FEATURE: My Five Favourite Albums of 2021: Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs

FEATURE:

 

 

My Five Favourite Albums of 2021

Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs

___________

IT is unusual that…

all of my favourite albums of a year are from British artist. My final inclusion is from an American artist, though my first four are British. Sleaford Mods are the only group included in my top five (though, technically, they are a duo). One of the most consistent acts in the world, Spare Ribs ranks alongside their very best work. Released back in January, the eleventh album from the duo sees Jason Williamson on fine form as singer and lyricist. There is typically excellent production work from Andrew Fearn. Spare Ribs features guest appearances from Amy Taylor and Billy Nomates. I am going to come onto a couple of reviews for the album, as it received huge praise. It is one of my favourite albums of this year, as the production and musical invention is at Sleaford Mods’ peak. The lyrics are assuredly acerbic, funny and honest. Spare Ribs is sign that Sleaford Mods seem to grow better and more popular with age. I am also eager to explore a couple of interviews published around the time of the album’s release. Released on the Rough Trade label, get a copy of an amazing album. Here is what Rough Trade observe about Spare Ribs:

“Poised to blow the cobwebs off life and unleash some much-needed wit and charm upon us, Sleaford Mods are back with their astonishing 6th studio album, entitled Spare Ribs.

Recorded in lockdown in a furious three-week studio blitz at JT Soar in July, the polemical Jason Williamson and dexterous producer Andrew Fearn kick against the pricks with unrivalled bite, railing against hypocrisy, inequality and apathy with their inimitable, scabrous sense of humour. And Spare Ribs, featuring Amy Taylor of Melbourne punks Amyl and the Sniffers and the British newcomer Billy Nomates, finds the duo charged with ire at the UK Government’s sense of entitlement, epitomized by its devil-may-care approach to the coronavirus crisis.

Commenting on the new album Jason says, “'Our lives are expendable under most governments, secondary under a system of monetary rule. We are stock if you like, parts on a shelf for the purposes of profit, discarded at any moment if fabricated or non-fabricated crisis threatens productivity. This is constant, obviously and notably in the current pandemic. The masses cannot be present in the minds of ill-fitting leaders, surely? Or else the realisation of their catastrophic management would cripple their minds. Much like the human body can still survive without a full set of ribs we are all 'spare ribs’, preservation for capitalism, through ignorance and remote rule, available for parts”.

I guess, as they are now, Sleaford Mods have released seven albums. Andrew Fearn joined in 2012. He has brought something to the table that distinguishes the Nottingham twosome from anyone else. In this interview with Aquarium Drunkard, Jason Williamson talks about (among other things) the weirdness of the pandemic, in addition to working with two incredible female artists on Spare Ribs:

“Since 2012 when beatmaker Andrew Fearn joined, the Sleaford Mods have made seven albums, combining raw poetry with brutal beats. The spareness and political edge of the lyrics links the band to punk rock—Iggy Pop and the late Mark E. Smith were both fans—but the emphasis on beats rather than live music puts them somewhere adjacent to rap. Wherever they fall, no other band working currently is as adept at channeling acid disdain into working class poetry. Spare Ribs refines and enlarges their sound, bringing in female artists like Billy Nomates and Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers to guest on two tracks.

As we talk the pandemic is still reverberating through Williamson’s personal and professional lives. We’d been scheduled to connect a week earlier, but a bump in COVID cases at his daughter’s school had forced a cancellation and he couldn’t make the call. Though no one in his immediate family had been sick, Williamson is still clearly processing a year from hell. “Out There” encapsulates 2020’s shapeless dread in the line, “Just stared out into a cold month with no people near it.”

“That’s how it was in April and even into May. It was going for your allotted walk every day, and it just seemed very barren. Deserted. You know what I mean?” says Williamson, explaining that he and Andrew Fearn and guest artist Billy Nomates had tracked some of Spare Ribs in January. Then the Mods left for Australia. By the time they got back, the virus had set in. He spent nearly all of 2020 in Nottingham in a house with his partner and children.

Sleaford Mods draw a very male crowd; their aggression and political outspoken-ness speaks to an older generation raised on hardcore punk and post-punk. Yet the band has always wanted to be inclusive, communicating to a multi-racial, multi-cultural Britain where, as “Out There” puts it, “I wanna tell the bloke that’s drinking near the shop/That it ain’t the foreigners and it ain’t the fuckin’ Cov/But he don’t care.”

Likewise, Williamson says, they’ve always wanted to make women welcome at their shows and among their fan base and, with this album, they bring the female presence right into the studio with three collaborations with female artists. “We wanted to represent women more, we wanted to represent the female presence, because there’s a lot of it,” says Williamson. We’ve always been affiliated with that, but we wanted to make it work even more.”

Billy Nomates, who sings a verse and chorus in “Mork ‘N Mindy,” first appeared on the Mods radar when she started sending Fearn Instagram video of her home-taped recordings. “And eventually Andrew started sending them to me and we started watching them and it became clear that she had something. There was something there,” says Williamson. “So, we started talking to her. We got to know her, and she released her own album on Spotify, so we started listening to that a lot, and it became clear that she was really, really good.”

Amy Taylor’s cameo on “Nudge It” is tough and blistering. Her disdain for artists that don’t work hard enough matches something in essential in Williamsons’ art. But working her verse into the song took longer, because it happened after lockdown and had to be accomplished with file transfers. “Amy went into the studio and did a take and she sent it over. I thought it was great, but everybody else was a little bit unsure where it was going. She sent some more stuff over, and we finally nailed it around July of last year,” says Williamson.

Nomates and Taylor are both punk rockers, a natural fit for the Sleaford Mods’ twitchy, hyper-articulate composition. Dr. Lisa McKenzie who wrote the intro to “Top Room” (“All them skills, all that sewing, all that making Marks & Spencer’s knickers”) is an academic and activist, but Williamson explains how she aligns with his work. “I’ve known Lisa for years. She’s a working class academic, thoroughly steeped in working class history, culture, and she surrounds herself with it,” he says. “But Lisa is really into the history of it, and really into the way the working class move forward as civilization for want of a better word progresses. I always liked her viewpoint. I find it interesting. So, I thought that part of a spoken word intro would be really powerful”.

Taking things to September of this year, NME spoke to Williamson, as Sleaford Mods played the End of the Road festival. It seems that, even though Spare Ribs is such a good album, the duo had no idea that it would be successful and see them reach a new audience:

“Before you released ‘Spare Ribs’, did you have an inkling that this would be the album that kicked Mods up a notch?

“No! Fucking no chance. I remember writing ‘Mork n Mindy’; we did an early demo and got Tor [aka future-punk Billy Nomates] to do her bits – it took her about 20 minutes – and we were like, ‘This fits so well’. It needed work, but we knew that tune was gonna be really good. When we did ‘Nudge It’ [featuring Amyl and the Sniffers’ Amy Taylor], we knew that one was gonna be good. So we knew the two singles would elevate it. Everything else around it was good, but I didn’t think it would take off the way it did. I’ll be honest with you: I thought after [2017 album] ‘English Tapas’, we were gonna do a series of integral albums, but it would just remain [at one level]. But it’s gone up!”

Why do you think that is?

“I think it’s the lockdown. With people being caged up and really starting to connect to the hopelessness of that, I think that fed through the songs and connected with people. The songs are good as well!”

Do you think people can truly move classes?

“I think you do status-wise. If you move to a middle-class area, you can’t really say you’re working-class any more. You’re simply not – you’ve moved up. I wouldn’t say I’m working-class now – definitely not – but I still talk the same way I always have and have that same mentality. I look at things and react to them in the way that I would 25 years ago. I don’t think that leaves you in a lot of respects. You can educate yourself, of course, but generally speaking…”

So moving up in the world doesn’t affect Mods’ righteous anger?

“The only thing that’s difficult is keeping it interesting. My own personal class identity, I don’t struggle with. I perhaps did a few years back, when we started getting big. People are accusing you of selling out and all this bullshit. It’s like, ‘Try touring for two years mate!’”

What’s next for the Mods, then?

“We’ve started writing. We’ve got 10 songs. The lyrics talk about the isolation and the paranoia, things that kept creeping up and – especially in the second lockdown – your relationship with your partner. Not so much that it deteriorated, because it didn’t, but we got sick of each other, so that takes you into a new consciousness of that relationship. I explored that a little bit. [Most of] these [new] songs won’t hold up. They’re not very good! So it’s just a case of trawling through the shit to get to the gold again”.

Apart from DIY not being overly-keen on Spare Ribs (not sure why!), the reviews for Spare Ribs were hugely positive. Maybe the lyrics resonated at a particularly bleak time for the U.K. and world at large. The partnership between Williamson and Fearn and the way they can fuse brilliant lyrics with lo-fi production genius means they are always evolving and releasing such amazing music. CLASH definitely got to the bottom of why Spare Ribs is one of this year’s very best albums:

“Nottingham punk duo Sleaford Mods are a relentless tour de force when it comes to attacking a range of unpleasantries in British life.

This time they depict the value of human lives, addressing their expendability in the view of government and the elite, critical comparisons are made between lives and ‘spare ribs’ in capitalism. Sonically, connections are adjusted to the theme. It is the strong, self-assured and grounded sound of two people who understand their role as musicians and take responsibility for it.

Confidently hinting at what the next phase in their music partnership might be, the featured guest appearances from Amy Taylor of Melbourne punk rockers Amyl and The Sniffers and Bristol-based Billy Nomates add finesse and energy to this record.

A raw snapshot perfectly designed to capture the ugliest sides of Britain, it’s obvious that the duo is happy to knock at our doors once again. There’s an ongoing need for this portrayal of relevant topics, and their sharpness and humour are as strong as ever.

Brexit, immigration, lockdown and the fight for the independent venues, it’s all in there. Never before has there been a greater need for the full Sleaford Mods treatment than there is now, and the goods are delivered with crisp urgency and precision”.

I am coming back to NME for a review of Spare Ribs. They gave it a five-star thumbs-up when they sat down with it. It makes me wonder whether Sleaford Mods can get even better and keep releasing albums of this calibre:

“Instrumentalist Andrew Fearn’s work is often erroneously described as ‘minimalist’, his work badly underrated. In fact, he creates intricate and immersive grooves that most rhythm sections would envy – these are perfect backbone jams for his partner’s kitchen sink horrorshow lyricism. Look no further than the cyclical, bassy flow of recent single ‘Shortcummings’, with Williamson predicting the downfall of Boris Johnson’s former Barnard Castle-bothering Gollum-in-chief Dominic Cummings: “He’s gonna mess himself so much, but it’s all gonna come down hard”.

Call it ‘pared-back’ if you will, but there’s a lot going on here. There’s gnarly danciness to the title track that recalls LCD Soundsystem’s debut album, while ‘Nudge It’ marries an attack on dull, vulturous class tourists “stood outside a high-rise / Trying to act like a gangster” with jagged post-punk riffs, bouncing hip-hop loops and snarling bravado courtesy of guest vocalist Amy Taylor of Aussie punks Amyl & The Sniffers.

Taylor breathes a new life into the Mods’ world, as does another rare guest turn from fellow East Midlander Billy Nomates (aka Tor Maries), who lends her cool-as-fuck laissez faire drawl to ‘Mork N Mindy”s gothic, electro tale of boredom and alienation in beige suburbia, wryly noting: “You’re not from round here, crashed landed about a week ago / Yeah, I feel for you, I do”.

Williamson’s gallows humour is on top form throughout ‘Spare Ribs’. The Prodigy-inspired ‘I Don’t Rate You’ is gleefully bilious (“I hate what you do / And I don’t like you”), while on the bouncy ‘Elocution’ he feigns Received Pronunciation to tear down posh fair-weather bands “secretly hoping that by agreeing to talk about the importance of independent venues”, they’ll never have to play them again. And then comes the sledgehammer putdown chorus: “I wish I had the time to be a wanker just like you”. Ouch.

Lockdown stress spills over on the anxious and claustrophobic ‘Top Room’ and eerie album centrepiece ‘Out There’. The latter is a perfectly tragicomic painting of our Plague Island, occupied by children crying into their cereal and COVID-conspiracy racists boozing outside the shops, with Williamson’s catchy new slogan “let’s get Brexit fucked by a horse’s penis”. Put that on the side of the bus.

‘Spare Ribs’ is driven by what comedian Stewart Lee – a friend of the band – recently described to NME as Williamson’s “powerless rage”, but there’s still space for a little beauty. ‘Fishcakes’ closes the record with heart and tenderness as the frontman looks back on making the most of the simple things as a kid: “And when it mattered – and it always did – at least we lived”. ‘Spare Ribs’ is the first truly great album of the year, and the best of the Mods’ career. How many acts could say that of their 11th record (if we’re counting those deep cuts)? The Fall, arguably? It’s some achievement.

Williamson and Fearn unflinchingly show you life – particularly the shittier corners of it, while flashing a swift middle finger at those who create them. Here’s your prescribed dose of reality with an unmistakable and intoxicating Sleaford Mods flavour. The extraordinary ‘Spare Ribs’ is graffiti on a concrete wall; there’s no manifesto, no easy answers and nowhere to hide”.

One of my top picks for albums of 2021, Sleaford Mods delivered the goods with the exceptional Spare Ribs. Consistently engaging and innovative, the fertile minds of Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn are at their peak. I can imagine, given everything that has happened in politics since Spare Ribs, the guys have ammunition for a new album. Receiving new music from Sleaford Mods is…

ALWAYS a real treat.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Amaarae

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

Amaarae

___________

FOR today…

I want to spend a moment proffering the incredible music of Amaarae. A Ghanaian-American singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer known for her work around representation of gender and race in music, Amaarae is a hugely inspiring artist. Last year, she put out the amazing album, THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW. I will come to that. There are some interviews that I want to bring together. It is fascinating learning about Amaare’s heritage, culture and where she is heading. One of the most electric talents we have right now, for sure, I am hopeful that she will put out many more albums! The Line of Best Fit featured and spotlighted the amazing Amaarae last year:

“Everything in Ghana is DIY whether you like it or not, because the systems here don’t always work.” A lack of resources ironically made music-making seem more accessible to her: “When I went to school in the US, the students weren’t as adventurous as they were when I came back to Ghana. But here, they were always curious and saying ‘Oh, what can we experiment with, what can we try next, do next?’” They parlayed broken keyboards and classroom computers into equipment. “When I saw that there are resources that we can use to help us get our creative ideas out - I was blown away and I was like ‘Absolutely, I have to try this.’”

She started rapping aged 15 and would invite friends over for makeshift studio sessions. “I had this software called Mixcraft, and what I would do – at the time I didn’t know it – but I would write my verse and everybody else’s, and I would write the hook, and then they would record it.” By 17, she was interning at a recording studio, before university, where she DJed and took vocal lessons on the side.

Amaarae’s go-getting attitude doesn’t just stem from her peers: “My mom is an interesting parent,” she laughs. “I think the best thing that my mom did for me was helping me to understand that I’m creative and that’s great, but how do you take this talent and monetise it?”

One way was to appoint her as her ‘momager’. “It’s one hell of a crazy ride”, according to Amaarae. “Personally, if I wasn’t an artist, I would never manage one, cause oh my god, we are difficult to deal with.” Generational differences are the primary source of disputes between the two. “I could Tweet the wildest shit in the world, and to me and you, it’s not a big deal because people Tweet crazy shit all the time. But my mom will see it and be floored. She’s like, ‘how can you take this thought that’s in your mind and put it on the internet for everyone to see?’”

At the relationship’s heart, however, is mutual respect, and her mum’s business advice has paid off. “I never make a product, or a song, and wonder why isn’t anyone listening to it? When I make a record, I know exactly what I need to do to get it to people’s ears.”

She’s not avaricious, but Amaarae’s candid on the link between making money and producing her best work: “You have to look at your art as a commodity, and you have to understand how the world of commerce works. Otherwise, it can leave a bitter taste in your mouth, and leave you quite disillusioned.”

There’s much duality when it comes to Amaarae though, and her serious approach to her craft is offset by breeze and buoyancy. As 2020 presents its endless stream of challenges she’s “watching hella cartoons”. When she’s not making music, she’s happiest in bed: “Give me a good 8 hours sleep – Woah.” And the best way to listen to her new project is to “drop some LSD, drop some acid, and just trip out”.

There’s duality too in her gender expression. Amaarae's most recent video for flirtatious single "Fancy" sees her in an embelished leather dress and matching balaklava, in contrast to the sharp paisley suit she wears in "Like It". Since childhood, she says she has been unconcerned with binary norms: “I would wear like baggy shorts, but then have my hair braided really cute, with like pink baubles in them. That’s always just been me.”

A passion for bringing West African music to new fans around the world drives Amaarae: “It’s the most important thing in the world to me.” The global appetite in recent years for Afrobeats has seen acts like Burna Boy and Wizkid front and centre of an international stage, with both Universal Group and Sony opening Lagos headquarters. Alongside these major signing lies Nigeria’s flourishing Alté (alternative) movement, led by artists and Amaarae collaborators like Odunsi (The Engine) and Zamir.

Working closely with the scene’s key players means Amaarae is generally seen as part of the movement. For her, this is in error: “Ultimately Alté is a very specific sound and has a very specific bounce and movement. I wouldn’t call myself an Alté artist. My sound is really Afrofusion.” However, the hive of activity within the region provides a ripe creative environment. “Once we come together and take African music to the forefront, we can fuse our sound with like, Hispanic, hip-hop, with country artists, whatever. Just being able to cross those thresholds, I think, is the next frontier.”

Her upcoming 12-track project The Angel You Don’t Know is the latest tool in her arsenal. It symbolises a fresh chapter, following her 2017 debut EP Passionfruit Summers. “I just decided to say, ‘fuck it’”.

I am a new convert to Amaarae, so I was not aware of the hype and buzz that was around last year. It seems that this promise has been fulfilled! I think there is a marriage of music/sounds from Ghana and something a little more ‘conventional’. She is an artist you cannot really attach a genre to. The music is unique and free from simple definition. I want to quote a similar interview to that one from The Line of Best Fit. Pitchfork were also eager to know more about a wonderfully compelling and impressive artist and person:

“Pitchfork: Throughout your life, you’ve darted across the United States and between the U.S. and Ghana. Why did you move so much?

Amaarae: My mom always wanted to push herself to take new risks. We moved [to Atlanta] when I was 8 because my mom went to get her MBA. She got a job shortly after that, working in New York City, so we moved to New Jersey so she could be closer. I think my mom is a very forward-thinking person. After two or three years in Jersey, she was like, “Look, I can either stay here and work my way up in my job, or I can take all the experience, all the opportunities and the networks that I’ve built, go back to Ghana, and build something completely new for myself.”

What was it like to go back to Ghana after spending several formative years in America?

It was such an enriching experience. I was ignorant at the time because I thought, Oh, I’ve grown up in America. I’m going back and I know so much; I’m taking all these experiences with me. Can [Ghanaian kids] relate? I came back and the kids were better traveled than I was, had more of an understanding of how the world works than I did, were less sheltered, and much more adventurous.

It seems like your mom’s fearlessness has taken you around the world. How do you think that’s influenced you as an artist?

I think I have the same sort of fearlessness when it comes to my art, especially given the fact that I’m doing it from Ghana. A lot of people keep saying to me, “Why are you here doing the kind of music that you make?” It’s still considerably alternative in comparison to traditional, homegrown Afrobeats. I still continue to get shut out in my own country by radio, television, and overall media. International platforms are way more willing to give me a shot. In spite of that, I continue to persevere and do my art in the way that I want to do it.

What Missy Elliott and Kelis did for me is the reason I can be so expressive now. I know that there are young girls, in this country especially, that need to know that outside of the kind of girls that you’re seeing on TV, there’s somebody out here that’s doing some different shit. And you could get into some different shit, too. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be music. Like you might want to code. You might want to be an aeronautical engineer. Whatever! They just have to know that you don’t have to be boxed in. I have to be fearless in my messaging and in my journey because [Ghana] is oppressive as shit towards women—especially women who might not have access to the opportunities that I have.

You’re often discussed as part of the alté scene pioneered in Nigeria: young West African artists experimenting with fashion and sounds that would be considered nontraditional where you are. You’ve described yourself and some of your peers like Nigerian artists Cruel Santino and Odunsi (The Engine) as “punk rock.” What does that mean to you?

I think punk is just a state of mind. It’s the state of mind I entered once I got into the space where I was like, “You know what, I’m just going to try everything that I possibly can. I’m going to do it with no shame, no fear—just this relentless feeling in my heart that no matter what, I’m gonna fucking make it.” To me, my mom is punk rock as fuck. She’s super prim and proper, but her mentality to always conquer is really some trailblazing shit”.

Prior to wrapping up, there is a review for THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW, in addition to a new feature. Before that, The Guardian’s conversation from this January makes for interesting reading. One of the most intriguing aspects of the interview is reading what Amaarae hoped to achieve with her album:

“She is frustrated at the rest of the world for failing to catch up with Africa’s dynamism – this limited perspective jeopardises the careers of West African artists who fail to meet preconceived stereotypes. “They haven’t found ways to compartmentalise African music genres,” she says of the mainstream music industry. “They’re really not giving way for artists to progress globally.” Change is happening slowly, with British labels investing in the African music industry, but it’s cultural disruptors such as Amaarae and her collaborators Santi and Odunsi (The Engine) who are leading the way.

She is challenging values at home, too. The Angel You Don’t Know is dedicated to those who don’t meet society’s narrow definition of normality, and Amaarae’s lyricism also challenges West African views on gender, opening the track Fancy by dominantly exclaiming: “I like it when you call me zaddy / Won’t you sit up in my big fat caddy?” Talking about the project, Amaarae says: “It’s about emancipation, womanhood and sexuality. It’s about boldness. It presents the black woman as a deity, a god!” Tracks such as Trust Fund Baby and Dazed and Abused in Beverly Hills are explicitly hedonistic, money-hungry and sexually charged. “I’m just reflecting the thoughts of quintessential African women!” she says with a giggle.

Her album reflects the growth she has made on her musical journey. “One of the greatest mental barriers I overcame was letting people into my process and creative space,” she says. “I used to think if you were a true artist all your music, words and expressions had to come from you.” Working on this project made her appreciate the art of collaboration. “This record is so much more than just my expression but it’s also the belief others instilled in me creatively.” The Angel You Don’t Know “is about confidence,” she says. “It’s about swag, it’s about fearlessness”.

Just before I get to a new piece from NME, it is time to highlight a critical review for THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW. In order to do that, it is back to Pitchfork. They have supported Amaarae’s work for a long time…and they keenly highlighted the brilliance of a wonderful album:

 “Amaarae describes The Angel You Don’t Know as “non stop affirmations and incantations 4 bad bitches.” Her tongue-in-cheek side brings dazzle to the record’s light-hearted moments, particularly on Afropop anthem “Sad Girlz Luv Money” (featuring Moliy), a waist-winding anthem about securing the “mooh-la-la” that’s far more joyous than its title suggests. More imaginative still is “Dazed and Abused in Beverly Hills,” 68 seconds of indie soul that enjoyably parodies (and one-ups) the SZA knockoffs making Shazam-bait for cable-TV syncs. Another track is punctuated by a ringtone and a scream, and the album is bookended by thrilling snippets of hardcore punk, with shredding by L.A. artist Gothic Tropic.

Amaarae is private about her sexuality, but she dropped hints to her romantic life on the 2017 single “Fluid,” from that year’s R&B-leaning Passionfruit Summers EP, and featured drag queen pole dancers in another of her videos. These days she’s even more upfront, and rightfully heedless of gender norms. “I like it when you call me zaddy,” she purrs over 808s on “Fancy,” sounding like a soft butch poster girl looking for fresh meat. The video is a collagist tribute to seductive hits and her punk favorites, from JLo’s proto-OnlyFans camming to a Dream Wife body horror to the bright wigs and office furniture of City Girls’ “Pussy Talk.” It’s the rare moment in Amaarae’s world that doesn’t feel wholly self-created; even then, her authorial voice is clear. In one set-up referencing Missy Elliot’s “She’s a Bitch,” Amaarae wears a black leather bodysuit dotted with cowrie shells, the pre-colonial West African currency that is central to Yoruba rituals, pairing pop imagery with a touch of the divine.

But even bad bitches get the blues. On the purple-hued album closer “Party Sad Face,” she’s stuck at a predictable party and fed up. “Whole lotta gang shit/Peng tings looking out of sight,” she whisper-sings, sounding helpless and sad. She fucks to fill the void, with alté star Odunsi (The Engine) breaking his usual charmer routine for an unsettling turn as an abusive hook-up. “I’m down,” she sings numbly, ambiguously. “Down for the night.” Amaarae said that she left the darkest songs off this album, but—unless she went full Diamanda Galás elsewhere—it’s hard to imagine a more vivid descent into emotional oblivion.

Beyond her chameleonic roleplay, Amaarae’s humble roots are obvious—she dreams of the day she can buy her mom a Bentley. On the dancehall-leaning “Leave Me Alone,” she affirms her own worth with the calm of a zen master, singing, among bright and balmy guitars, “All the diamonds in the world don’t outshine me.” Her polyphonic approach to experimental pop brings to mind author and DJ Jace Clayton’s description of pan-global music in the digital age as a “memory palace with room for everybody inside.” Amaarae puts metabolized sounds through a distinctive prism, hitting on an insight: There’s room in the palace for her”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Yussif AlJabaar

I am going to finish soon. NME chatted with Amaarae earlier this month. They pointed out the fact that she linked up with Kali Uchis recently; Amaarae is enjoying a renewed interest in her debut album following a TikTok breakthrough

“Would you say your sound is aligned with the Nigerian Alté scene?

“I wouldn’t say that it was Alté, per se. I don’t even think I could categorise [my music] because there are just so many different types of genres and energies that I’ve tapped into. There’s one song on [the album] that I can say is Alté, for sure. But, in general, it was everything, from afrobeat to progressive house to baile funk to pop or trap. [My sound is] not always Afrocentric.”

Have you always been able to sing in a high register?

“No! It’s interesting: the other day I was looking back at my mixtapes that I did when I was in high school, and I used to sing in a much deeper voice. I think what happened was that by using my head voice, there’s a vulnerability and a sensitivity that you’re able to communicate in a way that is also very potent and cuts through. I could be saying the wildest shit – you know, like the most inappropriate shit – but whenever I say it in the softer voice and the high register, people just gravitate towards it. What you’re saying is an afterthought, so when it finally does click, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, that’s a bad motherfucker!’”

Stylistically, you’re always pushing boundaries. How important is self-expression to you?

“I don’t know if it’s about representation as much as it is about expression. I just want girls and boys like me — you know, young Africans — to be able to express themselves freely. We really come from a community and a society that oppressed expression, probably up until the last five years where the internet and Instagram started to become a thing and our cultural values shifted. It’s always about what I am doing to help the next generation of young people.

“Being an artist is a big thing because, for the longest time, it was taboo for young women to make music in Africa. My grandmother tells me all the time that you were looked at as some type of loose girl. She told me, ‘I get to live vicariously through you. To see you with pink and purple hair: these are things that I wish I could have done’. I want people to know that creativity can be a commodity through which you can earn money, and there is no shame in that. Creativity truly is the key to the world, and this is about helping African parents and young Africans to really understand that and embrace it.”

What does the future look like for Amaarae?

“I’m working on my next project, so it’s an exciting time. I’m thankful to have the fans that I do, because ‘THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW’ was so well received – it’s given me the confidence to experiment and push my sound further. I really hope to be some type of light for young African women to just come in and kill the game. Whether it’s in music, tech, the business sector, aerospace, engineering… whatever! I just want them to be absolute rockstars in whatever they choose to do”.

Go and discover the essential music of Amaarae. She is someone who has a lot more to say. After a highly-acclaimed debut album, THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW, of last year, I wonder what will come next. There are legions of fans who want to see her perform. Let’s hope that she gets to see as many people as possible! If you have not experienced the music of Amaarae, take some time to witness her…

INCREDIBLE sound.

_____________

Follow Amaarae

FEATURE: Revisiting... Kylie Minogue - DISCO

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting...

Kylie Minogue - DISCO

___________

EVEN though the album was only released…

in November last year, Kylie Minogue’s fifteenth studio album, DISCO, is one that I feel was hugely acclaimed but underplayed. I heard a couple of the tracks played on BBC Radio 2, though I think a lot of stations missed out on it. Minogue has said that she is moving back to Australia, so I wonder how often we will see her in the U.K. DISCO gained Minogue the best reviews she has had in a decade. In fact, I would we might have to go back to 2000 or 2001 when she was enjoyed a real purple patch with Light Years and Fever (released in 2000 and 2001 respectively). Maybe DISCO was a bit of a return to those albums in terms of the sound. Blending aspects of those albums with elements of her late-1980s/early-1990s records, DISCO was not a nostalgia trip or a chance to recapture the past. The production is very of-the-moment; Minogue keeping things modern, though there is that nod to Disco of the 1970s and some 1980s Pop sounds in the blend. An album that, I feel, deserves wider listenership and play, DISCO is one of last year’s finest albums. With modern artists like Dua Lipa sort of picking up Minogue’s mantle and following her influence, it is good t see that the ‘original’ is at the top of her game! I do feel that people should go and listen to the marvellous DISCO. Reaching number one in the U.K., DISCO is an album packed with gems.

I am going to quote a couple of review before I round off and conclude. CLASH gave the album a 9/10 when they investigated it back in November of last year:

“‘DISCO’ wears her influences on its sleeve. Hell, it’s there in the title – this is sheer, unashamed, upbeat disco, a fusion of vintage and modern flavours, one that would feel equally at home with the glitz and the glam of Studio 54 and South London dress-to-sweat dugout Horse Meat Disco.

‘Magic’ is an effervescent opener, its gentle pulse peeling you away from the raw pessimism of 2020’s ongoing dystopia. ‘Miss A Thing’ moves the tempo up a notch, adding a dash of Daft Punk’s retro-fetishism for good measure. ‘Real Groove’ more than delivers on its title, with Kylie channelling house abandon against those lush keys. - ‘Monday Blues’ dials back the disco elements in favour of summery pop, its slight Mediterranean flavour providing the perfect dose of escapism. ‘Supernova’ meanwhile is an absolute Giorgio Moroder style onslaught, its slinky Euro-centric perversions adding a dose of strings to her lyrical double entendres.

‘Say Something’ leans once more on those bubbling electronics, recalling Robyn’s ‘Honey’ is its cutting edge digi-pop. The catalogue of Nile Rodgers permeates the Chic-style beat that drives ‘Last Chance’, something that ‘I Love It’ amplifies in its symphonic, orchestral glamour.

‘Where Does The DJ Go?’ is perhaps a prescient question with lockdown part deux now upon us, while stylistically its a homage to the twilight reinvention that frames ‘Saturday Night Fever’. ‘Dance Floor Darling’ offers up raw 80s chart sonics with its buzzsaw guitar chords, a slo-mo transition piece that knocks at the door of club bumper ‘Unstoppable’.

Closing with the unashamed pop of ‘Celebrate You’, ‘DISCO’ is the sound of Kylie Minogue re-connecting with her roots. 2018’s ‘Golden’ was a country-pop crossover marked by matters personal, the lyrics delving into highly personal areas of her life. ‘DISCO’ by way of contrast is sheer escapism from start to finish, an exit point from the darkness that has fallen over 2020.

It’s not subtle – at some points the references may as well be put up in fluorescent lights – but that’s OK, since the aim is to be direct, to move people, and to entertain. As an ode to the pleasures of the dancefloor, Kylie has delivered her most unashamedly fun record in almost a decade”.

I might source a couple of interviews before ending with another review. DISCO is a very different album to 2018’s Golden. Both albums have seen Minogue embark on new creative and sonic phases. This was addressed in an interview with Elle from last November:

“Two years since the release of her country-tinged pop project Golden, Minogue once again enters a new phase with Disco, her latest studio album. Joining the 2020 pop disco revival started by Dua Lipa and Jessie Ware, Minogue has crafted a bevy of contemplative, dance floor-ready tracks that recall her retro-imbued albums Light Years (2000) and Fever (2001). With lead single “Say Something,” Minogue provides a balm for the lonely days of quarantine: “We're a million miles apart, in a thousand ways / Baby, you could light up the dark, like a solar scape,” she sings with a candy-coated lilt.

Disco delivers exactly the kind of optimism people need in 2020. “I think a lot of my songs and a lot of the songs on Disco are about togetherness, and that dream of good times, acknowledging they're not all great times,” Minogue says. Phoning in from her home in London, she speaks with ELLE.com about how quarantine affected the making of the album, the new wave of disco pop, and her dream future collaborators.

Why was it important to mix wistfulness with hope on the record?

I think that's one of my happy places. "All The Lovers" is like that, which is from 2011. In "Can't Get You Out of My Head," there's a longing and a plaintive cool within that. It's enough to drive me crazy: You can't shake the idea of this person. That, to me, is a no-brainer. That's a place I like to go to, to try to illustrate that, especially lyrically within a song. There's other songs on the album [where] really it's like, we're just having a good time. There's really no storyline other than "this is the dance we're doing." I'm not afraid to do that.

I heard you made part of the record before COVID-19 and the rest of it during quarantine

I started on the album last year and carried on early this year. My last gig was in São Paolo and the date is etched in my brain, March 6, because the weeks leading up to that, I was speaking to my management every day saying, "Is this still on? Is this still happening?" It did happen, and it was fantastic, but that was it. That was the last gig I did. Then I was back in various studios and hit my stride with different writers and producers: We think we've got this disco thing. We know the lane we're supposed to be in. I was going all day, every day, and then lockdown happened.

What was that transition like for you when quarantine hit?

I thought, how can we keep doing this? I took baby steps using GarageBand, which I'd never used before. Then thought, okay, I've got to get serious: auditing all the equipment, setting up a home studio, and learning the basics of Logic to at least be able to record my vocals and do remote recording sessions. It took some getting used to. Everyone being in their houses, all my collaborators, some of them with children, they'd say, "Well, I could do 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Then I've got to put the kids down." Someone would have a Wi-Fi problem, there'd be buffering issues. There'd be challenges, but every day one of us would say, "We are so thankful to be able to do this, stay creative, keep working."

How did you approach making Disco differently than Golden?

Oh, quite differently. Golden was about songwriting and going back to basics. I think having a piece of country was delving into that world and finding a way to have that make sense with my pop sensibility.

It meant so much to me to try to understand the past couple of years. I had a breakup, and it's not about him, it's about me. It was that age-old story of trying to understand what happened and how I felt about it. So, on that level with songwriting, there were themes that are universal. I definitely haven't forgotten any of the lessons. And by osmosis, going to Nashville and learning more about songwriting, something changes [in you]. Everybody talks about it when they've been to Nashville. I've joined the fan club because my time there was incredible.

This year, we've been seeing a disco revival in pop with Lady Gaga, Jessie Ware, and Róisín Murphy, to name a few. Dua Lipa has referenced your older work as well. What do you think accounts for the shift to disco liberation in pop?

I'm asking the same question because it's in the air. I think Dua started her album last year. I started mine last year. I don't know that anyone knew that anyone else was doing disco or going down that path, yet we have to talk about it this year. So, why is it happening? Why is it so relevant? I don't entirely know the answer to that. Firstly, it's got to be that pop is cyclic. The music we hear veers toward something else in time. There's a moment in the world now where people want or are enjoying some escapism. I have my own personal reasons for how I ended up having disco as the thing for this album, but it had nothing to do with 2020. It's just ideas and actualities colliding.

Why do you think there's so much power in pop music, especially this year? We've gotten some really incredible pop albums.

Maybe people are more receptive to it at the moment, or the desire for music and to appreciate. I think we're appreciating the day, whether it's a beautiful, sunny day or in London today, the weather has just turned. I can't speak for everybody, but it seems that collectively, if I can generalize, we're grateful for much smaller things that we would have taken for granted before. We haven't been through this before. It certainly feels like music is one of the things that can connect and unite people, as it always has been, but this year is a year like no other for us”.

In an interview with Music Week, it was interesting to read Minogue being asked about the streaming age and what it is like being on the BMG label:  

“Golden was so successful, and moved you into a new world musically, many people would have stuck with that sound…

“Well, the lessons that I learned in Nashville [where Golden was largely recorded] have stayed with me and I don’t think they will ever leave. Writing for this album, it might not sound like it, but it’s in me now and I really love that. And I will always love singing Dancing. I would love to go to Nashville again and just write or see what Nashville could bring to another style. It was so different to recording in LA or wherever. They would say, ‘Oh, let me give you numbers, let me give you the best cafes and restaurants’. You really felt welcomed long before you got there. And there are all sorts of writers there and music is everywhere. I absolutely loved it.”

How does it feel to have made 15 albums?

“On the one hand I go, ‘Wow, 15 albums’. And on the other I go, ‘That’s not so many!’ It’s weird. I got off to a good start – PWL was one every year, so I managed to get some pace in early…”

Very few people actually get to make that many records though…

“I definitely have to remind myself of that and be grateful for the opportunity. I’d be so sad if I didn’t have the opportunity to make records now, when I’ve collected all these nuggets of experience and I want to use them.”

How is it being on BMG?

“I first worked with Jamie [Nelson] in 1999. I met him and Miles Leonard at Parlophone and they were great, heady days – that was my full-on launch back into pop with Spinning Around. Jamie would not let go of Spinning Around until it was right – and he was right. He’s a fantastic A&R. He went elsewhere, I went elsewhere but we’ve come back together on this – he was really pivotal. And Alistair, Gemma and the team, they have a really nice way about them.”

You started off in the CD/cassette era. How do you feel about streaming?

“It seemed much simpler back then. I have a friend who used to work in a record store in Australia and she said she fudged the chart each week to [help] the band she absolutely loved. So it wasn’t foolproof! But at least there was a transaction at the till, there was a physical product… I listen to streaming, so I love it as a consumer. But where it puts me chart-wise and to understand who you’re reaching, that’s tricky. I know BMG are really making an effort to get more streaming for me but my audience is probably a bit like me, with one foot in the old world and one foot in the new world. So I’m doing as best as I can to move with the times. But if someone asks me to explain how it all works, I’d have to just get the cheque and leave the room! Once you get into algorithms… I’ll just sing the song, how about that?”

Is it strange to not have hit singles in the same way any more?

“Yeah, I’ve had to recalibrate my understanding of success in that way. You’re just able to let go and let the song do what it’s going to do – you’re never quite sure what it’s going to do, although you have your hopes for it. Success to me right now is being on playlists, being played on radio and just reaching people. I’ve got to just remember that and focus around the album”.

I want to introduce AllMusic’s take on DISCO. They gave it one of the most positive and complete reviews. It is amazing to think that, for such a celebrated album, it is not played all too much now – and when it came out, it was only reserved to certain stations:

“Following a relatively lackluster decade that included 2018's countrified diversion Golden, DISCO is a welcome return to the club-friendly dance-pop that defined Australian diva Kylie Minogue's early 21st century rebirth. Hitting the same highs as her triumphant 2000s stretch -- namely Light Years, Fever, X, and Aphrodite -- this glittery, feel-good set is nothing short of euphoric, a dozen near-perfect gems that pay respect to the album's namesake era while updating the production with thrilling results. Channeling icons like Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer, and Chic, Minogue puts her stamp on the genre with expert finesse. While it's no surprise that she can pull this off -- she's nailed the disco sound at various points in her long career -- hearing an unbroken stretch of Kylie-branded dancefloor throwbacks is a rapturous experience. Mostly written and recorded on her own at her London home during the COVID-19 lockdown, DISCO also marks the first time Minogue has taken control of the engineering, resulting in a totally cohesive aesthetic and sonic experience. Hopping into a time machine set for Studio 54's '70s heyday, she resurrects the famed club's ecstatic highs without the hedonistic excess, a non-stop escapist trip complete with elastic bass, bell-bottomed struts, dramatic strings, and a flood of hand claps.

After the mirror ball descends in the opening notes of the twinkling single "Magic," the groove locks in with "Miss A Thing," an evocative dose of bliss to hustle the night away. Lead single "Say Something" is not only a peak on DISCO, it's also one of Minogue's best songs to date, a rapturous anthem that unifies with its urgent plea of "Love is love/It never ends/Can we all be as one again?" On an album already packed with such treasures, other standouts include the intergalactic frenzy "Supernova"; the feverish, Bee Gees-indebted throbber "Last Chance"; and the talk box rush of "Dance Floor Darling." Even the relatively subdued closer "Celebrate You" is a welcome highlight, a moving ode that features Minogue's strongest vocal performance and songwriting on the album. Fifteen albums into her illustrious career, the pop chameleon shows no signs of slowing down, rebooting her catalog once again with what she does best: delivering joy and inspiration through the power of dance”.

I would urge everyone to listen to DISCO if they have not heard it. Even if you are not a massive Kylie Minogue fan, there is so much to enjoy through her 2020 album. It is one I was keen to revisit. If you need a boost or want to hear an album that mixes classic Disco sounds with modern Pop, then Kylie Minogue’s fifteenth studio album…

IS the one for you.

FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Eighty-One: R.E.M.

FEATURE:

 

 

A Buyer’s Guide

Part Eighty-One: R.E.M.

___________

ON this outing of A Buyer’s Guide…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

I am featuring a band who I have not included yet. I have checked, but it does seem they have been an omission until now! Formed in Athens, Georgia, R.E.M. sadly split in 2011. I wanted to include them in A Buyer’s Guide, as they have released so many fantastic albums. I am going to drill it down to their four essential records, one that is underrated, in addition to their final studio album. I will also recommend a book about the band that is worth exploring. First, here is some biographical information from AllMusic:

“R.E.M. marked the point when post-punk turned into alternative rock. When their first single, "Radio Free Europe," was released in 1981, it sparked a back-to-the-garage movement in the American underground. While there were a number of hardcore and punk bands in the U.S. during the early '80s, R.E.M. brought guitar pop back into the underground lexicon. Combining ringing guitar hooks with mumbled, cryptic lyrics and a D.I.Y. aesthetic borrowed from post-punk, the band simultaneously sounded traditional and modern. Though there were no overt innovations in their music, R.E.M. had an identity and sense of purpose that transformed the American underground. Throughout the '80s, they worked relentlessly, releasing records every year and touring constantly, playing both theaters and backwoods dives. Along the way, they inspired countless bands, from the legions of jangle pop groups in the mid-'80s to scores of alternative pop groups in the '90s, who admired their slow climb to stardom.

It did take R.E.M. several years to break into the top of the charts, but they gained a cult following after the release of their debut EP, Chronic Town, in 1982. Chronic Town established the haunting folk and garage rock that became the band's signature sound, and over the next five years, they continued to expand their music with a series of critically acclaimed albums. By the late '80s, the group's fan base had grown large enough to guarantee strong sales, but the Top Ten success in 1987 of Document and "The One I Love" was unexpected, especially since R.E.M. had only altered their sound slightly. Following Document, R.E.M. slowly became one of the world's most popular bands. After an exhaustive international tour supporting 1988's Green, the band retired from touring for six years and retreated into the studio to produce their most popular records, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992). By the time they returned to performing with the Monster tour in 1995, the band had been acknowledged by critics and musicians as one of the forefathers of the thriving alternative rock movement, and they were rewarded with the most lucrative tour of their career. Toward the late '90s, R.E.M. were an institution, as their influence was felt in new generations of bands.

Though R.E.M. formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, Mike Mills (born December 17, 1958) and Bill Berry (born July 31, 1958) were the only Southerners in the group. Both had attended high school together in Macon, playing in a number of bands during their teens. Michael Stipe (born January 4, 1960) was a military brat, moving throughout the country during his childhood. By his teens, he had discovered punk rock through Patti Smith, Television, and Wire, and began playing in cover bands in St. Louis. By 1978, he had begun studying art at the University of Georgia in Athens, where he began frequenting the Wuxtry record store. Peter Buck (born December 6, 1956), a native of California, was a clerk at Wuxtry. Buck had been a fanatical record collector, consuming everything from classic rock to punk and free jazz, and was just beginning to learn how to play guitar. Discovering they had similar tastes, Buck and Stipe began working together, eventually meeting Berry and Mills through a mutual friend. In April of 1980, the band formed to play a party for their friend, rehearsing a number of garage, psychedelic bubblegum, and punk covers in a converted Episcopalian church. At the time, the group played under the name the Twisted Kites. By the summer, the band had settled on the name R.E.M. after flipping randomly through the dictionary, and had met Jefferson Holt, who became their manager after witnessing the group's first out-of-state concert in North Carolina.

Over the next year-and-a-half, R.E.M. toured throughout the South, playing a variety of garage rock covers and folk-rock originals. At the time, the bandmembers were still learning how to play, as Buck began to develop his distinctive, arpeggiated jangle and Stipe ironed out his cryptic lyrics. During the summer of 1981, R.E.M. recorded their first single, "Radio Free Europe," at Mitch Easter's Drive-In Studios. Released on the local indie label Hib-Tone, "Radio Free Europe" was pressed in a run of only 1,000 copies, but most of those singles fell into the right hands. Due to strong word of mouth, the single became a hit on college radio and topped The Village Voice's year-end poll of Best Independent Singles. The single also earned the attention of larger independent labels, and by the beginning of 1982, the band had signed to I.R.S. Records, releasing the EP Chronic Town in the spring. Like the single, Chronic Town was well-received, paving the way for the group's full-length debut album, 1983's Murmur. With its subdued, haunting atmosphere and understated production, Murmur was noticeably different than Chronic Town and was welcomed with enthusiastic reviews upon its spring release; Rolling Stone named it the best album of 1983, beating out Michael Jackson's Thriller and the Police's Synchronicity. Murmur also expanded the group's cult significantly, breaking into the American Top 40.

The band returned to a rougher-edged sound on 1984's Reckoning, which featured the college hit "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)." By the time R.E.M. hit the road to support Reckoning, they had become well known in the American underground for their constant touring, aversion to videos, support of college radio, Stipe's mumbled vocals and detached stage presence, Buck's ringing guitar, and their purposely enigmatic artwork. Bands that imitated these very things ran rampant throughout the American underground, and R.E.M. threw their support toward these bands, having them open at shows and mentioning them in interviews. By 1985, the American underground was awash with R.E.M. soundalikes and bands like Game Theory and the Rain Parade, which shared similar aesthetics and sounds.

Just as the signature R.E.M. sound dominated the underground, the band entered darker territory with its third album, 1985's Fables of the Reconstruction. Recorded in London with producer Joe Boyd (Richard Thompson, Fairport Convention, Nick Drake), Fables of the Reconstruction was made at a difficult period in R.E.M.'s history, as the band was fraught with tension produced by endless touring. The album reflected the group's dark moods, as well as its obsession with the rural South, and both of these fascinations popped up on the supporting tour. Stipe, whose on-stage behavior was always slightly strange, entered his most bizarre phase, as he put on weight, dyed his hair bleached blonde, and wore countless layers of clothing. None of the new quirks in R.E.M.'s persona prevented Fables of the Reconstruction from becoming their most successful album to date, selling nearly 300,000 copies in the U.S. R.E.M. decided to record their next album with Don Gehman, who had previously worked with John Mellencamp. Gehman had the band clean up its sound and Stipe enunciate his vocals, making Lifes Rich Pageant their most accessible record to date. Upon its late summer release in 1986, Lifes Rich Pageant was greeted with the positive reviews that had become customary with each new R.E.M. album, and it outstripped the sales of its predecessor. Several months after Lifes Rich Pageant, the group released the B-sides and rarities collection Dead Letter Office in the spring of 1987.

R.E.M. had laid the groundwork for mainstream success, but they had never explicitly courted widespread fame. Nevertheless, their audience had grown quite large, and it wasn't that surprising that the group's fifth album, Document, became a hit shortly after its fall 1987 release. Produced by Scott Litt -- who would produce all of their records over the course of the next decade -- Document climbed into the U.S. Top Ten and went platinum on the strength of the single "The One I Love," which also went into the Top Ten; it also became their biggest U.K. hit to date, reaching the British Top 40. The following year, the band left I.R.S. Records, signing with Warner Bros. for a reported six million dollars. The first album under the new contract was Green, which was released on U.S. Election Day 1988. Green continued the success of Document, going double platinum and generating the Top Ten single "Stand." R.E.M. supported Green with an exhaustive international tour, in which they played their first stadium dates in the U.S. Though they had graduated to stadiums in America, they continued to play clubs throughout Europe.

The Green tour proved to be draining for the group, and they took an extended rest upon its completion in 1989. During the break, each member pursued side projects, and Hindu Love Gods, an album Buck, Berry, and Mills recorded with Warren Zevon in 1986, was released. R.E.M. reconvened during 1990 to record their seventh album, Out of Time, which was released in the spring of 1991. Entering the U.S. and U.K. charts at number one, Out of Time was a lush pop and folk album, boasting a wider array of sounds than the group's previous efforts; its lead single, "Losing My Religion," became the group's biggest single, reaching number four in the U.S. Since the bandmembers were exhausted from the Green tour, they chose to stay off the road. Nevertheless, Out of Time became the group's biggest album, selling over four million copies in the U.S. and spending two weeks at the top of the charts. R.E.M. released the dark, meditative Automatic for the People in the fall of 1992. Though the band had promised a rock album after the softer textures of Out of Time, Automatic for the People was slow, quiet, and reflective, with many songs being graced by string arrangements by Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. Like its predecessor, Automatic for the People was a quadruple platinum success, generating the Top 40 hit singles "Drive," "Man on the Moon," and "Everybody Hurts."

After piecing together two albums in the studio, R.E.M. decided to return to being a rock band with 1994's Monster. Though the record was conceived as a back-to-basics album, the recording of Monster was difficult and plagued with tension. Nevertheless, the album was a huge hit upon its fall release, entering the U.S. and U.K. charts at number one; furthermore, the album received accolades from a number of old-school critics who had been reluctant to praise the band, since they didn't "rock" in conventional terms. Experiencing some of the strongest sales and reviews of their career, R.E.M. began their first tour since Green early in 1995. Two months into the tour, Bill Berry suffered a brain aneurysm while performing; he had surgery immediately and had fully recovered within a month. R.E.M. resumed their tour two months after Berry's aneurysm, but his illness was only the beginning of a series of problems that plagued the Monster tour. Mills had to undergo abdominal surgery to remove an intestinal tumor in July; a month later, Stipe had to have an emergency surgery for a hernia. Despite all the problems, the tour was an enormous financial success, and the group recorded the bulk of a new album. Before the record was released in the fall of 1996, R.E.M. parted ways with their longtime manager Jefferson Holt, allegedly due to sexual harassment charges levied against him; the group's lawyer, Bertis Downs, assumed managerial duties.

New Adventures in Hi-Fi was released in September 1996, just before it was announced that the band had re-signed with Warner Bros., reportedly for a record-breaking sum of 80 million dollars. In light of such a huge figure, the commercial failure of New Adventures in Hi-Fi was ironic. Though it received strong reviews and debuted at number two in the U.S. and number one in the U.K., the album failed to generate a hit single, and it only went platinum where its three predecessors went quadruple platinum. By early 1997, the album had already begun its descent down the charts. However, the members of R.E.M. were already pursuing new projects, as Stipe worked with his film company, Single Cell Pictures, and Buck co-wrote songs with Mark Eitzel and worked with a free jazz group, Tuatara.

In October of 1997, R.E.M. shocked fans and the media with the announcement that Berry was amicably exiting the group to retire to life on his farm; the remaining members continued on as a three-piece, soon convening in Hawaii to begin preliminary work on their next LP. Replacing Berry with a drum machine, the sessions resulted in 1998's Up, widely touted as the band's most experimental recording in years. It was only a brief change of direction, since R.E.M.'s next album, 2001's Reveal, marked a return to their classic sound. Around the Sun followed in 2004. A worldwide tour convened in 2005, which included an appearance at the London branch of Live 8. In 2007, R.E.M. were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and began work on their next album, Accelerate, which was released in 2008. The album sported a faster, more guitar-driven sound than Around the Sun, which had received lukewarm reviews and sold poorly, particularly in America. It earned rave reviews and topped charts around the world (although it halted at number two in America).

For 2011's Collapse Into Now, the band favored a more expansive sound, one that combined Accelerate's rock songs with slower ballads and moody atmospherics. Reviews were mostly positive, and it debuted in the Top Five in America. Unexpectedly, in September 2011, R.E.M. announced their amicable breakup after 31 years together. Immediately after the split, the band issued a double-disc compilation entitled Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage: 1982-2011, covering their years at both I.R.S. and Warner. In 2015 the band signed a deal with Concord Bicycle to distribute their Warner recordings, and the first fruits of this partnership surfaced in 2016, when a 25th Anniversary Edition of Out of Time appeared in November of that year. The next installment in this reissue campaign was a 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Automatic for the People in November 2017. A year later, the group released R.E.M. at the BBC, a box set containing eight CDs and a DVD chronicling all their live work for the British Broadcasting Company. A 25th Anniversary edition of Monster appeared in 2019”.

Ten years after R.E.M. split, their music is still being discovered and shared. It reflects the band’s strength, consistency and legacy. R.E.M. are a group who will be poured over and celebrated for generations more. If you need a guide as to which albums from the band are worth buying, then I hope that the below…

HELPS out.

______________

The Four Essential Albums

 

Murmur

Release Date: 12th April, 1983

Label: I.R.S.

Producers: Don Dixon/Mitch Easter

Standout Tracks: Pilgrimage/Talk About the Passion/Perfect Circle

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/1368817

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/24O8MuUe4K4qtH9BXJ3Ijf?si=E2bNIetoQpqfpKPk845-AA

Review:

“Leaving behind the garagey jangle pop of their first recordings, R.E.M. developed a strangely subdued variation of their trademark sound for their full-length debut album, Murmur. Heightening the enigmatic tendencies of Chronic Town by de-emphasizing the backbeat and accentuating the ambience of the ringing guitar, R.E.M. created a distinctive sound for the album -- one that sounds eerily timeless. Even though it is firmly in the tradition of American folk-rock, post-punk, and garage rock, Murmur sounds as if it appeared out of nowhere, without any ties to the past, present, or future. Part of the distinctiveness lies in the atmospheric production, which exudes a detached sense of mystery, but it also comes from the remarkably accomplished songwriting. The songs on Murmur sound as if they've existed forever, yet they subvert folk and pop conventions by taking unpredictable twists and turns into melodic, evocative territory, whether it's the measured riffs of "Pilgrimage," the melancholic "Talk About the Passion," or the winding guitars and pianos of "Perfect Circle." R.E.M. may have made albums as good as Murmur in the years following its release, but they never again made anything that sounded quite like it” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Radio Free Europe

Reckoning

Release Date: 9th April, 1984

Label: I.R.S.

Producers: Don Dixon/Mitch Easter

Standout Tracks: 7 Chinese Bros./Pretty Persuasion/So. Central Rain

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=14562&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2tCxbYgt56pq18tpISvSoR?si=Z91VRbuNSu6o9XVViMidDA

Review:

“How confident in their abilities were REM as the mid-80s ticked over? An answer comes with the July 1984 live recording that accompanies this remastered edition of their second album: they open their set with a lovely, lambent reading of the Velvet Underground's Femme Fatale, as if to say: "We are already sure our work bears comparison with the best-loved alternative group in pop history, and we will not be overshadowed." That self-assurance is apparent on Reckoning, too. Although never quite the equal of its mysterious predecessor, Murmur, it is the sound of a band refusing to rest - "a waste of time, sitting still," as one of the songs has it. Opener Harborcoat demonstrates a growing mastery of the studio - Peter Buck's almost formal playing on the verses giving way to sheets of harmonies and guitars on the chorus; So. Central Rain demonstrates an ability to make an emotional connection, even as Michael Stipe happily obfuscates at the same time. Wonderful stuff, and even better was yet to come” – The Guardian

Choice Cut: (Don't Go Back To) Rockville

Green

Release Date: 7th November, 1988

Label: Warner Bros.

Producers: Scott Litt/R.E.M.

Standout Tracks: Get Up/Stand/Turn Your Inside-Out

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=57809&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/7rfKAiPs9ToZP9zEJDBqBH?si=mYziMLedTrKFWWVJwU3HMA

Review:

“Green is an album of experiments. Freed from their usual roles, the band members tinkered with sugary pop, martial arena punk, fluttering folk rock, country flourishes, and dramatic dirges. Especially on the second side (referred to by the band as the “metal” side, referring not to the genre but to the element), these experiments collide for a set of songs as strong and as diverse as any sequence on previous albums. Stipe’s vocals overlap eerily on “The Wrong Child” to create an unsettlingly spectral roundelay. Against the military stomp of “Orange Crush” he sings through a megaphone that lends his vocals a corroded quality appropriate to the subject matter (namely, the degenerative effects of Agent Orange on U.S. soldiers). Foretelling the glam-rock attack of Monster, “Turn You Inside-Out” is a scabrous examination of the entertainer/audience relationship, while “I Remember California” grows so darkly ominous that it threatens to sink the Golden State in the Pacific.

Whereas Document, their final release for I.R.S. Records, sounded grimly solemn, Green is often positively giddy as the band try out new tricks and as Stipe grows more confident and charismatic as a frontman. The album contains some of the jauntiest and most upbeat tunes they had ever recorded, revealing a self-deflating sense of humor as well as a sophisticated self-awareness. “Pop Song ‘89” is a pop song about pop songs, with Stipe introducing himself (“Hi! Hi! Hi!”) before wondering, “Should we talk about the weather?/... Should we talk about the government?” Both subjects had figured prominently into his lyrics on previous albums, and R.E.M. were trying to figure out what to sing about next” – Pitchfork (Deluxe Edition)

Choice Cut: Orange Crush

Automatic for the People

Release Date: 5th October, 1992

Label: Warner Bros.

Producers: Scott Litt/R.E.M.

Standout Tracks: The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite/Man on the Moon/Nightswimming

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=57830&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/0BiNb8HYR4JvuxUa31Z58Q?si=s7hiQMeXS1uk9sAO-ooLhA

Review:

“By the time they released this album in 1992, REM had already made the transition from cult college rock band to a rather unlikely stadium act. After the ‘shiny happy’ pop of their breakthrough Out Of Time, the ruminative Automatic For the People turned them into one of the biggest bands on the planet for a while, selling a whopping 15 million copies. Singer Michael Stipe’s words had long since emerged from the deliberately foggy lo-fi production of their early years ­ but the appeal of REM had always hinged on the hummability of their tunes, and there were more anthemic songs here than on any of their discs before or since. Perhaps surprisingly, though, it’s a more understated record than Out Of Time, leaning strongly towards an acoustic sound, with a third of the tracks even featuring orchestral arrangements by former Led Zeppelin bassist, John Paul Jones.

As usual, the lyrics are rather cryptic, and the way that “Sweetness Follows” rhymes ‘wonder’ with ‘thunder’ seems to suggest they’re sung for sonic effect as much as content. Perhaps the fact that “Man On The Moon” name checks glam rockers Mott The Hoople is a clue in that respect. Nonetheless, the sense of vulnerability and compassion evident in “Everybody Hurts” (and also “Sweetness Follows”) struck a chord with many.

The halting “Drive” is an unusual but effective opener and the title of “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” acknowledges its melodic debt to the much-covered “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. If there’s one downside to the wealth of familiar hits, it’s the way the album sags in its third quarter, from the plodding and incomprehensible “Monty Got A Raw Deal” and the rowdy “Ignoreland” to the rather slight “Star Me Kitten”. “Man On The Moon” comes to the rescue just in time with a sure-fire chorus, and Stipe’s Elvis impersonation provides a rare flash of humour, after which the closing hush of “Nightswimming” and “Find The River” make for an impressively cathartic dénouement. As long as you like that voice.” – BBC

Choice Cut: Everybody Hurts

The Underrated Gem

 

Reveal

Release Date: 14th May, 2001

Label: Warner Bros.

Producers: Patrick McCarthy and R.E.M.

Standout Tracks: All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)/Disappear/I’ll Take the Rain

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=57878&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/43goi7G5yXOoI7bLaowtpy?si=icZMWd9JTtGJo2lSvjS_Tg

Review:

“Give 'em credit for realizing that Up was a dead end, an avenue paved with forced experimentalism that signified nothing. Dock them points for harboring the desire to wander down that path, choosing to indulge in fuzzy details that add texture but not character. These two impulses balance each other as R.E.M. delivered Reveal, an album that feels like their stab at All That You Can't Leave Behind -- a conscious return to their classic sound. Since they're fiercely protective of their anointed position of underground pioneers, they're not content to sit still and spin their wheels, turning out a record that apes Automatic for the People. So, they return to the lushness of Out of Time, melding it with the song-oriented Automatic -- and undercutting it all with the sober sonic trickery of Up and New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Because Reveal is song-oriented, it initially plays more accessibly than Up, but these songs are cloaked in the same kind of deliberate studiocraft that made Up feel stilted. It's not as overt, of course -- the drum machines and loops have taken a backseat -- but it's still possible to hear the clipped Pro Tools effects on "Summer Turns to High," for instance, and most tracks are a little fussy in their aural coloring. This prevents Reveal from being an album to wholeheartedly embrace, even if it attempts to be as rich as Automatic and even if it succeeds on occasion. There are some very good pop songs here -- windswept and sun-bleached beauties like "Imitation of Life," the dusty "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)," and "Beachball," the one time their Beach Boys obsessions click. Still, none of these moments shine as brilliantly as the best moments of New Adventures and ultimately they're weighed down by the album's aesthetic, which emphasizes sonic construction over the songs. This is mood music, not music that creates a mood, which becomes evident as the record stagnates during its second half. Reveal winds up sharing the same strangely distant feel of Up, even if it's a tighter, better record. When R.E.M. weren't trying as hard, when they weren't meticulously crafting their sound, they made records that were as moody, evocative, and bracing as Reveal intends to be. Here, it's just all a bit too studied to ring true” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Imitation of Life

The Final Album

 

Collapse into Now

Release Date: 7th March, 2011

Label: Warner Bros.

Producers: Jacknife Lee and R.E.M.

Standout Tracks: Discoverer/Überlin/Oh My Heart

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=316096&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2QfGdHHkWY0zBlwnMtoj9H?si=czez75mjTziZjZ6VxQt3LA

Review:

“Comeback records are all well and good, but what comes after the comeback? With 2008’s Accelerate, R.E.M. recalled its rock ’n’ roll roots and made its most honestly aggressive album ever—even moreso than 1994’s noisy Monster, a record guitarist Peter Buck once described as “rock in quotation marks.” The post-comeback Collapse Into Now isn’t as breathless as its predecessor; it has a more spacious sound, akin to the Monster follow-up New Adventures In Hi-Fi. But the album is still clearly the work of a band that’s become belatedly comfortable with what it does best. Heck, Buck even breaks out his mandolin.

Working again with producer Jacknife Lee—one of the architects of Snow Patrol’s biggest hits—R.E.M. opens Collapse Into Now with the jangly, echoing “Discoverer,” which features Michael Stipe in full “hey baby” mode, painting himself as a centered, self-aware swinger. From there, the album is split between jet-fueled guitar-pop anthems like “All The Best” and “That Someone Is You” and catchy acoustic numbers like “Überlin” and “Walk It Back.” Generally speaking, Collapse’s songs are more fully formed than Accelerate’s, trading some of the latter’s immediacy for durability.

A few of the new songs find R.E.M. treading old ground, right down to the Out Of Time-like goofiness of the terribly titled “Mine Smell Like Honey” and the Patti Smith guest vocal on the “E-Bow The Letter”-like “Blue.” But just as it was a kick to hear an energetic, engaged R.E.M. again on Accelerate, so it’s reassuring to hear Stipe get back to thoughtfully contemplating hero-worship and identity, as on the plaintive ballad “Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando And I.” Collapse Into Now isn’t the from-left-field treat that Accelerate was; it’s better. It’s another very good album from a band that’s getting back into the habit of making them” – The A.V. Club

Choice Cut: Mine Smells Like Honey

The R.E.M. Book

 

R.E.M.'s Murmur (33 1/3)

FEATURE: Second Spin: Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

 Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time

___________

BECAUSE new music is being teased…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sandy Kim

from Sky Ferreira, I thought that it was a good time to explore her amazing and acclaimed debut album, Night Time, My Time, of 2013. The Los Angeles-born artist released an album that was incredibly well-received. Having put out a couple of E.P.s before her debut, plenty of people knew about the brilliance of Ferreira. As an actor (she has done a lot more acting since her debut came out), I feel she puts more emotion and conviction into her songs that most. That shows on a very nuanced and powerful album. I am going to come to a couple of reviews. There was plenty of positivity, though I am not sure whether a lot of people listen to Night Time, My Time now. I do not hear many of the songs on the radio. It is an amazing album that deserves greater focus and play. If you have not heard it, then go and set aside some time to check it out. I know many are looking ahead to early next year when we will get long-awaited music from a modern-day Pop idol. As we can see from this article in 2013, there was expectation that Night Time, My Time, would be released sooner. Ferreira explained the delay:

“Since being discovered on Myspace just shy of her 15th birthday by Swedish production duo Bloodshy & Avant, the Los Angeles-born Ferreira has seen her profile steadily increase.

 Still, label troubles ("I kind of got the short end of the stick," she said. "It keeps happening to me") and a perfectionist streak have resulted in her not yet releasing her long-anticipated debut album, I Will. Though, to tide over her fans—many of whom got behind her thanks to last fall's stunning Ghost EP—Ferreira plans to release a new EP this September. She said the new collection contains many songs she's been performing live in recent months.

"I could release the [full-length] album in September and just have it come out and nothing really properly set up," she admitted. Instead, Ferreira chose to wait until next year to release her full-length LP, largely because she had the last-minute opportunity to work with certain people that she "couldn't believe had the time to do it." She declined to tell us who, but seeing as she's already worked with the likes of Garbage's Shirley Manson and iconic songwriter Linda Perry, chances are the collaborators are significant. "It was an opportunity I could not miss."

Ferreira said her full-length album has "more electronic stuff" than in the past and is indicative of her ever-evolving musical style. "I feel like I'm in between [pop and indie]," she offered. "I'm in a very hazy place. But I think it's a good thing. It's bought me more time to try and discover myself”.

Maybe a slight tangent but, before getting to reviews for a 2013 gem, there is a 2019 Pitchfork interview, where Ferreira discusses the success of her debut and following it up. I was interesting learning more about her roots. She is someone who, at a young age, had a connection with Michael Jackson:

“Little Sky Tonia Ferreira hummed along to the radio before she could talk. Raised around Los Angeles, mostly Venice Beach, her young parents split when she was a baby. Her dad tended bar, sometimes with her in tow, and when his roommates got cable, she devoured MTV. “I always hung out with a lot of adults,” she says. “I was, like, one of those kids.”

Being one of those kids meant she didn’t know how to talk to the kids who knew how to talk with each other. She was bullied constantly. She also had trouble with numbers and spelling—she suspects she’s dyslexic, but never got tested—and for a while, was so unhappy, she stopped talking altogether. “I had really long hair, didn’t speak, and had dark circles around my eyes,” she says, describing herself as a child. “I looked kinda feral.”

As the story goes, Sky’s first-grade classmates didn’t know she could talk until she sang “Over the Rainbow” in school. “As long as I can remember, I’ve felt the most like myself when I was singing,” she says. (Roughly 18 years later, she covered the Wizard of Oz ballad at David Lynch’s Festival of Disruption, and the director still raves about her version, telling me, “It was incredible. So beautiful.”)

She lived with her grandmother, who worked as a hairdresser. One time when Sky was around 7, she sang for one of her grandmother’s clients. Impressed, the man suggested she join a gospel choir. The man was Michael Jackson. So she did. Jackson also gave a 9-year-old Sky some grown-up advice that’s shaped her approach to art and music ever since: “He was like, ‘Don’t focus on things that are just around you—you need to look back to the history of music.’ And that’s what I did.”

Yes, Sky went to the Neverland Ranch—“a lot.” She also went to Jackson’s other houses. No, she didn’t witness anything untoward. “It wasn’t just because I was a girl,” she tells me, a few days before the controversial HBO documentary Leaving Neverland aired. “I was around a lot of kids.”

Yes, she’s grown hesitant to talk about her grandmother’s larger-than-life client—for all the reasons you’d expect, along with a few you might not. Like, that it’s difficult for people to wrap their minds around the fact that the King of Pop could be a formative elder acquaintance in the casually anodyne way of, say, a dancing-school teacher or a little-league coach—someone whose small encouragements could be so big. “I was really quiet, but when someone sees something in you...” she says of Jackson, before abandoning the thought. “I had a connection to him, but I’m not, like, his family”.

There was plenty of love out there for Night Time, My Time. The aforementioned Pitchfork were eager to lend their thoughts to one of the most anticipated Pop debuts of the past decade:

“About 17 and a half minutes into her debut album, Sky Ferreira prods you to consider how strange it is that you’re listening to it at all. “I just want you to realize I blame myself,” she sings, “for my reputation.” The last word there is the slippery one: It’s difficult to pinpoint what exactly Ferreira’s reputation is at this point, or whom she might be shifting blame from. Maybe she has in mind her young parents, who put her upbringing in the hands of her grandmother. Or perhaps she’s talking to the A&R team at Capitol Records, who signed her at age 15 in the hopes that she’d become the next Britney. The label orchestrated some minor singles for her (“One” and "Obsession”), only to let her planned full-length sputter and die along with her recording budget.

It’s also possible she’s addressing the horde of fashion-world supporters who helped her become a raccoon-eyed ingenue better known for looking cool on Terry Richardson’s Tumblr and modeling Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent pieces than making music. More plausible still, her followers at large for being seduced by the socialite component while failing to invest in her musical aspirations. And what of her boyfriend, Zachary Cole Smith of bedroom-rock band DIIV, the guy carrying a bunch of heroin when the two were arrested together in upstate New York this fall? At barely 21, Ferreira’s had a musical career burdened—and bolstered—by so many warring external forces and unconventional zig-zagging that the sheer existence of her debut album is a minor miracle.

So it’s both a relief and a bit of a shock that Night Time*, My Time* is not only here, but that it’s one of the most pleasingly conventional and cohesive pieces of pop-rock to come along this year. Particularly given last year’s uneven Ghost EP, which rode the success of “Everything Is Embarrassing” and used big-name collaborators to dabble in a sometimes-confusing assortment of styles—Shirley Manson-stamped grunge, singer-songwritery folk, electro-pop. Night Time*, My Time* finds Ferreira navigating her tastes more gracefully, bridging the gaps between 80s pop sparkle and full-bodied 90s grunge in a streamlined way. Her primary collaborator this time is producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Solange, Haim, Charli XCX, Vampire Weekend, Usher), a guy known for adding both big-league pop polish to smaller acts and fine-tuning to bigger ones.

Night Time, My Time resists the self-serious instinct to position Ferreira as an artist artist— which might have been an especially powerful temptation considering she's a young woman in the music industry who’s spoken about coming into her own sense of agency. She examines emotional neglect (“Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay)”) and self-loathing, but also sings clever songs about lifestyle posturing—“Stabbin’ pens in my hand/ But I’m never workin’, just spending/ A giant comedy with museums and shopping with Kristine,” she sings on “Kristine”, a giddily odd track with ska undertones. She’s does her glummest Chan Marshall impersonation (“Night Time, My Time”), but she also refers to the men in her life as simply boys and isn’t afraid to address them in a purposefully grade-school tone: “Boys, they’re a dime a dozen,” she mutters. “Boys, they just make me mad.” Night Time, My Time isn’t the reactionarily somber anti-pop drag it could have been—instead, it’s a smart Kelly Kapowski hair-whip and loud bubblegum-crack of a record that lends itself to compulsive listening”.

Prior to winding it up, I want to use AllMusic’s review for Night Time, My Time. I go to them a lot, as they seem to have insight and a special connection with a lot of albums. At  the very least, they can definitely get to the core of an album:

“When Sky Ferreira's debut album, Night Time, My Time, finally arrived in October 2013 after a slew of EPs and delayed release dates, it confirmed her status as pop music's dark horse. Financed by Ferreira with money she earned from modeling gigs, it's a truly independent album from an outspoken artist; the scornful hooks on "Ain't Your Right" feel like they're aimed at everyone who got between her and her dream. While Night Time, My Time's most outrageous touches -- the equally alluring and disturbing nude album cover shot by controversial film director Gaspar Noé, the Suicide-goes-Top 40 track "Omanko," named after the Japanese slang for a woman's genitals -- are designed to raise eyebrows, the most shocking thing about the album might be how consistently good it is. Working with producers Justin Raisen and Ariel Rechtshaid, Ferreira balances her pop and indie leanings in surprising, creative, and always catchy ways. On the opening track "Boys" alone, she combines shades of girl group romanticism, grunge disillusionment, and synth pop cool into a sound that's resolutely hers.

Just how much range she shows on Night Time, My Time is impressive. "24 Hours" and "I Blame Myself" are built on classic pop structures (even if Ferreira sings about "the hounds of hell" on the latter track); later, she flirts with new wave on "Love in Stereo" and makes the mix of hard-hitting beats and big guitars on "I Will" sound perfectly natural. She blends seemingly contradictory emotions just as effortlessly on songs such as "Nobody Asked Me (If I Was OK)" and "You're Not the One," where she sounds pissed-off, world-weary, and ecstatic at the same time. However, the album's biggest shock -- and one of its biggest successes -- comes at its end: Driven by simmering strings and industrial drums, the album's hallucinatory title track shows that Ferreira can match Cat Power or Charlotte Gainsbourg when it comes to dead-of-the-night drama. Night Time, My Time is a stunning introduction to an artist who excels at blurring and breaking boundaries to be true to herself and her music”.

A fantastic album that the world has been loving since its 2013 release, eyes are on Sky Ferreira ahead of the planned release of her second album next year. Night Time, My Time is a cracking album that definitely should be played and shared more. Let’s hope that there is renewed investment in Ferreira in the coming weeks. I really like the album. It introduced me to an amazing artist. Even when I play Night Time, My Time today, it gets under the skin and…

CUTS quite deep.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Seventy-Eight: Summer Walker

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern Heroines

PHOTO CREDIT: Ro.Lexx 

Part Seventy-Eight: Summer Walker

___________

THE 2019 debut album…

from Summer Walker, Over It, was one of my favourites of that year. She has just put out the remarkable follow-up, Still Over It. The artist, born in Atlanta, Georgia, is someone who I feel is going to be a hugely influential artist in the future. With two incredible albums under her belt, she is already establishing herself as one of the most incredible and promising artists. I am going to end with a couple of positive reviews for Still Over It. It is one of the most remarkable albums you will hear this year! Whilst there are some interviews bits to promote Still Over It, the majority of interviews with Summer Walker are from 2019. It is well worth exploring them. The first one is from THE FACE. They spoke to the then-twenty-three-year-old, who was (debatably) the biggest artist on the planet:

“It’s unsurprising that people ask her for selfies. 23-year-old Walker’s debut album Over It, released this October, is the biggest R&B debut of the last 10 years. It charted straight into the UK top 10 at No.7 and No.2 in the US, and the remix of her song Girls Need Love featuring Drake has racked up over 90 million streams on Spotify. We meet on the afternoon before her show at east London venue The Troxy (3,100 capacity) – which was added to the tour schedule after tickets for her other two gigs in the city quickly sold out.

It hasn’t all been welcomed. For Walker, it feels like a teeth-clenching grind that she calls ​“kinda irritating”. Today, it’s only discussing the ​“fruity candy” scent of cleaning product Fabuloso that initially excites her, after I mention her Insta stories that show Walker fastidiously cleaning the nooks and crannies of her tour bus. Before our interview, there are a few murmurs of her reluctance to do interviews from other journalists that have spoken to her but its not 100% clear just how much. Now, as you’re reading this, it’s common knowledge that Walker has spoken of her crippling social anxiety and the fact that she’s no fan of interviews. She’s only doing a handful on this promo run, and to get through this one, she’s holding Rose quartz (“for love”), tourmaline (“for protection”) and amethyst (“for calming”) crystals in her hand as we speak.

An Instagram post on the 3rd November perhaps sums up Walker’s current disposition best: ​“Fuck the interviews, photo shoots, videos, & really the shows too.” This week she took to Instagram to inform her fans that she appreciates those who purchase meet and greets, but that she’s an empath and ​“that transference of energy from that many people each day would literally KILL me”. She has also cancelled 20 dates of her tour, citing anxiety issues and the need to look after her health.

Walker grew up in Atlanta, but it’s Las Vegas, the place she now calls home, that she feels homesick for. It makes sense really – finding solace in sprawling desert that from the outside, seems like a glamorous, bustling strip. She’s quick to debunk that: ​“It’s actually not that populated – it’s like 600,000 people. If you go on the strip its dense but there’s loads of other places to go where there’s no traffic. Whereas Atlanta, NY, California [are] really crowded. People think Vegas is really busy but it’s not. I love it. My ma says it looks like a ghost town.” The more you get to know Walker, the more you realise that finding a home in a ghost town might just be a perfect fit.

As a teen, she recalls attending a predominantly white school at which she was a self-confessed introvert. ​“I didn’t really talk to people like that,” she mumbles from under her hood. ​“People thought I was weird. They called me weird all the time.” She found herself by going home and playing guitar, listening to Musiq Soulchild and classical, courtesy of her piano teacher, and went on to study audio engineering at college. She started uploading music to her YouTube in secret – ​“none of my classmates knew I even did music,” she smiles. I ask how she overcame her anxiety of showing people her videos online and she responds, matter of factly: ​“It’s online so it doesn’t bother me. There isn’t any people in my face. Even now, you just turn off your notifications, block who you want to block.”

Her other interests include reading books on ​“geometry, dimensions, science, meditation” and diving head first into a number of conspiracy theories, including Planet X and CERN. (“They’re like, opening portals and shit. But don’t you think it’s so annoying because like, humans are always trying to recreate something that they have no business recreating and it’s like, ​‘you’re going to fuck something up?’”) But she’s most fascinated by the Moors (black Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, who some believe bought white Europeans out of the dark ages thanks to their enlightened knowledge of history, mathematics, astronomy and art). The fact that the black history and mythology of the Moors captures her imagination so much, is an insight to the kind of quiet power of black excellence that Walker respects. ​“I like their independence,” she says with a shrug.

I ask Walker whether she might be underestimating the impact she’s had on certain fans’ lives and she exhales into her ATL drawl. ​“Yeah, but people have the attention span of like, kids. They get all hyped up and then the next minute they on to the next thing. Somebody else will come out and do their thing.” The honesty, and awareness of the cycle is heartening and depressing, and it’s hard not to admire anyone able to centre their needs over the expectations of an industry that’s got a history of punishing artists that tell it to go fuck itself.

It also flags up questions of entitlement of what fans expect from artists. Not all artists have to be relatable and available, and it’s telling that Walker saying no is so newsworthy in a social media climate in which anyone with profile is less and less permitted to be invisible.

“I spent most of my time on instagram and on TikTok,” Walker tells me. ​“There’s this one lady … I can’t remember who, did this video on being an introvert and hows it’s ok. And how like, a lot of extroverts have a lot of narcissistic traits, like you don’t have to be loud. They make you feel like if you’re not loud there’s something wrong with you or something.”

When asked a question about politics her decision to dismiss it is refreshing. ​“I don’t stand for shit,” she shrugs. In the saccharine celebrity world of watery wokeness we live in, it’s good to hear someone say it how it is. Walker is not a slick, articulate speaker, nor a cutesy affected ​“I’m a weirdo!” fabrication. She just is. And while others might read it as precocious when she shrugs that she just does live shows to make money (“I’m just doing this all for money, that’s it”), rather than as a creative or spiritual gift to her fans, you wonder if she really means it. What’s clear is that her talent is undeniable.

It’s hard not to marvel at a young artist turning the standard media industy complex run of events haywire – announcing the end before its really even begun (her tour is titled: The First and Last Tour), refusing press, answering questions with shrugs, and then later doing a show with so much charisma and seemingly effortless talent that you can’t help but feel drawn to her”.

What strikes me hardest about Summer Walker is a lack of ego! She makes the music she wants to and does not have this superstar attitude. She wants to be able to record how she wants - and she is not really interested in being famous. I think there is something quite grounded and relatable around albums like Over It and Still Over It. Yet, there is this astonishing talent that puts her well above the majority of her peers. It is clear that, from a young age, Summer Walker has yearned to tell her story and convey her emotions through music. American Songwriter interviewed Walker back in 2019:

“Atlanta-based artist, Summer Walker, is all about the process of making music. Attention from journalists? Eh, whatever. Accolades and fame? Sure. She’ll take it if she has to, but she doesn’t strive for it. Instead, what Walker wants is the freedom to continue to make more music, to invest in the muse and simply write. Which is why her 2019 LP, Over It, is so aptly titled. Walker, who’s worked many odd jobs to support herself (including stripper, while also teaching herself guitar in off hours), has put in the time and made the sacrifices. Walker has also seen what a life without music at its center may lead to and she wants none of it for herself. Instead, she’ll continue to coyly and expertly write her songs, perform on massive stages (digitally and in-person, when allowed) and grow her passion. We caught up with the creative mind to ask her how she came to love music, how she found her band mates and why she always seems so in-charge.

When did you first find music as a young person?

It has always been in my life. My mom used to play old school music all the time when I was growing up – it was everywhere. That’s when I fell in love with how music made me feel. I connected to it deeply from a very early age. Just hearing music throughout my childhood just spoke to me.

What about it stuck, made you want to invest energy into it?

Soul music really did something for my spirit and made me feel good inside. How could you not be moved? Listening to what great soul singers had to say and how they sang it. To be so in touch with emotion. It gave me something to relate to and helped me express myself. It gave me confidence and understanding that I too could express myself through music and through my writing along with my musicianship.

When would you write and how did that lead to your eventual discovery?

I would write music whenever I was sad. That was my outlet. I wasn’t planning on calling myself an artist. I just felt compelled to write my thoughts down and they became songs. It just happened over time. Writing is my way of capturing my emotion. It’s a safe place for reflection for me and my way of expressing my sadness. I realized, over time, that other people connected with what I was saying. It was a natural progression for me. Every time I would write or perform, becoming a full-time artist became real”.

 The way you sing and perform is often low-key. But it’s also in-charge. Is that a dynamic you’re thinking about – or, how do you think about your style, cadence, energy?

I’m pretty much just a chill person so that follows me onto the stage, as well. Not much changes. I stay true to who I am. I always want to express myself by just being myself, I don’t feel the need to be someone I’m not. I feel very fortunate to have a team of people around me who respect that about me. They believe in my ability to create and share my emotions. So, every time I sing or when I’m on stage, it’s about feeling for me. I let the words come out the way they need to be in that moment and make a connection with my soul. So, I’m in-charge because I say what I feel. I put it out there.

You’re a very versatile artist – musically, visually. To what do you attribute that ability to shift or fit multiple places?

Thank you for your kind words! I don’t know. I don’t think I’m that versatile, but now that you say that, I think I just lean into who I am. I am an artist after all. So, it’s: how am I feeling today? Who do I want to be?  I’m singing about heartbreak and relationships. I’m just moving through life and receiving the energy as it passes through me. I appreciate the sentiment!

How did you find your band mates and develop the creative bond with them?

I met them over time off of apps. Now, they’re my friends and I love them. I just wanted to make sure they all came from a Baptist Church so we could really capture that soulful sound. Not just anyone can do that. They help make me feel the music on stage. That deep soul where we can communicate without saying a word. It’s a feeling. It’s a deep friendship. You have to have that with your band. A soulful sound.

What was the process of writing and putting together Over It – exorcising relationships, past attentions?

A lot of the songs I already had written from past experiences. I collected those songs over time. The postproduction process involved me trusting [my producer] London to help put it together and do what he felt like would help elevate the sound. Writing, for me, is so personal. It’s who I am. It’s a solitary thing. The music and the words have to move through me. So, Over It is just a culmination of so many past experiences”.

Before coming to reviews for Still Over It, there is a bit of interesting press from Shine My Crown. Not only did Walker talk about her style and how she stands out. She also expressed dissatisfaction at how many of her important and serious songs are overlooked compared to more superficial ones:

“Summer Walker is a hottie with an edge. While she may adorn the curves we see many of today’s celebrities rocking on the Gram — it cannot be denied that Walker’s style is somewhat alternative.

This week, the singer reflected on her style — which she says was more radical back in high school.

She questions why everybody wants to look the same.

“I wish I could find my old pics from high school, I had a shaved head, Mohawk, Afro, every colour wig, blonde Bantu knots, shaved eye brows with 2 stripes of paint under my eyes like I was going to war,” she wrote via her Galactawh-re account.

“I had it all cause I didn’t care to be MYSELF, and I still don’t. Don’t be mad at me cause you to P—-y to step outside of societal norms.”

She continued in the caption of her throwback pic: “Imagine not doing/wearing what you want until you have approval from the rest of your peers…Save your opinions cause I’m a keep being ME regardless despite the insecurities/envy/projection you have towards me,” she adds. “If I was white no one would give af, for some reason black people ain’t allowed to be goth emo or alternative but that’s a different conversation.”

Walker feels the same way about the music industry.

Last year, in an interview with Billboard, Walker expressed her disappointment that her more heartfelt songs didn’t chart as well as her more superficial tracks.

“I do see something that irritates me a little when it comes to radio,” said Walker. “It seems the only songs from me that do super good on the radio are those that are more upbeat. I’ll also hear other songs from us and others that are slower, very heartfelt, and a lot of people will f–k with them. But it seems like [with radio], if you can’t shake your a— to the song, then it won’t do what it should do”.

After releasing the incredible Still Over It earlier in the month, it is understandable that Summer Walker is being talked about as one of the greatest artists on the planet. I can definitely understand that point of view! CLASH provided a really positive review for Walker’s second studio album. This is what they had to say:

“As the twenty-track production begins, it’s clear to the imagination that this is going to be something special. As the romantic R&B vibes kick in, this writer immediately falls in love with ‘No Love’ featuring SZA. The soft, yet addictive vocals on this beautifully put together track allows for both artists to swim in harmony with each other. It’s simply magnificent.

As the personal lyricism kicks in and head starts bobbing away, one thing is apparent throughout the body of work. Whether it be ‘Circus’, ‘No Love’ or ‘Unloyal’, each track is sown with deeply personal aspects of Summer Walker’s life. Discussions of if a man lost interest in her because of her body, mentality or fame are a tug at the heart as the listeners can really feel for the talented artist in the different tracks. Apart from the fame part, many readers and listeners can fully relate to it.

That is what makes this album one of her best yet. The relatability that also throws in fun and home truths. ‘Unloyal’ features Ari Lennox who is more than happy to show what happens if you hurt or disappoint her with lyrics that cut to the core of any hurt and pain.

Tracks such as ‘Closure’ and ‘Broken Promises’ are prime examples of how good Summer Walker is on her own. The silky vocals mixed with clean-cut production is just perfect for any listener who needs to get into their feelings.

As the evening comes to a close for this writer, this album serves up Summer Walker’s best work yet. It’s brutal, yet romantic, it’s fun, yet flirty, it’s everything any listener could be wanting. A rollercoaster of emotions and she’s not even finished yet”.

The last thing that I want to quote is NME’s review. They, like CLASH, had plenty of good things to say from an artist who is on the form of her life:

“The 25-year-old enlists her A-list friends to rally around her on the new record, with Pharrell, SZA and Lil Durk all contributing guest features. Cardi B even kicks things off by narrating the opening track ‘Bitter’ and telling Walker: “Don’t let bitches feel like they have a one-up by destroying your moment.” Ciara, meanwhile, rounds things off by narrating ‘Ciara’s Prayer’.

But the best team-up comes on ‘Unloyal’, a duet with Walker’s best bud and rising R&B soul sister Ari Lennox. Walker takes on an India Arie-esque vibe during this smoky, soulful song, and it’s a true delight. “You think that I need you, boy, you funny / Got my own money,” Walker sings in a high register before Lennox, ever the supportive best friend, bowls in: “I said you can come and pick up your shit / Acting like you paying for shit / In yo bow wow du-rag / Outside with yo doggie bag.” Despite their differing styles, the two singers combine perfectly here.

While Walker understandably vents about her highly public break-up on the record, sonically she goes to places that she’s never explored before. In addition to the aforementioned ‘Unloyal’, ‘Throw It Away’ takes influence from the Timbaland–Missy Elliot dream team on the late Aaliyah’s never-aging 2001 self-titled album. But it’s ‘Insane’ that provides the perfect amount of alt-R&B as siren-like electric guitar notes whirl around, adding a steeliness to Walker’s haunting lyrics (“Now what you in a rush for?/What, you trying to meet your maker, darling?“). Walker increasingly sounds like she’s having fun and finding her confidence in performing. Playing around with her vocal delivery, the smoky, jagged vocals on ‘Insane’ will drive you, well, insane – in a good way.

While ‘Over It’ featured a number of slow, mushy and loved-up songs, Walker’s second record sees her make a conscious effort to not solely depend on the same nostalgic ‘00s R&B vibe that helped her rise to fame. A certain darkness has descended on the once-pink fluffiness that memorably featured on ‘Over It’s album cover, with ‘Still Over It’ instead displaying a whirlwind of emotions. Walker has a song here for every feeling following a crushing break-up, from confusion to anger to outright pettiness – and it’s the kind of unwavering quality that we all love her for.

While this album might not immediately click with those who loved ‘Over It’s R&B pop hits, it’s worth remembering that ‘Still Over It’ is primarily for Summer Walker. In her time of need, she turned to her only safe haven, music, to find the closure she so desired”.

I have no hesitation in saying Summer Walker is going to be an idol and hugely influential artist soon. Her music is so affecting. She has such a beautiful voice… and yet her lyrics can be very striking and hard-hitting. I love what she is doing and will watch her career unfold with keen interest. A sensational talent that will continue to blossom and explore, the music world has a real star…

WITH Summer Walker

FEATURE: Groovelines: Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

 Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

___________

ONE of the biggest songs of 2009…

I am spotlighting Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance in this Groovelines. Taken from her third E.P./album, The Fame Monster, Bad Romance is a huge song that was written and produced by Nadir ‘RedOne’ Khayat and Lady Gaga. In terms of its themes and lyrical inspirations, it relates to Gaga's attraction to individuals with whom romance never works. Documenting the lonely relationships she goes through on tour, Bad Romance reached number two in the U.S. and one in the U.K. There are a couple of articles that I want to bring in that explore Bad Romance in more depth. Before that, and going to Wikipedia, this is what critics said about one of Gaga’s best-known songs:

“The video received general acclaim from critics and fans. It was the first video to reach 200 million views on May 9, 2010 and in doing so became the most-viewed video on YouTube, until it was surpassed by Justin Bieber's "Baby" on July 16, 2010. On December 31, 2018, "Bad Romance" surpassed 1 billion views, and as of December 2020, it has received over 1.3 billion views.

Tim Stack from Entertainment Weekly called the video "amazing" and added, "I don't think Gaga has ever looked prettier than in the close-ups where she's more stripped down." Jennifer Cady of E! was also impressed by the video and commented, "This music video really makes us appreciate everything Gaga actually brings to pop music. She's exciting to watch, plain and simple. ... We need someone like Gaga to really bring it. To put actual thought and care into her product so that it feels alive". Issie Lapowsky of New York Daily News thought Gaga laid the "theatrics on thick" in the video but complimented her for wearing minimal makeup, calling it "refreshingly normal". Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times said that the video brought back his faith in performance art, and that "Gaga brings enough [drama] on her own, thank you very much.” He also thought the set for the video was "worthy of a feature-length film". Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone felt that the scenes from the music video were reminiscent of the work of Stanley Kubrick. He added that in "Bad Romance", Gaga portrays her craziest ideas yet.

Jocelyn Vena from MTV believed that the video was symbolic and portrayed how "the old Gaga is over, here's the brand-new Gaga: the one who seems to delight in pushing the boundaries and exploring all manner of sexual proclivities". She further believed that the video was a testament to Gaga's brilliance "as an artist that uses the video art form as the jump-off point for the next leg of their career". In 2011, Claire Suddath of Time said that although later Gaga videos were more elaborate, "Bad Romance" was Gaga at her best. In Lady Gaga: Behind the Fame, Emily Herbert drew comparisons between the underlying theme of the video and the theme of The Fame Monster—the relationship with fame. She wrote, "Was this the price that Gaga had to pay for the fame she so desired? Did she feel as if she'd had to prostitute herself in some way? The themes were all based around sex, decadence, and corruption; alcohol and even cigarettes, twenty-first century society's biggest no-no, were present, and so by implication ... drugs." The Wall Street Journal noted Gaga as one of the few pop stars of the present time who really understood spectacle, fashion, shock, choreography—all the things that Madonna and Michael Jackson were masters of in the 1980s”.

I think that Bad Romance is a song that had an impact on the Pop world. There are articles that discuss the importance of the video, in addition to how various sounds and aspects of Bad Romance shook Pop and changed the game back in 2009. Before coming to them, Huffington Post provided ten interesting facts about Bad Romance. I have selected some that stand out to me:

“There are three Alfred Hitchcock film titles hidden in the lyrics

Gaga name checks three of the iconic British director’s most famous films (Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window) in the second verse, with the lyrics “I want your psycho, your vertigo shtick/Want you in my rear window, baby you’re sick”, referencing his films’ fascination with the relationship between sexuality and violence.

Gaga set a UK chart record when she eventually reached number one

After Bad Romance eventually hit the UK top spot, Gaga became the first solo female artist to have three chart-toppers in a calendar year, with Just Dance and Poker Face also reaching #1 in 2009.

Bad Romance claimed the top spot nearly a month after its release, but was knocked off by Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name after only one  week due to a campaign to keep the X Factor winner off the Christmas number one spot.

Joe McElderry’s The Climb claimed the first number one of 2010, with Bad Romance returning to the top spot the week after, where it stayed for another week.

Gaga wrote the song while in Norway on her tour bus

She penned it with long-time collaborator and producer RedOne. “I remember me and Gaga in a bus doing Bad Romance,” he said in a BBC interview in 2010. “We did it on a bus, with two pairs of headphones. And as soon as I heard that ‘woah-oh-oh-oh-oaahhh’ from the intro, I could just see a whole stadium singing it”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Lady Gaga in September 2010 after accepting an award at the MTV Video Music Awards for Bad Romance/PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Pizzello/Associated Press

NME featured Bad Romance in 2019, explaining and exploring how Lady Gaga’s anthem changed things. The video alone had an enormous impact – and it has inspired artists all these years later:

“She’s also keen on simple, high-impact lyrics that revolve around a song’s title: on ‘Bad Romance’ she uses the title a whopping 28 times (well, actually 29 times if we’re counting the one line where she swaps to French).

Some artists just have a magical immediacy that thwacks you around the chops the minute their song comes on the radio – it’s clear it’s by a particular person in the first few seconds. ‘Bad Romance’ is a song that does just that. It has Lady Gaga’s playful pen written all over it, and this is arguably the song that elevated her into the titan she is in 2019.

The pounding repetition of German techno? Sure, chuck it into the mix. Alfred Hitchcock film titles? Namecheck three of them in a row (Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window) in the space of a single verse! ‘Bad Romance’ is a restless juggernaut of a song that blends together the harshest house with theatrical euro-disco – while skewering the toxic trappings of fame, and strutting down the catwalk with a cry of “Walk, walk, fashion, baby”. Gaga’s massive ambition (there’s a film’s worth of plot material in that video alone) was staggering, not to mention the fact that she set up her own creative team – Haus of Gaga – to help execute everything from the meat-dress to ‘Bad Romance’s infamous pyrotechnic bra (more on that very shortly)”.

The last thing that I am going to source comes from i-D. Like NME, they wanted to mark a decade of a modern-day Pop classic. Lady Gaga’s high fashion and increasingly outlandish and eye-capturing fashions helped turn the Bad Romance video into something iconic:

 “Notions of her weirdness, however, were encouraged by increasingly outlandish outfits, gasp-inducing hats made of lilac hair and even a refusal to acknowledge entirely inappropriate rumours of intersexism that briefly followed her. Likewise, with every single release she upped the ante, pushing against the era’s anodyne club-set music videos in favour for weird high fashion takes on the complexities of fame, foreshadowing her next step. Then in September 2009, she stopped teasing the extent of her pop art and bled to death onstage in front of Beyoncé (and the rest of the world) while singing “Paparazzi” full-throated at the MTV Video Music Awards, as if to say: you’ve barely scratched the surface.

Barely a month later, “Bad Romance” arrived and it felt like her artistic vision was finally realised. With the 90s German techno and house-inspired track, produced by RedOne, she delivered a fully formed spectacle that utilised high fashion as costume to make a defiant statement that is arguably better understood in today’s post-#MeToo culture.

To appreciate the magnitude of the single’s impact, it’s important to understand the role haute couture played in its success. After sending late designer Alexander McQueen an early version of “Bad Romance” to debut during his final runway show, he sent Gaga the collection to wear in the music video before anyone else. The collection -- which included the armadillo boots Sarah Mower hailed “grotesque” following its presentation at Paris Fashion Week -- exaggerated the strength that she wanted the song and video to convey. Visually, pop at the time had become imprisoned by formulaic visuals and easily attainable aesthetics (think the Pussycat Dolls or “Party In The USA”) to which Gaga rejected in favour of extremes and extravagance. In marrying her musical artistry with McQueen’s vision, two revolutionaries united to transform the pop landscape into something thrillingly theatrical.

“I was really excited to make the opening scene [of the video] a fashion ad that was slightly moving but bizarre,” she said in a 2015 interview. “Alexander McQueen had sent us all his clothes from “Plato’s Atlantis” [his final runway show] and they were all so beautiful. We couldn’t believe that he’d sent them to us so that was also a very strong dictator in this video.”

Although designers sending musicians their collections was not a novelty 10 years ago, Gaga recognised this gesture as the honour of a pioneer who was actively revolutionising the fashion industry and embraced it to similarly transform music. Thus, the closing look of his show was worn in the video as the song builds to the nerve-shatteringly euphoric final chorus - those legendary armadillo boots included. “I just remember that when I wore that outfit, I just kept saying to everyone on set, ‘We can’t wear anything else by any other designers except for young kids and everything must look good with McQueen’s clothes and anything else cannot be used’,” she later said.

But “Bad Romance” and The Fame Monster also shook the music industry. The latter took inspiration from horror tropes and explored “the dark side” of the themes her debut album was centred around. Instead of being a standard album reissue that tacked a new single on for Christmas sales, she pushed for it to be a standalone project that flipped her debut on its head. Where The Fame divulged in the excesses of wealth, glamour and lust, its follow-up explored the toxicity of obsession, objectification and overindulgence. It wasn’t dismissive of the earlier optimism, but simply more reflective, with Gaga describing them as “yin and yang” in interviews. The heavier, gothic material initiated the industrial sounds she would pursue later on Born This Way, while the 180 degree reboot proved that new artists could reinvent themselves during their debut. Without it, Lana Del Rey may not have taken us to Paradise so soon, while Rihanna’s annual reinventions -- when she was actually a popstar -- may have been more spaced out.

The song itself also reintroduced her as an entirely different artist to the one many had met just nine months prior, one who was creating on a different level -- and at a different speed -- than her peers. The lyric “I’m a free bitch, baby” was more of a mission statement for the entire release, as she delivered her most unrestrained, almost demented, vocal performance with a music video that played out more like a fashion show and feature-length movie hybrid. Each performance peered through another window of the Haus of Gaga from the golden-clad bathroom on The X Factor to the smokey piano room at The Ellen Show. Whether it was a family talent show or daytime fodder, every opportunity was a moment to push her creativity and narrative forward. For this same reason, she redesigned her debut arena tour with weeks to go to complement the new twisted addition to her album”.

I think that Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance is a song that is hard to dislike. Such is its energy and infectiousness; it is a song that lodges in the head! It is clear that it is a hugely important song. Gaga continues to put out incredible music - and, in my view, there is nobody that makes Pop like her. For that reason (and several others), I had to include 2009’s Bad Romance…

IN this feature.

FEATURE: Hunter's Dream: Kate Bush’s 50 Words for Snow at Ten

FEATURE:

 

 

Hunter's Dream

 Kate Bush’s 50 Words for Snow at Ten

___________

THIS is a bit of a round-up feature…

where I am talking generally about Kate Bush’s 50 Words for Snow, with a great review and interview included. I have written about the album quite a bit this year. It turns ten on 21st November. It is her most-recent studio album. On its anniversary, I know there will be fans wondering whether the coming year will see Bush re-emerge with an eleventh studio album. There is never any rush, though the quality and impact of 50 Words for Snow definitely fuels desire! It is a stunning album with some of her most beautiful compositions, lyrics and vocal performances. Earlier in 2011, Bush released Director’s Cut - an album where she reworked songs from The Sensual World (1989) and The Red Shoes (1993). She wanted to re-version and record songs that she felt were not as good-sounding as they could be. That album sort of cleared the path for her to record new music. Going straight from one album to the next, one can feel this sense of freedom and renewed inspiration right through 50 Words for Snow. With seven beautiful tracks that each inhabit their own world, they are tied together by the theme of snow (expect for the final track, Among Angels, which was written before the other songs but has a place on the album). With vocal guests including Andy Fairweather Low, Albert McIntosh (her son), Elton John and Stephen Fry, it is real treat!

Every Kate Bush album that celebrates a big anniversary is something to get excited about. Given the fact 50 Words for Snow is her latest album makes it bittersweet. As I have said before, the album is magnificent, and yet there is that wondering as to whether we will ever hear music from her – or whether there is going to be a longer wait for a follow-up. 50 Words for Snow is one of the best-reviewed albums of Bush’s career. It is up there with Hounds of Love, The Sensual World and Aerial in terms of universal acclaim. I want to return to an interview I have sourced from a bit when it comes to 50 Words for Snow. The Quietus’ chat with her in 2011 is joyful to read! John Doran spoke with Bush about her then-new album. There are some exchanges from that interview that I want to highlight now:

 “So Aerial is full of images of clear skies, still water, warm days and it’s full of the bustle of family life and an easy domesticity. 50 Words For Snow is a similarly beautiful album but there is a chill to it - it lacks the warmth of its predecessor. I wondered if it represented another switch from an autobiographical to a narrative song writing approach?

KB: Yeah, I think it’s much more a kind of narrative story-telling piece. I think one of the things I was playing with on the first three tracks was trying to allow the song structure to evolve the story telling process itself; so that it’s not just squashed into three or four minutes, so I could just let the story unfold.

I’ve only heard the album today so I can’t say I’m completely aware of every nuance but I have picked out a few narrative strands. Would it be fair enough to say that it starts with a birth and ends with a death?

KB: No, not at all. Not to my mind anyway. It may start with a birth but it’s the birth of a snowflake which takes its journey from the clouds to the ground or to this person’s hand. But it’s not really a conceptual piece; it’s more that the songs are loosely held together with this thread of snow.

Fair play. Now some of your fans may have been dismayed to read that there were only seven songs on the album but they should be reassured at this point that the album is 65 minutes long, which makes for fairly long tracks. How long did it take you to write these songs and in the course of writing them did you discard a lot of material?

KB: This has been quite an easy record to make actually and it’s been quite a quick process. And it’s been a lot of fun to make because the process was uninterrupted. What was really nice for me was I did it straight off the back of Director’s Cut, which was a really intense record to make. When I finished it I went straight into making this so I was very much still in that focussed space; still in that kind of studio mentality. And also there was a sense of elation that suddenly I was working from scratch and writing songs from scratch and the freedom that comes with that.

Now, ‘Snowed In At Wheeler Street’ features the vocal talents of Sir Elton John and I was wondering, was the track written with him in mind?

KB: Yes. Absolutely.

How long have you known him?

KB: Oooh. I’ve known him for a long time. He used to be one of my greatest musical heroes. He was such an inspiration to me when I was starting to write songs. I just adored him. I suppose at that time a lot of the well-known performers and writers were quite guitar based but he could play really hot piano. And I’ve always loved his stuff. I’ve always been a fan so I kind of wrote the song with him in mind. And I’m just blown away by his performance on it. Don’t you think it’s great?

Yeah, he really gives it his all.

KB: He sings with pure emotion.

I love the way out of the fifty words that you come up with for snow, without a bit of digging round I wouldn’t have been able to tell you which words were real, which were made up, which were partially true and which were obscure, archaic or foreign. I know that the whole idea of Eskimos having 50 words for snow is false but at the same time I do know that the Sami people of Lapland do actually have hundreds of words for snow. But from your point of view where did the idea for such a beautiful and weird song come from?

KB: Well, I’m really pleased you like it. Years ago I think I must have heard this idea that there were 50 words for snow in this, ah, Eskimo Land! And I just thought it was such a great idea to have so many words about one thing. It is a myth - although, as you say it may hold true in a different language - but it was just a play on the idea, that if they had that many words for snow, did we? If you start actually thinking about snow in all of its forms you can imagine that there are an awful lot of words about it. Just in our immediate language we have words like hail, slush, sleet, settling… So this was a way to try and take it into a more imaginative world. And I really wanted Stephen to read this because I wanted to have someone who had an incredibly beautiful voice but also someone with a real sense of authority when he said things. So the idea was that the words would get progressively more silly really but even when they were silly there was this idea that they would have been important, to still carry weight. And I really, really wanted him to do it and it was fantastic that he could do it”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

There will be a lot of love fort 50 Words for Snow on 21st November. It is one of Kate Bush’s most interesting, extraordinary and immersive albums. I have been listening to it for a decade. I get something new every time I experience it. It is a true experience! Something that will stay with you. This is what The Independent wrote about Bush’s 2011 triumph:

“On Kate Bush's first album of new material since Aerial, she takes the more relaxed, discursive style she used on that album and eases it out further, so that despite containing just seven tracks, 50 Words For Snow lasts longer than an hour.

It's something of an exercise in musical evocation too, the individual tracks seeming to coalesce gently, like snow gathering in drifts: most consist of simple, unhurried piano parts, underscored by ambient synth pads, strings, and occasionally a touch of jazzy reeds, or Oriental-sounding twang. The result is a lush, immersive work which is sonically more homogeneous than her earlier albums, reflecting the conceptual solidity of its wintry theme, in which fantastical, mythic narratives are allowed to take shape under the cover of its snowy blanket.

On the opening "Snowflake", it's her son, Bertie, that takes most of the vocals, bringing echoes of the plaintive innocence of Aled Jones's "Walking in the Air" to the song of a snowflake yearning for human contact: "I was born in a cloud/Now I am falling/I want you to catch me." In "Lake Tahoe", Bush's oozing, jazzy delivery, combined with subtle reed textures, strings and an intriguing polyphony of classical backing vocals, lends a monochrome, film noir-ish quality to the ghostly murder mystery. Elsewhere, songs are populated by yetis, time-travellers and sentient snowmen, all half-hidden among the silent clouds of snow, like characters in snow-globes.

At 14 minutes, "Misty" is the longest track, with Steve Gadd's jazzy drumming swirling around the fairy-tale love-tryst between a woman and a snowman, whose inevitable dissolution is evoked in watery slide-guitar akin to a valiha. The empathy between human and non-human extends further in "Wild Man", where the search for a yeti is sketched with the geographical accuracy of an actual Himalayan expedition, Bush's softly voiced verses punctuated by more urgent refrains urging the beast's escape – its capture would mean death for the abominable snowman of myth and legend, now reduced to mere flesh and bone.

Elton John duets on "Snowed in at Wheeler Street", in which a pair of immortal, time-travelling lovers snatch a momentary erotic interlude under the cover of a blizzard, already regretting their inevitable separation as they each track their way through history: "Come with me, I've got some rope, I'll tie us together," sings Bush, as if they were emotional mountaineers. "I don't want to lose you, I don't want to walk into the crowd again."

But it's "50 Words for Snow" itself which offers the most engaging, genial development of the album's wintry theme, its scudding groove assailed by chilly wind as Stephen Fry enunciates the terms – mostly made-up by Bush herself – with quiet relish: "Eiderfalls... Wenceslasair... Vanillaswarm... Icyskidski...", while she stands on the sideline, occasionally jumping in to cajole him, like a coach boosting her player's morale. It's a fitting climax to a seasonal offering that manages to evoke the essential spirit of winter while avoiding all the dog-eared clichés of Christmas albums – or indeed, any overt mention of that particular fairy story. Which is some achievement”.

A happy tenth anniversary to a truly remarkable album that everyone should go and play in full now! I heard 50 Words for Snow in 2011, and I felt that Kate Bush had this new creative lease and direction. Although she returned to the stage in 2014 for Before the Dawn, and she remastered her back catalogue in 2018 (and brought out her first book of lyrics), there have been no new original songs. Let us hope that 2022 offers a bit of hope in that sense. When she releases an album like 50 Words for Snow into the world, then absolutely…

NOBODY can equal her.

FEATURE: The November Playlist: Vol. 3: The Measure of a Man vs. The Life of the Party

FEATURE:

 

 

The November Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: FKA twigs 

Vol. 3: The Measure of a Man vs. The Life of the Party

__________

THERE are some big tunes…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rico Nasty

in the pack for this week’s Playlist. Alongside FKA twigs (ft. Central Cee) is Kanye West (with André 3000), Rico Nasty (feat. Flo Milli), Christina Aguilera, Kacey Musgraves, and Jennifer Lopez. Add into the blend Adele, Cate Le Bon, Eddie Vedder, Leon Bridges (ft. Jazmine Sullivan), Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Elbow, and Saweetie, and it is another typically packed and eclectic selection! If you require a bit of a push to get you into the weekend, then make sure that you check out the tracks here. There is something in there for everyone. A rich and interesting combination of hot new cuts, in order to get the weekend off to a good start, go and investigate the…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Leon Bridges

TUNES below.   

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Artists

__________

FKA twigs (ft. Central Cee) - Measure of a Man

PHOTO CREDIT: Dominique Charriau/WireImages

Kanye West (with André 3000) – Life of the Party

Rico Nasty (feat. Flo Milli) - Money

Christina Aguilera - Somos Nada

Jennifer Lopez - On My Way (Marry Me)

Kacey Musgraves – Fix You

Mattiel - Jeff Goldblum

PHOTO CREDIT: Huw Evans

Cate Le Bon – Moderation

FLETCHER (feat. Hayley Kiyoko) - Cherry

PHOTO CREDIT: Charles Reagan

Eddie Vedder – The Haves

PHOTO CREDIT: Justin Hardiman

Leon Bridges (ft. Jazmine Sullivan) – Summer Rain

PHOTO CREDIT: Raven B. Varona

Adele – Oh My God

Elbow – Is It a Bird

PHOTO CREDIT: Alysse Gafkjen/The Guardian

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – The Price of Love

Saweetie – Icy Chain

PHOTO CREDIT: Rafael Pavarotti

Ibeyi (feat. Pa Salieu) - Made of Gold

Leona Lewis – If I Can’t Have You

Michael Bublé' - The Christmas Sweater

Sting – For Her Love

Tanya Tagaq – Colonizer

Alewya – Ethiopia

Alice Glass – BABY TEETH

PHOTO CREDIT: Megan Doherty

Just Mustard – I Am You

Wallice – Wisdom Tooth

Tamera – New Hobby

Prima Queen - Chew My Cheeks

Elkka – Music to Heal To

Chasing Abbey – Close to You

Honeyglaze – Creative Jealousy

Emma McGann – Teary Eyed

PHOTO CREDIT: Cooper Winterson

Momma – Medicine

Madeline – Nice

Wu-Lu - Broken Homes

salem ilese - hey siri

GRAACE - Half Awake

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer Medina

Julianna Barwick - Star Ray

PHOTO CREDIT: Realest Photographer Ever

Earl Sweatshirt - 2010

PHOTO CREDIT: Maxwell Granger

Jockstrap - 50/50

Kelli-Leigh - Underneath the Tree

FEATURE: Second Spin: Imagine Dragons - Smoke + Mirrors

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

Imagine Dragons - Smoke + Mirrors

___________

A band who have never…

really got the respect and critical backing they deserve are Imagine Dragons. The Las Vegas band consist of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee, and drummer Daniel Platzman. Their debut album, Night Visions, was released in 2012. I think that the follow-up, Smoke + Mirrors, has some great music on it that means people should give it a second spin. Not that critics all mauled the album. It is that Smoke + Mirrors got mixed reaction. I love the two opening tracks, Shots and Gold. I get swept up in the infectious spirit of the single, I Bet My Life. Aside from a couple of weaker tracks in the middle of the album, there is enough solidity and quality on Smoke + Mirrors to tempt people in – and make sure that they are invested. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, I feel Imagine Dragons are a band who can write simple and great songs. More Rock-driven and stripped compared to their debut album, Smoke + Mirrors is an album that performed very well commercially: it went to number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States, shifting more than 172,000 units; also debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart and the Canadian Albums Chart. It is a pity that very few critics gave the 2015 album a positive review. There are some terrific tracks to be found. Smoke + Mirrors is another album that sold very well and was a chart success, yet the critical reaction was less enthused and glowing.

I shall point to some examples of what critics were saying about Smoke + Mirrors. Rolling Stone wrote this in their review:

“Let’s give Imagine Dragons credit where it’s due. On their multiplatinum 2012 debut, Night Visions, the Las Vegas act found a way to reheat old-fashioned arena-rock catharsis for the segmented pop world of the 2010s — fusing Coldplay’s heart-hugging balladry, Arcade Fire’s darkly heroic surge, neon Killers synths and elements of hip-hop, folk and EDM into something new. Their biggest hit, “Radioactive,” was a dour moaner that sounded like Chris Martin trying to write an Eminem ballad about the end of the world. In concert, they hammered away at massive drums, an annoying theatrical gambit that might be a portent of where mainstream “rock” is heading. Every time a Dragon bangs a floor tom, a member of Nickelback sheds a tear.

But being mildly inventive isn’t the same as being good, and Imagine Dragons hone all that eclectic energy into dreary anthems that aren’t much better than the flaming turds Creed used to light up on our collective doorstep back in the Nineties. Smoke + Mirrors builds on its predecessor’s multifaceted bombast. Like Night Visions, it’s overseen by producer Alex Da Kid, who usually works with stars like Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. Throughout the album, the genre mash-ups come fast and furious — from the New Wave-tinged dance-rock of “Shots” to “Friction,” a whirl of Eastern strings, art-metal yammering, R&B Auto-Tune and electronic knock-hockey. There are moments of lithe prettiness like “Summer” and descents into desolation like the goth slog “Dream.” There’s even straight-up rock on the Black Keys-indebted garage-blues grinder “I’m So Sorry.”

All this finds a focal point in singer Dan Reynolds, a 27-year-old family man with a sad, stout heart the size of Utah. Success hasn’t done much to pick up his afflicted mood. “Who can you trust when everything you touch turns to gold?” he sings over the glowering synths and grim drums of “Gold,” sounding a little like Drake’s pale shadow. “It Comes Back to You” has a pleasantly skipping tune with a Talking Heads guitar line that suggests sunny vibes — but nope: Instead he finds himself pondering “all the things that I could be/I think I learned in therapy.”

Reynolds’ background as a practicing Mormon plays a big role in his music. He never goes Full Jesus, but spiritual overtones come through all over the place as he lunges through the darkness in search of redemption. On the title track, Edge-y guitars shimmer and strings slam as he entreats “I wanna believe” to an unspecified “dream-maker/life-taker.”

The combination of self-pity, grandiosity and leaden spirituality can get trying. And all those attempts at musical worldliness can feel like stylistic tourism. “I’ve told a million lies, but now I’ll tell a single truth,” Reynolds sings on “I Bet My Life,” a gospel-sampling, foot-stomping anthem that serves as the album’s 72-ounce Big Gulp of arms-aloft hope-folk. He wants so badly to travel the righteous path, and his soul may one day bask in the glow of eternal wisdom. But his music has a long way to go”.

Prior to wrapping things up, there is another review I want to highlight. AllMusic is a site I rely on quite a bit when it comes to reviews and information. This is their take on Imagine Dragons’ second album:

“Conspicuously absent from the laundry list of influences the Imagine Dragons so often cite is the Killers, the only other Las Vegas rock band of note. Imagine Dragons downplay the glamour the Killers found so alluring but they share a taste for the overblown, something that comes to full fruition on their second album, Smoke + Mirrors. Bigger and bolder than 2012's Night Visions, Smoke + Mirrors captures a band so intoxicated with their sudden surprise success that they've decided to indulge in every excess. They ratchet up their signature stomp -- it's there on "I Bet My Life," the first single and a song that's meant to reassure fans that they're not going to get something different the second time around -- but they've also wisely decided to broaden their horizons, seizing the possibilities offered by fellow arena rockers Coldplay and Black Keys. Despite the bloozy bluster of "I'm So Sorry" -- a Black Keys number stripped of any sense of R&B groove -- the group usually favors the sky-scraping sentiment of Coldplay, but where Chris Martin's crew often seems pious, there's a genial bros-next-door quality to Imagine Dragons that deflates their grandiosity.

Certainly, Smoke + Mirrors is rock so large it's cavernous -- the reverb nearly functions as a fifth instrument in the band -- but the group's straight-faced commitment to the patently ridiculous has its charm, particularly because they possess no sense of pretension. This separates ID from the Killers, who never met a big idea they didn't like. Imagine Dragons like big sounds and big emotions -- and, if they can muster it, big hooks -- and the commitment to style over substance gives them ingratiating charm, particularly when they decide to thread in slight elements of EDM on "Shots" (something that surfaces on the title track as well), or Vampire Weekend's worldbeat flirtations on "Summer." Imagine Dragons purposefully cobble their sound together from these heavy-hitters of alt-rock, straightening them into something easily digestible for the masses but, like so many commercially minded combos, how they assemble these familiar pieces often results in pleasingly odd combinations. These guys are shameless and that's what makes them more fun than your average arena rockers”.

Even though I am not completely hooked by Smoke + Mirrors, it is an album that has merit and some excellent music. I do wonder whether many critics who reviewed the album in 2015 would change their scores and opinions if they approached it again now. Smoke + Mirrors is a perfectly decent album that you should check out. A band that attempts to reach and appeal to as many people as possible, there is something for everyone on Smoke + Mirror. If you have not heard it until now, then it is a good and pleasurable way…

TO spend fifty minutes.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Matthew E. White

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

 Matthew E. White

___________

IT may seem unusual…

featuring an artist in Spotlight who has been around for years. Even though Matthew E. White is a seasoned artist whose debut solo album, Big Inner, was released in 2012, he is someone who has not reached every listener. I feel he is a musician whose fanbase is large, yet there is a whole audience who has not discovered him. I am going to finish with some reviews for his excellent album of this year, K Bay. Before that, I want to introduce some 2021 interviews White has conducted. Actually, prior to that, Domino provide some biography about an exceptional talent:

“Matthew E. White never expected to see his name in the bright lights. By the time White released his solo debut, Big Inner, in 2012, he was already a decade deep into the tightly knit creative orbit of Richmond, Virginia. He had cofounded a series of polyglot bands with his closest pals and jumped at any compelling collaborative invitation; Big Inner wasn’t a lark, per se, but it felt at first like a new thread within an already rich tapestry. But the album was rightly lauded as a triumph, a modern reappraisal of classic American songcraft that unified gospel, jazz, and incandescent Brill Building pop in seven rapturous tunes. At 30, White inched toward stardom, while Spacebomb, the production house and label he founded, emerged as a mighty new imprimatur.

K Bay, White’s first album in six years, is the astounding record he has forever aspired to make. A bold reclamation of independence and identity, K Bay establishes White as one of his era’s most imaginative and audacious songwriters, composers, and bandleaders. These 11 pieces are retro-futurist magic tricks that feel instantly classic and contemporary, the product of a musical mind that has internalized the lessons of his idols and used them to build a brilliant world of his own. You will immediately recognize White here, singing softly of his big-hearted cosmography of love and wisdom and botanical metaphors; you will be stunned, though, by the dazzling density and relentless wonder of his ideas. K Bay moves with the absolute freedom and force of a debut thrillride; it exudes the sophistication and subtlety of a revivified veteran who knows exactly what he wants to hear and just how to get it”.

The thirty-nine-year-old from Virginia is one of my favourite artists of the moment. Despite his experience as a solo act and the fact he has released two collaborative albums, Gentlewoman, Ruby Man with Flo Morrissey, and Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection with Lonnie Holley, he is someone who is going to release a lot more material. The first interview is from 15 Questions. They  asked him about his start in music and whether he still faces challenges:

“When did you start writing/producing music?

When I was 11.

What or who were your early passions and influences?

The Beach Boys and Chuck Berry
What was it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

Impossible to say, you don't think about these things as a 5 year old. It put a smile on my face.

For most artists, originality is preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you: How would you describe your own development as an artist and the transition towards your own voice?

A work in progress.

How do you feel your sense of identity influences your creativity?

Tremendously I’m sure. But almost completely subconsciously - I'm not thinking of identity at all when I’m working.

What were your main creative challenges in the beginning and how have they changed over time?

Finding your own style, which is essentially the way you solve problems - that’s been the challenge from the beginning and has essentially remained the same.

As creative goals and technical abilities change, so does the need for different tools of expression, be it instruments, software tools or recording equipment. Can you describe this path for you, starting from your first instrument?

Things change, and remain unchanged unrelated to one's creative goals or technical proficiency all the time - so I find this a flawed question.
I started playing drums and putting a tape deck on the floor. Now, I play a lot more things, and record them in a lot of different ways. For me to describe the space in between those places is impossible in this format.

What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions?

Trying everyday, and putting your phone away.

Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?

Developing the muscle memory of work ethic. But also to make sure and stay having fun.

Music and sounds can heal, but they can also hurt. Do you personally have experiences with either or both of these?

One time I listened to only Trenchtown Rock for a month after a breakup. Live at The Roxy.

Where do you personally see the biggest need and potential for music as a tool for healing?

I don’t think about music like this. It’s a tool for everyone to use differently, who am I to say how someone should use music.  

There is a fine line between cultural exchange and appropriation. What are your thoughts on the limits of copying, using cultural signs and symbols and the cultural/social/gender specificity of art?

There’s a lot of important longform work about this, I certainly can't get to the nuance of this in this format. Be sensitive to both how you make things, and to where your blindspots are. There’s a lot to learn, keep on learning, approach this ground with a genuine heart”.

It seems like K Bay is the album that Matthew E. White has always wanted to make. That means, in a way, it is the perfect reason to spotlight an artist who is entering a new phase of discovery and fulfilment. American Songwriter spoke with White about the making of one of this year’s best albums:

“Songs start from dust and end somewhere else,” Matthew E. White tells American Songwriter. “I chase songs and, sometimes, I find one. I wrote these ones for myself. I want a listener to listen for themselves and take away whatever they need.”

For the Virginia-based singer-songwriter, coming to a place where he could write a new batch of songs for himself has been a journey six years in the making. In 2013, he put out his debut solo record, Big Inner, which became a niche hit. Essentially overwhelmed by the success, he admits now that he “rushed” his follow-up LP. After that, he stepped away from his solo work to find a new level of fulfillment and creativity through working with others, like Natalie Prass, The Mountain Goats, Flo Morrisey, and more.

But now, the 39-year-old virtuoso is back—his third album, K Bay, is due September 10 via Domino. On June 1, he put out the first single from this new era: “Genuine Hesitation,” a driving indie rock exploration of finding contentment with life. On July 19, he followed that up with “Electric,” a musing on working-class existence clad with an arrangement that’s almost like a lo-fi Steely Dan or a modern R. Stevie Moore.

Then, on August 17, White unveiled his latest single: “Nested,” a laid-back indie track complete with rhythmic guitars, a fuzzed-out bass, crisp vocal layering, and splashes of irresistibly cool riffage. Above it all, White delivers an intimate and revealing performance, with some of his favorite lyrics he’s written to date.

“‘Nested’ is one of the most personal songs I’ve written,” White said. “A song about whatever the opposite of coming-of-age is. It was recorded after two intense, transformative days of rehearsal, in one magic take that showcases the distilled, in-the-moment, sledgehammer power of the band.”

Pieces of that recording process were captured on camera by Shawn Brackbill in the vibey, nostalgic music video for “Nested,” which came out alongside the single. Showing off White’s troop of collaborators doing their thing, you really can feel the raw magnetism of the band in action. Conveying the joy of the studio process and speaking to the intimacy of K Bay as a whole, “Nested” and its video are the perfect final peek into the new period of White’s artistry”.

I am going to get to some reviews for K Bay. Loud and Quiet provided their take on an album that, in my opinion, takes the extraordinary music of White to new heights:

“I’ve always had the concentration you needed to get it right,” affirms Matthew E. White on the opening track of his first solo record since 2015. It may have been six years, but don’t let that dampen your confidence in the Virginia-born songwriter and producer’s attention span. Scarcely six months have passed since Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection, his brilliant collaboration with Lonnie Holley, landed. Furthermore, in that intervening period, he’s been busy recording with Flo Morrissey, producing for Natalie Prass, running his Spacebomb label, and building K Bay – the home studio which lends its name to his third full-length offering.

On K Bay, White focuses on pristine production across these 11 songs, many of which exceed five minutes in length. Throughout, the percussion is unrelenting (the sheer intensity behind every beat is enough to make you sweat), while the correlation between fat bass riffs and dexterous guitar licks on ‘Nested’ and ‘Genuine Hesitation’, in particular, are obnoxiously groovy. The sonic audacity characterising this LP works because White wholeheartedly embraces excess – in emotion as well as instrumentation.

In creating the multifaceted arrangements, White recorded the tracks twice. Once in a conventional band set-up performing the various parts, and then again with a larger band improvising along to the first take, using the tempo as a guide. The marriage between these styles of play, more often than not, brings out the best in each other in the final piece. ‘Felt Like An Ax’ and the sprawling ‘Only In America / When the Curtains of the Night are Peeled Back’ are resplendent examples of how White stitched fabrics of varying tones and textures to make a perfectly balanced patchwork of sound.

At the core of the record is the revival of 1970s funk that has influenced so many artists in recent years, but White doesn’t rely entirely on this resurgence. There are tender moments on the Kinks-like acoustic ballad ‘Shine A Light For Me’, and disco hooks erupting on ‘Judy’. In all, an impressive display of dynamism from Matthew E. White”.

To end, I will source Pitchfork’s view of Matthew E. White’s K Bay. I know that he will keep on making music and evolving his sound. K Bay is White at his most assured and natural. It is a wonderful album that I would urge anyone to check out:

“K Bay reunites White with many of the textures from his previous release, a collaboration with Lonnie Holley. A kaleidoscopic palette of strings, winds, harp, xylophone, electric piano, and analog synthesizer leaves no hue unshaded. White’s slightly louche vocal style resembles Matthew Dear, or even, when backed by the mottled cool jazz of “Fell Like an Ax,” of the usually incomparable King Krule. White’s newfound boldness as a singer is but one way that K Bay diverges from his prior records, where his reverence for his musical heroes was such that sometimes you could barely hear him. Compared to his lambent debut, Big Inner, which was softened by gospel and country strains, the grooves are heavy, decked out in deep-pocket basses and agile palm-muted guitars. They also pry White’s capacious purview even wider, making inroads into new-wave pop (The Cars loom especially large), no-wave dance-punk, and krautrock.

Though almost every song is captivating in its own way, one commands special attention. On a record otherwise pervaded by vague musings on personal matters, “Only in America/When the Curtains of the Night Are Peeled Back” is White’s attempt to address racial injustice. It’s a beautiful, complicated song that rotates on at least two axes, as chamber-pop melts into jazz and Randy Newman shades into Bon Iver. White’s perspective on the subject might evoke different responses in different listeners, or in the same listener at different times. For me, the bridge between his windy verses and the invocations of names like Philando Castile is too far to bear the moral weight. The song shows White to be a sensitive Virginian, but cropping up on this apolitical record, it comes across as thunder borrowed rather than earned.

“Only in America” arrives a little more than halfway through K Bay, and while the album swiftly corrects course, it never again quite reaches the heights of the first half. But even the slighter tracks would be standouts on a lesser record. If White’s gambits start to repeat, they do so in high style with “Never Had It Better,” a big-water wave of eddying piano and surging strings, and the drag-racing beach-jazz of “Judy.” The sound of K Bay is so good—so plump, so crisp, so tapered and whooshed—that White can seem like a studio hermit whose talent keeps thwarting his solitude. Spacebomb, the label and studio he operates with vintage gear and house musicians, became a lightning rod over the past decade, and eventually, he had to build a second studio to get away from it all. That home studio, Kensington Bay, has given both life and a name to this record: It illustrates how White thrives at the center of his own musical cosmology”.

If you are not familiar with Matthew E. White, then go and follow him. Such a great musician and creative spirit who has produced one of 20201’s best albums with K Bay. That is one big reason why I wanted to highlight him here. His fans will look on with interest to see what White comes up with next. Whatever it is, it will be pretty special. When it comes to Matthew E. White and music, he is…

ALWAYS top of the class.

_______________

Follow Matthew E. White

FEATURE: Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots: ‘The Trampoline Shot’, 1993 (Guido Harari)

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during the filming of the 1993 short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

‘The Trampoline Shot’, 1993 (Guido Harari)

___________

IT is only a matter of time…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Guido Harari, Kate Bush and Lindsay Kemp during the filming of The Line, the Cross and the Curve/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

before I include a photo in this series from Kate Bush’s brother, John Carder Bush. Not only did he have the most intimate relationship with her (as a photographer); he snapped his sister from her childhood right through to 2011. There are prominent photographers who worked with Bush a number of times. Guido Harari is one of them. I love his shots of Bush around the time of The Sensual World (1989), through to 1993 when she recorded The Red Shoes and released the short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve (Harari actually shot her between 1982 and 1993). To be honest, there are half a dozen other shots I could have included as a prime example of his skill – and the trusting and productive relationship between he and Kate Bush. One photograph that I really love was from 1993. Bush was bouncing on a trampoline and rehearsing for The Line, the Cross and the Curve. She would appear on a trampoline in the U.K. video for Rubberband Girl (from The Red Shoes). The composition of the shot you can see at the top of this feature is sublime! I love Bush’s expression and the people in the background – nonchalantly looking on; unaware that they would be seen by countless people all of these years later. Harari had a way of bringing something extra-special and deep from Kate Bush. Capturing her mid-air whilst she seemed so happy and carefree is one of my all-time favourite snaps of her. I may include other shots that Guido Harari took of Kate Bush.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush relaxed in the make-up chair whilst filming for The Line, the Cross and the Curve/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

I wanted to start with such an eye-catching and smile-inducing shot. The child-like wonder of Bush as she is flightless, rehearsing is joyful! Maybe she had been on that trampoline for a while, or she may just have got on. I am not too sure. In 2016, Guido Harari was interviewed by Amateur Photographer about meeting Kate Bush and working with her:

“You worked for a while with the mime artist and choreographer Lindsay Kemp – how did that come about?

In 1979 Lindsay became really huge in Italy. I had been working as a photographer for about seven years then, and was intrigued by theatre and knew about his work with Bowie and Kate Bush. I thought I’d go and see his performances and bring the camera along. I started taking pictures of him for an Italian magazine and there were so many images to choose from, Lindsay suggested that we could start working on a book.

I started travelling on and off with the company and photographing the productions, shooting backstage, candid photos, travelling shots: really in-depth reportage. In 1982 our book was published in Italy: that was Lindsay’s first major book and it was also my first major book.

How did you end up collaborating with Kate Bush?

I had a chance to meet Kate when she was promoting The Dreaming, her fourth album, while she was in Italy. I showed her the book and she was very excited by it and agreed to be photographed. So that book started the whole collaboration, which I had with her for ten years.

What was Kate like to work with?

When she called me up in 1985 to do her official promo photos for Hounds of Love, I was surprised to find that she didn’t want to explore any major concepts. She was very impressed with the photos I’d taken of Lindsay, which were very natural photos, not contrived or too posey, so she wanted me to capture something authentic; she didn’t want me to turn her again into a diva or icon, she wanted me to find a different approach.

She would come to the studio, just with her make-up artist and a bunch of clothes and no major briefing, nobody around like managers or agents, so it was really like shooting a friend. Not much conversation – total concentration. Her focus was incredible. We would shoot for 12 or 15 hours straight. It was amazing.

Kate Bush is famous for being obsessive about having full control of everything that she does, but I had the feeling she would let me go as far as I wanted to go.

So a lot of the photographs were unplanned beforehand?

Yes, that’s basically how it was. She would just bring clothes that she felt comfortable in, you know, a kimono, some casual clothes, some very colourful things that had a nice texture, and it was very much improvised. It was very much ‘let’s use these key elements and see how far we can go’. That happened on the 1985 shoot for Hounds of Love and in 1989 for The Sensual World, and then the last shoot from that period was in 1993 on the set of the film The Line, the Cross & the Curve.

What was it like being on the set of her film?

That was the most memorable opportunity I had with her, as she had stopped performing live during her first tour in ’79, so to be on the set of her film gave me chance to take performance shots and also to do some reportage, like I had done with Lindsay.

Again, she didn’t restrict me in any way. I was able to shoot everything I saw, which was very unusual for her, and in the end we had an impressive amount of photos. That part of my archives of Kate has never been seen, as she retired for 12 years just after that, so the images became instantly became passé in a way.

What kind of director was she?

I have been on sets with Italian directors and unless you are the official photographer, you are always in the way of somebody so you feel like you have to beg to get pictures, but with Kate it was like, OK, you are free to do whatever you want.

I could sit very close to her with a wideangle and she would rarely look at the camera unless I asked her to, she was really natural. She was totally absorbed in her work because she was also not just acting in the movie but also directing. She had just two weeks to complete the filming. Then she wanted to edit it very quickly in order to bring the film to the London Film Festival, so there was a lot of pressure on that side.

But at the same time she had the ability to gather a group of collaborators around her, that she felt very comfortable with, so there was really no tension having to finish quickly, it was really free flowing.

What made you decide to publish your new book of your photoshoots with Kate?

The idea of the book came about twoyears ago when she announced new concerts for the first time in 35 years. We had a first show in London at the Snap gallery, with mine and Gered Mankowitz’s photos, who had shot the first two album covers.

There was a lot of interest in my work from the fans. We had published a small catalogue for the exhibition, but it was soon very clear that fans wanted more.

I thought I would use all the pictures from all the shoots and present them in a sequence to give people an idea of how a shoot can start very slowly, and then peak and go down, because we get tired, and then we’ll have another peak of creative energy and then it dies down. It’s a dynamic that you rarely get to see because photographers will offer their hero shots and forget about everything else.

It is also intersecting to see in a sequence of pictures how Kate would go from a laugh to a joke and then get her diva expression, and then all of a sudden crack up again with a joke and so you see moments that usually get discarded when you edit a photoshoot because they don’t promote the artist, but do make interesting events in the book”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a goofy moment whilst filming The Line, the Cross and the Curve/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

Although I have included other photos in this feature to flesh out and illustrate the bond and working relationship between Kate Bush and Guido Harari, it is that one shot that sticks in my mind. As Bush was photographed a lot through her career, there are so many photos available. Many were press photos or shoots that seemed to be quite simple or unimaginative. When she worked with photographers like Gered Mankjowitz or Guido Harari (or her brother), something potentially routine was elevated into art. Whether it was a shot of her looking natural or caught unaware or something orchestrated or posed, she gave something to these photographers that has resonated through the years! One reason why I love ‘the trampoline shot’ (it is not its official name; just what I am calling it!) is because it captures a very care-free and playful moment. Yet it is shot so beautifully! One is arrested by the composition and the expressions. If it were in colour or black-and-white, perhaps it would not be as striking or beautiful. Even though it was taken in 1993, it looks like it could have been from the 1960s! The Guardian produced some other photos from the time. Harari was asked to be stills photographer on-set of The Line, the Cross and the Curve, and he caught some wonderfully memorable off-duty moments, “which never saw the light of day, as Bush considered the film a flop”. I think those photos show the silliness and light-hearted nature of Kate Bush – shooting a film which seemed quite full-on and intense! The trampoline shot, to me, is the magnificent Kate Bush…

SHOT to perfection.

FEATURE: Big News Travels Fast: What Can We Expect from the Collaboration from Kate Bush and the OutKast Legend?

FEATURE:

 

 

Big News Travels Fast

IN THIS PHOTO: In a recent conversation with Mark Ronson, the legendary Big Boi revealed he and Kate Bush have recorded a track together 

What Can We Expect from the Collaboration from Kate Bush and the OutKast Legend?

___________

THINGS are never quiet…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Araya Diaz/Getty/RB/Redferns/Gered Mankowitz

or boring when it comes to Kate Bush and news! Even though she is not putting out new music at the moment, there are anniversaries and bits of news here and there that keep us all interested. 50 Words for Snow – her most-recent studio album – is ten on 21st November. The last recorded vocals we heard from Bush was in 2014 for Before the Dawn. That live residency was one where Bush made a rare return to the stage. There was a song from that residency/live album, And Dream of Sheep (originally from 1985’s Hounds of Love), where Bush recorded herself singing the song in a huge flotation tank at Pinewood Studios. I think that this is the last ‘single’ – even though it wasn’t an official single – from her. That was back in 2014. Since then, there have been books released about her, magazine and newspaper articles, blog pieces…in addition to countless posts on social media. If you asked most music lovers which artist they’d like to see release an album in 2021, Kate Bush’s name would be near the top. Another name near the top of that list is OutKast. The iconic Hip-Hop duo of rappers André ‘300’ Benjamin (formerly known as Dré) and Antwan ‘Big Boi’ Patton get referred to in the past tense. I do not think we have heard the last from them! Patton/Big Boi’s love of Kate Bush is no secret.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for 2011’s Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

The two crossed paths and shared a drink (or two) in 2014. I guess, as Bush has always had her ear to the ground and is always looking to venture in different directions, one could never rule out a collaboration between her and Big Boi. There have been rumours and talks of them recording together for a long time. Earlier in the year, I wrote about how Big Boi was being coy and seemed to suggest that a song had already been recorded. Nothing came of that. This week, the rumours seem to have transformed into fact – well…it would seem odd if they were not true! Seemingly confirming that something has been put on tape, it has sent fans of Big Boi and Kate Bush (especially the latter) into a spin! FADER were among those to report the news:

“Big Boi's love of Kate Bush is no secret, he likes to talk about her and her music at every available opportunity. He has also spent much of that time speaking about his dream of working with the elusive artist, who has largely retired from the public eye in recent years. However, in a new interview with Mark Ronson on The FADER Uncovered podcast, Big Boi confirms that he has been in the studio with his idol and that a "monster" collaboration is ready to be released.

Speaking to Ronson about his various collaborators throughout the years, Big Boi said: "I have a monster hit with Kate Bush that I'm just holding." Adding: "It's a dream come true and the people are going to fucking love it. It's fucking incredible."

Going into specific details, Big Boi explained that he met Bush in London when OutKast were on their 2014 reunion tour and Bush was staging her Before The Dawn residency in the city.

"I got tickets, me and my wife, and we went to go see her show that she had, played the live shows," he said. "And so from there, I get invited backstage, we have some wine and we talk. And her kid is there, he's about the same age as my kids, which is cool. And she signs an album for me and give me her number. So after that, about a year or so pass, and I told her I was coming back, I just said, "Hey, when can we do a song?" Just send her a text every now and then. I talked to her on the phone, "Hello. Hello. So lovely." And so I came back and she's like, "Let's go to dinner." So we went and she took me to dinner to this cool little pub place where I had almond cognac. And we was both throwing them back. It was the coolest experience."

"So we had dinner and then we're like okay. Her son was going off to college and she was just like, "Okay, I'm going to try to get to something when I get my studio set back up." And so my manager, being the great, great manager he is, he reached out to her manager a couple years ago and was like, "Hey, we need to make this happen."

IN THIS PHOTO: Mark Ronson/PHOTO CREDIT: Stephen Lovekin/WWD/Shutterstock 

And I just so happened to have the right song that is fucking phenomenal, and sent it to her. And it had the words on there and she just had to sing the words. And then I wrote my verse and my boy Go Dreamer wrote her parts and wrote the hook. And it is incredible. It's incredible."

Big Boi says he has no specific plan to release the collaboration, but that it will arrive "whenever I think they deserve it, I'm going to give it to them." He also added that he hopes to incorporate an NFT element to the release involving the artwork.

The FADER Uncovered, the podcast series in which host Mark Ronson talks with the world’s most impactful musicians. The second season is currently airing with recent guests including DJ Premier, Japanese Breakfast, and J. Balvin. Follow and subscribe to The FADER Uncovered here and check back for new episodes every Monday”.

It is interesting to think that the two of them have worked up something. I am not sure whether Big Boi was literally in the same studio as Kate Bush, or whether something was done remotely – or perhaps there was a combination of the two. In terms of release date, it could come out in the next few days…or it may be something that is held back and teased.

For me, any news of Bush remerging and putting something new into the world is exciting! I have spent so much time recently talking about 50 Words for Snow and how beautiful an album that is. There is this enormous demand and yearning for new Bush music. It would be great if there was a Bush solo album first and then, whenever it is planned, putting out the collaboration. Given how rare Bush music is – definitely the past decade -, one cannot be choosy or too demanding! I think, if a song is coming out this year, it will be instantly unleashed and not teased with videos and too much fuss. It would be awesome to think the two have recorded a Christmas track together! I would love to hear that! Realistically, I doubt it is going to be a duet akin to what Bush and Peter Gabriel did on 1986’s Don’t Give Up. I know Big Boi would like that – especially if he got to recreate the video -, though it is more likely the song is more similar to what Big Boi and OutKast have put out through the years. Maybe something OutKast-sounding would be far-fetched. Again, it would be amazing if they recreated something from the 2003 double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. I have said multiple times how Bush can inhabit any sonic space and own it. She would ably be able to do a vocal with edge and Hip-Hop potency. Maybe her vocal would be a brief backing that adds an ethereal touch to Big Boi’s lead (imagine her Night Scented Stock from 1980’s Never for Ever or something from 50 Words for Snow).

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during 2014’s Before the Dawn/PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex

In my opinion, there will be a fairly significant vocal offering from Bush. If you have the opportunity to record with her, you’re not going to reduce her to a few lines, are you?! In truth, predicting what two pioneering and unpredictable artists are going to do when joined together is impossible. I would say we’d get a combination of Kate Bush’s 50 Words for Snow – where she is on piano and her vocal is powerful-yet-softer -, and Big Boi would deliver a vocal that works around that. Not having heard a single second from any song between them, we also do not know what form it will come out on. I hope that it is available through streaming sites and people can access it easily. The fear is that it would be an NFT or there would be some sort of barrier or big cost involved. After almost a decade without a new Kate Bush studio album and so many people wondering whether OutKast will record again, there is this huge build and excitement about a partnership that, whilst unlikely on paper, makes perfect sense. These are two artists who respect one another and could deliver something magical! Let’s hope that something does come soon. I have said how I would prefer a Kate Bush album first. Though if she has no plans for one or it will not be until next year at the earliest, people are going to be more than eager for her and Big Boi to release something as soon as possible. When that song does arrive, the reaction across the music world and the Internet…

WILL be unbelievable!

FEATURE: Revisiting... Joy Oladokun - in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1)

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting...

Joy Oladokun - in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1)

___________

I am recommending people…

look back at a great album that was followed up pretty quickly. This feature is designed to highlight albums that got buzz when they were released but need to be picked up now. Today, I am looking at Joy Oladokun’s in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1) from last year. Also known as in defense of my own happiness (the beginnings), she followed it with in defense of my own happiness earlier this year. In a way, they are accompanying albums. I wanted to look at a gem from 2020. Before I get to interviews around that album and a review, I actually want to slide in biography concerning the incredible Arizona-born singer-songwriter – whose music spans the genres of Folk, R&B, Rock, and Pop; she is influenced by her identity as a Queer woman of color:

 “with a guitar in hand, baseball cap over her eyes, and hooded sweatshirt loose, a woman sings with all of the poetry, pain, passion, and power her soul can muster. she is a new kind of american troubadour. she is joy oladokun. the delaware-born, arizona-raised, and nashville-based nigerian-american singer, songwriter, and producer projects unfiltered spirit over stark piano and delicate guitar. after attracting acclaim from vogue, npr, and american songwriter, her words arrive at a time right when we need them the most.

“words are such a powerful tool,” she states. “i remember all of the best and worst things anyone has ever said to me. i love and respect the ability of words to touch on the physical realm. i’m very intentional with my words. i’m grateful and try to be as encouraging as i can, because i’ve been in situations where that has not been the case and it’s hurt me or others. people are traumatized by words or uplifted and encouraged to change their lives and careers by them.”

 the daughter of nigerian immigrants, she was the first in the family to be born in america. after some time in delaware, they moved to arizona. dad’s record collection included hundreds of titles, and he introduced joy to everyone from phil collins, peter gabriel, and king sunny adé to conway twitty and johnny cash. as mom and dad stressed academics, she wasn’t allowed to watch tv on weekdays. on saturday, they would “either rent a movie from blockbuster or watch the thousands of hours of concert and music video footage dad had recorded since coming to the states.” one afternoon, she witnessed tracy chapman pay homage to nelson mandela during his 70th birthday tribute at wembley arena.

it changed everything…

“i grew up in casa grande, which is in the middle of nowhere in arizona,” she goes on. “i was surrounded by images of white dudes with guitars. i was programmed to believe people around me listened if somebody had a guitar. as a shy kid and one of the only black children in town, i had a lot of social anxiety. seeing tracy chapman up there with a guitar in front of a full stadium was such an empowering moment. i ran into the next room and begged my parents to buy me a guitar for christmas—which was six months away,” she laughs.

with her new christmas gift, she went from crafting her first song about the lord of the rings to penning songs dedicated to her mother after rough days at work. eventually, the local church needed a guitar player, and she ended up working there full-time for almost six years.

after college in orange county, she relocated to los angeles where writing became a job…and she finally came out. “i quit the church and came out of the closet,” she recalls. “i got to a point where i was like, ‘if god exists, he does not care that i’m gay. with all of the things happening, he cannot give a shit’. i feel like it’s not an accident i’m a queer black woman writing and making music.”

she wrote and recorded countless songs alone in her los angeles apartment, even playing six instruments. her music and story galvanized a growing fan base as she completed a successful kickstarter campaign to release her independent debut, carry. her song “no turning back” soundtracked a viral baby announcement by ciara and russell wilson, opening up the floodgates. she landed a string of high-profile syncs, including nbc’s this is us, abc’s grey’s anatomy, and showtime’s the l word: generation q. around the same time, she settled in nashville, tn and continued to create at a feverish pace. on the heels of in defense of my own happiness (the beginnings), she garnered unanimous critical praise. billboard touted the album as one of the “top 10 best lgbtq albums of 2020,” while npr included “i see america" among the “100 best songs of 2020.” predicted as on the verge of a massive breakthrough, she emerged on various tastemaker lists, including spotify’s radar artists to watch 2021, youtube “black voices class of 2021,” npr’s 2021 “artists to watch,” and amazon music’s “artist to watch 2021.” not to mention, vogue crowned her #1 “lbtq+ musician to listen to.” she kicked off the new year by making her television debut on nbc’s the tonight show starring jimmy fallon with a stunning and stirring performance of “breathe again”.

The second album from Oladokun (following 2016’s Carry), in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1) is a perfect introduction to her talents and powerful lyrical voice. Nashville Scene spoke with her back in March. Not content with having released an album the previous year, the stream of songs that followed signalled the fact another album was on its way:

“Releasing the widely praised, banger-packed full-length In Defense of My own Happiness (Vol. 1) over the summer just wasn’t enough of an accomplishment for Joy Oladokun, apparently. For the past several months, the folk-pop singer-songwriter has continued to produce a steady stream of new songs from her East Nashville home studio. Each one is its own timely and eloquent response to the upheaval that has plagued us all over the past year.

In September, for those struggling with the grief and isolation brought on by the pandemic, Oladokun released the encouraging R&B tune “If You Got a Problem.” It’s an optimistic number about comforting and finding comfort in those around you. Think of a less cartoony version of Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” In October, to recognize her fellow Black Americans living in fear as the country’s streets churned with protests and police brutality, Oladokun shared “I See America,” an incisive anthem with a stirring chorus: “When I see you / I see love / I see America / I feel your pain / I share your blood / I see America.”

“Look Up,” released in November, is a poignant reminder that, as the singer wrote on Instagram, “There is freedom above us and beauty within us.” December brought us “Mighty Die Young,” a sparkling piano ballad haunted with the inevitability of death. Song after song, with every tortuous and unpredictable turn of what we will forever remember as the Lost Year, Oladokun was there offering comfort.

“It’s the Nina Simone quote, right?” Oladokun tells the Scene by phone from her Nashville home. “Like, artists are supposed to reflect the past. And if Nina had Ableton, had my laptop, had the little setup I have here, we would’ve been hearing from her all the time.

“And a fair record contract,” Oladokun continues with a laugh. “If she had all those things we would’ve been hearing from her all the time. And I think the reason I am at my current state of outputting so much is just because there’s a lot happening! Internally I’m doing a lot of work, and the world is changing, and fighting for change.”

The world is also starting to take notice of Oladokun. Though she’s been at it for years — she signed a publishing deal with L.A.’s Prescription Songs in 2016 — Oladokun has had something of a meteoric rise in recent months. In January she announced she was chosen as one of YouTube Music’s Black Voices for 2021, which earned her face a spot on a giant Times Square billboard. Her somber ballad “Breathe Again,” in which her warm, sweeping vocal range is on full display, was played for millions of viewers during a January episode of the popular NBC drama This Is Us. She made her daytime and late-night TV debuts too, appearing on Today and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in February

PHOTO CREDIT: Shannon Beveridge 

Making her new level of success even more enjoyable to watch is the fact that Oldaokun balances her talent and vulnerability with goofy humor and BFF vibes. On social media she discusses Boyz II Men jams with Jason Isbell, posts photos of her dog Joni, dunks on controversy magnet Morgan Wallen and shares selfies taken with well-rolled blunts — a hobby she has celebrated with a line of “sensitive stoner” merchandise.

“I think sometimes we get scared that if people learn more about us they won’t want to be around us,” she says. “My life in its current state is proof that the opposite is true. On Vol. 2 [of In Defense of My Own Happiness, scheduled for release later this year], there’s a song about my dad and what it was like to grow up with a dad that openly disliked queer people. That is vulnerable, but I also know that I am not the only person who has a dad who would say things about gay people that were awful, not realizing that their kid was gay.

“I do feel like a sense of calling and camaraderie for people who have also been through similar things or had events that evoke similar emotions of loneliness and stress,” she adds. “I feel a responsibility to serve the global community in that way. I think it has been really, really beautiful”.

I am ending with a review for in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1). Just before I get there, here are parts of an interview that Atwood Magazine conducted in July 2020. Oladokun talked about some of the new influences she brought to the album:

“Since her 2016 folk-tinged debut, Carry Me, Oladokun has released a string of singles over the past few years. From the soulfully groovy break-up bop “Sober,” to the piano-led plea “Who Do I Turn To?,” about what it’s like to be Black and queer in today’s America, Oladokun has a knack for marrying the personal and relatable in her writing. And in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1) is no different, showcasing Oladokun’s token lyricism in a beautiful expression of self-examination steeped in the best of folk, soul, and hip-hop.

ATWOOD MAGAZINE: IN DEFENSE OF MY OWN HAPPINESS (VOL. 1) IS YOUR FIRST FULL ALBUM SINCE 2016’S CARRY ME. WERE THERE ANY BIG DIFFERENCES—WRITING-WISE OR LIFE-WISE—IN THE PROCESS OF THIS RECORD COMING TO LIFE?

Joy Oladokun: Yeah, it’s actually been a pretty big difference. Everything on Carry Me I wrote by myself and then sort of like hired a band to produce. Even though on in defense of my own happiness I did sort of take a production role, it’s a lot more collaborative. Like I wrote songs with other people, and I think it shows how expansive my sound has gotten. Not necessarily in terms of size or scale or anything, but just the influences that I draw from. I think it’s just grown tenfold since the last album. So I’m really excited for people to see what I’m into.

 YEAH, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY SOME OF THOSE NEWER INFLUENCES ARE?

Joy Oladokun:  I’ve always obviously drawn from folk and soul, and definitely like the 60s and 70s era. And with this record, I tried to keep that same energy, with that same lyricism and that same kind of urgency. But like, I work out to hip-hop music, and I’m sure a lot of people work out to hip-hop music; it’s become this cultural figure. So I just kind of let that influence what I [brought] in. I was sort of referencing everything that I have access to as a product of the generation that I grew up in and really clung to the things that I enjoy and just [threw] it all in there.

SO, YOU’RE FROM A SMALL TOWN IN ARIZONA, WHICH I’M SURE WAS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM LIVING IN L.A., AND NOW NASHVILLE. GROWING UP, DID YOU DREAM ABOUT PLAYING MUSIC AND LIVING IN A BIGGER CITY?

Joy Oladokun: I don’t know that I had a lot of dreams about growing up and playing music. I think I’ve always gravitated towards music as a means of self-expression, and any sharing it beyond that has been the product of some very special people in my life who said, “This is not just a thing that you can do for you, but also a good thing that you can do to help uplift other people.” And so, I don’t know that I had any crazy aspirations which I’m sure drives my team crazy at certain points.

But, yeah I think the nature of growing up with immigrant parents is that they were very clear as soon as I was old enough to get out, that I should. We traveled a lot growing up, and so I think it was kind of ingrained in me that when I go to college, I should try a different city or a different country, or I should take this trip. I’ve always had a little bit of wanderlust maybe, and I think it was instilled in me by my sweet parents.

SO, RELEASING MUSIC IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC IS OBVIOUSLY A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC PLANS REGARDING THE RELEASE OF IN DEFENSE OF MY OWN HAPPINESS (VOL. 1)?

Joy Oladokun: Yeah, not anything crazy. I think the gift of me being the way I am, is that my manager knows that if I have my Nintendo and maybe a joint nearby, I will do any live stream, or video, or interview, and I think we’ve just been capitalizing on that. It’s been nice to just sit in the backyard and hop on a phone call and talk to people about my music. I feel like the biggest thing that I’ve enjoyed about having to sort of shift the game plan from touring around the release to sort of just being obnoxious on the internet about a release [laughs] is I feel like it opens people up to the many sides of me. Like it gives people a bigger picture of who I am not only as an artist but as a human.

Besides that, nothing really has changed. We’re in a really unique position. I mean the crazy thing about “Who Do I Turn To?” was that it was written and released within a week. I’m in this position as an artist where I can just release what I want when I want, and I think these next few albums are just going to be a celebration of that. And so that’s why we’re putting out like 12 singles a day. It’s a unique freedom and one we don’t take for granted”.

The review below is from The Line of Best Fit. in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1). Is a magnificent album that people should check out if they missed it last year. It was the first time that I had heard of Joy Oladokun. Here is what The Line of Best Fit wrote about one of last year’s best albums:

“Following a string of accolades, the Nashville based singer songwriter has been making waves providing an honest and sincere voice to global listeners in times of uncertainty.

Using the time spent in isolation, Oladokun has revealed a striking new collection of songs. Her second album project renders positive vibes, hope and sincerity. Soothing, earthy and astute, this vibrant, but polished production represents currency and relevance. Having theorised on happiness and what it constitutes, before she knew it considerations on her own happiness began, and it made sense to consider if she thought of herself as being happy, and whether anything prevented her from experiencing it.

Take the bright, pure simplicity and upbeat rhythms of opening track “Smoke”. This is followed by the encounter between electro-pop and rockier vibes that makes “Sunday” stand out. With immense eclecticism it depicts the spirit of this record, smoothly looking to the next track. The honest, reflective mood of “Bad Blood” is a moment of sharp insight and introspection. A place where the sound of Tracy Chapman-like guitar lines, vocals and contemplative lyrics come together, “Precious like a diamond ring / I was wrapped up in you / You tore me like a paper thing / Stole my love and my youth”, the songwriter insists.

Equally impressive is a moment like “Lost”, just before the dramatic, political “Who Do I Turn To”. Written and realised in one week, it is an engaged response to the recent Black Lives Matter movement. Inspired by the police killing of George Floyd, it came out as a single, with proceeds going to Nashville Launch Pad. Despite its tranquil piano accompaniment and acute classic feel, the song is charged in message, tackling inner uncertainty, feelings of insecurity and the fear of being without support when no one is looking out for you.

Then “Mercy” featuring Tim Gent lifts the air with a display of pop sensibility and hip hop fusion. Piano and strings-led, “Breathe Again” bears a resemblance to Coldplay, contrary to the folky, more sensitive “Too High”, which starts with an intro that brings to mind The Beatles’ “Blackbird”.

The candour of this record is rare, and its captivation makes it a stand-alone moment of truth and emotion”.

Go and spin in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1). I am not sure how easy it is to buy a couple. Definitely stream the album and see why it was one of the most lauded of 2020. I am following Joy Oladokun to see where she goes next. Her music always leaves an impression. I listened back to her album from this year, and her 2016 debut, Comfort. With everything she does, she draws the listener in. in defense of my own happiness (vol. 1) is a perfect example of that power and pull. It is an album that I would recommend…

TO everyone.

FEATURE: On This Day in 2011… Music Musings & Such at Ten

FEATURE:

 

 

On This Day in 2011…

 Music Musings & Such at Ten

___________

I am going to keep this relatively short…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Max Herridge

because there are some playlists and an audio piece/podcast that I want to focus on (especially the latter). On 15th November, 2011, I tentatively launched my blog, Music Musings & Such (I am not too precious whether it is written with an ‘and’ or an ampersand), into the world. At the time, I was not sure where it would go and what it would consist of. After the introduction post, it was a little while before I followed it up with more content. In those days, the posts were quite primitive and basic (sort of like how The Simpsons looked when they appeared on The Tracy Ulman Show in the late-1980s!). There were a couple of reasons behind setting it up. The first was that I knew musicians who were either struggling to get their work heard, or they were looking for someone to review/interview them. In 2011, there were some music blogs around (though that number has grown significantly in the past decade). I did not have an audience or any plan when I began. I thought that, if I posted some articles and featured some artists, that would get people following me. That did happen after a while. It took a few years before I was truly getting into my stride. I would say that, actually, the past couple of years have been the busiest and most productive. The other reason why I wanted to start a blog was, from childhood, sharing music has been a passion. That is thanks to my parents and the sort of range and weight of music they introduced me to as young as I can remember. The first thing I am going to include in terms of anything audio are playlists I compiled a while back. They are sort of ‘electronic mix-tapes’ of songs that I discovered and loved as a child.

As a growing and curious music fan during childhood, I listened to what my parents were playing. They had - and they still do! - a vinyl cupboard containing albums from The Beatles, Steely Dan and many others. Among my friends, there was this bonding experience that came from sharing music. I would listen to cassettes through a boombox/cassette player that, though simple, opened my mind to the power of music! In my childhood and teenage years, I became more and more passionate about sharing music and ensuring that those  knew were turned onto the songs, albums and artists that were delighting my ears. Starting my own blog, in a sense, was a way of my being able to continue this practice and passion – albeit it in a very different form and medium. Music journalism was essential during my childhood. Pre-Internet, this was the way me and so many others discovered which singles and albums to get. I got a real thrill buying magazines like NME, Q and Melody Maker and reading the reviews. I would get the bus – on the strength of a single or album recommendations alone – into town and gleefully snap up a single, just because I heard it on the radio or it featured in a music magazine. All of these experiences stayed with me. Even though the Internet age has changed the way we discover and share music, a blog allowed me to talk about the crop of promising new artists emerging…in addition to dissecting and exposing all the great music that I grew up listening to. The audio below is me recorded at BBC’s Wogan House, London last month. With thanks to broadcasting legend Matt Everitt for showing me up there and helping me record the piece. I am not particularly au fait with audio editing or adding music in. So what you hear is me chatting about the blog and Kate Bush’s 50 Words for Snow without songs clips. I have imbedded the album too - so that one can listen along to that at the same time. I know that it is a long thing but, when listening back and editing, I wanted to keep as much in as possible. I have not done any audio stuff for my blog…so I figured it was a chance to make up for lost time!

The reason for talking about 50 Words for Snow is the fact that, for one, Bush is an artist that means an awful lot to me. I have written about her more than anyone else (in terms of living journalists; I’ll make that bold claim!). I cannot remember how many posts I have produced about her in the past decade…though it is in triple figures. The other reason for talking about 50 Words for Snow is that it turns ten on 21st November. There are so few podcasts about Bush and her albums. I am planning on doing one with guests from next year. In a way, the recording was a bit of a prototype or demo. I am not sure whether anyone will discuss 50 Words for Snow or go into depth on the day. Apologies for any factual slips (they were all correct on paper but, when recording, you read stuff wrong or slip now and then trying to get all the information out) or a lack of…slickness. I am pleased I got to thank people for following the blog, in addition to paying tribute to my favourite artist and a remarkable album that was released six days after my blog started its life! It was important to do something a little different for the tenth anniversary of Music Musings & Such. I hope, when I can find a place to record that is quiet, private and affordable, I can do it a lot more audio/podcast stuff through next year.

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

I love posting features about all areas of music. The most rewarding – apart from Kate Bush features! – are when I get to spotlight an artist; bring their music to people that might otherwise have missed them. Through my blog, I have been able to chart the way music has changed, evolved and grown the past decade. It makes me think of those artists that awakened the senses when I was young. The Beatles, obviously, were huge. Listening to their albums was almost a religious experience! They are my favourite band and, to me, beyond comparison or any criticism. Madonna was the most important Pop artist when I was a child. Watching her video for Material Girl in the 1980s was another eye-opening moment. She is someone whose music, style changes and different personas amaze me. A true icon! There are too many artists to name in terms of those who soundtracked important moments of my life. Even though I am older now, I still get the same sort of excitement happening upon an artist or sound that is very different to anything else. Being able to share that fascination on Music Musings & Such is a real thrill! Alongside music websites and magazines, radio is a big help for me. BBC Radio 6 Music is the station that provides the most leads and tips regarding new artists. I listen to Mary Anne Hobbs, Chris Hawkins and Lauren Laverne (I miss the great Shaun Keaveny so much, as he was hugely influential regarding new music!). Laverne is, perhaps, the biggest source of new music discovery influence. She has her ears to the ground and is always excellent when it comes to offering up artists that are right up my street! Matt Everitt (who has given me so much invaluable advice through the years) is a huge influence in terms of his broadcasting, podcast knowledge and general passion for music. His interviews are always so wonderful to listen to. His BBC Radio 6 Music colleague, Georgie Rogers, is another one of my favourite broadcasters and sources of influences (let’s hope that she is back on BBC Radio 6 Music soon). I love her work on Soho Radio.

  IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1967/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I shall leave it there. I forgot to count how many posts I have published in ten years. It is in the hundreds. Perhaps the high-hundreds! The word count might be closing in on seven figures too! In terms of where the blog goes next…I am not too sure really. As I said in the audio feature above, I hope to wind down in terms of the frequency of posts, and diversify in terms of video and audio. YouTube is a platform I have not used; doing a podcast or two has been on my list for a while. I am not sure whether I can sustain another ten years! That being noted, I will keep going for as long as I can. The written side of things might dwindle in the coming years, although I think that the podcast/audio side is one that could be more sustainable. Regardless, a huge thanks to everyone who has supported the blog and posted nice comments!  A big salute to all the artists I have featured over the past decade, in addition to anyone who has stumbled upon the blog and followed it! I think I have posted something from the blog every day for nearly six years. I am due a break at some point! It is the sheer wealth and weight of eclectic music, both old and new, that keeps me active, engaged and typing furiously! It leaves me to say thanks once more. Here is to…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Florian Klauer/Unsplash

THE next decade (or slightly less!).

FEATURE: My Five Favourite Albums of 2021: Billie Marten – Flora Fauna

FEATURE:

 

 

My Five Favourite Albums of 2021

Billie Marten – Flora Fauna

___________

RELEASED on 21st May…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Katie Silvester

Billie Marten’s third studio album, Flora Fauna, is one of my top five picks of this year. The final two choices of this feature will take us in different sonic directions. So far, my choices have been albums made by women. It has been another incredible year for female talent. I have said many times how Marten’s 2016 debut, Writing of Blues and Yellows, is my favourite album of the past decade. As I do with this feature, I am going to quote a couple of reviews for Flora Fauna, a couple of interviews where Marten spoke about the album. I am also going to post a link where you can buy the album. In fact, I will start with that. Here is where you can buy the excellent Flora Fauna. There are some really deep and interesting interviews that were published around the release of Flora Fauna. I am going to source a few. The first, with NBHAP started by highlighting the fact that Marten is a bolder artist (than she previously was):

“Bold indeed, Flora Fauna, by means of staging the organic diversity of the world we all live in as opposed to the tiring and exploitative mechanisms our modern society has come to develop as essential elements of living, is a vital reminder of what is needed to stay alive. “We do just need very specific elements to thrive … without the need to move all the time and grow”, Billie emphasises, as she observes the pains of modern day progress. The new Billie Marten sound neatly clicks with that refreshing message, more daring, vital and yet with her mellow trademark right on display.

The record itself then is indeed spiked with vivid song material that does pure justice to the flashy visions of it all. Garden Of Eden, the record’s opener and one song that sparkles brightest with the need to thrive, about which Billie remarks that “it uses the idea and the metaphor of us physically being plant lives, which we kind of are”. Roaring bass lines mingle along her tender vocal performance, as the lyrics head right down into terrains of absolute vitality: “Eat the sun and water up / To be someone / Can’t get enough”, before the chorus kicks in with its yearning “I wanna feel alive / Garden of eternal sunshine”.

Flora Fauna sees Billie Marten breaking free from earlier inhibitions, both musically and lyrically and it is indeed no surprise, that the artist herself expresses her progression in these terms:

“I was very scared then and played very timidly. My fingers hadn’t developed to play something properly. I was much more aware of criticism and how to please everybody. That has kind of subsided now, to some relief. It was a lot more lyrical and I was into English literature and I was trying to get more of the poetic side out. Because it was kind of fashionable to me at the time. This album is more direct. I am speaking to you and this is what I want to say.”

In terms of her message, she has made a terrific step forward in that way: “I have always been quite vague and abstract with my writing”, she states. “I just got bored of doing that and I wanted to just write on a very immediate basis, and have my stream-of-consciousness running all the time”. Flora Fauna is the result of that evolution and stands as a shining beacon in these still uncertain times. One can only hope that its messages of “positive change” will endure the test of time and lead Billie Marten on all her future ventures”.

I love reading Marten discuss her albums and the process. She moved to London after the release of her debut album. One can hear influences of the city (good and bad) in her subsequent work. I wonder whether Marten will go back to Yorkshire (her parents live there) in the future. Nature and more rural climbs give Marten greater creativity and inspiration. NOTION chatted with her, where the topic of the contrast and clash of the city and country:

“Being out of London has been instrumental in crafting the album, providing her with a different perspective and a certain sense of freedom to do what she wants. “It’s just much more of a freeing experience. There’s much less of an industry situation where you feel the entirety of London is looking over your shoulder. It feels more like a return to when I first started writing, being in the semi-rural area and having lots of time and space to think properly.”

That’s of course not to say that Marten doesn’t like the city – she lives there, after all. “Cities are a bit like a weird drug, especially London. The city’s great and a pillar of culture. Everything’s there at your feet all the time. You can buy fruit and veg at 4AM if you want to,” she jokes. “It’s accessible and there’s so many different people there. But it doesn’t have everything that I need, and I think I’m learning to be a bit more selfish about that,” she confesses. “I’ll always change my mind and there’s definite glimmers of amazing lights that come from London. You can forge a plan within 10 minutes and you’re incredibly ensconced in that big life living. But it’s most definitely not forever,” she adds with a smile.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Orton

Being selfish in figuring out what you want versus what you need, and prioritizing those needs is something that not everyone her age has figured out just yet. Marten, however, seems incredibly self-aware and at ease, surrounded by nature’s gentleness and its peace and quiet.  “I prefer a much slower pace. It’s a lifestyle that suits me. I’m really crap at nine-to-fives and I’m so bad at going to the studio every day. Maybe I’m kind of just entering retirement now, and I’m okay with it,” she grins. “I’m embracing it. I have the wild touring life and the industry schmoozing in London, and then here I have me planting my seeds and using my feet properly and having much better posture and lungs.”

In a sense, her new album reiterates what Marten reveals about her trial separation with London. She simply feels much more at home in the countryside than she does in the big city. “Everyone’s very tall and big and has huge personalities. I chameleon into them but not very well, which just means I’m still kind of hunched over and trying to protect myself. Music gives you terrible posture, but then as soon as you leave, everything’s lighter and clearer – it’s amazing!”

She is particular about the production, mirroring the maturity displayed on the record in her quest for more agency and ownership. Marten is carving out her own path – her own formula for flourishing as an artist. “I’d love to do more with it [production]. I’ve always been heavy on the co-producing aspect. It’s important to not let songs kind of fly away with another person, as you made them and they should sound the way you want them to sound. I’m just getting back to the more technical side of things. I have huge gaps of knowledge, probably due to having been so young when I started out in the industry and being surrounded by men. So I just didn’t ask enough questions, but I’m relearning how to do things, even just basic cabling.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Orton 

Marten feels lucky that her new label trusted her to explore and experiment with her artistic identity. “I was very impressionable at the start, and a corporation as big as Sony – it’s so fickle and horrible, I hated it. Which is sad, because it puts such a downer on you as a person, cause you’re deflated and unenthusiastic and you feel very small. Now, I have a group of loving people that helped me feel a lot more comfortable expressing everything, to just be vulnerable. They completely trusted me to go in and do this album – even when they only had two songs to listen to when I signed. I was able to present it the way I wanted to present it, did my own visuals. I was left alone, but not neglected.”

It’s resulted in some of her proudest work yet. “There’s a song called Human Replacement, and I’m really scared about that one. I feel like it’s going to halve my listeners. It’s such a different sound, tonally speaking, that’s come out of me. No element is really melodic or floaty or pretty. I couldn’t talk about a long-lost love or Emily Bronte or something, it had to be toothy. But it’s so fun to play, and the subject matter is difficult. It’s all about not being able to go out at night as a woman, and we’ve really addressed that plainly in the video, so it’s just moments like that that I never could’ve anticipated.”

The album does eventually lean into a smaller sound towards the end of the tracklist. Marten explains it was important to her to cover both – as it’s part of who she is, too. “With every new song you put out, you’re adopting a new scripture almost – a new belief or personality. I wanted to make it clear that I’m not having a complete make-over. I’m not going to turn into a punk-rock princess all of a sudden”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Katie Silvester

Before I come onto the reviews, there is a fascinating chat with American Songwriter that I want to highlight. It is curious to read how Marten has been labelled as very waif-like and softly-spoken. It reminds me of Kate Bush after her first couple of albums and how she was perceived. I think female artists get pigeonholed and labelled too readily:

“Since day one, I’ve found that nature’s the easiest concept and subject matter to connect these metaphors with. Nature has very different, opposing personalities,” she further describes, “and that’s what I was experiencing at the time. This album is me understanding that I can have all those different personalities and still be one specific human.”

In previous musical lives, she’d frequently been “pinned as this bluebird, whispering waif person─of a girl really, I was never seen as an adult either─or I was not there at all,” she continues. “Quite often, I would get comments, especially meeting people after shows or in interviews, and they would say, ‘Oh, wow, you were not what I was expecting.’ Sometimes, the personality doesn’t align with the music you make. That’s really important to realize, especially for myself, and that meant I didn’t have to align with this prescription of who I was. Then, I had the freedom to make what I wanted.”’

Frequently, women are pigeonholed into particular categories as it relates to their work. “You’re either cutesy, folky, and odd-bally in a very happy joyful way or you’re severely depressed and tortured. Sometimes, you can be neither of those things and still be a lady with a guitar,” says Marten, a gentle scoff to her breath. Fellow UK artist James Blake, for example, wrote a revealing exposé in 2019, in which he stated how he would often “play down or skirt around how desperately sad I have been.” Marten can certainly relate, but makes an apt point: “I genuinely think that’s the only time a guy has had to address that.”

With Flora Fauna, Marten cues up sharper songwriting that’ll (hopefully) lay to rest expectations the media and her fans have forced upon her shoulders. As much as she has come to loathe the term, making the album was indeed quite “cathartic,” she says. “It was entirely necessary. I could feel it in my bones.”

Recorded over 10 days, alongside producer Rich Cooper, the record found Marten picking up the bass on a whim. She didn’t know how to play; in fact, she plucked its strings as she would an acoustic guitar. “I just decided to buy one. It came the next day, and I just really enjoyed making a different sound that wasn’t an acoustic guitar. Not knowing how to play meant my fingers were quite clunky, and I made very specific, rigid chords.These sort of slightly deranged bass riffs came out as the bed of every song”.

As with her previous two albums, Flora Fauna was met with positive reviews. Marten, even though her sound has evolved since her debut, has managed to remain hugely consistent and impressive. This is The Forty-Five’s take on one of last year’s finest albums:

“Billie Marten was just 17 when she released her debut album, ‘Writing Of Blues And Yellows’ in 2016. Growing up in rural Yorkshire, the flora and fauna of the natural world framed much of her early writing. In fact, it was really all she had to go on, still at school and living at home – as if gazing out at the wider world from behind glass.

On ‘Aquarium’, the final song on her new, third album ‘Flora Fauna’, Marten is no longer the girl behind glass, but the artist in front of it, looking back at her younger self from a wiser, louder – and occasionally wistful – perspective. “I need friends and I want lovers,” she sings as she moves through the adult world.

As an English singer-songwriter with a folk lean and a thoughtful, literary outlook, comparisons to Laura Marling were rife during Marten’s first forays into music. For both artists, the natural world is more than an influence – it’s a language for emotion. But in the five years since, amid many global, political, and musical shifts, Marten left home for London, and her sound slowly followed.

Her second album, ‘Feeding Seahorses By Hand’, documented new life in the big city: books, political observations, customers she encountered in the pub where she pulled shifts. And London continues to play a part on ‘Flora Fauna’, from female street safety to pigeons. “I am sick of branding and one-legged pigeons,” she reflects during a Tube journey, confronted with the city’s grubbier side.

London’s presence also filters through the album’s sound – and Marten’s attempts to break out of the sweet folky box of her first record. Only a few songs are led by acoustic guitar – ‘Pigeon,’ ‘Kill The Clown’, ‘Aquarium’ – but they’re propelled by something more urgent, accompanied by vivid strings or brisk percussion.

To describe ‘Flora Fauna’, Marten uses words like “sunny”, “abundance”, “joy”, “a green bath”. These songs certainly come from a happier, self-assured place, from jangly ‘Heaven’ to pop jaunt ‘Ruin’, the latter recalling Angel Olsen’s sprightly ‘What It Is’. The whispery vocals of Marten’s earlier records linger, but the writing feels more improvised and immediate, like a lively chat on the phone rather than a long, laboured diary entry.

She’s clearly grown comfortable to throw a little caution, though it just makes you want her to throw a lot more. The trifecta of looped vocals, synths, and keys on ‘Liquid Love’ sound unlike anything she’s done before – and unlike anything else on the album, which at times clings too hard to a certain timbre.

But there’s a dark edge to the album’s sunshine. End-of-days basslines and flickering synth structure every song, many of which deal with tough, uncomfortable feelings. Lead single ‘Garden Of Eden’ opens the album not with lush hedonism but an ominous bass riff, as Marten contemplates burnout and self-neglect: how we’re all too busy competing to live to actually live, a criticism surely relevant to the pressures and pace of her industry. Meanwhile, on the growling ‘Human Replacement’, a girl walks home alone at night. Everybody knows how that story can end.

This is the urban Marten, worldly-wise and far less green, but processing her surroundings with the same magpie gleam she possessed as a rural schoolgirl. “I’ve been growing leaf by leaf / dying for the world to see / ready,” she sings at the beginning of ‘Flora Fauna’. Ready, too, to put down roots in new sounds, colouring her future promise with shades beyond blues and yellows”.

I am going to end with The Line of Best Fit’s review of the magnificent, must-listen to and much-nuanced Flora Fauna:

“The collection of tracks display how adept at games of tension-and-release Marten has become. She pulls the listener close in songs like “Heaven”, “Ruin” and “Garden of Eden”, her voice immediately embracing the mike before arrangements brighten and relinquish their hold on the listener for oxymoronically spacious choruses.

Marten’s songwriting has matured beyond the trepidations of youth, building on Feeding Seahorses by Hand’s first hints of urgency. “Creature of Mine” opens with the grim “Old Mother Nature says it’s all getting worse”, echoing the songwriter’s long-standing concerns with our relationship with nature - one she cherishes so much she named her album after it. She also sings about the fear of being outside at night as a woman in the ominous “Human Replacement”, a track only made more potent by the tragic death of Sarah Everard in London in March and the subsequent national outpouring of grief and anger.

If album closer “Aquarium” and its sparse instrumentation, alludes to her bare-bones debut, most of Flora Fauna is devoted to entirely new musical ventures. Following Feeding Seahorses by Hand’s experimental variations of the folk music Marten roots her craft in, Rich Cooper - who also produced Writing of Blues and Yellows - and Marten are willing to take compositions one step further.

For one, there’s the alt-rock menace of “Human Replacement”, a strange beast whose production tricks bear resemblance to that of another Billie and her brother Finneas. From there we’re led into “Liquid Love”, a ticking bedroom pop lullaby that sounds inspired by the lethargic end of James Blake’s catalog, and then into an incredibly refreshing juxtaposition of oriental riffs, a buzzing electronic backdrop, and a melody that reminds of indie folk-rock superstar Sharon Van Etten’s recent work in “Heaven”.

Three albums deep into the game, Marten has grown into the artist she is today with more trial than error. Radiohead reminiscent standout “Kill The Clown” is the perfect case in point, weaving audible threads of improvisation that blur the line between jazz, folk, rock and pop. It’s a rich tapestry of sounds that comes straight from the heart. That might be Marten’s secret ingredient: no matter how left-field the compositions are, whether warming or breaking, there’s always a lot of heart in the music”.

One of my favourite albums from this year, Flora Fauna is the third from an artist I have been following and admiring since she started her career. I will follow Marten’s progress with huge interest. She is a phenomenal songwriter and one of the best lyricists in the country. Flora Fauna is the Yorkshire-born musician…

IN full bloom.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: A 1980s Pop Pleasure Mix

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna shot by Eric Watson in 1984 

A 1980s Pop Pleasure Mix

___________

MY mind is back on the 1980s…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Prince

as there is a really great new documentary series on BBC that asks whether the 1980s was the greatest decade. I would argue that the 1990s owns that title. That said, one cannot debate that the Pop music of the decade was among the most fun, uplifting and interesting! From big artists like Madonna and Prince to those one-hit wonders and more serious Electronic acts that added something a bit more serious and experimental to Pop. To allude to the BBC’s The 80s - Music’s Greatest Decade?, below is a playlist that collates and unites some of the best Pop music from a hugely exciting decade. Of course, I could not include every Pop (by ‘Pop’, I am deeming music that was popular, rather than a genre-specific sound) gem from the 1980s. I have incorporated a collection of songs that, when played together, makes for a party soundtrack! I am a huge fan of ‘80s music, so it has been fun putting a playlist together. Whether you need as reminder of why the 1980s is such a remarkable decade, or you just need some solid Pop jams, the songs below should…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Wham!

DO the job.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Seventy-Seven: Snoh Aalegra

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern Heroines

PHOTO CREDIT: Emman Montalvan 

Part Seventy-Seven: Snoh Aalegra

___________

THERE are so many women…

that I want to include in this feature. Joy Crookes is among those that I am thinking of. One artist I have been following for several years now is Snoh Aalegra. The L.A.-based Swedish artist released her third studio album, TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES, in July. I have been a fan of Aalegra since her debut album, Feels, in 2017. In fact, I go back a couple of years before that. She is a tremendous artist who was mentored by the late Prince. There are not too many interviews with her from the last couple of years or so. I am going to quote a couple of reviews for TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES. A few of the interviews relate to her 2019 album, - Ugh, those feels again. I think that Snoh Aalegra’s latest album is her best work yet. A hugely powerful artist who has the likes of Tyler, the Creator in the mix, her music is funky, soulful, sexy and hugely memorable! The first interview that I want to source from is GOAT. They spoke with the rising and hugely talented Aalegra back in 2019. It is interesting discovering when her love for music was first struck:

 “I know that your real name is Snoh, but what inspired the stage name Snoh Aalegra?

It took me a while to decide on a stage name to go with Snoh. Eventually, I came across the name “allegra” which means “joyful” in Italian. I switched up the spelling to make it my own with the two a’s. I wanted to bring a positive energy to my name since I really believe words are powerful.

When did you discover your love for music?

I knew my calling at a very young age. I would say I was nine years old when I made my first attempt to write a song. It didn’t make any sense grammatically since English is my third language, and I wasn’t too good at it as a nine-year-old. But the passion was always there from the start. I have an otherworldly love for music, something I have a hard time describing with words. It’s a strong feeling.

A few years ago in an interview, you mentioned you were signed to Sony at the age of 14. Would you recommend committing to a label at such a young age?

Things have changed so much since then, and I would definitely not recommend that anyone jump at a label deal. I would advise taking your time and building an organic, grassroots foundation. Now with the internet, there are endless opportunities and countless other ways to reach people.

PHOTO CREDIT: Angella Choe 

You grew up in Uppsala, Sweden and also spent some time in the U.K. before moving to the U.S. and settling down in L.A. How do you view the difference between the U.K. music scene and music culture in the U.S.?

I really appreciate the music scene in the U.K. They have a great love for new artists and a great live music scene. I feel like they are always ahead of the game because they’re so much more open to new artists. The U.S. is tough. You’re always competing with what’s on the radio here, and I’m not really making the kind of music that is popular on the radio. But I can feel a slow switch happening. People are becoming more open to artists like myself. 

Are you familiar with some of the rising U.K. artists like Ella Mai and Jorja Smith? Could you see yourself collaborating with either of them?

Yes, of course. Both of those ladies are super dope, and I could see myself working with both of them. I’ve actually already been writing in the studio with Jorja. We have great chemistry.

There’s a stigma that women in the music industry today compete rather than collaborate with each other. Is this something you’ve experienced?

This is something I’m definitely in my feelings about. I have the dopest queens in the world in my DMs congratulating me, telling me they are fans. Most are, like, 10 times bigger than me and have a huge voice with major impact on their social channels. I feel beyond happy when they reach out, but I can’t help but wonder why they don’t support me in public. If I love a female artist in my own lane, I scream loud with support and would be so happy if they did as well. In my eyes, the more people who do well with a similar sound to mine, the easier it gets for me to break through. I love good music, and I don’t discriminate in my support of it. Also, you never know; I was told Rihanna once opened for Ciara. You never know who is going to be who in the future. If female artists would collaborate and merge their brands the way that male artists and rappers do, our voices together would be larger than life and an unstoppable force. Shoutout to the handful of goddesses who do support on the regular. Not all females are that way!”.

NR Magazine chatted with Snoh Aalegra in 2019 to promote her second studio album. An artist who stands out and will be making phenomenal music for years to come, one can hear influences like Prince, Michael Jackson and other icons. I was especially intrigued by the question regarding how she puts songs together – and whether she begins with lyrics or the music:

“NR Magazine: First of all, it’s just been announced that you’ve signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation; how does that feel, and what does this mean for your music?

Snoh Aalegra: Yeah, I mean, I’m very happy about it all. Me and my team, we’ve been working our asses off, doing everything ourselves for so many years. And I have a really small team of like three people, and at some point, we were like, ‘Ok, it’s time to expand.’ I mean, we work around the clock and we needed to delegate some of this insane workload. Talking to labels was a natural next step in my journey, and our journey as a team. I think choosing Roc Nation was just the most organic way to go; there’s a pre-existing relationship and respect there already, you know. No I.D. [Snoh’s producer] is close with Jay-Z, TY TY, Jay Brown and everybody, and I feel like no matter how big their company gets, they still operate like one big family. And I think that’s something that’s very important to have for me, in contrast to other cutthroat, hype-driven labels. I look at Jay-Z, his close circle of people and see the insane careers they’ve built for themselves and the help they’ve given so many other artists. And as far as my creative process goes, that will stay the same. I mean, I always strive to evolve and learn, but I definitely have a particular way of how I like things to be done and that will probably never change.

NR: Something that interests a lot of people is that Prince was your mentor when he was alive; what do you think he’d say knowing where you’ve got to today?

SA: Yeah, it’s interesting cos he really told me to never sign with a major label, and when I met him, I was with a major label. He was like, ‘Get out of this deal!’ and I did; I went indie. But, funny enough, I know one person that he really respected and trusted, even with his own catalogue, was Jay-Z. So, I feel like I’ve made the right decision and he probably would have supported this too”.

NR: When it comes to the composition, where do you begin? Do you start with the lyrics, an idea or a sound?

SA: It really begins with me, walking into the room, knowing the mood – there’s always a mood. Sometimes, it’s just only me and an engineer, and I’m there writing the whole thing myself, either to a beat, or I make up melodies and lyrics – and then I have somebody come play for me. Sometimes I like to bounce off ideas with a co-writer or with a producer and work that way. I’m all for either ways. It’s really about myself and my life, so it’s super important that it’s all authentic to me. And if I bounce off with somebody, they need to know that it’s really personal to me. And that’s why I don’t really write with a lot of people. So, sometimes, I already have a lyric idea; sometimes it’s like, I’m jamming to a beat. My favourite is probably jamming to live music where I’m just jamming with live musicians. That’s probably my favourite way to work.

NR: Ugh, Those Feels Again was a year or so in the making: How do you know when something’s complete and ready to go?

SA: I think it’s just a feeling you have. Like, I’m ready to put this out; I’m ready for people to hear this. And it’s not always that it’s perfect, or that you feel like, ‘Oh I have a hit, I have this, I have that’. I had no idea how people would react to the album. All I knew was how it made me feel and that it was, you know, a good feeling. For me, it’s about what I want to have said on a project, and if I expressed these emotions. My projects are like time capsules of my life. So, this album that’s out right now, was the sum up of what happened after a break up and what I was going through – reminiscing back on why we broke up, how we broke up. Songs like Charleville 9200, Pt. II, songs like Love Live That and You, reflect on the break up. And then, I was single for a whole year making the album, experiencing new love or situations, so songs like Situationship and I Want You Around describe that feeling when you just met somebody new, and you want them to be around them, but you don’t really know where it’s gonna go. So, that’s a mix of a whole year for me.

NR: Being able to look back on the journey you’ve taken, is there anything you would have done differently – or something that you’ve really learned from that’s shaped who you are today?

SA: I’ve learned to not be a people pleaser; I used to be a people pleaser because, you know, I was signed for the first time when I was thirteen. And, I had a lot of respect for authority, listening to people telling me what to do, and what not to do. I didn’t have my own voice. Things were really different when I was thirteen, or even when I was eighteen, to being a teenager now. We’re way more educated, smarter, we have more access to information, to make music and to have a reach. When I was a growing up, there was no SoundCloud or Instagram. So, for me, I had to go through labels –that was the only option. I put a lot of trust in other people around me and I didn’t know what I was doing; I was a kid. So, I think yeah: that’s something I’ve learned – stop being a people pleaser. Do your own thing. Life’s too short to do something you don’t want to do. And, I stand up for myself more than ever and I don’t take things personal. It’s a whole big game for everybody in the industry; it’s not just about the artists – there’s a whole political game. For artists, nothing is set for us, basically. It’s crazy how it’s a whole world of politics, and artists get really affected by this. And now I work with family so I know that they would never fuck me over.

NR: Finally then, if you were to work on a film score of your own, what would be the ideal project for that

SA: James Bond. 007. That’s always something that’s been on the bucket list; if that were ever to happen, that would be super crazy. It’s been a goal of mine cos I’m a big fan of the James Bond soundtracks. License to Kill - Gladys Knight, Golden Eye - Tina Turner, or like, Gold Finger - Shirley Bassey: they’re some of my favourite songs and compositions. So yeah, that would be a dream cos I would want to make a song like that”.

Before coming to a couple of reviews for the fantastic TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES, there is a Stylist interview from 2019 that I want to include. It is more of a quick-fire conversation, where we get to discover about the firsts of a Swedish artist who is going to be iconic very soon:

 “The first album I bought…

Was Robyn’s debut Robyn Is Here. That was the first CD I bought myself, but I had a lot of cassettes at home. My mum would always play a lot of music in the house – Shirley Bassey and Whitney Houston. And I was part of the MTV generation; seeing music videos like Michael Jackson’s Thriller was a magical thing for a kid.

The first gig I went to…

Was a Backstreet Boys concert. It was kind of crazy, there were a lot of people fainting and pushing each other. It was kind of dangerous, to be honest.

The first time I knew music was my future…

Was at a very young age. I grew up admiring Michael Jackson, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin. They are the people who made me want to make music. R&B and soul is why I make music.

The first thing I do in the morning…

Is check my phone, unfortunately.

 The first thing I do when I get home…

Is take my shoes off. I live in a small studio apartment in LA so there’s not much to do – I just come home, throw myself on the bed, take a few deep breaths and then take it from there.

The first thing I heard this morning…

Is one of my friend’s new songs, his name is Lou Val. He’s an artist from Toronto and I played his song Soul-catcher when I woke up.

The first thing I’ll spend money on…

Is probably make-up, I take all my make-up everywhere I go. I have a habit of drawing freckles on my face, I’ve been doing it since I was 14 but I’ve noticed it’s a trend now. Also good food – food over everything – and I’m into headphones and music gear too. I invest a lot in my music – as an independent artist you kind of have to.

The first person who inspired me…

Is Michael Jackson, he’s had the biggest impact on me. There was so much about him, he was so unique. His voice, his moves. And then there was so much in his artistry, so much he invented: the glove, the socks, the glitter. He’s my inspiration when I bring lots of glitz and glamour to the stage”.

I think that the next year or two is going to be pivotal for Snoh Aalegra. Having released three studio albums and with her profile rising, here is an artist that everyone needs to be aware of. Her latest studio album is a tremendously fun, fulsome and layered release where one will keep coming back. This is what NME said in their assessment:

“That’s the effect that Aalegra has on her bright and searching third full-length effort, ‘Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies’. From the spacey 808s of ‘Taste’ to the delicately layered harmonies of ‘Tangerine Dream’, she shows off her voice at its rawest over impeccable production, and even flutes up to a gentle falsetto on ‘Just Like That’.

 ‘Lost You’, a slick ode to the importance of learning to let go, allows her tender and forgiving vocals to whirl around a lush R&B arrangement. But it’s on ‘Dying 4 Ur Love’ where she really enthralls: a woozy number that gently taps into G-funk’s laid-back vibe, the song is effortlessly held together by the way she rarely rises above a sultry hush.

Throughout the rest of the album, Aalegra leans into her hit-making potential. ‘Neon Peach’ employs California’s Tyler, The Creator for a typically exuberant verse, while ‘In Your Eyes’, with its cheeky whoops and booming bassline, sees her occasionally stretch into a rap-like cadence for a repeated, mantra-like refrain of “Just know I don’t need your attention!”. It’s one of Aalegra’s most commanding moments.

‘Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies’ doesn’t broaden Aalegra’s sound or lyrical content greatly, and there are certainly points where she could push things further forward. But in continuing to be so open and expressive about love, hope, and loss, she makes it feel possible for the rest of us”

To conclude, there is an observant and interesting review from The Line of Best Fit that was impressed and hooked by what Snoh Aalegra put out with TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES:

“Featuring a coveted features from superstar Tyler, The Creator, and James Fauntleroy, Aalegra’s third outing captivates and enigmatically draws attention with simple production that is complemented perfectly with dazzling vocals. Normally a sought-out feature artist, Aalegra solidifies herself as a formidable solo artist with TEMPORARY HIGHS - an addicting 46-minute listen that grows with consecutive approaches.

The addiction of this album draws from the intoxicating themes: the confusion of the loss of love and the resulting emotions, the temporary high that love leaves you with, and the disillusionment of a breakup and the resulting clarity. “IN YOUR EYES”, traverses through the heart-breaking notion that the love, for Aalegra, could be nothing more than a disguise in search of something more from her faulty lover: “If you seek, you will find/What was there, the whole time/Was love in disguise in your eyes?”

The accusations quickly escalate in “NEON PEACHES” with Tyler, The Creator – perhaps, the best song of the bunch. Speaking of a relationship that has gone far beyond its expiration date, the song is strengthened by two verses from the explosive feature artist. The expiration is quickly recognized in the first chorus: “It's the things that you do/ I know we've gone too far/ When I think about the things that we do” While the song is indeed upbeat, the lurking deeper meaning adeptly counters this.

Similar to the late ‘90s and early ‘00s Alicia Keys, Aalegra is comfortable with her vocals being the forefront while the production is meant as a complimentary facet. Aalegra sticks to her signature sound throughout the entire journey – and while that’s not bad – it can become repetitive unless you consciously and actively listen. Sonically, it's comparable to her 2019’s Ugh, those feels again. As a result, you could consider TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES a “safe” album, though safe isn’t meant as derogatory – just the opposite of exploratory and experimental”.

One of my favourite modern artists, I love the fact that her influences are Michael Jsckson and Prince. She brings their funkiness and magic to her music. She is soulful and smooth, too. A great writer with an incredible compositional and literal voice, we are going to hear a lot more Aalegra as time goes on. To me, she is going to be one of the biggest modern artists. An influential female artist who is a real marvel. Go and listen to the majestic music of…

THE Los Angeles-based heroine.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

 Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

___________

IN this excursion into Vinyl Corner…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Wu-Tang Clan. Clockwise from left: Ol' Dirty Bastard, the GZA, the RZA, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Center, from left, Method Man and U-God

I am featuring an album that I had never really thought of before. In many ways, Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), is the perfect album to own on vinyl. So extraordinary, boundary-pushing and mesmeric is the music, you need to experience it on vinyl!!The group have actually launched an exclusive book (only thirty-six are available) that links to the classic album. 2017’s The Saga Continues is the moist-recent album from Wu-Tang Clan. I am not sure whether they are recording music still. Formed in 1992 in Staten Island, New York City, Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. There is no doubt that Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) ranks alongside the greatest Hip-Hop albums ever. You can grab a vinyl copy of the album via Rough Trade. This is what they say about the 1993 album:

“Along with Dr. Dre's The Chronic, the Wu-Tang Clan's debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), was one of the most influential rap albums of the '90s. Its spare yet atmospheric production - courtesy of RZA - mapped out the sonic blueprint that countless other hardcore rappers would follow for years to come. It laid the groundwork for the rebirth of New York hip-hop in the hardcore age, paving the way for everybody from Biggie and Jay-Z to Nas and Mobb Deep. Moreover, it introduced a colorful cast of hugely talented MCs, some of whom ranked among the best and most unique individual rappers of the decade. Some were outsized, theatrical personalities, others were cerebral storytellers and lyrical technicians, but each had his own distinctive style, which made for an album of tremendous variety and consistency.

Every track on Enter the Wu-Tang is packed with fresh, inventive rhymes, which are filled with martial arts metaphors, pop culture references (everything from Voltron to Lucky Charms cereal commercials to Barbra Streisand's The Way We Were), bizarre threats of violence, and a truly twisted sense of humour. Their off-kilter menace is really brought to life, however, by the eerie, lo-fi production, which helped bring the raw sound of the underground into mainstream hip-hop. Starting with a foundation of hard, gritty beats and dialogue samples from kung fu movies, RZA kept things minimalistic, but added just enough minor-key piano, strings, or muted horns to create a background ambience that works like the soundtrack to a surreal nightmare. There was nothing like it in the hip-hop world at the time, and even after years of imitation, Enter the Wu-Tang still sounds fresh and original. Subsequent group and solo projects would refine and deepen this template, but collectively, the Wu have never been quite this tight again”.

I am going to draw in the usual selection of reviews and features. If you are a bit wary of an album that is quite hardcore, then launching straight into the album might not be the best first step. I would advise sampling songs to see how they sound to you. I am not a massive fan of albums like this, though Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is one that I cannot resist. It is hugely important too. It was a landmark release in the golden Hip-Hop age known as the East Coast Renaissance. The album helped pave the way way for several other East Coast rappers such as Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, and JAY-Z.

In 2018, Albusim provided a retrospective on an album that still reverberates to this day. RZA's production on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) had a significant influence on subsequent Hip-Hop producers. The album helped create a blueprint for hardcore Hip-Hop in the mid-1990s:

“The Wu-Tang Clan descended on the world of music like the proverbial swarm of killer bees. Or an invading horde of black-hooded, Timberland-footed ninjas. With their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), released 25 years ago, they struck fast, hard and without mercy. Hip-Hop heads didn’t know what was coming until it was too late.

On one of the album’s skits, over low growling buzz and deep bassline (aptly sampled from New Birth’s “Honey Bee”), Robert “RZA” Diggs makes his presence known by repeatedly chanting, “WU-TANG KILLER BEES! WE ON A SWARM!” He lists off the crew’s core members, and then starts name-checking their affiliates, shouting out an army’s worth of Wu-Tang soldiers. He bellows, “Killa Bees all over your fucking planet! Thirty-six chambers of death! Three hundred and sixty degrees of perfected styles! Chopping off your motherfucking dome!” It drives things home: the Wu is coming through, and the outcome? Critical.

Wu-Tang Clan’s background is pretty well-known by now. They were a group of anywhere between eight to ten highly skilled emcees, most born and raised in the rougher parts of Staten Island, New York. They were spearheaded by The RZA and Gary “GZA” Grice, both of whom were industry vets and victims of lousy record deals from Tommy Boy and Cold Chillin’, respectively. They gathered up the most skilled crewmembers and recorded and released the “Protect Ya Neck” 12” independently. Soon thereafter, Wu-Tang as a group signed with Loud/RCA records, but had a provision placed into their contract allowing each member of the group the freedom to negotiate their own record deal with whomever they saw fit.  

Back then, the Wu was comprised of RZA, GZA, Clifford “Method Man” Smith, Corey “Raekwon” Woods, Dennis “Ghostface Killah” Coles, Russell “Ol’ Dirty Bastard” Jones, Jason “Inspectah Deck/Rebel INS” Hunter, and Lamont “U-God” Hawkins. Elgin “Masta Killa” Turner appeared on Enter the Wu-Tang but wasn’t a full-fledged member yet and Duane “Cappadonna” Hill, considered one of the best rappers in Staten Island growing up, was incarcerated when the album was recorded.

Regardless, Wu-Tang was unique in that for a collective of multiple emcees, each sounded distinctive. Each Clan member had their own style and identity: you could never confuse one for another on the mic. And all of them were dope in the own right. It would be very easy indeed to paper this tribute with wall-to-wall quotes from the Clan members on this album. Yet, even though each member was unique stylistically, they all perfectly coalesced around the rugged soundscapes to create something revolutionary.

Wu-Tang Clan was the music of the streets. It was the soundtrack to blighted street corners on bleak days and dark nights. Furthermore, it was infused with the essence of classic Kung Fu flicks from the ’70s and ’80s. All of Wu-Tang’s members were obsessed with the low budget, poorly dubbed movies of The Shaw Brothers, Gordon Liu, and others. As a result, the Clan’s rhymes were steeped in their slang and peppered with references to these films. Staten Island became Shaolin, and the Clan adopted the name after one of the grimiest crews featured in these films.

The musical side of Wu-Tang was equally important to its success. Enter the Wu-Tang was produced entirely by the RZA, who achieved a trademark dusty sound. He used samples that draw heavily from labels like Stax Records, music and soundbites from the aforementioned Kung Fu flicks.

“Protect Ya Neck” was the group’s opening salvo, a dark and sparse introduction to the group’s lyrical and musical stylings and a direct reminder to their peers to watch themselves when the Wu is in the area. It’s the only track on the album to feature all eight of the group’s core members at the time. Over fleeting piano notes and muted wails, each emcee delivers a potent 12 bars, giving the audience a relatively brief taste of what each member of the crew had to offer. Stand-out performances abound, whether it’s Raekwon vowing to “blow up your project, then take all your assets,” ODB threatening to “stick pins in your head like a fucking nurse,” or GZA tearing into his former “Cold Killin’” record label for “doing artists in like Cain did Abel / Now they money's getting stuck to the gum under the table.”

Though “Protect Ya Neck” may have been people’s first entrée into the Wu-Tang Clan, the group starts Enter the Wu-Tang proper with the appropriately raucous and dirge-like “Bring the Ruckus.” Ghostface’s first line, “GHOSTFACE! Feel the blast of a hype verse!” is one of the great album opening lines in hip-hop history, but the track is really held down by standout performances from Raekwon, Inspectah Deck (always the crew’s workhorse), and GZA.

The album finds its comfort zone in its faster tempo tracks, like “Shame On a N***a,” where Method Man, ODB, and Raekwon pass the mic back and forth over the horn-filled outro from Syl Johnson’s “Different Strokes.” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ To Fuck Wit” has become an audience favorite over the past 25 years, as RZA, Deck and Meth also contribute memorable performances. The beat is also one of RZA’s best on the album, as he expertly chops the theme to Underdog and pairs it with the drums from Biz Markie’s “Nobody Beats the Biz.”

Enter the 36 does give some of the individual Clan members some time to shine. GZA, arguably the best pure lyricist in the crew both then and now, displays his expert verbal chops on “Clan In Da Front.” His previous album, Words From The Genius (1991), did a poor job of demonstrating just how good he was, as Cold Chillin’ pushed him to make a more accessible album. With the Wu-Tang Clan, he was free to keep it as raw as he likes, and he responded accordingly”.

I am going to source two reviews that pay tribute to one of the groundbreaking Hip-Hop releases. 1993 was towards the end of the golden age of Hip-Hop, I think. There was definitely a certain fatigue and decline., Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) reignited something. Even though its true impact would not be felt for a little bit, it was an album that changed the game. Consequence said this in their review of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers):

“Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) has become such a standard — not only in hip-hop but in music, period — that imagining a world without it is nigh impossible. It’d be one where you don’t have Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Ghostface Killah as immediate points of comparison for Danny Brown and Action Bronson. It’s one where rap collectives have no golden standard to aspire to. It’s one where cream is relegated to being associated with Eric Clapton and dairy. It’s one without Wu-Tang Financial. It’s one where we’re deprived of one of the most important works of the 20th century, one which, even as it turns 25 years old, shows nary a wrinkle.

Knowing of 36 Chambers and Wu-Tang Clan’s legacy can make it easy to forget how unlikely its success was. Nine New York MCs, only a couple with any actual recorded material to their name, crammed into a studio to just spit absolute fire in all types of ways over beats with a cinematic quality unlike any other, with or without the kung fu film samples. RZA and the rest of the Clan weren’t matinee idols appearing in 70mm. They were the second part of the double feature, and if you found it unappealing or distasteful, the exit was thataway.

It could’ve ended up as a hugely influential album that launched the careers of some of the most important names in hip-hop (most notably RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Raekwon) and contained a few classic singles while not being quite formed as an album that you want to hear all the way through very often. Finding cohesion with three MCs on a single track can be difficult enough, let alone nine on a single album. Not only does everyone in Wu-Tang earn their place on the album (Yes, even Masta Killa. What would 36 Chambers be without “We have an APB on an MC killer”?) but so does every single track.

In a genre that’s no stranger to bloat, even before streaming inflation, 36 Chambers moves like every track is a piece on a Grandmaster’s chessboard. It’s meticulous at every turn, not least of all on centerpiece “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’” with its introductory dialogue sample, comparing chess to a sword fight. From the moment Ghostface changes the course of hip-hop forever with the very first verse on “Bring Da Ruckus” (“I come rough, tough like an elephant tusk/ Your head rush, fly like Egyptian musk”) to when it cools down (in a sense) with “Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber—Part II”, Wu-Tang Clan make it clear that they “ain’t nuthing ta fuck wit,” whether in a battle of fists or a battle of wits”.

If you need more convincing to grab a copy of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), this glowing review from AllMusic should provide the final push:

“Along with Dr. Dre's The Chronic, the Wu-Tang Clan's debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), was one of the most influential rap albums of the '90s. Its spare yet atmospheric production -- courtesy of RZA -- mapped out the sonic blueprint that countless other hardcore rappers would follow for years to come. It laid the groundwork for the rebirth of New York hip-hop in the hardcore age, paving the way for everybody from Biggie and Jay-Z to Nas and Mobb Deep. Moreover, it introduced a colorful cast of hugely talented MCs, some of whom ranked among the best and most unique individual rappers of the decade. Some were outsized, theatrical personalities, others were cerebral storytellers and lyrical technicians, but each had his own distinctive style, which made for an album of tremendous variety and consistency. Every track on Enter the Wu-Tang is packed with fresh, inventive rhymes, which are filled with martial arts metaphors, pop culture references (everything from Voltron to Lucky Charms cereal commercials to Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were"), bizarre threats of violence, and a truly twisted sense of humor. Their off-kilter menace is really brought to life, however, by the eerie, lo-fi production, which helped bring the raw sound of the underground into mainstream hip-hop. Starting with a foundation of hard, gritty beats and dialogue samples from kung fu movies, RZA kept things minimalistic, but added just enough minor-key piano, strings, or muted horns to create a background ambience that works like the soundtrack to a surreal nightmare. There was nothing like it in the hip-hop world at the time, and even after years of imitation, Enter the Wu-Tang still sounds fresh and original. Subsequent group and solo projects would refine and deepen this template, but collectively, the Wu have never been quite this tight again”.

A Hip-Hop icon that is still shaping and influencing artists through the genre, Wu-Tang Clan’s remarkable 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), is one to add to the record collection! Listening to the album is an emotional and moving experience. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is…

A mighty thing indeed.

FEATURE: Mná na hÉireann and Other Gems: Kate Bush and Her Gift of Interpretation

FEATURE:

 

 

Mná na hÉireann and Other Gems

PHOTO CREDIT: Phil Dent/Redferns 

Kate Bush and Her Gift of Interpretation

___________

I missed its twenty-fifth anniversary…

back in May, but the compilation, Common Ground: Voices of Modern Irish Music, is a worthy album that is important. The concept of this album, assembled by producer Donal Lunny, was to gather over a dozen Celtic and Rock musicians with Irish ancestry to perform Irish traditional music, or original compositions with an Irish traditional flavour. The album contains tracks by Maire Brennan, Paul Brady, Andy Irvine, Christy Moore, Elvis Costello and Kate Bush. Bush recorded an interpretation of the poem, Mná na hÉireann. 1996 was a relatively quiet one in terms of Bush’s career. It was three years after The Red Shoes came out. Few people realised at that point that it would be 2005 when we next got a studio album from her (Aerial). There is an excellent new book, Finding Kate, that visualises her songs. There are illustrations that accompany a selection of he tracks. I have been communicating with its author, Michael Byrne, about some of the songs he selected for inclusion. The subject of Mná na hÉireann came up. Byrne is Irish. I was interested hearing his insights into Bush and Mná na hÉireann. Bush’s mother was Irish, and she had a great familial connection to the country. I am going to go a little into detail about how Bush interprets other people’s songs, standards and poems. I have talked about her covering tracks and that gift for interpretation before. I have been thinking about Mná na hÉireann a lot.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush perform on the set of French T.V. show, Formule 1, on 16th March, 1983/PHOTO CREDIT: Jean-Jacques Bernier

Bush has sung in different languages before. Whether it is French (on Peter Gabriel’s Games Without Frontiers or the French-language version of her single, The Infant Kiss (Un Baiser d'Enfant)) or adopting on Australian accent in The Dreaming’s title track, Bush’s command of other languages and dialects is supreme! It is no surprise that she sings in Gaelic so convincingly. The truth is that Bush worked hard to sing phonetically, though her love and attachment to Ireland meant she inhabited the song and language easier than most. Even though the reaction to her rendition of Mná na hÉireann was split, I really love the song. It is one of her non-album tracks that more people should hear. The Kate Bush Encyclopaedia provide more detail and depth:

“Poem written by Ulster poet Peadar Ó Doirnín (1704–1796). It is most famous as a song, and especially set to an air composed by Seán Ó Riada (1931–1971). As a modern song, 'Mná na hÉireann' is usually placed in the category of Irish rebel music; as an eighteenth-century poem it belongs to the genre (related to the aisling) which imagines Ireland as a generous, beautiful woman suffering the depredations of an English master on her land, her cattle, or her self, and which demands Irishmen to defend her, or ponders why they fail to. The poem also seems to favor Ulster above the other Irish provinces.

Kate Bush recorded her rendition in 1995 for the 1996 compilation album Common Ground - Voices of Modern Irish Music. According to Donal Lunny, who contacted her for this contribution, 'She was very excited with the idea of singing the Irish in a way that Irish speakers would understand, and of conveying the meaning of the song through the sounds of the words. I helped as much as I could. She had Seán Ó Sé’s recording of Mná na hÉireann as reference. She was as faithful to the pronunciations as she could possibly be. It was with characteristic care and attention that she approached it. She did not stint one bit. Of course you’ll get people saying, `Oh, you’d know she doesn’t talk Irish straight off’. You wouldn’t know it straight off. I would defend her efforts as being totally sincere. No matter how perfect she gets it, she’s not an Irish speaker. This may rankle with some people.'

Critical reception

The track was reviewed as 'impressive' by Hot Press, saying that Kate’s 'fiery interpretation….may well prove to be among the most controversial cuts on Common Ground'. Indeed the Irish Times review of Common Ground singled out Kate as 'fumbling her way through' the song. NME was more positive about the track: "Since Lunny made a significant mark on her 'Sensual World' album, she repays him with a swooning version of 'Mná na hÉireann' (Women Of Ireland) that’s as good as anything she’s done this decade."

Kate about 'Mná na hÉireann'

It was fun and very challenging …..I will eagerly await comments from all Irish-speaking listeners in particular. I’m sure Ma gave me a helping hand! (Kate Bush Club Newsletter, December 1995)

Donal Lunny about 'Mná na hÉirann'

Not being an Irish speaker, she had to learn the words phonetically and took enormous pains over that. We exchanged, at the time I think it was faxes, of phonetic versions of it and spoke over the phone, went over the pronunciations, and eventually she got it pretty well. (Kate Bush sings as Gaeilge - Donal Lunny on working with a legend, RTÉ Radio 1 (Ireland), 4 September 2020)”.

Kate Bush has a gift for taking lesser-heard song and standards and making them her own. Whether she tackled Donavon’s Lord of the Reedy River, My Lagan Love (a song to a traditional Irish air collected in 1903 in northern Donegal) or her splendid version of George and Ira Gershwin’s The Man I Love, she could inhabit so many diverse landscapes and excel! A 21019 collection, The Other Sides, collates some of those lesser-known songs (Mná na hÉireann is on that album). In a career where Bush has recorded so many intriguing songs, I think Mná na hÉirann is among the absolute best and most beautiful. Her stunning rendition shows that there is…

 NO end to her talent!