FEATURE: My Five Favourite Tracks of 2021: Lorde – Solar Power

FEATURE:

 

 

My Five Favourite Tracks of 2021

Lorde – Solar Power

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I was not aware until recently…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ophelia Mikkelson Jones

that Clairo and Phoebe Bridgers provided backing vocals on Lorde’s Solar Power. The title track from her recent third solo album, it is one of my favourite songs of the year. The album itself divided critics. Some felt that the songs had the same tempo and there wasn’t the same sort of variation and quality that we found on 2017’s Melodrama. Even though some were not convinced by Lorde’s much-anticipated album, I really like it. It is a different album from Melodrama, and it definitely has a sense of the New Zealand artist moving on. Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor delivered a brilliant album with Solar Power. Its title track is impossibly uplifting! With some vocal harmonies that put one in mind Primal Scream’s Loaded, it is a song that nods to the past. Sunny, breezy and radiant, there is a lot to admire about the single. Others have compared Solar Power to George Michael Freedom! '90. That is not to say that there is anything unoriginal or derivative about the track. It is one with some nostalgic edges, though Lorde’s voice and lyrics comes through. Before rounding off, there are a couple of articles relating to Solar Power. Stereogum published an article in June where Lorde talked about working on the track alongside producer Jack Antonoff:

“The first song, also called SOLAR POWER and written and produced by myself and Jack, is the first of the rays. It’s about that infectious, flirtatious summer energy that takes hold of us all, come June (or December, if you’re a Southern Hemisphere baby like me but I know that’s literally IMPOSSIBLE for you all to wrap your little heads around so don’t worry about it!!).

I made everything with friends here in New Zealand. My best mate Ophelia took the cover photo, lying on the sand as I leapt over her, both of us laughing. The director who made my first ever music video, Joel, helped me create the videos, building an entire cinematic universe that I can’t wait for you to see. I made something that encapsulates where I’m from — my family, my girlfriends, my outdoors, my constant ruminations, and my unending search for the divine.

There’s SO much more detail to come — a truly comical amount of detail, honestly. You can look to the natural calendar for clues. I’m trying to listen to what’s out there more, and the vibe I got was that you’re ready for this, that you need it. I want this album to be your summer companion, the one you pump on the drive to the beach. The one that lingers on your skin like a tan as the months get cooler again”.

I can remember the excitement when Lorde announced the first single and we were going to get this album. A perfect summer anthem, Solar Power paints some vivid and arresting images: “My cheeks in high color, overripe peaches/No shirt, no shoes, only my features/My boy behind me, he's taking pictures/Lead the boys and girls onto the beaches/Come one, come all, I'll tell you my secrets/I'm kinda like a prettier Jesus”.

This Wikipedia article relates to the critical reaction to Solar Power. Many noted how instantly summery and warming it was:

“Writing for Pitchfork, Anna Gaca called the song a "soft-touch anthem for the [summer] season's simple pleasures", and remarked that it "flipped the script" when compared to the sound of Lorde's 2017 album Melodrama. Rhian Daly of NME gave the song five out of five stars, labelling it a "sun-kissed ode to starting anew", and drew musical comparisons to the Primal Scream album Screamadelica, Joni Mitchell, and Wolf Alice's sound since Visions of a Life. Writers for New Zealand magazine The Spinoff generally praised "Solar Power", with Toby Manhire calling the song an "instant classic", and Stewart Sowman-Lund calling the song "so perfectly summery that it makes me want to drive straight to Devonport (or wherever people swim in Auckland)".

Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine stated that the track "boasts a breezy, psychedelic quality that's perfectly paired for summer drives and beach trips, and an optimistic outlook", while lacking "the urgency of her best songs". Writers for Vulture received the song well, with Justin Curto describing it as "a sunny, acoustic-driven song about a good day on the beach, as the cover art teases" and noted that its bridge is reminiscent of George Michael's "Freedom! '90", and Craig Jenkins called it "slight and fun", though it felt "more like a carefree vacation update than the blockbuster comeback we've been anticipating since the simpler times", while noting similarities to "the psychedelic dance-rock of early '90s UK rave kings like Happy Mondays and Primal Scream".

In a Billboard piece, Jason Lipshutz wrote that "Lorde's new single 'Solar Power' is a playful splash of salt water onto our faces in time for the summer", calling it "deceptively simple", noting the saxophone and trumpet in the mix, and asserted that "Lorde remains one of the best at filling the corners of her songs with personalized knickknacks". In a five star review, Rachel Brodsky of The Independent praised Lorde for "finding a new way to express a universal feeling", comparing it to the Beach Boys' song "Kokomo". Consequence named it "Song of the Week", describing it as "light, bouncy, and nonchalant", emphasising its departure from Lorde's previous works”.

Despite some feeling a little underwhelmed by Solar Power’s title single, it is one of my absolute top choices from 2021. It was the kind of song that we needed Lorde to deliver. I have been listening to it ever since it was released! Able to provide a nice rush of energy and summer vibes, it is one of the highlights from the Solar Power album. It makes me wonder where Lorde is going to go from here. After Solar Power got a mix of reviews, maybe we will hear a new direction and energy from her fourth studio album. Reaching number seventeen in the U.K. single chart, Solar Power is…

A wonderful track.

FEATURE: Time and Time Again, Line and Line Again: Kate Bush and the Gravitas of Her Television Appearances

FEATURE:

 

 

Time and Time Again, Line and Line Again

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performs Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) on the German T.V. program. Peter's Pop Show, in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: ZIK Images/United Archives via Getty Images 

Kate Bush and the Gravitas of Her Television Appearances

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THE reason for going down this avenue…

is that, a couple of weeks back, there was this T.V. special about ABBA. As part of the special, a clip played of Kate Bush being introduced by Benny and Björn from the group. She was performing the single, Wow (from her 1978 album, Lionheart). It is a wonderful captivating performance that, the more you watch it, the more you are stunned by it! Whether it was miming a song or singing a live vocal, Bush always amazed people with her T.V. performances. I think the last time she did sing on T.V. would have been around 1994. From 1978 until then, she appeared on a number of different shows. I may go into a bit more depth and detail. Especially in the first couple of years of her career, Bush was on a variety of T.V. shows around the world. In 1979, she embarked on her first extensive tour experience with The Tour of Life. I think, before then, T.V. slots was her live experience; a chance to sing her songs in front of an audience and work out a routine. As good as they sound on the albums, I guess Bush was always thinking how her songs could be translated and come to life in a more physical and visual way. I have seen various videos of Bush performing in 1978 and 1979.

Because of the success of her debut single, Wuthering Heights, she was on Top of the Pops several times. She had to perform minus a band, as show rules meant a solo artist had to perform with their house band. Having to sing to an awful recorded track, Bush had a nightmare the first time she was on the show on 16th February, 1978. That bad first experience did affect the regularity she performed on the show (16th February, 1978: Kate performs Wuthering Heights. Kate described it as "a bloody awful performance". 9th March, 1978: Kate performs Wuthering Heights for the second time, dressed in a white nightgown. 16th March, 1978: Kate performs Wuthering Heights for the third time, seated at the piano. 23rd  March, 1978: Kate performs Wuthering Heights for the fourth time, wearing a long black dress. 30th March, 1978: Kate performs Wuthering Heights for the fifth time. 22nd March, 1979: Kate performs Wow. 22nd August, 1985: Kate performs Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). 6th March, 1986: Kate performs Hounds of Love. 17th November, 1994: Kate does a lip-synch performance of And So Is Love, dressed in black, together with two female backing singers). I think some of her Top of the Pops performances rank alongside some of the best ever. She is always so entrancing and beguiling!

I am going to come to some other T.V. performances that I especially like. I found a great article that spotlighted Bush’s T.V appetences between 1978-1982. A hectic and itinerant stage of her career, it is amazing to watch her delivering various songs on some very strange and memorable shows:  

“Unlike virtually everyone else, Kate Bush has achieved success and impact without doing many live shows. The enigmatic artist performed just one concert tour in 1979 before taking an extended hiatus from playing live until 2014. The few concerts she did perform were enormous undertakings combining music, choreography, extensive costume and set changes, and cutting edge technology to an extent that made maintaining her singular vision difficult.

Luckily, while these performances were few and far between, a wealth of promotional television appearances exist online for fans to dive into the wonderful world of Kate Bush. Here are a few of our favorites:

Wuthering Heights (1978)

Let’s start with Kate’s debut single filmed for the Dutch TV program TOPPOP. This video captures Kate at her most expressive with some interesting set design.

Moving (1978)

This was filmed during an exhaustive six month promotional campaign to back The Kick Inside. Bush was met with open arms in Japan and this performance marked her first in front of a large audience. 11,000 watched this beautiful performance of “Moving” with over 33 million viewers on television. “Moving” would become a huge hit for Bush in Japan.

Them Heavy People (1978)

Another performance from Bush’s first trip to Japan and a very strange one at that. This rendition for a TV program called Sound in S was recorded variety show style with television personalities taking over vocal duties and Kate jumping in at the end to dance… Bush probably had very little control over this performance, but it’s pretty fun to watch.

Kashka from Baghdad (1978)

This live performance taken from the children’s television program Ask Aspel sees Bush at her most intimate and direct with just solo piano and voice. There’s somehow still a certain magical quality to this performance even without the costumes and sets.

Looking good feeling fit (1981)

Kate breaks down her fitness tips and explains her love for dance while we watch her practice her routine for Sat on Your Lap on a BBC show about exercise and nutrition.

The Dreaming (1982)

Taken from Na sowas! a German TV show. The producers strangely decided to superimpose a live image of an iguana into the background of the performance, bringing a very odd but also very great spin on the performance. This version is hilariously known as the “Giant Lizard” version”.

Prior to looking ahead, Far Out Magazine published an article last year where they looked back at Kate Bush’s very first T.V. appearance:

“In the rain-soaked months of February 1978, Kate Bush—at the time a fresh-faced 19-year-old with a hit single under her belt—made her first television appearance to perform the wondrous hit single ‘Wuthering Heights’ on German TV show Bios Bahnhof.

The performance was a mark of not only the artist’s incredible talent but the huge journey she’d been on, even at 19, to get to where she was. A consummate performer at such a young age she effortlessly delivers a spellbinding performance of one of the most brilliant alternative pop songs ever written.

Her appearance on the show coincided with the show’s first ever episode. Filmed in Cologne, Germany at an old train depot, the show was hosted by classical music and opera fan Alfred Biolek. It was he who when he found himself on the lookout for acts at the EMI offices caught the unmistakable sound of Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ playing through the speaker. He stopped in his tracks and enquired about the artist behind such a song. That artist was Kate Bush.

She set about recording her debut LP in August 1977 with a possible release date of the chosen single from the album ‘Wuthering Heights’ slated for November 4th 1977. But EMI got cold feet, fearing that it would be lost in the Christmas flurry and delayed the release until 20th January 1978.

As was the way in the seventies, by now the radio station like Capital Radio in London had the promo record and, against the will of EMI, they played it on air. They played it as much as they could, in fact. The people listening almost instantly fell in love with Kate Bush, besotted by her unique literary charm. Her single would go on to become the first record written and performed entirely by a woman to reach number 1 in the UK charts, an astounding feat for such a young artist.

So with radio play under her belt, interviews with the biggest magazines in the industry on the way, Kate Bush made her way to Germany to appear on Bio’s Bahnhof to perform a and b sides of her now well-established single. ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Kite’ are performed to an incredibly gorgeous level with Bush displaying all of the credentials that would see her become one of music’s most essential artists.

While radio shows and the odd interview were great for Bush in a media sense they lacked the opportunity for her to make a visual impact as well as through her music. It was on television and in front of an audience that she could do her best work, and she knew it.

It meant when this opportunity arose for Bush’s first performance on television arose she jumped at the chance with a theatrically charged rendition of what would become her most legendary hit. As she cleverly performed her new hit single in the same red dress which would feature in her notorious video, it was clear; from here on out, Kate Bush was an icon”.

Apologies if this is a little scattershot in terms of chronology! I am remembering articles and performances as I go along! As Far Out Magazine said, Bush was already an icon because of that first T.V. live appearance. The fact that she got a chance to perform to a large audience and articulate a song like Wuthering Heights for T.V. meant that she reached a lot of new people. Her choreography and routines were always so spellbinding. The gravitas with which she performed is undeniable – in the sense she is completely in control and draws you in! Keeping with Far Out Magazine, and they spotlighted Bush’s performance on SNL in the U.S. in 1978. A year which saw her performance in the U.K., Europe and the U.S., she managed to shoulder jetlag and unimaginable tiredness with these staggering performances. America would not have known what hit them!

“The wondrous talent of Kate Bush has a worldwide fandom but it started very deeply in British culture. It meant that taking the leap across the pond was a risky and ultimately successful chance to take. Even recently one half of rap group Outkast, the rapper Big Boi, confirmed that his favourite ‘verse’ wasn’t from Jay-Z or Tupac Shakur but none other than Kate Bush.

It’s odd, then, that the only TV appearance Bush has made across the pond comes from 1978 when she appeared on the acclaimed TV show Saturday Night Live and delivered perhaps one of her most outstanding performances. SNL, as it is more affectionately known, has been a stalwart of late-night television ever since the show broadcast in 1975 and Bush turned it on when she arrived on stage.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing The Man with the Child in His Eyes on SNL in 1978

The episode with Bush was hosted by none other than Monty Python’s Eric Idle and as is customary, the comedian gave an intro for the singer’s first performance. While the vast majority of these intros are pleasant and warm, Idle added a little extra sparkle into his introduction and perhaps hinted that he, as much of the rest of Britain, was proud but protective of Kate. “This is her first time on American television, she’s very wonderful. Will you please welcome Kate Bush!”

He needn’t have worried as what transpired was a typically theatrical performance from Bush, who not only commanded the stage but also expressed her song and delivered a showstopping physical showing of her expression.

Somehow, Bush managed to soften the audience with every breath she took. As soon as the camera panned toward the singer delivering the second single from her debut LP, ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’, a proverbial crack developed across the United States. She performed the song atop an all-black piano in a sparkling gold jumpsuit, Bush was making a statement.

It was a bit of a mad whirlwind for those first few career years at least! Things did quiet in terms of T.V. appetences after 1982. NME produced a guide containing videos of Bush performing on T.V. I forgot to mention that she performed in Australia in 1978. Her routine of Hammer Horror (from Lionheart) on 17th October is sensational!

On 21st December, Bush’s Christmas Special of 1979 was one of the biggest televisual moments. Not necessarily promoting an album, this was her playing a selection of her songs. With special guest Peter Gabriel, though not as extravagant, sensational and high-concept as The Tour of Life, there are some interesting routines and wonderful vocals. The Wedding List (from 1980’s Never for Ever) got an especially epic routine (complete with her brother, Paddy, playing the part of a vicar and a gunman that she hunts down and shoots!). Other highlights include Bush going back to Germany (NME: “September 23 1982, Bush travels to Munich to sing ‘The Dreaming’ on German TV, in a performance that went down in infamy as “the giant iguana version”) and her performing Elton John’s Rocket Man (“July 28 1991, Bush covers Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ on BBC’s Wogan in her last truly live performance. Till August 2014, that is…”). I think one of my favourite T.V. performances of hers was on 22nd August, 1985. She was on the BBC’s Wogan and Top of the Pops performing Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). That ABBA-introduced performance of Wow is definitely one of the best. I love her 1980 performance on the Dutch show, Veronica Totaal. Even more spectacular is her 1978 special on Dutch T.V. from the newly-opened amusement park, The Efteling.

Every time she performed on T.V., the watching public got something completely new. I have seen her perform Them Heavy People a few times. Each routine is different. The same goes for Wuthering Heights on Top of the Pops. It is a shame there were not more T.V. appetences between, say, 1985 and 1994. After her studio album, The Red Shoes, came out in 1993, Bush wound down T.V. publicity significantly. She has released three albums since then without any T.V. performances. Luckily, people did get to see her perform many of her tracks live during the 2014 Before the Dawn residency in Hammersmith. Maybe T.V. interviews and live appearances became wearisome. I can only imagine how brutal the touring schedule was for her! 1978 was particularly busy - though the success of Hounds of Love in 1985 and The Sensual World in 1989 (this performance of This Woman’s Work on Wogan is gorgeous!) meant Bush did feature on a variety of T.V. shows. Iconic, unusual, gorgeous, physical, theatrical and memorable, Kate Bush’s live performances on T.V. shows around the world really do stand out! In spite of some grainy videos on YouTube, you can tell how good she was! It was not only her dancing and vocals that were sensational. Her mannerisms, facial expressions and the way she commanded the stage and audience was also so brilliant! Every time she was before a T.V. camera performing one of her songs, Kate Bush (and her band) was…

ALWAYS so stunning and unique.

FEATURE: Groovelines: The Human League - Don’t You Want Me

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

 

The Human League - Don’t You Want Me

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I am going to go into more depth…

regarding one of the most iconic tracks of the 1980s. Before that, this Wikipedia article gives us some impressive statistics about The Human League’s Don’t You Want Me – a song that is coming up to its fortieth anniversary:

“Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group the Human League (credited on the cover as The Human League 100). It was released on 27 November 1981 as the fourth single from their third studio album Dare (1981). The band's best known and most commercially successful song, it was the biggest selling UK single of 1981, that year's Christmas number one, and has since sold over 1,560,000 copies in the UK, making it the 23rd-most successful single in UK Singles Chart history. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the US on 3 July 1982, where it stayed for three weeks.

In November 1983, Rolling Stone named it the "breakthrough song" of the Second British Invasion of the US. In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's seventh-favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV”.

Even though Don’t You Want Me is a celebrated and hugely popular moment in music history, its narrator is painting some quite grim and cruel scenes! A sense of control and intimidation is met with quite jaunty vocals and incredible synthesisers. It is hard to pinpoint what the very best aspect of Don’t You Want Me is. I especially love Philip Oakey’s lead vocal. There is so much to love a song that took The Human League by surprise. Don’t You Want Me song entered the U.K. singles chart at number nine, before hitting the top spot a week later. It remained there over the Christmas period for a total of five weeks. The track became the biggest-selling single to be released in 1981; the fifth-biggest-selling single of the entire decade.

There are a couple of articles about Don’t You Want Me that I want to bring in. The first is sort of a review. Freaky Trigger assessed the highs and lows of one of the defining songs of the 1980s:  

“It’s almost a shame that after three years making records concerning sericulture, medieval time-slips, singles-as-singularities, assassinations, Judge Dredd, Dr Who and whatever the hell “Crow And A Baby” was about, the Human League get to #1 with a straightforward song of embittered romance. They maybe felt the same: “Don’t You Want Me” was the fourth single off Dare, released at the insistence of the label. Who of course were quite right.

Their cosmic imagination was only part of what made the League’s records good, though. They made their synthesisers slam together in an awkward but still addictive dance, and they had Phil Oakey’s marvellously rigid voice. Which you might not have thought was suitable for a song as directly emotional as “Don’t You Want Me”, but no – its limited range and perpetual tetchiness are ideal for a record about a man who simply won’t or can’t acknowledge the reality of the situation. Nobody else could have made the chorus sound quite so honestly uncomprehending.

For all that the guy in “Don’t You Want Me” is obviously a bit of a shit – “and I can put you back down too” – there’s something so hangdog about Oakey’s delivery that you feel sorry for him, like you might feel sorry for Alan Partridge or David Brent. Susanne Sulley’s polite and pitying dismantling of his perspective – blankness masking obvious irritation – leaves you in no doubt whatsoever that this is indeed a full stop.

As with “Tainted Love”, this is not a record I expect to stop meeting any time soon. I don’t think it’s as good as “Love Action” or “Sound Of The Crowd” – to be honest by now I’d even prefer to hear “The Lebanon” if I’m out of an evening. But it’s also easy to hear why it did so well: even beyond the all-too-yellable chorus, its clear-sighted outline of a whole romantic history makes it one of the most complete number ones”.

I want to source an article that goes into detail about the story and success of Don’t You Want Me. The song was also a massive success in America. One of those tracks that translated across the globe and seemed to capture the imagination of the record-buying public in 1981. Despite a rather detached and monotone vocal from Oakley, there was a magic and pull that was impossible to resist:

“In 1979, the Human League signed to Virgin Records, and their first two albums are cold, unforgiving sci-fi bloopiness. Those albums have a few bangers, like “Being Boiled,” but they did not sell. Soon enough, the Human League became art-school punchlines. Northern Irish punks the Undertones clowned the Human League by name on their 1980 single “My Perfect Cousin,” which became a top-10 UK hit. Since none of the Human League’s own singles had come anywhere near the top 10, that had to sting.

That same year, the Human League effectively broke up. Ware and Marsh had argued bitterly with Oakey, who wanted to make pop music, not icy synth provocations. Finally, Ware and Marsh left the band, splitting off to form a new group called Heaven 17. (Heaven 17’s highest-charting US single — at least until Bill Gates singlehandedly spearheads the Heaven 17 revival — is 1982’s “Let Me Go,” which peaked at #32.) Perhaps ironically, Heaven 17 ended up making pop music that also worked as icy synth provocation. So did the Human League.

Oakey kept the Human League name, but this, at least at first, was more of a burden than a boon. The Human League had been booked for a UK tour before Ware and Marsh left, and Oakey had to get a new band together quickly. He learned to play keyboards, and so did Philip Adrian Wright, who’d been a Human League member even though he’d only previously been responsible for the visuals of their live shows. (On Dare, the Human League’s breakout third album, Wright is still credited with “slides.”)

Oakey wanted a female backup singer who could sing the high parts that Ware had previously sung, and he wound up with two. Oakey headed out to a new wave night at a Sheffield club called Crazy Daisy, and he found two teenage best friends, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley. Like Oakey himself, Catherall and Sulley had absolutely no previous musical experience, but they looked cool and moved well. (These are probably still the best qualifications for any prospective pop star.) Catherall and Sulley already had tickets to see the Human League on that upcoming tour. Instead, they became members of the band. When the Human League recorded the 1981 album Dare, Catherall and Sulley were still in high school, and they had to take the bus from Sheffield to the recording studio in Reading.

For Dare, the Human League were a whole new group. The final addition was keyboardist Jo Callis, a former guitarist for the punk band the Rezillos. (Callis, recruited for songwriting purposes, didn’t know how to play keyboard before he joined the Human League.) Virgin paired the group up with producer Martin Rushent, who’d mostly worked with punk bands like the Buzzcocks and the Stranglers but who knew how to layer up synth sounds. The group’s new sound kept the frozen synth textures of the early Human League records, but it added a melodic brightness that they’d never had before. It clicked right away. The album’s first single, “The Sound Of The Crowd,” peaked at #12 in the UK. The next two, “Love Action (I Believe In Love)” and “Open Your Heart,” both went top-10. Suddenly, the Human League were new wave stars. And then came “Don’t You Want Me.”

Phil Oakey’s “Don’t You Want Me” lyrics had been inspired by a photo story in a women’s magazine and by A Star Is Born. He wrote the song as a dialogue. Oakey’s character is some kind of aging power-broker type, despondent and heartbroken after being dumped by a woman who he’d found working as a waitress in a cock-taiiil bar. Susan Ann Sulley, who up to that point had only sung backup to Oakey, took the lead as the girl, who tries to let the guy down easy but who clearly wants to get the fuck away from him immediately. (The #1 song in America on the date of Sulley’s birth: The Four Seasons’ “Walk Like A Man.”) In real life, Oakey had started dating Joanne Catherall; they’d remain together until 1990.

On the first verse of “Don’t You Want Me,” Oakey sounds stern and commanding — as if he can’t believe that this girl would have the nerve to think that she could move on from him. “Success has been so easy for you,” he sings, implying that maybe it hasn’t been so easy for him. When he straight-up threatens her — “I can put you back down, too” — we start to get the idea that he’s wounded and shattered and powerless. On the chorus, he confirms it, his naked need increasing with every syllable: “You’d better change it back or we will both! Be! Sor! Ry!” He starts out sounding bored, and he winds up desperate.

As for Sulley, she remains bored throughout. She lets Oakey know, right away, that he wasn’t responsible for her success, that he was just a vector for it: “Even then, I knew I’d find a much better place, either with or without you.” She says that their five years together have been “such good times,” and it sounds like a dismissal. Her “I still love you” is totally perfunctory, a mechanical nothing that doesn’t come off the least bit sincere. Sulley’s lack of experience is part of what makes it great; it lends a conversational ease to the way she brushes Oakey off. All he can do in response is sing the chorus a bunch more times. When Sulley joins in, she sounds like she’s humoring him. The song presents a tangled mess of feeling, and it tells a story of what happens when a power dynamic is reversed.

It also slaps. “Don’t You Want Me” is the first hit song ever to be powered by Linn’s LM-1 drum machine. This doohickey, which would become one of Prince’s favorite instruments, samples real drum sounds rather than electronic ones, which gives some dimension to what’s unmistakably a programmed track. The keyboard lines push up against each other, mirroring the struggle of the song’s two characters. The song is spare and elegant. It foregrounds its singers and the drama that they weave, but it keeps pulsing out hooks underneath them. It’s pop magic.

Phil Oakey didn’t think it was pop magic. The initial version of “Don’t You Want Me” was chilly and confrontational art-pop, which was how he’d envisioned it. But Martin Rushent remixed the song, layering up the synths and making it sound like candy. Oakey hated this. “Don’t You Want Me” is the last song on Dare, and Oakey thought it was just filler, the worst song on the album. (When Oakey talks about “Don’t You Want Me” now, it sounds like he still hates it.) But Virgin A&R exec Simon Draper loved the song, and he overruled Oakey, demanding that the Human League release it as the fourth single from Dare.

Draper even approved an expensive music video from the Irish director Steve Barron, who will turn out to be hugely important figure to this column. (Barron also directed the 1990 movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which rules.) The clip is a neat bit of old-school Hollywood iconography that draws attention, again and again, to layers of its own artificiality. It was perfect for MTV. “Don’t You Want Me” blew up in the UK, topping the singles chart for five weeks and becoming the 1981 Christmas #1. In the summer of 1982, as MTV gained in influence, “Don’t You Want Me” was nearly as successful in the US.

The Human League had already been huge in the UK before the song hit, but “Don’t You Want Me” was the first Human League single to chart in America. It might be the first true MTV-era #1, the hit that established how the new medium was changing the rules for pop success.

The new British synthpop stars, covered in makeup and cloaked in layers of irony, were built for a visual medium like the music video. American soft-rock studio-musician types, who’d been making a lot of hits in the very early ’80s, could not hope to compete. In 1983, Rolling Stone proclaimed that the pouty synth kids made up a “Second British Invasion,” and the magazine claimed that “Don’t You Want Me” had been the “breakthrough song” for this new wave.

“Don’t You Want Me” wasn’t really the first synthpop song to hit #1 in the US; M’s similarly detached “Pop Muzik” had landed two and a half years earlier. And “Don’t You Want Me” didn’t singlehandedly alter the shape of the charts. UK synthpop was still at least a year away from commercial dominance in America. (This was changing, though. Soft Cell’s stark take on Gloria Jones’ “Tainted Love,” peaked at #8 behind “Don’t You Want Me.” “Tainted Love” is a 9.) But “Don’t You Want Me” still stands as a monument to preening, bleepy melodrama. It was a hard act to follow, but the Human League will be in this column again”.

Forty years after its release, The Human League’s Don’t You Want Me remains a song that inspires people. So many generations have adored and listened to a song that, whilst not overly-positive in the lyrics, has this ability to make people sing along and dance. Not only one of the best songs of the 1980s; Don’t You Want Me is one of the all-time great tracks. I wanted to explore its meaning and backstory a bit more. Having learned a lot about the Sheffield band’s most-famous song, I cannot help but to put it on and…

PLAY it loud  

FEATURE: Spotlight: Babeheaven

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

 Babeheaven

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THERE is quite a lot of information…

that I want to put in prior to getting to a review of Babeheaven. Home for Now was one of the best and more under-reviewed albums of last year. I am going to end with a review for The Line of Best Fit. This interview introduces us to a hugely promising and innovative band (whilst they are billed as a duo, I think they now play as a four-piece):

“The new generation of trip-hop has a name: Babeheaven. Through this unique artistic project, the two Londoners, Nancy Andersen and Jamie Travis, have managed to seduce us, in just a few tracks, with their melancholic groove and a definite gift for conveying strong emotions that give us goose bumps! A few days before the release of their first album, Home For Now (Awal), the duo gave us an exclusive interview.

La Vague Parallèle : Hi Babeheaven! For those who are not lucky enough to know you yet, could you introduce yourself in a few words (name, role, and even zodiac sign!)?

Jamie: My name is Jamie Travis, Nance and I write the songs in Babeheaven and I play keys live. My sign is Sagittarius, Virgo rising. The opposite to Nancy’s!

Nancy: My name is Nancy– I am the singer in Babeheaven and a Virgo.

LVP: How would you describe your music?

Nancy: We make “post-rave” music. The music you put on in the car ride back from a party, or at 6 a.m. when you’ve been up all night and are feeling a little fragile. It’s mellow but heavy!

LVP: What are the secrets of your creative process for composing?

Nancy: When we write normally, Jamie will start with a beat and we will find something we both like, then play some chords. We work through till we find something that evokes a feeling. Then I write melodies and hum parts I think will work whilst writing lyrics. The rest is history.

LVP: If you were told tomorrow that you could collaborate with any artist in the blink of an eye, who would it be and why?

Jamie: I think maybe Fatboy Slim, as I’ve always wanted to make a song like Praise You. Something that is played at a party and makes everyone dance. It’s been a dream of mine! So maybe the collab could make that dream come true. But there’s soo many people I’d love to collaborate with.

Nancy: I think I would choose James Blake. I like the way he writes hypnotic vocals parts that pull you in and builds up around them. It’s so simple but amazing.

LVP: Your album is a journey to the heart of the things that define us as human beings. For you, what does it mean to be human in 2020?

Nancy: Being human in 2020 is the same as it has always been for me. It’s staying in touch and not losing touch.

LVP: It’s difficult not to talk about the health crisis at the moment. How has it impacted / is it impacting your life as an artist?

Jamie: The positive for us during this crisis, is that it gave us the time to solely work on music without any distractions. We would meet up and work most days, and that led to us getting a lot done, and being able to move forward with an album sooner than if this had not happened. The album might not have come out till next year, for example. However the negatives are huge, like many artists we were supposed to play SXSW festival and then go on a 2 months tour of the USA. Financially we have lost a lot from the crisis stopping our touring, as well as the experience we would have had as people”.

There is a lot to love and explore when it comes to Babeheaven. Apart from one having to be a bit careful when Googling their name (!), their interviews and music are extraordinary. The Forty-Five spoke with the group last year. The group have been growing in various areas since their formation:

“The last five years have seen the band grow and develop both personally and sonically. While Jamie has been honing his production skills, Nancy, has been battling to overcome on stage anxiety.

“For our first shows, I would get so nervous and freak out,” she admits. “If I get overexcited, I get a migraine and I throw up – it’s really weird. That still happens sometimes if it’s a big show. But now I’ve figured out that I’ve got to go for a walk around the block, not talk to anyone for twenty minutes, try to not shout at anyone… I can be really mean sometimes! I get so in my head about performing.”

The support unit of the band has helped Nancy move past her early fears, knowing they are there with her at every show. “If it was just me by myself and I didn’t have them – Game Over.”

Musically, Babeheaven have been growing, too. When they started out, making music and performing for friends at house parties it was all a bit of a laugh. As time went on, they realised they had a shot at being a Proper Band, and started to aspire to bigger and better things.

“Access to more and more studios makes the sound develop.” Jamie tells us of the perks of hard work and getting noticed. “At the beginning, it was just my laptop.”

“Once you’ve hit that first target then you keep moving it up and up and want more and more. I’m greedy now!”, jokes Nancy. “That’s the main thing that’s changed.”

So now the album is out in the world – something that they were both really nervous about – what is next for the band?

“I think now we’ve got the first album out, then it’ll feel way easier to do the next one”, Nancy says optimistically. “But the first one – for some reason, I’ve just been like ‘No! I’m not doing that.’ But now that we’ve done it, I’m super excited to get started on the next one.”

“It would be great to tour all over the world with it – go to places we’ve never been and play, which would allow us to make the next record and keep growing”, adds Jamie.

“I want to go to festivals!”, says Nancy. “At the beginning, I was like “this is fine” but now I’m really starting to miss it.”

Listening to ‘Home For Now’, you can imagine it would be the perfect sunny afternoon soundtrack to a glorious day down on Worthy Farm, slightly woozy from a couple of 4pm ciders or a puff on something medicinal. Jamie agrees: “Playing Glastonbury would be so cool.”

Babeheaven might be home for now, but with a vaccine imminent, expect to see them fly the nest very soon”.

There are a few more bits I want to include before I wrap up. I have put social media links up for Babeheaven. They are definitely worth following. The Line of Best Fit spoke with Nancy Andersen about the much-anticipated debut album:

“It’s nice to be back,” beams Nancy Andersen as our conversation draws to a close. “It’s nice to talk to people about the music again. It hasn’t felt so exciting in a while to discuss stuff, and have a full body of work… It feels amazing because it’s got the first song we ever wrote, up to the newest song we’ve written, and it feels very special to be able to have that moment of my life in a box on my shelf — literally — in a record.”

Andersen is speaking about the debut album that was recently released by her dreamy alt-pop band Babeheaven. As she sits beneath an azure blue poster of celestial bodies that feature on the album cover for Home For Now, she is a flurry of excitement — operating in effervescent bursts and going on tangent after tangent. Whilst the album itself is by no means centred around the after-effects of lockdown, it is deeply rooted in a sense of introspection and self-discovery. There’s a vulnerability in the music which lies in direct contrast to the person who sits in front of me today.

Serendipitous are the beginnings of Babeheaven — vocalist Andersen met her musical collaborator Jamie Travis at football classes that her father used to coach when they were both just kids. Whilst they’d wax and wane out of each other’s lives, over the years, their friendship was eventually cemented when coincidentally working on the same street as adults. Though, how much can they really owe to coincidence? Once their musical endeavours got underway, and became more than just two friends killing time, there was always the idea of creating an album in mind. It wasn’t until they were afforded the luxury of time, this year, that the ball truly got rolling.

Soothing trip-hop melodies and use of organic field recordings create a lush soundscape for the listener to find solace in. As a new layer of vulnerability is uncovered in each listen, you feel closely connected to Andersen’s stories and the timeless relatability of the human condition. As such, Home For Now also takes on serendipitous meaning. Home is a transient place for both Andersen and Travis — it is an amalgamation of memories and cyclic happenstances that have brought the duo together, time after time.

BEST FIT: Congratulations on the release of your debut album — it's been a very long time coming. How has the reaction been? Would you say that it is scarier to have released it under the circumstances of a global pandemic?

ANDERSEN: I think it's less scary than I anticipated. I had a lot of pressure in my head about what I thought putting an album out would be, so it's kind of nice that it is done. Under the circumstances, it's a bit lame. I feel like we normally would be touring [and doing] that kind of stuff which is actually the fun of being in a band — not being able to do that, I’ve found quite difficult. In terms of making the album, it was kind of perfect because I couldn't do anything else. It was the right timing for that.

Luckily, Simon, one of the producers we mostly worked with on this album, was very much like: “If you've seen people, just tell me and then we can go from there” and was very open to working with us through the whole of the first lockdown. He was like: “I just want to be cautious.” I really appreciated that. It made everything work and run really well because we just had time. There wasn't pressure and there wasn't so much on our shoulders. It feels good! I read one horrible — really horrible — review of it, but I actually quite enjoyed it. You can't read all good stuff! They were like: “Even the name Babeheaven is bad…This is the epitome of coffee shop music for a new trendy coffee shop”, and I was like, I'm not upset, that's fine. Everyone can have an opinion! But it's been really nice, it's been really well received.

As someone who grew up around music, and had been singing for years, what was the decision behind taking your first singing lesson just before the first lockdown?

I'm lucky because I've never had to sing take a singing lesson, and that's amazing, but before lockdown, we've gone on tour, and I've had the same thing that always happens — stage fright. We were on tour with Rosie Lowe, and my manager was like, “She has an amazing singing teacher. It's not to teach you how to do scales or anything like that, it's more so you can feel comfortable on stage.” So, I went with a very open mind, and it was almost like therapy. He watched me sing for five minutes and was like, “You know that you haven't really breathed the whole way through this?” And I was like, what?! He told me to just walk around the room, and I was so uptight, I was stood by a piano and he was like: “Just walk around the room and sing what you see in the room.” Because I'm so obsessed with hitting the right notes and making sure everything sounds perfect, I kind of lose the joy of it, so it was nice to try and figure out how to find joy in performing and singing. I know I have it and I would enjoy doing it, but in the moment, I won't breathe. So, that was really interesting, and I really liked it a lot — here's the thing — it was like having therapy! It's kind of crazy.

The album was created during lockdown, and as you said earlier, it's a blessing to be afforded that much time to do exactly what you want. Was it stressful to share and record your ideas whilst being cautious of the lockdown rules?

We weren't planning on the album; it kind of came in response to lockdown. We were supposed to be on tour in America and doing lots of shows when our manager called us halfway through like: “You're just wasting time if we don’t do this now, so let's just do it”. We'd done a couple of sessions just before lockdown started — I find it really hard writing when I’m not in the room with everyone — I think most people find it really easy, but I like to be there. “In My Arms” was the first song we wrote at the very beginning of lockdown, and it took us to the very end of lockdown to write it because we started writing and sending things back and forth between each other. I mean, we didn't write all together straight away, we waited quite a while as we were super cautious. Three-quarters of the way through we're like, “Let's just get back in the studio!” Also, Jamie has always lived about a five-minute walk away from me, so I know if he's locked in his house and I’m locked in my house, we can go and see each other. I mean, I was very careful about the rules.

We did a little bit of back and forth but I find it so hard. That song was like a proper journey. I think it’s the longest we took writing songs. We wrote the first verse then changed everything; all the beats, all the backing track. Everything just got changed over and over again — even the guitar solo. It was like a week before the whole album was meant to mixed and we wanted to put a guitar solo in, and Simon was like: “I cannot add anything else. There's got to be a point where we stop!” That was [during] the biggest lockdown. It was like a relay race where we were passing everyone stuff all round. It was really a lot.

Topically, it definitely doesn't seem like a lockdown album even though it’s quite introspective and retrospective; diving into love from many different angles whilst dealing with anxiety and self-love...

Like you say, I didn't think it was good to write a lockdown album. Van Morrison’s written a bunch of lockdown songs and it’s so crazy but we didn't want to write any of those. I think I'm just quite introspective anyway so the first lockdown didn’t bother me that much —actually, I had an amazing time. The weather was good, I live in a very nice house, and I was watching really great films and listening to great music. You know, I did all the banana breads and sourdoughs – I didn’t really do that stuff – but I had a good time! I don’t think it affects the music, it just meant that we had time and space.

I feel like because the album is called Home For Now, people thought it's about lockdown, but actually, the name is completely irrelevant to that. It's kind of just how I felt; I think both how me and Jamie felt at that moment where we had to name the album. I was just thinking about words that I wanted to put together and Home For Now seems like it's just quite like us actually. The album cover — which we were trying to figure out the same time — I was just thinking about putting things together so it's like a box which opens. Inside the box, in all those cubby holes, there's all things that we've had and have carried with us when moving from home to home. So, the whole cover and title was all inspired by that.

 You’ve spoken about coming to terms with being a person of colour and performer in an alternative band, and learning how to be comfortable with occupying that space. In light of the BLM movement that was going on over the past few months, would you be comfortable talking about whether there was any of these struggles in your upbringing, and how the past few months have helped you go through that process of accepting this.

I grew up in West London — my mum passed away when I was young — but she's the black side of my family. I felt quite isolated from that side of my family and kind of had to come to terms of being who I am quite a lot later in my life. Because I didn't have that figure teaching me who I was and how to be in the world; how I should act or what I should be doing — which is kind of quite liberating when you're young. When you get older and start realising things, it kind of changes and you start realising that things might be a little bit different for me. I think in terms of being in a band and being the front woman — having the backing band as all white guys — I think people didn't really understand what it was, how we want to be seen, and what we were trying to make.

It's kind of made things quite confusing, because everyone always wants to put us in a [category]. You want to categorise music when you hear it, and when you see it, even more. I never thought of it as a hold back but then one day I kind of woke up and I was like, maybe it would be easier if I was just like a white girl or white guy standing in the front of this band? People would completely understand what it that we were doing, and it's so boring, but that's how people look at stuff. They see it and want to look at me and be like, “She makes R&B. She's curvy; she's brown — that's an R&B girl.” And I'm like, No, not at all. Not that I'm not interested in that, I love it, but I don't want to be completely categorised and put in that space”.

Just before coming to a review, there is an interview from Fizzy Mag that really interested me. I like how there is a question about the importance of album sequencing:

“Some of your songs have been about loving pizza, others have been about loving people and are more personal. Do you find that writing one is easier than the other & is there anything that you won’t write about?

N: Hahaha, funnily enough, I didn’t write the pizza lyrics, Jamie did. He really loves pizza a lot. I find it easiest to write from the heart; it’s the only place I know to write from... so generally I write about my own experiences small or big. I don’t think anything is off-limits but I guess one day I’ll find out.

Jamie, you compiled a lot of sound recordings that you’ve made over some years from your life and put them into the album. Can you give us some examples of what you included?

J: There are things like walking early in the morning and the sounds of birds in the street, being with friends, and little snippets of conversations. There are also some beach sounds with waves, and I recorded in France and also the Ganges in India. At the end of "Craziest Things", you can hear some seagulls.

Did you look to any producers for a lil bit of inspiration for the album?

J: Geoff Barrow is a big source of inspiration for me, reading interviews and trying to take little ideas from him has been fun on this album. Also, Derek Ali, who did the Kendrick Lamar albums was a good source for tips and tricks for producing stuff. There are soo many though, too many to mention, but you try and listen and learn from what they have done and replicate and put a spin on it in your own way.

I feel like the importance of sequencing tracks in albums- so they tell a bit of a story- has been lost in a lot of modern music with streaming. Was the sequencing of the tracks in the album important to you? Also, some earlier songs like "Friday Sky" made it in, how did you decide which ones made the cut?

J: It was quite important to us, we sat down with Simon Byrtt who helped produce the record, and went through and sequenced it. We made little subtle transitions in between some songs and timed how long we wanted there to be a break between each song or if we wanted it to come straight in. Little things like that we did spend some time on. We decided what stayed in by listening to it as a whole thing and seeing what made the most sense to us.

Has making something as personal as music together ever affected your relationship, or is your friendship one of the reasons you’re able to write together so well?

N: I think our friendship is the reason we write so well. It’s hard to be so open with someone you don’t know, it is also very embarrassing trying to sing really personal things to a stranger.

What were your top 5, 2020 artists in Spotify unwrapped?

J: Just checked, they were Bill Evans, Okay Kaya, Boards of Canada, Johnny Greenwood, and Laura Marling. Apparently, I was in Johnny Greenwood's top 0.5% of listeners.  I listen to a lot of his scores, especially when I’m reading etc, the same with Bill Evans. Laura Marling's album was incredible and I listened to that a lot and I think I listened to Okay Kaya while I was traveling somewhere.

Apparently, Paul McCartney likes to have 6 leafy plants in his dressing room before a show, what would your dream backstage set up be? (+ snacks)

N: Lots of tea, water, whisky, and comfy chairs.

J: I think I’d like to have like 15 types of drinks - tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, kombucha, whiskey, beer. I can’t think of any others right now but I’m sticking by 15. Some plants would be nice as Paul says, a really comfy sofa made of towels would be nice also. Nice lighting is also pretty essential as a lot of places just have supermarket strip lights and that can make you feel pretty horrific. I’d appreciate some nice lamps. Maybe a lot of big pillows on the floor to layout on. A painting of the band on a wall above a fireplace would be good. A bathroom that has a sauna and a nice shower could be cool for a little pre-gig refreshment. Maybe a projector to watch a film on as after soundcheck you normally have like 7 hours until the show. I could go on but I’ll stop there”.

I am excited to see where Babeheaven head next. The Forty-Five had their say on Home for Now. It is an album that deserves a lot of time and appreciation:

“You’re in the back of a car, you’re tipsy, it’s dark, and city lights flicker past the window, bright and brief and fuzzy at the edges. Babeheaven’s debut album sounds a lot like the way this feels: a steady stream of barely rendered impressions that might, should you slow down and exit the car, sharpen into real scenes. There’s more to ‘Home For Now’ than first meets the ear: the record places as much weight on the physical experience of listening as the music itself. “I’m getting closer to the bones of you,” Nancy Andersen croons, and you feel like you could tell her everything.

Babeheaven are long-time friends. Nancy – vocalist – and Jamie Travis, instrumentalist and producer. The London pair have been piecing together a full album since the runaway success of their 2016 single ‘Friday Sky’ – playing headline shows and support slots for Cigarettes After Sex, Nilüfer Yanya, and Loyle Carner in between – but lockdown compelled them to finish the project, signing off with a title that sums up the year’s conditions.

If you listen hard to ‘Home For Now’, amid beats last heard on a Dido album, and traces of Tirzah, Portishead, and Massive Attack, you’ll also catch a range of found sounds – birds, water, alarms, laughter, camera clicks – that help to create full soundscapes. ‘Through The Night’ opens like the twin to Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ but casts that aside for fleeting birdsong in a landscape of fluid, driving synth. Stand-out tracks ‘In My Arms’ and ‘Jalisco’ similarly up the pace, but these moments are easily lost to the overall swirl. Though many of the tracks are already singles, ‘Home For Now’ works best consumed whole, as if it were a mixtape. Yet there’s a touch of the lo-fi hip-hop or ‘mallsoft’ playlist about it, an enveloping lull that risks dazing its audience entirely.

Being immersive is not a total crime, however, when the songs are spacious enough for Nancy’s voice to flit between disaffection and sultry intimacy. Emotion passes like a baton between her vocals and Jamie’s production. She’s aloof on ‘Cassette Beat’, where a swell of instrumentation contains the real feeling. But on ‘In My Arms’ her voice vibrates with intensity as she asks, “What’s inside your heart? I really want to know…”

It’s as if Babeheaven find strands of swoony fifties pop lyrics floating on the breeze from a radio, and let them settle them in a new, smoother context. Bald, ambiguous lines like “every time I fall / how do I get back up for more” echo around the tracks: each song a skeleton sketch you colour with your own experiences, from the early crush of ‘Friday Sky’ to a tired, painful resolution on ‘November’. Babeheaven seem to encourage personal analogy, as if they’re the real listeners here, giving you space to fill with your own stories.

Never once breaking its unruffled countenance, ‘Home For Now’ is almost too sedate. The record goes easy on its listeners – but without being easy listening. Babeheaven don’t force you to take part in their spaced-out world, they just subtly enfold you in it – and when the moments of high emotion arrive, you’re either too dazed to notice, or you feel them intensely, as listener and participant. ‘Home For Now’ is not an obvious album – it emerges gently, as Babeheaven continue to perfect their sound, getting closer to the bones of their groove”.

I am fairly recent to Babeheaven. I am sure they will go a long way. With such a great debut under their belt, I feel the group will grow even stronger and more accomplished. So many people are looking forward to Babeheaven putting out…

A lot of great new music.

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Follow Babeheaven

Official:

https://www.babeheavenband.co.uk/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/babeheavenband/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Babeheaven/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDbKJj8aGt0PwzoVY-AWV4g?view_as=subscriber

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0RlWCq8bq0lJgR6ZTvcqjQ

FEATURE: My Five Favourite Albums of 2021: Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend

FEATURE:

 

 

My Five Favourite Albums of 2021

Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend

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ALL of my favourite five albums…

from this year have been made by British artists. I had Billie Eilish’s (who is American) Happier Than Ever in the top ten, though it is an all-British top five. I know we are not at the end of the year yet, but I was struck by Wolf Alice’s Blue Weekend. I reviewed a track from it, The Last Man on Earth, earlier in the year. I was blown away by it! Although I had listened to the previous two albums from the London-based band, Blue Weekend was one where I really sat down and listened hard. Released on 4th June, I would advise people to buy the album. This year has been such a strong one for music. Although most of my favourite albums are from solo artists, Wolf Alice are a band who are hitting their stride. Blue Weekend is their most rounded and incredible album to date (and it was also nominated for the Mercury Prize earlier in he year). Led by the awesome Ellie Rowsell, Blue Weekend is an astonishing album! Before coming to a couple of reviews for Blue Weekend, there are a couple of interviews that give us some background and context. For Women in Pop, Rowsell discussed how the creative process has changed for the band:

“Hi Ellie. So lovely to speak with you. Can I just congratulate you on Blue Weekend? It’s so beautiful. The sound is still very distinctively Wolf Alice but it's also strengthened and softened at the same time on this album. What were your initial desires behind this creature as a whole?

I don't really know if I had an incentive or anything, you know? Because with this album, we didn't go away and ‘write it’. it was just more that eventually we had enough songs to be like ‘okay let's put together an album’. Someone told me the other day that they had asked me what do you want to do after Visions of a Life and I had said ‘I want to write a really fun album’. So I must have at one point had an idea of what I wanted to do but it never works out like that. The songs just come to you rather than you decide to make a certain concept.

On that can you talk me through the creative and recording process for the album?

When we came off tour for Visions of a Life, we had been touring for a few years. I remember coming off tour and being ‘shit i haven't written any songs’. And I didn't even really want to write any songs because I really just wanted a break from music. After about six months off, I was like ‘shit, we really need to think about what we're going to do next’. So we booked an Airbnb and just went away together, no pressure, just to see if we write anything. I actually had a couple of demos but I was afraid of showing people something that was worse than what we'd already put out, do you know what I mean? It was a confidence thing, I just said to myself I don't have anything. But it was really nice because the guys were like ‘these are really good’ and we figured out that we did have some stuff and that we weren't going to have to completely start with nothing. So we built upon those demos until we felt ready to go away and record with a producer.

On that note, your lyrics are incredible. I feel they're standalone prose, they walk this fine line between being very personal to you while at the same time being quite broad so the listener doesn't feel like they're watching in. They can reflect it themselves which is a tricky thing to do. When it comes to writing, have you always leaned towards the poetry or the melody first?

It's not poetry that I lean to but it's just the words. Poetry is so different from lyrics even though you would think that it would be quite similar, it's really not. I've tried poetry and it's just a real different ballgame. The thing that I always feel proud of if I’ve done a good job is the words. maybe because i find it really hard as well. So for me it comes first.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Hemingway 

Where do you think the power of music lies? Is it in that melody or is it in the sentiment? Is it in the words? Or for you, is it a combination of both?

There's no right answer to that. Obviously the music that connects the most is going to be one that puts equal effort into both. There are songs that don't have any words that make me feel something and there are songs where the words without the music are going to make me feel the most There are songs that we've written before where I’m like I love this, the music is great, but the lyrics aren’t great or the other way around. It's really hard to always get both to a level that you are satisfied with. You are super lucky if you are happy with both.

How do you feel you've changed or grown both as an artist and as a collective band, but also as a song writer across your three albums?

This album for me, I just wrote things that I knew because I enjoyed it rather than trying to write things that I felt was expected of me or, it's ridiculous to say, trying to be cool. I really wrote things that I knew that I would enjoy playing or singing. I always quote this thing that [singer and producer] St Vincent said, you spend your whole life trying to outdo yourself in song writing and trying to be clever and write something that no one's written before or won't expect of you and then eventually you just want to write songs that will be the songs that will be your favourite songs. Songs that are played at people's weddings or funerals and stuff like that. When I was younger I would try to avoid writing songs like that, and it is actually now what i quite enjoy doing. Simple things that I felt were embarrassing to write before, now I don't really care. Basically I’m not embarrassed anymore. I just do what I enjoy without being embarrassed”.

That need to move on and do something different was reinforced when the band chatted with Under the Radar. A step on from their previous album, 2017’s Visions of a Life, what we hear is a band renewed and reborn. Blue Weekend is an inspired album:

“We got to a point when we were a bit sick of everything we were doing,” frontwoman Ellie Rowsell explains. “We needed to go away and remember who we were as individuals. You know, living out of suitcases and having destroyed all our other relationships, it was important to go back and sort that shit out.” Some six months later, they reconvened at a rehearsal studio complex in north London—“a hollowed-out shipping container” in the words of bassist Theo Ellis—during the summer of 2019 to begin work on what would become their third album: Blue Weekend.

We’re speaking in the middle of February as Wolf Alice are preparing to announce their comeback, with the campaign so fresh that the band members are not even entirely sure when the album is coming out. Ellis jokes that it feels as though the album was finally finished just two days ago. “It’s like Chinese Democracy this album,” he adds, referring to the long gestation of Guns N’ Roses’ 2008 album.

As with much of the music of 2021, Blue Weekend was put together under the cloud of COVID-19, with delays and restrictions prolonging the recording process. The band members found themselves working in Brussels as the world ground to a halt during the first weeks of the pandemic, bringing an added intensity to the sessions. “There was nothing to take your mind off it,” guitarist Joff Oddie says, to which Ellis agrees. “The studio itself is residential and all encompassing—you eat there, you do everything there—so you’re already in a kind of isolation,” he says. “You’ve created that form of isolation because that’s what you seek out to try to focus on the record. So there’s a weird thing where you’re already in that space and then suddenly the whole world is there too.”

Like its predecessor, Blue Weekend pays little attention to the idea that a band should have a signature sound, as it veers from bratty punk ragers (“Play the Greatest Hits”) to festival-ready anthems (“How Can I Make It OK?”) and grand ballads (“The Last Man on Earth”). Yet this time, the eclecticism feels more natural and refined. “I feel like on previous Wolf Alice albums, people have always struggled to join up the dots between some songs,” Ellis says. “That’s maybe because we’re not necessarily a band that has set out to sound like a communal favorite band of ours in the first place.”

Instead, the four-piece work towards making music that matches the emotional needs of Rowsell’s writing—which has grown more personal and direct, building on the tenderness of their most popular singles. “I always protect myself maybe by putting a certain ambiguity onto everything,” Rowsell admits. “I tried to do that less because I’d seen other people do it and really admired it in some ways.”

That does not mean though that Blue Weekend is a completely open book. There is still an air of mystery around these songs, which reveal themselves slowly and have a stormy, elemental atmosphere. And there is room too for a little ambiguity, not least with the album’s title—which remains an unsolved puzzle for the band themselves. “We came about it because we were in a cab and I said to Joel [Amey, drummer] and Theo: ‘Next blue weekend we should go to the forest which is on the outskirts of Brussels,’” Rowsell says. “And Joel was like ‘blue weekend…that’s an album name’... I still don’t know if a blue weekend is a good one or a bad one.” That’s when Amey cuts in: “I think Belgium went into lockdown one day later…”.

The first review for Blue Weekend that I want to introduce is from The Guardian. It seems that the pandemic and its limitations forced something bigger from the band:

“On the face of it, they seem like a very 2020s kind of band, built for a pop world in which relatability and mild aspiration is more important than glamour and the selling of dreams. For all the attention from Vogue – “Here’s How An It Brit Does Glastonbury Style” – Rowsell seems noticeably more “older sister’s famously cool mate” than “rock star blessed with otherworldly charisma”. Her lyrics tend to deal in the everyday frustrations of twentysomething life; whether in character or not, it comes as a mild shock to hear her singing about accepting any drugs she’s offered in Los Angeles on Blue Weekend’s Delicious Things.

Nor are they a band who have bought into time-honoured rock mythology suggesting a life more glamorous, weird, transgressive and exciting than your own. The 2017 tour documentary On the Road made being in Wolf Alice look like a job, a monotonous, gruelling round of faintly underwhelming experiences that director Michael Winterbottom compared to “a horrific form of camping”. Equally, their most obvious musical references points – shoegazing and grunge, a touch of Elastica about their punkier moments – largely date from the early 90s. Their influences are deftly applied, but audible enough to attract an audience who recall this stuff first time around. There’s something there for the 16-year-olds and the BBC Radio 6 Music listeners who remember when the O2 Forum was called the Town and Country Club.

It’s a recipe for a certain level of success, but Blue Weekend is fairly obviously a lunge for something bigger. The producer’s chair is occupied by Markus Dravs, whose CV – Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Florence + the Machine – suggests that he’s very much the kind of guy you phone if you find your ambitions extending a little further than your present status. It’s a move compounded by circumstance: trapped in a residential recording studio by the Covid pandemic, the band opted to spend their time polishing an album they had previously thought was virtually finished”.

To finish off, I wanted to quote DIY’s review for Blue Weekend. They noted how confident the band sound right throughout their third studio album (which is something that struck me when listening to it):

“It’s easy to shower superlatives on a band you’re really rooting for. When Wolf Alice’s 2015 debut ‘My Love Is Cool’ landed, its impressive breadth and fizzing, excitable energy prompted all kinds of ‘best new group’ mutterings; when 2017’s ‘Visions of a Life’ won the Mercury Prize, the industry gave it a definitive crowning itself. But with their third album, the London quartet have made something so undeniably brilliant, it’s impossible not to speak of it in the sort of lofty terms only reserved for the truly top tier: ‘Blue Weekend’ isn’t just Wolf Alice’s best record by a country mile, it’s an album that will be around for a long time - a history book-cementing document of a band at the peak of their powers. If the grand, introductory swell of ‘The Beach’, with its Macbeth-quoting opening line, sets the tone for an album unafraid to lean into the Big Moments, then it’s ‘Delicious Things’ that ups their own bar by several notches. A cheeky tale of finding yourself a long, long way from home, its shuffling basslines and seesawing vocal patterns - half-spoken rhymes that teeter between nervousness and wide-eyed wonder - have no discernible modern reference point; if it’s historically easy for a guitar/bass/drums quartet to fall into obvious lanes, across the record Wolf Alice defiantly create their own.

This is clever, clever songwriting that never takes the obvious path, instead picking confidently between lush, finger-picked acoustics (‘Safe From Heartbreak (if you never fall in love)’), bratty, brilliant thrashes (‘Play The Greatest Hits’) and sultry, spacious drama (‘Feeling Myself’) in the space of the same ten minutes.

It’s this sense of confident, high stakes emotion that rings throughout. Whether in ‘The Last Man on Earth’’s gorgeous, slow-building piano and choral goosebumps or ‘Smile’ - the kind of frustrated outpouring (“I am what I am and I’m good at it/ And you don’t like me well that isn’t fucking relevant”) that a million women will be worshipping at Rowsell’s altar for - ‘Blue Weekend’ is an album that revels in its feelings. The dynamics are constantly shifting, often moving from tender sparsity to luxurious sonic opulence in the same song, but everything feels like the absolute peak of what it could be; the highs soar higher, the riffs are gnarlier and by closer ‘The Beach II’ you’re left with an album that’s audibly chosen never to shy away from any second of potential. Majestic”.

I am going to finish off there. Maybe some of my choices for the best five albums of the year are quite obvious. There were some others that were battling for a spot but, to me, the five are all very different and have their own sound. Finishing off with Wolf Alice’s Blue Weekend, it showcases a very high standard! It just leaves me to wonder…

WHAT 2022 will bring.

 

FEATURE: Second Spin: Stereophonics - Performance and Cocktails

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

Stereophonics - Performance and Cocktails

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AS the Welsh wonders that…

are Stereophonics are releasing a new album in March, I wanted to revisited an album of theirs that I feel is underrated and did not get the acclaim it deserved when it was released. Performance and Cocktails is the second album from the band. Released on 8th March, 1999, I think that it is a really solid album with some great tracks. There are a couple of Stereophonics classics on Performance and Cocktails. The Bartender and the Thief and Just Looking are great. In fact, throw into the mix Pick a Part That’s New and Hurry Up and Wait! It does have a couple of weaker tracks. I think the album sort of sags towards the end and is a little top-heavy. Even so, it is brilliant album that does not rely on you being around when it was released. One can pick it up today and appreciate it. I am going to come to a couple of reviews for Performance and Cocktails. Prior to that, Wikipedia have a section on the striking album cover:

“The cover photograph was taken by Scarlet Page in autumn 1998 at a football pitch under the Westway in London, and was inspired by an earlier Annie Leibovitz photograph of a couple kissing outside a prison. The British journalist Tony Barrell did extensive research in 2007 to find the female model in the foreground. In the Sunday Times on 11 November 2007, he revealed the previously unknown identity of the model as 27-year-old mother-of-two Lucy Joplin. In an interview with Barrell, Joplin explained that the "faraway look" in her eyes was the result of an evening consuming absinthe and opium, and that she was paid just £75 in cash for the shoot. The name of the then 23-year-old male model is Kipp Burns on loan from Mannique models, King's Road”.

It is a pity that there was not more respect for Stereophonics’ excellent second studio album. I remember buying it as a teen and really getting into the songs. Maybe some felt that the band slipped since their 1997 debut, Word Gets Around. This is what NME observed in their review:

“This second album exemplifies many fine things about Stereophonics - their gut-level understanding of pop metal, the power-trio visceral impact of their sound, and most of all, Kelly Jones' lyrics. Because that's the one area in which they're not scared of their older brothers belting them around the head for creatively stating something more than the obvious. Kelly Jones dares to tell stories, which is something his impressionistic contemporaries could learn from. He deals in the beauty, sadness and bad craziness of commonplace things everyone else thinks aren't worth a second glance. Witness the angry refusal of 'Hurry Up And Wait' to take what you're given, or the soured-dreams vignette of 'She Takes Her Clothes Off'.

But elsewhere, the signifiers of mediocrity are all too evident - the pseudo-profundity of meaningless song titles like 'Half The Lies You Tell Ain't True', the pedestrian rhythm, and the tendency towards ooompah-chucka folkish jaunts. All those songs need now is Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals and a Number 24 hit is theirs for the taking. Stereophonics will doubtless carry on making really quite good records and filling flag-waving summer gigs for the next few years. But whether they have the courage, the vision, the charisma or the originality to be more than that is a question only they can answer”.

I am going to conclude soon enough. I want to draw in AllMusic’s response to an album that I think ranks alongside the very best from 1999. It was a year where we received top albums from Beck, The Roots and The Chemical Brothers:

“In December 1998, the Stereophonics released the single "The Bartender and the Thief," which became an unexpected explosion on the charts, peaking at number three in the U.K. In March 1999, the band's sophomore effort, Performance and Cocktails, was released to impressive sales -- it was reportedly outselling Blur's 13 when that album was released. A second single, "Just Looking," also peaked within the U.K. Top Ten, making the first half of 1999 a very unexpectedly busy time for the Stereophonics. Never a favorite to become a hugely successful Brit-pop band, their noisy, raw hard rock came into favor after the more produced and calculated sound of Brit-pop had become passe. Unfortunately, however, this disc isn't quite as consistent as the debut. Part of the reason why Word Gets Around was so appealing is that there was a sense of urgency that, on this release, seems to have disappeared. There are more ballads than before, and some of the rockers don't burn with the intensity that they did on the last album. This doesn't make Performance and Cocktails a bad album, though; fans will be very pleased that the Stereophonics have released another slab of indie-flavored hard rock. Some highlights include "T Shirt Sun Tan," the acoustic "She Takes Her Clothes Off," and the poppy "Pick a Part That's New." (Japanese versions of this album include three live tracks, but the quality is mediocre and the performances are unspectacular, making this version of the release for hardcore fans only.)”.

If you are a fan of Stereophonics and have not heard Performance and Cocktails in a while, then definitely check it out. If you are not familiar with the band, I think that this album is a good starting point. Arguably, they would release more critically acclaimed work, yet I feel that their sophomore album is worth spinning. It got a little bit of a kicking from some, though there were some good reviews. I love the album’s first half. The second is a little bit patchier, but there are still some gems to be found (A Minute Longer is a great track). I would encourage everyone to spend a bit of time immersing themselves in the wonder of Kelly Jones (vocals, guitar), Richard Jones (bass guitar) and Stuart Cable (drums). I shall wrap it there. One of my favourite albums from the late-1990s, I am still digging the anthems on Cocktails and Performance. With some of Stereophonics’ best songs all in one place, this is an album that you…

NEED to hear.

FEATURE: Twenty Years Later: Remembering a Musical Genius: The George Harrison Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

Twenty Years Later: Remembering a Musical Genius

The George Harrison Playlist

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I will end with a playlist…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1963

featuring songs sung or written by a true musical great. It is hard to know where to begin with George Harrison. One quarter of the greatest and most influential band ever, The Beatles, he also had an amazingly successful solo career. He was a member of the ultimate supergroup, Traveling Wilburys (alongside Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty). We lost the legend on 29th November, 2001. Almost twenty years ago, it was a bleak day for the world. The second Beatle to die (John Lennon was killed in 1980), for millions who had followed and grown up with the group, it felt like a member of the family being taken away. After his death from cancer at the age of fifty-eight, fans and musicians from around the world paid tribute to someone who helped change everything. It would be unfair to think of him merely as a part of The Beatles. As a member of the band, he was a stunning songwriter who blossomed towards the end of the band’s career. His solo work allowed him more freedom as a writer and performer. Look back at his career in all guises, one can hear this amazing musician and songwriter who had a voice and style like no-one else. I am keen to get to a playlist that showcases the musical brilliance of George Harrison. From his earliest days in The Beatles as a teenager to his final album, 2002’s Brainwashed, we were lucky to have had his music in the world!

As the documentary film, The Beatles: Get Back, runs on 25th, 26th and 27th November, we get to see Harrison with The Beatles when recording Let It Be. Whilst Abbey Road was when we would hear his masterpieces like Something and Here Comes the Sun, the film will show that there was more harmony and togetherness in the group than most people realise. Prior to coming to his musical best, it is worth bringing in some biography about his Beatles and solo work:

“Largely referred to as the "quiet Beatle" Harrison took a backseat to McCartney, Lennon and, to a certain extent, Starr. Still, he could be quick-witted, even edgy. During the middle of one American tour, the group members were asked how they slept at night with long hair. "How do you sleep with your arms and legs still attached?" Harrison fired back.

From the start, the Beatles were a Lennon-McCartney driven band and brand. But while the two took up much of the group's songwriting responsibilities, Harrison had shown an early interest in contributing his own work. In the summer of 1963, he spearheaded his first song, "Don't Bother Me," which made its way on to the group's second album, With the Beatles. From there on out, Harrison's songs were a staple of all Beatles records. In fact, some of the group's more memorable songs, such as While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Something—the latter of which was recorded by more than 150 other artists, including Frank Sinatra—were penned by Harrison.

But his influence on the group and pop music in general extended beyond just singles. In 1965, while on the set of the Beatles' second film, Help! Harrison took an interest in some of the Eastern instruments and their musical arrangements that were being used in the movie, and he soon developed a deep interest in Indian music. Harrison taught himself the sitar, introducing the instrument to many Western ears on Lennon's song, "Norwegian Wood." He also cultivated a close relationship with renowned sitar player Ravi Shankar. Soon other rock groups, including the Rolling Stones, began incorporating the sitar into their work as well. It could also be argued that Harrison's experimentation with different kinds of instrumentation helped pave the way for such groundbreaking Beatles albums as Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Over time, Harrison's interest in Indian music extended into a yearning to learn more about Eastern spiritual practices. In 1968, he led the Beatles on a journey to northern India to study transcendental meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. (The trip was cut short after allegations arose that the Maharishi, an avowed celibate, had engaged in sexual improprieties.)

All of which proved to be a great boon to Harrison. He immediately assembled a studio band consisting of Starr, guitarist Eric Clapton, keyboardist Billy Preston and others to record all of the songs that had never made it on to the Beatles catalog. The result was 1970's three-disc album, All Things Must Pass. While one of its signature songs, "My Sweet Lord," was later deemed too similar in style to the the Chiffons earlier hit "He's So Fine," forcing the guitarist to cough up nearly $600,000, the album as a whole remains Harrison's most acclaimed record.

Not long after the album's release, Harrison brandished his charitable leanings and continued passion for the East when he put together a series of groundbreaking benefit concerts held at New York City's Madison Square Garden to raise money for refugees in Bangladesh. Known as the Concert for Bangladesh, the shows, which featured Bob Dylan, Starr, Clapton, Leon Russell, Badfinger and Shankar, would go on to raise some $15 million for UNICEF. They also produced a Grammy Award–winning album, and lay the groundwork for future benefit shows such as Live Aid and Farm Aid.

But not everything about post-Beatles life went smoothly for Harrison. In 1974, his marriage to Pattie Boyd, whom he'd married eight years before, ended when she left him for Clapton. His studio work struggled, too. Living in the Material World (1973), Extra Texture (1975) and Thirty-Three & 1/3 (1976) all failed to meet sales expectations.

Following the release of that last album, Harrison took a short break from music, winding down his self-started label, Dark Horse, which had produced works for a number of other bands, and started his own movie production company, HandMade Films. The outfit underwrote Monty Python's Life of Brian and the cult classic Withnail and I and would go on to release 25 other movies before Harrison sold his interest in the company in 1994.

Life After the Beatles

In 1978, Harrison, newly married to Olivia Arias and the father of a young son, Dhani, returned to the studio to record his eighth solo album, George Harrison, which was released the following year. It was followed two years later with Somewhere in England, which was still being worked on at the time of Lennon's assassination on December 8, 1980. The record eventually included the Lennon tribute track, "All Those Years Ago," a song that incorporated contributions from McCartney and Starr.

While the song was a hit, the album, its predecessor, and its successor, Gone Troppo (1982), weren't. For Harrison, the lack of commercial appeal and the constant battles with music executives proved draining, and they prompted another studio hiatus.

But a comeback of sorts arrived in 1987, with the release of his album Cloud Nine. The record featured a pair of hits and led to Harrison linking up with Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Dylan to form what was dubbed a "super group" in the form of the Traveling Wilburys. Encouraged by the commercial success of the Wilburys two studio albums, Harrison took to the road in 1992, embarking on his first solo tour in 18 years.

Not long after, Harrison reunited with Starr and McCartney for the creation of an exhaustive three-part release of The Beatles Anthology, which featured alternate takes, rare tracks and a previously unreleased Lennon demo. Originally recorded by Lennon in 1977, the demo, titled "Free as a Bird," was completed in the studio by the three surviving Beatles. The song went on to become the group's 34th Top 10 single”.

Twenty years after George Harrison died, his music is still bring played. Even though everyone, naturally, will see him as a Beatle, his amazing work away from the band stands up as works of sheer brilliance on its own. 1970’s All Things Must Pass ranks as one of the best albums ever! The playlist below marks the memory of a musical genius, and it shows us what the great man…

GAVE the world of music.

FEATURE: Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots: The Hounds of Love Cover, 1985 (John Carder Bush)

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots

 PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush 

The Hounds of Love Cover, 1985 (John Carder Bush)

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WHEN it comes to Kate Bush…

and photographers, there is this holy trinity that I associate with her. Those who had a long relationship and great creative bond. Resulting in some stunning photographs. I have already named two of those photographers: Gered Mankowitz and Guido Harari. Taken images from 1978 and 1993 respectively, I am sort of going in the middle for this part. I might extend this feature and include another seven photos. I just had to feature John Carder Bush’s cover shot for her 1985 album, Hounds of Love. It is hard not to double up when it comes to iconic images and the three photographers I have named. It is unsurprising that her brother had the deepest connection and could get the best shots. I think that, as he had been photographing her since she was a child, by the time it came to Hounds of Love, he had this decades-long experience and knowledge of what his sister was like and how to get the best shot. Even though, as I will show with an outtake, it was not easy to get the hugely memorable shot of Kate Bush and the two dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, the final image is spectacular! Carder Bush is responsible for more than one Kate Bush album cover. My other favourite is the image from the cover of The Dreaming. Bush, playing Houdini’s wife (Del Palmer plays Houdini), has a gold key in her mouth that she is going to pass to her escapologist husband.

It relates to the song, Houdini, from the album, and it is a wonderful shot. Like Gered Mankowitz did with Bush in 1978 during their first session where she was in a pink leotard and gave a very mature, thoughtful and intriguingly beautiful expression…forward seven years later and a more grown-up and elegant-looking artist is captured similarly thoughtful. In this case, Bush’s face is happier. I think that recording Hounds of Love marked a moment when things did improve in terms of stress levels and creative happiness. One gets a sense of home and the embrace of family pets. Aside from that, there is something elegant, classical and humorous about the photo. I can only imagine how tough it was to get two large dogs (who would been excitable) to lay still so that the photo could be taken! An image from the Hounds of Love cover shoot can seen on the cover of John Carder Bush’s photobook, KATE: Inside the Rainbow. He clearly has a lot of affection for that shoot and capturing his sister at that time. She was happy. I can imagine he was happy for her. It could have been easy to conceive a literal interpretation of the album’s title and do something memorable or misguided. Instead, Carder Bush seems to capture everything about the album in that single shot!  The colour choice of purples is very apt. It is quite warming and striking.

If you were to assign colours to represent moods and tones of albums, purples and golds can be applied to Hounds of Love. Even though there are dark and stormy moments, there is this feeling of hope, passion and rebirth. Bush, as an artist, I always see as the protagonist of the album’s second side, The Ninth Wave. That heroine is adrift at sea and struggles to stay sane and alive before she is eventually rescued. In terms of metaphors, I see that as Bush pushing herself professionally and attempting to get back to a former life and security. Hounds of Love is like Bush being rescued and having this new lease of life. I am going to end with an interview from Attitude. They spoke with John Carder Bush about the book, KATE: Inside the Rainbow, and snapping his sister through the years. It is interesting what he said about her approach to being photographed – and what the Hounds of Love era was like:  

“One thing that strikes me, looking through the book, is her willingness to try different things - poses, props, costumes etc - in the pursuit of a great shot. Did either of you take the lead in those situations, or was it quite a 50/50 partnership? I think this is dictated by two different things. With album and single shots, there is a very specific intention to project a persona that matches the songs; with promotional shots, variety becomes very important otherwise every session would have looked the same. With album and single sessions, Kate always had a very definite idea of what she wanted before she stepped in front of the camera and it was a question of trying to realise that in a photographic context.

PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush 

In the book, you mention Hounds of Love being a favourite record - it’s the album with perhaps the most iconic artwork of Kate’s career. What is it for you that makes that album / period a particular favourite?  Hounds of Love seems to me to demonstrate the perfect combination of Kate’s power and ability to be able to operate successfully in the world of popular music, and at the same time create something iconic like The Ninth Wave that transcends the throwaway nature of the charts. I also had a lot more involvement with that album executively and creatively, and writing and performing the poetry section on the song Jig of Life meant that I had many happy memories of that time”.

Even though John Carder Bush photographed his sister from the 1960s through to the 2010s, I think he would still hold the mid-1980s as his favourite time. Seeing his siter being recognised around the world and making some of the best music of her career would have given him so much inspiration. The shoot for the Hounds of Love cover would have been quite long; it was a game of patience. Looking at some of the outtakes, you can see that there was a lot of fun there too! Among all of the great and iconic shots taken of Kate Bush, the 1985 shot that appears on Hounds of Love’s cover ranks alongside the absolute best. The captivating and beautiful photo that we see on the cover of Hounds of Love is…

AN image that says so much.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: KT Tunstall – Tiger Suit

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

KT Tunstall – Tiger Suit

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I am going to be looking at…

the original 2010 release but, as the Untamed Edition was released in October, it is a good time to feature KT Tunstall’s incredible third studio album, Tiger Suit. You can get the original here, whilst the newer version can be bought here (which includes previously unheard demos of tracks from the album). I really love Tiger Suit. It is an album that took Tunstall’s music to a new level. Before that, she won critical acclaim, but I think Tiger Suit was her best-received album to that point. I am going to source a couple of positive reviews in a bit. Push That Knot Away and Fade Like a Shadow are two of my all-time favourite KT Tunstall songs. I think Tiger Suit marked a slightly new sonic and dynamic approach to Tunstall. It was a bit of a shift from 2007’s Drastic Fantastic. I was checking the Wikipedia entry for the album and was interesting discovering the background to Tiger Suit:

“On 11 February 2010 reported that, "KT Tunstall has recorded her new album in Berlin's famous Hansa studio. The studio, beside the site of the Berlin Wall, was used to make legendary albums including David Bowie's Heroes and U2's Achtung Baby. KT said: "I had an amazing three weeks recording in Hansa in Berlin in January and am finishing it all off in London." The Scots singer, who has been quiet of late, reassured fans she has been busy. She added: "I am still very much alive and have every music-making limb and muscle working in my laboratory of fierce-new-album-ness."

Before her album comes out, KT played a stripped-down set at the Haiti fundraising gig at the Roundhouse in Camden on Thursday 25 February. She hoped to jump up with her old pal Seasick Steve for a song or two. Kt added: "My shizzle will feature some new faces and definitely some new songs, so come and have a listen and chuck some dough at a good cause.""

She stated down the line from a promo stop in Minneapolis that she doesn't write on tour, "so it was essential that I took time out from her previous album Drastic Fantastic". She had started her time off by travelling through the Arctic, South America and India, so she had locked into a very primal, indigenous spirit by the time it came to recording”.

An inventive album that strengthened Tunstall’s songwriting, Tiger Suit is a remarkable work from the Edinburgh-born artist. Reaching number-five in the U.K., there was a lot of support and love for the album. AllMusic noted how Tiger Suit was Tunstall’s strongest set of songs to that point:

“Drastic Fantastic -- the spangly attempt at pop stardom consolidation -- didn’t catch on like it should have, but KT Tunstall doesn’t quite beat a retreat on its 2010 sequel, Tiger Suit. Sure, she’s reverted to contemplative photographs for her album art, but Tiger Suit isn’t a hermetically sealed sensitive singer/songwriter record, all quivering sincerity and strummed guitars. Fittingly for an album recorded at Berlin’s Hansa studio, where Achtung Baby and Heroes were cut, it is produced, polished, and textured, an album with movement and progression. Once the ominous opening chords to “Uummannaq Song” drift away, the song settles into a tight art-funk groove accentuated with folk shout-alongs, following no straight path to its conclusion. Tunstall takes no direct routes on Tiger Suit -- not when she slows tempos down, not when she recycles the “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” rhythm for “Come on, Get In” -- but the twists that take her into the fuzzy glam-stomp of “Madame Trudeaux,” the whistled hook of “Glamour Puss,” the tight swirling circles of “Difficulty,” or the languid European blues of “Golden Frames” aren’t self-conscious stylizations, they’re lively and unexpected, colorful enough to grab upon first listen and rich enough to reveal layers upon repeats. As sonically pleasing as it is, Tiger Suit isn’t a mere vehicle for sound; it’s built upon Tunstall’s strongest set of songs yet, and it’s no coincidence that they’re her most ambitious, either: she may be firmly within the mainstream but she’s taking risks as a composer and record-maker, never settling into the role of the earnest earthbound folkie, winding up with an excellent album that satisfies as pure sound and as songwriting sustenance”.

I think KT Tunstall is an artist who many people know about, and yet her music is not played as widely as it should be. She is an artist who has developed and evolved through the years. 2018’s WAX (her sixth studio album) ranks alongside her best work. The BBC wrote the following in their review of 2010:

“It looks like a shapeless stripy jumper on the album cover, but KT Tunstall's Tiger Suit is her protection against the world, a clawed insurance in the face of critical brickbats and the pressures of having to go out there and be a star. It's served her well. Three albums in, Tunstall appears undamaged, an ordinary girl you'd want to spend time with and an honest performer it's hard to dislike.

What sounds like faint praise is more charitably cast as recognition that Tunstall has settled into a familiar groove. Years of busking and almost wilful avoidance of the spotlight meant that by the time the Mercury-nominated Eye to the Telescope turned up in 2004, Tunstall was fully formed as an artist, equipped with an effects pedal and songs that sat just on the edgy side of AOR. Second album Drastic Fantastic barely tinkered with the formula, but suffered from a relatively short gestation.

So Tiger Suit stands at a crossroads, an ideal opportunity to take a few risks. This, according to KT, manifests itself in a dancier feel to the songs. It's true that producer Jim Abbiss – who put the laddish funk into Kasabian – brings a dusting of sequenced beats to the clattering, bolshy Uummannaq Song and the flirty Glamour Puss, but it's a toe in the water. More striking is the almost ravey building intensity of Difficulty: intriguing electro-rock that wouldn't sound out of place on U2's Zooropa, in a good way. Even so, these end up rare deviations from the KT template.

The sort of old-school, heavily rhythmic rock’n’roll that characterised earlier hits Suddenly I See and Hold On is still very much in evidence. Push That Knot Away is Bat for Lashes gone high-velocity blues; Golden Frames is sinister vampire bluegrass; and the brash Come On, Get In is standard tribal KT, hollering and stamping. It’s all no end of fun, without pushing any envelopes.

More surprising is (Still A) Weirdo, a quirky slice of Beatley clever-pop that recalls Elliott Smith – and the squeezy, dirty grind of Madame Trudeaux, where Tunstall manages to rhyme "repertoire" and "admire" in a terribly posh English accent. It shares a sexy charisma with Glamour Puss, and is just the ticket, respite from some of the more coasting material. A bit of "grrr" does Tiger Suit no harm”.

A fantastic album that should be snapped up on vinyl, make sure you get a copy. I heard songs from the album back in 2010, yet it is the last few days or so when I have been reconnecting with the album. As a complete work, it is a wonderful listen. If you have not discovered and listened to Tiger Suit, then take some time aside to enjoy…

A great record.

FEATURE: Harlem Shuffle: Are Spotify Prioritising the Right Thing – and Should They Be Listening More to Smaller Artists?

FEATURE:

 

 

Harlem Shuffle

Are Spotify Prioritising the Right Thing – and Should They Be Listening More to Smaller Artists?

___________

ALTHOUGH there has been…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Adele/PHOTO CREDIT: Rolling Stone

some development when it comes to Spotify and the commitment to look at royalty distribution and how much they pay artist per stream, one feels that this should be top of their priority list. Even though Adele’s new music and her album, 30, have caused millions to access her music via the streaming service, her request/demand to disable the album shuffle feature should be very low down the priorities list! I can appreciate that being able to shuffle an album’s tracks is not great when artists expend so much thought regarding sequencing. I feel users and listeners should be able to listen to an album in any order they feel fit. One can hear the original as the artist intended, or they can mix things up. The Guardian had some thoughts on Adele’s successful request:

 “Spotify has removed the shuffle button from album pages after Adele commented that the order tracks were placed in was supposed to “tell a story”.

The singer thanked the streaming service after it made it less straightforward for users to listen to the songs of her new album, 30, in a random order.

She tweeted: “We don’t create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason. Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended. Thank you Spotify for listening.”

Spotify replied: “Anything for you”.

The shuffle option, signified by two crisscrossing arrows, was removed from the album play button but is still available when a user clicks to view the album tracks.

Adele made her big comeback with the single Easy On Me, her first new song in six years, which is No 1 in the UK singles chart, according to the Official Charts Company. It became the most streamed song in one day on Spotify and Amazon’s Alexa device when it was released on 15 October.

Other tracks from the album, including My Little Love, Oh My God, I Drink Wine and Hold On, have been praised by fans and critics for their sense of vulnerability and old-fashioned sound recalling the golden age of Hollywood.

30 was released on Friday and is her fourth studio album, which she had been reportedly working on since 2018. It details the breakdown of her marriage to the charity boss Simon Konecki, with whom she has a son, Angelo.

According to Spotify, the album accrued 60.7m streams globally in the first day it was available, making it one of the most-streamed albums on its release. The record is 90.8m, set by Taylor Swift just a week earlier”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Wet Leg/PHOTO CREDIT: Hollie Fernando

If a smaller artist had requested something like this, it would not have been addressed or made the news. Does this mean that, if you have the success and acclaim of Adele, you can ask for anything you want and get it?! If she, say, had asked Spotify to accelerate a pledge to pay artists more fairly, then would they have done that?! If you have a platform like hers, one feels that asking for something more important should be on her mind. It is not only Adele. I think major artists represent the gulf that exists between them and everyone else in music. They can command millions of streams and make quite a bit of money from sites like Spotify alone. Even if you are a breakthrough and popular smaller act like Wet Leg (a new duo whose song, Chaise Longue, is one of the biggest of this year), you are not making that much money – I think they have reached the millions when it comes to their streaming figures. It is very rare for even the most interesting and talented artists to make anything. There are so many musicians earning very little post-pandemic (even though we are still very much in the midst of it). Many will give up, and the industry will lose a lot of talented and valuable resource! Not that it is all on streaming platforms like Spotify but, as gigs have not fully kicked back into gear and we may well go into lockdown in the future, there is still uncertainty. Also, as very few artists performed earlier this year or last year, venues are being booked up now – and many have put their name down for late next year. That means that there is a huge wave of artists unable to gig and get revenue and support that way.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ervo Rocks

Next year will be very important when it comes to changes on streaming sites. One cannot begrudge Spotify for bowing to Adele’s request – as it has already been done -, but they are sort of allowing this V.I.P. access where the major artists can ask, and they will receive. There is a great worry that, as we start to come back to some sort of normality, the industry is different now to what it was in 2019. What I mean is that many artists have quit, or many feel their music being on streaming services is reaping no reward. Let us hope that there is impassioned and committed improvement from the likes of Spotify when it comes to their priorities. I think that they have a chance to focus on an issue and debate that has been present and raging for years now. Aside from some somewhat insignificant problems like the album shuffle feature on their site, so many artists are struggling to survive at a time when gigs are gradually coming back. As the very biggest artists can earn quite a lot from streaming, the reality is very different for the vast majority. After a nightmare twenty months or so for so many artists, 2022 looks set to have some light at the end of its tunnel. Streaming platforms like Spotify are essential when it comes (for artists) to gathering fans, exposure and some small revenue. All of us who love music and want to see the scene grow and thrive hope that Spotify focuses on…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Imtiyaz Ali/Unsplash

WHAT is truly important.

FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Eighty-Two: The Charlatans

FEATURE:

 

 

A Buyer’s Guide

 Part Eighty-Two: The Charlatans

___________

ONE of the greatest British bands ever…

I am going to spend some time recommending the essential work of The Charlatans. Fronted by the amazing and inspiring Tim Burgess, the 1988-formed legends have released some amazing music through their career. The band’s most-recent album, Different Days, came out in 2017. I hope we hear more from them. Prior to highlighting their four best albums, the underrated gem, the latest studio album and a book associated with them/Burgess, I want to drop in their biography. It is to AllMusic for that task:

“For many years, the Charlatans were perceived as the also-rans of Madchester, the group who didn't capture the Zeitgeist like the Stone Roses or the mad genre-bending of Happy Mondays. Of course, they were more traditional than either of their peers. Working from a Stonesy foundation, the Charlatans added dance-oriented rhythms and layers of swirling organs straight out of '60s psychedelia. At first, the group had great promise, and their initial singles, including "The Only One I Know," were hits, but as Madchester and "baggy" faded away, the band began to look like a relic. It was commonly assumed that their third album, 1994's Up to Our Hips, was the end of the line. However, the Charlatans made a remarkable comeback in 1995 with their eponymous fourth album, which found them embracing not only the flourishing Brit-pop movement, but also underground dance and techno, as well as their mainstay of classic rock. The Charlatans debuted at number one, and the guys were hailed as survivors. Unfortunately, few knew how literal that term was -- as they were recording their follow-up album in 1996, organist Rob Collins, who had defined the band's sound, died in a car crash. The Charlatans decided to continue as a quartet, and their subsequent album, Tellin' Stories, debuted at number one in the U.K. upon its 1997 release. They consolidated this success with 1999's Us and Us Only and 2001's Wonderland -- both of which reached number two -- proving they had become one of the great British journeyman bands of the new millennium.

At the time of their formation in the West Midlands in 1988, it appeared that the Charlatans were all about transience. Inspired by the emergence of the Stone Roses, Rob Collins (keyboards), Jon Baker (guitar), Martin Blunt (bass), and Jon Brookes (drums) formed the Charlatans, rehearsing with a variety of vocalists before Salford-born Tim Burgess joined as their singer, after the band's relocation to Northwich, Cheshire. The group attempted to land a record contract with no success, so they formed Dead Dead Good Records and released their debut 12" single, "Indian Rope," in January 1990. Collins' dynamic, sweeping Hammond organ distinguished the group from their Madchester scene peers, and the single became a number one hit on the indie charts. By the spring, they'd signed with Beggars Banquet, releasing "The Only One I Know" a few months later. Borrowing heavily from the Stones, jangle pop, and funk, "The Only One I Know" became a monster hit, climbing into the pop Top Ten and becoming the group's signature single. Following another hit single, "Then," the band's debut album, Some Friendly, was released in the fall, debuting at number one.

It was a remarkable beginning to their career, so perhaps it was inevitable that bad luck hit early in 1991. As they launched their first American tour, the Charlatans were forced to add "U.K." to their name since a San Francisco garage rock band from the '60s already had a claim on the name. The group returned to Britain, where they played a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Following the gig, Baker announced he was leaving the band. He was replaced by Mark Collins (no relation) yet the group was sidetracked further by Blunt's bout with severe depression. By the time they finally released their second album, Between 10th and 11th, Madchester had become passé, and the album was ignored by the public and earned mixed reviews.

Despite their declining popularity, the Charlatans soldiered on, yet hit their biggest setback in late 1992, when Rob Collins was arrested as an accessory to armed robbery. The situation had been entirely accidental -- Collins had been drinking with an old friend and wound up following him into a liquor store -- but he was sentenced to eight months imprisonment. Before he went into jail, he laid down the tracks for the band's third album, which was released in early 1994, once he had left prison. Up to Our Hips received stronger reviews than its predecessor, and its single, "Can't Get Out of Bed," was a bigger hit than anything on Between 10th and 11th. It was the beginning of a comeback that culminated in the summer of 1995.

Prior to the release of the group's eponymous third album, Tim Burgess sang on the Chemical Brothers' "Life Is Sweet," which re-established his hip indie credentials and gave him, and the Charlatans, credibility in electronica circles. Appropriately, The Charlatans demonstrated a deeper dance sensibility, as well as more concise tunes, and it unexpectedly entered the British charts at number one. Following the release of the album, the Charlatans re-entered the front rank of British rock bands and were at the peak of their popularity, as well as critical acclaim. The group was still unable to crack the American market -- initially, they were barred from touring the country due to Collins' arrest -- yet they remained popular throughout Europe and Asia.

As the band was recording its follow-up to The Charlatans, Collins was killed in a drunk-driving accident as he headed to the studio. Although Collins was pivotal to the band's signature sound, they carried on without him, completing their fifth album, Tellin' Stories, with the assistance of Primal Scream's keyboardist, Martin Duffy. Tellin' Stories was released in the U.K. in the spring of 1997 to generally strong reviews, and it entered the charts at number one. Two years later, Us and Us Only came out, followed in 2001 by the dance-inspired Wonderland. The next year saw two releases, Live It Like You Love It, recorded live in the band's hometown in December 2001, and Songs from the Other Side, a collection of B-sides from 1990 to 1997. The Charlatans' eighth studio album, Up at the Lake, was issued in 2004, and two years later, Simpatico hit the shelves. In 2008, the group released You Cross My Path on the Cooking Vinyl label.

In 2010, the band marked the 20th anniversary of the release of Some Friendly by performing the album at Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival. Their 11th studio album, Who We Touch, was slated for release in September of 2010. During the supporting tour for Who We Touch, drummer Jon Brookes was diagnosed with a brain tumor; Peter Salisbury helped finish off the tour, but Brookes showed up at year-end gigs with the band. Burgess and Collins did a brief acoustic tour on their own in 2011 before Burgess began work on a solo album. He returned to the Charlatans in 2012, with the group starting a new album and playing their 1997 album Tellin' Stories in its entirety at two separate shows that summer; the June 8 show at HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London was released as a live album that August.

However, after several operations and ongoing treatment for his brain tumor, Brookes died in hospital on August 13, 2013 at the age of 44. The Charlatans reconvened in 2014 to record their twelfth studio album. Entitled Modern Nature, the record appeared on BMG in January 2015; it debuted at number seven in the U.K., making it the band's highest-charting album since 2006's Simpatico. Two years later, the Charlatans followed up with Different Days, a record sporting cameos from Paul Weller and Johnny Marr.

The Charlatans spent the next few years quietly, reissuing portions of their catalog -- including an expanded version of Between 10th & 11th in 2020 -- while Tim Burgess resumed his solo career. During this period, Burgess also conceived and popularized the notion of online listening parties. He began by marshalling a look back at Some Friendly in March 2020, and within 12 months he'd organized over 700 such events. Next, borrowing a line from 1996's "One to Another" -- their highest-charting U.K. single -- the band issued A Head Full of Ideas, a lavishly packaged and thorough retrospective celebrating their 30th year as recording artists”.

To showcase the brilliance and inventiveness of an iconic band, below are the records from The Charlatans that you need to own. I would urge people to check out their music if they are not already familiar. They are a band that I have loved since I first heard them in the 1990s. Even though they have been around for years, let’s hope they keep on recording albums…

FOR some time.

_____________

The Four Essential Albums

 

Some Friendly

Release Date: 8th October, 1990

Labels: Dead Dead Good/Situation Two/Beggars Banquet

Producer: Chris Naggle

Standout Tracks: Opportunity/Then/Flower

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/635541

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6Bb253vXd4mFULDwLhNf7u?si=ecqDLOoERFaPJa5yI9xGEg

Review:

“Emerging out of semi-nowhere -- well, Northwich -- the Charlatans were saddled with a name that lent itself to jibes about their quality, perceived bandwagon jumping and the burden of being a one-hit wonder with "The Only One I Know." Then Some Friendly, the group's debut, planted itself at the top of the UK charts; while the rest of the '90s were up-and-down for the band, this album set the band on its way. Drawing on Blunt's background in mod and psych outfits, Collins' outrageously funky keyboards and Burgess' unexpected star quality -- even if his voice wasn't the strongest -- Some Friendly is just that, a friendly and fun vibe. Some of the lyrics betray Burgess' sharp-tongued punk background -- "You're Not Very Well," the opener, expresses anything but sunny sentiments -- but otherwise Some Friendly delivers everything from '60s beat groove to Madchester bagginess with verve. True, the group was still following in the Roses/Mondays slipstream -- "Fool's Gold" was the blueprint for much of the album -- but the individual delights of the slow trance "Opportunity," "Polar Bear"'s upfront rhythms and "Flower"'s slightly ominous funk all show the band's abilities well. "The Only One I Know" remains the best-known cut, Blunt's crisp bass and Collins' Deep Purple-inspired keyboards providing its charge. But Some Friendly's hidden masterpiece comes at the very end -- "Sproston Green," a monster jam based on Collins' supreme keyboard work, with Burgess' soaring lyric matching the massive surge of the music. It remains the concluding number of the band's sets to this day for good reason” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: The Only One I Know (not included on original L.P. versions)

The Charlatans

Release Date: 28th August, 1995

Label: Beggars Banquet

Producers: The Charlatans/Dave Charles/Ric Peet (with Steve Hillage)

Standout Tracks: Just Lookin'/Crashin' In/Bullet Comes

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=70890&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/3w929DsUH49KkQ8FNLo2wE?si=0SoeZAItQw-DucnrxwdNcg

Review:

“The Charlatans first came in as a part of the madchester scene, and were considered second rate in the genre, putting out solid but ultimately unimpressive albums throughout until the scene died. The Charlatans carried on however and truly hit their stride with thier self titled fourth album. It opens with some wierd chant that seems out of place along with some of the funkiest organ playing Ive heard in the largely instrumental opener "Nine Acre Court."

After this questionable start the album picks up a bit with "Feeling Holy" but doesnt kick off untill the incredibly catchy "Just Lookin" which perfectly sums up the bands sound on the album. The album takes the brashness and crunch of Oasis' Definitely Maybe and mixes it in with the shoegaze formula they already had down solid. "Crashin In" is very similar to "Just Lookin" but manages to keep its own identity. "Bullet Comes" adds some piano and gives the album a little lighter sound, as though to let the listener relax for their next song, "Here Comes A Soul Saver" which is a top notch tune which could be The Charlatans attempt at "Live Forever." It falls short of that goal, but is impressive nonetheless.

"Just When Your Thinking Things Over" continues the streak of excellent songs with an upbeat relaxed groove that gracefully carries you through the ride, throwing some great melodies at you along the way. Unfortunately "Tell Everyone" is where the album starts to tail off. Despite a subdued catchy chorus the verses are entirely forgettable, which cuts the albums momentum off. Perhaps if placed in a different spot this song would be a great fit, but it leads into three entirely forgettable mediocre songs.

Fortunately, the instrumental closer "Thank You" brings the band to form with an excellent, very Verve-esque instrumental jam that reminds you a little too much of "Gravity Grave." Despite the similarities the song is saved by the consistently unique organ playing Rob Collins. All in all a solid finish to an excellent album” – Sputnikmusic

Choice Cut: Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over

Tellin' Stories

Release Date: 21st April, 1997

Label: Beggars Banquet

Producers: The Charlatans/Dave Charles/Ric Peet

Standout Tracks: Tellin' Stories/One to Another/How High

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=70885&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/3bP20RC8ELescgvnbTEbM9?si=Szn7c-jETcihOtOwm4dkeA

Review:

“Vanishing Point obliterates that notion, right along with logic, structure and sanity. An abstract, truly psychedelic record, it rages woozily across the cranial dance floor, pinballing between mind fucks, genre hops and drug trips even as it acknowledges tradition with an obligatory Stonesy junk nod ("Medication") and a techno-punk cover of "Motorhead." Violence and revolution dominate "Kowalski," a noisy, urban anthem that is impenetrable on first listen but ends up ultracatchy, thanks to Mani's (ex-Stone Roses) pummeling bass lines and a creepy, whispered chorus of "I'm Kowalski/In Vanishing Point" (referring to the '70s car-chase movie). There's also futuristic dub (the sinister, Tricky-esque "Stuka"), sweet space rock ("Out of the Void") and the tranquil "Star," a civil-rights tribute that sets the Memphis Horns and Augustus Pablo's melodica against Gillespie's fragile croon. The band's Trainspotting theme is here, too, still a perfectly sleepy evocation of dread vs. bliss.

Dance music also shapes the Charlatans UK, an original "Madchester" band that now favors hard, tuneful gutbucket groove rock – they're the Stones to Oasis' Beatles. Tellin' Stories boasts a trio of rhythm tracks from Chemical Brother Tom Rowlands (payback for singer Tim Burgess' guest vocals on the Chemicals' "Life Is Sweet"). The opener, "With No Shoes," is all hungrily exuberant vocals over whimsical guitar crunch and turntable scratching; both that and the joyous "North Country Boy" stand in poignant contrast to the reallife circumstances of the making of Tellin' Stories: Keyboardist Rob Collins, the band's primary sonic architect, was killed in a car crash during its recording (Primal Scream's Martin Duffy finished Collins' parts). While the noirish, understated "Rob's Theme" serves as the record's coda, Collins' real epitaph is the Ray Manzarek-cum-Jimmy Smith organ grease on "Area 51," another instrumental and the record's trippiest, most clubworthy track.

The Charlatans scramble up industrial hip-hop soul with spirited, melodic '60s-rock influences, but they never let their postmodernism detract from the base simplicity of well-crafted songs and unabashed rockin'. Combine that with the out-there eclecticism of Vanishing Point and you'd have the record U2's Pop wanted to be. (RS 764/765)” – Rolling Stone

Choice Cut: North Country Boy

Up at the Lake

Release Date: 17th May, 2004

Label: Island

Producers: The Charlatans/James Spencer

Standout Tracks: Up at the Lake/High Up Your Tree/Try Again Today

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=70897&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/7tU0lwdqAdFGNNCcTLIHsh?si=-GtggONPRtSazMiDyqV65w

Review:

“The British love an underdog, which may explain why the Charlatans have made it to their eighth album despite a death, an imprisonment, a bout of testicular cancer, a swindling accountant and a bassist who, following a nervous breakdown, came to rehearsals clutching carrier-bags of dog food.

However, their success has been equally based around the indefinable joie de vivre that vocalist Tim Burgess brings to even their most ostensibly melancholy songs. Sensibly, Burgess has abandoned the curious falsetto of 2001's Wonderland in favour of his trademark (or Ian Brown's trademark) nasal whine, while the band have responded with some of their finest rollicking grooves.

High Up In Your Tree boasts a super-sweet melody; elsewhere they rampage through everything from country rock to Carly Simon. By the time keyboardist Tony Rogers takes lead vocals on the sublime Loving You Is Easy, it seems that even Burgess's demise in a gardening accident would be unlikely to stop them” – The Guardian

Choice Cut: Loving You Is Easy

The Underrated Gem

 

Wonderland

Release Date: 10th September, 2001

Label: Universal

Producers: The Charlatans/Danny Saber/James Spencer

Standout Tracks: Love Is the Key/A Man Needs to Be Told/The Bell and the Butterfly

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=70909&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/4GmXnmWGndjONOi5mWhEHf?si=PnMnBpRDRLG5X6V5bOla6g

Review:

“Nearly as obvious a choice for a single is "I Just Can't Get Over Losing You," which creeps in slowly before kicking into another one of the band's infectious grooves. Burgess exhorts you to get down, and it's pretty likely that you won't have any problem complying. Guitarist Mark Collins weaves dozens of little stuttering passages through the mix, vying with Rogers for control of the harmonic and countermelodic space. This is followed by the instrumental "The Bell and the Butterfly," a four-minute bass- and drum-dominated rave-up that opens with a bombastic, fuzzed-out bass riff, then completely recontextualizes the riff with programmed, almost junglist beats. Brookes joins the programmed percussion on his kit as Blunt briefly reprises the bassline from "Love Is the Key" before launching off on an impressive lead tangent.

Tracks like "The Bell and the Butterfly" are one of the reasons I love the Charlatans as much as I do. In an era when it's cool for rock bands to be ashamed of being rock bands, the Charlatans aren't. No matter how much programming they incorporate or how many other elements color their sound, they're a rock band at heart, unafraid to rock out just for the sake of it. And there's plenty of subtle programming to be found on Wonderland-- little artificial hi-hat flourishes color the edges of the beat in "And If I Fall," which just might contain one of the best choruses the band has ever written.

Elsewhere, "A Man Needs to Be Told" most closely resembles Us & Us Only's rootsy vibe, employing none other than Daniel Lanois on the pedal steel. It's amazing how well the faux-country sound suits the band. Burgess' falsetto feels more at home surrounded by the keening guitars and extra percussion (provided by Jim Keltner, who's played with absolutely everybody, including Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Ry Cooder, George Harrison, and John Lennon). "Wake Up" runs in a slightly similar vein, breaking into a melodic ballad after a guitar intro that you could pretty easily mistake for a mid-80s King Crimson track. Soon afterward, though, the guitar is dripping in Leslie and wah pedals. Burgess presides over the song with some uncharacteristically aggressive lyrics, including the catchy couplet, "Sayin' something, saying nothing/ You'll be a little quieter with a gun in your mouth."

This is followed by the mellotron- and piano-drenched "Is It in You?," which, for all its gripping atmosphere, is one of the few songs on the album that doesn't really hang onto your ear after grabbing it. The closing "Ballad of the Band" doesn't really do much to lift things, either, and the album unfortunately ends on a somewhat lackluster note.

Regardless of the ending, though, the Charlatans have managed to release yet another immensely satisfying album. The deft synthesis of all of the band's past incarnations speaks to the fact that their best work may indeed lie ahead of them. If you're looking for a starting place for the Charlatans, I'd probably recommend Tellin' Stories or Us & Us Only first, but Wonderland is a worthy entry from one of Britain's most underappreciated bands” – Pitchfork

Choice Cut: You're So Pretty – We're So Pretty

The Latest Album

 

Different Days

Release Date: 26th May, 2017

Label: BMG

Producers: The Charlatans/Jim Spencer

Standout Tracks: Plastic Machinery/Not Forgotten/Over Again

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=1186476&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/3kSjmsheSS3A7A0jcF6U9X?si=Co7QGvkUQJCOW1PtBamZUA

Review:

“After the tragic loss of their long-time drummer Jon Brookes in 2013, a cloud of doubt began to cast over The Charlatans. It's never easy for a band to lose a key member, especially one who has been there since the beginning. However this didn't quell The Charlatans' spirits and they returned in 2015 with the fantastic 'Modern Nature'.

Now two years later, with guests ranging from Johnny Marr to Stephen Morris, The Charlatans arrive back once again with 'Different Days'. But how does it fare next to its 2015 counterpart?

From the offset, 'Different Days' is an album drenched in colour. Opener 'Hey Sunshine' bursts with lavish kaleidoscopic synths, whilst The War On Drugs-esque follow up 'Solutions' drives with zealous passion. Elsewhere on the LP, 'Let's Go Together' and 'Not Forgotten' are the record's most anthemic moments and see The Charlatans rising in a concoction of electric organs and Madchester swagger.

The orchestral led-single 'Plastic Machinery' is an energetic thrill and is matched by the groove-filled title-track 'Different Days'. Closing on the down-tempo and string infused 'Spinning Out', frontman Tim Burgess sounds better than ever as he croons his way to the end of this chapter of the band.

The Charlatans may have gone through some rough times over the years but, unlike many of their peers, they've continued to deliver musically and 'Different Days' is no exception. A fun and colourful indie album full of pop sensibilities, 'Different Days' is a joy from start to finish and is further indication that Tim Burgess and co. show no sign of stopping” – CLASH

Choice Cut: Different Days

The Charlatans Book

 

One, Two, Another: Line By Line: Lyrics from The Charlatans, Solo and Beyond

Author: Tim Burgess

Publication Date: 14th November, 2019

Publisher: Constable

Synopsis:

“'From lists to experiences and stories, there are no rules. A good song is a good song whoever writes it and however the writing happens.'

Over the past three decades, Tim Burgess has cultivated a lyrical style that is equal parts searing, elusive and raw. Brimming with nods to an eclectic array of influences, from French chanson to East Coast rap, his words provide vivid snapshots of modern life, its highs and lows, and the things we do to get by.

For the first time Tim's collected lyrics are accompanied by his revealing commentary, featuring backstage anecdotes, advice on how to conjure up the music muse, poignant reflections - and insight into a very idiosyncratic songwriting process.

One Two Another chronicles the evolution of Tim's songwriting and reveals the method behind the madness.

'Tim Burgess is a crusader and vinyl's epic voyager. He knows why pop's art, a culture and a cure. Learn and listen. He knows good things' Johnny Marr

'You can't feel blue around Tim. He makes you feel happy, not just about music but about life. Even the most cynical of souls (mine) become infected by his gorgeous energy. Plus he gives good vinyl' Sharon Horgan” – Waterstones.co.uk

Order: https://www.waterstones.com/book/one-two-another/tim-burgess/9781408715437

FEATURE: The Shape I'm In: Remembering The Band’s The Last Waltz on Its Forty-Fifth Anniversary

FEATURE:

 

 

The Shape I'm In

Remembering The Band’s The Last Waltz on Its Forty-Fifth Anniversary

___________

IF you can get a copy…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rick Danko and Robbie Robertson on stage with Bob Dylan - who famously tapped The Band to serve as his first electric backing band in 1966 - on stage at the Winterland/PHOTO CREDIT: Neal Preston/Morrison Hotel Gallery

of The Last Waltz on vinyl, I would advise you do. I wanted to mark a hugely important concert that turns forty-five on 25th November. Even though the documentary film was released in 1978, the concert itself happened a couple of years prior. The documentary made about it is often viewed as one of the best ever made. There is an interesting story behind the famous concert itself, in addition to the concert film. If you have not heard The Last Waltz, then this Wikipedia article explains a bit more:

“The Last Waltz was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Last Waltz was advertised as The Band's "farewell concert appearance", and the concert saw The Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including their previous employers Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan as well as Paul Butterfield, Bobby Charles, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, and Neil Young. The musical director for the concert was The Band's original record producer, John Simon.

The concert was produced and managed by Bill Graham and was filmed by director Martin Scorsese, who made it into a documentary of the same title, released in 1978. Jonathan Taplin, who was The Band's tour manager from 1969 to 1972 and later produced Scorsese's film Mean Streets, suggested that Scorsese would be the ideal director for the project and introduced Robbie Robertson and Scorsese. Taplin served as executive producer. The film features concert performances, intermittent song renditions shot on a studio soundstage, and interviews by Scorsese with members of The Band. The soundtrack and DVD were later released.

The Last Waltz is hailed as one of the greatest documentary concert films ever made. In 2019, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

It is insane to think of the calibre of musicians that joined The Band for the farewell! Of course, one-time member Bob Dylan was there. Though it was such a star-studded and incredible line-up, one cannot help but to marvel! I want to bring in an article from Rolling Stone. They discussed (among other aspects) how the concert came together, and how a Martin Scorsese came to be direct the concert film:

“Over 40 years ago, The Band gave their final concert in their original lineup, a massive swan song that these Canadian troubadours turned into an all-star spectacle. Calling the event “The Last Waltz,” the group’s de facto leader Robertson – who’d grown tired of being a rock & roll road warrior – and San Francisco promoter Bill Graham staged a no-expense-spared adieu that started with a Thanksgiving feast and ended with everyone from Neil Diamond to Neil Young accompanying the quintet. As far as farewells go, this one was major, and it might have been relegated to the you-had-to-like-have-been-there-man history books had a bearded, jittery Martin Scorsese not decided to ditch some responsibilities and call in some favors. The idea was to simply record the evening for posterity, though the then-35-year-old filmmaker had a few ideas of his own to add in to the mix. What he ended up with was the definitive document of these American-music scholars, an epitaph to a specific era of rock history, and the single greatest concert movie of all time.

Though it didn’t hit theaters until April 1978, The Last Waltz is the time capsule that we talk about when we talk about that marathon bicentennial show; for some fans who never saw the Band in their blissed-out, buzzed-out-of-their-skull heyday, it’s usually the first thing that comes to mind. More than Ronnie Hawkins’ bar-band commandos, Dylan’s basement buddies and electric-folk enablers, or even the guys who gave us the game-changing Music From Big Pink, they’re the guys on that Winterland stage, tearing through gutbucket blues runs, New Orleans rave-ups and hillbilly-holler ballads. Next to the iconic black-and-white picture of the group standing in a field that graces the left inner panel of the Pink LP, it’s their main visual representation, and the difference between these two documents speaks volumes. That 1968 photo positions these five musicians as old-timey outlaws going against the hippie grain – the rock group as Dalton Gang. The guys in 1976, dressed in everything from Robertson’s Italian gigolo duds to Manuel’s plaid suit (“something W.C. Fields would wear to a wedding” Robertson remarks in his new memoir, Testimony), are the B-side versions headed for a burnout. After 16 years on the road, the Band are no longer musicians who seem beamed in from another time. They’re men running out of time.

So when Robertson decided that he’d had enough and wanted the Band to call it a day as a live act, he pitched the idea of one last gig to Graham, since San Francisco was where they first played under that name. The guitarist was also thinking about the possibility of filming their final bow; the original Woodstock pioneers joined the longhairs who’d flooded their new home for an era-defining concert, only to witness themselves cut out of the narrative when their performance was left out of the iconic accompanying doc. (Most folks don’t even know that the Band played those three days of peace and music.) He remembered seeing a screening of Mean Streets, which had been produced by the group’s tour manager, Jonathan Taplin – and he remembered the movie’s director, a live-wire Italian-American who’d helped shoot Woodstock and loved rock & roll. A lot.

Martin Scorsese was neck-deep in finishing New York, New York, his ill-fated attempt to fuse Old Hollywood musicals and New Hollywood revisionism, when Robertson and Taplin approached him. The last thing he wanted to do, or was allowed to do by his producers, was take on another project before he delivered a final cut. But the notion of being present at something symbolizing the sun setting on rock’s unruly early adulthood, and with a guest list that read like a who’s who of modern popular music, was an offer he could not refuse. “I don’t have a choice,” Robertson quotes him as saying in the oral history Bill Graham Presents. “I must do it”.

I cannot really think of a modern-day equivalent where you would have this band put on a final concert with so many other big artists alongside them. I guess, if a band like The Rolling Stone decided to bow out, they might put on something similar. We have not really seen anything like The Last Waltz since 1976. On the forty-fifth anniversary of the concert, it is important to mark its significance. I have the DVD of the concert, and I would recommend everyone to get a copy, just so they can see and experience what happened and the reaction The Band (plus guests) received! In this article, we discover how, despite some sonic imperfections and cracks here and there, the documentary film and concert itself are spellbinding and captivating:

“Despite the disagreements, The Band did all commit to The Last Waltz album and film. “I talked with Levon, Garth, Richard and Rick individually about this experiment we were embarking on,” said Robertson in Testimony. “None of us truly understood where we were headed, but we knew change was inevitable. Levon said, in a quiet, brotherly tone: ‘Maybe if we can have one last stand, it will give us a good look at tomorrow. I’m ready to give it my best shot, so you can damn well count on me’.”

Rehearsals began in earnest at Shangri-La, The Band’s studio and ‘clubhouse’, which was situated off the Pacific Coast Highway, across from their Zuma Beach base in California. Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Bob Dylan all attended these rehearsals, while Van Morrison and Eric Clapton ran through their material in San Francisco, days before the event.

On the day of the concert, the Winterland Ballroom had never looked grander. An elaborately designed lighting system included three giant onstage chandeliers and a set borrowed from the San Francisco Opera’s production of La Traviata created a warm, homey atmosphere. The 5,000 invited audience members were treated to a lavish Thanksgiving Day banquet and ballroom dancing to orchestral accompaniment.

Anticipation was high. Scorsese was backstage looking anxious but ready, Robbie Robertson recalled in his autobiography, while in the dressing room, The Band were in a huddle. Robertson remembered their spirits soaring, but with a “focused calmness”; Danko looking “pumped – ready and raring”; Richard Manuel held out a hand to show he wasn’t shaking too badly, and Helm reminded Robertson to look over to him for certain breaks and endings in the set.

“Gentlemen, are we ready?” asked promoter Bill Graham before they stepped out on the stage in complete darkness. “When the cameras were rolling, I signalled Levon, and he said over his mic through the darkness, ‘Good evening,’” recalled Robertson. “The crowd erupted, and we kicked into Up On Cripple Creek. The lights came up – warm, natural and cinematic, nothing like a regular rock show. The sound on the stage felt powerful and clear. Levon’s vocal was strong and authentic. I looked over at Rick and Richard, and they were both in the zone. This was it…”

Four decades on from its release, it’s easy to lionise The Last Waltz as a peerless work, but it’s not. Some of the performances are lacklustre, and the various sonic tweaks and edits have rendered any sense of audience participation obsolete. But as a document of The Band at their finest, it enthralls.

Despite the roll call of household names who stepped up to the mic that Thanksgiving Day back in 1976, it’s the performances by The Band themselves that really stand the test of time. Here was a group like no other, writing songs that were timeless before their albums even hit the shelves. The Last Waltz captured the essence of what made them great. As journalist Jack Hamilton observed, writing in The Atlantic magazine in 2012: “They wrote songs so great they sounded like they’d existed for centuries. But they played them in ways that no one had played songs before”.

The Band are one of these groups that you here on the radio, though they are not spoken about as one of the all-time great acts. I think they were. Definitely, when you listen to albums like Music from Big Pink and The Band (their first two albums), there is nothing quite like it! In the final article I want to draw from, the Los Angeles Times spotlighted The Last Waltz back in 2002. In a sense, the concert and film marked the end of an era. The closing of a chapter of music. A time when music was an essential part of modern life and conversation. Now, perhaps, there is a sense of novelty or the throwaway:

“On nights when the group was in “the zone” on stage, as Robertson would say, it was hard not to feel this was the best rock ‘n’ roll band in the world--the Beatles, Rolling Stones or you-name-it notwithstanding.

In guitarist Robertson, bassist-singer Rick Danko, drummer-singer Levon Helm, pianist-singer Richard Manuel and keyboard whiz Garth Hudson, the Band was blessed with five master musicians, three superb singers and a storehouse of songs (mostly by Robertson) about family, community and tradition that were so finely crafted they felt as if they had been carefully handed down for generations.

The blend of country, blues, gospel and folk seemed as pure as rich Delta soil. The Band’s first two albums--1968’s “Music From Big Pink” and 1969’s “The Band"--are classics of American pop culture.

Robertson isn’t big on looking back, but he is proud of the Band’s legacy and the way it was captured in “The Last Waltz.” That’s why he spent six months upgrading the sound for various “Last Waltz” projects, including film’s current re-release and the DVD, which is due in stores May 7. The DVD includes two commentary tracks and other features. The boxed set, from Warner Bros./Rhino, supplements the 30 tracks from the original soundtrack album with 24 other performances from the concert and rehearsals.

In the restored film, which will be shown on VH1 on May 11, the Band is joined by some of the most respected musical figures of the era, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and Eric Clapton. Scorsese focuses closely on the interaction between the musicians, offering an intimacy and power that have been rarely captured on film. Above all, it’s an eloquent toast to the glories of American rock ‘n’ roll, especially those ‘60s musicians who turned the raw energy of the rock pioneers into an art form.

“I remember sitting around back then with Joni [Mitchell], Bob [Dylan] and Neil [Young] and we would talk about Hank Williams and Billie Holiday the way people now talk about the people on stage with us in San Francisco--and I wanted the film to be as presentable as possible,” Robertson says, as on the TV monitor the Band goes into the playful “Up on Cripple Creek,” one of its most popular numbers.

“I wanted the sound and picture to be as [sharp] as possible so younger generations could see where some of the sounds they hear today came from. I didn’t want people to look at it and say it’s kind of faded now, it’s not up to par with what we are used to hearing these days

Robertson isn’t interested in playing “what if?,” partially because the Band’s post-"Last Waltz” history has its share of darkness. The group--minus Robertson--hit the road again in 1983, but the shows had little impact. Manuel, who long battled alcoholism, hanged himself in a Florida motel bathroom in 1986. Danko, who also had substance abuse problems at various points in his career, died in his sleep at his home near Woodstock in 1999.

 In his 1993 autobiography, “This Wheel’s on Fire,” Helm complained that Robertson tried to control the group and eventually forced it to break up. Robertson declines to reflect on his relationship with the Band members, other than to praise them for their musical gifts.

Some observers paint “The Last Waltz” as the end of an era, a time when artistic impulses were more valued than the novelty flash that surrounds so many hit acts today. You can feel the Band’s influence on lots of critical favorites, including just about everyone who’s played on the Americana radio format. But the mainstream pop airwaves have little connection to the music of the Band or the other stars who stroll through “The Last Waltz.”

“The big difference to me is these people in this movie and at that time were like the voice of that generation,” he says when asked about the difference between the music scenes then and now. “The music wasn’t just background. It played a pivotal part in everyday life. They wore these records out. Today, the music [on the radio] isn’t the voice of a generation. It’s entertainment. It’s hard to find complete artists. I find it to be more to be individual cuts than full albums.

“But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things worth finding and supporting now. A lot of my friends think everything today is [worthless], but I don’t. I really appreciate a lot of it, and I’m enjoying this process at DreamWorks, working with a bunch of young artists I want to help groom”.

Forty-five years since the incredible farewell, The Last Waltz, took to the stage, I wanted to spotlight an occasion that some people might not be aware of. If that is the case, it is well worth reading about it and watching the documentary. Check out the album and you can feel a semblance of what it would have been like to be there back in 1976. Even though it is forty-five years old, the amazing The Last Waltz is still in…

PRETTY good shape.

FEATURE: A Christmas Special: Kate Bush: Live at the BBC

FEATURE:

 

 

A Christmas Special

Kate Bush: Live at the BBC

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I have covered this a bit…

in a forthcoming feature where I was discussing Kate Bush T.V. appearances through the years. Having watched BBC Two’s Paul McCartney night on Saturday, I was especially struck by the show focusing on his performances at the BBC. I have been thinking how, given Kate Bush’s latest studio album, 50 Words for Snow, was released ten years ago yesterday, that anniversary should be marked. I am not sure whether there has been an equivalent to the trio of BBC shows about McCartney for Kate Bush. The BBC did broadcast a special some time ago of Bush’s appearances on the Beeb through the years:

“Wuthering Heights (Top Of The Pops, 23 March 1978)

Them Heavy People (Saturday Night At The Mill, 25 February 1978)

Moving (Saturday Night At The Mill, 25 February 1978)

Don't Push Your Foot On The Heartbrake (Sounds Like Friday: Leo Sayer, 17 November 1978)

Wow (Abba Easter Special, 21 April 1979)

Hammer Horror (Nationwide, 3 March 1979)

The Wedding List (Kate, 28 December 1979)

The Man With The Child In His Eyes (Kate, 28 December 1979)

Babooshka (Dr. Hook, 20 March 1980)

Running Up That Hill (Wogan, 5 August 1985)

Hounds Of Love (Top of the Pops, 6 March 1986)

Experiment IV (Wogan, 31 October 1986)

The Sensual World (music video, 1989)

This Woman's Work (Wogan, 6 December 1989)

Rocket Man (Wogan, 16 December 1991)

And So Is Love (Top of the Pops, 17 November 1994)”.

Because The Beatles’ documentary-film, The Beatles: Get Back, is on Disney+ on 25th, 26th and 27th November, I can understand why there was a Paul McCartney special. That and the fact he released his book of lyrics recently. Because there are a couple of Kate Bush anniversaries – her latest studio album at ten; the live album of Before the Dawn is five on 25th November -, it would be good to have a night on BBC Two where Kate Bush at the BBC was first. Like McCartney’s gig at The Cavern in 2018 was shown in full, maybe a broadcast of Kate Bush’s The Tour of Life in 1979? There is a lot to choose from. There have been a few documentaries about her through the years, so mixing them together with the BBC’s 2014 documentary would be awesome. Kate Bush’s 1993 film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve has not been seen much - so there would be a spot for that. The third part of the McCartney trilogy was his chat with Idris Elba from last year. There has not been anything like that with Kate Bush. There have been some extensive interviews so, whereas it would be hard to organise a special interview, fans would love to either see an interview compilation or a collection of her best music videos.

 

I have written a lot about how there has not been much representation of Kate Bush on T.V. through the years. No new documentaries or shows. She was interviewed a lot at the BBC and performed on many BBC shows too. I think that it would be very fitting having a three-show special night. Many fans would definitely be behind that! Ten years after her most-recent studio album, 50 Words for Snow, we have not heard anything in the way of new music. There have been books and articles written about her, but there is this hole regarding television. Maybe there is something in the works. Thinking about it, in 1979, Bush’s Christmas Special was broadcast. That is a really great broadcast where she performed her studio album songs (and other tracks). Peter Gabriel was a guest. Maybe that, if there was a broadcast at Christmas, it could be included. I know it might be a bit late to organise anything that would be shown at Christmas this late in the year. There is this archive and fascinating assortment of interviews and live performances that would bring in new Kate Bush fans. I feel there would be just as strong a wave of appreciation and fascination as there was with the Paul McCartney night. The closer we get to Christmas, the more I would love to watch a heart-warming and wonderful selection of Bush treasures! I am not sure whether the BBC have any plans, though many people would love if they could…

MAKE it happen.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Feelgood Vibes

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: Ivana Cajina/Unsplash 

Feelgood Vibes

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I have put together some…

PHOTO CREDIT: Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash

Lockdown Playlists that were intended to raise the spirits and make you feel better. I think, as the weather is getting colder, wetter and generally more horrid, it is time for another selection of awesomely motivating and radiant songs. I have tried to include some different ones to previous Lockdown Playlists. If you need a bit of sunshine or are somewhere where the conditions are not great, then the tracks below should sort you out. For most of us, it is a difficult part of the year where we cope with the approaching winter and what it brings. Music is helpful when it comes to elevating the mood and busting clouds. For those who are in need of a bit of a boost and kick going, check out the songs below and…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Shawnee D/Unsplash

PUT them on loud.

FEATURE: My Five Favourite Tracks of 2021: Gabriels - Blame

FEATURE:

 

 

My Five Favourite Tracks of 2021

 Gabriels - Blame

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WHEREAS it might be a little premature…

to list my favourite five albums of the year by November (I have seen a list of the album arriving before the end of the year and am confident in my selections; in a case a surprise album drops, I will make a change), some might feel deciding upon the best tracks of this year before the end of December is hasty. I am leaving it until December to name the fifth single that makes the list, but my favourite of the year, Gabriels’ Blame, is not going to be shifted! Separate from their E.P. release earlier in the year, Love and Hate in a Different Time, we got this gift of a single (they also released another great single, Bloodline, a few weeks back). Blame is a song that hit me the first time that I heard it. With elements of Gospel and Soul, it seems like some of the vocals could have been taken from a recording in the 1930s or 1940s. It has modern production, yet there is something vintage about Blame. An arresting, spellbinding and utterly engrossing song, it was my introduction to Los Angeles group, Gabriels. I will end with my thoughts. Before then, I want to introduce articles where other sites reacted to the news and arrival of the year-owning track, Blame. This is what CLASH said when they reported about the song in September:

“LA group Gabriels return with new single 'Blame'.

The group seemed to strike a chord in 2020, with their magnificent 'Love And Hate In A Different Time' becoming a cult phenomenon.

Hitting the UK for a London residency, Gabriels will play three long since sold out nights at The Social next month (October 12th, 15th, and 17th).

New single 'Blame' continues their rise, with its soulful appeal touching on the timeless while staring intently at the future.

Gabriels have something to their sound that is impossible to replicate, and it imbues 'Blame' with this gilded charm.

Say the group: “When examining our life’s problems, we hastily assign blame. 'This happened because of this…' Our song ‘Blame’ seeks to examine the construct of not only fault and shame, but take a deep dive into the world of addiction, and indulgence”.

I have been hearing the song a lot on BBC Radio 6 Music. I feel that it is worthy of a wider audience. A peal of a song that many people might miss out on, Gabriels are a band that I am determined to keep an eye on. Blame took me by surprise in a sense! The Line of Best Fit wrote extensively about the song when they heard it:

“There’s something inherently spiritual about Jacob Lusk’s vocals; formerly of American Idol fame, the singer’s upbringing through the church has allowed him to lead congregations across the city and lend vocal arrangements to Diana Ross and Gladys Knight, amongst others.

Naturally, Lusk is a major force amongst the gospel community, and a well-respected artist in the musical infrastructure of California. The celestial talent forefronts Gabriels, a trio backed by two remarkable producers in Ryan Hope (originally from Sunderland) and Ari Balouzian. Across their catalogue, they harness a quality rarely seen in today’s musical landscape, with subtle nods to jazz, R&B, funk, soul and gospel, while innately staying true to their identity. Classically trained, it is no wonder their collective uniqueness as a vintage-filtered soul outfit feels like a genuine continuation of – rather than a cheap homage to – the greats that came before them.

Suitably mysterious, the group only have a handful of material and one live show to their name, yet have created enough fanfare to sell out three consecutive London dates at their upcoming residency at London’s The Social, and to be nabbed by Celeste to support on her upcoming tour.

 The trio’s latest offering, “Blame”, accentuates Lusk’s delicate yet irrepressible vocals, and highlights Hope and Balouzian’s cinematic sonics. The result is a piece of music that reverberates through the consciousness as if you were sitting in a smokey 1960s jazz bar; the sparse building percussion bubbling up and away to a frenzied crescendo, before fading away elegantly behind the textured production.

Opening with a haunting looped piano, an experimental string arrangement and a heavy brooding bass, it’s a blend which is soundtrack-esque in nature, and naturally fitting of a film score. It wouldn’t be hard to see this being used as a backdrop to every gripping drama over the coming year.

Brought into the global consciousness with the phenomenal “Love and Hate in a Different Time,” which garnered acclaim from Elton John, Gilles Peterson and Virgil Abloh, Gabriels continue to build on the strength of their foundations with this truly stunning and atmospheric single.

Explaining the meaning behind the track, Lusk says, “When examining our life’s problems, we hastily assign blame – ‘This happened because of this…’ Our song ‘Blame’ seeks to examine the construct of not only fault and shame, but take a deep dive into the world of addiction, and indulgence.”

It isn’t too far-fetched to see the resemblance to the likes of Etta James and Nina Simone, as this gifted trio embody the same core characteristics which cemented those icons into American musical history: distinct voices, subtle production, and mighty power layered with elements of gracefulness.

Much like the Motown greats of yesteryear, Gabriels create songs with meaning, songs which affect changes in people. “Blame” continues to do that with infectious, thought-provoking vigour”.

Even though it is technically not about Blame, there is an interview from NME where we are introduced to Gabriels. The group spoke about the reaction that their debut E.P. has been afforded:

“The past, present and future are in lockstep in the music of Gabriels. The LA-based trio, who released their debut EP ‘Love and Hate in a Different Time’ in June, channel the uncompromising authenticity of gospel and 60’s R&B, but present it in a thrilling, contemporary context with tightly arranged production and sharp electronic flourishes. In a fast, oversaturated musical landscape, Gabriels demand that you drop everything and listen closely.

Comprising Sunderland-born producer Ryan Hope (the band is named after St. Gabriels Avenue, the street on which Hope grew up), Calfiornian producer and classically trained musician Ari Balouzian, and the stunning gospel vocals of Compton’s Jacob Lusk, they have quickly amassed an arsenal of famous fans, including Annie Mac, Gilles Peterson and Elton John, who described the debut EP’s title track as, “one of the most seminal records I’ve heard in the last ten years”. In other words, time is running out to be ahead of the game on this band.

The response for your debut EP was so strong, and people are clearly connecting to the depth of feeling in your music. Could that suggest that those things are in short supply in music elsewhere at the moment?

Ryan: “I think it depends on where you get your music from. In general, it’s out there. But in short supply? I could see why somebody would think that, and I do agree.”

Ari: “It’s harder to get that good stuff out; it’s not fed to the public very much. Unless there’s some tower structure attached to it, it doesn’t seem like it has value. But there are a lot of really interesting musicians who are around that we love and are inspiring, but they are different to what the mainstream language of music is now”.

An absolutely astonishing track that cannot fail to move the senses, it will take something rather special and unexpected to dislodge Blame from the top of my list of the five best tracks of this year. In a very varied and strong year for new music, something with a slightly old-fashioned, vintage and otherworldly sound has made the biggest impact on me! In my mind, we should all hail…

THE angels Gabriels.

FEATURE: There Must Be More to Life Than This: Thirty Years Since the Passing of the Immense Freddie Mercury

FEATURE:

 

 

There Must Be More to Life Than This

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Thirty Years Since the Passing of the Immense Freddie Mercury

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I am going to end with a playlist…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

containing some of the best songs from the amazing Freddie Mercury. Whether as the frontman of Queen or a solo artist, he made such an impact on the music world! On 24th November, it will be thirty years since we lost one of the greatest singers ever. A genius songwriter, incredibly charismatic and compelling frontman and staggering voice, there has been nobody like him since! There are a few articles that I want to mention, as they give us more depth and revelation about a showman and incredible artist who lived a very different life on stage and in private. Undoubtedly the most electric frontman who has ever lived, the man behind the scenes was very different. I want to start with the Los Angeles Times who, in 2019 wrote how Mercury changed the world:

“Freddie Mercury, a musical prodigy, was the lead singer for the band Queen, and arguably one of the most talented musicians of all time. Despite facing controversies for things such as homosexuality through his career, he thrived because of an uncanny passion for music, never letting anyone break him down. Furthermore, he was never afraid of anything, only revealing his severe condition of AIDS to fans one day before he died. Queen’s popular mix of glam-rock, opera, cabaret, and hard rock cemented its spot in music history, while Mercury’s onstage presence was the stuff of legends and his dedication to the craft vibrant until the very end.

Mercury was the son of a British diplomat with real name Farrokh Bulsara. He lived much of his early life in India and returned to England for his university studies. His family often looked down upon his late night outings and homosexuality. However, he fully embraced his differences, changing his legal name to create the prodigal musician known today as Freddie Mercury.

The band itself began in late night clubs and pubs, when all the band members were still in college together. After their lead singer quit, Freddie Mercury stepped in to take on the role. His immense vocal range and employment of harmonics deemed him the title of being one of the greatest vocalists of all time. Freddie Mercury also came alive on stage, and engaged the audience with his enigmatic personality and mysterious charm.

Particularly well-known for his flamboyant stage performance and extensive vocal range, Mercury sparked waves in the music industry as Queen’s frontman through embracing femininity and dispelling any and all preconceived notions about rock music, like hyper-masculinity. He began working diligently with his band in the 1970s towards creating albums and soundtracks that forever changed the face of rock music. Even people who hate rock music cannot deny the catchy tune of songs such as “Another One Bites The Dust,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Released throughout the 1970s, Queen attracted some of the largest crowds, selling out entire stadiums and always leaving fans begging for more. Freddie Mercury was even able to engage the audience with songs like “We Will Rock You,” creating the famed stomp-stomp-clap routine, where the entire crowd would repeat this motion and chant “We will, we will rock you!” He even included the vocal improvisation of “Ay-Oh,” which many audience members always repeated back to the band.

One of their final performances together was at Live Aid, dual-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, and an ongoing music-based fundraising initiative. Here, they performed some of their most well-known songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Radio Ga”, “We Will Rock You,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “We are The Champions.” Overall, Queen will forever be remembered for their legendary impact upon the face of rock music”.

I am going to have a playlist at the end that demonstrates the immense talent of the wonderful Freddie Mercury! I feel one of the most intriguing and discussed aspect of his life is how he never really hid his sexuality, though it was not common for a queer artist to be open and expressive. It is clear that Mercury is a national treasure. A complex and hugely magnetic person who brought so much to Queen’s records and their performances. The BBC asked, in 2019, who the ‘real’ Freddie Mercury was:

“Mercury’s approach to reconciling his private life with his public persona as the frontman of a rock band with a sizeable straight, male fanbase was playful and sophisticated. Because he never responded to rumours about his sexuality, it was easy for this fanbase to interpret his super-flamboyant and theatrical performing style as what Aston calls “a camp laugh” rather than something evincing queerness. Mercury’s solo song Living on My Own, originally released in 1985, but which reached number one in the UK two years after his death after getting a club-friendly remix, is a catchy expression of loneliness that paints Mercury as a bachelor, but not necessarily a “confirmed bachelor” in the now somewhat dated euphemistic sense. “He was so outrageously camp, it was almost like a double bluff,” Aston adds. Ryan Butcher goes further, describing Mercury as “almost a covert agent for the LGBT community, dropping these little seeds of queer culture into the heterosexual mindset”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

In the ‘80s, Mercury was known for his tight white vests and moustache – his take on the Castro Clone look that originated in San Francisco’s queer Castro district and became popular in the gay underground, but which was less familiar to mainstream music fans. It could be argued that Mercury was effectively hiding in plain sight. Certainly, he didn’t let his massive fame stop him from visiting popular London gay venues like Heaven and the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. Actress Cleo Rocos wrote in her 2013 memoir that she, Mercury and comedian Kenny Everett even managed to sneak Princess Diana into the latter venue by disguising her in drag.

Perhaps one of the most daring ways in which Mercury expressed his natural campness was in Queen’s 1984 video for the single I Want to Break Free, in which he and his Queen bandmates dressed as female characters from the British soap opera Coronation Street, a decision which damaged their career in the US. Brian May recalled in 2017: “I remember being on the promo tour in the Midwest of America and people’s faces turning ashen and they would say, ‘No, we can’t play this. We can’t possibly play this. You know, it looks homosexual.’”

In Queen’s music, meanwhile, there were always clues about Mercury’s private life for fans who wanted – and had the knowledge of the gay scene – to spot them. On Queen’s 1978 hit Don’t Stop Me Now, Mercury sings that he wants “to make a supersonic woman of you” and “a supersonic man out of you”. In the video, he wears a T-shirt from Mineshaft, a popular New York BDSM gay bar of the time. Even the band’s name, Queen, can be seen as a winking allusion to its frontman’s identity. “It’s so obvious what ‘Queen’ is getting at,” says Kalyan, “but when I told my mum a few years ago, she couldn’t believe it. She said she’d always thought that ‘Queen’ just meant regal or majestic.”

In a similar way, Kalyan says Mercury’s music contains signifiers of his South Asian heritage, citing the use of the Arabic word ‘Bismillah’ in Bohemian Rhapsody. “Only a person with an awareness of Islamic culture would have known that word, which is the first word in the Koran [meaning In the Name of God], and put it into a song like Bohemian Rhapsody,” he says. Kalyan adds that among the South Asian community, “it’s very common knowledge that Freddie was Indian and had been massively inspired by Bollywood singers like Lata Mangeshkar, who is known for having an incredible vocal range like Freddie”.

But when it came to both his sexuality and his ethnicity, Mercury favoured privacy over direct proclamations until the end of his life. As Kalyan points out, “he didn’t talk about going to school in India or his love for Lata Mangeshkar. That wasn’t part of his narrative”. Nor was his sexuality: on 22 November 1991, following what he called “enormous conjecture” in the press, Mercury finally released a statement confirming that he had been tested HIV positive, and had Aids, but made no mention of his relationship with Jim Hutton. Around 24 hours later, he died. “Think about the immediacy of that – one of the biggest stars on the planet announces he has Aids, then dies of the disease,” says Ryan Butcher, who calls it “a culture shock that seems almost unfathomable today”. Privately, Mercury had been diagnosed as HIV positive four years earlier, and Butcher suggests, speculatively, that his friendship with the late Diana, Princess of Wales while living with HIV and Aids could have been a contributing factor in her decision to promote better awareness of the disease. But this, like so much with Mercury, is something we’ll probably never know for certain.

Nearly 28 years after his death, the real Freddie Mercury remains cherished. “At this stage, he’s not just an icon, but a British national treasure,” says Aston. Kalyan calls him “a massive queer icon” and “a brown South Asian icon in western music”. Whether Mercury would have liked these terms or not, it’s hard not to respect what he achieved in his lifetime. In an era when homophobia and racism were far more prevalent than they are today, Freddie Mercury was the queer, South Asian frontman of the band who released one of rock's most iconic singles, Bohemian Rhapsody, and the best-selling album in UK chart history, Queen's Greatest Hits. However it’s also arguable that the mystique he cultivated around his identity, whether he felt forced into that or not, has only burnished his status as one of pop’s most captivating enigmas”.

Just before rounding up, there is one more article that I want to mention. The idea behind this feature is to celebrate Freddie Mercury, learn more about the man himself, in addition to remember his legacy thirty years after his death. On 24th November, the world will remember an artist and public figure with no equal:

“Following his interests

After his family moved to the UK in the 60s, Mercury went to Ealing Art School, in London, where he earned a diploma in graphics. At first, he tried to pursue a career in that field and sought to use his education for work. “I got my diploma and then I thought I’d chance it as a freelance artist. I did it for a couple of months but then I thought, My God, I’ve done enough. The interest just wasn’t there,” said Mercury. “And the music thing just grew and grew. I realized music was the biggest thing in my life and I decided to try and make my living from it. It’s as simple as that. I’m one of those people who believes in doing things that interest you.”

Coping with the obstacle race of the music business

After spending time in some small bands, including Sour Milk Sea and Ibex, Mercury eventually hooked up with students Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon – and they decided to form the band Queen. Mercury has always been honest about the difficulties that faced them – in common with all young bands in the early 70s – when trying to start out in the music business. He called it an obstacle race.

“The moment we made a demo [in 1971] we were aware of the sharks in the business… once you are successful, all the baddies move in and that is when you’ve got to be really strong and try and sift them out – and that is a test of survival, really. You can’t afford to let anyone get away with anything. It’s like playing dodgems; it’s rock’n’roll dodgems.” Mercury later turned some of these experiences into the song “Death On Two Legs.”

  Overcoming the traumatic experience of being a support act

One of the key experiences near the start of Queen’s career was their American tour in 1973, when they were the warmup band for Mott The Hoople. “Being the support act was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life,” said Mercury. “When you support another artist on tour, there are so many restrictions. You don’t get your own light show, your playing time, your effects. There’s no way you can show the public what you can do, unless you headline, and then you know the people have come to see you. The first time we went to America was as support to Mott The Hoople, and it acted as a ‘breaking the ice’ tour. We got a taste of America and so we knew what would be needed the next time we went.”

Pushing musical boundaries

Mercury admitted he was “a forceful character” and said he always had the feeling that “everything’s got to be new.” He said this spirit played a part in helping make Queen such a bold band in the 70s, as they pushed the limits on six albums, including 1975’s A Night At The Opera, which featured the rock masterpiece “Bohemian Rhapsody”. “We went a bit overboard on every album, actually, but that’s the way Queen is,” said Mercury. “It’s what keeps us fresh. A Night At The Opera featured every sound, from a tuba to a comb. Nothing was out of bounds. As soon as we made it, we knew there were no longer any limits on what we could do.”

Mastering world tours

When Queen played Bedford College in January 1972, there were reportedly only six people in the audience. Within 13 years they would be playing a single gig to more than 250,000 fans in Rio De Janeiro, by which time they had become the undisputed masters of stadium rock. Mercury believed that after a slow build across 1973 (they started the year playing the university circuit and ended it with sell-out gigs at the Hammersmith Odeon), the turning point was a global tour in 1974 that included Australia and the United States. “The successful worldwide tour, which we’d never done before, taught us a lot,” said Mercury. “It taught us how to behave on stage and come to grips with the music.” He said that by the time they went to Japan in 1975, “We were a different band… our playing ability was better. We also tend to work well under pressure.”

Coping with overzealous fans

Mercury interacted with his fans and loved the adulation he received on stage. There were only a couple of unfortunate incidents that stuck out. In Seattle, in 1975, a young fan got into his hotel room and “pilfered my jewels and bracelets.” He confronted the thief and wrestled the jewels from her. “Then, a year later, my very promising pop career nearly came to an untimely end when two young girls outside the theatre decided to claim my scarf as a souvenir,” added Mercury. “They quite forgot it was wrapped around my neck at the time, and nearly strangled me.”

Becoming a superstar showman

“I’d like the whole world to listen to my music and I’d like everybody to listen to me and look at me when I’m playing on stage,” Mercury said in the 70s. He always wanted to make his audience walk away from a Queen concert “feeling fully entertained.” “I have to make sure that I win them over and make them feel that they’ve had a good time… I know it’s a cliché to say, ‘Oh, you have them eating out of the palm of your hand,’ but I just feel that the quicker I do that, the better, because it’s all to do with me feeling in control. Then I know that it’s all going well.”

He brought all this to bear at Live Aid, at Wembley Stadium in July 1985, when he had 72,000 fans in London, and an estimated 1.9 billion people watching on television from 130 countries around the world, eating out of the palm of his hand with a stunning 21-minute performance.

Going solo and taking ballet to the masses

“I had a lot of ideas bursting to get out and there were a lot of musical territories I wanted to explore which I really couldn’t do within Queen,” said Mercury, talking about his 1985 solo album, Mr. Bad Guy. The album gave him the chance, he said, to be his “own boss.” “I find that when I’m my own boss completely, it’s easier for me. I make all the decisions.” One ambition the solo album enabled him to fulfill was showcasing his love for ballet, putting it into the videos he made to promote Mr Bad Guy. Arlene Phillips, who was the choreographer for his 1985 video “I Was Born To Love You,” said Mercury wanted “to take ballet to the masses.”

Never being afraid to take risks

One of the words that cropped up time and again in Mercury’s interviews was “risk.” “A risk element is always involved, and that’s the way I like it,” said Mercury. “That’s what makes good music. Queen have always taken risks.” Mercury described the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” as “a risk” – the same term he used for the “I Want To Break Free” video – and called Queen’s experimental 1982 album, Hot Space, “a big risk.”

Mercury took another big risk in 1988 when he began working with the world-famous operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé, collaborating on the album Barcelona. “I knew I was taking a big chance doing something like that,” said Mercury, who was so proud of his successful combination of rock and opera. “I didn’t think I was capable of writing operatic pieces that would suit a world-renowned prima donna,” he said. “I really didn’t know I was capable of things such as that. I thought, What else is there left for me to do? I mean, I defy any other”.

A man who, as the lead of Queen and solo, caught the world alight. I was alive when Queen played Live Aid in 1985 - though I was too young to remember it. I have watched their performance since and, every time I see it, I get goosebumps. Even though the 2018 film, Bohemian Rhapsody, was about the life and loves of Mercury, I feel there is a documentary that has yet to be made that gets to the truth of who he was (the film was accused of not really addressing his sexuality and wilder side, and not having all the facts in straight). Such a phenomenally inspiring artist, we will be cherishing his memory and music for decades more! Even though it is thirty years since the world lost his immeasurable presence, we will always remember and talk about Freddie Mercury. With such a huge personality, giant voice and enormous talent, Mercury’s name and music…

WILL reverberate forever.

FEATURE: Modern Heroines: Part Seventy-Nine: GIRLI

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern Heroines

 PHOTO CREDIT: Hugh Finnerty 

Part Seventy-Nine: GIRLI

___________

IN this part…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Rory James

of a feature that focuses on strong and inspiring women in music, I am speaking about GIRLI today. Milly Toomey is an English singer, songwriter and rapper based in London. Fun, accessible and memorable, her music and lyrics tackle subjects such as feminism, sexuality, Queer culture, and mental health. Whilst these themes are fairly common now, GIRLI puts her stamp on those subjects. Her sound is incredible. I have been following GIRLI since about 2016. She is someone who is going to far. Having released a few E.P.s and a great debut album, 2019’s Odd One Out, her career is well and truly underway. That said, I think we have yet to hear from the amazing GIRLI. I love the moniker. It reminds me of Australia; what an Australian might call a female friend. I shall come to an interview where Tooney explains the reason for that name. I am also going to source a couple of reviews for her incredible new E.P., Damsel in Distress. I want to start out with an interview from 2019, where GIRLI was asked about her debut album. As she said in the chat with The Line of Best Fit, Odd One Out was a reintroduction; a more mature her:

“Toomey has lived in London her whole life, and moved out from her parents’ house in North London at 18, just as her musical career was taking off. She didn’t go to university, and hated school, leaving as soon as possible to pursue music at college. Prior to taking up music she was part of the local youth parliament, and “cared so much about everything” – a symptom of her OCD. “I think when I was a teenager I was just trying to escape from school if I’m honest, just trying to do loads of shit outside of school because I just dreaded it," she tells me. "Y’know it wasn’t all bad, I liked my teachers and my classes, but the social element of it just freaked me out. I was the girl at lunch time who was like ‘fuck where am I gonna eat my lunch’, so I definitely didn’t breeze through school. It was difficult and I think that’s why I turned to music, because I just needed something to do to get this frustration feeling out.

"I just remember being so restless, like I cannot fucking wait for this to be over, all this school bullshit, as soon as I was 16 I was like, right I’m gonna go to music college and I’m gonna do music and I don’t care!

“When I was a teenager I was very self-conscious and anxious. When I went into secondary school, I have OCD and it started to show, like the transition from primary to secondary school just like fucked me up, and I think I just freaked out. Primary school was like a little home, like a warm hug, and then secondary school, I went into the school of like 2500 students and it was pretty rough.”

As Toomey talks about her teen-hood, it’s not hard to see why she’s titled her debut record Odd One Out. She’s spent most of her life as an outsider – not in a cool, wallflower, ‘people don’t get me’ way, but in the way that took its toll on her mental health, social relationships, and trust in others. “I got bullied in year seven and eight. It was just really nasty people, and the jump between friendship groups. All of that made me quite an anxious person, although I didn’t really see it as anxiety at the time, I just really cared about certain things, and I think it’s part of how the OCD expressed itself in my personality and still does. I get very obsessed with things.

"I really cared about school work, I really cared about doing as much as possible. I wanted to go do that club and then that instrument, and get A grades. I put so much pressure on myself.

“I have a little sister who’s 16, and she’s having this crazy fun: she goes to parties every week, and she’s been doing that since she was 14. When I was 14 and in the youth parliament, I was going home every night and watching TV with my mum and doing homework. I really didn’t have a great social life, and I think I was quite lonely to be honest.

"I had a best friend who I spent a lot of time with and she really introduced me to things like music...but I kind of jumped from friendship groups a lot, so I think I lost a certain level of trust in people at school. I didn't know whether people were real, because I didn’t have that one friend from when I was like seven years old to now, where I think a lot of people I meet have those childhood friends...”

Toomey turned to music at fifteen as an outlet for her frustrations. After being in choirs in her earlier years and playing trumpet, guitar and piano in school, she wrote short stories that soon turned into writing lyrics. “I went onto a website called JoinMyBand.com and found two bandmates - two girls, a drummer and a bassist - and we just started making music after school and every weekend. We'd do gigs that I’d find at random pubs - like this - and that was kind of my escape really. It’s weird because I was fifteen and they were both like eighteen, so they were a lot older than me and I was kind of the boss. After a year they were like: 'okay we’re fucking done with this 15-year-old bossing us around' because I’m such a control freak when it comes to my music, and also because I was the kind of person who wanted to do gigs every week."

Toomey's cousin encouraged her to go it alone, and that became the start of Girli.

Her debut album has been a long time coming and wasn’t really meant to be an album at first. The tracks came about as a result of various writing sessions in LA with Mark Ronson-collaborators MNDR and Peter Wade, and former-Dirty Pretty Things member (and co-writer of Gaga/Cooper-hit "Shallow") Anthony Rossomando. Sticking with the same writers on every song was what she needed to feel more comfortable doing “proper pop writing sessions”.

“We were just making songs together, us three, and then [with] these guys called Fast Friends who are this awesome trio. I’d gone to LA before and I’d done the whole ‘lets do pop writing sessions’, had some good ones and had some terrible ones where it was like I feel like a product right now, this isn’t creative, this isn’t fun, so I went back and I just worked with these two people and it was so fun.

"I worked with a few other people as well but the main songs on the album come from these two groups of people. So I went back in may for another month and wrote most of the songs on the album.

“It’s definitely a more mature me,” she says. “I think what I did when I started Girli was I had this very narrow minded idea of who I wanted to be, I was like ‘I only wanna wear these kinds of things, I only wanna write this kind of music’, and I think in the past year I’ve really opened up more to kind of taking in more influences and trying out new things. I think that’s just a natural progression of entering your 20s, to just start thinking ‘who actually am I?’ In your teens you always wanna have this set way about you and you’re like ‘this is me, I’m not changing’. I was limiting myself before, even just the fact that I wore all pink, I was limiting myself in that way too”.

I am going to bring things more up to date. GIGWISE spotlighted GIRLI. Damsel in Distress seems like another new direction for an artist who is always pushing forward and exploring different avenues. I think that the E.P. is one of her most personal efforts yet:

“2021 marks a new era for GIRLI. Titled Damsel in Distress and encompassing a new direction, a new collection of songs and a recently-announced new tour, it's to be the most unapologetic yet euphoric direction the internet’s original e-girl has ever set out on.

“A lot of bands will go into the studio for like three weeks and make an album that all kind of links together and was made at the same time. To me, I write music whenever it comes to me. It's always a bit jumbled together with loads of different feelings all in the space of a couple of months," she explains.

"With Damsel in Distress, I have these five songs that felt like they fit together. [‘More Than A Friend’] is about unrequited love, also figuring out the frustrations of being queer and not knowing if your crush is queer. ‘Dysmorphia’ is about body dysmorphia and body image, and then [latest single] ‘Ricochet’ is about hurting yourself by chasing after people who are bad for you. I was thinking: all of these songs are distressing. They're all about times while I was freaking out about something and trying to figure something out. I was really struggling with it.”

As well as her musical candidness, it is GIRLI's proud queerness that has lead her to a fanbase of like-minded and sweet individuals. “Being queer is such a big part of my life," she enthuses. "I definitely think that queer artists shouldn’t feel any pressure - they can talk about it if they want to [and] they don't have to if they don't want to. I think that straight artists should be uplifting queer people, and be talking about it, like how white people should be uplifting people of colour.

"I think that straight artists need to definitely use their privilege in that sense. I feel so passionate about it, and proud, and it's always been a big part of my artist project. I also think it's kind of a cool way of attracting the right people. I don't really want any homophobes listening to my music.”

Speaking further about the Damsel in Distress project she says “It's kind of like going into a war in a way, like a mental war. With all of these topics and emotions that the songs are about, I was like this princess but like having vengeance on the kingdom. Coming back and being like: I'm not a damsel. I was thinking about that phrase damsel in distress and it really applied to me. Even though these songs are all about doubting myself, they're not necessarily light hearted, happy clappy songs, [but] to me it's really badass and really empowering. Releasing the songs now, I feel so empowered, and so powerful”.

There are a couple of reviews I am keen to get to. Before that, two more interviews are worth illustrating. BN1 Magazine spoke with GIRLI a couple of weeks back – ahead of her appearing in Brighton for a gig at the Hope and Ruin:

“Is being in the music industry like you imagined?

No, it’s more savage. When I was 15 and started my first band I thought everything was gonna be butterflies and sunshine being a musician. When I signed my first record deal, I kinda thought “that’s it, I’ve done it”. But sadly I had to learn the hard way that not everyone is gonna have your back, and a lot of people are gonna have opinions on how you should do things, especially when you’re a woman. You have to fight to do things your way.

What has the recording of the last two EPs taught you about yourself?

That I’m an emotional bean! These songs have been a big part of my healing from the topics I’m singing about. They’re my diary entries, and fans listening and following my journey are reading the chapters of my life book basically. These EPs have also taught me that as an artist, I am very multi-faceted. I don’t fit into one genre, one “sound”, I carry my stories and messages through the music in a sort of genre-traversing way. I find it hard to stick to one thing.

Do you feel the need for immediate self-identification, or are we all complex and dynamic individuals?

Definitely the second one. But I think everyone’s choices for self-identification are so valid and important and it’s up to the individual to decide what makes them the happiest.

The title Damsel in Distress appears quite loaded, in several respects. Is it open to a variety of interpretations, rather than a simple plea to be ‘saved’?

It’s a very tongue-in-cheek title. I decided to take the old and sexist term of ‘Damsel in Distress’, an old character trope of a woman needing saving by a man, and turn it on its head. Yes, I’m struggling with some stuff and yes I need help, but I’m gonna save myself. Each song represents something different I’ve battled; body dysmorphia, mental health issues, unrequited and difficult love, bad friendships. These are the distresses; I am the damsel who’s fighting them.

Do you ever worry about being misunderstood? Or does good art demand nuance instead of absolutes?

I love that there’s multiple meanings to art depending on the person taking it in. I like that people can listen to my lyrics and relate them to experiences they’ve had, even if their experience is totally different to the one I was singing about. Once a song is out there, it belongs to the listeners.

Are you thinking about producing another album? Does undertaking something of that scale bring a new set of challenges? (Apart from needing to compose 10+ songs, obvs…)

Yes, I am, and I’m really excited to make a big project again. The only challenges are good challenges; I have a lot of figuring out to do about myself as an artist and where I wanna go next with my sound. I’m excited”.

This is an interview that I also wanted to mention. The questions around GIRLI identifying as Queer and urging people to feel comfortable in their own skin struck me. There is one artist, Björk, who she is keen to work with in the future (which I think would be an interesting collaboration!):

“How important is your identity as a feminist and queer artist?

Feminism is the core of everything I do. Feeling empowered as a woman and my journey as a woman and calling out sexist bullshit is a big part of my music. Being queer and proud is also a big inspiration for me in my songs, my videos, my artistic expression. I love being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and a lot of my fan base is part of that community too, so it plays a huge role in my life.

You have always been very supportive about people feeling comfortable in their own skin. Do you feel responsible towards your fans? Is it also a way of express your thoughts about society and what’s happening in the world right now?

I feel responsible to learn and grow and correct myself when I make mistakes, but I don’t feel pressure to be a good or bad influence on my fans. The majority of them are young teens growing up in a digital world and they are super aware and woke, and often teach me things rather than the other way around. My music is a diary entry from my life and what goes on in my head. I’m so happy that people can relate to that.

Can you tell me three artists that you would love to work with?

070 Shake, Janelle Monae, Bjork”.

As Damsel in Distress is the most recent E.P. from GIRLI, it is worth dropping in a couple of reviews. Although I feel that GIRLI will get even stronger and more astonishing as an artist, Damsel in Distress is a brilliant E.P. with some career-high moments. This is what GIGWISE said in their review:

“GIRLI is stronger now. That’s the sense on Damsel In Distress, each of its tracks venting a personal battle the London-born singer is valiantly fighting through. In her follow up to Ex Talk, GIRLI is unafraid to over-share, immersing the listener in brutal truths about body dysmorphia, unrequited love and toxic relationships. It’s a filter-free glimpse into her brain that puts a mirror up to your own insecurities and says 'me too'.

Rich in electronic texture, opening track ‘More Than A Friend’ is an immediate plunge into GIRLI’s current state of mind. Over synthetic arrangements, she articulates the complexities of unrequited queer love, yearning for more from a crush who’s sexuality she can’t determine.

‘Ricochet’ is a similar commentary on modern love, painting a portrait of a dysfunctional relationship that is as frustrating as it is alluring. The electro-pop soundscape and shifting vocal styles mirror the chaos of life at the hands of a lover who “only wants to touch me after liquor and a mixer”. ‘Ruthless’ details further toxicity, criticising a partner with the power to fundamentally alter the very core of her personality.

Newly an independent artist, GIRLI is at her most vulnerable throughout Damsel In Distress. She admits self-hatred on ‘Dysmorphia’ and ‘I Don’t Like Myself’ — an internal monologue littered with heart wrenching confessions of an insecurity that infiltrates every waking moment. No longer revelling in youth on the dancefloor, we’re with GIRLI beneath the gritty yellow light of the bathroom, gazing in the mirror and over-analysing each feature as she delivers an overwhelming yet simple sentiment: “I just want to like myself”.

Never one to shy from excess, Damsel In Distress is dripping in heartbreak-enhancing autotune and computer generated drum beats that punctuate some of her most honest and revealing lyricism to date. We’re immersed in her world that despite fun, polished beats, is dark and difficult to bear, akin to the era of its creation. Though dulling the sparkle and optimism of her debut, there remains a deep layer of hope, given the imagery of GIRLI continuing to fight despite the sheer number of aggregators.

Re-defining what it means to be a Damsel In Distress, GIRLI isn’t waiting to be rescued. She’s battling her demons head on. And, unlike the trope from which the EP is named, GIRLI emerges victorious, more sure of who she is alone”.

I am going to finish off with a review from When the Whistle Blows. They talk about the brutal honesty of the lyrics of GIRLI:

“More Than A Friend starts us off. with a sparse instrumentation. Sooner than later we’re hit with buzzing synths and layered vocals that hit you side to side, almost creating this kind of pathetic fallacy with the back and forth confusion expressed within the lyrics. There’s a yearning to the vocals and that refrain. It’s absolutely my idea of perfect pop in 2021.

Second track Dysmorphia makes it clear that Girli is unafraid of both being brutally honest lyrically and being big pop musically. Between the pulsing chorus and thrumming verses there’s a strong set of lyrics, laying out in detail Girli’s relationship with her inner saboteur and feelings of body dysmorphia. Ricochet follows, seeing Girli slip more into the rap side of her vocal stylings. Tense verses snap into choruses that would shake the rafters of almost any building you played it in.

Ruthless was the forth single off of Damsel in Distress and it’s clear to me why. Verses outline a desire to return to a simpler time. Then the pre chorus with it’s swooning vocals, offset by the lyrics outlining various dysfunctions within a relationship, leads into a chorus that breaks towards hyperpop. A busy beat, processed vocals and a variety of textures flitting about it.

I Don’t Like Myself rounds the release out and it’s a fairly open book lyrically. It is what it says on the tin but Girli’s straight forward lyrics and almost deadpan speak singing present these familiar feelings in a way that really resonates. Then there’s the chorus that comes around and presents the duality of a negative self view in such an accurate way. The track ends the EP addressing similar themes to the songs before it but in a more open, optimistic way.

If you’re a fan of pop that’s slightly more alternative in it’s aesthetics and themes then Girli is absolutely for you. Her songs on this release do such a good job of balancing the banger with the emotion. The songs have clear themes and meanings you can tap into while still being the sort of songs that you just want to see live. There’s a great opportunity to do just that too with Girli touring throughout November and December”.

A tremendous artist who is going to keep on releasing wonderful music, I shall end with a playlist containing some of GIRLI’s best tracks. She is someone that I have loved for years - so I am very keen to see what comes next. With two E.P.s released this year (Ex Talk and Damsel in Distress), she is top and prolific form! Given the quality of her music, long may…

THIS continue.

TRACK REVIEW: Saweetie - Icy Chain

TRACK REVIEW:

 

 

Saweetie

PHOTO CREDIT: Benjo Arwas 

Icy Chain

9.4/10

 The track, Icy Chain, is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYQ1HUEE6q8

RELEASE DATE:

19th November, 2021

ORIGIN:

California, U.S.A.

GENRES:

Rap/Hip-Hop

LABELS:

ICY/Warner Records Inc.

__________

THIS review…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Burak Cingi

is going to be fairly unusual, in the sense the song I am featuring is less than two minutes in length. Saweetie has unveiled her latest cut, Icy Chain. She manages to pack a lot in and, as she is such a compelling artist, I wanted to feature her this weekend. Before I get there, there are a series of interviews and aspects of her life that I want to include. FLAUNT spoke with her in 2019. We discover a bit about Saweetie’s earlier life and why Rap music made a big impact:

“Saweetie was born Diamonté Harper in Santa Clara and raised about thirty miles north in Hayward, California. When she wasn’t enjoying the adoba and pancit dishes of her mother’s Filipino culture, she sat on her father’s lap watching him play bones with friends in their apartment off Tennyson Road. During those games she remembers Too Short and tile slamming, Mac Dre and dro. “We get lit in the Bay,” she rightly proclaims, but her music exposure went beyond the locals. Saweetie’s mom made sure to pepper her with Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown and alternative rock.

Rap made the biggest impact though, and she’s known that she wanted to pursue it herself since her early teens. She still went to college, despite some indecisiveness about the venture, migrating south to San Diego State—where she was the first woman to audition for their mascot—and ending her collegiate run at USC. “When I came out to LA for college, I was a tomboy,” she reveals. “I would wear sneakers to parties. But you get to LA and it’s a different world. I was always fly, but LA is a different kinda fly.” It’s a more defeating kind of traffic too. Some use her father’s Mac Dre and dro combo to deal; Saweetie started streaming freestyles to Instagram.

This was partially inspired by her Young Money fandom and the interplanetary mixtape run of Lil Wayne. Her first video was the “So Gone Challenge,” a freestyle challenge over Monica’s velvet 2003 track of the same name. But her fierce flow over Khia’s “My Neck, My Back” instrumental is what kick-started Saweetie’s career. It caught the attention of Island Def Jam’s Max Gousse, who would become her manager, at a Puma event no less. He insisted on releasing it as a single, and the finished product, “ICY GRL,” has cleared sixty million YouTube views. “ICY GRL” is pure flex, uninhibited female bravado. She sighs at her lack of time for these hoes / Speaking on my name like I’m someone that they know, and she claims her place at the top: I’m the big cat bitch, yes these niggas love me / Is that Gucci on my feet? Shit, bitch it might be!”.

Earlier this year, W Magazine spotlighted the fantastic Californian-born star. I was wondering whether Icy Chain was related her previous work; if it has personal significance. We get a sense of how ‘icy’ is important and what role it plays in the music of Saweetie:

“Her family—Saweetie’s father is Black and her mother is Filipino-Chinese—is connected to both sports and entertainment. Saweetie’s grandfather played for the San Francisco 49ers, and her uncle is MC Hammer, the OG rap superstar. Despite the success of her relatives, Saweetie didn’t want to depend on their help. So when, at 13, she began writing poems that could be set to music, she didn’t tell anyone. Instead, she concentrated on going to college, first attending San Diego State University and then transferring to the University of Southern California, where she majored in communications and business. “I’ve always been a hustler,” Saweetie said, swallowing her ginger shot in one gulp. “And at USC, they taught the art of negotiation and persuasion. I thought, I need these skills.”

In her senior year, Saweetie began making videos of herself rapping in her car, which she shared on Instagram. “I was living in rooms that I found on Craigslist,” she said. “And that was a scary thing. I got tired of the lifestyle where my bank account was at zero. So I gave myself a year in L.A. to be discovered, and I decided that if I didn’t get discovered, I would go back to the Bay Area. In the ninth month, I was signed to Warner Records, and they released ‘Icy Girl’ in 2017.”

“Icy Girl” was a big hit, but, more important for Saweetie, the concept of “icy” became central to her mantra of success. “Icy means confident. Icy means strong. Icy means independent. Icy means you are in charge of your life in every way,” Saweetie said, as if she were giving a PowerPoint presentation. She paused. “I am icy.” The video for “Icy Girl,” in which a very blonde Saweetie raps the words while staring down the camera, was an instant sensation. “It caught like wildfire, and it was a lot to take in,” she said”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: G L Askew II

There are plenty of other things I need to cover off before coming to the review. There was accusation, as we can see in this Harper’s Bazaar interview from earlier in the year, that Saweetie’s music has learned too heavily on samples – and that an original sound has not been as present as it could have been:

“I see people who say, “Saweetie relies on samples too much. Where's her original sound?”

I think greatness makes people uncomfortable. And I think people try to come up with excuses to not like me and to make themselves feel better about their life. I don't get as offended as I used to, because there was a point in time where I was dragged for, like, two years on social media. I was trending on Twitter for some bullshit every other day. I never defended myself, because I'm not really a social media pop off-er—I'd rather just pop off in person. So overcoming those obstacles and those negative viral tweets was just to work super hard. I’m gonna sample for the rest of my life; it’s my specialty. Tons of people sample, but my samples just get the most recognition.

I'm not really a social media pop off-er — I'd rather just pop off in person

“Back to the Streets” has you singing a little bit more, and “Best Friend” shows more of your sassy side. Are there any other new sides of Saweetie on this record?

What I will say is I really appreciate your analytical observations, because those are the exact intentions that I had behind each song. You could definitely expect just more versatility. A lot of people don't know this, but I grew up with a speech problem. So sometimes, it takes me a little longer to deliver my raps, because my mouth just does dumb shit sometimes. [Laughs.]

Was it a speech impediment or a stutter?

I used to have a stuttering problem. My mom was really concerned for me. But she actually trained me to stop doing that. I would just think quicker than my mouth could talk. There's this record that I really want to nail, to rap really fast. So that's something that I'm practicing every day. There's certain things that I don't discuss that have hindered me. But you know what? I love a challenge, and I think how you overcome the hurdle is more important than how it affects you”.

Saweetie is very much a modern-day star. She has this presence and sense of confidence that is impressive to see. She is a businesswoman and inspiring person who is, no doubt, giving strength and motivation to many other women. In this interview from this year, that illustrates how Saweetie is in control and calls the shots (something that was not always the case):

“It's easy to see why that lifestyle sold. Even during our casual video chat, it's clear that Saweetie is deliberate about everything. Yes, she's dressed with simplicity in a white tank top and with a headband, holding back her hair, but she still looks perfectly put together, something many of us gave up on trying to do for Zoom meetings months ago. She also speaks slowly and clearly in a way that makes it apparent how thoughtful she's being about every word that comes out of her mouth — which doesn't mean she's afraid to go to weird places. After we joke for a bit about her now-notorious ranch dressing and spaghetti video ("I have a very eclectic palate. I think I get it from my dad and my grandpa because they be makin' some concoctions"), I ask her to play my favourite game: Fuck, Marry, Kill, featuring mayonnaise, sour cream, and ranch. She didn't skip a beat when she told me she'd marry sour cream, "smash" ranch, and kill mayo, though she did feel conflicted about the choice. Most people might equivocate or hesitate when answering something like this, but not Saweetie: She's intentional and in control, two qualities that have served her well and which she values highly. She has, after all, experienced not being in control.

 There was a time in Saweetie's music career when she didn't enjoy being on set because she had to rely on others to make creative decisions that weren't in line with her vision. Work — which had always been fun — had morphed into a burden. The root of that, Saweetie says, was being too busy to actually indulge her artistic side. She's determined not to let that happen again. "During the pandemic, I realised I had to take hold of my creativity again. I was just working so much that I was allowing other people to execute my creativity," she explains. "But, no one can see what's in my head."

Fans have long been able to get a peek at what's in Saweetie's head via social media; she explains how she uses it as a "vessel," offering a glimpse into her life — though, she says, "I'm not someone who exposes my personal business, so the way that I'm able to be personal with my fans is through my content." But now they can see what's on her mind through her music videos, including the recent "Risky" video, which she co-directed. And what they'll find is a twist on angelcore. It's a vibe”.

Even though Saweetie has yet to release a debut album – which I shall get to soon -, she has seen her stock rise through the years. Coming back to the interview that I just quoted from, Sweetie’s decision to keep control and make her own decisions has paid off when it comes to her social media numbers and the fanbase she has accumulated:

“Saweetie's insistence on keeping her creative vision intact has paid off. "Best Friend" has so far been used as the sound in over 850,000 TikToks, many of which feature actual best friends dancing together. Though she credits the original creative vision she had for the song and video for its success, she says, "I can't be blind to the fact that TikTok does catapult songs. If it catches, I'm grateful, but it's never my intention to make [songs and videos] specifically for TikTok." Still, she wasn't afraid to help push the song's appeal on the platform by posting a TikTok of her and Paris Hilton riding around in a blue Bentley and matching pink Juicy tracksuits set to the song. That's the thing, though, Saweetie has an innate sense about what type of content belongs where, and when she talks about how "social media has played into the evolution of what the new artist is," you realise that she is that new artist, and that she's in control of her own evolution.

While she obviously views the internet as an invaluable tool for sharing her art, connecting with the Icy Gang, and building her brand, Saweetie does admit that nothing is quite as magical as IRL interactions. "Seeing people enjoying my music online is fun, but I think the craziest moments that I really appreciate are when I'm riding around the city and the car next to me is playing my music," she says. "Or even when I'm driving past an apartment complex and I can hear a room blasting my music." There's something poignant about the idea of Saweetie, driving alone, experiencing her art through the lens of other people's enjoyment. It's a reminder of the fact that, no matter how separate we've been from one another in this last year, certain things brought us together. According to Saweetie, sitting at home with herself during the pandemic showed her just how important life outside of a phone screen can be. "Quarantine just made me want to become more self-aware and care about interaction, relationships, and just being a human being," she explains”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Benjo Arwas

I think that lockdown has boosted Saweetie’s popularity and stature. She has reached many more people and, in terms of her follower numbers, that has shot up. Forbes explained how the ‘summer of Saweetie’ was a revelatory thing for the rapper:

“The LA-based rapper’s star has soared during lockdown: At the beginning of 2020, Saweetie had 6.3 million Instagram followers. Today, she has 11.8 million. A whopping 20.6 million Spotify users tuned into Saweetie in May, making her about as popular as her ex-boyfriend’s hip-hop group, Migos. Perhaps most notably, the 27-year-old has achieved this without releasing a full album. And she’s not slowing down: She drops her first EP, Pretty B*tch Music, later this summer. After that, she’ll launch her Icy Baby Foundation, through which she, and her grandmother cofounder, aim to improve the financial literacy of Black and Brown youth. But she won’t be satisfied until her bank statement has three commas.

“I want to be a global mogul,” says the Forbes Under 30 alum. “Eventually, I want to see my brand supersede Saweetie.”

Her brand, Icy, sells clothing inspired by her lyrics, like $100 terry cloth sweatpants emblazoned with the line “rich with no day job” from her breakout single, “Tap In.”

“I’m just really excited to take over,” she says. “What’s great about me dominating is that I’m very inclusive and love to share my light and help other people out”.

Coming back again to Refinery29’s interview, one gets a sense of a real determination that has been present for a long time. I get the sense that women in Rap and Hip-Hop have to fight harder to have their voices heard. This is something that Saweetie has battled:

“Just like she did with her high school volleyball team, Saweetie has approached her career with her eye on the prize, working hard never to be counted out, knowing that she will always make the cut. "I'm consistent with music, I'm consistent with content, I'm consistent with my brand, and I think consistency just always wins," she says. Even when she does something unexpected — from showing off wacky food combinations, like Top Ramen seasoning sprinkled on oysters, or, yes, ranch dressing squirted all over spaghetti, to keeping a full-length mirror in the back of my car so she can pose for the perfect selfie anywhere — there's never any doubt that she knows what she's doing, it's just up to the rest of us to follow her lead. So, we'd better be paying attention, because class is in session. "I'm going to continue working hard, I'm going to continue building out my team, and I'm excited to see what the future holds," she says. One of those things she's working toward is teaching a course one day at USC. What will the subject be? Social media, of course. Sign me up”.

Looking back, and it seems that few people had faith in Saweetie and any belief that she would become a rapper. Maybe there is this sexist view in place, where attractive women (or women in general) are not suited for the field. Back in April, Cosmopolitan wrote how there was this doubt and lack of support. Now, there is this rising artist who is among the most powerful and influential in music:

“That they told her there was no way she was smart enough to get good grades in school. That she was too pretty to be taken seriously. That she’d never be a successful rapper.

“I wish me, or someone, would have thought, You know what? That’s not right,” she says now. Instead, as she puts it, she spent years dimming her light.

Not today though. Today, Saweetie, world-famous rapper, looks like someone you would always bet on. She’s perched in the kitchen of the luxe Los Angeles rental she’s called home for the past year, casually eating a late lunch of steamed mussels and nigiri sushi.

To borrow a phrase from her 2020 hit single “Tap In,” she’s “drippin’ in Chanay-nay”: a vintage cream-color Chanel blazer over a black bra, vintage gold Chanel belt, black miniskirt. A large diamond-studded pendant, shaped like a dripping cross, gleams at her collarbone. Her lip gloss is popping. Even under harsh overhead lights, even through the unnatural veil of a laptop camera, even when she says, “I’m sorry, girl. I keep burping”—yeah, Saweetie is shining bright.

As she should be, because, well, let’s pause for a career recap, very much abridged: Her songs have hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify. She earned a 2020 People’s Choice Awards nomination for Favorite New Artist; she’s had a guest spot on the Freeform show Grown-ish. And then there’s her proudest moment, making the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. It was a huge deal for Saweetie, who earned a business communications degree from the University of Southern California—with a 3.6 GPA, it should be noted—and who considers herself a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur. “I screamed,” she says about when she found out she’d made the list. “It just let me know that I’m on my way to where I wanted to be.”

All that and she’s also The Content Queen. (Self-proclaimed but still.) You already know this because you’re probably one of her 17+ million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. And you’re probably addicted to her feeds because in a year when other celebrities are cringe-ily doing the most or revealingly doing the least, Saweetie’s posts are an irresistible bright spot of actual, authentic fun. She trades bars with her family (PSA: don’t try her auntie in a game of In the Classroom), flips a full-length mirror into a must-have travel accessory (the mystery of whether or not Saweetie legit brought a full-length mirror to a gas station for selfie-while-pumping purposes remains unsolved, but the legend lives on), and hilariously personifies each of her four (!) Birkin bags (a collection gifted, at least in part, in case you were wondering, by her former boyfriend, the rapper Quavo). It’s like if your group chat were a YouTube channel—real, silly, fun, unself-conscious—if, that is, anyone in your group chat owned a Bentley”.

One problem that dogs Hip-Hop is homophobia. Just to go off course a bit, but Saweetie was in the music news, as she spoke out against the DaBaby's controversial comments earlier in the year. Saweetie is someone who believes in celebrating and respecting gender identity and sexual preferences:

“Saweetie believes in mutual respect, regardless of people's sexuality or gender identity.

In an interview with PEOPLE following her set at Sprite's Live from the Label concert series, the 28-year-old rap star addresses the recent reckoning about homophobia within the rap community following DaBaby's insensitive comments about gay people and those living with HIV/AIDS.

"I think that it's important that we all respect each other. We all bleed the same," she tells PEOPLE, referring to her LGBTQ fans. "We're all human beings. I was raised in a household that believes in respecting everyone, no matter who they are, no matter what they do, because at the end of the day, we're all equal."

"We all need to call out what we're uncomfortable with," she adds. "We need to call out what we stand for and for what we believe is right."

It's a sentiment that fellow female rapper Megan Thee Stallion shared with PEOPLE earlier this month, when the "Body" rapper said, "Representation is important, and it is really crucial for us all to have compassion and acceptance of every human”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: John Edmonds

I alluded to the fact that Saweetie struggles as a female artist. Things are always tougher for women. They are scrutinised all of the time and held to different standards. Never as respected as their male counterparts, it is especially impressive that Saweetie has come so far and has this strength. The Forty-Five spoke with her late last year. There were some passages from the interview that struck my eye:

“I mean, I was very grateful for the attention that I was getting but I was like ‘Ok, how do I become a bigger, more established and respected artist?’ And there were a lot of critics that came with [the fame].

“What people don’t understand is, when you’re a female artist you’re constantly critiqued. You’re critiqued for your music, for your body, for your appearance in general, for the people you may be dating – you’re just critiqued non-stop. I had to realise that what the critics say is not real life, and that the industry is a playground. I know who I am as a person, and I know what I have to offer and I know what my value is, but it’s still hard sometimes. When you’re reading comments all day, it’s just like, ‘Oh my gosh, y’all know I’m a human, right?’”

You’re critiqued for your music, for your body, for your appearance in general, for the people you may be dating – you’re just critiqued non-stop. I had to realise that what the critics say is not real life, and that the industry is a playground.

There’s certainly nothing new about society struggling with the idea of public figures as multifaceted beings, but the backlash Saweetie received for ‘YUSO’ – her 2018 collaboration with Lil Wayne and Kid Ink – still took her by surprise. “It’s a nasty record, but I always told myself if I was gonna talk nasty I would talk nasty like Missy [Elliott], because she would do it in such a creative and fun way… I got a lot of negative criticism because they were calling me the college girl, and educated, and saying why am I speaking like this?” She laughs, “And I was just like, ‘Y’all act like college girls don’t go home and make babies.’

“I’m more than a college girl. I’m a human being. I’m a young woman. I’m a girlfriend. I’m a sister. I’m a daughter. I’m a cousin. I’m all these things and I say all these things because I’m multifaceted and I have different areas of my life where I feel different emotions. So I think when people hear [my album], they’ll be able to understand me as a human being and all the layers that make me me”.

I feel that, all things considered, Saweetie has owned 2020. I am not alone in thinking that. Circling back to that Cosmopolitan interview, and they give us the facts and figures regarding a triumphant year for the twenty-eight-year-old:  

“While we were all on our own 2020 quests toward better versions of ourselves—but from the couch and in sweatpants—Saweetie was soundtracking one of the wildest-ever stretches of time. She owned July 2020 with “Tap In” and then did it again with its mega-remix, featuring Post Malone, DaBaby, and Jack Harlow, a month later. October brought the Timbaland-produced “Back to the Streets” with Jhené Aiko, and then there was “Best Friend” with Doja Cat just this January. Each single has been more compelling than the last, showcasing a different side of Saweetie’s personality—her style swings from bossy to playful, the sounds have range (a hyphy sample here, an 808s banger there), and the lyrics are stacked with witticisms that double as affirmations. Drop one in that group text: “Bitch, you look goodt with a ‘t’ at the end.” Hype yourself up in the mirror: “I’m a 5-star bitch with a price tag / Gotta find me somebody that could match that.” Flex on Instagram: “Icy from my lips to my toenails.” The overall mood, though, is consistent—think of it as “No Scrubs” for the TikTok generation. It’s no wonder she’s topped Billboard charts and cracked the Top 20 on the Hot 100.

Honestly, knowing what went into all this is exactly why it’s so easy to root for Saweetie, who’s somewhere between warmly relatable and wildly aspirational. The idea that we don’t arrive fully formed, that part of the point is to do the work in the face of harmful expectations, is familiar, whether your struggle is broadcast to millions of people or not. What’s also familiar is the desire to reclaim that power, to use it even when it feels easier to succumb to the doubts in your head. “Last year was the year that I finally became comfortable in my own skin. I kind of figured out what my purpose was,” Saweetie says. “I think it’s important to show little Black and brown girls that they can be successful in whatever they want to do. If I can do it, you can do it too”.

There are a couple of other points I want to address before assessing Icy Chain. Saweetie is an aspirational artist who has her own brand and identity. Forbes’ interview that I mentioned earlier asked her about female empowerment and her philanthropic endeavours:

“Sternlicht: Your brand is really all about female empowerment. What do you think women need to be doing to maximize their status in the world?

Saweetie: Networking. As women, we’re shielded, but I think it’s important for women to network and make a name for themselves by forming their own personal relationships. That’s something I learned this past year, and that’s why I love talking to the owners of brands I’m doing partnerships with. I’m a very direct person.

Sternlicht: Tell me about your philanthropic endeavors.

Saweetie: Me and my grandma were inspired during quarantine. Everyone in the world witnessed the Black Lives Matter movement. I hate calling it a movement, because for many of us, it’s a lifestyle. I’ve seen my dad and uncles experience so many injustices. It’s important I’m involved in my communities as much as possible.

Sternlicht: What initiatives are you working on through your foundation?

Saweetie: My grandma’s biggest thing is teaching financial literacy to low-income Black and Brown communities. She’s working on a rollout, and I think we’ll be official in late August or September”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Benjo Arwas

One of the biggest questions fans ask about Saweetie is when her debut album will arrive. Pretty Bitch Music has been held back and rumoured. One gets a sense that she wants to make sure it comes out at the right time and it is as good as it can be. There are a couple of interviews where she mentions her debut album. Coming back to the interview from The Forty-Five from November, we get an idea of what the album is about:

“Expect some inspirational music,” she grins when asked what lies in store on the rest of the album. “Some boss bitch music. Some ratchet music. Some empowering, ‘I’m over you and yo shit’ music.” She laughs, before continuing, “It’s about everything that comes with being a woman. I feel like I touch on a lot of emotion too. I know I make party records, but [the album is] definitely well-rounded.”

The album title further feeds into that idea of inspiring others, with Saweetie aiming to reclaim the word ‘bitch’, transforming it from a slur into a badge of honour. “I love 2Pac and what he did with the phrase ‘thug life’, and that’s what I’m doing with ‘bitch.’ So ‘bitch’ stands for boss, independent, tough, creative and the h is hyphy [a Bay-area phrase] which means turn it up and have a good time.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Erica Hernandez 

I love 2Pac and what he did with the phrase ‘thug life’, and that’s what I’m doing with ‘bitch’. BITCH stands for Boss, Independent, Tough, Creative – and the H is Hyphy, which means turn it up and have a good time.

“All my music is empowering,” she continues. “It’s only right that I had a title that served some form of empowerment for my listeners, because empowerment is so important. I remember being a little girl listening to Destiny’s Child and other songs that empowered me and it can literally change your day. If I can make someone happy or make someone feel motivated then I feel like my job is done.”

Considering how committed she is to using her platform to inspire, I wonder how she squares that with social media’s propensity to mislead, pushing unattainable ideals and impossible standards on potentially vulnerable audiences. “I feel like there’s more pressure for me to get creative, rather than appear perfect,” she replies, thoughtfully. “I think the facade of being perfect is out the window, especially because nowadays the fans want to know exactly who they’re supporting.” The assertion rings true too because, for all the glossy photo shoots, and loved-up pictures of Saweetie with her long-term boyfriend Quavo, there’s plenty of humour and unfiltered-candour to be found on her Instagram grid too”.

More up to date, that Cosmopolitan interview from this year, Saweetie explained how she was still tinkering with Pretty Bitch Music. There have been updates since April - though I get the feeling that we might not see the album drop for a few more months. It will come out next year, but it might be a little while until we see it appear in the world:

“More proof, if you need it: She tells me she’s still not done with Pretty Bitch Music because it’s not completely perfect yet. “I’m always looking at it,” she explains. “It’s like having an essay that’s not due yet. I’m going to keep rereading it, editing it, switching out words for better words.” She’s also been busy, you know, with the responsibilities of being a pop star on the rise: She builds mood boards, works on merch, makes even more content at the clip of a full-time creative agency. She’s also got a jewelry line, an edge-control collaboration fit for “the baby-hair princess,” a co-branded makeup collection with Morphe, and a PrettyLittleThing capsule fashion collection that just counted its third drop”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Sweetie has performed Icy Chain for SNL recently. I wonder whether she will film a music video for the track. I think, through the track, Saweetie is at her peak! In terms of her sound and delivery, I feel like she nods to some Rap icons like Missy Elliott and Ms. Lauryn Hill. The chorus is delivered with swagger, confident and allure: “Twerk that ass for a icy chain/Twerk that ass for a icy chain (Bitch)/Twerk that ass for a icy chain (Hey)/Twerk that ass for a icy chain (Hmm)”. Backed by a bouncing beat and a great production, one is instantly hooked into a song which will be part of Pretty Bitch Music. Already this year, Saweetie collaborated with Gwen Stefani on Slow Clap. There was also Fast (Motion), and Get It Girl. The collaborative E.P., Pretty Summer Playlist: Season 1, was the third E.P. from the rapper. With every release – whether that is a single or E.P. – Sweetie seems to get better and more assured. Icy Chain is a typically excellent track, which manages to pack so much in to 1:50 running time! In the first verse, with her voice at its swaggering and brilliant best, we hear scenes of excess, slight conflict and, above all, someone who is very much running the show: “My hair, my money, come bundle/I spent your rent on my frontal (Yeah)/Bitches see me and get humble/Could take your nigga but I don't even want to (Hmm)/Birkin bag, Crocodile Dundee (Ooh)/Mink on my body like I just went hunting/Tell PETA I'm being one hunnid/That icy girl still rock a fur in the summer/Left fashion week, hella casualties (Yeah)/I think I know why they mad at me (Hahaha)/I'm pretty, I'm in every city, but won't hit the club unless it's a bag for me/Daddy, answer me, I need to know why you're mad at me/'Cause you be complaining, you stay in your feelings/I'm starting to think you can't handle me”.

I do love the composition. In the first verse, we get a twanged beat that sort of punctuates the end of every line. Rather than pack so much sound and layers on, there is this simplicity that allows Saweetie’s vocal to be at the front. She is never buried in the mix. Whereas the chorus has more spike and a touch of aggression, the verse is cooler and , if it is the right word, ‘laidback’. One can definitely notice a change in tone and style in the verse. When we do return to the chorus, it takes Icy Chain in a new direction. Having this whirlwind verse where as sorts of images come to mind, the chorus is almost this mantra: simple and powerful, yet compelling every time she delivers the line (“Twerk that ass for a icy chain”). One of the most interesting Rap songwriters, the second verse is even more steeped in bravado and confidence. Definitely someone who is a boss and icon-in-the-making, few can match Saweetie’s flow: “Get love in the Bay like I'm 40 (Uh)/Big C love to sip on the 40's (Yeah)/This Rollie up on me cost forty/I'ma be fine in my forties/Ooh, fake booty galore/Make sure it clap when you see me on tour (Hmm)/He sweatin' me like a sport/I play in Prada whenever I'm bored (That's right)/Concealer, tan, sand, I'ma get these band-bands/Bet' not smell no pussy when you pop it on a handstand (Ugh)/All of my bitches smell good (Yeah)/Don't worry 'bout us, we good/I ain't gon' lie, you actin' too shy/Come pop that shit like a bitch from the hood (Brrt)”. She manages to inject so much personality and character into the lines. So many rappers are quite lazy with their delivery, or they feel that aggression and profanity is a replacement for actual style and substance. Icy Chain manages to fuse something edgy and explosive with incredible cool, confidence, craft and some brilliant lines. Contrasting the assured and commanding chorus with verses that are among Saweetie’s best yet, Icy Chain is a wonderful look into a debut album that will be among…

THE most anticipated and celebrated of next year.

___________

Follow Saweetie

PHOTO CREDIT: Benjo Arwas 

Official:

https://icybysaweetie.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Saweetie

Facebook:

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FEATURE: Will We Ever See the DVD? Kate Bush’s Majestic Before the Dawn Live Album at Five

FEATURE:

 

 

 

Will We Ever See the DVD?

 Kate Bush’s Majestic Before the Dawn Live Album at Five

___________

IT might seem odd to mark…

the fifth anniversary of an album but, as it is Kate Bush – and we do not get that many albums from her -, I want to celebrate the great live album, Before the Dawn, and ask an important question. This is one of those rare occasions where I can include audio from the album when discussing it. Even though one can buy Before the Dawn on vinyl and C.D., it is not available on streaming services. One can get it on Apple Music and preview tracks from the album there (and buy the whole thing). So, whilst it is available digitally to own, one cannot stream the album if they are on Spotify. It is a shame that Before the Dawn is not available to stream. That is tangential to the points I want to make (and I am going to drop in a few tracks from Apple Music in preview form). Before getting to Bush’s reaction to the live spectacle that was Before the Dawn, here is some background to the residency and album:

“Before the dawn" was recorded during the incredible run of 22 sold-out shows performed by Kate at London's Hammersmith Apollo in 2014.

In March 2014 Kate announced plans to perform 15 shows in London in August and September that year, her first live shows since 1979. The shows sold out so quickly that a further 7 were immediately added, with all shows selling out in 15 minutes. This very website crashed with the demand.

The first night of the shows prompted a complete media frenzy with the Evening Standard declaring that the show was "an extraordinary mix of magical ideas, stunning visuals, attention to detail and remarkable music – she was so obviously, so unambiguously brilliant, it made last night something to tell the grandchildren about."

Later that year the show won the special Editor’s award at the highly prestigious London Theatre Awards, the only contemporary music show to do so.

On November 25 2016 the live album "Before The Dawn" was released on CD (3 CDs) and vinyl (4 vinyl) and digital download. The conceptual heart of the show is reflected in the CD format, which is split over 3 discs centred around the two integral pieces – 'The Ninth Wave' and 'A Sky Of Honey'.

CD1 ends with the pivotal track 'King Of The Mountain' which bridges into 'The Ninth Wave' suite of songs on CD2.

The album was produced by Kate Bush. Nothing on the record was re-recorded or overdubbed”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn at the Hammersmith Apollo, London, in 2014/PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features

I am eager to source a review from Pitchfork, who talk extensively and passionately about the album. The last part of this feature sees me revisit a question that I and many people have asked. In fact, when reviews were out for the live album, many marked it down because there were no plans to release a DVD. The sense that the spectacle is lost if one cannot see the crowd and the show taking place. I would disagree. On the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia, we get to read the linear notes for Before the Dawn:

“It was an extraordinary experience putting the show together. It was a huge amount of work, a lot of fun and an enormous privilege to work with such an incredibly talented team. This is the audio document. I hope that this can stand alone as a piece of music in its own right and that it can be enjoyed by people who knew nothing about the shows as well as those who were there.

I never expected the overwhelming response of the audiences, every night filling the show with life and excitement. They are there in every beat of the recorded music. Even when you can’t hear them, you can feel them. Nothing at all has been re-recorded or overdubbed on this live album, just two or three sound FX added to help with the atmosphere.

On the first disc the track, Never Be Mine, is the only take that exists, and was recorded when the show was being filmed without an audience. It was cut because the show was too long but is now back in its original position. Everything else runs as was, with only a few edits to help the flow of the music.

On stage, the main feature of The Ninth Wave was a woman lost at sea, floating in the water, projected onto a large oval screen - the idea being that this pre-recorded film was reality. The lead vocals for these sequences were sung live at the time of filming in a deep water tank at Pinewood. A lot of research went into how to mic this vocal. As far as we know it had never been done before. I hoped that the vocals would sound more realistic and emotive by being sung in this difficult environment. (You can see the boom mic in the photo on the back of the booklet. This had to be painted out of every shot in post-production although very little of the boom mic recording was used. The main mic was on the life jacket disguised as an inflator tube!) The rest of the lead vocals on this disc were sung live on stage as part of the dream sequences. The only way to make this story work as an audio piece was to present it more like a radio play and subdue the applause until the last track when the story is over and we are all back in the theatre again with the audience response.

Unlike The Ninth Wave which was about the struggle to stay alive in a dark, terrifying ocean, A Sky Of Honey is about the passing of a summer’s day. The original idea behind this piece was to explore the connection between birdsong and light, and why the light triggers the birds to sing. It begins with a lovely afternoon in golden sunlight, surrounded by birdsong. As night falls, the music slowly builds until the break of dawn.

This show was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever been involved in. Thank you to everyone who made it happen and who embraced the process of allowing it to continually evolve. (Album liner notes)”.

The tracklisting of the album is incredible! We get three distinct acts where Bush mixes some of her best-known songs - alongside those which many might not guess would ever come to the stage (Act I: Lily, Hounds of Love, Joanni, Top of the City, Never Be Mine, Running Up That Hill, King of the Mountain; Act II: Astronomer's Call, And Dream of Sheep, Under Ice, Waking the Witch, Watching Them Without Her (dialogue), Watching You Without Me, Little Light, Jig of Life, Hello Earth, The Morning Fog; Act III: Prelude, Prologue, An Architect's Dream, The Painter's Link, Sunset, Aerial Tal, Somewhere In Between, Tawny Moon (lead vocals by Albert McIntosh), Nocturn, Aerial, Among Angels, Cloudbusting). To be there on one of those twenty-two nights in Hammersmith must have been something! (The reviews are especially glowing). I was not fortunate enough to get a ticket, and I regret that I missed out. I think the live album gives the listener the chance to experience the show and get a sense of the magic that Bush, her band and team created. The KT Fellowship executed this awe-inspiring show that showed why she is one of the most celebrated live performers ever (even though her 2014 residency was only her second tour/residency). The reviews for Before the Dawn were largely positive. This is what Pitchfork said:

 “Kate Bush always exploited technological advancement. In 1979, from just coathangers and Blu-Tack, the trailblazing British pop auteur pioneered the head mic for her vanguard Tour of Life. Her subsequent albums made her one of the earliest adopters of the Fairlight synthesizer that would define the ’80s. Before the Dawn, then, is a surprising throwback: the unexpurgated live album, a document of her 2014 live shows, her first in 35 years. There are no retakes or overdubs bar a few atmospheric FX. No apps, no virtual reality, no interactivity. She’s also said there won’t be a DVD, which is surprising given the show’s spectacular theatrics, conceived by the former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a host of designers, puppeteers, and illusionists. The show, and this release, aren’t credited to Kate Bush but the KT Fellowship, in recognition of the vast ensemble effort. Yet in shucking off half the production, this hefty 155-minute, three-disc set (one per “act”) is also the best way that Before the Dawn could have been preserved, allowing it to tell its own story uninhibited by the busy staging.

I went to a show towards the end of the 22-date run, and was overwhelmed by how physically moving it was to see Bush in real life, since for most of mine she’s only existed in videos and BBC clip-show documentaries. The staging didn’t always have the same impact. The sublime Act One, as close to a greatest hits as we got, was stripped back—just Bush at the piano backed by her crack band.

In Act Two, Bush realized her long-held desire to dramatize “The Ninth Wave,” the conceptual B-side of 1985’s Hounds of Love, which documents a woman’s dark night of the soul as she fights for life while lost at sea. While her “husband” and real-life son Bertie McIntosh blithely carried on with domestic life inside a tiny, sloping living room set, a video depicted Bush stranded in dark, choppy waters (now released as the “And Dream of Sheep” video). Moments later, the real Bush reappeared on stage to fight sinister “fish people” who carried her body off through the aisles. The whirring blades and desperate search lights of a rescue helicopter descended from the Hammersmith Apollo’s ceiling, illuminating and buffeting the crowd. Despite some hammy dialogue, it was staggering, and in sharp contrast to Act Three, which focused on Aerial’s second side, “A Sky of Honey.” McIntosh played a landscape painter from ye olden times while a life-size marionette of a jointed-doll simpered around the stage, embracing Bush, who looked on in raptures. At 75 minutes long, it was a sickly, trying accompaniment to one of the subtler achievements in her catalogue.

With the visuals stripped away, some confusing vestiges of the live show remain on the record—mostly the stilted dialogue (McIntosh’s lines as the painter are cringeworthy). But otherwise it flows remarkably well: the prog grooves and piano ballads of the first act setting up the gothic tumult of “The Ninth Wave,” which comes down into the sun-dappled ambience of “A Sky of Honey.” The sound is rich and warm, but rough, too: imperfectly mic’d and properly live-sounding. The arrangements are largely faithful, even down to the synth presets, though sometimes the veteran session musicians form an overwhelming battalion. “Lily” comes out sounding a bit like Christian goth rock, and “King of the Mountain” is a victim of breadth over depth, its dynamics drowned out by every band member playing at once. It’s a shame that the terror of “Hounds of Love” gets swapped for sentimental optimism, but the band recreate that album’s second half to sound as avant-garde and bracing as any current young outsider.

Live albums are meant to capture performers at their rawest and least inhibited, which doesn’t really apply to Before the Dawn. Bush is a noted perfectionist best known for her synthesizer experiments and love of obscure Bulgarian choirs, but her recent work has skewed towards traditional setups that reunite her with the prog community that fostered her early career. With marks to hit and tableaux to paint, the 2014 shows were more War of the Worlds (or an extension of 2011’s Director’s Cut) than Live at Leeds. But never mind balls-out revamps of Bush’s best known songs; with the exception of tracks from Hounds of Love, none of the rest of the setlist had ever been done live—not even on TV, which became Bush’s primary stage after she initially retired from touring. These songs weren’t written to be performed, but internalized. Occupying Bush’s imagination for an hour, and letting it fuse with your own, formed the entirety of the experience. Hearing this aspic-preserved material come to life feels like going to sleep and waking up decades later to see how the world has changed.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features 

“Jig of Life” is the midpoint of Before the Dawn, and its crux. It forms the part in “The Ninth Wave” where Bush’s character is exhausted of fighting against drowning, and decides to succumb to death. A vision of her future self appears, and convinces her to stay alive. “Now is the place where the crossroads meet,” she chants, just as her (then) 56-year-old voice channels her 27-year-old one. Despite her alleged taste for burning one, Bush’s voice has gained in power rather than faded with age. It’s deeper now, and some of the songs’ keys shift to match, but it’s alive and incalculably moving, still capable of agile whoops and tender eroticism, and possesses a newfound authority. When she roars lustily through opener “Lily” and its declaration that “life has blown a great big hole through me,” she sets up the stakes of Before the Dawn’s quest for peace. In Act One, she’s running from the prospect of love on “Hounds of Love” and “Never Be Mine,” and from fame on “King of the Mountain,” where she searches for Elvis with sensual anticipation. She asks for Joan of Arc’s protection on “Joanni,” matching the French visionary’s fearlessness with her own funky diva roar, and sounds as if she could raze the world as she looks down from “Top of the City.”

Rather than deliver a copper-bottomed greatest hits set, Bush reckons with her legacy through what might initially seem like an obscure choice of material. Both Acts Two and Three take place in transcendent thresholds: “The Ninth Wave”’s drowning woman is beset by anxiety and untold pressures, with no idea of where to turn, mirroring the limbo that Bush experienced after 1982’s The Dreaming. That suite’s last song, the cheery “The Morning Fog,” transitions into Aerial’s “Prelude,” all beatific bird call and dawn-light piano. The euphoric, tender “A Sky of Honey” is meant to represent a perfect day from start to finish, filled with family and beautiful imperfections. “Somewhere in Between” finds them atop “the highest hill,” looking out onto a stilling view, and Bush’s eerie jazz ensemble anticipates the liminal peace of Bowie’s Blackstar. “Not one of us would dare to break the silence,” she sings. “Oh how we have longed for something that would make us feel so… somewhere in between.”

Purgatory has become heaven, and in the narrative Bush constructs through her setlist, “A Sky of Honey” represents the grown-up, domestic happiness that staves off the youthful fears explored on Hounds of Love. For her final song, she closes with a rendition of “Cloudbusting,” a song about living with the memory of a forbidden love, which is even more glorious for all the hope that it’s accumulated in the past 30-odd years. Bush’s recent life as a “reclusive” mother is often used to undermine her, to “prove” she was the kook that sexist critics had pegged her as all along. These performances and this record are a generous reveal of why she’s chosen to retreat, where Bush shows she won’t disturb her hard-won peace to sustain the myth of the troubled artistic genius. Between the dangerous waters of “The Ninth Wave” and the celestial heavens of “A Sky of Honey,” Before the Dawn demystifies what we’ve fetishized in her absence. Without draining her magic, it lets Bush exist back down on Earth”.

I don’t think that we will ever see a DVD release. Bush herself has said that she has no plans. There is film of the residency, though I am not sure whether it was ever filmed with multiple cameras or has the editing and appearance of a modern Pop concert. Maybe the look and sound of a DVD would do a disservice to the time and effort that everyone put into the show. The sound quality on the live album is incredible. You get the crowd reaction and the feeling that you are in Hammersmith watching along. One of the biggest draws about seeing Before the Dawn was the incredible set designs and lighting. Whilst the sense of the epic and beautiful was recounted by adoring reviews and gig-goers, I suppose that is something the listener has to miss out on. One wonders whether a DVD could ever get you inside the show and feel what so many did. Also, is it fair for people to see the show on DVD when there was a paying audience at the twenty-two dates? Nearly five years after the release of the live album (25th November), there are still those asking whether the film of Before the Dawn will be seen. It seems less and less likely as the years pass. I do think that owning it physically is the ultimate listening experience. However, as it is available to buy on Apple Music, I wonder what the reasoning behind leaving it off of Spotify is. You can also get the album on Amazon Music if you have membership (it costs slightly less than on Apple Music). There are options to hear Before the Dawn, yet there is little in the way of visuals (apart from press photos taken during one/a few of the shows). Maybe that is okay. The moving experience one gets from listening to the album is magnificent! In terms of a DVD, we will never really know what many people saw. To me, I think that Before the Dawn’s images and movements are…  

BEST left to the imagination.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Powfu

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Powfu

___________

AN artist who broke through last year…

and was someone who COVID-19, strangely, suited, Canadian lo-fi pioneer Powfu is someone you should know about. The pandemic has not been good for any artist but, able to make music from his bedroom and post it to the world, he became a bit of a role model or inspiration for many others – at a moment when the usual method of recording and promoting music was put on hold. I am going to bring in a few interviews where we get to know more about the incredible Powfu. Before getting to interviews, Sony Music give us a short overview of an artist on the rise:

“After several years of studying and contributing to the lo-fi hip-hop scene on YouTube, emotive songwriter and artist Powfu has emerged from a small town outside of Vancouver and has established himself as an important player in bringing the lo-fi genre into the mainstream.

The 21-year-old artist (born Isaiah Faber) grew up in a musical household and started recording and releasing music in the basement of his home while still in high school. After identifying his image and sound, Powfu steadily released new tracks over the next three years and started drawing millions of streams across multiple platforms.

Throughout his journey, he has connected and collaborated with many other lo-fi artists on the rise such as Rxseboy, Guardin, and Snøw, building an impressive catalogue that now boasts over 60 tracks on Soundcloud that bounce between chill-lo-fi and hype-punk. His unique genre-melding sound stems from”.

Most of the interviews with Powfu are from 2020. There are some from  this year but, by and large, most of the press surrounding him came last year. Last month, Powfu released the stunning E.P., tell me your feelings and i won’t tell you mine. In fact, he has been busy with E.P.s this year. In June, he put out drinking under the streetlights. His debut E.P., poems of the past, arrived last year – that was highly anticipated and got a lot of people talking. Last year, The Forty-Five spotlighted a breakout star who was one of the newest stars to find success on TikTok:

“At age 21, Canadian artist Powfu has already firmly grasped the title of one of 2020’s breakout stars, his lo-fi hip-hop tracks hitting over 20 million monthly streams on Spotify. What started out as a bedroom project has become a marker of the importance of social media platforms like TikTok in determining an artist’s success. After sampling Beabadoobee’s bedroom track ‘Coffee’, on his breakout single ‘Death Bed’ (a song about a dying man saying goodbye to his girlfriend) Powfu became the latest artist to find success on TikTok.

To say ‘Death Bed’ went viral would be an understatement – at the time of writing, it has become the soundtrack to over six million videos on the platform. The music video also has over 160 million views on YouTube, it’s certified platinum in five countries, gold in four and a dance challenge has even been created, to a remixed version of the track.

He was surrounded by music from an early age. “I was about 12 when I started writing songs, but that was kinda just for fun. I started taking it seriously when I was 17,” he says. His father, David Faber, is the lead vocalist of “successful Canadian punk band, Faber Drive”, who were first signed to Chad Kroeger’s (of Nickelback) label, 604 Records. It’s no surprise then, that Powfu was heavily influenced by Canadian and American rock growing up, genres that can be heard on his more recent releases, including ‘17 Again’, listening to the likes of Simple Plan and Yellowcard.

Artists such as B.O.B, Eminem and Mac Miller, however, introduced him to what a career in hip-hop could look like, although he also cites Nicholas Sparks movies as an influence too. He achieved the perfect blend of the worlds of American rock and lo-fi hip-hop when Blink-182 agreed to remix ‘Death Bed’. “I’ve been listening to them a lot the past couple years. Not much as a kid,” he says, “I told my label they were the number one people I wanted to work with and they made it happen”.

With success came transitioning to a bigger playing field – he signed with Columbia Records earlier this year, rereleasing ‘Death Bed’ on the label, having independently released his previous tracks. It’s marked an important, welcome change in his career so far, which is still in its infancy. “It’s pretty cool… overall it’s been a good change” he says. “It’s been cool being able to see both sides of it and I’m thankful for everything that’s happening”.

There is a very relaxed attitude to Powfu, in spite of the fact that his music has been hugely praised and he has accrued enormous popularity. That is evident when DORK spoke with him in June last year. I guess, when the pandemic started, many were looking to music for comfort. For that reason, he was able to find a willing and loyal audience:

“Even if you might not have realised you’ll definitely have heard Powfu’s music at some point in the last year. Whether it’s on the smash hit Beabadoobee featuring viral banger ‘Death Bed’, or in the wildly creative online ether of Youtube or TikTok, his very modern hybrid sound has been everywhere. As he speaks to us from his lockdown bedroom retreat in his native Canada, “hanging out with my girlfriend and just playing video games,” Powfu is taking his rise very much in his stride. “I want to have another song blow up like ‘Death Bed’ did, but I don’t feel any pressure,” says the man born Isaiah Faber. “I’m not nervous about it. I’m just chilling and making music like I always do.”

The way he’s always been making music was born from an early introduction. “My dad was in a punk rock band called Faber Drive,” he explains. “So, when I was 2 years old, he taught me to play the drums, and I would practice every day for half an hour. That was my introduction. When I was 11, I got sick of the drums, and I started playing guitar more. About 16 or 17, I started making my own music on the computer. I would just write stupid songs. They were mostly garbage, but I kept working on it and started releasing stuff on SoundCloud, and it went from there.”

Powfu has come up in a time when it’s never been easier for all manner of different artists to find an audience and use different platforms to forge a community. In this case, Youtube and Soundcloud have allowed Powfu to experiment and hone his craft and his sound while growing a hugely loyal audience. The music that he makes fits the homegrown nature of this operation. “I make lo-fi hip hop with a punkish element,” he says. “I’m mixing punk music with hip-hop. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of punk rock – Simple Plan, Yellowcard, Blink 182. Those are my two favourite genres. I’m blessed to be able to do that. I just try and do whatever sounds good. I just think if I were to listen to this, I would hope other people would listen to it.”

His approach is a magpie-like sensibility to spot a beat or a sound or a melody and run with it, forging it into something beautifully simple but hugely effective. That’s what he did with ‘Death Bed’. A song that was around a long time before he found the Beabadoobee sample, which became the secret sauce to take it to the next level. “It’s pretty crazy to me. It’s awesome seeing it blow up,” he says. The song is so different from what most other people are making and it’s kind of the definition of lo-fi hip-hop for me. It’s cool seeing it blow up because more people are going to listen to lo-fi. It’s an intro to the genre. It’s inspiring”.

I found a review of the poems of the past E.P. from The New York Times. Even though most (of the EP.’s) songs talk about fractured relationships, he can do so in a varied and really interesting way:

“Mostly he writes about fractured relationships, or ones that get fractured before they can even form. He has said “A World of Chaos” is based on his parents’ relationship struggles, and the desire to persevere through challenges. (In one interview, he said he watches Nicholas Sparks movies for inspiration.) There are echoes of the early years of Slug, of the foundational emo-rap outfit Atmosphere, and maybe even more directly, a piercing, sighing vocal tone that recalls Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba and Saves the Day’s Chris Conley.

That’s especially true on “Im Used to It,” which begins with a harmony of coos and oohs and zzzzs, and unfolds into a lovelorn tale about not feeling good enough about yourself except for when one special person pays attention. “I didn’t want to ask you out, ’cause I’m not who you talk about,” Powfu raps just before the chorus, at which point he turns to pained nasal singing: “Your boyfriend’s a douche that thinks he’s cool/And doesn’t deserve a girl like you.”

That dynamic also shapes “Popular Girl, Typical Boy,” which is a “You Belong With Me” for socially reluctant e-boys. The song begins with an off-kilter ukulele-esque figure that’s slow and wobbly, adding to the awkward tentativeness with which Powfu talk-raps his anxieties: “Quiet kid but when I see you do my best to misbehave/Yeah, because I saw once in a movie/These hot girls thought the mean guys were groovy.”

And then there’s “Death Bed,” a seamless blend of melancholy and certainty. What’s most absorbing is how the verses and choruses function in tension with each other — singing the hook, Beabadoobee (the Dido to his Eminem here) sounds reluctant and a little distant, but the lyrics teem with sweetness.

Rapping the verses, Powfu is confident and steady, but his lyrics are somewhere beyond worrisome, as if he’s rapping to his love from death’s doorstep: “I hope I go to heaven so I see you once again/My life was kinda short, but I got so many blessings/Happy you were mine, it sucks that it’s all ending”.

Prior to getting to the final interview, there is a review from DARKUS for the exceptional drinking under the streetlights. It is another amazing release from an artist who is among the most consistent and inventive around:

“Continuing his consistent music releases, lo-fi hit-maker Powfu has released his brand-new EP drinking under the streetlights today. With the release, he has also dropped the official video for “future diary” ft. Jomie and Skinny Atlas, which is Powfu’s personal favorite track on the EP. Also included on the new 4-track collection is new single “mario kart” ft. Travis Barker, who previously collaborated with Powfu on the “death bed” remix. Stay tuned for more from them soon.

The new EP comes hot on the heels of Powfu winning Best New Alt/Rock Artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards last week. He’s also been nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at Canada’s Juno Awards which take place this weekend.

drinking under the streetlights arrives as the follow up to his November 2020 EP some boring love stories pt. 5 and his May 2020 EP poems of the past, which The New York Times named to their Best Albums of 2020. Each new release showcases Powfu’s evolving sonic palate and stays true to the signature relatable storytelling of his lyrics. His massive double Platinum hit song “death bed (coffee for your head)” continues to stream around the world with over 2 Billion streams to date. The addictive song blasted Powfu to the forefront of the music scene last year, positioning him as one of the pioneers bringing the lo-fi genre to the mainstream”.

I am going to close up with an interview from somewhere. They asked some quick-fire questions this year that, I feel, give us more details and insights into the Canadian artist:  

“How have you been doing during these past couple of months?

Really good. Started couples counselling and filming lots

Do you think that the pandemic had a positive or negative influence on your creativity?

Bit of both I guess. It sucked to not see people but it was also a cool experience to live through something so crazy

Could you introduce Powfu to our audience?

Hi im Powfu and I write songs and jesus loves u

You’re just releasing a new single, could you tell us more about it?

Its a mix of hiphop and punk music and sounds friggin epic. its about leaving a relationship cuz you feel like your dragging the other person down.

How would you describe your music?

Relatable, chill, lyrical, lofi

When you’re making your songs, do you listen to other music? Have you discovered any exciting musicians recently?

Sometimes. If there’s a new sound im chasing ill listen to songs sometimes to get inspired but usually I don’t”.

Follow and support Powfu if you have not already done so. Someone who is putting out so much great work, he may well have E.P.s lined up for this/next year. It is definitely worth keeping an eye out and seeing what arrives next. I am not sure if he is planning anything live or is going to travel outside of Canada. He has a fanbase here in the U.K., so let’s hope that he…

COMES over here soon.

____________

Follow Powfu

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/pow.fu/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/powfu

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/PowfuOfficial

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmR-xOM0ZjY1cPdFp2WXT4g

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6bmlMHgSheBauioMgKv2tn