week alongside Moses Boyd last summer.

Parks said: “What an honour to be nominated for four AIM Awards!! This is far beyond my wildest dreams and I’m so glad my work has reached this far and touched so many, especially in these tumultuous times.”

Working Men’s Club, who join Parks in the album category, said: “It’s a real honour to be nominated for three AIM Awards, many thanks to AIM and to everyone that has backed our record. We can’t wait to be back out playing in front of real people as soon as possible.”

For the second year in a row, the AIM Awards will take place virtually, with the livestream set for broadcast via YouTube, Facebook and On Air on August 25. BBC Radio DJs Tiffany Calver and Jamz Supernova will host the show, while Tomorrow’s Warriors and Refugee Council are charity partners.

Tiffany Calver said: “Having presented the ceremony in 2020, this will be marking a year of the world being in a global pandemic, a year where music and community really helped so many of us get through the tough times. To be able to celebrate the innovators and independent artists that flourished through such a challenging period is a true honour. I'm so excited to be co-hosting alongside Jamz this time, and continuing to champion great music as we have both done on a weekly basis with our individual shows and channels.

AIM has announced Paulette Long OBE as the first winner of the new Diversity Champion award. Long created the UK music industry’s first Diversity Charter and is deputy chair of UK Music’s Diversity Taskforce.

In another first, this year will see two separate winners of the Indie Champion: Bandcamp and Love Record Stores. The nominees for the Best Live [Streamed] Act and PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Artist will be announced next month”.

To nod to the incredible nominees for this year’s AIM Awards (taking place on 25th August), this Lockdown Playlist features many of those included. As you can see from the tracks, there is so much incredible talent…

IN THIS PHOTO: Nova Twins have been nominated in the One To Watch in association with BBC Music Introducing category/PHOTO CREDIT: Arthur René Walwin

ON display.

FEATURE: The Kate Bush Interview Archive: 1994: Laura Dern (SPIN)

FEATURE:

 

 

The Kate Bush Interview Archive

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for 1993’s The Red Shoes 

1994: Laura Dern (SPIN)

___________

I have done a short run…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Laura Dern

of features where I ranked the tracks on Kate Bush’s studio albums (most of them anyway). I have written about her interviews and how, over the past couple of albums, the questions people have been asking are a little routine and samey. It can be frustrating hearing the same questions asked – and, unsurprisingly, the same answers are given. If you have an interview slot with Kate Bush, surely you will take full advantage. It is important to promote what she has released, though one can do that in a unique way and not ask the same invariable questions that everyone else will. Because of that, I want to go back and highlight a few interviews from the archives that really struck me. Through the years, I have brought many into various features. The reason I want to highlight an article from SPIN that features an interview between Kate Bush and Laura Dern in 1994 is because it is very interesting. Dern is a fantastic U.S. actor and she is someone I respect a lot. There have not been too many cases of actors/musicians sitting down to interview Bush. I think that they approach an interview differently to someone else in the media. I think it can also be less formal when you have someone like Laura Dern question Kate Bush. The interview highlights some interesting revelations. There is clear respect between the two. It seemed like quite a big deal for Dern – as one would naturally imagine! I am not going to source the entire interview. There were a few questions that I wanted to highlight. Before that, there is a little introduction:

“For the March 1994 issue of SPIN, we asked actress Laura Dern to interview Kate Bush. The two discussed Bush’s 1993 album The Red Shoes, her directorial debut The Line, The Curve and The Cross, and the surprising similarities between the two artists’ creative processes.

With the release of her new album, The Red Shoes, Kate was in the U.S. for her first visit since 1989. She and I have both recently completed our directorial debuts on short films—hers, a 50-minute feature, The Line, The Curve and The Cross, which links six of the new songs through a fairy tale.

“The thing I remember when I was a teenager and saw The Red Shoes was the struggle of this woman’s: having to choose between being a dancer and being with her man. That the passion for love and the passion for dance couldn’t coexist really affected me. I don’t know what you think about that.

I hope to believe—well, I hope to believe a lot of things—but I hope to believe that we can be consummate artists as women or revolutionaries, or whatever women want to be, and also have love, not only for ourselves but from a partner.

I have to believe that too. It’s just not fair to think that it’s not possible. But I suppose the consuming nature of being obsessed with one’s work, or one’s art, is obviously something that we probably all struggle with to try to find a balance.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at a fan convention in 1994 

In interviews, people always refer to you as this great perfectionist. Do you agree with that? Do you perceive yourself that way?

Well, if perfectionist means taking a long time, then I would agree with it. But I really don’t think that it’s possible to make things perfect, really. In some ways, there’s almost an attempt to try to achieve something that is quite imperfect. Do you know what I mean? And to be able to find a way of leaving it with certain raw edges, so that the heart doesn’t go out of it. I don’t think of myself as a perfectionist at all.

Do you struggle to balance your desire to keep a raw, spiritual edge to your music and a need to make the music accessible? Do you feel confident enough to just express what you believe and hope the audience catches up?

There’s kind of a driving force involved in the whole process of putting music together, to ultimately ending up with a finished album. I think there’s a lot of stuff that I don’t even question until other people come in and listen to the music, and it’s almost like suddenly you’re listening to things through other people’s ears. I suppose that’s when it gets a bit difficult.

Sometimes I’m aware that things were actually a little more personal than I’d realized. But I suppose I feel if, when you are actually creating something, it feels kind of honest, it feels good, then that’s the point where the intention matters, and then from that point onwards it’s just a matter of being brave enough to actually let it go.

Have you ever gone back and either thought about songs you’ve written, or listened to your music from years before, and learned something you hadn’t recognized, or understood something that at the time you didn’t understand?

I’m not sure I’ve ever reinterpreted something, but I have definitely been able to hear things in a different way from how I did at the time. I very rarely listen to any of my old music; it’s the last thing I ever want to do. But occasionally I end up in a situation where I do, and if enough time has gone by, I can actually hear how I would do things differently.

I’ve always wanted to ask you if you have interests in the shadow side, in understanding the repressed self—things we are in denial about.

Creative art is an awfully positive way of channeling the shadow side, and I think it’s much more healthy to explore it and have fun with it within the boundaries of art. I’m not sure that it’s something terribly good to go looking for. Do you know what I mean? I think it’s actually something that ends up coming to you anyway”.

Since that 1994 interview, Bush has reinterpreted songs of hers – her 2011 album, Director’s Cut saw her reapproach tracks from 1989’s The Sensual World and 1993’s The Red Shoes. There are great interviews from every period of Kate Bush’s career, though I have a fascination with 1993/1994. Bush was very busy then, though she would step away from the spotlight. It wasn’t until 2005’s Aerial that we received another album, although she did appear in public/at events prior to that. I have always been curious as to how Bush felt about The Red Shoes shortly after completing it and whether it was quite a stressful process. The interview with Laura Dern is interesting and one that I wanted to bring in. It was a rare chance for a high-profile fan to sit down with someone they respected and ask questions journalists might not have. As we can see with the SPIN interview above, a Kate Bush interview is…

ALWAYS a treasure.

FEATURE: The June Playlist: Vol. 2: Solar Power Summer

FEATURE:

 

 

The June Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Lorde/PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Davison for The New York Times 

Vol. 2: Solar Power Summer

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THIS is a special Playlist…

 IN THIS PHOTO: MARINA

as Lorde has released her first single in four years with Solar Power. Also in the mix this week are tracks from Peggy Gou/OHHYUK, Garbage, Sleater-Kinney, Jessie Ware/Kindness, Megan Thee Stallion, MARINA, Doja Cat, RAYE, José González, Kodak Black, Kylie Minogue, Jake Shears, Art School Girlfriend, and H.E.R. It is a packed and excellent week for new music. If you require that extra push to get you into the weekend, then this selection of tunes should do the job. There is plenty of energy, gold and motivation to get you going. Play the playlist below and it will definitely set you up for…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Megan Thee Stallion/PHOTO CREDIT: Andrienne Raquel for GQ

A top weekend.   

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists

__________

Lorde – Solar Power

Peggy Gou, OHHYUK – Nabi

 PHOTO CREDIT: Billy Bush

Garbage – The Creeps

Sleater-Kinney – Method

Jessie Ware, Kindness – 0208

PHOTO CREDIT: Victoria Will/Invision/AP file

Megan Thee Stallion – THOT SHIT

Art School Girlfriend - Softer Side

MARINA – Venue Fly Trap

>

José González – Head On

RAYE – Call on Me

PHOTO CREDIT: June Canedo.

L’Rain – Suck Teeth

Doja Cat - Need to Know 

PHOTO CREDIT: Sequoia Ziff

Bess Atwell – All You Can Do

Lauran Hibberd – Bleugh

Ava Max - EveryTime I Cry

PHOTO CREDIT: George Chinsee/WWD

H.E.R. – We Made It

Amber Mark - Competition

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte O'Shea for Wonderland.

FLETCHER – She Said

Kodak Black – Feelin Peachy

Emily Nash – Mind

PHOTO CREDIT: Emma Swann

Bleachers - How Dare You Want More

White Denim - Crystal Bullets

Clairo – Blouse

PHOTO CREDIT: @badgoodhabit

Pollena - Stand Up

Orla Gartland - Do You Mind? 

PHOTO CREDIT: Giulia Giannini McGauran

Tones and I – Cloudy Day

PHOTO CREDIT: Erika Astrid

Poppy – EAT 

Jessie J – I Want Love

PHOTO CREDIT: Kristy Benjamin

Illuminati Hotties - Pool Hopping

Sarah Close – I Can’t Trust Myself 

Lexi Berg – Helpless to Help You

Lillian Hepler – Used to That

Zuzu - Timing

Josie Proto - I Just Wanna Walk Home

Grave Savage - Dot to Dot

CupcakKe - Huhhhhh

Kylie Minogue - Marry the Night (From Born This Way Reimagined)

IMAGE CREDIT: Stevie B

Jake Shears - Do the Television

FEATURE: One of the Family: Saying Farewell and Thanks to the Legendary Shaun Keaveny of BBC Radio 6 Music

FEATURE:

 

 

One of the Family

PHOTO CREDIT: BBC Radio 6 Music 

Saying Farewell and Thanks to the Legendary Shaun Keaveny of BBC Radio 6 Music

___________

YESTERDAY…

Shaun Keaveny has announced he will be leaving 6 Music in September.

Thank you for everything @shaunwkeaveny - your listeners, fellow presenters and all of us at 6 Music will miss you greatly ❤️ pic.twitter.com/3PVEkqUvT9

— BBC Radio 6 Music (@BBC6Music) June 11, 2021

the legendary Shaun Keaveny announced he was departing BBC Radio 6 Music. It came as a shock to everyone, as he has been part of our radio lives for so many years. I have been listening to him for at least seven years. He has provided so much joy and comfort to the BBC Radio 6 Music family through his spell there. He is leaving in September and, whilst so many people have shared their memories and love of him, I wanted to add something myself. Before sharing my own thoughts, here is some expansion regarding the news:

“BBC 6 Music presenter Shaun Keaveny is to leave the station in September after 14 years.

The DJ, host of the afternoon show since January 2019, said: "Things change, places change, people change, and it's time for a change."

He thanked listeners for being "unceasingly funny, always kind" and being there through "births... bad curries, deceased pets, the lot".

A new afternoon schedule will be announced in due course.

Keaveny joined 6 Music in 2007, originally hosting a late evening programme before taking over the breakfast show that April. He stayed in that slot for 11 years before moving to the early afternoons.

Samantha Moy, head of 6 Music, said: "From night time to breakfast time to lunchtime, Shaun has created a world on 6 Music that is distinctly his own and which has been a joy to share. His listeners, fellow presenters and all of us at 6 Music will miss him.

"When he leaves us in September, it will be with a huge amount of love and the warmest of wishes for his next wonderful adventure. Thank you Shaun."

Reacting to the announcement, a post on the 6 Music Twitter account read: "Thank you for everything... your listeners, fellow presenters and all of us at 6 Music will miss you greatly”.

I am not sure where he is going and whether he is going to another radio station. Maybe he wants to take some time out to be with his family. I would love to think that he is moving to BBC Radio 2 and is simply just going to a different floor in Wogan House (which is where he broadcasts from on BBC Radio 6 Music), London. I suspect that he will take some time out to weigh up his options. He is forty-nine next week, so he has many more years in radio left. The fact that such an enormous wave of affection has come in shows what a special place he holds in people’s hearts! One of the big reasons why I listen to BBC Radio 6 Music is him. I have had so many terrible days vastly improved by his humour, warmth, silliness and genuine concern for the listeners. He has turned features that could have otherwise seemed short-lived and boring – like Small Claim’s Court – into radio institutions. From his relied-upon cartwall (where he plays sound clips and bits and bobs through his show), to his once-a-day dead air bits (where he will remain silent for a few seconds before shouting “Ha!” at the listener – lest we think he has disappeared). One of the greatest pulls of his show is the partnership with Matt Everitt. He and the music news presenter have a deep friendship.

They have been working alongside one another for so long. It will be a deeply emotional day in September when they broadcast alongside one another for the final time on BBC Radio 6 Music. Whilst they will still see each other a lot, hearing those who chat weekday afternoons is a real buzz. They have such love for one another Rather than be mawkish and treat this like an obituary, I wanted to send my thanks and respect to a man who has provided countless hours of radio gold. He is going to be sorely missed. Whichever station gets him next, are going to be extremely lucky! I feel one of the reasons why BBC Radio 6 Music survived being axed back in 2010 is because people like Keaveny and his colleagues stood up and let their voices be heard. The station is not going anywhere at all now! We can, in no small part, have him to thank for that. The commitment to the job and the BBC Radio 6 Music family has been in his bones and blood since he started. Afternoons will be different come September. Whilst Keaveny has said that things and people change, it is still very sad. When someone is at a station so long, you feel as though they will never leave. When the day does come, it is almost like a childhood friendship has ended and your mate is moving away. You know they are not gone and you can contact them, though things are not going to be as they were. I said I would not get mawkish!

We have three more months of his company, so I for one am going to enjoy every moment. I work very close to BBC Radio 6 Music (about three minutes away), and I have walked past Shaun Keaveny a fair few times. Every time, it is both strange and utterly normal that he should be walking down Great Portland Street or New Cavendish Street! Come September, one suspects (or hopes) that the last of the social restrictions will be lifted. Keaveny can receive hugs from his colleagues. I suspect that, on his final day, there will be fans by Wogan House that will want to say goodbye to someone that feels like part of their family. Even though he is often self-deprecating, he himself cannot deny the effect he has had on millions of people. It has been a real pleasure listening to his breakfast and afternoon shows for so many years. The pandemic has been especially tough for so many of us. Having a station like BBC Radio 6 Music in our world has been a giant fountain of support and joy. Broadcasters like Shaun Keaveny have been there through it all. From the Jeremy Vine clips on the cartwall, to his must-hear bits with Matt Everitt, to the dead air and everything else, we all thank him for being there; being like a good friend to us all. His colleagues and listeners are so…

ETERNALLY grateful for everything.

FEATURE: Inspired By… Part Fourteen: Kanye West

FEATURE:

 

 

Inspired By…

PHOTO CREDIT: Paolo Pellegrin 

Part Fourteen: Kanye West

___________

I will not bring in all…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Demarchelier

of the biography from AllMusic regarding Kanye West as there is quite a hefty chunk! It is worthy bringing a lot of it in to provide some background and illumination regarding a hugely influential and important artist:

“One of the most influential and critically lauded artists of the early 21st century, Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker as his production work for artists such as Jay-Z led to a major-label recording contract and, ultimately, a wildly successful solo career that counted an unbroken string of chart-topping, multi-platinum albums and nearly two dozen Grammy Awards for classic sets like 2005's Late Registration, 2007's Graduation, and 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Early on, West paired his beats with tongue-twisting raps and outspoken confidence. With a backpack and brightly colored polo shirt, his dapper fashion sense set him apart from many of his rap peers, while his attitude often came across as boastful and egotistical. This flamboyance made for good press, something that West enjoyed, for better or worse, throughout the course of his career. With his outsized personality, he courted plenty of controversy, posing for the cover of Rolling Stone as Jesus Christ, claiming that "George Bush doesn't care about Black people" during a televised Hurricane Katrina fundraiser, and infamously interrupting an awards speech by Taylor Swift in 2009. And yet, his steady presence in the celebrity limelight couldn't eclipse his musical talent. His production abilities seemed boundless, as he not only racked up impressive hits for himself (including number one singles "Gold Digger" and "Stronger") but also collaborated on smash hits with longtime collaborator Jay-Z (on their 2011 Watch the Throne track "Ni**as in Paris") and even Paul McCartney (along with Rihanna on 2015's "FourFiveSeconds"). As his career progressed throughout the early 21st century, West became a superstar on his own terms without adapting his appearance, his rhetoric, or his music to fit any one musical mold.

A proud and vocal Chicagoan, West was actually born in Atlanta, moving to the Windy City with his English professor mother after his parents split when he was three years old. One of his major inspirations, Donda West helped shape young Kanye, bringing him to China in the late '80s on education exchange and establishing a strong base that made him a top pupil in high school. However, his music dreams would eventually eclipse academics and he dropped out of college, setting the stage for his best-selling school trilogy. With guidance from local producer No I.D., West went on to learn the finer points of studio production, programming, and sampling, the latter technique becoming a hallmark of his early-2000s work.

West first got his foot in the industry door in the late '90s, doing quite a bit of noteworthy production work for the likes of Jermaine Dupri, Foxy Brown, Mase, and Goodie Mob. However, it was West's work for Roc-a-Fella at the dawn of the new millennium that took his career to the next level. Alongside fellow fresh talent Just Blaze, West became one of the Roc's go-to producers, consistently delivering hot tracks to album after album. His star turn came on Jay-Z's classic The Blueprint (2001) with album standouts "Takeover" and "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)." Both songs showcased West's signature beatmaking style of the time, which was largely sample-based; in these cases, the former track appropriated snippets of the Doors' "Five to One," while the latter sampled the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back."

More high-profile productions followed, and before long, word spread that West was going to release an album of his own, on which he planned to rap as well as produce. Unfortunately, that album was a long time coming, pushed back repeatedly until a freak accident threatened to end his solo career before it even started. In October 2002, West was in a car accident that almost cost him his life and left him with a jaw wired shut during his weeks-long recovery. He capitalized on the traumatic experience by using it as the inspiration for "Through the Wire" (and its corresponding video), which would later become the lead single for his debut album, 2004's The College Dropout. As the album was further delayed, West continued to create big hits for the likes of Talib Kweli ("Get By"), Ludacris ("Stand Up"), Jay-Z ("'03 Bonnie & Clyde"), and Alicia Keys ("You Don't Know My Name"). Then, just as "Through the Wire" was breaking big-time at the tail-end of 2003, another West song caught fire, a collaboration with Twista and actor Jamie Foxx called "Slow Jamz," which gave the rapper/producer two simultaneously ubiquitous singles and a much-anticipated debut album. As with so many of West's songs, the singles were driven by somewhat recognizable sample-based hooks: Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire" in the case of "Through the Wire" and Luther Vandross' "A House Is Not a Home" in the case of "Slow Jamz."

In the wake of his breakout success, West earned a whopping ten nominations at the 47th annual Grammy Awards, held in early 2005. The College Dropout won the Best Rap Album award, "Jesus Walks" won Best Rap Song, and a songwriting credit on "You Don't Know My Name" for Best R&B Song award was shared with Alicia Keys and Harold Lilly. Later that year, West released his second solo album, Late Registration, which spawned a series of hit singles ("Diamonds in Sierra Leone," "Gold Digger," "Heard 'Em Say," "Touch the Sky"). The album topped the charts, as did the "Gold Digger" single, and Late Registration eventually won a Grammy for Rap Album of the Year. West's production work continued more or less unabated during this time; particularly noteworthy were hits for Twista ("Overnight Celebrity"), Janet Jackson ("I Want You"), Brandy ("Talk About Our Love"), the Game ("Dreams"), Common ("Go!"), and Keyshia Cole ("I Changed My Mind"). West also founded his own label, GOOD Music (i.e., "Getting Out Our Dreams"), in conjunction with Sony BMG. The label's inaugural release was John Legend's Get Lifted (2004), followed one year later by Common's Be. In addition to all of his studio work, West also toured internationally in support of Late Registration and released Late Orchestration: Live at Abbey Road Studios (2006) in commemoration.

After retreating from the spotlight for some time, West returned to the forefront of the music world in 2007 with a series of album releases. Consequence's Don't Quit Your Day Job and Common's Finding Forever, both released by GOOD, were chiefly produced by West; the latter proved to be particularly popular, topping the album chart upon its release in July. And then there was West's third solo album, Graduation, which was promoted well in advance of its September 11 release (a memorable date that pitted Kanye against 50 Cent, who in one interview swore he would quit music if his own album, Curtis, wasn't the top-seller). A pair of singles -- "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Stronger," the latter an interpolation of Daft Punk's 2001 single "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" -- led the promotional push. It became his third consecutive chart-topping album, and its success culminated in eight Grammy nominations. West was the victor in four of the categories, and he performed two songs during the ceremony, including Late Registration's "Hey Mama," chosen in honor of his recently deceased mother. That loss, compounded by a breakup with his fiancée, informed 2008's genre-busting landmark 808s & Heartbreak, a major change of pace that saw West singing most of his emotionally pained lyrics with the assistance of Auto-Tune. The album went platinum, spawning Top Three hits "Love Lockdown" and "Heartless," while influencing a generation of young rappers wanting to tap into their emotional sides. West toured internationally, even returning to China in 2008 for a stop on his Glow in the Dark Tour. However, after a headline-grabbing turn at the 2009 MTV Video Awards involving Taylor Swift, West retreated from the spotlight to record another album.

In 2010, West emerged with his fifth opus, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which marked the start of a new era for the artist, one focused on fame, sex, and opulent production. Recorded in Hawaii, the star-studded set recruited a staggering number of guest vocal spots from the likes of Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, Elton John, Rihanna, Bon Iver, Rick Ross, and RZA. Preceded by the bombastic, King Crimson-sampling single "Power," Fantasy also included the Grammy-winning "All of the Lights," fan favorite "Runaway," and "Monster," which featured a star-making turn by a young Nicki Minaj. A sprawling and audacious album, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, won a Grammy for Best Rap Album, and also went multi-platinum. While the album was still hot, West recorded the aggressive and boast-heavy Watch the Throne with Jay-Z and numerous producers and songwriters. Billed as a set by the Throne, it was released in August 2011 and entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at number one. A trio of hit singles -- "Otis," "No Church in the Wild," and "Ni**as in Paris" -- climbed the charts and each won Grammy Awards, capping a dominant run for the rapper that resulted in 21 Grammys within just eight years”.

To celebrate an artist who has influenced a lot of other musicians, I have put together a playlist. The artists included either have semblance of Kanye West in their own music or have nodded to him as an influence. At only forty-four, I think we will hear a lot more from West. He is a phenomenally inventive and pioneering artist who has taken Hip-Hop to new realms. It is clear that we are very…

LUCKY to have him in our midst.

FEATURE: Second Spin: Ke$ha - Animal

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

Ke$ha - Animal

___________

A debut album can be hard to get right…

especially when there is a lot of build-up and hype around the artist. In the case of the L.A.-born artist, Ke$ha, her debut was very underrated. I feel quite a few reviews were a bit harsh. Since she released Animal in 2010, I feel her work has got even stronger and received wider critical acclaim – 2020’s High Road might be her best work to date. I feel Animal received some unfair mixed reviews. There were a few that were positive. Before bringing in a couple of reviews, it is worth providing some backdrop to Ke$ha’s debut:

“Animal is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Kesha. The album was released on January 1, 2010, through RCA Records and distributed through Sony Music Entertainment. Kesha worked on the album with a variety of record producers and songwriters such as Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Benny Blanco, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin and others. Kesha had been recording demos for several years when one eventually ended up in the hands of Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at BMI. Cox passed along the demo and it ended up in the hands of Gottwald, who decided to have Kesha perform on the song "Right Round" with American rapper Flo Rida. Within two months, the song became a hit in multiple countries around the world. The event led to Kesha being sought after by many major labels, and she eventually signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records”.

I really like Animal and I think that it warrants new inspection. Take It Off is a big and memorable highlight from the album. I feel Tik Tok is the big song. In a feature from 2019, i-D looked back on a hugely important debut single:

“Nothing defines a moment in time like pop music. We return to songs a year or 10 later, and are transported to the time when we couldn’t stop listening to it. For a drab, drawn-out autumn in 2009, there was almost nothing on the radio bar a song about DGAF drunken hedonism that caused 14-year-old me to dance around a sweaty, satellite town living room on a Saturday night like I was in a run-down nightclub on the Sunset Strip. That song was Kesha’s "TiK ToK", and it pulled the rug from underneath pop’s feet.

When that song first debuted a whole decade ago (it hit radio on 7 August 2009), a year had passed since Lady Gaga arrived on the pop scene. And in many ways it was Gaga’s otherness that helped the off-kilter format of a non-glossy popstar like Kesha push through the cracks. Giving the middle finger to the possibility of backlash, the then 22-year-old embraced her most odd-ball behaviours, and hammed them up as a way of playing with the thirsty tabloid media. Rumours swirled that she didn’t shower (she actually showered four times a day) and that she was born with a tail. And let’s not forget the time she drank her own pee on TV. With Kesha in it, pop music was glorious and gross and everything we’d been taught it wasn’t supposed to be. "TiK ToK" was the anthem we were long searching for. It spent nine weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and has since sold over 18 million copies.

The nursery rhyme rap-pop flow of its lyrics were earworm excellence; the sound of ‘Wake up in the morning feelin’ like P Diddy’ over synths can still make a nightclub crowd go wild. The basic, bit-pop production was ragged and yet, in its imperfections, sort of flawless. It was one of those songs that was so simple that it was a miracle no one had made it before; proof that the greasy and glittered Kesha was one of the most exciting pop performers of her time. The chaotic, DGAF energy of "TiK ToK" spread like wildfire”.

I am keen to bring in a couple of reviews for Animal. Just before, there is an interview from Seventeen that I wanted to mention. Published in 2010, they met a promising Pop artist who was about to deliver a huge album - Animal became the tenth best-selling album in the United States of 2010, selling 1.14 million copies that year:

 “17: Why is your record called Animal?

K$: I've done research on animals because I'm a diver, and I used to wear gold bikinis and had eye piercings and stuff, and then I almost got eaten by a barracuda once, and I was like "Why does he keep chasing me? Why does he want to eat me?" And then I was researching and found out that animals are really attracted to shiny things, especially gold and silver, so I feel like if I cover my body and the audience with glitter then they'll like it.

17: What glitter do you use?

K$: I love MAC glitter — it's just unreal!

17: How do you describe your style?
K$: Garbage can chic? I like vintage a lot. I like not trying — I think girls need someone to look up to who's not in high heels and a push-up bra. I can't walk in high heels, never mind dance in them. I think it's all about your confidence and having positive energy”.

 

In terms of the reviews, there was this blend of those who appreciated the strength of the album and the fact that Animal barely misses a step. There were those who were not so enamoured of it. In their review, this is what AllMusic offered:

“Just when it seemed 2009’s trash-brat electro scene (3OH!3, LMFAO, Shwayze) was about crumble under its own weight, rapper/singer/songwriter Ke$ha became the genre’s biggest star, graduating from being Flo Rida’s backup singer (she provided the hook on the rapper’s massive single “Right Round”) to superstar when her debut single, “TiK ToK,” set a digital sales record with over 600,000 downloads in a week. Her climb to the top includes bizarre factoids like she once lived in the house where the Eagles recorded Hotel California, plus she once vomited in Paris Hilton’s closet. Working on Hilton's album was the reason she was at the house, so it’s hard not to appreciate how Animal makes Ke$ha sound nothing like an industry vet who used to write for the Veronicas. Here, she’s a gum-snapping, alcohol-abusing Facebook jockey straight out of the suburbs who spits sophomoric but fun putdowns, come-ons, and sig files all over electro beats. Opening with “Maybe I need some rehab/Or maybe just need some sleep,” Animal is upfront about its unwillingness to face the real world, and prefers a garbage chic reality with a liberal shot of the ‘80s.

“Party at a Rich Dude’s House” could have fallen off the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack, while the word “gross” makes a serious comeback throughout the album. The music is heavy on gimmicks -- Auto-Tune, vocoders, and silly samples are all here in abundance -- while able folks like Dr. Luke plus Mim and Liv Nervo are in charge of the colorful electro-pop productions. As far as subversion goes, “Boots and Boys” presents the lusty, “Suicide Blond”-type track from a rare female point of view, but a couple of unexpected and completely unsatisfying ballads are the type of fluff anyone with an edge would avoid. Snooty taste makers and parents should avoid Animal at all costs, but with so many fun, “TiK ToK”-type tracks, the album has plenty for both brats and the bratty at heart”.

To contrast AllMusic’s review, Entertainment Weekly were more positive in their assessment. They were hooked and affected by the energy of the album and how it definitely gets in the head:

”Take It Off,” ”Hungover,” ”Party at a Rich Dude?s House”: In a dance-pop scene with no use for subtlety, Ke$ha may be the most brazen of all. Fortunately, she’s got ”I Kissed a Girl” producer Dr. Luke, who featured her on Flo Rida’s ”Right Round” and worked with her on the hit ”TiK ToK” off of her album Animal. Here he frames her Valley Girl sneer with electro-glam arrangements that make brushing one’s teeth ”with a bottle of Jack” sound like an awesome way to kill the morning-after blues”.

I feel Ke$ha’s debut album was overlooked by many. Although there are a couple of songs that are not instantly memorable, there is plenty of personality and punch. Unlike a few Pop albums from 2010, Animal stands up to multiple listens. You will find yourself hooked to many of the songs. I would recommend people check out Ke$ha’s debut, as Animal provides fresh layers…

THE more you listen.

FEATURE: Bright Lights and Dead Oceans: The Amazing and Inspiring Phoebe Bridgers

FEATURE:

 

 

Bright Lights and Dead Oceans

PHOTO CREDIT: Jessica Lehrman for Rolling Stone 

The Amazing and Inspiring Phoebe Bridgers

___________

THIS is not tied to an album or anniversary…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Malone for The Times

but I really love Phoebe Bridgers! I have been thinking about her music and how she evolved between her debut album, Stranger in the Alps (2017) and last year’s Punisher. The California artist is such an incredible artist and someone who always delivers incredible live performances. Not only is she a brilliant solo artist. Bridgers is part of boygenius (with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus) and Better Oblivion Community Center (with Conor Oberst). I will bring in a review for Punisher, as it was among my absolute favourites of last year. It is hard to distil or represent Phoebe Bridgers fairly in a single feature! She is such a cool person who has incredible musical taste. It seems like she is destined to appear in films, present her own podcasts/radio shows and collaborate with a load of other artists. I guess she is working on her third album. I know she is keen to get back on the road and give Punisher a proper airing. Part of the reason for me focusing on Phoebe Bridgers is a recent interview The Times conducted with her. There are some many amazing and hugely promising solo artists out there right now. I think Bridgers is among the absolute best. Not only do her songs take you somewhere wonderful – thanks, in no small part, because of such a sensational and rich voice -; one also learns so much from interviews. Bridgers has that natural cool - though she is also very deep and intelligent. I guess this is me having a chance to write about an artist I really love. I reckon Bridgers is going to be a genuine sensation and an artist who carries on making albums for decades to come!

Released on the Dead Oceans label (like her debut), Punisher is a simply wonderful work that demands full attention and investigation. I really love Stranger in the Alps, though Punisher seems like a broader and more layered album where Bridgers’ words and performances are sharper and deeper. In their review, this is what The A.V. Club observed:

“And whether she intended to do so or not, Phoebe Bridgers has created a musical monument to our dissociative age with Punisher. It’s an album about sleepless nights and sinking feelings in the pit of your stomach, wrapped in a musical package that’s both feather-light and lush enough to run your fingers through. We open with the glitchy instrumental “DVD Menu” before transitioning into the deceptively grounded “Garden Song,” a tune of healing and of rest. “The doctor put her hands over my liver/ She told me my resentment’s getting smaller,” she sings, wondering if she’s actually getting taller from all this wholesome homebound living. But the feeling doesn’t last.

Opening with the reedy sounds of a cheap synthesizer and horns from Bright Eyes’ Nathaniel Walcott, “Kyoto” has a twee quality reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian—and much as it often is for the Scottish cardigan-popsters, the foundation of this upbeat tune is cracking under Bridgers’ feet. “That song is about being in Japan for the first time, somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, playing my music for people who really want to hear it, and feeling...bad,” Bridgers says in a press release, a restlessness that bleeds through in lyrics like, “I wanted to see the world/ Then I flew over the ocean/ And I changed my mind.”

As if to underline how short-lived happiness can be, the rest of Punisher stays on a more hushed, dreamier keel. Bridgers’ high, breathy voice cuts through layers of ethereal atmosphere on tentative love songs like “Punisher” and “Savior Complex,” backed by delicate guitar and poignant violin. Presented with freedom after being deemed “no longer a danger to herself or others,” the similarly halting heroine of the lyrical folk ballad “Graceland Too” isn’t quite sure where to go. Dreams, sleep, ghosts, and vampires haunt the smartly turned lyrics, as do the sirens on their way to the hospital near Bridgers’ home. “I used to joke that if they woke you up, somebody better be dying,” she says of these piercing wails in the opening verse of “Halloween.” Then she started to feel their spirits seeping through the walls.

Perhaps inevitably, hints of Bridgers’ other projects, Boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center, can be heard on Punisher. And the band is ultimately what pulls Bridgers out of her funk, as five-and-a-half-minute closer “I Know The End” flows from a lonesome slice of touring life to a stirring primal scream driven by pounding drums, swelling orchestration, and a ragged chorus of voices shouting, “The end is here!” Yes, it’s an indie-rock cliché straight out of a mid-’00s Arcade Fire record. And Bridgers thinks it’s pretty funny, chuckling and hissing out a scratchy growl in those last few seconds before Punisher goes quiet. “When I can’t sleep, it’s just a matter of time before I’m hearing things,” Bridgers sings on the hazy “Chinese Satellite.” Lucky for us, what she hears is absolutely gorgeous”.

Just before rounding up, I do want to source a little from that interview The Times published in April. It is an interesting and revealing conversation that shows the many sides of Phoebe Bridgers. I don’t think that it is an undertreatment to call Bridgers the voice of her generation:

“Bridgers was already a “thing” before she released Punisher last June, but when she did, it hit a chord with an even wider public, isolated and angsty at home. “It’s a depressing record, in a very depressing year,” she agrees. Yet it would be too easy to dismiss her as just dourly emo. The reason many herald her as the next Dylan or the voice of a generation that loves to lol and sob, often at the same time, is that the sadness is undercut by searing intelligence and a loopy wit. Nowhere is this clearer than on Twitter, where she mouths off with varying levels of sophistication, or indeed on TikTok, where she has become a heroine to a certain “sad girl” niche, who do daft montages to her songs. And she has style too. If the signature look for her first album was a black suit, the one for Punisher has been skeletons: she wore a Thom Browne crystal-embellished skeleton number to the Grammys, and a Gucci take on it for a performance on Saturday Night Live. She still wears suits to every meeting she has with her record label. “I want a business persona that’s, like, really bitchy and entitled,” she says mischievously.

We can laugh now to think that Bridgers’s record label told her, early on, that her Twitter should be “darker”: they didn’t think her incessant gags sat well with her mournful tunes. In fact, they made her all the more relatable, thoroughly on the pulse of Gen Z. Is it all fun to do or anxiety-inducing and insane? “It’s both — it’s like life.” She has got so many positives from it, she promises: “Honestly, there are a couple of mental-health tweets that stay in my brain longer than a paragraph from my therapist. But it can also be such a soul suck.” She says she is often exasperated to find herself with her guitar in one hand but scrolling on Twitter — but then it has also been a great way to connect with fans. “It would cut off this very sweet window.”

Bridgers is bisexual and says that coming out in high school “was kind of the opposite of an issue”. I tell her I loved reading somewhere that her sexuality sat somewhere between fancying Beck and Megan Fox. She laughs delightedly. “Yeah! I feel like I love little innocent indie boys, and then my most seminal female crushes were always the bombshells in Transformer movies, or Jessica Rabbit, or whatever.” Nowadays, though, she’s a lot less binary; she’s more into someone like the iconic lesbian singer kd lang. “I don’t know — I actually don’t believe that anyone is, like, entirely straight.” She giggles. “I just don’t believe in straight people! It’s like, how? It’s 2021!”

 PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Malone for The Times 

So where does Mescal fit in to all this? There were rumours last year that the two of them were dating. “Oh, he’s the sweetest — he’s the best.” Yes, sure, but do you think he’s hot? She grins. “No comment.” I ask her how the Savior Complex video came about — how did she meet Waller-Bridge? “Well, we had been emailing back and forth just because we share a name,” Bridgers says, as though this were just about normal. “And we were like, let’s get drinks! And then lockdown happened and our emails became like, you should watch this, you should read this, you should do this.” It was Waller-Bridge who said to her, “You have to watch Normal People right now. It destroyed me,” says Bridgers, and she was reluctant to, because she thought it would kill her too. She did, though, and loved it (even if she relates more to Conversation with Friends, also by the writer Sally Rooney). “Part of what destroyed me [in Normal People] was the brother dynamic in that toxic home. I recognised a lot of my own upbringing in it”.

Even though the twenty-six-year-old is still at the start of her career, we have seen so much promising from Bridgers. From her amazing songwriting through to her wisdom and how she impacts and affects people, she is a complete artist. Whether she will be an icon in years to come remains to be seen. She is certainly a treasure who is such an important artist. Given the way she progressed between Stranger in the Alps and Punisher, it is hugely exciting to see…

WHAT comes next.

FEATURE: Culture, Class and Captivation: Boy George at Sixty

FEATURE:

 

 

Culture, Class and Captivation

Boy George at Sixty

___________

BECAUSE the legendary Boy George (George O'Dowd)…

turns sixty on 14th June, I wanted to salute him. An L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ icon (as it is Pride Month) and hugely influential musician, he has compelled people through the decades because of his amazing voice, unique fashion and compelling personality. He is someone who continues to amaze and impact people around the world. His solo album, Cool Karaoke, Vol. 1, is due later this year. There is also hope that his band, Culture Club, will be able to tour soon enough – they were due to, but the pandemic halted that. Just before getting to some interviews with the amazing Boy George, here is some Wikipedia overview:

“George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, fashion designer, photographer and record producer. He is the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. At the height of the band's fame, during the 1980s, they recorded global hit songs such as "Karma Chameleon", "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and "Time (Clock of the Heart)". George is known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance. He was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the late 1970s to the early 1980s.

His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by rhythm and blues and reggae. His look and style of fashion was greatly inspired by glam rock pioneers David Bowie and Marc Bolan. He was the lead singer of Jesus Loves You between 1989 and 1992. In 2015, Boy George received an Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for Outstanding Services to British Music. In 2002, he was voted forty sixth in a BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Boy George with fellow Culture Club members (clockwise from top-right) Roy Hay, Mikey Craig and Jon Moss/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Putland/Getty Images

I think this year is going to be a busy one for Boy George. There are rumours that we might get a biopic, Karma Chameleon, very soon. That will be fascinating to see. I grew up listening to groups like Culture Club, and I was always struck by the magnetism and individuality of Boy George. I love listening to interviews with him, as he is always so interesting and entertaining. I wanted to source a GQ interview that took place late last year:

“As one of the original gender-fluid pop stars, George has also become an androgynous icon for a new generation of fans raised on a diet of TikTok and Harry Styles. “I attract a certain type of person, even the younger ones; they are a bit gothy, a bit punky. They wear make-up. I still get photos of kids dressed up in really old looks of mine and I love that,” he says.

Then there is the Culture Club comeback. Since 2014, the Grammy-award-winning band who, since forming in 1981, have shifted more than 150 million records, have sold out stadiums across the world, ensuring the perennial popularity of songs like “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” and “Karma Chameleon”. George has been working on his solo output, too, with “mad” collaborations with artists from Pete Murphy to Kim Wilde. Now, Culture Club are gearing up for a show at Wembley SSE Arena, Rainbow In The Dark, which will see 1,000 socially distanced audience members attend in person, with thousands more live-streaming from across the world (first responders get free tickets).

PHOTO CREDIT: Dean Stockings for GQ 

“The first time you realised you wanted to be a musician...

I was obsessed with music as a little kid, that was where I escaped to. I shared a room with my four brothers and most of the time I didn’t have the room to myself, so whenever I could I would have the record player on. I’d listen to everything from Irish show tunes to early Bowie, T. Rex and disco. Discovering Bowie was the “Whoa, that’s what I want to be” moment. I was 11 and somehow my dad got me a ticket to see Ziggy Stardust. I had no bus fare to get there or back, I walked, but seeing Bowie for the first time, at that age, made me realise I wanted to be a singer and I wanted to be famous. I remember being very taken by that world of creativity. I wanted to be around what I perceived as a bohemian existence. I hated where I came from, I always felt repressed and out of sorts. I thought that their world was one where no one told you what to do.

The first record you ever bought…

“Yellow River” by Christie. It's an old folky, ’70s hippie track. I used to love Harry Nilsson and Andy Williams – I liked jazz a lot when I was a child. My dad was a builder and he'd clear out the houses of people who had done a moonlight flit leaving all their belongings, so he'd bring back piles of records which no one but me and my older brother really had any interest in. I still have records that I found by just sitting there and going through them. That’s how I discovered the likes of Pearl Bailey or Bessie Smith.

PHOTO CREDIT: Dean Stockings for GQ  

The first time you put together a stage outfit…

My mum was a seamstress and my collaborator. I once got her to make me a bat-winged top from these horrible old rose-print synthetic chair covers, which I used to wear to Blitz Club. At all those clubs I’d go to before I was famous, it was all about the look you had and being the most outrageous. They basically were stage outfits, although I didn't think of it like that at the time. I was very influenced by Bowie, rock, punk and disco, and was into any and all clothing, even religious clothing – it didn’t need to be designer fashion.

The first thing you'd do if you became prime minister…

The thing I’d want to deal with immediately is homelessness. We should not have people sleeping on the streets in this country. I also love this idea of universal basic income, I believe that people should get paid even if they don’t work. If they’ve got money, they’ll put it back into the economy anyway, so it’s a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy that would get rid of poverty”.

I want to take things back to May 2020, when Boy George spoke with The Times. I am not going to drop in all of the interview, though there were some sections that really interested me – and taught me more about Boy George:

“Last month, despite all, he released an album, This Is What I Dub, Vol 1. Mostly, it is bass and beat-heavy remixes of songs from his last solo album, but Isolation — which isn’t on the album, but was released at the same time — is a gorgeous new ballad. It is not about our current condition. Rather, he met a man who owns a satellite, which “got him thinking” about isolation. Still, he has a microphone in his flat and will release more music from lockdown soon. He writes five songs a week.

“Yes, I had hits in the Eighties, whatever,” he says. “But I’m a better writer now. Fame gets in the way and becomes a job in itself and takes over from artistry, so you’re locked in a cycle of success and failure. I’m not distracted by mindless celebrity now and don’t have to worry about that to the extent I used to. I mean, I probably didn’t have to worry about it at the time, but I wasn’t evolved enough to understand what was important. My motivations are different now — I don’t really have any!”

“People aren’t honest,” he says, in reply to a question about pop stars today. “Because we’re in sensitive times, when people get upset about anything. I grew up in the 1970s, where every day you were called faggot, poof — at home, at school, on the street. Policemen could hit you. You went to school knowing you could get whipped.

“Kids just don’t understand. I don’t want to sound like an old codger, but they don’t get what people went through for them to be so precious, and I don’t want to dull myself to the point that I don’t have an opinion.”

“When I was growing up nobody used the term transgender, because it was almost like a medical term. So this transgender thing is new, and, for our generation, it’s just getting our heads round it. But people want to be offended, because they think that whatever’s going on for them is much more important than anything else. But I’ll call you whatever you want. I’ve spent years calling people fake names. Boy George. Siouxsie Sioux. Johnny Rotten. Of course, it’s not the same as your sexuality.”

In the early 1980s George stood out — the most androgynous in the room, and something of a social pioneer. Is it harder, I ask, for people at the forefront of an old movement to adjust to a new one?

“No, it’s more that we think they’re homing in on things that aren’t important to us,” he says. “Also, let’s not forget that everyone’s trying to create a moment now. Everyone’s a producer, so there’s pressure to be more interesting — and if you’re not interesting enough, what have you got wrong with you? What have you got to tell us?”

He cites an example of someone who says they have mental health issues or are transgender. “For me, growing up …” He looks off-camera. “Let me just turn my cooking off.”

I am left looking at an empty seat, accompanied by a clatter of pans and the near-distant cry of “I’ve burnt it!” Some more clatter. “Well, I won’t be eating that,” he says when he comes back. No monk’s beard for George today.

I ask if all this is why he wrote “Boomer” by his Twitter handle. Was it mischievous? “Of course. People think if you’re of a certain age you have nothing to say, but just because you’re young it doesn’t make you interesting. You’ve got no experience!”

In a year or so George’s life will be on the big screen. Understandably, given Gervasi’s pending call, the singer is preoccupied with the film. “Fascinating,” he says of the imminent read-through. “Because I don’t think people do really know me.”

For the first time in our interview he sounds sombre. Will the film help that? “No! It will enhance whatever myths there are,” he says, buoyant again. “It’s like when I met Prince and he was quite odd. I didn’t walk off disappointed. Come on, I’m not interested in dull people and don’t want to be one. And I don’t think I am”.

I am going to finish off with an NME interview from May. There is a lot to look forward to in the Boy George camp. The man never seems to stand still or stop working! In the interview (among other things), Boy George spoke about modern Pop artists:

“In the last 10 years I’ve really learned to get out of my way creatively, because I used to go to those terrible songwriting sessions and sit bumcheeks clenched as I tried to write a song,” he continued. “Now I just write what I feel. Once you’ve worked out what you want to say then you’ll find a way of saying it.

“I can always tell when something is just clever pop writing, and I have a lot of appreciation for that as well, but sometimes it’s just very lazy. You wouldn’t go into a football ground, take someone from the stands and let them take a penalty, would you?”

However, he did have a barbed word saved for a lot of pop in the charts today – while admitting that he saw through a lot of the shortcuts on offer to many artists, finding himself in “a great place to be [when] you start realising that you’ve been conned for 30 years”.

“I think there’s been this loss of respect for the artistry of songwriting,” he said. “People think that all it takes is a laptop and some leads. It really doesn’t. This year, I’ve been reacquainting myself with the art of songwriting – copying lots of things, allowing myself to be influenced.

Watch our full interview above where he also discusses looking to “trouble makers” at the BRIT Awards, working with Paul Weller, and his upcoming biopic Karma Chameleon”.

Rather than look back at his early Culture Club days ahead of his sixtieth birthday, I wanted to take things up-to-date regarding Boy George. He is such an endlessly compelling character who, I hope, has many more years of music-making in him. Just before he marks a big birthday, I wanted to pay my respects to…

A true icon.