FEATURE: Golden Years: Songs from Albums Turning Fifty-Five in 2022

FEATURE:

 

 

Golden Years

Songs from Albums Turning Fifty-Five in 2022

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IN early-January of each year…

I like to put together a series of playlist with songs from albums celebrating big anniversaries. I am going back fifty-five years to 1967. That is a year that saw more than its fair share of classics released into the world. A track from the very best that 1967 had to offer, we will celebrate fifty-five years of these superb albums very soon. The playlist below is a collection of awesome songs from albums released…

FIFTY-FIVE years ago.

FEATURE: Future Classics: Songs from the Highest-Rated Albums of 2021 on Metacritic

FEATURE:

 

 

Future Classics

Songs from the Highest-Rated Albums of 2021 on Metacritic

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FROM tomorrow…

I am publishing features made up of playlists that contain songs from albums celebrating big anniversaries. It is a good way of looking back at classic albums that we can explore in more detail. Before doing that, I wanted to look back at the best-reviewed and highest-rated albums from this year. I am going by Metacritic’s scoring (where they collate a series of reviews) to determine the best of the best from the year. There is only one album not available on Spotify: SAULT’s NINE (which was placed at number twenty-one). I am featuring songs from the remaining twenty-nine best albums of the year. Prior to me casting a look back at acclaimed albums celebrating significant anniversaries, here is a selection of songs from the…

 GREATEST albums of 2021.

FEATURE: Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots: ‘Symphony in Blue’, 1981 (Clive Arrowsmith)

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots

PHOTO CREDIT: Clive Arrowsmith 

‘Symphony in Blue’, 1981 (Clive Arrowsmith)

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THERE are actually two…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Clive Arrowsmith

iconic and marvellous Clive Arrowsmith shots that I could have included here. The one I have chosen is one of the most beautifully-shot and composed photos. It is a brilliant shot with a fascinating background. I will pop in the second photo before the end. A veritable symphony in blue, I love how Bush looks in the photo. The expression on her face is a little glum. As Arrowsmith recalls on his website, there was a reason for that:

“Kate Bush came the famous Holborn Studios in London for a shoot for Hearst Magazines who had asked me to take  cover photograph for their new magazine Company. Kate was very definitely the woman of the moment at that time and her career was going from strength to strength all over the world.

She said very little when  she arrived and looked a little sad. Not everyone enjoys promoting their music be doing shoots and I appreciate that. Most performers love it but some find it a necessary evil. I was immediately struck by her striking looks. I sent  the stylist out to get strong theatrical gauze, in different colours, while Kate’s make up was being done, and I asked for some strands of Ivy (more on that in a moment).

Kate was very easy to work with and a calm silence pervaded her while we all worked, after hair and make, I got the stylist to help me by fiddling around with the shape of the blue gauze which I wanted to surround her face.  I set up a blue light behind her, to surround her in blue and to enhance the blue gauze, which contrasted with the red of her lips and her hazel. She was not animated in front of the camera, hardly varying her facial expression while I was shooting, maybe it was me, or she genuinely found it difficult being in front of the camera. I felt as if she was  just enduring the shoot, or that she must have something sad thing on her mind.

PHOTO CREDIT: Clive Arrowsmith 

She spoke very little, and then in quite voice and just obey my request that she move this of that way.  After the blue image my team and myself hung the Ivy from a boom  over her head   I directed  the hairdresser from my camera viewfinder to refine the ivy strand arrangement. I asked  Kate to hold the pose and we got the shot below.

I asked the Magazine Editor why she was so silent and contemplative, she told me later she was upset by something that had happen that morning before she came to the studio. We never found out what it was and I don’t suppose it matters, but you do feel an etherial sadness in these pictures which to this day I find totally captivating. When you are shooting portraits you have to take people as you find them in that moment so I did try and reflect the wistful and ethereal feeling I got from her.  I had been very excited to meet her and had been listening to her music the evening before. Kate is a totally genuine musical artist and these images also capture that very serious aspect of her talent. Although these could be seen as fashion or beauty images Kate’s presence adds such a depth of feeling that they have become an artwork in themselves. Even though I spent that time with her I still feel she is a complete enigma and that I know, no more or less than I did from listening to her music”.

There are so many great photos of Kate Bush. I think that Clive Arrowsmith’s shot captured Bush on a hard day, but it is actually quite mysterious – as we do not know why she was sad. Looking elegant, gorgeous and wide-eyed, it is one of the very best. What Arrowsmith produced in 1981 is…

SUCH a magnificent photo.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Thomas Headon

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Kai Giraulo 

Thomas Headon

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WHEN thinking about different artists…

who will occupy their space and raise their profiles in 2022, I have been casting my net quite wide. I think I am too rigid with my listening tastes. Today, I wanted to spotlight Thomas Headon: an artist who has already been gaining traction regarding the ‘ones to watch 2022’ lists. I am new to his work and, whilst his style is not something I normally would pick up on, I have been intrigued by his rise and music. I am going to get to a few interviews. There are not a whole lot from last year, but the ones from 2020 are illuminating, informative and useful. We do get a sense of this bright young talent who definitely wants to ensure and stand out. I want to start with NOTION and their interview from November 2020. This was conducted to coincide around the release of The Goodbye EP:

“Congratulations on the release of ‘The Goodbye EP’. What is the message behind this EP and do you have a favourite track and why?

Ahhhh thank you thank you. This EP was written over the course of like a whole year, during that time I did a lot of thinking and writing about people. It’s very “people’s attention” based. Whether it be my attention to others, their attention to me, craving attention, giving attention, you get the idea. I had just moved to the UK, was meeting lots of new people and creating experiences and moments with a lot of them too. In my opinion I think that’s where it all came from and I think the songs reflect that nicely. Favourite track is probably ‘UrbanAngel1999’, it’s so left and different to something I would usually create… but I love that about it. I think I’ve got that song out of my system and I probably won’t create something similar again, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kai Giraulo  

How has the pandemic influenced your work and creative process?

Influenced it kinda positively and negatively. Creatively I was terrible… I think because nothing new was happening I just stopped writing, stopped singing, playing, the whole lot. I often joke about how I went through multiple crises’ while we were in lockdown, but I actually did lmao. I’ve only really gotten back into trying to be creative every day recently. I’m writing a lot more, wanting to work with more people, do different things… all in all, I think now that life is somewhat getting back to normal here in London my mental health is just so much better and I’m a lot more willing to explore being creative every day. In another sense of ‘work’ though I think it forced me to stay active and online as much as possible, I did this thing where I went live every day for like 2 weeks which was great fun. As well as just connecting with fans a lot more. A part of me misses that time. I should do that more often.

Melbourne or London?

Melbourne. By far. Like I’m biased but there is a reason that city was the most liveable city on the planet for so long. Don’t get me wrong I love London a lot. I have a lot of friends here now, I love feeling like I’m in a city where so much is happening and also I planning on living here for the foreseeable future… but I think London only really thrives in the summer, which you get for like 1-2 months of the year. Melbourne even though its weather is so on and off I think just has something so amazing about it dude. I’m definitely biased. Anyway, Melbourne. Melbourne is still and always will be home.

Who are your top 3 artists of all time?

This is actually HARD. I can’t do 3 that’s too little. Nor can I actually put them in an order of favourites. But a few very notable ones are Coldplay, The 1975, Tyler The Creator, Rex Orange County aaaaand nowadays probably Easy Life. Admire them all in such different ways. I feel like I could also name at least 5 more that take similar positions. But all of them keep me going… whether that be musically or just purely because I enjoy listening to them.

Who would your dream collaboration be with?

Great question that I don’t think I’ll ever have an answer to. Collaboration wise I think I’m much more interested in being on tracks with like my friends and artists who are just doing their own cool shit right now, rather than heavily established artists or bands that I grew up listening to for example. There’s heaps of people who I’ve been inspired by forever that I’d love to write with though. People like Tom Fletcher from McFly, Elton John, Harry (of course), Matty Healy… the list goes on man. I usually often hate writing in sessions but I think it’d be so interesting to see how they all approach songs.

How do you measure success with your music?

Damn. I could go on about this question forever. Recently I really think my answer to this has drastically changed. As much as I joke about having the year 10 maths award, I’m very much a numbers driven / statistical person… I really like concrete data and figures. Because of that I think I used to measure my success based on my numbers, which is completely fair and an accurate way to do so, but little do they teach you in year 10 that that’ll actually drive you insane lol. Makes you compare yourself to everyone, puts so much pressure on you, dude it’s not healthy. Since finishing my second EP I’ve finally had the time to just focus on songwriting and making music again, and now I think my opinion on what success is with my music has changed. I wanna make music that means something to me, is something that I’m proud of and I can say “I did my absolute best on that”. Along with all the other things that come with making music I wanna do the same thing, content, work ethic yada yada you get what I mean. That’s a very long and spiritual answer but I think that was a deep question. Thank you for asking I liked that one”.

There are a couple of other great interviews that I am interested in sourcing. DIY interviewed Headon late in 2020; an artist definitely capturing a lot of love and interest from multiple sources and a big wave of new fans. I am a big fan of the Melbourne music scene, so reading Headon’s passion for it was quite touching:

“What was the Melbourne music scene like for you when you were starting out?

Melbourne’s sick, the music scene reminds me a lot of London. It’s such a creative and inspiring city just to be in - whether that be culturally or in the fact that art is everywhere all the time in so many different forms. The music scene in Melbourne is cool because it’s so alive, and it has the same feel as this playlist really: everyone knows each other and hangs out with each other, there’s no hierarchy, and everyone helps each other out.

How have your more recent experiences in London differed?

It’s more the city itself rather than the music scene. When you’re a new artist in Melbourne, you’re a small fish in a medium to large pond, whereas in London you’re a small fish in the middle of the ocean. But I still feel like, even though you’re a small artist, you have complete access and even the bigger fish are still friendly.

 What have been the key influences for you so far?

My influences are all over the place. I’m a huge Coldplay fan - their early stuff is so good. Tyler, the Creator taught me a lot about how you don’t have to make music that even sounds like music - you can just make sick sounds, and then I love The 1975. I’m into artists and bands who do their own thing and just make what they want to make. You wouldn’t call it indie pop, or bedroom pop, or hip hop or pop; they just do their own thing. People like Rex Orange County, Clairo and The 1975 are all artists where you can’t really put them in genres but it all still works well together. They’re the artists that inspire me nowadays.

Do you feel like it’s quite a liberating time to be an artist?

Definitely, and I think there are bigger artists that are showing that as well, who don’t shy away from anything they think is cool. The 1975’s most recent album has about a hundred different genres on it. I think it’s great - you have less pressure to make an album with one definitive sound, you can do whatever you want”.

I am going to round off with an interview from Cool Accidents. They spoke with Thomas Headon late last year. It was a busy and quite productive year, in spite of the obvious limitations. The fact that Headon has been tipped as an act to watch this year shows that he has kept momentum going strong:

 “UK/Australian singer Thomas Headon has lived a couple of different lives. He was born in London, before growing up in regional Victoria. In 2019, he made a move back to London to chase a career in music, and released a couple of EPs along the way - 2019's The Greatest Hits and 2020's The Goodbye EP. If you're fans of artists like The 1975, Harry Styles or Rex Orange County, then chances are that you'll dig Thomas' music.

While 2021 has been a rough one for artists everywhere, he's seen some highlights. Thomas has spent parts of 2021 playing shows in both Australia and the UK, and is set to tour the US and the UK in October and November respectively. He's just released the upbeat Nobody Has To Know, and it's a joyous about a love explored in the shadows. To celebrate the track's release, we spoke to Thomas (or Disco Tony, as he's known to his fans) about his musical journey to date, as well as just how much he loves The Kid LAROI.

Firstly, I wanted to start by asking about your 2021 – how has your year been to date?

I mean after 2020 I’m pretty sure I could be hit by a bus and it’d still be a better year. But it’s not been too bad! I’ve played some shows, some festivals, seen 2 summers, am finally releasing music again and I’ve moved house! It makes me very excited for 2022 now as well.  

You were raised in Melbourne, before moving to London – and you’ve spent some time in both cities recently. Can you tell me how the two cities differ from each other musically?

Like most of Australia, Melbourne has this insane scene of incredible alternative bands, whereas London being a somewhat music capital of the world has mega popstars everywhere. Both are such great cities, I think my music taste and the kind of music I create has been massively influenced by Melbourne’s ‘band’ energy, and also just how creative the city is and how much it embraces arts. However, it’s good to be in London. Feels like I’m connected to the whole world here.  

Your single, Bored, speaks a lot about boredom (obviously) – what things do you do to try and break up the day when you are feeling like things are dragging a bit?

Lmao recently it’s just been go live. To be perfectly honest I actually really struggle with boredom, it stresses me out. I don’t like not having something to do or look forward to. I’m not really into watching movies or TV shows. I mean I play games, but I feel like I’m wasting time when doing that and that stresses me out even more lol.

You began life as a busker – how do you think you’d react if you encountered a busker covering one of your songs, and has that happened already?

Hasn’t happened! That would be such a nice full-circle moment though. I don’t know if I’d talk to them. I’d probably be too nervous, and also I’ve seen videos where other artists do that. I think it’s a bit cringy lol. I did get to talk to a really nice busker when I was in Melbourne at the start of the year though! We followed each other on Instagram and she said she loved my music and wants to write more of her own music, gave my first speech like “KEEP GOING BECAUSE I STARTED IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT YOU WERE IN TODAY”. It was so wholesome”.

I am looking forward to hearing what comes next from Thomas Headon. He is someone I am relatively new to, though I have liked what he has released so far, and I feel he will have a pretty successful career. If you have not discovered his music yet, go and follow him and check out his stuff. Whilst the past couple of years have been strange and quite disruptive, let’s hope that this one allows him to…

SPREAD his wings.

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Follow Thomas Headon

FEATURE: Station to Station: Part Twenty-Two: Sian Eleri (BBC Radio 1)

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Station to Station

Part Twenty-Two: Sian Eleri (BBC Radio 1)

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FROM her Power Down Playlist…

to presenting the Chillest Show, Sian Eleri is a huge name at BBC Radio 1. Eleri covered Phil Taggart's Chillest Show on BBC Radio 1 during Christmas 2019. In November 2020, it was announced that Eleri would take over Phil Taggart's show following his departure from the station. On 20th April, 2021, further timetable changes were announced as it was revealed Annie Mac would leave the station. Eleri will continue presenting on Sunday nights but will also present the Powerdown Playlist from 10 to 11 p.m., Monday to Wednesday. That is some Wikipedia information I have grabbed. I wanted to go deeper regarding an incredible broadcaster who, I think, will occupy even more time and space on BBC Radio 1 in 2022. One of the finest young voices on radio, Eleri is someone with a massive and busy future! Go and follow her on Instagram and Twitter. The Welsh-born broadcaster is a major talent who I can see producing her own podcasts and playing music around clubs throughout the world next year. If you want some background regarding the awesome Eleri, here is some information:

“Sian Eleri is one of the newest faces to BBC Radio 1. After being selected as part of Radio 1’s Christmas Presenter Search in 2019, she now hosts Radio 1’s Chillest Show every Sunday 7-9pm fulfilling a long-held dream to reach out and share her love of music with others. In 2020 an additional top class chill brand was added to her repertoire and was appointed the host of Radio 1’s Power Down Playlist which is it’s own show Mon-Wed at 10pm.

Sian has covered Annie Mac’s Future Sounds, hosting the London Grammar Listening Party for Radio 1 in conjunction with the release of their 3rd album, and presented at Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2021. Sian has interviewed the likes of Griff, Joe Lycett, Ashnikko, serpent with feet, Jordan Stephens & more; and these achievements within her first 4 months of appointment are testament to her passion, drive and love for her presenting work.

From radio to TV Sian will be hosting this years BIFA Awards red carpet and backstage highlights, talking to the best and brightest names in British independent film.

Hailing from Caernarfon, Sian is a proud Welsh speaker and regularly presents on BBC Radio Cymru. She currently hosts a Tuesday night music show and regularly covers for the likes of Huw Stephens. From 2018-2021 she also presented a weekly feature for Huw Stephens’ evening show, where she highlighted new releases from around the globe and guided listeners to music sites to explore and discover for themselves.

Sian is passionate about showcasing talent in the creative industries from Wales and beyond. She’s been a judge for the Welsh Music Prize 2019 & 2020, the British Podcast Awards 2020 & 2021, and curated a zine ‘Merched yn Gwneud Miwsig’ highlighting creative womxn in Wales across the arts. She’ll be judging at the AIM Awards in 2021.

Sian is an enthusiastic VO artist – with her warm, dulcet tones being heard representing clients like the BBC Archives, the Six Nations Championship, National Prison Radio, and British Council’s Selector Radio. She’s also voiced BBC podcast ‘Story of Miwsig’, and currently voices the All Day Chill mix on BBC Sounds.

The presenter also has experience in production – being a member of the teams behind Selector Radio with Jamz Supernova, BBC Introducing on Radio 1, and Radio 2’s Swing & Big Band Show with Clare Teal. A music podcast Sian produced called ‘Undertones’ is scheduled for release this year. She also produced and presented a BBC Radio Cymru 7-part series showcasing people’s unique and often difficult experiences of working on the pandemic’s frontline.

Sian studied Broadcast Journalism at the University of Leeds, becoming the valedictorian in the Media & Communication department and was awarded Best Female Newcomer at Leeds Student Radio. She went on to Goldsmiths to complete an MA in Sociocultural Linguistics, researching the intricacies and complexities of bilingualism, culture and identity.

Sian is great fun and a tastemaker for the future of music. She is enthusiastic, competitive, principled, and adventurous. Her interests span competitive swimming, design, environmental issues and sustainability”.

I really love Eleri’s work. As one of the new stars at BBC Radio 1, who knows just how far she can go! There are not that many interviews with Eleri online. I would love to know more about her favourite albums, childhood memories of music and, indeed, what she wants to achieve…not only next year, but throughout her career. We do get some useful insights and answers in a Music Week profile and interview from September:

“Sian Eleri presents The Chillest Show on BBC Radio 1. Here, the DJ reveals how she got into the station and talks opportunity, on-air lessons and the value of radio...

Are there enough opportunities for young DJs and presenters from all backgrounds in the UK?

“I feel there’s a real gear-shift at the moment. It’s a notoriously difficult industry to crack – it’s taken me six years to get my foot in the door! But I’ve got an inclusive scheme to thank for my job at Radio 1. It’s true that hearing people who sound like you, or come from a similar background, make you feel like you could belong in that world – so voices like Huw Stephens’ on a national station made me feel like being a presenter wasn’t completely out of reach, despite being from opposite ends of Wales. I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing more accents, dialects and regional voices in the coming years, and having more broadcasters from marginalised communities can only be a good thing. A big shout-out to my wonderful colleague Jaguar, too, who’s created the free Future1000 scheme, promoting and educating young budding DJs from all corners of the country. Schemes like these are a positive force for change.

How do you want to impact Radio 1?

“I count my lucky stars that I present what’s been my favourite Radio 1 show for several years [The Chillest Show]. In part, because it encourages looking after ourselves and looking out for each other. In September, I’ll be taking over from Annie Mac as the host of Power Down Playlist with a new timeslot, so having the opportunity to share more mellow music in a calm space with focus on wellbeing is so special. I’m also keen to support more music outside the English language.”

Why is radio still valuable to the music industry?

“Radio is intimate. Being someone’s friend on air is a privilege. There’s no other medium quite like it. It’s a pleasure to champion artists for the benefit of the listener but the creator too; from finding someone’s new favourite obsession, to playing unsigned emerging artists with the potential of it leading to fantastic opportunities for them. It’s a win-win. Also, as a massive radio fan, I’m desperate to know who some of my favourite DJs are listening to. I hung on to Zane Lowe’s every word as a teen because I wanted to be as cool as him!”

What’s the biggest on-air lesson you’ve learned so far?

“Honestly, not being so hard on myself! I’m still learning, but I definitely don’t get as rattled if I do a messy link. I met Nick Grimshaw before my first show, I was a bag of nerves and he said, ‘If you make a mistake, it’s charming!’ I’ll always love him for that.”

You’re running the music business for a day. What do you change?

“I feel really strongly about fairness and expanding opportunities for everyone. From artists getting fair pay, to womxn and non-binary musicians being fairly represented on festival line-ups and labels expanding horizons supporting artists from outside London”.

I am going to finish up in a second. Sian Eleri is someone who champions diversity and inclusion. I feel she will go on to present a big show for BBC Radio 1. Maybe it will champion new artists - but she is definitely to keep growing and move up. As I said, I would love to hear podcasts and more bits from the amazing broadcaster and D.J. Her music tastes and choices are sublime. Hearing a Eleri D.J. set or a show where she simply plays her favourite tracks would be amazing. As she told Music Week, she wants to play more non-English acts. Eleri has taken over two great shows (one formerly hosted by Annie Mac), and it is clear she is very happy and excited to be at BBC Radio 1. Although these are early days, I believe Eleri will be a huge pioneer, champion and name who will make space for artists otherwise resigned to the side-lines. With many years and decades to come, this is a radio career that will blossom! Beyond radio, I also believe that Eleri will do T.V. and she will expand her career. It is very interesting when you encounter such a promising and passionate broadcasters and D.J. I (and so many other people) know that Sian Eleri is…

GOING to go a very long way.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Amazon Music’s Artists to Watch 2022

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The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Jaz Karis 

Amazon Music’s Artists to Watch 2022

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MAYBE I am a bit late to this…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Mysterines

but I wanted to put together a playlist of songs with artists to watch in 2022. Amazon Music announced their ones to watch last month. There are some great artists in the pack who are going to do some incredible things this year:

“Amazon Music has announced its Artists To Watch 2022 list, highlighting UK talent on the rise who will be supported by Amazon Music over the next 12 months.

The 25 artists, who were handpicked by Amazon Music’s programming team, include a wide range of genres and musical styles.

The artists featured on the list are: Amaria BB, Anz, BandoKay, Chrissi, Cian Ducrot, Cristale, Emily Nash, Etaoin, Ewan McVicar, French The Kid, Gracey, HYYTS, Jasper Tygner, Jaz Karis, Kali Claire, Lola Young, Nova Twins, PinkPantheress, Priya Ragu, Police Car Collective, Tadhg Daly, Tems, The Mysterines, Thomas Headon and Wet Leg.

The support provided by Amazon Music includes video and audio content, global marketing, increased visibility across Amazon Music’s playlists, programming and high-profile Amazon Original tracks available only on Amazon Music.

The Artists To Watch 2022 artists will be supported through placements across Amazon Music’s playlists and stations throughout the year, alongside an additional focus on new releases and partnership opportunities which will be announced next year.

Previous artists who have featured on the Artists to Watch list since its inception include well-known names such as Billie Eilish, AJ Tracey, Dave, Ray Blk, The Amazons, Jorja Smith, Mabel, Sam Fender, Bugzy Malone, Slowthai and L Devine, and more recent artists such as Olivia Dean, Berwyn, Baby Queen, Holly Humberstone and Pa Salieu.

Amazon Music also celebrates UK artists across the globe through curated playlists like +44, the brand which is dedicated to spotlighting and celebrating UK rap, R&B, grime, drill and Afrobeats”.

To mark Amazon Music’s list of who they think will be big this year, the Lockdown Playlist below is a song from the artists named. It is an eclectic selection of songs from promising and diverse artists who are sure to be…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Wet Leg/PHOTO CREDIT: Frances Beach

BIG in 2022.

FEATURE: Inspired By… Part Forty-Three: Blondie

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Inspired By…

Part Forty-Three: Blondie

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I have not featured that many bands…

 PHOTO CREDIT: S. Savenok/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

in this series. Led by the incredible Debbie Harry, I wanted to include Blondie in Inspired By… They are a hugely important and influential band who have seen so many other artists follow their lead and sound. Before coming to the playlist, AllMusic give us some information about the iconic band:

“Embracing a broad range of pop music that encompassed British Invasion rock, garage rock, disco, reggae, Latin rhythms, and hip-hop, Blondie was the most commercially successful band to emerge from the New York punk/new wave community of the late '70s. The group was formed in New York City in August 1974 by singer Deborah Harry (b. July 1, 1945, Miami, Florida), formerly of the folk-pop group Wind in the Willows, and guitarist Chris Stein (b. January 5, 1950, Brooklyn, New York) out of the remnants of Harry's previous group, the Stilettos. The lineup fluctuated over the next year; drummer Clement Burke (b. November 24, 1955, New York) joined in May 1975, and bassist Gary Valentine signed on in August, while keyboard player James Destri (b. April 13, 1954) came on board in October, completing the initial permanent lineup. One of the first bands on the CBGB scene to score a record deal, Blondie released their first album, Blondie, on Private Stock Records in December 1976. In July 1977, Valentine was replaced by Frank Infante.

In August 1977, Chrysalis Records bought Blondie's contract from Private Stock and in October released their second album, Plastic Letters. (Chrysalis also reissued the debut LP.) Blondie expanded to a sextet in November with the addition of bassist Nigel Harrison (born in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, England), as Infante switched to guitar. Blondie broke commercially in the U.K. in March 1978, when their cover of Randy & the Rainbows' 1963 hit "Denise," renamed "Denis," became a Top Ten hit, as did Plastic Letters, followed by a second U.K. Top Ten, "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear." Blondie turned to U.K. producer/songwriter Mike Chapman for their third album, Parallel Lines, which was released in September 1978 and eventually broke them worldwide. "Picture This" became a U.K. Top 40 hit, and "Hanging on the Telephone" made the U.K. Top Ten, but it was the album's third single, the disco-influenced "Heart of Glass," that took Blondie to number one in both the U.K. and the U.S. "Sunday Girl" hit number one in the U.K. in May, and "One Way or Another" hit the U.S. Top 40 in August. Blondie followed with their fourth album, Eat to the Beat, in October. Its first single, "Dreaming," went Top Ten in the U.K., Top 40 in the U.S. The second U.K. single, "Union City Blue," went Top 40. In March 1980, the third U.K. single from Eat to the Beat, "Atomic," became the group's third British number one. (It later made the U.S. Top 40.)

Meanwhile, Harry was collaborating with German disco producer Giorgio Moroder on "Call Me," the theme from the movie American Gigolo. It became Blondie's second transatlantic chart-topper. Blondie's fifth album, Autoamerican, was released in November 1980, and its first single was the reggae-ish tune "The Tide Is High," which went to number one in the U.S. and U.K. The second single was the rap-oriented "Rapture," which topped the U.S. pop charts and went Top Ten in the U.K. But the band's eclectic style reflected a diminished participation by its members: Infante sued, charging that he wasn't being used on the records, though he settled and stayed in the lineup. In 1981, the members of Blondie worked on individual projects, notably Harry's gold-selling solo album, KooKoo. The Best of Blondie was released in the fall of the year. The Hunter, Blondie's sixth album, was released in May 1982, preceded by the single "Island of Lost Souls," a Top 40 hit in the U.S. and U.K. "War Child" also became a Top 40 hit in the U.K., but The Hunter was a commercial disappointment, as was the concert tour that followed.

By the time The Hunter was completed, Stein became seriously ill with the genetic disease pemphigus. As a result, Blondie quietly broke up in October 1982, with Debbie Harry launching a part-time solo career while caring for Stein, who eventually recovered. In 1998, a new Blondie lineup anchored by Harry, Stein, Destri, and Burke united to tour Europe, their first series of dates in 16 years; a new LP, No Exit, followed early the next year. After more touring, another studio set, The Curse of Blondie, followed in 2003, and a DVD of the Live by Request program from A&E was released in 2004. In 2006, Blondie celebrated their 30th anniversary with their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the release of Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision, a best-of collection that contained all their classic videos as well. Blondie got back to work on original material in October 2009, decamping to upstate New York to start recording a new studio album. Additional sessions were held in Hoboken, and the resulting Panic of Girls was released in July 2011. In 2013, Blondie set out on a concert tour with another iconic female-fronted band, X, and returned to the recording studio to work on a new studio set, which was released in 2014 as Ghosts of Download. Three years later, Blondie teamed with producer John Congleton for Pollinator, which featured songs and cameos from the likes of Charli XCX, Nick Valensi of the Strokes, Sia Fuller, Blood Orange, Dave Sitek, and Johnny Marr”.

To show the wide influence and relevance of Blondie, the playlist below collects songs from artists who are either influenced by the band, or they have been compared in some way. Here are some great tracks from those who are influenced by…

THE legendary New York band.

FEATURE: Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots: ‘Christmas Time’, 1978 (Bernard Fallon)

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots

PHOTO CREDIT: Bernard Fallon 

‘Christmas Time’, 1978 (Bernard Fallon)

___________

I am a few days late here…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Bernard Fallon 

but, to salvage the remnants of Christmas to keep the spirit going for a little longer, this part of the series where I explore iconic photos of Kate Bush takes us back to Christmas. Some might quibble as to whether the photo at the top is ‘iconic’. I think it is, in the sense it is such an eye-catching and memorable photo. One might not even know about the series of shots Bernard Fallon took in 1978. Because I am soon marking the forty-fourth anniversary of her debut album, The Kick Inside (which celebrates that anniversary in February), I am interested in 1978 and everything Bush got up to that year. Many know that The Beatles had a packed 1967, though one can look at Kate Bush in 1978 and also wonder how the hell she managed to release two albums, promote her music around the world and still be able to have any energy or impetus to look ahead! I also want to bring in the article that went along with the photos. For Tune-In, Jan Etherington published a feature called Tales of Christmas Past. Bush was asked about her childhood Christmas experience, in addition to her career so far and what goes next. I am going to quote from that interview, before giving  more of my thoughts about the photo I have selected as the very best from Bernard Fallon:

“IT'S a great compliment in a business where comparisons are a way of life and most things are derivative, that Kate Bush has emerged as an original. Her extraordinary first single "Wuthering Heights," which she wrote after watching the film on television, enabled Kate to move into the Number One spot for such an astonishing length of time that she practically bought the freehold. She'd barely vacated the premises when her second single "The Man With the Child In His Eyes," a haunting look at adolescent fantasy which she wrote four years ago, plus an album of her own songs, The Kick Inside, won her a gold record, proving that Kate Bush. far from being a one-hit wonder was definitely - something.

PHOTO CREDIT: Bernard Fallon 

Still only 20, music has always been a part of her life. She began writing songs when she was 11 and grew up in a loving, caring family always ready with help, advice and encouragement. Her father, a doctor, plays well and one of her brothers, Paddy, makes and plays musical instruments and appears on Kate's albums. Her other brother, John, is a poet and writer and is married with two sons.

Only the slightest excuse is needed by Kate and her brothers for a family get-together and Christmas in the Bush household tends to be a Dickensian affair.

"I've always loved Christmas,"- she says. "It's a very special time. It has it's own special vibe. It's marvelous now, with my two nephews, seeing Christmas through a child's eyes. I remember getting a toy from my brother, Paddy, one year-- a little cooker. He broke it. He didn't mean to, but it's so heartbreaking when you're a kid. "We all get together as family for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and because we're all so close, we have a terrific time. One thing I really love is the tree. It's wonderful to have a real tree in the house, the smell and colour is so beautiful. I really look forward to Christmas at home."

But for Kate, one thing's missing. Turkey is out. For four years she's been a vegetarian.

Kate's arrival on the pop scene came after a long period of waiting in the wings. EMI put her under contract three years ago after hearing a demo tape prepared by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. Very impressed, they felt, however, that Kate should spend some time writing before she was launched.

Kate found it a strange period of limbo.

"Once I got the contract I presumed things would happen. I didn't go on holiday in case they called me to do some recording. But nothing happened. Finally I decided to study dance because I felt at least that would be something progressive."

It was a wise move. Her classes in dance and mime with Arlene Phillips and Lindsay Kemp have added enormously to Kate's impact as a visual performer, although Kate found the lessons no easy task.

"There's an awful lot of dance training in mime and I found it very difficult because I'd never danced before. A lot of the other people in the classes were good and I was useless. I looked an idiot for months and I used to get so depressed and frustrated because I couldn't do it but challenge is very important to me and I was really tough with myself to carry on and stop looking a fool. If you don't dare a little you won't progress."

Her continuous movement on stage is one literal way in which she manifests her horror of remaining static as a musician and a writer. She had four years to get together the songs which gave her the initial impact”.

Success has given her many things. but it's taken away her time to herself.

"Sometimes I get really worried because I'm not sure if I can ever write another song. but that's often because I've not had enough time to get the flow going. It's very inspiring sometimes to write under pressure because you're in a very extreme emotional state and enjoying new experiences.

What I do find a problem, is actually being left alone to put it on paper. I can't remember the last time I was alone for any length of time, even a day. It must be well over a year. I miss being by myself very, very much but it's very difficult because you can't just ask people to leave, they don't understand.

When I was studying dance and writing songs I was alone a lot, but I was being so creative and I got so much done. I think it was probably one of the best times of my life: I was really happy."

Not that she's unhappy at the moment but she realises that one album doth not a legend make, even if it was a gold one, and her new album Lionheart will be very important. She's very happy with it, she feels it's a major progression.

PHOTO CREDIT: Bernard Fallon  

"Writing songs is what I'm good at and I really do feel it's what I'm meant to do. What I'm here for. I can't think of anything else that would be as fullfilling and I would be happy to be just a songwriter, full stop. But there are always new beginnings. As soon as you climb one wall, there's another wall to climb. The first album was a showcase, a foot in the door if you like, and it's very important for me to change and improve. I think I can be reasonably objective about my own work and I was lucky to get the songs together for Lionheart. There are no special themes because I always treat each song as a separate entity and work on them one at a time but I think many other songs are much more up-tempo. I love rock songs but normally they're just three chords and I don't believe in that sort of writing. I like a really strong melody line and that was a technique to learn but l seem to have cracked it. It's pleased me, anyway."

She's confident enough to know when she's done a good job and appears to have all the necessary ingredients for survival and sanity in the music business. She also has all the strong characteristics of her Leo birthsign. It was she, for instance, as a young unknown, who over-ruled EMl's first choice and insisted that they release "Wuthering Heights" as her debut single.

"For me "Wuthering Heights" was the only single and I felt very strongly about it. Eventually they agreed, but it would have been terrible if it had failed after all the effort I had put into it”.

I really love the festivity of the photos taken by Bernard Fallon. There are a lot of great photos from 1978, though none that match the fun of the Christmas shots. Bush looked relaxed and in a good spirits. She was not even at the end of an enormously busy year. I can only imagine how much she was looking forward to Christmas that year! A chance to spend time with family and have some time off. 1979 was another busy year where she went from two studio albums to her huge The Tour of Life (that took her around Europe). Capturing Kate Bush in a relaxed and upbeat mood, the range of photos Fallon took are really incredible and memorable. I especially love that photo of her by the mantelpiece with a card in her hand. You get a few different angles of Kate Bush at Christmas. From smarter and more elegant clothing to her more comfortable and causal, it is one of the great photoshoots! I may return to these photos when I discuss The Kick Inside, ahead of its forty-fourth anniverssary. I will do a few more parts of this feature that explores iconic photos of Kate Bush. For this one, I wanted to go back to 1978 and highlight…  

A late slice of Christmas.

FEATURE: Ask the Angels: The Legendary Patti Smith at Seventy-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

Ask the Angels

PHOTO CREDIT: Gasper Tringle 

The Legendary Patti Smith at Seventy-Five

___________

ON Thursday (30th)…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Judy Linn

the genius that is Patti Smith celebrates her seventy-fifth birthday. Similar to my Inspired By… and A Buyer’s Guide features, I am going to source an extensive biography from AllMusic. I wanted to use this occasion to put together a playlist containing some of Smith’s best tracks. Ahead of a milestone birthday of one of music’s greatest artists and voices, here is some information about the iconic Patti Smith:

“Punk rock's poet laureate Patti Smith ranks among the most ambitious, unconventional, and challenging rock & rollers of all time. When she emerged in the '70s, Smith's music was hailed as the most exciting fusion of rock and poetry since Bob Dylan's heyday. With her androgynous, visual presentation echoing her unabashedly intellectual and uncompromising songwriting, Smith followed her muse wherever it took her, from structured rock songs to free-form experimentalism. Her most avant-garde outings, such as 1975's Horses and the following year's Radio Ethiopia, borrowed improvisation and interplay from free jazz, but remained firmly rooted in primal three-chord rock & roll. A regular at CBGB's during New York punk's early days, the artiness and the raw musicianship of her work had a major impact on the movement among contemporaries and followers alike. As boundary-pushing as her music could be, Smith nevertheless scored a hit in the Bruce Springsteen collaboration "Because the Night" from 1978's Easter, which, like 1979's Wave, offered a slightly more polished version of her sound. When she returned to music following a lengthy hiatus and the death of her husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith, her work was sometimes subtler and more meditative, as on 1996's Gone Again, but rock was still a fiery, vital part of albums like 2000's Grammy-nominated Gung Ho and 2012's Banga. Her other projects in the 2010s and 2020s, such as her National Book Award-winning memoir Just Kids and her work with Soundwalk Collective on albums like 2020's Peradam, proved her expression was as boundless as ever.

Smith was born in Chicago on December 30, 1946. Her parents moved to Philadelphia when she was three, and then to the nearby, less urban town of Woodbury, New Jersey, when she was nine. Something of an outcast in high school, she found salvation in the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud, the writings of the Beat poets, and the music of soul and rock artists like James Brown, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, and especially Bob Dylan. She attended Glassboro State Teachers College, but dropped out due to an unplanned pregnancy. She gave the baby up for adoption and took a job on a factory assembly line, thus saving enough money to move to New York City in 1967. She worked in a bookstore and met art student/future photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who became her lover despite living most of his adult life as a gay man. In 1969, Smith went to Paris with her sister, busking on the streets as a performance artist. Upon her return, she moved into the Chelsea Hotel with Mapplethorpe for a brief period, then became involved with underground theater.

With playwright and partner Sam Shepard, she co-authored and co-starred with him in the somewhat autobiographical play Cowboy Mouth in 1971. During this time, she was also working on her poetry as a member of the St. Mark's Poetry Project, and met guitarist Lenny Kaye, also a Bleecker Street record store clerk and rock critic. Kaye had written a magazine essay on doo wop that impressed Smith, and the two found that they shared a love of early and obscure rock & roll. When Smith gave a public poetry reading at St. Mark's Church in February 1971, she invited Kaye to accompany her on the electric guitar for three pieces. Over the next two years, Smith continued to perform in plays and poetry readings; she also wrote for Rolling Stone and Creem, published two volumes of her poems, and contributed lyrics to the literary-minded metal band Blue Öyster Cult.

Smith and Kaye performed again in late 1973, and their partnership grew into a much more regular occurrence. The following year, they added pianist/keyboardist Richard Sohl, and their performances grew into unique blends of Beat-influenced poetry, improvised spoken word with equally spontaneous musical backing, and covers of rock & roll oldies. Regular gigs around New York cemented their growing reputation, and in June 1974, with Mapplethorpe paying for studio time, the band cut a groundbreaking independent single, "Hey Joe" b/w "Piss Factory." The former added a monologue about Patty Hearst, while the latter recounted Smith's stint as an assembly line worker in vivid detail, incorporating lyrical snippets from the rock records in which she took solace. Both songs featured Television guitarist Tom Verlaine, and along with Television's own "Little Johnny Jewel," the single helped kick-start the independent, D.I.Y. aesthetic that remains punk rock's hallmark.

In late 1974, Smith and her band played a few gigs on the West Coast. When they returned, they added guitarist/bassist Ivan Kral to flesh out their sound, and joined Television as part of the emerging new rock scene at CBGB's, a dive bar in the Bowery. Their two-month stand in early 1975 sometimes featured drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, who became a regular member, and attracted the notice of Arista Records president Clive Davis, who offered Smith a record deal. She entered the studio with ex-Velvet Underground member John Cale serving as producer, and in late 1975 released her debut album, Horses, which was essentially the first art-punk album. Rapturously received by most critics, Horses offered unorthodox covers of party rock tunes like "Gloria" and "Land of 1000 Dances" (Smith opened the former with the declaration "Jesus died for someone's sins, but not mine"), as well as a mix of original songs and lengthy, improv-driven spoken word pieces; it sold well enough to climb into the Top 50.

The 1976 follow-up, Radio Ethiopia, was credited to the Patti Smith Group, and placed some of Smith's most straightforward rock songs ("Ask the Angels," "Pumping [My Heart]") directly alongside some of her most experimental, free-form pieces (the title track). In early 1977, Smith was performing in Tampa, Florida, when she twirled herself right off the stage; she broke two vertebrae in her neck and was forced to take some time off to recuperate. During that period, she wrote a book of poetry titled Babel. She returned to recording in 1978 with Easter, a more accessible nod in the direction of album rock radio, which featured her writing collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, "Because the Night." The ballad climbed to number 13 on the pop charts and sent Easter into the Top 20.

Smith's sound became increasingly polished on 1979's Wave, thanks in part to new producer Todd Rundgren. Two of the album's tracks, "Dancing Barefoot" and "Frederick," were dedicated to MC5/Sonic's Rendezvous Band guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, and the couple married in 1980. She retired to a life of domesticity near Detroit, raising two children with her husband. In 1988, Smith re-emerged with Dream of Life, on which Fred co-wrote all the material and also played guitar, with backing by Smith Group members Sohl and Daugherty. Following its release, Smith disappeared from music again but continued to write, completing a poetry collection called Woolgathering (among other projects), and gave occasional readings.

As the '80s became the '90s, Smith lost some of those closest to her. Longtime friend and album-cover photographer Mapplethorpe died in 1989, followed a year later by pianist Richard Sohl. At the end of 1994, both her husband and her brother Todd died of heart failure within a month of one another. Smith returned to performing as a means of therapy, and re-formed the Patti Smith Group -- with Kaye, Daugherty, and new bassist Tony Shanahan -- for a few small-scale tours including a December 1995 excursion with Bob Dylan that R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe documented in the book Two Times Intro.

The following year, Smith moved back to New York. She and the group then headed into the studio to record Gone Again, which featured a new second guitarist in Oliver Ray and guest spots from Tom Verlaine, John Cale, and Jeff Buckley. Gone Again took a stronger, more optimistic tone than might have been expected, and was well-received by many critics. That year, Smith also appeared on "E-Bow the Letter" from R.E.M.'s New Adventures in Hi-Fi, and published The Coral Sea, a book of poetry inspired by Mapplethorpe. Following closely on Gone Again's heels, Peace and Noise appeared in 1997 and earned a Grammy nomination for the track "1959"; a much darker affair than its predecessor, it took into account the deaths of two more of Smith's inspirations, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. Smith returned in 2000 with Gung Ho, the most aggressive-sounding and socially conscious album of her comeback; the song "Glitter in Their Eyes" earned her a second Grammy nomination.

Smith and Arista parted ways in 2002, with the label issuing Land (1975-2002), a double-disc compilation of hits and rarities, as a wrap-up. Her first album for Columbia, Trampin', appeared in 2004 and included songs about the loss of her mother. The following year, Smith celebrated the 30th anniversary of Horses' release with the first live performance of the album in its entirety at London's Meltdown Festival, which she curated. Arista also reissued the album in a deluxe two-CD 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition. Also in 2005, the French Ministry of Culture named Smith a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. The following year, she performed at CBGB's final concert. On March 12, 2007, Smith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Van Halen, the Ronettes, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and R.E.M. She released an album of typically eclectic covers, Twelve, that same year. In 2008, she issued The Coral Sea as a live album pairing readings from the book with music by Kevin Shields, and was the subject of Stephen Sebring's acclaimed documentary Patti Smith: Dream of Life.

Smith's creative streak continued during the 2010s. Her 2010 memoir about her life with Mapplethorpe, Just Kids,

won the National Book Award for Non-Fiction for that year. In 2011, Sony Legacy released a single-disc, career-spanning compilation, Outside Society, featuring recordings from her Arista and Columbia catalogs. Just after the recording was released, Smith, along with the Kronos Quartet, won Sweden's prestigious Polar Prize for "devoting her life to art in all its forms." Smith also contributed both a 12" x 12" original print and an audio track to the ultra-limited-edition, multi-artist Legacy box set 15 Minutes: Homage to Andy Warhol. That year, she also exhibited her first collection of photography, Camera Solo, at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and contributed songs to the Buddy Holly tribute Rave on Buddy Holly and the soundtrack to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Smith released Banga, her 11th studio album, in 2012. Along with her regular band, guests included her two children, Jackson and Jessi, Tom Verlaine, and Jack Petruzzelli. After meeting Stephen Crasneanscki of Soundwalk Collective in Paris, she became a frequent collaborator with the field-recording, globe-trotting group. Their first collaboration was Killer Road, an homage to Nico that chronicled her final days in Ibiza. Featuring the sounds of the island as well as poetry and vocals by Smith and her daughter Jesse, Killer Road was staged in New York City and Berlin in 2014 and released as an album that combined live and studio recordings two years later.

In 2015, Smith, her children, and her band recorded "Aqua Teen Dream" for the series finale of the Adult Swim cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force, one of her favorite shows. Among her other projects, Smith appeared in Terrence Malick's 2017 documentary Song to Song, while the concert/documentary film Horses: Patti Smith and Her Band appeared in 2018. The following year, she reunited with Soundwalk Collective for The Perfect Vision, a trilogy of albums about French poets. First up was that May's The Peyote Dance, a work inspired by Antonin Artaud's time with the Rarámuri, an indigenous people of Mexico's Sierra Tarahumara region. That November's Mummer Love also featured Philip Glass and Mulatu Astatke as it explored Arthur Rimbaud's spiritual journey to Harar, Ethiopia. The final volume of the project, September 2020's Peradam, was inspired by the metaphysical voyage in René Daumal's novel Mount Analogue. Along with Smith's poems and vocalizations, it included contributions from Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tenzin Choegyal, and Anoushka Shankar, as well as field recordings captured in the Himalayas and the Indian cities of Rishikesh and Varanasi”.

The songs below show what an enduring and unique talent Patti Smith is. It is almost ten years since his latest studio album, Banga, came out. I wonder whether we will get any more material from her (let us hope so!). This playlist is a salute and nod to a phenomenal artist. It is left for me to wish Patti Smith…

A happy seventy-fifth birthday.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Olivia Dean

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Olivia Dean

___________

ONE of the best E.P.s of this year…

came from Olivia Dean. Growth is one that I have been listening to since it came out. I will come to a couple of interviews around Growth soon. The East London artist is one of the best in the country. After a tough lockdown, she has been able to perform a few gigs this year. I think that 2022 will be a very prosperous and busy one for Dean. The first interview I want to come to is from NME. She spoke with them back in March ahead of performing at their Girls to the Front International Women’s Day:

“Everybody knows that the music industry is a boys club”, says fast-rising singer-songwriter Olivia Dean. “I’ve come across a lot of different, weird situations. And it’s interesting; I think at the time, you have to get through it, and then process it afterwards. You often think to yourself, ‘Oh, was that weird? What happened? Was that OK?’”.

The London-born vocalist, who is set to release her anthemic new single ‘Be My Own Boyfriend’ soon, has spent the formative years of her career breaking down barriers for female and non-binary artists through her music. Inspired heavily by her mother – who is part of the Women’s Equality Party – Dean’s commitment to change is threaded through her soulful pop songs, which explore independence, self-empowerment, and tackling misogyny in the music industry.

For Dean, championing female and non-binary talent has long been an integral part of her creative process, having worked exclusively with female music video directors since she made her debut in 2018 with ‘Reason To Say’, a soft, slinky neo-soul number. “I feel like my music is for everyone to enjoy and I want everyone to feel they can relate to it,” the 21-year-old says. “But I’m a woman, so it definitely all comes from a female perspective”.

There is so much passion, beauty and incredible sounds that we hear on Growth. An E.P. I hope will lead to an album, go and listen to it if you have not done so already. Pop Sugar spoke with her in May about her romantic side, in addition to how Soul is a big drive and inspiration for her:

“Olivia Dean is a hopeless romantic. She's deeply inspired by honesty and vulnerability, and strongly believes that you have to be happy in your own company before you're able to let someone else in. This self-awareness is evident in her music too: a soulful selection of tracks that centre around self-love, vulnerability, and personal growth. In fact, her latest single, "Be My Own Boyfriend", is an ode to loving yourself, and it's a result of the lessons Dean learnt during lockdown. We caught up with the artist to talk the BRIT School, music inspiration, and learning how to be alone.

Dean's musical journey began at the BRIT School, but there's an element of performance that's always been in her blood. "I was really shy as a child and my mum was like, 'You need to go and talk to all the children and become more confident,'" the singer told POPSUGAR. "I went to Saturday school and I started singing and I loved it and I did musical theatre first. I think I really enjoyed hearing other people's stories and seeing the drama of it all. Then I went to BRIT School for four years after that and I started songwriting there. I met some people that are in my band now, and I just fell in love with singing my own stories. Writing became very therapeutic to me, and very necessary." When it comes to a school that prestigious, there's an allure of mystery about how it all works, but according to Dean, "It's just a normal school. I did my GCSE there, but then you're able to do your one specific creative strand that you do. And then in sixth form, you do only music, or things like dance."

 "I'm really inspired by honesty and genuine human connection, people being vulnerable and just actually saying [what they mean] and not sort of dancing around it."

In terms of her inspiration, Dean told us: "I think musically what really inspires me is soul singers. I love voices and I love lyrics. I've always loved the Motown era, and Carole King, and Aretha Franklin. Amy Winehouse was a really big person for me growing up too, she was very iconic." In terms of her personal inspiration, though, Dean noted: "I'm really inspired by honesty and genuine human connection, people being vulnerable and just actually saying [what they mean] and not sort of dancing around it. I think that's really cool. I guess that's what inspires me."

Dean spent a lot of time on her own during lockdown, and it's that alone time that led to her writing her latest single, "Be My Own Boyfriend". Prior to lockdown, Dean was pretty good at spending time with herself, and she strongly believes, "If you're already happy with your own company, then anyone else who walks into your life is just an addition." In terms of the track itself, the singer explained: "I spent a lot of time with myself and I'd recently come out of a breakup and I was just like, 'Hang on a minute, I think I'm my own boyfriend.' I learned to love my own company so much that I just really wanted to write a song about it. We wrote it in one day and I'm so proud of it."

She added: "I think I'm quite a hopeless romantic. I've always been kind of obsessed with love and a lot of my music is about love, and I think I've been in love a lot since I was 16. I love being in love with people and I think that after I came out of my last relationship, I was like, 'Where do I give all my love? Who do I send it to?”.

Her upcoming EP is aptly named Growth and sees Dean exploring more of the same themes of self-love, honesty, and personal development. "More so than in my previous music, I've been writing more about me and less about how another person's made me feel," she said. "It's about everything I've learned in the last year. It's quite a downtempo project, which wasn't my intention to really make, because I had just released quite a sad breakup EP, but I think this year has been quite downtempo, so I'm not going to come out with all this mad party music even though I do really want to party. The project is about growth in many senses, about my hair growing, and my ideas about myself and how I look at love. I really hope people like it. I'm excited for people to hear it, it feels like quite a vulnerable project." As for the release date, Dean admitted that there isn't one yet, purely down to the fact that she's a self-proclaimed perfectionist who simply hasn't committed to one”.

Olivia Dean is an artist who makes music that needs to be heard on the stage. Whereas I think future music will be more alluring and uplifting, Growth is an E.P. that seems to reflect a more difficult time. We learn more about this in an August interview from DORK:  

“It’s been the most interesting year of my life,” she explains. “Considering everything, I’m pretty proud of myself. The first half of the last 18 months had been pretty hard. I spent a lot of time by myself in my flat.” The requirement to lock yourself away and lock yourself down was challenging for an artist who thrives on the visceral power and thrill of live performance. “I see myself as a live artist,” she affirms. “That’s what makes things feel full circle for me. Getting out of the studio and playing the songs live. I definitely feel like I write songs to play them. I was left feeling quite confused about what I was doing and what was my purpose.”

The new music she has been working on provides something of a considered soundtrack to this most unusual year. “I’m really proud of this project I’ve made,” she begins. “I see it as a time capsule of the last year. It’s quite downtempo, but I think this last year has been like that. It feels like the natural way for it to sound.”

The EP is called ‘Growth’, and it radiates with all the soulful warmth and tender emotional resonance that pierces through all Olivia’s music. “I’ve been singing since I was 8 years old,” she says of her formative musical years. “I always remember it being something that I wanted to do, but I didn’t start writing songs until I was 15 or 16.” When she did start writing, the songs she was creating became an outlet for feelings that she struggled to otherwise express. The power of music became Olivia’s language. “I was thinking about why I started songwriting, and surprisingly, as a person, I’m not really good at talking about how I’m feeling,” she says. “Especially with the people closest to me in my life. It was an avenue for me to express myself and figure out what was going on in my brain in a roundabout way rather than addressing it with the person.”

Perhaps the most frightening thing about wondering how the stark emotional songs will be received is the absence of playing them live and feel the connection between audience and performer. “I haven’t had the chance to try them out as I had with my song ‘Echo’ from my last EP,” says Olivia. “I was playing that for a year before it even came out. I was confident it was good because I had the validation from people going to gigs and telling me I love that one. With this music, no one has heard it.”

That sort of validation is important to Olivia, and it has left a void in her musical life. She tells a story of how she was organising a club night last year right before lockdown. “I was putting on a gig, and I started this night called Out Out, and I wanted to make it a monthly night and get my mates to play, and I was headlining the first night. I had just put out ‘Crosswords’, and everybody came down. Some people didn’t come because they were worried about this thing called Coronavirus, and I was like, ‘naaah, come down, it’s fine, don’t worry about it’. I played the song that had only come out a week before, and it got to the chorus, and everybody started singing it. That was something that you see on live performances at Glastonbury, and just the people singing it back hit me. I was like, ‘oh my god, people are connecting to this music’. I’m holding on to that moment, hoping that something else like that will happen again.”

The EP finds Olivia working with different people for the first time, but the mood is more brevity and emphasising what isn’t there rather than throwing the kitchen sink for a big sound. The more considered and soft approach felt right. “When I first started writing, it was just me on my piano,” she says. “That’s how this year has felt. It’s just been me and my piano. I didn’t really want to do too much to them. I just wanted to keep them as is and just let the songs speak. It’s less produced and a really good stepping stone to my album that will come in the near future.”

The power of the songs very much comes from the emotion and the delivery. “They’re all super dramatic and kind of sad,” laughs Olivia. “I said to myself I wasn’t going to write sad music, but I think that’s what I’m good at”.

One of our most talented and inspiring young artists, 2022 will be a year where Olivia Dean breaks out and ranks alongside the most talked-about stars. With a sound that is so fantastic and memorable, she is going to be around for many years to come. Take some time and follow her on social media. If you do not know about her now, then you surely will…

COME next year.

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Follow Olivia Dean

FEATURE: Visual Moments of Pleasure: My Five Favourite Kate Bush Music Videos

FEATURE:

 

 

Visual Moments of Pleasure

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush behind the scenes during her 1979 Christmas Special 

My Five Favourite Kate Bush Music Videos

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I don’t think I have done a feature like this…

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

but, apart from a couple of the videos I will list, my ranking and order shifts. I am going to list the five Kate Bush videos which I feel are the very best. Having featured in and/or directed some true greats, it is hard to whittle it down to the best five! In each case, I will say which album the song (whose video I feature) comes from, who produced the album, the video director, and how many YouTube views the video has to date (16th December). Every Kate Bush fan has their own reasons for loving particular music videos of hers. For me, I love how diverse and ambitious the videos are. Even the first one, Wuthering Heights (the U.K. version) is so different to anything else. Here are my five favourite music videos…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush directing the Hounds of Love video/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

OF a music pioneer.

____________

1. Wuthering Heights

From the Album: The Kick Inside (1978)

Single Release Date: 5th March, 1977

Producer: Andrew Powell

Video Director: Keef

YouTube Views (as of 16th December, 2021 – U.K. Version): 26,844,805

2. The Big Sky

From the Album: Hounds of Love (1985)

Single Release Date: 28th April, 1986

Producer: Kate Bush

Video Director: Kate Bush

YouTube Views (as of 16th December, 2021): 927,354

3. Babooshka

From the Album: Never for Ever (1980)

Single Release Date: 27th June, 1980

Producers: Kate Bush and Jon Kelly

Video Director: Keef

YouTube Views (as of 16th December, 2021): 30,287,108

4. Rubberband Girl

From the Album: The Red Shoes (1993)

Single Release Date: 6th September, 1993

Producer: Kate Bush

Video Director: Kate Bush

YouTube Views (as of 16th December, 2021 – U.K. Version): 1,336,174

5. Experiment IV

From the Album: The Whole Story (1986, greatest hits collection)

Single Release Date: 27th October, 1986

Producer: Kate Bush

Video Director: Kate Bush

YouTube Views (as of 16th December, 2021): 906,405

FEATURE: Revisiting... Sigrid – Sucker Punch

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting…

Sigrid – Sucker Punch

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FOR the next part of this series…

that revisits great albums from the past few years, I want to explore Sigrid’s debut album, Sucker Punch. The hotly-anticipated 2019 release from the Norwegian Pop artist, it followed the release of the 2018 E.P., Raw. I think that this is an album that is not played as much as it was back in 2019. There is talk about when we may get a second album from Sigrid. She is such a sensational, fresh and compelling artist. If you have not heard of Sigrid, I would recommend getting Sucker Punch. This is an album where Sigrid displays her songwriting talents (she co-wrote every track). The reviews for Sucker Punch were largely positive. Before closing up, I want to bring in a couple of example reviews. This is what AllMusic had to say when they reviewed Sucker Punch:

“Refreshingly youthful and age-appropriate, Norwegian singer/songwriter Sigrid's debut Sucker Punch captures the spirit of being a young adult navigating life and love while embracing the messiness of growth, making mistakes, and learning the ropes along the way. Landing in early 2019 after a couple years of steadily earned attention from singles "Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Sucker Punch," the album features Sigrid's empowering synth pop anthems punctuated by moments of reflective restraint that showcase her powerful vocals. At times joyous, at times pensive and full of heartache, Sucker Punch is simply full of life and its accompanying highs and lows.

Sigrid tackles uncertainty and self-doubt on "Basic," which drops out toward the end to reveal a vulnerable, imperfect peek behind the curtain. Later, she faces her problems instead of running away on the indie pop power move "Level Up." This confidence and maturity imbue Sucker Punch with plenty of charm, which lends itself to upbeat highlights such as "Don't Feel Like Crying" and "Sight of You," a pair of '90s throwbacks that channel Carly Rae Jepsen's best. Elsewhere, Robyn's electro-heart beats on "Strangers" while "Never Mine" provides an unlikely pairing to Taylor Swift's "Style." The album is primarily concerned with these beat-forward standouts, even while the poise and gravity of Sigrid's lyrics add depth to its dance-friendly nature. That sheen is stripped away for two key moments on Sucker Punch where her voice takes center stage, pushing her empowering messages of self-respect and inner strength to the fore. Echoing Adele in both instances, "In Vain" is for anyone who's ever wasted time and energy in a futile attempt to save someone, while "Dynamite" triumphantly closes the set with the content realization that self-worth is more important than a failing relationship any day. It's a simple joy to hear an artist in her early twenties sing songs that are so relatable and timeless while remaining unblemished by label-endorsed hyper-sexualization or tired tropes of fame. Sucker Punch is a masterful debut from a promising talent unafraid to just be herself”.

As this review from CLASH explains, Sigrid is not like many of her Pop peers, whereby streaming numbers and something formulaic is the key to their success. Instead, here is a genuine artist who has a unique lyrical, vocal and sonic edge:

“Sigrid’s ruthless ambition has taken her right to the top. The Norwegian star won the BBC Sound Of 2018 poll, and set about demolishing the rulebook, releasing bop after bop as she racked up more than 400 million global streams.

But she’s not just about numbers. What’s carried Sigrid so far is her electrifying pop touch, those searing vocals and a lyrical touch that translates the everyday into something truly magical.

Debut album ‘Sucker Punch’ is the perfect encapsulation of this. Opening with the title track – a statement of intent, for sure – it’s all blazing electronics, stadium production, and those pristine vocals, constantly searching, constantly reaching for something new.

Opening at breathless pace, ‘Sucker Punch’ is followed by the deft one-two of the sheer longing that dominates ‘Mine Right Now’ and the unadulterated lust that is ‘Basic’. Having mastered pop’s electronic sheen and twisted into something more personal, ‘Sucker Punch’ also affords space for Sigrid to take further risks.

‘Don’t Feel Like Crying’ is all orchestral stabs and slick vocal effects, while the delicate guitar line on ‘Level Up’ pursues one of Sigrid’s most open, emotive performances yet.

Ultimately, though, ‘Sucker Punch’ is dominated by a series of rushing highs, a flurry of absolute serotonin drops that race with energy and neon-drenched colour. ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ remains the bold, mountain-sized pop jewel it was on its first play, while ‘Strangers’ is an exercise in control and release, with those glacial synths giving way to an absolute club banger.

Closing with the classical piano flourishes that pepper ‘Dynamite’, Sigrid’s debut album is a compact, concise display of pop ambition, a finely balanced feat that puts the Norwegian talent’s innate abilities against her desire to stretch, to uncover something new.

A bold, tremulous feat, ‘Sucker Punch’ will leave you floored”.

Go and check out Sucker Punch if you have not heard it before (or not spun it for a while). It was one of 2019’s best albums, and undoubtedly one of the most important debut albums of that year. Not as explored as it was a couple of years back, it is an album that we all need to dig into. Ahead of a possible second album next year, spend some time revisiting…

SIGRID’S remarkable debut.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Los Bitchos

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Mitchell

Los Bitchos

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BEFORE rounding off for the year…

I am keen to highlight artists who will make a big impression in 2022. Los Bitchos consists Serra (guitar), Agustina (keytar), Josefine (bass) and Nic (drums). With tour dates set for next year, and their debut album, Let The Festivities Begin!, due on 4th February, here is a group that you need in your life. I am going to come to interviews that introduce us to Los Bitchos and what they are about. Spotlighting the group late last year, PRS for Music give us a nice overview:

“Los Bitchos, who describe their sound as ‘instrumental psychedelic sunshine cumbia,’ are the kind of band you’d dream of running into on an impromptu night out. Their sprit of fun and the Latin grooves they so effortlessly produce are highly contagious, capable of eking out a vigorous toe tap from the most resolute of ‘non-dancer’ stiffs.

The band met in London - though members hail from as far and as wide as Perth (Australia), Stockholm, Montevideo and Croydon - and have been lighting up stages and festivals ever since. Notably, the band have landed impressive tour support slots with artists like The Black Lips, Bill Ryder Jones and Mac De Marco, as well as having received copious support from taste makers such as BBC 6 Music’s Marc Riley and KEXP’s Cheryl Waters – check out their KEXP performance below, it’s a beauty.

Through Lockdown, the band have created their own radio show, Planet Bitchos, which metaphorically ‘hits the road’ each month to explore a new part of the world, meeting the locals and tuning into their music, stories and experiences. It’s definitely worth checking out, which you can do so here”.

I think their different backgrounds and cultures equates to music that is more eclectic and interesting than a lot of groups. They could have put together a rather wild and random sound together. As it is, everything hangs together so well and seamlessly. Back Seat Mafia spoke with the group last year about their experience with lockdown. They also asked what they wanted from 2021:

“The international outfit based in London came together from various quarters of the world – Australia, Uruguay, Sweden and the UK – and have created an exotic cocktail of their brand of balmy psychedelic-cumbia for the spirit-fuelled summer nights.

Despite 2020 taking away Los Bitchos’ many festival appearances, including at Austin’s SXSW, the quartet are still bringing the feel good times at Linecheck Festival on November 19th, which can be streamed online.

Ahead of the show, which you can watch from the comfort of your homes, we asked Los Bitchos a few questions.

For those that don’t know, can you talk us through the origins of the name?

Serra Petale: It was just a joke name that just popped into my head that I thought would fit the style of what we wanted to do. A lot of the cumbia/chicha bands have a Los in their name, so that was the inspiration.

What have you been up to during these times of lockdown and in between?

Agustina Ruiz: I’ve been studying online, doing yoga and got back to ballet classes.

Serra: I’ve been writing and cooking and playing lots of Mario Odyssey”.

What does the future hold for Los Bitchos leaving 2020 for hopefully a much brighter 2021?

Absolutely. We can not wait to hit the ground running with touring and you will be seeing an album from us in the new year. We promise!

You can catch Los Bitchos here as well as checking out their Worldwide FM show on the first Thursday of every month. See you down the front at. I’ll be the one with biscuit crumbs, dog hairs, holes in socks and all…”

I am going to finish with an interview from We Are Raw Meat. They profiled the band late last year - where Los Bitchos revealed that their debut album was almost done. As we know, the world will receive Let The Festivities Begin! on 4th February:

“DC: One of the most interesting things, I think, is genre. It’s a surfy kind of thing, where it’s obviously instrumental and guitar led and a lot of Latin America comes into it, but also Afrobeat.

A: And Turkish.

DC: Yeah, a lot of a sort of Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern kind of feel.

S: We love that sort of stuff.

DC: Was that a decision beforehand, or was that something that just kind of happened?

S: No, not at all. The Cumbia was a decision to do a Cumbia inspired instrumental band. No, it just evolved into what it evolved into, really, because we never really set out just to do any songs a specific way or to have a certain feel. It just sort of happens by accident in each of the songs, especially when you’re in the studio. Ever since we’ve been working with Alex as well, people’s ideas will just come to life. We’ll try something on a track.

DC: Are you going to continue single after single, or do an EP or an album?

J: We’re working on an album. It’s pretty much done.

A: We’re trying!

DC: Did you finish recording it before lockdown?

J: We finished recording in the studio, but we have more guitars and synths and bits and bobs to do.

S: The finishing touches. We like to yell on our tracks as well, so there needs to be more yelling, more body percussion.

J: We did ass slaps. We were like, oh, let’s clap, but it sounds really good when you slap your ass and you’re wearing jeans, so we did a little session of that”.

2020 and this year were not ideal years regarding gigs and being as active as they’d hope, though Los Bitchos have a lot planned for next year (including a slot at SXSW). Their debut album will be followed by gigs and some much-deserved exposure. I would urge people to follow the London-based band and follow their career. They are a group primed for something big. When it comes to the promising groups of 2022 set to explode, Los Bitchos are…

NEAR the top of the list.

____________

Follow Los Bitchos

FEATURE: You Could Smell the Child: Re-Exploring Kate Bush’s Pull Out the Pin

FEATURE:

 

 

You Could Smell the Child

PHOTO CREDIT: Clive Arrowsmith 

Re-Exploring Kate Bush’s Pull Out the Pin

___________

DESPITE the fact I have…

written about Kate Bush’s Pull Out the Pin before, it is a song I keep coming back to. From her fourth studio album, The Dreaming (1982), it is a track that does not get talked about. I think I have only heard it played on the radio once. An album that is not covered much on the airwaves, it is a shame more people do not go deep with an incredible release. To me, Pull Out the Pin contains some of Bush’s most vivid and striking lyrics: “You learn to ride the Earth/When you're living on your belly and the enemy are city-births/Who need radar?/We use scent/They stink of the west, stink of sweat/Stink of cologne and baccy, and all their Yankee hash”. Because The Dreaming is not the most commercial Kate Bush album, one does not really hear too many of the songs given a lot of play. I think that should change. Coming to the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia, we get some quotes from Bush herself about writing Pull Out the Pin:

 “I saw this incredible documentary by this Australian cameraman who went on the front line in Vietnam, filming from the Vietnamese point of view, so it was very biased against the Americans. He said it really changed him, because until you live on their level like that, when it's complete survival, you don't know what it's about. He's never been the same since, because it's so devastating, people dying all the time.

The way he portrayed the Vietnamese was as this really crafted, beautiful race. The Americans were these big, fat, pink, smelly things who the Vietnamese could smell coming for miles because of the tobacco and cologne. It was devastating, because you got the impression that the Americans were so heavy and awkward, and the Vietnamese were so beautiful and all getting wiped out. They wore a little silver Buddha on a chain around their neck and when they went into action they'd pop it into their mouth, so if they died they'd have Buddha on their lips. I wanted to write a song that could somehow convey the whole thing, so we set it in the jungle and had helicopters, crickets and little Balinese frogs. (Kris Needs, 'Dream Time In The Bush'. Zigzag (UK), November 1982)

I saw a programme with a camera man on the front line in Vietnam. The Vietnamese were portrayed as being very craftful people who treated their fighting as an art. They could literally smell the Americans coming through the jungle. Their culture of Coke cans and ice creams actually made them smell. Anyway, I learnt that before the Vietnamese went into action they popped a little silver Buddha in their mouths. I thought that was quite beautiful. Grotesque beauty attracts me. Negative images are often so interesting. (Robin Smith, 'Getting Down Under With Kate Bush', 1982)”.

Those who felt Bush was not a political songwriter or too concerned with deeper subjects should hear songs like Pull Out the Pin. She did nod to political subjects with Army Dreamers and Breathing from 1980’s Never for Ever. I feel that those songs are great, though they are not quite as edgy and experimental as Pull Out the Pin. It is a song that I wanted to come back to, as it is such a remarkable, complex and affecting piece. One of Bush’s most underrated and greatest works, it is one (of many) songs that deserves a lot more focus. If you are someone who has not heard Pull Out the Pin, then go and investigate it. Recorded at a moment when Kate Bush was pushing her music forward and, as a producer, mixing new sounds and ideas, there is something utterly exhilarating and exhausting about Pull Out the Pin. It is quite scary and dark, yet there is this strange energy and magic. On The Dreaming, you can hear more of Bush’s guttural voice (we also hear it on Get Out of My House and Houdini). At the end of Pull Out the Pin, she delivers this gutsy and pained vocal: “Just one thing in it:/Me or him/And I love life!/Just one thing in it:/Me or him/And I love life!/Just one thing in it:/Me or him/And I love life!/I love life!/I love life!”. The more you listen to Pull Out the Pin, the more you realise that it is…

A mesmeric track.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: George Michael - Faith

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

George Michael - Faith

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BECAUSE tomorrow…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Putland

marks five years since we lost the incredible George Michael, I wanted to feature his finest solo album in Vinyl Corner. Faith was released on 30th October, 1987. Such an outstanding and timeless record, Michael wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one (Look at Your Hands). Less Pop-orientated than his work with Wham!, it borrows more from Black-inspired Pop and R&B. I was very young when Faith was released, and I think it was the 1990s when I first heard it. The title track ranks alongside George Michael’s very best songs. There is a mix of uplifting and catchy choruses, introspective and personal lyrics, all tied together by Michael’s stunningly soulful and powerful voice. Faith peaked at number one on the U.K. album chart and US Billboard 200. Faith spawned four number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: Faith, Father Figure, One More Try, and Monkey. The album is easy and inexpensive to buy on vinyl. Retrospective reviews see Faith as one of the most important albums of the 1980s. It confirmed Michael as a major Pop superstar who was at the top of his game. Faith won Michael accolades, including Album of the Year at the 31st Grammy Awards. Michael was awarded three awards at the 1989 American Music Awards. There is no denying the quality and legacy of Faith!

Before finishing off, I am going to source a couple of reviews. Faith won acclaim in 1987 and, in years since, it has been celebrated and listened by multiple generations. Five years after the world said goodbye to one of music’s true icons, I hope that people listen to albums like Faith. In their review, AllMusic said the following about Faith:

“A superbly crafted mainstream pop/rock masterpiece, Faith made George Michael an international solo star, selling over ten million copies in the U.S. alone as of 2000. Perhaps even more impressively, it also made him the first white solo artist to hit number one on the R&B album charts. Michael had already proven the soulful power of his pipes by singing a duet with Aretha Franklin on the 1987 smash "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," but he went even farther when it came to crafting his own material, using sophisticated '70s soul as an indispensable part of his foundation. Of course, it's only a part. Faith's ingenuity lies in the way it straddles pop, adult contemporary, R&B, and dance music as though there were no distinctions between them. In addition to his basic repertoire of funky dance-pop and airy, shimmering ballads, Michael appropriates the Bo Diddley beat for the rockabilly-tinged title track, and proves himself a better-than-decent torch singer on the cocktail jazz of "Kissing a Fool." Michael arranged and produced the album himself, and the familiarity of many of these songs can obscure his skills in those departments -- close listening reveals his knack for shifting elements in and out of the mix and adding subtle embellishments when a little emphasis or variety is needed. Though Faith couldn't completely shake Michael's bubblegum image in some quarters, the album's themes were decidedly adult. "I Want Your Sex" was the most notorious example, of course, but even the love songs were strikingly personal and mature, grappling with complex adult desires and scarred by past heartbreak. All of it adds up to one of the finest pop albums of the '80s, setting a high-water mark that Michael was only able to reach in isolated moments afterward”.

I am a huge fan of George Michael, and I love most of his music. As much as I love Wham!, I feel his solo work is his very best. Faith is the most remarkable single work he released. Pitchfork noted, in their review, how Michael was trying to find out who he was and move forward at quite a dark time in his life. Faith seems like a reawakening and completely new phase for him:

“Michael felt isolated, anxious over what to do next—the future seemed elusive and unstable, as precarious as a song’s placement on the pop charts. He was sinking into what he would later characterize as an eight-month long-depression, wondering if he even wanted to return to music. In the spring of ’86, two months before the final Wham! Show at London’s Wembley Stadium, Michael released a solo single called “A Different Corner.” Accompanied by a stark, black-and-white video, it was a sad and strange song that seemed to disappear as it happened, the brief snowflakes of synth and Michael’s tenor evaporating into air. It’s as gorgeous as it is uncertain of itself, quietly stealing back every emotion it offers, leaving behind a crumpled blankness. “The problem was just that I had developed a character for the outside world that wasn’t me,” he said. “So I made the decision to uncreate the person I had created and become more real.

“Out of the deep mournful glow of the organ, emerges… an acoustic guitar? Strumming the Bo Diddley beat? It sounds almost frail playing against a rhythmic skeleton of snaps, handclaps, and whispers across the snare rim. The camera drifts over Michael’s new image: leather jacket shrugging loosely from his shoulders, his gaze buried somewhere beneath impenetrable sunglasses, pretending to strum a sunburst archtop guitar.

In 1987, popular rock music was trying fill arenas with enormous waves of echo; “Faith”’s chords sounded crisp as the blue jeans pasted to Michael’s ass in the video. He was employing rock as a texture, as a signifier of history and depth, absorbing the guitar rhythms of the ’50s and ’60s just as he embedded the drums of the Motown songs from his youth in tracks like Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” It made Michael’s work as serious as it was playful, taking established songforms and converting them into modern pop.

The rest of Faith embodies this approach, a montage of different colors and tempos from pop’s unabridged past—the fluttering rockabilly of the title track, the deluxe synthetic bath of “Father Figure,” and the hardboiled synth funk of “I Want Your Sex” all occur on the same side of an album, like alternate histories talking to each other through time, all before “One More Try” wafts in like wind through an empty cathedral.

During the sessions for Faith, Michael and engineer Chris Porter occasionally recorded songs measure by measure, with Michael singing fragments of verses against a rudimentary LinnDrum pattern. Some of Michael’s songs didn’t even have physical demos before they were captured in the studio; they’d reel out fitfully from his head as they were recorded. The highlights of the darker, more club-lit corners of the album’s second side, “Hard Day” and “Monkey,” were constructed in this way, built on a program of minimal rhythmic cross-hatchings from Michael’s drum machine, his voice dancing between spotlights of synth bass.

Even through the dense programming, Michael’s voice remains at the center of the record. It always shapeshifts beyond its form, whether whispering through “Father Figure”’s garden of smoke or exchanging enthusiastic choruses with the choir that eventually materializes from it. His voice’s most powerful showcase, the peak of Michael’s career, is in the mournful procession of “One More Try.” The song technically lacks a chorus; in its place is an evolving verse whose vocal melody sounds unhinged from any of its chord changes, swimming upwards through an arctic fog. His voice starts to rapidly escalate through notes; when he sings “I don’t want to learn to/Hold you, touch you…” he hits a note of such trembling uncertainty that it bends like curved glass.

“One More Try” is lyrically tentative, a gospel-pop song that’s faintly baffled by the idea of its own salvation. It sits in the perspective of someone too wounded to open themselves up to another person, trapped in an in-between state. Faith itself seems stranded between identities in its reckless skating through genres, from rock to synth pop to the skipping pulse of clubs. It’s an album that’s divided down the center between faith and funk, an album on which the sex song is actually about monogamy—an album that reveals more of itself the more one pays attention to the drift of its details.

“I feel this is not a pop album,” Michael told SPIN in 1987. He thought Faith was more musically sophisticated, that it resembled the black pop and dance records he was listening to at the time. On “Hand to Mouth,” he displays an evolving social consciousness that seems inherited directly from Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, characters and their cyclical struggles spilling through a cityscape of wavering synths. He performed black pop forms so well, with such verisimilitude, that each song migrated flexibly between radio formats—Faith was the first album by a white solo artist to top Billboard’s R&B Chart and four of its six singles floated up the Hot 100, each hitting No. 1, one after the other”.

Go and get Faith on vinyl, as it is an essential album that everyone needs in their collection. Not dated or lacking in freshness, one can pick it up now and find new layers. I have been listening to Faith since the 1990s and it still stuns me! It is the most exceptional and fascinating album from…

A much-missed music genius.

FEATURE: Inspired By... Part Forty-Two: George Michael

FEATURE:

 

 

Inspired By…

PHOTO CREDIT: Caroline True

Part Forty-Two: George Michael

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BECAUSE Christmas Day…

marks five years since we lost George Michael, I wanted to dedicate this Inspired By… to him. He is an artist who has influenced so many others. I am going to end with a playlist from artists who either have taken something from Michael, or they have been compared with him at some point. Before then, a little bit of biography about the great man:

“George Michael was the biggest British pop star of the 1980s, spinning a series of infectiously catchy pop singles into global stardom that saw him sell over 100 million albums worldwide. Blessed with a fine voice and a knack for writing engaging melodies that worked well with dance-friendly rhythms, Michael became the rare teen sensation who matured into a respected star as an adult.

Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963 in the North London suburb of East Finchley; his father was a Greek Cypriot restaurant owner who changed his name from Kyriacos Panayiotou to Jack Michael when he immigrated to England in the 1950s. Michael's family relocated to Bushey, Hertfordshire when he was in his early teens, and he struck up a friendship with one of his new schoolmates, Andrew Ridgeley. Both Michael and Ridgeley were interested in music, and in 1979 they formed a ska band called the Executive; the group didn't go far, but it gave them a taste for the spotlight, so they took what they learned and in 1981 formed a pop duo called Wham! The early Wham! demos impressed executives at Innervision, an independent record label that signed the group to a contract. By 1982, Wham! had hit the U.K. pop charts with "Wham Rap" and "Young Guns (Go for It)," and scored an American record deal with Columbia.

Michael and Ridgeley soon discovered how unfavorable their deal with Innervision was, though, and they opted out of their contract by forfeiting all future royalties on material from their first album, Fantastic, to sign with Sony worldwide. The choice proved to be shrewd; Wham!'s second album, 1984's Make It Big, transformed them from British hitmakers to a genuine international sensation, as "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Everything She Wants," "Careless Whisper," and "Freedom" became wildly successful in the U.K., Europe, and the United States. Wham! soon became one of the biggest new acts of the era, and in 1985 they became the first Western pop group to tour the People's Republic of China. But Michael displayed an ambition that went beyond Wham!'s new success, and the "Careless Whisper" single was released with the credit "Wham! Featuring George Michael," setting the stage for him to strike out on his own. In 1986, after Michael had released a proper solo single, "A Different Corner," Wham! announced their breakup and said farewell to their fans with a sold-out concert at London's Wembley Stadium.

Michael wasted no time making his mark, releasing his first solo album, Faith, in 1987. He produced and arranged the album, as well as writing the songs, and it managed to top Wham!'s phenomenal success, spawning a series of major hit singles (including "I Want Your Sex," "Father Figure," "Kissing a Fool," and the title track) and selling over 20 million copies worldwide. Michael promoted the album with a series of stylish, sexy music videos and a concert tour that found him playing 137 shows over the space of 16 months. Faith left no doubt that Michael was one of the new icons of pop music, and after recording successful duets with Elton John ("Wrap It Up" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me") and Aretha Franklin ("I Knew You Were There [Waiting for Me]"), he proved he had the respect of veteran acts as well as younger audiences.

However, Michael felt reined in by his image as a pop singer, and after taking a break, he released Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 in 1990, a set that was noticeably more somber, sophisticated, and personal than his previous work. Presumably to put the focus on his music rather than his image, Michael refused to appear in any music videos for the album and declined to tour in support; the album fared well commercially, but not as well as Faith, and Michael began expressing dissatisfaction with Sony, declaring his contract was financially inequitable and creatively stifling. Michael sued Sony to end his contract, leading to a long and costly legal battle that ended in 1995, with Michael signing to the newly launched DreamWorks Records label in the United States and Virgin in the rest of the world. (During the interim, Michael released a live EP that included material he performed with the surviving members of Queen at the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.) In 1996, Michael finally released his third solo effort, Older, which followed in the more contemplative vein of Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1. While the album went platinum in the United States, it was considered a commercial disappointment considering the success of Michael's previous work, though it fared better in Europe and the U.K.

In 1998, Michael released Ladies and Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael, a two-disc anthology that featured solo material as well as recordings with Wham! It also included a new song, "Outside"; the song and its video were created in response to a widely publicized incident in which Michael was arrested by an undercover officer in Los Angeles for "performing a lewd act" in a public restroom. After the arrest made headlines, Michael publicly acknowledged his homosexuality, and in time it was revealed that the song "Jesus to a Child" from Older was written in tribute to his late partner Anselmo Feleppa, who died of AIDS-related illnesses in 1993. In 1999, Michael released an album of covers, Songs from the Last Century, which was released worldwide by Virgin after Michael parted ways with DreamWorks.

In 2002, Michael signed a new record deal with Polydor and released the single "Freeek," with a new album expected to follow. However, the subsequent full-length release, Patience, didn't arrive until 2004, and in a surprising move, it was issued not by Polydor, but the Sony-affiliated Epic label after Michael returned to the company he'd left nine years earlier. He told journalists that he expected it to be his final commercially released album, adding he hoped to release future material online, with any proceeds going to charity. A second two-disc collection, Twenty-Five, was issued in 2008 and Michael soon launched the Twenty-Five tour, playing North America for the first time in 17 years. Over the next five years, Michael toured regularly, starting the Symphonica tour in 2011. An orchestral pop show, it was captured on record by producer Phil Ramone, although Ramone died before the album could be released. Michael completed the album and issued it under the title Symphonica in March 2014; it reached number one in the U.K. and number 60 in the U.S. His next project was a documentary, Freedom, plus the announcement that he was working on new recordings, but he died before anything was released, succumbing to heart failure on Christmas Day in 2016.

The first posthumous George Michael project was an expanded 2017 reissue of Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1, which also featured his 1996 appearance on MTV Unplugged. In 2019, a romantic comedy called Last Christmas featured a selection of songs by Michael and Wham!, including the previously unreleased "This Is How (We Want You to Get High)”.

Five years since the iconic George Michael died, I wanted to put out a playlist containing cuts from artists who are definitely similar to him. Maybe the song might not remind you of Michael, but that particular artist has definitely drawn influence from the legend for their music. This Inspired By… is influenced by…

ONE of the greatest artists ever.

FEATURE: Spotlight: easy life

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

easy life

___________

JUST before wrapping up…

for this year, I want to spotlight a couple of great newer acts. Even though easy life have been around for a little bit, the past couple of years has seen their stock rise considerably. The group formed in Leicester in 2017. They came second in the 2020 edition of the BBC's Sound Of. Their debut studio album, life's a beach, was released on 28th May. I shall end with a review of that album. The band - Murray Matravers, Oliver Cassidy, Sam Hewitt, Lewis Berry, Jordan Birtles – are a crew that you need to know about. To give you a better impression of easy life, I am going to bring in a few interviews. The first, from DORK of April last year, found the band still trying to find what their sound was:

“Increasingly, the impact of Easy Life can’t be denied. If ever any band had their finger firmly on the pulse of the playlist generation, they’d be it. It’s something that Murray and Lewis are firmly aware of too, as they continue to pull in fresh, interesting new directions.

“We’re still working out who we are,” explains Lewis. “That’s why we’ve released so much music and not done like an album yet because we don’t fully…” He pauses. “Actually, to be honest, I think we realise that there isn’t going to be a point where we go ‘this is what we sound like’. That’s great. If anything, that’s really exciting for us because we just write whatever we want. I think our audience accepts that. If we made a complete u-turn on our sound, people would still be into it because that’s what we’ve always done. Because Murray has such a distinctive voice, in his lyrics and his actual singing, we can do quite a lot. It’s all Easy Life.”

“It’s just modern culture, isn’t it?” affirms Murray. “Nobody is defined by the one thing that they listen to because everyone listens to everything. Kids are just crazy, they’re into everything. When we were at school, you could see the kids that were into their particular thing. That kid is into that scene, or that kid definitely listens to that type of music. Whereas now, when I look into our audience, I have no idea what any of them fucking get up to because they’re into everything.”

“I feel like we’re not at the very top of that spearhead, but we’re close to it. We’re saying it doesn’t matter, you can be experimental and into so many different things at once. You can be really honest and say what you think – about anything!”

Already stepping out onto stages and finding themselves drowned out by fans signing back every note, Easy Life’s star looks set to only shine brighter. “Every time, things get noticeably bigger,” Murray explains, “and we are shitting ourselves every step of the way. Playing to a 200 capacity venue for the first time is intimidating in itself, then playing to 600 people is like fuuuuckk. The sensation just repeats, you never get used to people turning up to the shows, especially when they get bigger. We lose our shit every time.”

Easy Life’s journey began in glamorous Leicester. “None of us grew up in a particularly musical background, or had any idea really – we just liked doing it,” recalls Lewis. “It’s where we’re from, we never expected any of this.”

The freedom to experiment and create without fear of overstepping boundaries is one of the band’s defining traits, one indelibly tattooed on everything they do. Whether it’s reggae, dub, hip-hop, jazz, R&B, indie, pop, or whatever other genre you want to cook up, the way they mix it together never feels anything less than natural. Murray and Lewis, joined by Sam, Cass and Jordan, jump between instruments as easily as they skip through a wide spectrum of musical influences. Playing pub shows to mates, building their own studios by hand and crafting songs that would one day take them to something more, all while working away at day jobs in shops or food stands to pay the bills – the dream was always there. It’s not an unusual story, but for Easy Life, it came true”.

Since 2017, there have been many memorable moments in the band’s career. I think that this year has been their most successful. That said, their single, pockets, put them on the musical map in 2017. DIY spoke with the band in the summer. We discover how easy life’s fanbase has swollen and exploded:

“Since ‘Pockets’ landed at the end of 2017, Easy Life have slowly and organically become one of the UK’s biggest cult bands. Based out of their Leicester studio HQ, and defined by hugely fun, uninhibited live shows and music that traverses R&B, pop, house and jazz, the five-piece are a product of their generation’s genreless attitude, with no idea off the table.

Across three mixtapes (2018 debut ‘Creature Habits’, 2019 follow-up ‘Spaceships’ and last year’s Top 10-charting ‘Junk Food’), the band have slowly honed their sound, bringing together the cheekiness of Jamie T with sunny sprinkles of jazz instrumentation and languid, beach-bound pop songs.

Via huge crossover hit ‘Nightmares’, which soundtracked a pivotal moment in Michaela Coel’s stunning BBC show I May Destroy You, Arlo Parks collaboration ‘Sangria’ and more, Easy Life have gathered a set of songs more than capable of creeping them up festival line-ups towards the top of the bill - something that will surely await them upon the release of debut album ‘life’s a beach’.

 A defining part of the band’s sound is Murray’s distinctive voice, a velvety speak-sing that’s as much a rap as it is a pop vocal. As he explains, it came about as another example of working within his limitations. “I could never be a singer like Aretha Franklin or Bill Withers or something,” he says. “My music teacher in primary school would always say that anyone can sing, and I’ve carried on the company line! Anyone can sing!

“I just sang because I liked to write lyrics and singing was the only way of getting those lyrics out,” he adds, his love of rap and poetry leading him to “just speak” the lyrics he was writing. “It’s another happy accident I guess,” he grins. “Once again, not trying so hard seems to be the only thing that works for us.”

Another key to the band’s dramatic rise has been their fervent and ever-swelling fanbase, who follow Easy Life around the country on tour and sprinkle their shows with flags, inflatables and every kind of colourful ephemera.

“We are a live band, that’s our forte,” Murray confirms. “That’s a thing we can do better than other people. We sell more tickets than we should really, I think. Bigger recording artists don’t do as big shows as us, and that’s because our fans are hardcore. They just wanna party with us, and we wanna do that same shit with them. They make it so sweet”.

Before coming to a review, I want to come to an NME interview. In this deep and fascinating conversation with the band, the guys talked about the pandemic and how, in a way, it ensured that easy life survived and were able to continue on:

“Easy Life now release ‘Life’s A Beach’, one of the year’s finest debut records, as they ruminate on mental health, growing up in a forgotten part of the country and, occasionally, getting a bit mashed up. The album is anchored around the concept of a day at the British coast, encompassing the high hopes and eventual disappointment of a day that turns out to be a complete wash-out. It evokes the feeling of a seagull pinching a chip then shitting on your head on the exit; it’s so impossibly unlucky, you’ve got to laugh otherwise you’ll cry.

“It was an aspirational thing for us to think about the seaside,” he says. “Leicester is a nowhere place. It’s not north, south or anywhere close to a coast from either side. It’s in the middle of the country and plenty of motorways in the country go through it, but it’s just passed over.”

The pandemic interrupted years of growth, but also came at a crucial time for the health and survival of the band. “My self-esteem and ego took a big wallop at the start of the pandemic,” says Matravers. “It was very sustainable to go out and play where everyone knows your song and people behind the scenes treat you extra nice – but that is a luxury. At the start of the lockdown we were having these chats in our WhatsApp group like, ‘Does anyone care about Easy Life anymore?”

PHOTO CREDIT: Ben Bentley for NME 

It’s somewhat at odds with how melancholy this album can feel at times; frustration simmers on some of the moodier tracks (‘Ocean View’) but a resilient and devoted spirit remains (‘Lifeboat’). Throughout, Matravers frequently channels his deepest fears, as on ‘A Message To Myself’ where he implores all of us “take your mother’s advice” and to keep the fridge well-stocked and the self-love topped up, because he doesn’t “want another premature farewell”. Likewise, ‘Living Strange’ picks up where 2019 single ‘Dead Celebrities’ left off, the singer mulling on posthumous recognition and the pitfalls of fame.

“It’s super-negative,” he laughs, shocked at himself that they left it like that. “We’ve always tried to spin those negative emotions into something positive, but I felt like the album could do with some dismal shit. I felt like that could be an opportunity to get angry and sad and shout about it in a safe way with a song like that.”

Most affecting of all is ‘Homesickness’, Easy Life’s most brilliant moment to date. An arpeggiated synthline (which Murray says “brought me to tears”) lingers as he offers up equal parts sincerity (“I’d climb the highest mountain just to catch a glimpse of you”) and some suggestive sauciness (“You’re my booty call at the end, though / Switch on me like Nintendo”). It’s sublime and silly all at once, a moment where Matravers reaches full circle; as playful and indulgent as he was on debut mixtape ‘Creature Comforts’ and as earnest as he strives to be now. After years on the road looking for acceptance, it was coming back home to Leicester that kept him going.

“Before the pandemic happened we were playing in so many amazing places… but I was still such a homebird and I wanted to come home and just be normal,” he says. “‘Life’s A Beach’ was about aspiring to not wanting to be in Leicester anymore, y’know: ‘Let’s go to the seaside and all that’. But I’ve been there, done that and just want to go back now. The band has become something bigger than any of us wanted it to be: it’s enabled us to live and connect with the people in the present”.

Before coming to the end, it is wise to source a review of their lauded debut album, life’s a beach. It ranks alongside the very best albums of this year. The Line of Best Fit had this to offer when they reviewed life’s a beach:

“Life’s A Beach is a journey through Easy Life’s ever-evolving style. It's the product of a band that know themselves in and out - fearless in venturing to new places with their art. Nodding to their previous work on tracks like “daydreams” and exploring new and exciting places on the infectious “skeletons”, Easy Life are happy to migrate across styles because no matter where they go, the sound remains classically them.

Speaking of the elemental; Easy Life's vocal styling they've mastered is somewhat iconic by now. The everyman perspective of the untrained vocalist drifting through rap, spoken word and singing sets it apart drastically from the often relied upon processed alternative, and across the album Mutravers maintains a relatable and approachable persona which is impossible to not be endeared by.

Lyrically, Life’s A Beach is also something to admire. Taking the objectively mundane and spinning it into the poetic with comedic flair is no easy feat, and yet Mutravers makes it seem natural. Peaking on apt closer “music to walk home to” - a journey home from a night out delivered as an entirely spoken-word poem. Mutravers’ choice words are perfect even when they jump from subject to subject (“a vampire vacuuming up every last drop of my enthusiasm until I’m nothing but a sorry little raisin / bananas and raisins / I sure hope I have toast at home”) and rarely faltering when doing so.

Even tackling depressive and dark topics (“living strange”), the band sticks strong to their cheeky cheerful music which effortlessly balances the track to make the heft more digestible. Similarly, they take the opportunity to relax the vibe when the lyrics aren’t as heavy – like on “compliments” or “ocean view”. The subtleties written into the albums DNA make all the difference (with the mention of the albums title in so many of the lyrics acting as unifying sentiment), almost to a faultless degree”.

A tremendous young band who have grown stronger and more solid as a band the past couple of years, I think 2022 will be busy in terms of touring and recording. Let’s hope that we hear a lot more from the Leicester band. If you have not heard of easy life, then I would recommend that you…

CHECK them out.

____________

Follow easy life

FEATURE: Kate Bush’s Music and Its Potential Impact in 2022… Reacting to a Humbling Christmas Message

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush’s Music and Its Potential Impact in 2022…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in promotion of her one-off Christmas television special, Kate, in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Bernard Fallon

Reacting to a Humbling Christmas Message

___________

AS is traditional…

PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

at this time of year, we get a great message from Kate Bush wishing people a happy Christmas. Earlier this week, a message appeared on her official website. It makes for humbling and hugely inspiring:

“With nearly two years of Covid, are any of us the same people we were before?  It’s left everyone confused and uncertain of the future.

It’s been a terrible time of loss for so many. I want to say a big thank you to all the people on the front line and in the NHS. I have such huge respect for all the nurses and doctors who’ve already been working flat out for nearly two years. These caring people are showing such extraordinary acts of kindness to others. Let’s hope they get the pay rises they rightly deserve.

I’d like to mention something that happened a few weeks ago on a walk;  stopping to look at the view, I noticed something moving in a tree right beside me. It was a Goldcrest  - the smallest bird in Europe, even smaller than a wren. I stood still, hoping not to frighten it away.  Its colouring is beautiful -  a peacock’s eye on each wing and a striking yellow streak on its tiny head. This gorgeous little ball of fluff flew away after ten minutes or so. I’ve only ever seen one once before and very briefly. It made my day. In these strange times, I really hope you can get the chance to stop for a moment and feel nature around you.

Please stay safe.  Wishing you a restful Christmas and hoping 2022 is a happier year for everyone .

With love

Kate”

This year, whilst quiet for new stuff from Bush, has been very busy when it comes to people discovering her music. There has been, as I have said a lot, some great new books (including Finding Kate) that have helped introduce her music to new people. Cover versions have been released, and it has been a very hectic and fascinating year regarding the fandom! I am looking ahead to next year. I feel that there will be something in the way of something from Bush. There has been talk that her and Big Boi collaborating on a track. In addition, I genuinely believe we will get an album in the autumn. Rather than obsess about new stuff from Bush, we have so much good stuff out there. I keep finding out new things regarding Bush. She is a wonderful artist who has so many layers. If you have sort of got into her music but have not dived deep lately, I would say next year is a perfect chance to do that. Her music is so varied, it can lift the spirits or keep you company if you need something more reflective. It is fun putting together playlists of her music set around themes. Maybe you have a nature-based one, or you may fancy a more ‘out there’ one – in terms of the lyrics and themes being quite strange.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

There is something universal about Kate Bush’s music that, perhaps, was not evident at the start of her career. Over forty-plus years, she has released some of the most original music the world has heard. As we head towards Christmas and the end of a hard year, I feel Kate Bush’s music can give everyone strength and hope. Regardless of what comes from her in the future, there is an ocean of music, interviews and other bits from Bush that you can discover and enjoy! Read as many of the new books out about her and, as I said in my Christmas guide, there are great albums and merchandise that no fan should really be without! As much as anything, I think listening to some Kate Bush music every day should be part of your music-listening ritual. I have included a playlist at the end…but there is so much more to explore. After Kate Bush left a nice Christmas message – and one of support for frontline workers -, I am more determined than ever to write about her a lot and listening to her music even more. She is an artist who has provided so much strength to do many through the decades – and this will continue for generations more. After a brutal and strange 2021, have yourself…

A happy Katemas.

FEATURE: Second Spin: Kelis - Wanderland

FEATURE:

 

 

Second Spin

Kelis - Wanderland

___________

AS I am a fan of Kelis…

I was keen to explore one of her albums in some form. I feel her 2001 album, Wanderland, is underrated and did not get the same reaction and acclaim as it should have. As Kelis tells it, Virgin Records did not understand Wanderland. It was released in Europe, but the album was not released in the United States. It took until 2019 for the album to get an official release in the U.S. That might explain why some ignored it and the songs have not been played as much as they should. With production by The Neptunes, the album has so many different blends and sounds. Following the acclaimed Kaleidoscope of 1999, Wanderland is an album that deserves more focus. Songs like Young, Fresh n' New are classic Kelis! I feel that it is a shame that Virgin Records misunderstood the album and did not want to put it out. I would encourage everyone to take some time and listen to the album. I am going to quote a couple of different reviews for Wanderland. This is what AllMusic said about Kelis’ second studio album:

“Wanderland unfortunately didn't build on the promise Kelis showed throughout 1999's Kaleidoscope, and it didn't even come out in the States, but quickly dismissing it as a sophomore slump would be rash. In fact, the album's first three songs -- "Young, Fresh n' New," "Flash Back," and "Popular Thug" -- are on an even standing with the best of the singer's debut. "Young, Fresh n' New" is particularly stunning, a buzzing grind with a chaotic loop that could've been lifted from a pinball machine. As a song, it doesn't have much grounding, yet the Neptunes cast their disorienting eccentricities all over it and come up with a production that could've only been suited for Kelis. After that solid beginning, the album continually loses steam and gains it back. The revolving door of guests hinder the album more than it bolsters it; "Perfect Day," for instance, sounds more like a No Doubt album cut with a guest appearance from Kelis than the other way around. Despite the album's bumpiness, it proves that Kelis and the Neptunes should remain linked indefinitely. Until the third album, hope for two things: a more consistent batch of songs and no assistance from those who don't inhabit Kelis' and the Neptunes' world”.

As it has not sold massive amounts or scored big on the charts, Wanderland has sort of being overlooked. If you sit down and listen to it, it will really strike you. Twenty years after its release, I feel critics need to come back to it. This is what The Guardian said back in 2001:

“In a pop world dominated by marketing managers, image consultants and songwriting factories churning out hits to order, there was something delightfully unspun about Kelis Rogers arrival in the charts in 1999. Here was a New Yorker with a multicoloured afro and bizarre taste in clothes, singing about murder and alien abduction. She spent her interviews discussing her love for marijuana and the British indie band Muse. Aside from the musical strength of her debut album, Kaleidoscope, part of Kelis's appeal lay in the fact that no army of record company executives could possibly have contrived such an artist. You couldn't make her up.

Two years on, and Kelis seems no closer to being subsumed into the R&B mainstream. Her second album opens with a parody of the syrupy spoken-word introductions favoured by R&B divas. "Welcome to the world of Kelis," yawns a bored voice. "Don't touch anything!" Her lyrics are equally striking. The superb Flashback subverts standard bump-and-grind cliches with intriguing imagery. "Early in the morning the thought of sex is soaring like a plane," she coos, simultaneously sexy and rather puzzling.

The distinctive, futuristic sound of Kaleidoscope also acted as a calling card for production duo the Neptunes. Chad Hugo and Kelis’s on-off boyfriend Pharrell Williams have gone on to produce major hip-hop stars, including Jay-Z and P Diddy, but Wanderland is their most adventurous work to date. Occasionally, their experiments don’t work. Perfect Day, featuring ska-punk band No Doubt, attempts to update Funkadelic’s 1970s blueprint of soul smothered in distorted rock guitars, but ends up sounding distressingly like Limp Bizkit. More frequently, however, the music on Wanderland is clever, exhilarating and original. Popular Thug features Rogers and Williams sparring over the honking of what sounds like a steam-driven synthesizer. The sparse, abstract stammering of Get Even creates an aura of anxiety, the perfect foil for the song’s snarling lyric. Single Young Fresh ‘n’ New is largely based around the squealing of a car alarm”.

If you are looking for an album that will offer treats and stand up to repeated listens, then Kelis’ Wanderland is one that I can recommend. It is a truly underrated album that I really like. Whether you are a big fan of hers or not, I can guarantee that this record will…

LEAVE its mark.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: BRIT Awards 2022 Nominees

FEATURE:

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz has been nominated for four BRIT Awards 

BRIT Awards 2022 Nominees

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ON Saturday…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Adele is another artist nominated nominations/PHOTO CREDIT: Raven B. Varona

there was a lot of talk on social media regarding the BRIT Awards nominees. Next year’s event brings together some incredible talent. This Billboard article gives us a rundown regarding the artists who were honoured at the weekend:

“Adele, Ed Sheeran, Dave and Little Simz are the leading contenders for the 2022 Brit Awards, with four nods each. The nominations were announced on Saturday (Dec. 18) on an hour-long TV special, The Brits Are Coming, which aired on ITV and ITV Hub. The awards will be presented on Feb. 8 at the O2 Arena in London.

Adele will have to wait nearly a year for the 2023 Grammy nominations, in which her long-awaited fourth album, 30, is expected to be a major force.

This year marks the first time that the Brits have combined separate male and female categories in both artist of the year and international artist. So how did it shake out? Females took two of the five spots for artist of the year (Adele and Little Simz), but four of the five spots for international artist (Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift). Eilish won a Brit Award as female international artist in each of the last two years. Swift won a global icon award last year.

Morever, the Brits report that more female artists were nominated for Brit Awards this year than in any previous year in the past decade.

Griff is nominated for best new artist, a year after taking the Brits rising star award. Holly Humberstone was already announced as this year’s winner of the rising star award.

IN THIS PHOTO: Ed Sheeran 

While the U.S. music industry is adjusting to the Grammys’ eleventh-hour expansion from eight to 10 nominees in each of the Big Four categories — album, record and song of the year plus best new artist — the Brits have (gulp) 15 nominees in each of two song categories — song of the year with Mastercard and international song of the year.

Several of this year’s Brit nominees are also nominated in comparable categories for Grammys. Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” Doja Cat featuring SZA’s “Kiss Me More” and Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” all of which are Grammy-nominated for both record and song of the year, are vying for international song of the year at the Brits. So is Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U.” Rodrigo is also up for record and song of the year at the Grammys, but with a different hit, “Driver’s License.”

ABBA, which last month received their first Grammy nomination, gained a Brit nod for international group, alongside BTS, Måneskin, Silk Sonic and The War on Drugs. Elton John receives his first Brit nomination in 20 years, in song of the year, for “Cold Heart (Pnau Mix),” his hit collab with Dua Lipa.

Sam Fender, who won the rising star award two years ago, is nominated for three Brits, as are West London rapper Central Cee and French DJ/producer David Guetta.

The winners of the four new genre categories – rock/alternative act, hip hop/grime/rap act, dance act, pop/R&B act – will be determined by a public vote via TikTok, which will open on Jan 21.

The Brits Are Coming special featured performances by Anne-Marie, Glass Animals, Mimi Webb and Joel Corry & Gracey. The special was hosted by Clara Amfo and Maya Jama.

British comedian Mo Gilligan is set to host the Brit Awards, which are presented by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI)”.

Here is a collection of songs from those nominated for a 2022 BRITs. The ceremony is going to be a popular and hotly-contested night. We will all wait to see which artists walk away with coveted awards…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish

ON 8th February.