FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Ninety-Two: Cypress Hill

FEATURE:

 

 

A Buyer’s Guide

PHOTO CREDIT: NOTIMEX/Newscom 

Part Ninety-Two: Cypress Hill

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I have not featured…

that many Rap and Hip-Hop outfits for A Buyer’s Guide. One of the very finest Hip-Hop groups come in the form of Cypress Hill. The California group are the first in Hip-Hop to have sold multi-platinum and platinum albums, having sold over twenty million albums worldwide. Their tenth studio album, Back in Black, is due this year. In honour that, I will recommend their very best albums. Prior to that, AllMusic give us some biography about the amazing Cypress Hill:

“Cypress Hill were notable for being the first Latino hip-hop superstars, but they became notorious for their endorsement of marijuana, which actually wasn't a trivial thing. Not only did the group campaign for its legalization, but their slow, rolling bass-and-drum loops pioneered a new, stoned funk that became extraordinary influential in '90s hip-hop -- it could be heard in everything from Dr. Dre's G-funk to the chilly layers of English trip-hop. DJ Muggs crafted the sound, and B Real, with his pinched, nasal voice, was responsible for the rhetoric that made them famous. The pro-pot position became a little ridiculous over time, but there was no denying that the actual music had a strange, eerie power, particularly on the band's first two albums. Although B Real remained an effective lyricist and Muggs' musical skills did not diminish, the group's third album, Temples of Boom, was perceived by many critics as self-parody, and the group appeared to disintegrate shortly afterward, though Muggs and B Real regrouped toward the end of the '90s to issue more material.

DVX, the original incarnation of Cypress Hill, formed in 1988 when Cuban-born brothers Sen Dog (born Senen Reyes, November 20, 1965) and Mellow Man Ace hooked up with fellow Los Angeles residents Muggs (born Lawrence Muggerud, January 28, 1968) and B Real (born Louis Freese, June 2, 1970). The group began pioneering a fusion of Latin and hip-hop slang, developing their own style by the time Mellow Man Ace left the group in 1988. Renaming themselves Cypress Hill after a local street, the group continued to perform around L.A., eventually signing with Ruffhouse/Columbia in 1991.

With its stoned beats, B Real's exaggerated nasal whine, and cartoonish violence, the group's eponymous debut became a sensation in early 1992, several months after its initial release. The singles "How I Could Just Kill a Man" and "The Phuncky Feel One" became underground hits, and the group's public pro-marijuana stance earned them many fans in the alternative rock community. Cypress Hill followed the album with Black Sunday in the summer of 1993, and while it sounded remarkably similar to the debut, it nevertheless became a hit, entering the album charts at number one and spawning the crossover hit "Insane in the Brain." With Black Sunday, Cypress Hill's audience became predominantly white, collegiate suburbanites, which caused them to lose some support in the hip-hop community. The group didn't help matters much in 1995, when they added a new member, drummer Bobo, and toured with the fifth Lollapalooza prior to the release of their third album, Temples of Boom. A darker, gloomier affair than their first two records, Temples of Boom was greeted with mixed reviews upon its fall 1995 release, and while it initially sold well, it failed to generate a genuine hit single. However, it did perform better on the R&B charts than it did on the pop charts.

Instead of capitalizing on their regained hip-hop credibility, Cypress Hill slowly fell apart. Sen Dog left in early 1996 and Muggs spent most of the year working on his solo album. Muggs Presents the Soul Assassins was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews in early 1997, leaving Cypress Hill's future in much doubt until the release of IV in 1998. Sen Dog had come back for the record. He had left because he felt he did not get enough mike time, but after a few years with a rock band he was more than happy to return. Two years later, the group released the double-disc set Skull & Bones, which featured a disc of hip-hop and a disc of their more rock-inspired material. Appropriately, the album also included rock and rap versions of the single "Superstar," bringing Cypress Hill's quest for credibility and crossover hits full circle. The ensuing videos for both versions featured many famous rap and rock musicians talking about their profession, and the song was a smash on MTV because of it. In the winter of 2001, the group came back with Stoned Raiders, another album to heavily incorporate rock music. Three years later, the band issued 'Til Death Do Us Part, which incorporated several styles of Jamaican music. In 2010 they announced their signing to Priority Records thanks to the label’s creative director Snoop Dogg. The label released their eighth studio album, Rise Up, that same year. It would be eight years until the group returned with new material, but in 2018 they came back with Elephants on Acid. The album was the first to be produced by DJ Muggs since 2004's 'Til Death Do Us Part, and the first taster of the record came in the form of the psychedelic track "Band of Gypsies”.

If you are new to Cypress Hill and need some guidance regarding the albums that you should own, then have a look to my suggestions below. I have included an underrated gem, in addition to their most recent studio album. I could not find a book about Cypress Hill, so I will leave that section blank. Here is my view as to the Cypress Hill albums…

REALLY worth owning.

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The Four Essential Albums

 

Cypress Hill

Release Date: 13th August, 1991

Labels: Ruffhouse/Columbia

Producer: DJ Muggs

Standout Tracks: How I Could Just Kill a Man/Hand on the Pump/Latin Lingo

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=16273&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/4tQSV1ZGpwlo3dBiTRuKvM?si=Eg1YklhxSr6bTo6C_os66A

Review:

“It's hard enough to transform an entire musical genre -- Cypress Hill's eponymous debut album revolutionized hip-hop in several respects. Although they weren't the first Latino rappers, nor the first to mix Spanish and English, they were the first to achieve a substantial following, thanks to their highly distinctive sound. Along with Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, Cypress Hill were also one of the first rap groups to bridge the gap with fans of both hard rock and alternative rock. And, most importantly, they created a sonic blueprint that would become one of the most widely copied in hip-hop. In keeping with their promarijuana stance, Cypress Hill intentionally crafted their music to sound stoned -- lots of slow, lazy beats, fat bass, weird noises, and creepily distant-sounding samples. The surreal lyrical narratives were almost exclusively spun by B Real in a nasal, singsong, instantly recognizable delivery that only added to the music's hazy, evocative atmosphere; as a frontman, he could be funny, frightening, or just plain bizarre (again, kind of like the experience of being stoned). Whether he's taunting cops or singing nursery rhyme-like choruses about blasting holes in people with shotguns, B Real's blunted-gangsta posture is nearly always underpinned by a cartoonish sense of humor. It's never clear how serious the threats are, but that actually makes them all the more menacing. The sound and style of Cypress Hill was hugely influential, particularly on Dr. Dre's boundary-shattering 1992 blockbuster The Chronic; yet despite its legions of imitators, Cypress Hill still sounds fresh and original today, simply because few hip-hop artists can put its sound across with such force of personality or imagination” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: The Phuncky Feel One

Black Sunday

Release Date: 20th July, 1993

Labels: Ruffhouse/Columbia

Producers: DJ Muggs/T-Ray

Standout Tracks: I Ain't Goin' Out Like That/When the Shit Goes Down/Lick a Shot

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=16404&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/02lktkm4J7K7N8T63Gm7KX?si=vGx8z2RjTVi-xkZje4Ivsw

Review:

“Dope" beats, indeed: Passed like a torch from Schoolly D to Boogie Down Productions on up to Brand Nubian and Dr. Dre, pot maintains an honored status in hip-hop. Nobody bum-rushes Mary Jane's popularity like Cypress Hill, though. Besides their words to the herb, Cypress Hill's appeal lies in odd contradictions. Addressing the many shades brought together in urban America, Cypress Hill are "multicultural" without even trying, spicing their raps with Spanish over tracks provided by an Italian-American raised in Queens, N.Y. Cypress also carry an "alternative" crowd without alienating hardcore hip-hoppers, sampling Suicidal Tendencies while keeping the beats raw. Still, it's the Cypress combo of stark grooves and cinematic gangsta fairy tales that allows them to rule the streets, a formula not messed with on Black Sunday.

Of course, stoned is still the way of the walk for Cypress Hill in '93. Sunday starts with "I Wanna Get High," on which rapper B-Real freaks the title refrain (lifted from Rita Marley's "One Draw") and tells "Bill Clinton to go and inhale" over a near-comatose drum loop. Other examples of the "buddha-fied funk" include "Hits From the Bong," complete with slurping sounds, and the public service announcement-style "Legalize It," which states that "the marijuana plant ... is used for many other things than just smoking." Cypress Hill hit their stride, though, in "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That." "Ain't" covers typical Cypress territory, recounting a tale of gangsta retaliation similar to their breakthrough hit, "How I Could Just Kill a Man." Over a deep, discordant bass line and the ominous crack of a snare drum, B-Real and co-MC Sen Dog chant the sloganlike chorus over and over until the words lodge in your brain like a bullet from a drive-by. B-Real's nasal whine grinds against Sen Dog's throaty bark to great effect, their play of contrasts resulting in rap's most distinctive call-and-response team since Run-D.M.C.

Producer-DJ Mixmaster Muggs, though, truly masterminds the "funky Cypress Hill shit." Unlike the densely layered masterworks of superproducers like Dr. Dre or the Bomb Squad, Muggs rules the realm of sinister minimalist funk. With rarely more than a raw beat combined with a thumping piano-bass loop and a sirenlike wail, Muggs creates a skeletal groove that allows B-Real and Sen Dog's vocal pyrotechnics to stand out. Like the Geto Boys' soul-laden tracks, Muggs is unafraid to give his severe urban sound-scapes a bluesy feel, tweaking a wah-wah guitar in "A to the K" or tacking a harmonica riff onto "I Ain't Goin' Out Like That." The blues flavor adds to the gloomy coming-down haze that pervades Black Sunday.

Cypress Hill's most confusing attribute is their obsession with gun-crazed violence, depicted in songs like "Lick a Shot," "Cock the Hammer," "A to the K" and "Hand on the Glock"; under the calming influence of all the dope they smoke, they should be waving more peace signs than Arrested Development. This contradiction soon disappears, though; after a couple of listens, it becomes clear that on Black Sunday Cypress Hill are lacing the funk with something harder than your average hip-hop buzz. (RS 665)” – Rolling Stone

Choice Cut: Insane in the Brain

Cypress Hill III: (TEMPLES OF BOOM)

Release Date: 31st October, 1995

Labels: Ruffhouse/Columbia

Producers: DJ Muggs/RZA

Standout Tracks: Illusions/Boom Biddy Bye Bye/Make a Move

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=16855&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/0ueRTzXr9xu1XKLUsjeyt4?si=UJaGXVPmT46PZZALLafVGA

Review:

“After issuing the early rap-rock classic Black Sunday, Cypress Hill decided to go for the more sedate sounds in the production of Temples of Boom. This album stands as one of the best examples of psychedelic hip hop ever recorded. Cypress Hill are the rare example of a group that can release album after album of similarly-sounding and lyrically themed records and still be entertaining - kind of like a bong-toking hip hop AC/DC, except this is fear more mellow than Back in Black.

Here, Cypress Hill incorporates Middle Eastern music samples and beats that would not be out of place on a trip hop album by, say, Tricky. Lyrically, it's the same as any other Cypress Hill album - most of the songs are about getting stoned or threatening to *** you up. Wu-Tang Clan's production genius, RZA, also allows Muggs a little rest while he takes over the production on "Killa Hill Niggas", in which he and U-God contribute guest vocals.

This album also features the Ice Cube diss track "No Rest For The Wicked", in which the group claims that Cube's theme for Friday was a rip-off of "Throw Your Set in The Air" (which appears on this album as well). While this feud was later resolved, and the whole thing was most likely a coincidence than anything, this is one of the best diss tracks ever recorded, even if Ice Cube does happen to be the best rapper alive.

The album is at its most psychedelic on "Spark Another Owl" (not the only track on this album dealing exclusively about geting high) and the spooky "Illusions" and "Boom Biddy Bye Bye". Though not the most lyrically diverse album out there, Temples of Boom stands high against Cypress Hill's other records. It's a worthy listen, and one of their best efforts” – Sputnikmusic

Choice Cut: Throw Your Set in the Air

Stoned Raiders

Release Date: 4th December, 2001

Label: Columbia

Producer: DJ Muggs

Standout Tracks: Kronologik (featuring Kurupt)/Bitter/It Ain’t Easy

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=17580&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/3OTcdjKk357Z0YXeQY6z4V?si=4Ww4Xnr3TNCl7p2w4A47jQ

Review:

“In 1992, "The Hill That's Real" would have referred to a seminal rap compilation with the first appearance of M.O.P.'s own Lil' Fame on wax. Cypress Hill were only new jacks on the scene back then, having released their self-titled LP a year earlier. No one could have guessed back then that eight full length albums (including a Spanish 'Greatest Hits' LP) later, Cypress Hill would epitomize that phrase far better than any rapper on that compilation could. Their continued sales strength and legendary shows on tour prove that one decade just isn't enough for these bilingual hip-hop all-stars - now they're working on number two.

Living on the Hill that's real isn't easy for Cypress though. Having to carefully juggle the demands of underground hip-hop credibility with jock rock popularity left the band with last year's uneven "Skull & Bones" LP. The trademark Soul Assassins sound of DJ Muggs met up with the rap-rock fusion sound of Limp Bizkit, leaving some fans worried that B-Real was turning into a hispanic Fred Durst. "Stoned Raiders" would seem to address these critics in that it doesn't completely abandon the new stylee but brings back a rawer latin sound exemplified by the title of a song from their '91 debut: "The Funky Cypress Hill Shit."

The lead single "Lowrider" is exemplary in illustrating this evolution of revolution where everything that goes around comes back around again. Long-time rap fans will recognize Mellow Man Ace providing the hook, which echoes the same-titled hip-hop classic he made with Kid Frost and ALT. This is a whole new twist though which sweeps you up and carries you away with Roger Troutman-esque bouncing synth and a dirty funky bassline. Winter is non-existant in the mental image this song forms of drop-tops bouncing down the street, proving this crew could ONLY be from California. It may be cold where you live, but B-Real's hot lyrics will provide percolation!

"I just wanna blaze it up, whether it's the mic or a spliff

Yes my gift is to amaze you all

Thought I couldn't come for ten my friend but guess what?

I slay niggaz and STILL savin my best nut

[..]

I drop rhymes that grow like trees you're smokin

Eardrums feel like lungs, your brain's chokin

Just let it soak in, seep in, creep in

I'm keepin, all you motherfuckers in the deep end

You wanna trip then I got luggage

I stuff you in and send you off cause you ain't rugged!"

Tell 'em B, tell 'em B, tell 'em! Sen Dog rips the track in this song too though, mixing his espanol and ingles with a hardcore verse that shows why pendejos better not sleep on his skills. Their tag-team attack on the vocals works time and again when Muggs provides hit after hit of the sticky icky funk. From the brain-bashing smash of "Southland Killers" featuring King Tee and MC ren, to the somber and spooky vocals of "Bitter", to the chunky hard rock sound of "Amplified", Cypress Hill cover all the bases with equal aplomb. The lyrics are up to par as well, with a worthy retrospective on "Kronologik" featuring Kurupt and the difficulties of getting ahead on the stomping "It Ain't Easy." In fact Bizkit seem Limp compared to this song's high-octane guitars and symphonically studded verses that showcase pain so raw you HAVE to feel what B-Real has to say:

"Times I hated, times I've waited

Times have went by where I was drunk and faded

They said I wouldn't make it but where are those people now?

Still hatin, creatin, all the evil

Now you're insecurities are showin, exposin you

You're trippin on me and showin emotions too

Don't, spend your life full of envy, it's deadly

Heed me, as I spit the venom, believe me"

This album itself shows no insecurities - eliminating the doubts that seem to have plagued this group ever since "Temples of Boom" in 1995. Every song has a point, whether it's the seriousness of "Memories" or the serious fun of "Red, Meth & B" featuring Redman and Method Man. By the time Kurupt shows up again to help close out the album on the finale "Here is Something You Can't Understand", three hundred and sixty degrees of Cypress Hill's music and career have come full circle. If you were waiting for an undiluted hit of their sonic chronic, this is the bag of boogie bang with the long-lasting buzz. Fans will find this to be their strongest work in years, and know-nots will be intrigued enough to check out their catalogue. If you have to start somewhere go back a decade to where it all started, because that's exactly what Cypress Hill have done with this album - putting rock in rap but still putting rap in funk in one vanglorious hip-hop whole!” – Rap Reviews

Choice Cut: Trouble

The Underrated Gem

 

Rise Up

Release Date: 20th April, 2010

Label: Priority

Producers: B-Real (also exec.)/DJ Muggs/Mike Shinoda/Tom Morello/Pete Rock/Jake One/Daron Malakian/Jim Jonsin/DJ Khalil/Sick Jacken

Standout Tracks: It Ain't Nothin (featuring Young DA)/Rise Up (featuring Tom Morello)/Armada Latina (featuring Pitbull and Marc Anthony)

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=242606&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/426j4dLXzZygBoi0rAzE0a?si=pk2L-IiUSpa71tuWMuJlVA

Review:

“In 1991, an artist in Compton picked up Cypress Hill’s debut album. What he heard blew him away; the futuristic funk with a diehard dedication to a certain herb...” Dragging us once again into their halcyon days of glocks and ganja, it’s a shame the Latino legends’ rate of production has slowed to the point they offer a crash course in their own history with every release. Less playful than its predecessor (2004’s Clash-sampling Till Death Do Us Part) – but surprisingly more focussed, given Muggs’ notable absence from the producer’s chair – Rise Up finds B-Real and co. roll calling their stoned celebrity compatriots (K.U.S.H) and threatening to get all “up in yo’ home with the internet technology” (Get it Anyway) as they source inspired collaborations with Pete Rock, Jim Jonsin and Marc Anthony to reinforce their timeless agenda. Rise Up? They just might, but will The Hill ever levitate away from the towering shadow of their 90s output? [Emil Muzz]” – THE SKINNY

Choice Cut: Get 'Em Up

The Latest Album

 

Elephants on Acid

Release Date: 28th September, 2018

Label: BMG

Producer: DJ Muggs

Standout Tracks: Band of Gypsies (ft. Sadat & Alaa Fifty)/Locos (ft. Sick Jacken)/Muggs Is Dead (Interlude)

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=1432887&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2CnvBTLTov5YDGM2axRKcQ?si=JUOfWVh4RT6zSGyad5CzPQ

Review:

“Most episodes of the superb HBO sitcom Silicon Valley end with a musical outro: usually banging hip-hop. This album by Cypress Hill should make the music supervisors’ job on season six a doddle.

After a 14-year hiatus, during which B-Real and Sen Dog did without DJ Muggs, this seminal stoner hip-hop trio are reunited and reinvigorated – or as reinvigorated as a ninth paean to mind-altering substances might permit. As befits an album designed to thrill the brain’s cannabinoid receptors, rather than lay it low with Xanax as per much contemporary hip-hop, producer Muggs pulls every disorienting trick out of the carpetbag: sitars, sub bass, trumpeting pachyderms and dubby contributions by psych outrider Gonjasufi.

And while many of these 21 tracks (interludes abound) sound familiar – tunes like Pass the Knife share considerable bongwater with Cypress Hill’s 90s heyday – innovations do liven up the Hill’s central theme. Nothing quite matches the superlative Band of Gypsies, which features Egyptian underground stars Sadat and Alaa Fifty; DJ Muggs also throws oud players into the mix. But female backing vocals provide the party-starting on tracks such as Oh Na Na” – The Guardian

Choice Cut: Crazy (ft. Brevi)

FEATURE: Paul McCartney at Eighty: Seven: The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present: The Essential Music Book of 2021

FEATURE:

 

 

Paul McCartney at Eighty

IMAGE CREDIT: Penguin Books/Paul McCartney 

Seven: The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present: The Essential Music Book of 2021

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PRIOR to exploring…

 IMAGE CREDIT: Penguin Books/Paul McCartney 

aspects of Paul McCartney’s career with The Beatles, Wings, solo and other areas of his professional and personal life, one of the things that I wanted to discuss in the run-up to his eightieth birthday in June is his award-winning lyrics book. The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present is not only an essential purchase for any fan of his work. Anybody with even a passing interest in music and lyrics should get this book. The genius songwriter notating and commenting on some of his favourite tracks:

“In this stunning, intimate self-portrait from one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Paul McCartney traces his life from boyhood to the present day through the lyrics to 154 iconic songs, together with captivating commentary and never-before-seen photographs, drafts and letters.

'More often than I can count, I've been asked if I would write an autobiography, but the time has never been right. The one thing I've always managed to do, whether at home or on the road, is to write new songs. I know that some people, when they get to a certain age, like to go to a diary to recall day-to-day events from the past, but I have no such notebooks. What I do have are my songs, hundreds of them, which I've learned serve much the same purpose. And these songs span my entire life.'

Championed by our booksellers from the moment of its publication, The Lyrics represents the defining literary statement from Britain’s greatest living songwriter. Through 154 career-spanning songs – from his iconic work in The Beatles and Wings to the restless creativity of his solo output - Paul McCartney unveils his unique songwriting process through endlessly fascinating background notes and considered critical evaluation. Written in collaboration with acclaimed poet Paul Muldoon, this mighty volume contains the lyrics to songs which have soundtracked millions of lives across the globe and stand as some of the touchstone cultural achievements of the past 75 years.

But The Lyrics is more than an addictively insightful window into the craft and inspiration of a rock legend. Boasting a huge number of never-before-seen images from McCartney’s personal archive, it is also a supreme testament to book design and production; a sumptuous slipcased work housing two deluxe volumes that represent a true visual feast. The ultimate adornment to any self-respecting booklover’s shelves, The Lyrics is a once-in-a-generation masterpiece to treasure forever”.

In November, McCartney (alongside author Paul Muldoon, who edited The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present) spoke about the book to Samira Ahmed at the Southbank Centre. I can understand why there was so much sense of event and the grand about a book. Perhaps the greatest-living songwriter (and, to me, the greatest ever), people wanted to know more about these songs that have been a part of our lives. As the price of the book is coming down, this is more of an investment! In decades to come, we will be talking about The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present. The 154 songs that are in there covers his earliest Beatles work and later cuts. It is an amazing book that explains so much about his thought process and inspirations. A while ago, to promote the book. McCartney answered questions from fans relating to particular songs:

“PM.com: Greg on Twitter asks: In the process of putting the book together, were there any lyrics or memories that came back to you and reminded you of a time you’d forgotten?

Paul: It wasn’t really a forgotten memory, but revisiting the first song I ever wrote ‘I Lost My Little Girl’ was interesting. It kind of turned into a therapy session, because I thought I was happily writing a little pop song when I was fourteen, but if you look at the timing of it I had just lost my mother. When you think about that, the song seems to have a much deeper meaning that I hadn’t noticed before: the possibility of it being subliminally written about her.

I’ve always said ‘Let It Be’ was written after dreaming of my mum, but some of the lyrics from ‘Yesterday’ might have been to do with my mum as well. Then there were surprising memories that would come out, like when I got into talking about John and was reminded of the hitchhiking trips we’d taken as kids, and with George. I think the whole process of analysing the songs took me to stuff that I hadn’t thought of recently - not because I didn’t want to, but because there was never a clue, never a prompt, never a trigger to think about those things.

That was the interesting thing about making this book. I had to go back in my memory to see how I’d written that song, why I’d written it and any interesting side stories. It became about more than just the songs: it became the memories that the songs evoked. It was a nice process, actually. Better that being with a psychiatrist!

PM.com: Rory on Facebook asks: When you were deciding which songs to include, did you go through it chronologically, in order the songs were written?

Paul: I never worked out Paul Muldoon’s system, but he would appear with a sheet of paper and would say, ‘Let’s do these today!’ It was always good fun, because really it was just a couple of friends sitting and talking. And the more we got to know each other, the more we talked about the act of writing, what with him being a well-known poet. We had a lot of things in common and were always asking each other, ‘How do you start a song?’ Or, ‘How do you start a poem?’ And I would tell him what I did and he would tell me what he did.

IN THIS PHOTO: John Lennon and Paul McCartney writing together in 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Linda McCartney/Paul McCartney

PM.com: That leads on quite nicely to our next question from Val on Instagram: What is your songwriting process, and do you follow a formula?

Paul: It is a very interesting process, songwriting, and to be honest I don’t know anything about it! I always tell my students in LIPA that, because it’s not like building a car or fixing a television, it’s something that is very different each time you do it so you never learn a set of rules. In fact, you don’t want to learn a set of rules because that’s what keeps it interesting! The minute you know how to do a thing it kinda spoils it.

I remember people used to ask me and John, ‘What’s the formula? Who writes the words and who writes the music?’ And we would say, ‘There is no formula and if we ever found one, we’d reject it.’ There is this idea of discovery when you’re making music, especially when you’re not formally trained but you’re having to produce something that is professional. Nobody’s told you how to do it, so you’re just doing it out of love. For me and John we thought, ‘Oh yeah – we should have a riff at the beginning of this!’ But nobody ever said to us, ‘You should have a riff at the beginning of songs’.

I was talking to Jeff Lynne from ELO once and he said, ‘We just made it all up, didn’t we?’ It’s absolutely true! Sounds a little bit bland, I suppose, but it’s the absolute truth - all the people and all the groups from my generation were very untrained, but we were just passionate about what we did.

PM.com: The next question is from James on Twitter: If you had to pick only one song from your Beatles days, Wings days and your solo days to best showcase each band to curious aliens who had no idea and wanted to learn about you, which ones would you choose?

Paul: It’s always very hard to narrow down favourite songs, so what I do is just make a guess. What comes to my head for The Beatles would be ‘Yesterday’ – I’d say that was an important moment. But then again, my inner voice says, ‘What about ‘Hey Jude’? What about ‘Let It Be’…?’ So it is a very difficult question to answer. But I’ll plump for ‘Yesterday’.

For the Wings period I’ll go for ‘Band on the Run’, although I’ve just heard recently the song ‘Arrow Through Me’ is really getting all sorts of attention, so maybe the aliens would like that! I always liked it myself as a song, but it’s obviously been played somewhere recently and people are going mad on the streaming. That’s another lovely aspect of writing songs - you do something and think it’s of its time, and then years later it gets put in a film soundtrack or something and there’s suddenly a big uptake. I remember ‘Blackbird’ was in the film Boss Baby - it’s an animation film for kids - and parents would come up me and say, ‘You know my kid’s favourite song of yours? It’s ‘Blackbird’!’ It is great that this young generation is getting into the song. I wrote it so long ago and it’s resonating with them now – it’s quite amazing, it’s very gratifying. But anyway, that aside, let’s say ‘Band on the Run’ would be my choice for Wings.

Then for my solo period I would go for ‘Coming Up’ from McCartney II.

Before wrapping up, it is worth sourcing a critical review about the best music book of 2021.The Guardian were among those who provided their opinion on McCartney’s opus. Even if you are a casual fan of his work, it makes for immersive and compelling reading:

“Numerous biographies have traced the origins of Beatles songs. This is the McCartney version. Spread over two lavish volumes and more than 900 pages, and supplemented by memorabilia from the million-plus items in his archive (photos, posters, paintings, jottings and letters), the book came about through conversations with the poet Paul Muldoon: 50 hours of them, in 24 sessions between 2015 and 2020, covering 154 songs. On the face of it, the two Pauls have little in common: one a complex poet, the other a pop star. But they share an Irish heritage. And a few of McCartney’s rhymes (pataphysical/quizzical, Edison/medicine) wouldn’t look out of place in a Muldoon poem. At any rate the two hit it off. Though Muldoon has edited himself out of the text, you can sense him in the background, prompting and prodding. In effect the book becomes an autobiography, with Muldoon playing the part that Dennis O’Driscoll played in the interviews that became Seamus Heaney’s autobiography, Stepping Stones.

The biggest influence on McCartney’s music was the death of his mother, Mary, when he was 14. He used to deny that she lay behind the words of Yesterday (“Why she had to go I don’t know, she wouldn’t say”) but now accepts she must have been. He wrote more directly about her in the year she died, 1956, in I Lost My Little Girl, a song not released till 1991. And she is namechecked (“When I find myself in times of trouble/Mother Mary comes to me”) in Let It Be, a phrase she liked to use and one that also appears in Hamlet, which McCartney read at school. A midwife in life, she was also a midwife in her afterlife, helping to deliver some of his finest songs.

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney during the recording of Egypt Station (2018) 

McCartney has similarly fond memories of his trumpet-playing father, whose love of crosswords he compares to his own approach to writing songs. When he sat down with Lennon – two guitars, two notepads, two pencils – they would have a song written within three hours: “After that your brain goes a bit.” You’d think there must have been sessions when nothing came off but he doesn’t remember any.

He talks a lot about Lennon, nostalgically and with affection (“I still have him whispering in my ear after all these years”), and is keen to emphasise that they ended on good terms; at their last meeting “we talked about how to bake bread”. Harsh words were exchanged when the Beatles broke up, with the acerbic John scornful of Paul’s taste for “silly love songs”, to which he retaliated by writing a song called Silly Love Songs. But till the breakup their differences were productive: “I could calm him down and he could fire me up.” They mirrored each other, John with his right-handed guitar, Paul with his left-handed one. And their tug-of-war rivalry produced brilliant harmonies. “We thought of ourselves as Lennon and McCartney from early on,” he says, a double act like Gilbert and Sullivan or Rodgers and Hammerstein.

The lyrics he wrote as a solo artist and for Wings are included here too. And many aspects of his offstage life are discussed along the way: his pacifism (which began after he met Bertrand Russell), vegetarianism, bird-watching, parenting, painting (which took off after a chat with Willem de Kooning) and unapologetic cheeriness (“it’s OSS: Optimistic Song Syndrome”). All kinds of music influenced him, Cole Porter as well as Little Richard: “No one thought it at the time but we were really big fans of the music that came out of our parents’ generation.” But the real revelation is how much he took from books – “intertextuality as they call it in posh circles”. Among the writers he alludes to are TS Eliot, George Orwell, James Joyce, Philip Larkin, Harold Pinter, Adrian Mitchell (“a good friend”), Eugene O’Neill, Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Sean O’Casey, Charles Dickens, LP Hartley and Louis MacNeice. And though the tone of the book is conversational, Muldoon’s editing ensures that it’s also quote-worthy: “Writing a song is like talking to a psychiatrist”, “The vignette is really my stock in trade”, “It’s not so much that I compose songs, they arrive”.

The most startling such arrival was Yesterday, the tune of which was in his head when he woke up one day and which seemed very familiar; only when he played it to others did he realise it existed only in his head. Getting it down, he used dummy words: what became “Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away” began as “scrambled eggs, oh my baby, how I love your legs”. The backstories to the songs are often as interesting as the lyrics. With Ticket to Ride he and John were also thinking about a trip they’d made to Ryde, on the Isle of Wight; Blackbird, with its “broken wings”, was written after the assassination of Martin Luther King; “Hey Jude was originally Hey Jules and written for the young Julian Lennon after John had divorced Cynthia; the portrait of a community in Penny Lane took its bearings from Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood while She’s Leaving Home “was almost like a shooting script for the Wednesday Play”.

A book that everyone needs in their lives, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present is definitely the finest music book of last year. It ranks alongside the very best. As people wonder whether Paul McCartney will write a memoir soon, I think his lyrics book is as revealing and autobiographical as you can get. It definitely gives you an insight into his experiences and songwriting past. Without doubt, Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present is…

A genuine masterpiece.

FEATURE: Saluting the Work of a True Master… The Marvellous Glyn Johns at Eighty

FEATURE:

 

 

Saluting the Work of a True Master…

PHOTO CREDIT: Julia Wick 

The Marvellous Glyn Johns at Eighty

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ON 15th February…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Glyn Johns at Olympic Studios in London in 1970 with Mick Jagger/PHOTO CREDIT: .Ethan Russell

the sensational and legendary Glyn Johns is eighty. Many know about his magnificent engineering, mixing and production work. He has been back in the spotlight, as he featured heavily in The Beatles: Get Back. To me, a key figure and support for the band during their last couple of years, Johns has also worked with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Eagles, Joan Armatrading and Stevie Nicks. I am ending with a playlist of songs from Johns. They are from albums that he has worked from. Before getting there, I found an interview from The New York Times from 2014. He talked about working with various artists. It is his recollections of working alongside The Beatles that interested me:

“After disembarking from a Los Angeles to London flight in February 1969, the recording engineer and producer Glyn Johns went straight to a studio to work with the Beatles on the album that became “Abbey Road.” That was followed by an all-night session with the Rolling Stones for the album “Let It Bleed,” after which he rejoined the Beatles, then concluded his marathon that day by recording Jimi Hendrix live at Royal Albert Hall.

That’s what life was like for Mr. Johns during one of the most fertile periods in popular music. Born in suburban London in 1942, he went to work as an apprentice sound engineer at the age of 17, when music was still recorded in monaural, and soon became the engineer of choice for the British pop groups then emerging: He was in the control room twirling the knobs the first time the Rolling Stones went into a recording studio, on a Sunday early in 1963.

Now Mr. Johns has written a memoir, “Sound Man” (Blue Rider Press), in which he explains, among other things, what a record producer actually does: guide musicians in “painting a picture in sound.” Published last month, the book offers behind-the-scene glimpses of his studio work — which in the 1970s and 1980s expanded to artists like the Eagles, the Clash, Howlin’ Wolf, Eric Clapton, John Hiatt, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt — and the working relationships he forged.

“My objective was not kiss and tell, but an observation of the industry over the last 50 years, how it has developed, and about the characters I’ve met,” he said. “I just love making records, and that’s never going to change. I can’t wait to get back in.”

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, Mr. Johns remains active, having recently produced CDs by Ryan Adams and Benmont Tench. In New York on book tour, he spoke of his 50-plus years in the recording studio. Here are excerpts from his descriptions of some of his biggest projects.

Though best known for the records he made with the Rolling Stones, with whom he worked until 1975, Mr. Johns also was the recording engineer for the Who, the Kinks and Small Faces on some of the most notable songs of the 1960s. Even at the time, he sensed these were not ordinary sessions.

“There was absolutely a sense of the possibility of rules being changed, of the enormity of what was going on. One had no idea whether the general public would pick up on it the same way I did. But I can remember very clearly the session for ‘My Generation.’ I can remember very clearly ‘You Really Got Me’ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again,’ and lots of Stones stuff. ‘My Generation’? A bass solo? A stuttering vocal? Not to mention feedback or the song itself. Extraordinary! It was certainly special to me at the time. Are you kidding? You’d have to be deaf not to get excited by that.”

Early in 1969, the Beatles invited Mr. Johns to work on their new project. He accepted eagerly, thinking he would be the engineer for George Martin, who had produced the group’s previous albums. But when he arrived, Mr. Martin, who had grown tired of the bickering, was absent, and he realized he was being thrust into a producer’s role. The experience, which eventually yielded the album “Let It Be” after the tapes were turned over to Phil Spector, was frustrating:

“The idea was something like ‘The Basement Tapes,’ to show what they were really like. I’d worked with everyone and their mother by then, so I was quite used to being around people who were famous. But when I got the call, to walk in and be privy to those guys sitting around, doing what they did, and to be invited in, was pretty astonishing. I didn’t know them. I was the same as every other punter on the planet, who saw them as these extraordinary icons of marvelousness.

“And although they could hardly be normal people, because of what their success had done to them, I was witnessing them being normal to each other. Which no one else had got to see, and which nobody really had a clue about. And so my concept of the record was: how fantastic to have a record of them playing live, sitting around mocking each other, just having a laugh.

“It was very weird. But George Martin, being the gentleman that he is, he realized that I had been compromised in a way, and he saw fit to put me at ease about the situation. He took me to lunch, and he said, ‘You’re not to worry about a thing.’ I was feeling really awkward about the whole thing, and he was completely at ease about the situation. Because he is confident of his own abilities.

“I was disappointed that Lennon got away with giving it to Spector, and even more disappointed with what Spector did to it. It has nothing to do with the Beatles at all. ‘Let It Be’ is a bunch of garbage. As I say in the book, he puked all over it. I’ve never listened to the whole thing, I’ve only listened to the first few bars of some things and said, ‘Oh, forget it.’   It was ridiculously, disgustingly syrupy”.

Ahead of the eightieth birthday of one of the most important people in music, I wanted to assort some songs that show Johns’ talent and significance. Since the 1960s, he has earned this reputation as a producer, mixer and engineer like no other! Many people will salute him on his birthday. Here is my tribute to…

THE amazing Glyn Johns.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Rainsford

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Rainsford

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AN artist who has especially caught my eye lately…

I am spending some time with Rainsford. The moniker of L.A. actress Rainey Qualley, her music is sensational. There are a couple of interviews that I want to introduce. An artist who is definitely one to watch, her 2022 will be a lot busier than the previous couple of years. I think that her experience in T.V. and film has gone into the music. In the sense she has this emotional impact. Not to say the songs are like performances, but one can definitely feel Rainsford inhabit songs and transform them. I want to start off by looking at interview NOTION ran in 2020. An artist, at that point, on the rise, we discover more about a multi-talented treasure:

“LA-based singer-songwriter, Rainsford has carved out her own space amongst the musical landscape. Rainsford has shown her impressive versatility across a variety of projects rooted in film, television, and music. Multi-hyphenate in every sense, she’s a musician, actress, model, writer, and creative director.

Not only has Rainsford topped a variety of ‘Ones to Watch’ lists she’s also garnered critically acclaimed notice from her EP “Emotional Support Animal” in 2018, she also toured both the US and UK, ending with a sold-out show in London.

Rainsford made her acting debut on AMC’s award-winning drama Mad Man, opposite Jon Hamm, in 2015. Upcoming film projects include The Shuroo Project, alongside Fiona Dourif and Tommy Dorfman, The Daylong Brothers, a Southern Gothic tale where she stars opposite Keith Carradine, and Ultrasound with Vincent Kartheiser.

Most recently, Rainsford starred in the Freeform television miniseries ‘Love In The Time Of Corona’ alongside Leslie Odom Jr., Nicolette Robinson and Tommy Dorfman. Out on Freeform, the romantic comedy follows the lives of people who are looking for love, sex and connection during the COVID-19 pandemic while social distancing.

Her influences range from indie, pop, R&B and soul and share the qualities that are most evident in her own material – honesty and authenticity.

If you could summarize it, what would be the story of how you became a musician?

I started dancing when I was really young, which exposed me to a lot of music. It allowed me to experience music in a much more present way. Plus, I just always loved to sing and write songs. It’s one of the few things I feel confident in my abilities about.

What would you say the most important things are that you’ve learned about yourself as an artist?

To trust my instincts and not to value someone else’s opinion over mine, just because they are older or more powerful than I am.

What are the main themes and messages you want to portray in your music?

I don’t really think about my music in that way.  I write lyrics on my phone and on my laptop all the time. I record little voice notes of melody ideas, write songs on my guitar at night when my day is done, and write with my friends in the studio.  I just don’t have an overarching theme besides sharing pieces of myself.

“Oh My God”, “Crying In The Mirror” and “2 Cents” have all captivated a growing fan base both in the US and overseas with your entrancing music videos. How does it feel to have your music out in the world and to be receiving global recognition and support?

Well, that’s a very generous way to describe my career! I hope that’s true! I care so much about the songs I write and music videos I create.  And It really all comes from me.  I write every song.  I think of every video idea.  I don’t have a label or some larger thing pushing for me.  I’m so flattered by everyone who cares or connects to what I’m doing.  It’s so cool to me and fills my heart up thinking about someone choosing to listen to a song I wrote.

Can you talk us through what your creative process when creating new music? Has that been altered due to lockdown?

Not a whole lot has changed in my creative process since quarantine.  It’s only ever me and one other person in the studio. So lucky I’ve been able to keep on going pretty well”.

If you have not followed and listen to Rainsford, then spend some time today checking out her music. A very promising artist who will certainty make strides this year, she is someone I am tipping for very big things. With the release of her new single, Brutal, last month, HUNGER were keen to speak with a brilliant artist:

“HUNGER caught up with Rainsford about her new track, ‘Brutal’, her musical evolution and why she’s not going to bow to pressure to choose between acting and singing. This is an artist who is determined to create what she wants, when she wants — even if it means putting up a middle finger to industry expectations…

Congrats on the new track! It seems like a little bit of a break from form. In the past, you’ve spoken about how a lot of your songs have been driven by heartache, but in ‘Brutal’, there seems to be this narrative of women taking control of their love lives in a way that’s more beneficial for them emotionally.

That’s totally spot on. For me, it’s always been easier to be a warrior for my friends and to stand up for them, rather than myself. It’s easier to see what the healthy thing to do is when you’re an outsider, you know? In my own life, in every relationship I’ve had, it’s hard to work out how I’ve really felt about someone, and whether it’s beneficial to me. Sometimes we try to gain someone’s love in an unhealthy way, and that can become a pattern. I guess we were reflecting on that in ‘Brutal’.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Lee Parry

Do you think talking about heartbreak in your songwriting is a way for you to explore your own emotional parameters and boundaries?

Definitely, I’ve always used songwriting as a form of therapy and as a way to express myself. Music is a great outlet for me. It’s also interesting how songs take on new meanings over the years. Like when I’ve talked about someone, and one particular experience I’ve had with them, it becomes something else entirely when I look back on it.

Have you ever come to regret writing about a particular scenario or a person in a song? Sometimes, it can feel quite exposing and vulnerable to put parts of our personal lives out into the world.

Definitely a lot of vulnerability for sure. But not really regret. Sometimes, I’ve written songs about guys that I’ve been seeing or been having a problem with, and then I’ll send it to them and be like… “I wrote this about you”. And I’ve regretted THAT. But not really writing or releasing it in a public way, because I think being vulnerable is essential in any art-form where you have to express your humanity.

Out of interest, how do these boys tend to respond when you go all Taylor Swift and send them a song you’ve written about them?

There have been a lot of different reactions, but when me and one of my exes were breaking up, I wrote a song about it and sent it to him. He literally blocked me.

Woah. And I’m assuming you regretted that?

Now, I don’t care, whatever, but I was heartbroken at the time.

You’re obviously in a really happy relationship at the moment. How has that impacted your songwriting? When people are in love, they tend to have a ‘rose-tinted’ view of the world.

Yeah, I’ve written sooo many songs about my boyfriend. It was one of those things too, like early on, I said everything I was feeling in my songs, and then I’d be embarrassed for him to listen because I was so gushy and so in love, and just not playing it cool at all. But now, we’ve been together for a long time and we live together, so he knows how much I love him. I don’t really have to write about him all the time now. But he’s a big source of inspiration, definitely.

I’m guessing, right now, acting is more of a day job and music is more of a way for you to express yourself artistically and emotionally?

I really love them both. With acting, you have to wait for someone to cast you. So you are essentially not allowed to work unless you are chosen —  it’s not self-motivated. But with music, I can write a song and just do it. That’s great for me. When I’m not doing one thing, I like to do the other, and that way I’m always occupied. I really like to be busy and productive. Just firing, and not like, trapped.

What are your next moves for 2022?

I was really looking forward to performing, but now with Omicron… I don’t know. But hopefully, I’ll be back in the next few months. Especially with new music, having the audience’s reaction and hearing them sing the words back to you is such a compelling experience. I mean, I just love to sing, so that’s always on the plan for sure”.

An artist who definitely stands out from the crowd, I do hope that Rainsford puts an album out this year and can come to the U.K. I think that her fanbase here will definitely grow. Maybe not played as much on U.K. radio as in the U.S., that will soon all change. Keep your eyes open for the…

SENSATIONAL Rainsford.

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Follow Rainsford

PHOTO CREDIT: Cameron Tidball-Sciullo for NOTION

Official:

http://www.rainsfordmusic.com/

Instagram:

http://instagram.com/rainsford

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/ItsRainsford

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/rainsford

YouTube:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4XxCuxkBeoJUdzaVRGJjrJ?si=VVb3NMheSsGk2Dd9NhXRyQ&nd=1

FEATURE: Sometimes I Might Be Extrovert: Hailing the Extraordinary Power of Queen Little Simz

FEATURE:

 

 

Sometimes I Might Be Extrovert

Hailing the Extraordinary Power of Queen Little Simz

___________

EARLIER this week…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz at the BRIT Awards on 8th February, 2022/PHOTO CREDIT: Gareth Cattermole/Getty

Little Simz not only delivered an incredible performance at the BRIT Awards. She also took away the award for Best New Artist. She took her mum on the stage to collect the award. It showed how down to earth she was! The momentum began long before the BRIT Awards, but Simz’s win elevated her to a new level. People dubbing her a queen and the best artist in the world; someone without peers who was going to be an icon. I cannot disagree with that. I was moved by her powerful live performance at the BRITs, and I could appreciate why her shows and sets have received such great reviews. In the summer, Little Simz headlines the West Holts stage at Glastonbury. There will be a lot more to look forward to when it comes to Little Simz. Looking back, and her 2021 album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, was among the best of the year. Although it is personal and tender throughout, there is so much power and something physical that knocks you back. Almost extroverted in its confidence and impact, Simz is able to blend her disparate sounds and layers into something whole. Her lyrics and poetry is on another plain, whilst her compositions are bigger and bolder than previous work. 2019’s GREY Area was a phenomenal album that many thought would be hard to top. She has surpassed that with her latest album. I reckon Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is the frontrunner when it comes to the Mercury Prize later in the year. She is nominated at the BandLab NME Awards next month. Expect her to make a huge impact there and win some awards!

Looking ahead, there is a mix of expectation and excitement. It is all guns blazing regarding live performances. Simz will not be rushing into another album, though we are likely to see more music this year in some form. What is the point of this feature? I wanted to react to her recent BRITs success and celebrate an artist who is among the best in the world – definitely one of Britain’s greatest and most important voices. Last year saw quite a few interviews and profiles of Little Simz. I reckon we will see quite a few more this year. I want to bring a few in, so that we can discover what went into Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Also, learning about Little Simz’s childhood and rise shows how far she has come and, as she said at the BRIT Awards, how someone like her – who grew up in a council estate and came from humble origins – can get to a position where they are collecting awards. The Guardian spoke with Simz back in April:

“Simz, full name Simbiatu Ajikawo, doesn’t waste her words. When she talks, she is purposeful, precise, politely withholding. Yet from its overture, her fourth studio album reveals an interior world of cinematic proportions. “I’m definitely not the greatest at opening up,” she says today. But there are two Simz: the one that is by nature reticent and the Simz who wants to show you her universe.

Born and raised in north London, she was a shy performing arts kid who found her voice at St Mary’s Youth Club in Islington. As a teenager, she starred in TV shows on CBBC (Spirit Warriors) and E4 (Youngers), all the while making music and uploading it on SoundCloud and Bandcamp. By 21 she’d written, recorded and released four mixtapes, five EPs and an album (A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons), all on her own label, Age 101 Music. After a brief stint at the University of West London, she decided to pursue music full-time. In 2017, Kendrick Lamar described her as “the illest doing it right now”. In his 2019 headline set at Glastonbury, Stormzy shouted her out as a legend and one of 52 essential British artists coming through. Simz describes that year as the best of her life; she landed a recurring role in the Drake-sanctioned Netflix show Top Boy, and released her third album, Grey Area, to critical acclaim. In 2020, she won an Ivor Novello.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jameela Elfaki/The Observer

About a year ago, Simz was in Los Angeles. She and her producer, Inflo, had recently started work on the new album and she was celebrating turning 26. When she thinks about that last burst of freedom before the pandemic, her mind takes her back to a changing room on the morning of her birthday. “I got a birthday outfit to wear later – a dress and heels, a little bag, a whole situation.” That night, she had dinner at Soho House with some friends who were in town, including Top Boy co-star Micheal Ward and singer-songwriter Jacob Banks. Later, they went clubbing. Then, shortly after, her manager called, panicky, and put her on a flight back to London. “As soon as I got home, I think the next day, lockdown.”

Suddenly, she was home alone, in her own head. “I live by myself,” she says. “I spent the time doing what everyone was doing really, just reflecting.” That period of reflection has led to some of her best work.

“I know that I’m quiet, innit?” she explains. “I’m just very to myself and I didn’t know how to really navigate that, especially coming in this industry where you’re expected to have this extroverted persona all the time.” Unlike many of her colleagues, Simz is notably low-key on Instagram and Twitter. “I wanted to just let people know like, yo, I’m actually this way inclined.” And so the theme of the new album emerged – an excavation of the things Simz would prefer to bury. “It’s me,” she says, “being this introverted person that has all these crazy thoughts and ideas and theories in my head and not always feeling like I’m able to express it if it’s not through my art.”

 The 19-track album is an epic, Wizard of Oz-style quest as Simz confronts her fears and counts her blessings. Spoken-word interludes are pit stops that give voice to her inner monologue; in one of them, an anonymous narrator who speaks in a clipped English accent is her Glinda the Good Witch. “Do you want 15 years or 15 minutes? Do not tire yourself out.” This is what the inside of Simz’s head sounds like.

Though she’s best known as a rapper rooted in hip-hop, Simz draws from a kaleidoscope of influences ranging from soul to funk, jazz and grime. When making the album, she studied timeless music – “classic albums” by Nina Simone and Etta James – not so much to borrow their sound, but their structure. When I ask what her Desert Island Discs are, she gets excited and pulls out her phone. “Ooohhh, let me go on my Spotty. Ah, see, look, I was just playing [Nina Simone’s] Baltimore. Probably Etta, At Last. A Love Supreme [by John] Coltrane. Records that any time you put on, you’re just in, it doesn’t feel dated”.

Such a fascinating interview subject, I have had a look online at various interviews from last year and certain ones that stood out. Loud and Quiet chatted with Simz in July. Their headline stated that she has nothing left to prove. As a hugely successful artist, actor, fashion icon and role model, Sometimes I Might Be Introverted showed that she was in her own league - in the process, becoming one of the most striking and mesmeric Hip-Hop artists of her generation:

“There’s no question that S.I.M.B.I. represents another giant leap forward. Begun pre-lockdown in L.A. and finished between September and December of 2020 – at the same time as filming series 4 of Top Boy – it was recorded with her childhood friend Inflo, who also produced Grey Area as well as both of last year’s acclaimed SAULT records. Stylistically, it finds Simz operating on another plane entirely, delivering some of the most impactful bars of her career and a dazzling array of different musical styles.

Backed by a 40-piece orchestra and recorded at Abbey Road, ‘Introvert’ emulates the epicness of Jay-Z-classic The Black Album, while second single ‘Woman’ draws on the warmth of ’70s soul. There’s the cosmic, ’80s funk feel of ‘Protect My Energy’ – influenced by Nigerian singer Steve Monite – and the Afrobeat-inspired Obongjayar collaboration ‘Point and Kill’. ‘Rollin Stone’ finds Simz spitting blistering, grime-inspired bars, before the song climaxes in a haze of pitch-shifted vocals and woozy trap beats. Meanwhile ‘Two Worlds Apart’ repurposes the refrain from ‘The Agony and The Ecstasy’ by Smokey Robinson, which – impressively – is the record’s only sample.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gem Harris for Loud and Quiet 

“That was the goal,” Simz says of the record’s vast variety. “It was about trying to make it exist everywhere. Like, you might walk into a restaurant in Nigeria and hear ‘Point and Kill’, and then you might be in Sweden at some low key disco and hear ‘Protect My Energy’. And that’s probably inspired by my live shows. I’ll look out into the audience and see kids on my left that are no older than 18 going crazy and moshing, and then I look to my right and I see a couple that are definitely in their 60s. I love that different generations can co-exist at my shows and enjoy this music, and I want to continue to cater to that. And also I enjoy different types of music.

“I probably won’t make another album like this again and that’s cool, because I can’t do the same thing twice and expect different results. So I’m just tryna push the envelope as much as possible. I want to keep proving to myself that I’m not confined to this box of rap/hip hop/urban whatever. There are different sides to me and I’m just exploring them.”

This idea of self-discovery bleeds into the lyrics, which – as the title implies – finds Simz squaring her successes with her status as an introvert. It’s a theme she addressed on ‘Therapy’ from Grey Area, but on S.I.M.B.I. she drills much deeper, frequently providing further exposition via spoken world interludes voiced by Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana in The Crown.

At the end of ‘Introvert’, Corrin consoles in cut-glass tones, explaining, “Your introversion led you here / Intuition protected you along the way / Feelings allowed you to be well balanced / And perspective gave you foresight.” By ‘The Rapper That Came To Tea’ that supportiveness has been flipped on its head, with Corrin condescendingly sneering, “The extroverts like to be entertained and I was told you don’t talk much.” As Simz explains, it was the success of Grey Area that forced her to confront her introversion.

“I’ve always been a quiet kid and then all of a sudden it was all red carpets and people saying, ‘Congratulations’ on this, and, ‘Let’s go out to drinks’. And it was a lot. Because you’re in the public eye or in front of the camera, you’re expected to have this extroverted persona, but actually that’s not me in my day-to-day life. So I just wanted to turn inwards a lot more and speak about things that would probably put me in a more vulnerable space”.

I will leave it in a second. I wanted to give you a taste of Simz’s success and what she was saying in interviews last year. The focus of all this attention and success is the sensational Sometimes I Might Be Introverted. An album that will scoop awards this year; it was one of the best-reviewed of 2021. This is what The Line of Best Fit wrote in their review. They gave it a perfect ten!

“Delivering yet another Album of the Week, Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo is continuing her evolution. Spanning 15 epic tracks punctuated by four interludes and only three features (Cleo Sol and Obongjayar, alongside a spoken word contribution from Emma Corrin), Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is a bright example of both authenticity and creativity.

Calling Simz simply a ‘rapper’ would be to ignore the skills and abilities she exudes within art as a whole, including but not limited to: acting, directing, and writing. Granting a window into the true origins of hip-hop music jazz, blues, soul, funk, rock ’n’ roll and gospel, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is a roulette board of sounds and imagery, surprising with every turn. Scored out of an immeasurable imagination, it centres her experiences as an artist with over a decade of experience and knowledge in the music world.

 With Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Little Simz has switched a dial on her TV set, going from black and white to technicolour. While her last outing - 2019’s GREY Area - pictured her in the dark and vulnerable, now we find her in the loudest of yellows holding herself on a wooden throne. Although Simz may represent so much confidence and bravado, the title reminds us that being an introvert and empath are her greatest allies.

Going by the two singles and accompanying visuals premiered in the last few months, Sometimes was always going to be a project bubbling with grand almost shocking musical power - and deliver it does. From the brass to the strings, Simz’s compositions - and production by Inflo - are so mighty that they would make a classical composer blush, and there’s none more powerful than the rallying war cry horns of “Introvert” - Simz’s call to arms.

As Sometimes progresses, while any past work of Little Simz's has been full of fighting talk, it becomes clear that this is an album made to properly showcase her versatility, voice and soul. Talking family, trauma, the industry and her peers, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is tactical, theatrical, and is the product of 100,000 hours spent honing her craft resulting in a body of work with heart, and its head firmly on its shoulders”.

An artist who is getting more love and respect by the year, twenty-seven-year-old Little Simz is going to be in the industry for decades more. Maybe she will mentor other artists and produce for others. Her own work is going to be towering and engrossing. She will take to some huge stages, and I would expect the U.S. to come calling in a big way! Both humble and somehow deified, she is a rare blend of the accessible and the otherworldly. It is scary to think that Little Simz’s best days may still be ahead! When you consider all that has come before and where she is now, that is praise…

OF the highest order!

FEATURE: Welcome to Paradise: Billie Joe Armstrong at Fifty: His Best Green Day and Solo Songs

FEATURE:

 

 

Welcome to Paradise

Billie Joe Armstrong at Fifty: His Best Green Day and Solo Songs

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BECAUSE Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Green Day’s Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong and Tré Cool/PHOTO CREDIT: Nigel Crane/Redfern

is fifty on 17th February, I felt it was only right to compile a playlist of the best Green Day songs (in addition to a few solo ones). The lead of a hugely influential Pop-Punk/Post-Punk band, they formed in 1987. It is amazing to think of their longevity! One of my favourite bands, I am going to salute Armstrong with a playlist. Before then, AllMusic provide some useful and informative biography:

“Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, vocals) received slings and arrows from obstinate punk fans when his band Green Day leapt from the underground and onto MTV in 1994.

Born on February 17, 1972, in Berkeley, California, Armstrong is the youngest of six children; his father died from lung cancer when he was only ten. He formed Sweet Children in 1987 with bassist Mike Dirnt. The group's name became Green Day in 1989, and Al Sobrante (drums) joined the band, eventually replaced by Tre Cool. Green Day's first two albums, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk!, solidified their place in the Southern California punk scene of the early '90s. However, when 1994's Dookie was released on a major label and sold more than eight million copies, Green Day were accused of selling out. Armstrong married his girlfriend Adrienne Nesser in June 1994; nearly a year later, their first child, Joseph Marciano, was born.

With each Green Day album, Armstrong continued to ignore the criticisms of the group's early fans as the band proceeded to strengthen their status within the mainstream, culminating in 2004's American Idiot, a rock opera that became a surprise international success, a multi-platinum Grammy winner, and the best-reviewed album of the band's career. Outside of Green Day, Armstrong teamed with jazz singer and pianist Norah Jones in a project to re-create the classic 1958 Everly Brothers album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us. Recorded in nine days with bassist Tim Luntzel and drummer Dan Rieser, Foreverly was released in 2013.

Armstrong busied himself with Green Day during the back half of the 2010s, releasing Revolution Radio in 2016 and Father of All… in 2020. Once the band's touring plans for 2020 were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Armstrong began an online covers project called No Fun Mondays where he debuted a new tune at the beginning of each week. The covers were assembled as the No Fun Mondays album in November 2020”.

One of Green Day’s best albums, Nimrod, is twenty-five later this year. Seeing as they have also been together thirty-five years, I hope there are celebrations and special gigs planned. Because Billie Joe Armstrong is such a loved and awesome songwriter and musician, here are tracks that show him…

AT his best.

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday

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ONE of the most acclaimed albums…

of the first decade of this century, The Hold Steady’s second studio album, Separation Sunday, is one I would encourage people get on vinyl, as it is a fascinating concept. Separation Sunday follows the interconnected stories of several fictional characters: Craig (the narrator), Holly (short for ‘Halleluiah’), a sometimes-addict, sometimes-prostitute, sometimes-born-again Christian/Catholic (and sometimes all three simultaneously); Charlemagne, a pimp; and Gideon, a skinhead, as they travel from city to city and party to party. Even though their latest album, 2021’s Open Door Policy is brilliant, my favourite album from the Minnesota band is Separation Sunday. It is such an ambitious and totally engrossing album that you will want to hear from start to end! With the core band of Craig Finn – lead vocals, guitar, Tad Kubler – guitar, Galen Polivka – bass guitar and Franz Nicolay – keyboards in top form, everyone needs to listen to Separation Sunday. It is an album that I heard when it came out in 2005, though I have not listened to it for a while. Before I round up, there are a couple of pretty detailed reviews that show why Separation Sunday is an album that you will want to investigate. This is what AllMusic wrote in their review:

“The Hold Steady's Almost Killed Me is their hands-down masterpiece, at least this far in the career anyway. A swirling maelstrom of intense, hilarious, and breathtaking rock & roll, it should have been the album that knocked everything else into a cocked hat in 2004. Of course, it was mostly ignored outside the homes of a handful of indie snobs and adventurous punks, but it's there, it's amazing, and most likely the band will never be able to top it. Separation Sunday comes pretty damn close, though. It is a much darker record, revolving around drug casualties, broken lives, a hoodrat fixation, spiritual and physical dissipation, and general despair, and there aren't as many easy laughs this time out -- but instead the listener gets lots of head-shaking wonderment at Craig Finn's genius lyrics and voice.

His gruff, in-your-ear vocals negotiate the twisting torrent of words like a world-class skater kid. He is insanely literate and insanely insistent: he's like the guy who calls at 2:30 a.m. in a frenzy to holler about his latest disaster of the heart, the bar-stool poet with a religious obsession, or the guy who corners you at a party and just won't shut up about how Boston are the missing link between the Beatles and Derrick May -- only you don't mind because he is strangely brilliant. He is also just about the best rock & roll frontman since Bob Pollard. In fact, the group sounds a bit like Guided By Voices at times, only a Guided By Voices that want to kick your sorry can up and down the length of the bar. Or maybe a GBV that worship Springsteen instead of the Who. Whipping up a classic rock-inspired frenzy of monitor-straddling guitar riffs, dual harmony leads, E Street piano flourishes, and galloping horns, the band behind Finn sounds like nothing less than Jim Steinman's dream group. You could talk about great individual songs (the epic "How a Resurrection Really Feels," the piledriving album opener "Hornets! Hornets!," the weird and almost funky "Charlemagne in Sweatpants"), but the strength of the album is in the flow from song to song and the way the intensity level (which starts off at a near fever pitch) elevates until your head is just about ready to burst from the thrill of it all. Call it a quaint idea in 2005, but Separation Sunday is truly an album, one that sounds almost perfect when played from beginning to end in the proper running order. Block out about 42 minutes sometime, hold steady, and get ready for indie rock -- no, rock & roll -- at its sweatiest, most intense, and most impressive. Long live the album; long live the Hold Steady”.

The second review comes from Pitchfork. Separation Sunday is one of those albums that take quite a bit of listening so you can fully appreciate it. I love its concept and the fact that every song seems to form part of this arc and storyline. This is what Pitchfork noted when they reviewed the4 excellent Separation Sunday:  

“The Hold Steady's first album, last year's ...Almost Killed Me, was a tangled mess of damaged character sketches and triumphant bar-rock thump-- Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle reimagined as an epic of Russian literature. But Separation Sunday is something more, the elegiac Biblical lost-innocence junkie odyssey that Denis Johnson never wrote.

Like Fiestas & Fiascos, the final album from Finn's former Minneapolis post-punk band Lifter Puller, it's an album-length story that forces us to pull bits of narrative from Finn's tangles of words. In Separation Sunday, a confused Catholic girl named Hallelujah hooks up with a motley assortment of shady characters, does a gang of drugs, gets born again when some guy with a nitrous tank dunks her in a river, wakes up in a confession booth, and maybe dies and maybe comes back from death. But the real story is in Finn's virtuoso evocations of menace ("When they say great white sharks/ They mean the kind in big black cars/ When they say killer whales/ They mean they whaled on him till they killed him up in Penetration Park"), hedonism ("You came into the ER drinking gin from a jam jar/ And the nurse is making jokes about the ER being like an after-bar"), and brief shining moments of lucidity ("Youth services always find a way to get their bloody cross into your druggy little messed-up teenage life").

<center><iframe width="500" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/94PUqP4yVzc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

None of this would work if Finn didn't have an expert rock band backing him up. Finn's songs wheel precariously from one unhinged lyrical idea to the next, almost never stopping for choruses or going out of their way to fit into any sort of structure, but the band plays these songs like long-lost fist-in-the-air classic rock anthems. It's well-schooled in every bar-rock cliché, and executes these moves with joy and conviction: the pick-slide before the climax, the weeping Hammond organ on the bridge, the pregnant pause before the big riff kicks back in. Since ...Almost Killed Me, the band has beefed up its sound with the help of Rocket From the Crypt producer Dave Gardner and keyboard player Franz Nickolay, and its Meat Loaf pianos, greasy George Thorogood blooz choogle, and wheedling Journey guitar carry more heft and authority than they had on the last album. This stuff would sound great behind just about any garage-rock hack, but it turns Finn's dirtbag chronicles into something epic and huge and molten and beautiful”.

A terrific album that will sound superb on vinyl, it is one that I would nudge people in the direction of. The Hold Steady are still going strong, though I still think their finest release was 2005’s Separation Sunday. I have been listening to it a lot the past few days, and I get a new favourite song each time I pass on through. An album that definitely stands up to dedicated focus and listens, Separation Sunday is an album you should not…

BE without.

FEATURE: BBC Radio 6 Music at Twenty: Creating a Loyal Family of Listeners

FEATURE:

 

 

BBC Radio 6 Music at Twenty

IMAGE/PHOTO CREDITS: BBC 

Creating a Loyal Family of Listeners

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I have previously written…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Nemone

two features about BBC Radio 6 Music in the run-up to its twentieth anniversary on 11th March. It must have been exciting learning about the new station back in 2002. Phill Jupitus kicked things off on that Monday almost twenty years ago. I will not repeat myself too much this time around. There is going to be plenty of love thrown at the station that special Friday next month (a month from today in fact!). It will be great to tune in and see what happens on the day. I do know that this Tuesday (15th) will reveal more about the upcoming 6 Music Festival. We will know the line-up, venues and location. A nice little pre-anniversary treat, for sure! I am sure that the plans and line-up will make up for a slightly different feel and set-up the past two years. On Friday, 11th March, the twentieth anniversary (or should it be birthday!?) celebrations are stating off properly at 5 a.m. with Chris Hawkins (who was with the station on the first day and remains one of the most popular broadcaster) and continuing with Lauren Laverne and then Mary Anne Hobbs, a combination of listener memories and some guests (I assume?) will mark a vital occasion. One reason why the twentieth anniversary is so important and celebration-worthy is because the station was saved from closure in 2010:

“A vocal campaign to save BBC 6 Music from closure was rewarded today when the BBC Trust said the digital music station will stay open.

The trust said it was opposed to a proposal put forward in March by the director general, Mark Thompson, as part of a wide-ranging strategy review.

However, the BBC Trust said it would accept a formal management proposal for the closure of 6 Music's digital sister station, BBC Asian Network, provided that it included alternative plans for meeting the needs of this ethnic minority audience "in different ways".

It said 6 Music was encouraging the take-up of digital radio among listeners, describing it as a "highly distinctive" service that represents "value for money" and is "well liked" by its audience.

The BBC Trust said there had been "significant public support for the service" and that 78% of nearly 50,000 online responses to a consultation on the BBC's future focused on 6 Music. The trust also received more than 25,000 emails and nearly 250 letters about the station, "the great majority" of which opposed the closure plan.

IN THIS PHOTO: Chris Hawkins 

It said BBC managers should be increasing 6 Music's average audience of around 600,000 weekly listeners rather than shutting the station down.

The trust also said 6 Music does not represent a threat to commercial competitors. "Throughout the period of our consultation we have received no evidence from the commercial radio sector to suggest that 6 Music represents any kind of threat either now or in the future, so long as it remains true to its distinctive remit."

BBC executives should consider the future of 6 Music as part of a wider examination of how best to improve the performance of its network of digital radio stations.

"The trust concludes that, as things stand, the case has not been made for the closure of 6 Music," the trust ruled. "The executive should draw up an overarching strategy for digital radio. If the director general wanted to propose a different shape for the BBC's music radio stations as part of a new strategy, the trust would consider it. The trust would consider a formal proposal for the closure of the Asian Network, although this must include a proposition for meeting the needs of the station's audience in different ways."

Ruling on the other elements of Thompson's strategic review of the BBC's activities, the trust said it endorsed the proposal to cut the corporation's online budget by 25%, contingent on being able to "understand and approve the editorial changes involved".

"The BBC should sharpen online's focus so that it is truly distinctive and has clearer editorial vision and control," the trust added”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Laverne with Professor Hannah Fry

It was a relief that the station not only survived, but it went on to become even bigger and more popular! In 2015, the fifth anniversary of that almost terrible decision was marked and reflected on. This feature from The Guardian explains more:

“BBC 6 Music, home to presenters Lauren Laverne, Elbow’s Guy Garvey and Jarvis Cocker, will pass a landmark anniversary in the next few days, although it is not one likely to prompt wild celebrations on air.

It will be five years since the BBC tried to axe the fledgling digital station and replace it with a spin-off version of Radio 2.

The decision prompted a wave of unprecedented listener protest – its Facebook campaign an early demonstration of the power of social media – joined by star names such as David Bowie and Mark Ronson, and its own presenters.

After management was forced into a U-turn by the BBC Trust the fortunes of the station have blossomed. Its audience has since tripled, and in the final quarter of 2014 hit 2 million listeners a week, overtaking its long established sister station, Radio 3.

Now the target is 2.5 million listeners for the station, which the BBC said five years ago had “relatively few unique listeners to BBC radio” and whose audience of 30- to 50-year-olds were well served by commercial radio.

Jeff Smith, head of music for Radio 2 and 6 Music, said 90% of its output today is not heard on any other UK station, with a mix of indie disco, edgier entries in rock’s back catalogue and championing of new artists such as US folk star Father John Misty.

IN THIS PHOTO: Shaun Keaveny 

If the station lacked focus in its early years when it promised an enervating mixture of archive and album tracks, it now pursues a different mantra, “celebrating the alternative spirit in popular music since the 1960s”.

Paul Rodgers, head of programmes for 6 Music, said it was an “important phrase defining what the station is about” but admitted it is a “slippery one”.

“I’m loathe to get into a musical definition of it. Which bit of the Human League is the alternative spirit? You can see I’m struggling,” he said.

For help he turned to the lineup for the 6 Music festival this weekend, which includes Mogwai, the Fall, British Sea Power and Bryan Ferry. “Bryan Ferry might not seem to embody alternative spirit,” said Rodgers. “But if you look back at his work and the ideas that informed it, they are, every bit.”

Liz Kershaw was among the 6 Music DJs who addressed two huge protests outside the BBC’s Broadcasting House in central London after the closure plans were announced in 2010.

I remember saying, yes there’s a need for the BBC to lose weight but you don’t cut your little finger off, you get fit

“I remember thinking, ‘No, I’m not having that. Over my dead body’,” remembered Kershaw, who currently presents the Saturday lunchtime show. “We had fought too long for a station like 6 Music, long before it opened in 2002, for it to shut down eight years later.

“As a listener I felt completely unserved by BBC national music radio. I was past my sell-by date as far as Radio 1 was concerned but I wasn’t one foot in the grave enough for Radio 2, as it was then. I wanted to hear on the radio the sort of bands you saw at festivals and live venues.”

The protests outside Broadcasting House were a very BBC affair – along with banners and placards, campaigners also turned up with homemade cupcakes.

Other 6 Music presenters also spoke out, including Adam Buxton and Tom Robinson. Cerys Matthews, the former lead singer of Catatonia who joined the station in 2009, recalled appearing on BBC1’s Breakfast programme to debate the closure with then BBC chief operating officer, Caroline Thomson.

“I remember saying, yes there’s a need for the BBC to lose weight but you don’t cut your little finger off, you get fit,” said Matthews. “Threatening to shut 6 Music was a ridiculous way to save money”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Nadine Shah

Like so many loyal listeners to the station, I was proper gutted when Shaun Keaveny left last year! It was not exactly his decision to go; his huge absence is still being felt. In spite of a bad decision by BBC Radio 6 Music management, the station is moving in the right direction. Samantha Moy is now the head of the station, and she has big plans going forward. The main purpose of this feature was to explain how BBC Radio 6 Music is less a traditional radio station. It has this family vibe and sense of community that means new listeners are coming in all of the time. Rather than shout-out every presenter, you can listen live and check out the schedule. Lauren Laverne, Chris Hawkins, Mary Anne Hobbs, Marc Riley, Radcliffe and Maconie, Steve Lamacq, Craig Charles, Iggy Pop, Huey Morgan, Amy Lamé and their colleagues are part of an evolving and wonderful station that has given listeners so much through its twenty years! Whilst the music landscape has changed drastically since 2002 – streaming services have been the biggest shift and addition to the world I think -, the warmth and diversity that is being offered is terrific and a constant. Last year, Samantha Moy talked to Music Week about BBC Radio 6 Music and her plans going forward:

“Yes. We are alternative to the mainstream. 82% of the music on our playlist last year was from independent labels. Alternative – as in indie? Yes we are, as well as a myriad of other genres, scenes and specialisms. Truly, we love music of all kinds and we love artists who push boundaries, develop and hone their craft. The last 18 months have been difficult for artists and our audience too - there might have been moments when we are the only voice a listener might hear, so it’s been so important to be the thread which ties us together through our love of music. And in those dark wintry months, we’ve brought a little sunshine through the speakers – celebrating our cut of pop and revelling in nostalgia as we did with 6 Music Goes Pop and 6 Music Goes Back To.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Craig Charles 

What are your plans and ambitions for the station in the months and years ahead?

“To build on what we’ve achieved so far. We’ll always keep the schedule and our plans alive with brilliant commissions, guests and presenters – and of course music. But one thing that I can’t wait for is getting the gang back together - it’s been a long time since we've all been in the same space. I’m looking forward to the return of the 6 Music Festival – with all our presenters and as many of our listeners we can get there. I love those moments when you see Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley having a chat, or Mary Anne and Steve Lamacq in a studio together, Tom Robinson darting about to as many shows as possible in one weekend or Gideon Coe crate digging for records. It’ll be wonderful to get back to sharing our love of live music together in person.”

Have you completed all the schedule changes you envisioned for the station, or can we expect any further announcements in 2021?

“Later this month, we will be able to announce who will host our 7pm-9pm slot on Friday nights - as Iggy Pop moves to Sunday afternoons (4pm-6pm). And we’ve confirmed that in time, 6 Music will be rooted in Salford as part of the BBC’s Across the UK plans, so that will shape our plans too. I am always looking at ways we can evolve, engage more listeners and be the best partner we can be to artists and the industry, and I’m looking forward to seizing every opportunity we can in 2021 and beyond”.

So what is the main asset and benefit about being a BBC Radio 6 Music listener? In my mind, it is the way the presenters actively label the station as a ‘family’. The listeners are considered and included. One can say that this is true of every radio station - though there is something special about BBC Radio 6 Music that stands it out from the crowd. Whether it is having features where listeners can choose tracks or the sense of comfort and togetherness the broadcasters project on daily basis, there is nothing to suggest BBC Radio 6 Music cannot keep going for decades more! Overcoming possible closure and having to face criticism that the station’s ethos and sound was too narrow and Rock-based…now, it is one of the most eclectic and distinct in the world! The presenters come from different background and walks of life, so they each offer something unique. The music varies hugely. From great new sounds to a wide range of classic tracks, there is something for everyone. A station that wants to embrace and cater for every listener, the growing listenership is testament to the way BBC Radio 6 Music has listened to feedback and adapted. There is no way that the BBC will ever again consider closing the station. The biggest digital station in the U.K., the BBC Radio 6 Music family is one to be proud of. I see so many tweets and interactions on social media. Friendships have been made because of a shared love of the station.

For me, the way BBC Radio 6 Music keeps things fresh is one of the strengths. They have a New Music Fix shows and a New Album Fix (where Matt Everitt looks at four albums each week). The Remix with Chris Hawkins takes established tracks and plays some awesome remixes. Newer additions like The Blessed Madonna and Deb Grant sit alongside long-time broadcasters such as Gideon Coe and Tom Robinson. They each have their own approach and dynamic. One can go from show to show and get a different vibe and feel. In that sense, nobody feels left out at all. If you like a particular style of music, you are accommodated and welcomed somewhere on the schedule. I feel the station will continue to grow in the years ahead. It remains the nation’s biggest digital radio station. Bringing in new presenters and features, I wonder whether the digital-only station will go FM? In terms of audience figures, BBC Radio 6 Music is doing incredibly well (even if there has been a slight dip recently). I know that a lot of people who used to listen to BBC Radio 1 and 2 are now coming to BBC Radio 6 Music. A spectacular force for good, let’s hope that 11th March sees lot of new listeners join a radio family that reaches around the world. I do think we need radio now more than ever! After such a terrible past two years, it is has given so many of us a sense of hope and togetherness! A reliable warmth and light of positivity, BBC Radio 6 Music has been there through it all.

IN THIS PHOTO: AFRODEUTSCHE

A way in which BBC Radio 6 Music can be described as a family is, like a family, they are there at the best moments and help you through the worst. I recall, that dark day in January 2016 when Matt Everitt announced the death of David Bowie on Shaun Keaveny’s breakfast show. Keaveny, Lauren Laverne and everyone at the station kept us together, played Bowie’s music and broadcast messages and reactions from listeners. The same happened when Prince died that same year (2016 truly f*cking sucked!). Great artists are not confined to singular experience and a limited audience: they are part of us all and, as such, their passing is felt across all nations and communities. One can only imagine how strange it is being on air when an iconic artist dies or when the pandemic was at its peak. That sense of fear, uncertainty and need to keep strong and stay positive. That is a special gift that the listeners of BBC Radio 6 Music are fortunate to receive! On the flipside, there are positives aplenty. From themed music days (the station went back to the ‘90s recently). Then, we can all congregate and celebrate glorious music as a parish! The dichotomy and capriciousness of life and music means a station has to adapt at a moment’s notice. From 2002 to now, listeners have come and go. Some have sadly passed, whilst others have been born…

Thank you so much for locking in & getting involved in the show! Loved being back albeit a bit rusty! Nothing beats playing tunes & having a chat on a saturday afternoon! If you missed the show listen back here 👉🏾 https://t.co/MGkIo0PUXP pic.twitter.com/b5XJGW5quA

— jamzsupernova (@jamzsupernova) February 5, 2022

I know there will be BBC Radio 6 Music listeners marking their twentieth birthdays on the same day the station does! Presenters have come and gone but, pleasingly, so many who have been there since near the start are still there. Music news presenters like Georgie Rogers, Matt Everitt (whose The First Time with… is essential listening), Clare Crane and Siobhán McAndrew have provided us with incredible service and loyalty. Guest presenters have filled in expertly. Well-known artists have sat in as part of the Artist in Residence series. The month BBC Radio 6 Music launched, albums from Brandy, Shakira, and Gomez were popular. The day BBC Radio 6 Music turns twenty, new albums from Jenny Hval, Widowspeak, and The Districts are coming out. Whilst a lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same. As we emerge into 2022 bleary-eyed and hopeful of a brighter, busier and much less restrictive year, that means gigs and togetherness. BBC Radio 6 Music will be at Glastonbury; they will hold their festival too. There is a lot to look forward to! On 11th March, make sure you tune in to the station (and, if you know of someone who has not discovered BBC Radio 6 Music, then point them in the right direction!). If you have not tuned in, then make sure that you…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Marc Riley

JOIN the family!

FEATURE: Every Old Sock Meets an Old Shoe: The Passing of Hannah Bush and Kate Bush’s 1993

FEATURE:

 

Every Old Sock Meets an Old Shoe

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at Black Island Studios, London, in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari 

The Passing of Hannah Bush and Kate Bush’s 1993

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WHILST this year…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush with her brothers, John and Paddy, and her mother at the family home

holds a few big Kate Bush anniversaries – including the fortieth anniversary of The Dreaming -, there is one slightly unhappy one that happens on Valentine’s Day. On 14th February, 1992, her adored mother, Hannah, died from cancer. Normally I would not bring it up, though the thirtieth anniversary does make me think about how special and important she was. Even though, arguably her father (Robert) was more of a sounding board and willing audience of his daughter’s music – especially pre-The Kick Inside -, there is no doubt that Mother Bush was at the heart of the household. At East Wickham Farm, one might find Kate, John, Paddy and her parents enjoying music or a family activity. Whether it was something on the T.V. or an entertaining evening, there was much laughter, culture and energy in the house. Hannah Bush was a very loving and supportive mother. It is no coincidence that Kate Bush, as told in interviews, is very hospitable and welcoming. Often ready with a cup of tea and a warm ‘hello’, one gets the impression this was what her mother was like. I have read about Bush recording her albums and how musicians would often be in and out of the house. Her mother would frequently be there with food and a welcoming smile. More than a source of emotional and physical nourishment, there was this great affection between mother and daughter.

Born in Ireland, it is obvious how influential Hannah’s side of the family was. I have written about this before but, as we mark the passing of a key figure in the Kate Bush story, it is worth repeating. The family would take trips to Ireland; no doubt the young Kate would have been intoxicated by the sounds and scents of the music played around her. I think to this day Celtic and Irish sounds are rare in mainstream music. Right from her earliest albums, Bush was incorporating musical elements one can trace to her mother. One of the biggest instances of Irish music being used in her music comes from The Sensual World’s title track. Of course, Irish players make a big impression of Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave (especially Jig of Life). Hannah Bush also featured in the video for Suspended in Gaffa (from The Dreaming). Some people say that the song, Moments of Pleasure (which featured on 1993’s The Red Shoes), was written after Hannah died. It contains the line, “Every old sock meets an old shoe”. Bush has said how this was something her mother said only once - and yet it stuck with her. Her mum found it hilarious when she was told it was in a song. She would have been ill at the time it was recorded. Released as a single on 15th November, 1993, there was a poignancy that came in. Bush re-recorded the song for 2011’s Director’s Cut. Clearly a song that is special to her, it is one where the memory and wisdom of Hannah Bush looms large.  

I think that Hannah Bush’s passing was a turning point when it came to career prioritised being shifted. Even though she died in February 1992, it impacted Kate. The Red Shoes was being recorded at this time…and I wonder whether it affected some of her decisions. Considered to be one of her weaker albums, one wonders how it would have sounded if not for her mother’s death. Although Bush has said in interviews since how a lot of the more heartbreaking and emotional elements of The Red Shoes were written before her mother died, no doubt 1993 was a year that was quite tough. Reviewers have noted how Bush sounds more like a woman on The Red Shoes. One could hear this maturity and new lyrical direction of 1989’s The Sensual World. In her mid-thirties when The Red Shoes was released, maybe Bush was thinking about taking a break and looking at life differently. It would only be six years after her mother died before Bush became a mother herself (to Albert/Bertie). 1993 was a year that changed so much. The Red Shoes was released at the beginning of November. Maybe taking on writing, directing and starring in a short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve, was a distraction. Released on 13th November, it was a very busy time. Both the album and film received mixed reception. Not that Hannah Bush’s death was the main reason why her daughter worked so hard, I feel there was something missing in the way of guidance and motherly support which could have led Bush to overwork herself. In need of some wise counsel and her support, I often wonder how she felt during such a tense year.

Although she herself would say it wasn’t a hugely bad year, she did split with her long-time boyfriend, Del Palmer. The fact that the two had worked together since before The Kick Inside (1978) – and the two still do work together to this day – would have made the split that bit harder. By the end of 1993, Bush started to wind down in terms of recording and promotion. Whilst Britpop was coming through in the U.K. and it was one of the most exciting and fruitful periods in musical history, one of music’s icons was preparing to step away from the spotlight. 2005’s Aerial was the next album Bush released. Starting a family and having some much-needed rest, the media didn’t know what to make of it. Kate Bush didn’t disappear. Instead, she was putting life and wellbeing above music and the demands that come with that. I don’t think it is a coincidence that there are elements of Hannah Bush in Aerial. The song, A Coral Room, features the lines “My mother and her little brown jug/It held her milk/And now it holds our memories”. On Valentine’s Day, I know that Kate Bush and her family (including her partner, Dan McIntosh) will think about Hannah. Whereas every artists’ mothers are important in some way, there was this close connection and influence that Bush carried right through her career. From Hannah supporting her young daughter when she decided to take up music full-time, through to her sonic, visual and lyrical presence in many of the studio albums, Hannah Bush will never be forgotten. I wanted to write about her ahead of the thirtieth anniversary of her death. On a day when sentiments and expressions of love are shared, this Valentine’s Day, Kate Bush fans around the world should send the much-missed Hannah Bush…

SO much love.

FEATURE: Inspired By… Part Forty-Nine: Brandy

FEATURE:

 

 

Inspired By…

Part Forty-Nine: Brandy

___________

I have featured Brandy…

a few of times fairly recently. I was hugely impressed by her 2020 album, B7. I also included her in A Buyer’s Guide and recommended the albums of hers that people need to get. Back in September, I argued how her 1998 album, Never Say Never, is underrated and warrants new inspection.  Today, I am showing how other artists have been impacted by her. Maybe it is in terms of their own music and people following her. In other cases, it is artists who have praised Brandy’s vocal style and talent. I am finishing by a playlist of songs from artists who have either been influenced by her or have taken inspiration in some way. To start with, as I do for these features, AllMusic provided a biography of Brandy:

“Brandy is among the few artists to achieve mainstream success as a teenager and make smooth artistic transitions across a multi-decade career. The singer and actor emerged during the post-new jack swing era like the kid sister of Mary J. Blige or TLC, specializing in pop-oriented R&B epitomized by her first two singles, "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby," both Top Ten crossover hits that made her debut, Brandy (1994), a multi-platinum smash. The title role on the popular sitcom Moesha, a chart-topping and Grammy-winning duet with Monica ("The Boy Is Mine," the longest-running number one female duet in Billboard chart history), and the multi-platinum follow-up Never Say Never (1998) all reaffirmed Brandy's broad appeal through the end of the '90s. While she could have continued to crank out safe contemporary R&B as her acting career took precedence, she made the most out of her subsequent studio time, highlighted by Full Moon (2002) and Afrodisiac (2004), progressive stylistic hybrids that earned her consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Album. Since the mid-2000s, Brandy has recorded less often, with Human (2008) and Two Eleven (2012) maintaining her unbroken streak of Top Ten R&B/hip-hop albums. Amid constant work onscreen and on-stage, Brandy's musical output during the second half of the 2010s was limited to a handful of singles and featured appearances, but she issued her seventh album, B7 (2020), early the next decade.

Brandy Norwood was born in McComb, Mississippi, and began singing in church at age two. When she was four, her father was hired as music director at a church in Carson, California, and after a few years, she decided to pursue a professional singing career, inspired by Whitney Houston. With the help of her family, she began hunting for a record contract, and in 1992 began singing backup for the young R&B group Immature. Brandy enrolled in the Hollywood High Performing Arts Center and launched an acting career, appearing in films like Arachnophobia and Demolition Man. At the age of 14, she landed a record deal with a performance at an Atlantic Records talent showcase. Around the same time, she won a supporting role on the short-lived ABC sitcom Thea. In September 1994, Brandy released her self-titled debut album, which immediately produced Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten smashes in "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby," both of which hit number one on the R&B/hip-hop chart; "Brokenhearted" and "Best Friend" went on to smaller successes. Brandy was certified quadruple platinum within two years.

In 1996, Brandy scored her biggest hit yet with "Sittin' Up in My Room," recorded for the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack; it hit number two pop and number one R&B/hip-hop. Early that year, she also debuted on UPN as the star of Moesha, for which she took a lengthy recording hiatus. Apart from "Sittin' Up in My Room," her only real activity over the next couple of years was the Set It Off soundtrack single "Missing You," on which she teamed with Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Tamia. In 1997, she branched out by taking the title role in Disney's made-for-TV version of Cinderella, appearing alongside her idol Whitney Houston; the film's star power and integrated cast made it a significant ratings success. Finally, Brandy set about recording her second album. Never Say Never was released in June 1998, and its first single, the Monica duet "The Boy Is Mine," was a mammoth hit, topping the Hot 100 for a staggering 13 weeks. In its wake, "Top of the World" (featuring guest rapper Mase) and "Have You Ever?" were both substantial hits as well, with the latter becoming Brandy's first solo number one Hot 100 hit. Never Say Never spun off three additional singles, including the Top 20 pop hit "Almost Doesn't Count," on its way to sales of over five million copies. "The Boy Is Mine" subsequently won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Meanwhile, Brandy's acting career continued to blossom. In 1998, she landed her first major theatrical film role in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and the following year, she appeared in another TV movie, Double Trouble, with Diana Ross. She concentrated mostly on Moesha until the show was canceled in the spring of 2001. The same year, she voiced a character in the animated film Osmosis Jones. In February 2002, Brandy released her third album, Full Moon, which entered the Billboard 200 chart at number two, spun off an immediate hit in "What About Us?" -- her seventh Top Ten pop single -- and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Contemporary R&B Album. That summer, Brandy gave birth to her first child. Her pregnancy was the subject of an MTV documentary series, Brandy: Special Delivery.

The singer's fourth album, Afrodisiac, was released in June 2004. Its lead single, "Talk About Our Love," was produced by Kanye West and peaked at number 36 on the Hot 100. Although it too received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Album, Afrodisiac was Brandy's last recording for Atlantic. Signed to Epic, she returned in December 2008 with Human, an adult contemporary-leaning set that entered the Billboard 200 at number 15. A couple years later, she starred alongside her brother and parents in the reality television series Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business, with a soundtrack of sorts following in 2011.

She teamed up with Monica again in 2012 for the single "It All Belongs to Me" (which appeared on Monica's New Life), and months later issued the collaboration-heavy Two Eleven, which topped the R&B/hip-hop chart and entered the Billboard 200 at number three. The Chris Brown collaboration "Put It Down" became Brandy's tenth Top Ten R&B/hip-hop single as a headliner.

For the rest of the 2010s, Brandy devoted most of her time to acting, highlighted by roles on the series The Game, Zoe After Ever, and Star, as well as the lead role in the Broadway production of Chicago. Her limited recordings during these years included the bluesy belters "Beggin & Pleadin" (2016) and "Freedom Rings" (2019), a featured appearance on August Greene's cover of Sounds of Blackness' "Optimistic," and a duet with Daniel Caesar, "Love Again," which earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance. After she built more anticipation with the Chance the Rapper collaboration "Baby Mama," B7, her first album in eight years, arrived in 2020. The Disney Princess anthem "Starting Now" appeared the following year”.

To show the popularity, influence and brilliance of Brandy, listen to the playlist below. They are songs from artists who, in some form, are moved by her. Brandy is a stunning and iconic artist who, since her first recordings to the present day has influenced so many people. She is a wonderful artists. I hope that she brings out another album soon. Her is another (well-deserved) salute to…

THE intoxicating and amazing Brandy.

FEATURE: Spotlight: GAYLE

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

GAYLE

___________

A hugely talked-about teen artist…

whose debut single made a big impact late last year, GAYLE is someone that you need to be aware of. There are a raft of great young Pop artists breaking through. It is encouraging to hear so many artists come through who sound so confident and like they have serious longevity potential. GAYLE sounds like she is here for the long-run. This is a rare occasion when an artist I am covering only has a couple of songs out. Her latest, ur just horny, came out this year. Her amazing debut, abcdefu, is one that garnered a lot of response and positivity. The tremendous artist from Dallas, Texas has been based in Nashville for a few years. In 2021, she signed a deal with major label Atlantic Records. GAYLE was discovered by former American Idol judge and Pop songwriter, Kara DioGuardi. As I do in these features, I am going to draw in some interviews. They revolve around the debut single of last year. It is clear that we will hear more from GAYLE very soon. VENTS MAGAZINE congratulated an artist who is signed to a label that has represented some all-time legends:

“Major congratulations are very much in order for your newly announced addition to renowned record label Atlantic Records! Atlantic has a long and celebrated past, being home to such legendary artists like Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Wilson Pickett. How does it feel to join that roster of amazing talent?

If I’m being completely honest I haven’t fully processed the emotions of signing with my dream label. Every once in a while, it hits me at like 2 am that I ACTUALLY did it and I’m not living in a fever dream. It’s a complete honor to be on the same roster as the amazing artists you mentioned above and i will do everything in my power to match the amazing successes on the Atlantic roster.

Your very first single under the Atlantic Records umbrella is due out on August 13 and it is entitled abcdefu! First things first, the elephant in the room: What led to one of the more unique and creative song titles that I’ve seen in all of my years? It’s really a head-turner!

Funny enough the song was originally called “abcdefuckoff” and I decided to pull it back just a little haha. I didn’t want to give away the whole concept of the song with just the title and I thought “abcdefu” was a good in-between.

Who produced abcdefu and what was that collaboration like between the two of you?

Pete Nappi produced this version of “abcdefu” and we finished it out together when I was visiting LA. I’m a control freak so I always like being in the room with the producer when it comes to my music. Pete started the vibe out by himself and then I added in my production notes and that’s the version that’s coming out today!

For those that may be late to the party, how would you describe your style of music?

Shitty.

You’ve already amassed five million global streams from a very loyal fan base as an independent artist alone. Was there any trepidation of signing on to Atlantic? What made them the perfect fit for you and your music?

Honestly I had no trepidation in singing with Atlantic. I know everybody on my team there has my best interest at heart and truly believes in me and I feel very welcomed and loved joining the Atlantic family”.

Definitely one of the best debut Pop hits of 2021, abcdefu resonated with fans and critics alike. What I have noticed with a lot of the new Pop artists emerging is that they are being inspired by Soul and R&B legends, rather than their mainstream contemporaries or Pop acts from the 1980s and 1990s. I wonder if there is generational thing – maybe these artists’ parents are bringing them up on Soul music. In any case, GAYLE talked about her musical influences in an interview with POPTERNATIVE:

“What can you tell us about your latest single, “abcdefu”?

I came out with the first version of “abcdefu” on August 13th [2021], I have since released the demo, a chill, and angrier version of the same song but seen in a different light. The demo shows what “abcdefu” started as. The chill version is for the juxtaposition of telling someone to ‘f*** off’ but in a calm manner, and the angrier version just found a way for me to curse more.

Who is GAYLE as an artist? How would you describe the sound of your music?

I’ve always been inspired by soulful voices Aretha Franklin, Joss Stone, Nina Simone and Kelly Clarkson. I also really love the catchiness of pop music and how so many pop songs can manage to get stuck in my head for days. I prefer an organic leaning production, with occasional synths and lyrics that have something to say and I try my best to take all of those things and channel it towards my music.

When people listen to your music, what are you hoping they get out of it?

I hope when someone listens to my music it gives them the confidence to be more comfortable with themselves and their emotions. I have a tendency to at times bottle up my emotions and I know listening and making music helps me own up and process my emotions, and I hope I can do that for other people.

Did you always know that music was something you wanted to pursue?

I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I remember when I was younger before I decided to do music, I wanted to be a puppy rescuer but that lasted like a week.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

Learn to take what inspires you and make it into something different. It’s really hard not to copy things that inspire you and it’s still a struggle for me, but it’s really important if you want to be something different”.

There is another interview that I want to bring in before rounding up. Warner Music Australia chatted with GAYLE about her debut single taking off. They also enquired about musical influences and what comes next for her:

“The song has such a collective feeling where it’s meant to be screamed in a room full of people. How was it hearing that chorus yelled back to you?

It was amazing. The song started getting popular during the tour. At the start, a few people know it but later on as the shows started happening more. At the end, I would say the title and people would start yelling. Like, you know this song? What do you mean? It was amazing to hear people scream. I do the angrier version live because any opportunity to say ‘fuck’ more, I’m going to take. Like, c’mon. It was amazing just to hear a loud room of people screaming “fuck” at the top of their lungs.

It’s difficult to imagine a song taking off like this and few will let themselves believe it even when they know they’re great. You must have known there was something special about it though?

I knew it was a song that had the potential to be liked. People would either love or hate it. When you have a strong emotion to a song that can be a positive thing. Personally, though, it was important. For a long time, I didn’t want to be angry. I ran away from anger thinking it would make me less of an angry person. Running away from it is what made me angrier in the first place. I think putting that song out was the reminder that I’m allowed to be angry. I deserve it. It’s not something you have to earn. You have the right to feel that emotion. It was also really important to have the possibility of inspiring other people to let themselves be angry. To give people a safe space to be angry and process their emotions. That was something I just found really exciting about it when it was coming out. That said, I had no fucking clue it was a hit. I just hoped people wouldn’t hate it.

What artists were your outlet growing up?

Alanis Morissette was one. She was a big inspiration. Julia Michaels also became a big inspiration for me. Especially as a writer who can also write for other artists. That was really intriguing for me. Delacey is also really inspiring. That was when I was 15 or 16, her album came out. She said things I’ve never heard someone say so…so, out there. So many people would be afraid to say it but she just says it how it is. Also, Billie, lyrically and the vibe… I’m young and a lot of people want to invalidate my feelings because they don’t think young people can go through shit. I’m going through things and I’m going to talk about it.

In the early ‘00s of pop it wasn’t cool to share your raw emotions. This year, however, popstars are validating young people’s feelings thanks to Billie and Olivia Rodrigo. You don’t have to pretend to be 35 when you’re 17 now.

There’s a lot of things where it’s like you’re either completely okay or you’re having a mental breakdown. In the past 5 years though people are talking about the in-between and are still talking about it today.

Have you thought at all about what comes after this song?

Yeah, I have plans. I filmed the music video yesterday which was really fun. I change my mind on the next single. I’m just gonna let the holidays happen before we start something up in the New Year. It’s staying in the pissed-off vibe”.

A tremendously promising young artist who, although seen as a Pop act, defies genre and boundaries. Her music has the potential to rank alongside the most popular and played of 2022. I guess an E.P. is the next step for her. With a couple of awesome singles out, there is a lot of praise, hope and attention focused the way of the Tennessee-based artist. Here is someone that you need to…

FOLLOW closely.

______________

Follow GAYLE

Official:

https://www.gayleofficial.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/gayle/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/whoisgayle

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/GayleOfficial

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHD0Fx1MLWyQhAlQZw-tv9w

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VSHKHBTiXWplO8lxcnUC9

FEATURE: Not Quite a Full House: Theoretical Extra Singles from Each of Kate Bush’s Studio Albums

FEATURE:

 

 

Not Quite a Full House

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in an outtake from The Sensual World (1989)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

Theoretical Extra Singles from Each of Kate Bush’s Studio Albums

___________

WHILST we cannot turn back time…

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

and speculate an alternate reality, there are artists who release singles from their studio albums - and we wonder what else they could have brought out. Whether it is a deeper cut or an obvious single never realised, we dream what could have been. With a new music video and a chance of fresh chart assault, I do think about Kate Bush and her studio albums. In this feature, I am looking at her ten studio albums and will list the U.K. singles from each. I am going to give my choice as to which other song from each album should have been released as a single. With albums like Hounds of Love so stuffed with gold, there was definite potential for an extra single release. Whether the label/Bush felt that they needed to leave it be or too many singles would result in a poor chart return or damage the enjoyment of the album, I think there is flexibility in every case. I did publish a feature recently revealing the song from The Kick Inside that should have been the third U.K. single (apologies for repeating myself). From 1978’s The Kick Inside to 2011’s 50 Words for Snow, an unreleased single-worthy gem lies within! Here are the songs from each album that I would choose to release if Kate Bush decided to release another U.K. single…

 FROM each album.

______________

The Kick Inside

Release Date: 17th February, 1978

Label: EMI

Producer: Andrew Powell

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5NKTuBLCYhN0OwqFiGdXd1?si=WLZUOLGlSiW31cONAr4-xw

Buy: https://roughtrade.com/gb/kate-bush/the-kick-inside-7a5278e6-76b3-40e7-a55f-2d9471a311ae/lp?channable=409d9269640032333339323310&gclid=Cj0KCQiAosmPBhCPARIsAHOen-NOjorVgsBgwyvsZZilM726nucfFDpGmovy3ey8SXl34ILkHJN-TncaAhcBEALw_wcB

U.K. Singles Released: Wuthering Heights (20th January, 1978), The Man with the Child in His Eyes (26th May, 1978)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? Oh to Be in Love

Lionheart

Release Date: 13th November, 1978

Label: EMI

Producers: Andrew Powell (Assisted by Kate Bush)

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2CRirDu87zmvr01X8MkcQ8?si=kNgNYPnMSna6_MqiWkCOTg

Buy: https://roughtrade.com/gb/kate-bush/lionheart-60077c9a-5fb5-4714-821a-280d80024a96

U.K. Singles Released: Hammer Horror (27th October, 1978), Wow (5th March, 1979)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? Kashka from Baghdad

Never for Ever

Release Date: 7th September, 1980

Label: EMI

Producers: Kate Bush/Jon Kelly

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/0KBFDO8qcY0zhybIESEQUt?si=ZbAnkJxBQquFWS6lYHBtXw

Buy: https://roughtrade.com/gb/kate-bush/never-for-ever-0e80c456-fc19-41c7-85b8-6574e9091658

U.K. Singles Released: Breathing (14th April, 1980), Babooshka (27th June, 1980), Army Dreamers (22nd September, 1980)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? The Wedding List

The Dreaming

Release Date: 13th September, 1982

Label: EMI

Producer: Kate Bush

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/1gRJsaJ7ExC9Q9YdB9ZMC5?si=Gu0XndTrRmyWY8fHRJPWtA

Buy: https://roughtrade.com/gb/kate-bush/the-dreaming-03e10ee0-e2d3-4b54-948e-0afcb7e7c290

U.K. Singles Released: Sat in Your Lap (21st June, 1981), The Dreaming (26th July, 1982), There Goes a Tenner (2nd November, 1982)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? Get Out of My House

Hounds of Love

Release Date: 16th September, 1985

Label: EMI

Producer: Kate Bush

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5BWl0bB1q0TqyFmkBEupZy?si=gKClC6UlQzqOUTms8zXxjA

Buy: https://roughtrade.com/gb/kate-bush/hounds-of-love-d3743f1e-51e3-4337-b759-f47b26c0a247/lp

U.K. Singles Released: Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) (5th August, 1985), Cloudbusting (14th October, 1985), Hounds of Love (24th February, 1986), The Big Sky (28th April, 1986)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? And Dream of Sheep

The Sensual World

Release Date: 16th October, 1989

Label: EMI

Producer: Kate Bush

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/0Bk6rV33JObdtOpjJg0vIy?si=SeFOhYpbTGS1n-gD9-E77w

Buy: https://roughtrade.com/gb/kate-bush/the-sensual-world-e4747d6f-f1a1-4c91-bc7d-c5562cef6288

U.K. Singles Released: The Sensual World (18th September, 1989), This Woman's Work (20th November, 1989), Love and Anger (26th February, 1990)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? The Fog

The Red Shoes

Release Date: 1st November, 1993

Label: EMI

Producer: Kate Bush

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/7GaIK1F61cLAGASyB8TAk4?si=Vor6u-cEQBW7jBbIV7gj5w

Buy: https://store.hmv.com/store/music/vinyl/the-red-shoes

U.K. Singles Released: Rubberband Girl (6th September, 1993), Moments of Pleasure (15th November, 1993), The Red Shoes (5th April, 1994), And So Is Love (7th November, 1994)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? Lily

Aerial

Release Date: 7th November, 1995

Label: EMI

Producer: Kate Bush

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/0xo3ZL0B9982pr08stcNlt?si=gnbjekO-RfyEbvaLIg-R5g

Buy: https://roughtrade.com/gb/kate-bush/aerial-90730658-35e2-49ab-93d8-9c3e7897c0f4

U.K. Singles Released: King of the Mountain (24th October, 2005)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? Mrs. Bartolozzi

Director’s Cut

Release Date: 16th May, 2011

Labels: Fish People/EMI

Producer: Kate Bush

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5jYdgzyT71V5j4MQm327gF?si=w403tCRvTQOrHMnLi75bFw

Buy: https://roughtrade.com/gb/kate-bush/director-s-cut-23cb82bf-539f-4cfd-a97b-a846f8e0dbdf

U.K. Singles Released: Deeper Understanding (5th April, 2011)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? This Woman’s Work

50 Words for Snow

Release Date: 21st November, 2011

Label: Fish People

Producer: Kate Bush

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/1VAB3Xn92dPKPWzocgQqkh?si=0x1sXJeDRea9yMPFxqyBxg

Buy: https://store.hmv.com/store/music/vinyl/50-words-for-snow

U.K. Singles Released: Wild Man (11th October, 2011)

Which Other Track Could Have Been a U.K. Single? Among Angels

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Valentine’s Day: The Best Love Songs of 2021

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Borba/Unsplash

Valentine’s Day: The Best Love Songs of 2021

___________

THIS Lockdown Playlist…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @jay_singh_4/Unsplash

is primed for Valentine’s Day on 14th February. Rather than compile a selection of the all-time great love songs, I thought that I would bring it up to date. There was a tonne of love songs released last year. I have assembled some of the very best. Although some prefer the vintage classics, there are a lot of current and varied love songs that should be heard. Whether they are slightly more downbeat and heartbroken or joyous ands positive, there is more than enough to choose from! Ahead of Valentine’s Day, here are a great collection of love songs from some terrific artists. If you need a reminder of some of the best love songs from 2021, then I have some…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @arunanoop/Unsplash

THAT will jog the memory.

FEATURE: Spotlight: English Teacher

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Sara Carpentieri 

English Teacher

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A great and promising band out of Leeds…

I wanted to spend a little time with English Teacher. Whilst a lot of the hotly-tipped acts of this year are solo artists, there are some terrific bands who have the potential to be long-lasting and festival mainstays of the future. English Teacher have already been endorsed by none other than The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess. If he gives them his thumbs up, then that is a good indicator that you are in the right path! Whilst there is probably not as especially arresting or original story about how they came up with their name, the music itself is very compelling and different. I am going to scatter in a few interviews where we get to know better a fantastic northern band who are making big strides. I am going to jump back and forth a little in terms of the date of the interviews. I want to start with NME’s interview from November of last year. They were keen to boost and boast about a tremendous young band:

“Made up of Lily Fontaine (vocals, rhythm guitar, synth), Douglas Frost (drums), Nicholas Eden (bass) and Lewis Whiting (lead guitar, synth), English Teacher are no strangers to self-deprecation. Formed in 2020 after meeting at Leeds Conservatoire, their brand of indie is more kitchen sink drama than straight-to-the-chorus smash.

Having wasted no time post-lockdown, they’ve already racked up over 20 gigs supporting the likes of Do Nothing and TV Priest, conquered their first Reading & Leeds and created enough buzz around double-A-side ‘R&B’/‘Wallace’ to sign to Nice Swan, home of Sports Team, Courting and The Rills. It’s enough to swell any young band’s ego, but if you ask them why they think their music is resonating, Fontaine will give you an effacing answer.

“Honestly, I feel like a lot of places have been looking to spotlight bands that have got women in them, and women of colour in indie just isn’t really a thing,” she says. “I don’t want to put ourselves down, but I do think it’s helped, being visually different. Obviously I hope it’s something to do with our music too…”

English Teacher are not necessarily a band who would boast about themselves, so it’s a good job that NME are willing to do it for them. As exemplified on ‘R&B’, a brooding narrative that ricochets between sweetly-satirical compliance and open confrontation of the racialised expectations of a frontwoman of colour (“Despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B / Even though I’ve seen more Colors Shows than KEXPs”), this is a group that are willing to enter potentially awkward conversations while moving with a melodic speed that defies direct comparison. “Last night at a gig, this guy said we sounded like Pixies without sounding anything like Pixies,” says Douglas. “I don’t know what that means, but I’ll take it!”

There’s also their tireless work ethic. Deeply involved in the north Leeds scene, English Teacher exist within the same hotbed of creativity that has incubated smart-rock breakout bands such as Yard Act, Alt-J and Wild Beasts, feeding off a spirit of collaborative ideals. For Fontaine especially, keeping her diary straight is quite the task: English Teacher and her other band, Eades (in which she contributes keys and vocals), were both signed to labels in swift succession, creating a deluge of commitments. “As an incredibly disorganised human being, I’m not the best at it,’ she says, laughing. “But it’s nice to be doing what you’re passionate about so much of the time. It’s a good kind of stress!”

And what exactly is that band? Let’s throw modesty to the wall: what would Grade-A success look like to English Teacher?

“I think when [music] becomes something we can do all the time,” says Whiting. “The idea that you could possibly be lucky enough to have your whole job be music, that would be the dream.”

“That’s it,” chips in bassist Eden, quiet until this exact moment in our chat. “We want to sound lucrative!” It’s a pragmatic answer, but it’s one that perfectly suits their style: level-headed, cautiously confident and letting their music do the talking. You know how the old saying goes: it’s often the quiet ones you’ve got to watch out for…”.

In terms of the band’s best tracks, R&B definitely ranks up there with them. DORK chatted with Lily from the band early last year. Already gaining headway and steam, they recognised a group that were certainly worth keeping an eye out for:

“Leeds bunch English Teacher excel in the on-point sort-of-post-punk-but-not-really-and-definitely-more-enthusiastic controlled racket that has found their latest drop ‘R&B’ a place in Nice Swan Records’ singles club. Just one weapon in their vast musical armoury, it’s a fantastic start for the foursome – made up of Lily Fontaine (vocals, rhythm guitar, synth), Douglas Frost (drums, synth), Nicholas Eden (bass, synth), and Lewis Whiting (lead guitar, synth) – who can also be found at The Great Escape’s virtual bash next month. Lily introduces her band.

Hello Lily! How’s it going? What are you up to today?

Hi! It’s going unnaturally well – I am currently listening to my 2021 playlist and doing some writing in the sun with a coffee. If I squint my eyes and move my head real fast I can almost pretend I am sat on a continental balcony and not in our backyard in Headingley surrounded by broken glass and that drain smell.

How did you lot meet and decide to form the band, then? You were studying in Leeds, right?

I met our ex-guitarist in 2018 on a uni trip to Valencia (he’s currently on a grad-scheme training in property development because he likes buildings, but we’re working on his return). I put out a demo on Soundcloud, and then a local promoter asked if I wanted to play a gig, so I said yes and asked him if his band would help out. We haven’t given up since, for some reason.

You’ve not long dropped your single ‘R&B’, how did that go? Was it one you were sat on for a while?

R&B came together weirdly quickly for us; I’m pretty sure the whole thing was written, demoed and recorded with Theo in the same month. That was January, and it’s been a bit of an agonising wait for the release because it’s quite different from the singles we’ve already released; we weren’t sure how it would be received. But, some people have said some really nice things, so we’re all currently in a state of relief, with a hint of pride.

Where did that single come from? Do tracks find you, or do you have to find them?

Lyrics and themes usually find me, and then I have to go searching for the music. It’s simultaneously an ode to the worst writer’s block of my life so far, and what cured it. I wrote the bass riff on Logic’s piano scroll, and then Nick knocked it out of the park with his chorus melody. Doug had already decided on the bridge section’s drum part, and when Lewis and Nick started jamming their polyrhythms over it, it really started sounding like us”.

I shall include one more interview. There are other interviews and bits of information online that are well worth reading. Far Out Magazine spotlighted English Teacher back in December. It was another dose of praise and attention pointed at the excellent Leeds band:

“What’s the state of the current scene in Leeds and what other bands from the area should people listen to?

“With the Brudenell Social Club at its centre, the Leeds music scene is this crazy little petri dish of literally everything great. Small, semi-incestuous and forever multiplying. Some of the artists we’d recommend: Treeboy and Arc, Big Softy, Thank, Rodeo, Honey Guide, Fuzz Lightyear, Pop Vulture

Since forming in 2018, how much has the identity of English Teacher fluctuated?

“We were originally a dream-pop band so yeah, a fair bit of honing has happened. There have been a few lineup changes over the years so I guess with that, we have naturally progressed into what we are today.

Returning to playing live this summer must have been an even sweeter experience after the prolonged absence coupled with all the new songs you released during that period?

“It’s been intense but very fun. As a band, we’ve now shared many beds, megabuses and deodorants so it’s been an excellent bonding experience too. Will never get over seeing people sing our music back to us either, tempted to tell them to learn the words to better songs, to be honest”.

If you have not acquainted yourself with English Teacher, then go and check them out now and see what all the fuss is about. Although they have not yet confirmed if a debut album arrives this year, we definitely will hear more of them in terms of live gigs and singles. Revealing something new about themselves with each song, it is exciting to see them blossom and develop! The wonderful English Teacher are…

IN a class of their own.

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Follow English Teacher

PHOTO CREDIT: Holly Whitaker 

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Englishteac_her

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/EnglishTeacherBand/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/englishteacherband/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5H9IFTRxSICj24uxO15ScU

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbNn6Lq2ufkkFY0ZUS1_alg

FEATURE: Revisiting... Kate Nash - Yesterday Was Forever

FEATURE:

 

Revisiting...

Kate Nash - Yesterday Was Forever

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FOLLOWING the more Rock-orientated sound…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jenn Five for DIY

of 2013’s Girl Talk, Kate Nash’s fourth studio album, Yesterday Was Forever, returned more to her Indie roots. That said, I feel the album is not easy to define in terms of a single sound. Also, it was very underrated when it came out. Some felt that there were not many standout songs, whilst others were quicker to praise a great album from Nash. Released on 30th March, 2018, I wanted to revisit an album that one does not hear played too much now. It is well worth digging out and listening to! I am going to get to a couple of the more positive reviews that, in my view, showcase some of Nash’s best work. She has talked about new music and, after a couple of singles last year, we may see a fifth studio album quite soon. DIY spoke with Nash in March 2018 ahead of the release of Yesterday Was Forever:

“It’s this simultaneous sense of emotional vulnerability and righteous empowerment that runs through both Kate’s general speech and the high-octane technicolour gut-punch of her new album. An infectious burst of everything at once, you sense that if the singing and the acting all somehow went to pot, she could carve out a pretty good line in motivational speaking. “I think I’m strong and stubborn and I’m really silly and I like to laugh a lot and I like to dance and I’m very emotional and very melancholy and I can take things way too seriously, but then I can also just laugh through everything anyway,” she muses, trying to dissect her own particular personal blend. “It’s like I’m an old woman who’s looking back on her life out of a window and it’s raining outside, but I’m also a child all dressed up in mismatched colours who’s cut her own fringe and eaten loads of sweets,” she decides. “Those are my two personalities I think.”

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jenn Five for DIY

All these myriad elements seep their way into ‘Yesterday Was Forever’ – from the formative questioning of opener ‘Life In Pink’ (“Am I a person yet?”) to the heart-flip passion of ‘Body Heat’, ‘Hate You’’s middle finger up or the blissed-out sweetness of ‘My Little Alien’. Musically, it encompasses everything from the poppier storytelling of old to the riot grrl vocals of 2013’s ‘Girl Talk’. “It feels like all of my sounds together; it seems to have slotted into one shape somehow. It’s like the Megatron or something,” she laughs. And with a vague emotional narrative (flushed romantic beginnings lead to shitty heartache and then redemptive reclamation), it’s an album that encourages the same self-belief as its author. “There’s been a storyline in my life that’s been going on for the past few years and I feel like it came to a head last summer. I think letting go is really important because I’m a fucking crab, a Cancer baby, moon child and I was just like, ‘No! Don’t leave!’ But you’ve got to let go,” she nods. “It’s putting yourself first and understanding that if you see a vision of your future that’s positive and something that you want, then you actually have to make that happen.”

Undeniably, Kate is someone who practices what she preaches. When it came to recording ‘Yesterday Was Forever’, the singer put herself on the line and raised the money via Kickstarter – an industry-swerving tactic placing her back in the hands of the fans, like her early days. Now, she’s also carving out a second string to her bow as Rhonda Richardson in GLOW: a liberating new career path that’s giving her life in all sorts of ways. “As a girl you’re always being told to take up a small amount of space and cross your legs and not touch your vagina and be quiet. But in wrestling it’s like, everything you’ve been told that you’re not supposed to do your whole life, this is the opposite of that,” she says. “Now is the time to be big, take up space, use your strength, use your power. It’s amazing what you can do with your human self and that’s what everybody needs to be taught: that just being yourself is fucking great and you can do so much with that”.

At fourteen tracks, maybe Yesterday Was Forever is a smidge too long. That is the only criticism I can levy at the album. Beginning with the tremendous Life in Pink, there is a lot to love through the album. The Line of Best Fit notes how Nash’s sound has changed through the years:

“On her debut, Made of Bricks, she delivered an album of clever, wordy indie pop; on her second, My Best Friend is You, the tunes were slicker but the lyrics seemed to lack the cerebral tone of the first record, and on her most recent, Girl Talk, she abandoned any notions of finesse or polish and went straight for the jugular with anxious, ra,w garage-y Rawk.

However, last year Nash emerged from the cocoon with the EP Agenda, which seemed to be the culmination of all of her personae. It was rough-edged, sharp pop, with a saccharine sweetness, all delivered with a knowing wink. It sounded like she’d made a breakthrough – as though this was, finally, truly, her.

For this record, Nash draws on a mixture of 90s alt. riffs, fuck-you attitude and brash, surprisingly poetic lyrics. It’s closer to Alanis Morisette than Adele; and there are hints of PJ Harvey’s ragged confessionals and Liz Phair’s playful ditties.

Album standout “Call Me” cleverly segues from a rubbery reggae beat into a glorious chorus. “Take Away” features a sharp, angular New Wave guitar line that hints at The Cars’ driving melodicism and The Strokes’ chiming indie rock.

“Drink About You” has some hard-hitting self-analysis – the exact kind you’re faced with after a night of drunken reminiscing. It has a rapid, clench-jaw punk tempo that Nash tempers with sweet, syrupy vocals. The riff hits hard, but she makes her voice the ointment for the bruise.

“Karaoke Kiss” veers uncomfortably close to Taylor Swift’s “Style” but manages to just pull it off, while the roaring guitar of “Twisted Up” evokes the Pixies in their mid-era prime (or Wolf Alice, if you’re after modern reference points)”.

Before signing off, there is another review that I want to highlight. DIY noted how it was a little tragic that Nash had to crowdfund Yesterday Was Forever. One would think that an artist of such calibre would have labels bidding for her music! In any case, what we get on her fourth album is brilliant. DIY noted how Nash’s lyrics especially stood out:

“It’s a sad fact of the music industry that Kate Nash – all-round bright spark, actor, and the genius behind the undisputed greatest pop song of 2007, ‘Foundations’ – needed a Kickstarter campaign to fund her fourth album. But it’s also a sign of the unrelenting hard work and ‘go get ‘em’ attitude that she holds. ‘Yesterday Was Forever’ comes eleven years in for Kate, but it’s an album as courageous and fun as any debut.

The fourteen tracks here are pleasingly pop-led, but that doesn’t make them samey. Guitar-driven ‘Life in Pink’ is brazen, ‘Call Me’ holds a catchy backbeat which burgeons into a full-on singalong chorus, and ‘My Little Alien’ is a smooth ditty which looks far beyond planet Earth.

There’s something in Kate’s rhyming couplets – the ingenuity of which is comparable only to King of Sombre Couplets, Sufjan Stevens – that sets off her lyrics. Her rhymes feel so easy, but their meanings remain stark and honest. “Well I wish that I could take you to another time, where everything was cool and my mental health was fine,” she sings on ‘Life in Pink,’ managing whimsy and punch-in-the-face frankness all at once. Standout ‘Body Heat’ is a straight-faced love song about someone who makes “my dopamine levels go crazy.” “Baby you can steal my sheets / I can live off your body heat,” she sings, a sugary-sweet romance sung with sincerity.

For all the trials and tribulations of relationships, its Kate’s insistence on making it as a musician that has stuck around. “Music is the only one / Music is by my side / Music will never leave / To the music I’ll die,” she sings on piano-led ballad ‘To the Music I Belong.’ Songs about how much a singer loves singing can be, well, trite at the very least. But the startling openness with which Kate writes is nothing but warming”.

I would recommend people listen to Kate Nash’s Yesterday Was Forever. Stronger than many reviewers gave it credit for, it is an album that should be played and explored more now. It has some great cuts that people definitely need to hear. I am sure we will hear more from Nash very soon. The London-born artist always delivers something interesting through her music. Yesterday Was Forever is an album that I was eager…

TO revisit.

FEATURE: Emotional Thing: Shakespears Sister’s Hormonally Yours at Thirty

FEATURE:

 

 

Emotional Thing

Shakespears Sister’s Hormonally Yours at Thirty

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THERE is something bittersweet…

celebrating thirty years of Shakespears Sister’s Hormonally Yours thirty years on. On 17th February, it marks a big anniversary (I would recommend you pre-order the great reissues coming out on 17th February). This was the second and final album from the group to present them as a duo of Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit. The title of Hormonally Yours derived from both members being pregnant while making the album. It is one of the best albums from the 1990s in my view. Hormonally Yours spawned five singles. Among them is the huge chart-topper, Stay. I have written about the album before and how it is underrated. I think a lot of fans will mark thirty years of a terrific album. I am going to source a couple of positive reviews for an album that boasts some superb deep cuts. I love the vocal blend of Fahey and Detroit. With a deeper husk from Fahey and a more operatic tone from Detroit, they weave so beautifully together. I cannot think of another duo like them in terms of the dynamic. What I remember most about the album and the videos is the gothic look. Dramatic and almost ghostly at times, there was something special about their look. Whilst a lot of the biggest songs are in the top half of Hormonally Yours, they do end with the single, Hello (Turn Your Radio On). Produced by Shakespears Sister, Alan Moulder and Chris Thomas, Hormonally Yours reached number three in the U.K.

I was seven when the album came out. I can recall the video for Stay being played a lot. My favourite song off the album, I Don’t Care. I shall concentrate on Stay in a bit, as the single turned thirty back on 13th January. This Wikipedia page looks at the reception to I Don’t Care:

“Tom Demalon from AllMusic described the song as "bouncy and resilient". Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that a "lively, guitar-anchored ditty is fueled by finger-poppin' rhythms and shaking tambourines." He added further that the duo's "unconventional vocal style charms, as do light, retro horn fills at the close. An adventurous pop delight with strong multiformat appeal.". Randy Clark from Cashbox called it an "upbeat, slightly quirky pop cut, with an almost '60s-ish jangle to it, featuring the dual vocals of the performance artists". The Daily Vault's Michael R. Smith noted Detroit's "ear-piercing wail" at the beginning of "I Don't Care”.

The video, ironically, sort of shows some of the tension that would have been present between Fahey and Detroit at the time. Whilst it is heightened, I wonder whether director Sophie Muller was alluding to that at all. It is a superb video and song. Now that the duo is back together and reconciled, I feel more comfortable discussing a time that was quite tense and fragmented. Not to go into the split, but it was rather unceremonious the way Detroit was informed she was not going to be part of the duo anymore (Fahey continued as a solo artist under the Shakespears Sister moniker).

Before getting to some reviews, it is worth spending time with the song most people associate with the album and the duo. Stay is a mega-hit that is dramatic, beautiful and unforgettable. In most songs, Fahey would take the lead and Detroit would do more of the backing. In this track, Detroit takes the lead; Fahey comes in at a point to provide a stirring drama and darkness in the song. On its twenty-ninth anniversary last year (13th January), Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit spoke about the inspiration behind the song:

“There was a time in the early 1990s when Shakespears Sister truly enjoyed a moment in the sun (or perhaps moon). The duo of Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit brought together influences as divergent as reggae, pop, punk and soul to create their own unique sound. That musical alchemy clearly worked and their second album, 1992’s Hormonally Yours went on to spend 55 weeks on the charts, gaining Double Platinum status along the way.

Much of that success was down to the single Stay, a gothic pop masterpiece which haunted the music world for many months. Helped in no small part by an appropriately eerie video, directed by Sophie Muller, the song perfectly showcased the contrast between Fahey and Detroit, as well as highlighting the latter’s distinctive vocals.

So it’s over to the reformed bandmates to reveal all…

“Siobhan Fahey: “We’d written about half a dozen songs for the album which went on to become Hormonally Yours. I would go over every morning to Marcy’s and work in her demo studio.

“Dave [Stewart] had this idea that we needed to write a song that highlighted Marcy’s great voice and said he had an idea. I hadn’t heard his idea until he sat down…”

Marcella Detroit: “…Right, he came over at 09:30 in the morning one day and my husband came to wake me up, I’m a late riser. ‘Hey, Siobhan and Dave are here, get up, Dave’s got an idea for a song.’ I got the coffee and we all went to my little studio and he started to play this idea… a really beautiful idea.

“When we started the album it was a concept album. We were going to try and write about this film that we wanted to purchase the rights to called Cat-Women Of The Moon.”

SF: “It was a 3D B-movie from the 50s that was going cheap. We thought if we buy it we can write some new scenes and shoot them and put ourselves in and it would be a video album but it was a bridge too far for London Records. So the film idea didn’t come to pass but it did inspire many of the songs. The moon imagery and that extraterrestrial vibe.”

MD: “Stay… each of us had different characters that we identified with in the movie and then in this one scene my character was falling in love with an earthling and he was telling her that he had to leave and go back to earth, so that’s what that song was inspired by.”

SF: “Dave had the chords and the melody…”

MD: “…He had the first verse, he started playing it and singing and we got to the chorus where he had these chords and I just started singing, ‘Stay with me.’ It just happened, a little moment of magic.”

SF: “And then I started scribbling some lyrics and it was pretty quick.”

MD: “Yeah, then you came up with the rest of the lyrics and that was it. We then demoed it at my little home studio.”

SF: “Yeah the final recording is pretty faithful to the original demo, even the funny keyboard sound is on the demo.”

MD: “That was all on the demo, our background vocals and also my lead vocal. I did that at my home studio. That is the difference between technology now and then. Back then, I would send the tape reel over and they couldn’t quite get it to sync up. There was a problem with syncing it up, near the end it just started to go off. So Chris Thomas who was producing it had a little bit of a hard time but they finally got it to work properly. Then everything else was recorded properly, Siobhan’s vocal and any other things that needed to be added. We did the recording in a few different places.

“We did some stuff with Steve Ferrera and this bass player Ian [Maidman] who was so good. We actually put that down at George Harrison’s studio in Friar Park where we initially started the recording.”

SF: “In fact, we recorded most of the album at Friar Park, which was very auspicious. So so generous of George and his wife and son to have us there for a month and lend us his studio.

“I seem to recall that, at the time that we demoed it, Dave was making an album with Chris Thomas. Chris Thomas was producing his album so he was round the house when we brought the cassette home and freaked out and went, ‘That’s a No 1 record, I’ll produce it if you want.’

“It has got a classic melody. For us though it was just another song for the album that we were writing.”

MD: “And then very unusual, conflicting lyrics. It starts out all sweet, the subject is about this unrequited love and then it gets a little bit nasty. There was a great dichotomy between Siobhan and my characters”.

In fact, timed nicely to this piece that went live today (6th February) saw a feature in The Guardian where Marcella Detroit and Siobhan Fahey discussed making Stay:

“Marcella Detroit, singer/songwriter

Stay came to life one morning in my converted garage in the back of my house in LA: a very unassuming studio, all knotty pine and carpet, my recording equipment in a cupboard. Siobhan Fahey lived down the road and her then-husband Dave Stewart [ex-Eurythmics] had given her a lift over, then he came in, because he had an idea.

The idea came from these amazing parties Dave and Siobhan used to have. You would not believe the crew that would show up – Tom Petty, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne from ELO, Timothy Leary. Eventually, we would all start singing and jamming, and I would always end up doing ballads. Dave said: “You know how you always sing those ballads at our parties? Wouldn’t it be great to style a song like that to feature you?” And he had an idea for chords and a melody.

Stay was rewritten maybe four times – it sounded like a Prince song at one point – before Siobhan and I went back to the original, developed it, and made a cassette of it. We played it to Chris Thomas, the producer of Roxy Music and the Sex Pistols, who was staying at Dave and Siobhan’s. We weren’t expecting anything, but I remember the room was completely silent: everyone was listening really intently. After it stopped, Chris stood up, and he went: “No 1 smash!” And we were like: “Yeah? Really?”

Later, when the final mix wasn’t working, we asked Chris to help. He rescued that song and made it sound incredible. Jennifer Maidman, from Penguin Cafe Orchestra, came up with the great synthesiser parts for the chorus, and Steve Ferrera, the drummer, also did great things.

It entered the charts at No 27. Then we played Top of the Pops and it kept steadily going up. When it got to No 1 and stayed there for eight weeks, it was really unexpected. But it was incredible that that could happen. I think it’s still one of the longest-running No 1s by a female band.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gie Knaeps/Getty

Siobhan Fahey

For our second album, Hormonally Yours, we’d had this lofty idea to acquire the rights to Cat-Women of the Moon, a fabulously kitsch 3D B-movie from 1953, and build songs around its narrative. The record company said no – they’re not known for their creative thinking are record companies – but we’d written half a dozen songs already, so carried on.

If I remember rightly – 30 years is a long time – the idea for Stay’s lyric came from a woman in the film who had to go back to her planet and leave her human love behind. I was worried about it being too saccharine, but alongside Chris Thomas we had Alan Moulder. He’d recently worked with My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain, who I loved. At that point, we were the only “pop” band Alan had ever worked with – and he went on to work with Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. It meant there was nothing sugary about the production.

Sophie Muller , who was my best friend at the time, made the video. We were muses to each other. I’d been getting into gothic ringlets and sparkly glam-rock catsuits, enjoying becoming an unhinged Victorian heroine meets Suzi Quatro meets Labelle! Now that look was combined with me becoming the angel of death in the video, in dark makeup coming down the stairs from another dimension, trying to steal Marcella’s human love away from her – the video had a slightly different concept to the song.

We only had a day for the shoot. Most of it involved recording Marcy singing, so by the evening I was getting bored – but also the clock was ticking. At 8pm, I hit the vodka and by the time we filmed, I was, shall we say, in high spirits, in full deranged splendour. Performing as a darker character is always more fun than being peaches and cream.

I loved coming down the staircase, which was inspired by one of my favourite films, Powell and Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death. That character seemed to register with lots of people, which was amazing – there were lots of ludicrous takes on it [by French and Saunders as well as David Baddiel and Rob Newman]. I found that funny and the greatest compliment. Funnier still is how people expect me to be just like the angel of death in real life, 30 years on. They’re bitterly disappointed when I’m not”.

I hope that a lot of love is aimed the way of Hormonally Yours on its thirtieth anniversary on 17th February. Their debut, 1989’s Sacred Heart, is well worth hearing, but I think that Hormonally Yours is the best album from Shakespears Sister. Before wrapping up, I want to bring in one review. Entertainment Weekly gave Hormonally Yours a positive review. Even though they note a few songs are over-long, they have highlight the way their voices are different, yet they blend well:

“Most women really hate being accused of hormonally induced moodiness whenever they feel a little crabby, but the two women who make up Shakespear’s Sister clearly have no such qualms. In fact, their second album, Hormonally Yours, plays on the idea of female biological madness, and to its credit, it does so without sounding bitchy or melodramatic. Unlike band member Siobhan Fahey’s former group, Bananarama, Shakespear’s Sis isn’t afraid to emote: The cool detachment of yesteryear has been replaced by a warmer and more emotionally complicated sound. Fahey’s deep, uncannily male-sounding voice is perfectly complemented by her American-born partner, Marcella Detroit, who adds more soulful and feminine R&B-influenced backup vocals. Mostly, the combine sounds great-but several songs (notably ”Emotional Thing” and ”Let Me Entertain You”) go on way too long. Shakespear’s Sister isn’t going to start a turf war with Natalie Cole or Anita Baker, but taken on its own terms — as an original purveyor of lightweight, white-girl blues — this pair is excellent. B+”.

An incredible album that turns thirty on 17th February, I hope Marcella Detroit and Siobhan Fahey recall good memories of that time – even though there were tensions and Detroit departed the duo in 1993. The duo released a 2019 E.P., Ride Again, so we may get another album from them soon enough. Crammed with so many terrific songs from an incredible duo, Hormonally Yours is a…

SENSATIONAL and hugely listenable album.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Anz

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Anz

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A wonderful D.J., artist and producer…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Terna Jogo

I wanted to include the wonderful Anz in this Spotlight feature. An epic talent that NME have tipped for greatness this year, I will end with a  review of her magnificent recent E.P., All Hours. It is a sensational release that everyone should play! I am going to quote some interviews, so that we can discover more about an amazing human. I will start with some biography from Ninja Tune:

“Anz is a DJ and Producer based in Manchester, renowned for her genre-spanning productions and mixes. Across her work, she unearths the links between Electro, UK Garage, Jungle and more, underpinning a versatile take on contemporary UK club music as bright as it is unpredictable.

In the summer of 2017, Anz’ self-titled debut EP was championed by fellow UK club figures for its playful high energy sound. Distinguished by her unique style and an unparalleled danceability, she refined the formula for her second EP ‘Invitation 2 Dance’ (2019).

Alongside compilation contributions for Discwoman and remixes for Houndstooth and XL Recordings, in 2020 Anz joined UK club stalwarts Hessle Audio for her third full EP. Three tracks of dark hoovers, wiggling basslines and sharp vocal cuts, ‘Loos In Twos (NRG)’ was a ruffneck ode to the club, working its way into countless DJ sets and end of year lists.

Since then, Anz has been busier than ever. A salvo of standout mixes and her acclaimed NTS Radio residency saw Anz scoop DJ Mag's 2020 ‘Breakthrough DJ’ award, and an invitation to join BBC Radio 1’s Dance Residency line-up in March 2021 soon followed. Taking on monthly shows with two of the UK’s most respected broadcasters, Anz has cemented her position as one of the UK’s most exciting young selectors.

But, as a producer, nowhere is Anz’ prolific workrate better demonstrated than her annual ‘dubs’ mixes. Now in its 6th year, each edition is comprised entirely of original productions running the gamut of UK and international styles - always mixed with her trademark laser-focus and tempo-warping trickery.

After self-releasing the fifth edition of S/S Dubs in a deluxe cassette bundle in December 2020, Anz unveiled her label OTMI in early 2021; a home for her as-yet-unreleased tracks and stylistic counterparts from friends and family across the electronic music spectrum. With the physical release selling out in a day, and lead single ‘Unravel in the Designated Zone’ championed by Danny Howard and Resident Advisor alike, Anz spoke to Crack Magazine about the nascent label and her masterplan in her June 2021 cover feature debut.

Showing no signs of slowing down, Anz joins the Ninja Tune family with the announce of her 4th EP ‘All Hours’. Due for release this Autumn, the record is a full-throttle trip through the history of dance music and underground culture – tracing lines through sun drenched electro into club-focused breakbeat, classic UK garage and jungle - all seamlessly pieced together in Anz’ infectiously joyous style.

From her dubs mixes to her award winning NTS show, guestmixes for Mary-Anne Hobbs to her recent Radio 1 Dance residency, her OTMI imprint to the forthcoming ‘All Hours’ EP, Anz mashes down disparate styles with mystifying ease. Expect nods to seminal scenes and plenty of vibes”.

Heading back to 2019, and THE FACE profiled a rising talent who was already a club legend. Anz’s story and progress is fascinating and interesting. It seems like, even by 2019, she had found her place and groove:

“Anyone who’s crossed paths with Anz knows all about her passion for the club. The London-born, Manchester-based artist spends her weekends shelling in venues across the UK, and you can hear her blend bass, UK funky, breakbeats, ghetto tech and electro selections once a month on her NTS Manchester show. Anz recently dropped the playful, high-octane EP Invitation 2 Dance – dedicated to ​“the boys who used to muscle me off the decks at house parties” alongside a long list of friends, family and fellow northern nightlife legends.

How did you first develop a passion for raving?

I first went clubbing around 16, sneaking into clubs in East London with my doctored 16 – 25 railcard as ID – I switched the numbers on Microsoft paint, ​‘laminated’ it with clear tape and hoped for the best. But I think university is where I really honed in on the craft of raving. In and around Liverpool, I vividly remember clattering downstairs into the unknown with my partner-in-crime Jess (while I’m here, hold tight Jess). We mainly cut our teeth in warehouses around Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle, before they had been done up all nice with gin menus or whatever.

What’s special about Manchester’s club scene?

Entirely different scenes converge to support each other’s hustle. You get hip-hop and soul heads posting about the latest jungle releases from the city or people from ambient labels front and centre at a hard techno night. There isn’t that tangible sense of competition – I guess everyone is just working to make this thing happen. I think the geography of the city also helps; people might be less inclined to roll to each other’s nights or radio shows if it was a 3.5 hour night-tube round trip.

Other than London and Manchester, where’s your favourite place to go out in the UK and why?

I think Leeds and Sheffield are the ones at the moment. Leeds feels so exciting, the city has a wealth of small DIY spots and people who are passionate about building sound systems, pushing music forward and having a wicked time. Sheffield is similar, but with more hills and greenery. Lovely”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Paula Abu 

I have loved learning about Anz and reading about her sheer passion and drive. Mix Mag interviewed her in 2020. This was near the start of the pandemic. For someone who is use to playing at clubs and around people, it must have been heartaching and stressful for Anz to have her plans and normal routine disrupted a lot:

“What would your dream scenario for the first proper party post-COVID be?

First and foremost, there’s a COVID vaccine in place. Then, I think probably just somewhere familiar like The White Hotel or Soup Kitchen in Manchester with loads of familiar faces. No particular line-up or specific genre or anything, just friends and family back together again.

You shared a helpful Twitter thread of tips about your production process. What do you think is the most valuable recommendation you have to help producers facing writer's block?

I'd say there's two. The most important one is that there's no sense in forcing it, and understanding that resting and taking the time away is ok. I've been in situations where I've really tried to push through a block to the point where I'm getting more and more frustrated and then that makes me even more blocked. Especially now that there's reduced pressure with no clubs and no feeling that you need to have the hottest banger to play at X night or Y event, you can try and use that reduced pressure to take time, do nothing, absorb life. Because I feel like once you've absorbed all your surroundings and taken time to just be, it makes it a lot easier coming back to music.

 The second one is trying to make something bad, which I mentioned in the thread. It's probably the most surprising experiment that I've ever tried. I don't know what happens but something kicks in in your brain when you're trying to make something bad that starts injecting it with bits of you and your style or personality. It's weird, but it seems to work.

A lot of the tracks were used in your fifth annual production mix which came out recently and absolutely bangs. Can you share any further plans you’ve got coming up for them - are there releases on the way?

I've got a really big, exciting release later in the year at some point. The masters just came back last week. I probably can't say what it is yet because I don't want to jinx it even though I know it's happening. But it's absolutely mad to me.

How’s lockdown in Manchester been?

It's been interesting. I live in the city centre and for the beginning it was sort of a ghost town, it was really strange to see all these hubs of activity completely dead, which I'm sure everyone has been noticing when going for their sanctioned exercise. I get the sense that I'll maybe never see the city like it again in my lifetime which is quite a heavy feeling.

With making the 74 odd tunes, I haven't really spent that much time outside anyway so I probably couldn't tell you much more. The inside of my flat has been cool”.

Last year, Resident Advisor were excited to speak with an artist who was breaking through. I love D.J.s and producers who are more used to having their music played and heard in clubs rather than the radio. That said, Anz’s music is perfectly fit and ripe for international airplay, as it is so energised and inspiring:

“In her family home, where boogie and funk chimed effortlessly with Afrobeat and Ghanian highlife, Anz was drawn to four-part harmony bands and lush basslines—think Dynasty and Earth, Wind & Fire. Her parents carried the familiar sounds of their Nigerian youth over to the UK, bringing a sense of home to their new surroundings. After a series of moves, the family settled outside of London, where things felt a little less like home.

"I didn't really clock on to exactly why I felt uncomfortable and why my parents really encouraged us to make friends with other black kids in the school," she said. "At the time it felt kind of corny, but I don't think I really got the weight of it and why they really encouraged it so much." It was in the quiet moments on the house computer, watching performances by the likes of The Prodigy, that Anz began imagining a new world of sound. By 2015 she was ready to share.

"I didn't really see production mixes all that often from my peers," she said, "and there were moments where I thought 'is this weird? Am I being extra?' But I just felt so compelled to document it all, including the wonky mixdowns and patchy blending. I just needed to try, and to document it, and it's ended up being a really affirming part of my process, for lots of different reasons."

PHOTO CREDIT: Jungle Joe 

Although Anz has always been prolific, the first UK lockdown precipitated an especially intense period. It's clear from our conversation that music has a certain grounding quality. "Whenever I'm feeling sad or upset, there's two ways it will go," she said. "I either completely disconnect, do something that brings me comfort without any kind of expectation, or I start a project. There's no real in-between. It's overdrive or absolutely nothing."

She takes a similar approach to DJing, bringing a few tracks to frame the evening and leaving the rest up to the crowd. "I try to put myself in their shoes, because I've been in their shoes so often," she said. "If I've just had a super-melodic, airy fairy tune, I'd probably want a little bit of pressure, something a little bit tougher. It's a conversation—people tell you if they don't like something, especially if they're moving to the smoking area."

There have been a number of international or high-profile gigs—Lady Gaga booked her for a Marsha P. Johnson Institute online fundraiser in June—but for Anz there's nothing like playing to a home crowd. She likens away-sets to delicate trust-building exercises, whereas in Manchester she's free to roam and hone in on sounds. "At home they understand the broader me, have heard me play in the same basement however many times," she said.

"I don't feel I need to be like, 'Oh, and by the way this and this and this is how we get to here.' They already know that, so I can go as mad, moody, dark or as ecstatic as I want to. They trust me with it." And what about her parents? What do they make of her musical evolution, and the decision to stay up north? "I played a gig for Gal-Dem at the Tate once and they came for that. I think it all kind of made sense—it wasn't a sweaty rave." She leaned into the camera and looked away, pensive. "Maybe I'm trying to do what they were doing at the time, find that comfort in home”.

Prior to the wrap-up and getting to a great review of All Hours, there is a more recent interview that I want to include. The Guardian featured Anz in October last year. As the pandemic is dying down a bit, I know that Anz will have a busy 2022 planned:

“This narrative arc is the inspiration for her new EP All Hours. Bookended by a bright piano intro signifying the waking morning, and a dreamlike synth outro designed to sooth you into sleep as the sun comes up and strangers have passed out on your sofa, each track corresponds to a time of day so listeners can “choose their own adventure” through 24 hours.

Lead single You Could Be is a bubbly, sunburst number with vocals from London singer George Riley, meant to reflect an optimistic afternoon feeling. Anz’s music often features vocal snips and samples, she considers them instruments that make the track feel human, but she wanted to find a proper singer for You Could Be, which meant a five-year search before she connected with Riley over Instagram.

Other tracks include a swinging garage cut meant for the evening, an electro/drum track for the dancefloor and a heady, proto-breakbeat and jungle tune for those early hours, lights-on moments. Each track contains a little sonic element of the track before it as well as the one after it; Anz not only connects parts of the day, but shows how dance music history is sewn together too. It’s masterly stuff, demonstrating the 29-year-old’s far-reaching knowledge.

 “As I was building the record, I realised it could be about who I am as a producer, what’s gone into me to create the output,” she says. The record channels various UK electronic styles – rave, breaks, garage – and black music more generally, influenced by the vitality of The New Dance Show, a Soul Train-style dance music TV show that aired in Detroit in the late 80s and early 90s. Today’s dance scenes are rooted in black creativity – a fact often underplayed, now being reclaimed. “It’s music for all hours, and music that’s all ours too – all ravers, but also, for black people. I don’t just mean one set of people, I mean all of us.”

Before this release, Anz’s discography consisted of a few club-ready 12” singles, colourful and propulsive, unconstrained by genre: “I maintain this stuff should be fun. I think discourse merchants get caught up in being purist about genre. Is that fun? No!” The same vision is present in her DJing. “There’s a specific kind of fun that comes with mixing up genres,” she continues. “Music deserves respect, but it doesn’t mean that it needs to be this chore, this fight where we’re warring over the semantics of it rather than appreciating it. This is black electronic music and it doesn’t have to be serious, it can be joyous.”

Residencies for BBC Radio 1 and NTS and her own recently started label OTMI aside, she’s renowned for her annual mixes of her own productions: forthcoming singles, sketches and exclusive tracks blended together into the most potent potion of tomorrow’s new sounds. “I hadn’t really seen other people doing it, and I thought: ‘Am I being extra?’ But this feels like a special thing that I can do … It reminds me of the excitement and wonder I felt when first trying to make music.”

All these efforts have built up into a sudden surge in profile. “The strangest thing was coming back after the pandemic and stepping out in front of a crowd – suddenly it’s not a 200-capacity basement any more, it’s thousands of people staring at you.” Now planning or performing several sets over a weekend while trying to keep her material constantly fresh, she’s busy adjusting to the new balance.

Taking inspiration from the EP concept, Anz considers her dream day: “Every perfect day starts with a lie-in, no alarms, just sunlight. No one texting, calling or emailing me. Garage in the evening. A party with me and my friends playing, no pressure on anyone. A good afters, and the next day in the park. It’s like when I went to uni and first realised I wouldn’t get in trouble if I didn’t go in, and literally watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off instead.” Ferris would be proud, but with the packed new schedule, her perfect day might prove elusive”.

All Hours is an E.P. that should be played loud. It is so colourful and full of memorable and interesting textures. There have been some very positive reviews for one of last year’s best releases. Pitchfork noted the following when they sat down to experience All Hours:

“The nightlife concept behind All Hours is explicit but not overbearing. Anz calls the EP “dance music for people who are up all hours,” and the record’s opening and closing tracks—“Decisions (AM Intro)” and “Quest Select (AM Outro)”—reflect their positioning in the theoretical small hours. The EP’s six songs surge and relax as the record traces the course of 24 hours in clubland, building from the contemplative welcome of “Decisions (AM Intro)” to the brutalist rave frenzy of “Last Before Lights,” and finally mellowing off into the nervous energy of “Quest Select,” a song that suggests tired, twitching feet and brain waves hovering between retreat and attack.

Within this loose framework Anz offers a freewheeling—and very entertaining—callback to the club styles of the last four decades. The giddy “You Could Be,” featuring George Riley, takes the listener back to the early days of Madonna’s career, when she was riding high on the New York electro-funk style of Jellybean Benitez; “Real Enough to Feel Good” nods to G-funk, UK garage, and Baltimore club, while “Inna Circle'' splits the difference by introducing Mantronix-style electro to Baltimore breakbeats. “Last Before Lights,” meanwhile, is a tribute to pretty much everything, throwing Beltram hoover sounds, staccato trance riffs, a chest-bursting bassline, and rousing Italo pianos at a track intended to capture that last, glorious surge of energy before the club lights come on.

While this genre pick ’n’ mix is not exactly standard practice for electronic producers, All Hours is notably less experimental than Anz’ 2020 EP for Hessle Audio, Loos In Twos (NRG). With the possible exception of “Real Enough to Feel Good,” the music on All Hours walks with a straight back and winning smile quite different from that EP’s wobbly strut. The production is bright and welcoming, like an unexpectedly friendly pat-down from security.

More importantly, All Hours brings to the forefront a melodic tendency that Anz has only hinted at in her previous work. The piano intro to “Decisions (AM Intro)” teases the kind of ambiguous emotional journey you might expect of a particularly winsome movie soundtrack, while “You Could Be” is simply a wonderful pop song, shining with romantic sass. The way that the EP’s six songs flow into each other, with sonic elements artfully bridging the divide between tracks, evokes a well-crafted DJ set. The twisting synth riff that connects “Decisions (AM Intro)” and “You Could Be” brings a smile to my face every time, a perfect sleight of hand that never seems to tire.

Like the very best nights out, this EP is simultaneously fleeting and impactful, a brief moment of joy that promises to resonate for years. All Hours feels like an effortless step up to the major leagues for a producer who can find magic in the murkiest nightclub corner”.

A simply remarkable D.J., artist and all-round wonder-talent, go and check out Anz’s socials, and check out her incredible music. She is someone who, one hopes, will be at many festivals through the summer. I love what she is doing – as do so many other people. She has a very long career ahead. Go and throw your support towards…

THE tremendous Anz.

_____________

Follow Anz

Ninja Tune:

https://ninjatune.net/artist/anz

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/anzieanz

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/yunganz_

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/yunganz

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Ysz8yMgr4g1Ol3l1m3yOt

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChmwlwU62WJy1gK542aflZw

FEATURE: Paul McCartney at Eighty: Six: 6th July, 1957: When Paul Met John

FEATURE:

 

 

Paul McCartney at Eighty

IN THIS PHOTO: John Lennon as part of The Quarrymen at a garden fete at St Peter’s Church, Woolton, Liverpool  on 6th July, 1957

Six: 6th July, 1957: When Paul Met John

___________

THERE are two big anniversaries/birthdays…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney in November 2021

this year relating to Paul McCartney. For one, he turns eighty on 18th June. As I have said, I am doing a series of features ahead of his birthday to celebrate his music and overall genius. There will be a fair few concerning with The Beatles. I thought, as it is sort of the start of the story, I would write about the time Paul McCartney met John Lennon. That discovery occurred in 1957 – this year, we mark sixty-five years of that historic event! It is hard to understate the significance of the meeting between McCartney and Lennon. Maybe they would have come across one another eventually, though there seems something romantic and fated about 6th July, 1957. Whilst there is a little debate whether the first conversation and meeting occurred at a fete or a local chip shop, we do know it was that warm July day in 1957. As McCartney was only fifteen, he was a blossoming musician - but it would be a few years before he started to write more prolifically (certainly songs that showed what he would be capable of with The Beatles). I often wonder what would have been had McCartney and Lennon not got on or connected. Would they each be in different bands or written completely different songs? It is a good thing that these geniuses did find one another! I find it staggering that two musicians with such incredible talents occupied the same space as teenagers in ’57! Those who were around McCartney and Lennon would not have known what would become and how these two would change the course of musical history.

So. How and where did Paul McCartney and John Lennon meet one another? It is quite quaint and modest how these two future world-class songwriters came to know one another. The Beatles Bible set the scene and reveal the course of events that magical day:

“6 July 1957 was a pivotal day for the history of modern music: it was the day that John Lennon met Paul McCartney for the first time.

In the afternoon the Quarrymen skiffle group played at the garden fete of St Peter’s Church, Woolton, Liverpool. The performance took place on a stage in a field behind the church. In the band were Lennon (vocals, guitar), Eric Griffiths (guitar), Colin Hanton (drums), Rod Davies (banjo), Pete Shotton (washboard) and Len Garry (tea chest bass).

The group arrived on the back of a lorry. As well as music, there were craft and cake stalls, games of hoop-la, police dog demonstrations and the traditional crowning of the Rose Queen. The fete was a highlight of the year for the residents of the sleepy Liverpool district.

The entertainment began at two p.m. with the opening procession, which entailed one or two wonderfully festooned lorries crawling at a snail’s pace through the village on their ceremonious way to the Church field. The first lorry carried the Rose Queen, seated on her throne, surrounded by her retinue, all dressed in pink and white satin, sporting long ribbons and hand-made roses in their hair. These girls had been chosen from the Sunday school groups, on the basis of age and good behaviour. 

The following lorry carried various entertainers, including the Quarry Men. The boys were up there on the back of the moving lorry trying to stay upright and play their instruments at the same time. John gave up battling with balance and sat with his legs hanging over the edge, playing his guitar and singing. He continued all through the slow, slow journey as the lorry puttered its way along. Jackie and I leaped alongside the lorry, with our mother laughing and waving at John, making him laugh. He seemed to be the only one who was really trying to play and we were really trying to put him off!

That evening the group were due to play again, minus Colin Hanton, this time at the Grand Dance in the church hall on the other side of the road. They were due on stage at 8pm, and admission to the show, in which the Quarrymen alternated on stage with the George Edwards Band, was two shillings.

While setting up their equipment to play, the Quarrymen’s sometime tea-chest bass player, Ivan Vaughan, introduced the band to one of his classmates from Liverpool Institute, the 15-year-old Paul McCartney.

This historic occasion was the first time McCartney met John Lennon, one year his senior. McCartney wore a white jacket with silver flecks, and a pair of black drainpipe trousers.

The pair chatted for a few minutes, and McCartney showed Lennon how to tune a guitar – the instruments owned by Lennon and Griffiths were in G banjo tuning. McCartney then sang Eddie Cochran’s ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ and Gene Vincent’s ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’, along with a medley of songs by Little Richard.

I remember coming into the fete and seeing all the sideshows. And also hearing all this great music wafting in from this little Tannoy system. It was John and the band.

I remember I was amazed and thought, ‘Oh great’, because I was obviously into the music. I remember John singing a song called ‘Come Go With Me’. He’d heard it on the radio. He didn’t really know the verses, but he knew the chorus. The rest he just made up himself.

I just thought, ‘Well, he looks good, he’s singing well and he seems like a great lead singer to me.’ Of course, he had his glasses off, so he really looked suave. I remember John was good. He was really the only outstanding member, all the rest kind of slipped away.

Paul McCartney, 1995

Record Collector”.

The two knew one another for just over twenty-four years. Although the relationship would go through some turbulence at the end of The Beatles’ career until shortly before Lennon’s death in 1980, they did reconcile and become friends. There was something brotherly about their bond. Being in the band forged this kinship. Whilst it faced challenges, it also led to some of the greatest music the world has ever heard! Less than a month after Paul McCartney’s birthday in June, he will get to think back sixty-five years and this day when he met someone who would become a great friend and writing partner. In the John Lennon at 80 celebrations from 2020, McCartney spoke with Lennon’s son, Sean, about the time the two met. NME quoted Paul’s recollections:

“In McCartney’s segment, he recalled when he first realised Lennon was special. He said he had first noticed him on the bus and thought he was “an interesting looking guy”, but had no idea he played music until their friend Ivan introduced them at the village fete where The Quarrymen were playing.

“I knew nothing about him except that he looked pretty cool,” he explained. “He had long sideboards and greased back hair and everything.”

McCartney continued to talk about the band’s musicianship, saying that their attitude was more important than sophistication. “My attitude would be, ‘This is what I want to do’ and then John would bring another edge to it,” he said. “What was the great thing was the combination of those two attitudes and I look back on it now like a fan.

“I think, ‘Wow, how lucky was I to meet this strange Teddy Boy off the bus who turned out to play music like I did, and we get together and, boy, we complemented each other’. They say with marriages opposites attract and we weren’t madly opposites, but I had some stuff that he didn’t have and he had some stuff I didn’t have so when you put them together it made something extra”.

As Paul of my Paul McCartney at Eighty series, I will explore more to do with him and The Beatles. From the debut album through to the final embers of Abbey Road, I am excited to discuss the cultural significance of Paul McCartney as part of the group. On his birthday on 18th June, the world will come together and celebrate a wonderful human. In this series, I simply had to discuss the time McCartney and Lennon met. It is such a monumental and important event; one that would go on to alter the course of music as we know it. Just think back to July 1957 when these two talented teens…

FIRST said ‘hi’.

FEATURE: Groovelines: Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express – Come on Eileen

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express – Come on Eileen

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THIS is a bit of a classic…

that I have not featured before. Released in June 1982, Dexys Midnight Runners’ (credited to Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express) Come on Eileen was taken from their album, Too-Rye-Ay. That album itself is a bit of a classic in its own right. That said, there is no doubting the biggest song on it is Come on Eileen! The song reached number one in the United States. It was the British band’s second number one hit in the U.K. following 1980's Geno. Not only was it a chart success. Come on Eileen  won Best British Single at the 1983 BRIT Awards. It was named as Britain's best-selling single of 1982. Not only is the song one of the defining hits of the 1980s. It is a track that translates to this day and still sound amazing. Some say that the group are a one-hit wonder. I disagree. Although Come on Eileen is their biggest moment, Kevin Rowland and co. have had more than their share of hits! There are a couple of interesting articles that take a closer look at a massive Dexys hit. American Songwriter wrote a feature on Come on Eileen a couple of years back:

“The greatest one-hit wonder of the 80’s? Maybe the greatest one-hit wonder of all time? You can certainly make that case about Dexys Midnight Runners and “Come On Eileen,” the band’s 1982 lightning bolt of a single that they never could quite repeat. Not that they should be ashamed about that, because this was a song that brimmed with so much spirit and passion that anyone would be hard-pressed to replicate it.

IN THIS PHOTO: Dexys Midnight Runners in 1982 

It should be noted that “Come On Eileen” was not the only hit that the group had in their native Great Britain; they had actually scored a previous #1 smash with “Geno.” In America, the song seemed to drop out of the clouds in the midst of a wave of British invaders at the peak of the MTV era. Yet unlike the electronic, automaton chilliness of the Human League or Soft Cell, “Come On Eileen” was brimming with palpable heart and soul.

The song was written by Dexys’ frontman Kevin Rowland along with band members “Big” Jim Paterson and Billy Adams. Rowland told authors Jonathan Bernstein and Lori Majewski in the new book Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined The 80s that a big hit was something he was actively trying to achieve. “I always want what I haven’t got – or I used to,” he said. “I was hankering after pop success at that point. I’m not saying we wrote it with that in mind. Oh, that I would be that clever. But we did write it, like everything we did, the best we possibly could. We worked our arses off. Every detail counted.”

Rowland and his collaborators bucked the prevailing trend at the time by spurning synthesizers in favor of a slew of back-porch instruments like fiddles, banjo and accordion. With sure-handed 80’s hitmakers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley at the producing helm, the end result was a song with more hooks per capita than anything short of “Billie Jean,” even as Rowland’s heartsick vocal added a touch of melancholy to the uplift of the instruments.

The song’s lyrics, at surface level, may seem to be nothing more than the narrator’s amorous plea to Eileen, one that gets downright spicy at times: “You in that dress/My thoughts I confess/Verge on dirty.” Yet “Come On Eileen” spins off from that basic concept to articulate the youthful urge for separation from an older generation hoping to indoctrinate these youngsters into their tired society.

Rowland name-checks weepy 50’s crooner Johnnie Ray at the beginning of the song to symbolize the kind of sorrow that hangs over the entire scene he wishes to escape. “These people ‘round here,” he sings, “Wear beaten-down eyes sunk in smoke-dried faces/So resigned to what their fate is.” He promises Eileen that their fate will be different: “No not us/We are far too young and clever.”

By the time the bridge rolls around, with what seems like a whole gang of Runners imploring Eileen from all angles in swooning countermelodies, you are completely caught up in the song’s energy. In the end, nothing sums up Rowland’s argument as well as his wordless cry of independence: “Too-ra-loo-ra, Too-ra-loo-ra, aye.”

Even though Dexys Midnight Runners imploded not long after this colossal #1 hit, the song itself still looms large. There’s nothing wrong with having just one hit when it’s a hit as memorable as “Come On Eileen.” “And you’ll hum this tune forever,” Kevin Rowland promised. You can call that line foresight or just plain youthful arrogance, but you can’t deny its accuracy”.

Come on Eileen is one of those songs that has been shared through the generations. You can play it and, by the time the chorus hits, everyone is singing along! It is an undeniable classic. Stereogum wrote about how Kevin Rowland’s band were not hugely successful to start out with:

“The first few records from the new Dexys lineup weren’t terribly successful, but then Rowland heard demos of some Blue Ox Babes songs. Rowland loved the way Blue Ox Babes combined Celtic strings with uptempo soul beats, and he basically decided to steal this style for Dexys. Rowland tried to get all the horn players to learn to play strings. When that didn’t work out, Rowland recruited violinist Helen Bevington, a music school student, from the Blue Ox Babes. Rowland got Bevington to change her name to Helen O’Hara, since it sounded more Irish, and he convinced her to bring in a few more string players from her music school.

This lineup of Dexys Midnight Runners didn’t last long, either, but Rowland kept it together long enough for Dexys to record Too-Rye-Ay, their second album. While working on the new album, he assigned the band a whole new look: Those grimy and patched-together overalls from the “Come On Eileen” video. Rowland co-wrote “Come On Eileen” with band members Jim Patterson and Kevin Adams, though he later admitted that he’d stolen the basic sound from his ex-bandmate Kevin Archer. Rowland was very much trying to make a hit when he came up with “Come On Eileen”; Dexys needed one badly. They got it.

I don’t think I’d ever really given the “Come On Eileen” lyrics much thought before sitting down to write this piece, but there’s a lot going on in the song. Rowland wrote those lyrics about getting into a sexual relationship with a friend when he was in his teens. Catholic guilt hangs over the song; Rowland tells the girl that his thoughts “verge on dirty” when he looks at her. He gets majestically sentimental about his parents and their music. He thinks of their mothers listening to “poor old Johnny Ray,” the dependably bummed-out pre-rock American pop idol, and he thinks that they could sing Irish lullabies just like their fathers. But he doesn’t want to end up like his father

Rowland sings about Birmingham’s miners and factory workers with a sort of terror. To him, they’re “beaten down” and “so resigned to what their fate is.” But Rowland dares to imagine something better for himself and Eileen: “We’re far too young and clever.” That’s when “Come On Eileen” becomes a song about sex, one of our most dependable, if short-lived, means of escape. Rowland wants Eileen to “take off everything,” and suddenly the song turns into a giddy chant, speeding up and slowing down tempos recklessly.

“Come On Eileen” takes its intro from “Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms,” an Irish folk song that Thomas Moore (not the saint) wrote in 1808, and its big hook is suspiciously close to the one on “A Man Like Me,” the 1972 single from Jimmy James, a Jamaican singer beloved on the Northern soul scene. (This is another one of those cases where someone probably would’ve been sued if it happened today.) “Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms” and “A Man Like Me” don’t necessarily have much in common with one another, but Rowland draws them together through horny desperation and fired-up intensity and a big clompy-clomp rhythm, and he makes them work.

A big part of the charm of “Come On Eileen” is Rowland’s voice. He’s clearly not the soul singer that he wants to be, but he doesn’t let that stop him. He yelps and wails as hard as he can, and his Northern English honk bulldozes through all the strings and horns around him. When “Come On Eileen” turns into a big mass singalong, it finds a certain drinking-song grandeur. Producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley had already done a lot of work with London ska goons Madness, and both the clean clumsiness of the “Come On Eileen” beat and the gang-shout chorus could’ve come straight from that band. (In the US, Madness’ highest-charting single, 1982’s “Our House,” peaked at #7. It’s a 9.)”.

A song that I really love and have so much time for, it is a chart-topper that has lifted people for almost four decades. I wanted to know a little more about the track. The band, now trading as Dexys, released Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul in 2016 (an album of interpretations of Irish songs and other select compositions). Both their 1980 debut, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, and 1982’s Too-Rye-Ay are stunning albums. The latter’s Come on Eileen is a stone-cold classic that is...

IMPOSSIBLE to dislike.

FEATURE: Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots: A Stunning Artist Takes to Abbey Road Studio 2 During the Recording of Never for Ever

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush: The Iconic Shots

A Stunning Artist Takes to Abbey Road Studio 2 During the Recording of Never for Ever

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THIS is the absolute final…

part of a run of features where I look at iconic shots involving Kate Bush. Although I do not have an exact date and photographer for the shot (it is between 1979 and 1980), I couldn’t pass by such a classic! I think that many picture Bush as this artist who is known for her voice. They do not often associate her with production and tackling the studio. She was just as hungry a producer and sonic innovator as she was an accomplished vocalist. The shot I am featuring shows Bush focused and in her element! This is her at Abbey Road Studios. I am guessing the photo is around 1980. In the featured image, she is sat at the Mark IV desk in the control room. Whereas her brother, John Carder Bush, took photos of her smiling at a studio control room when she was making Hounds of Love (1985), I am not sure about this photo. Although I can only be a bit vague with this final inclusion, it is an image that I think about a lot! The Kate Bush Encyclopaedia explains when Bush recorded at Abbey Road Studios:

“Kate worked at Abbey Road Studios on the albums Never For Ever, The Dreaming, and Hounds Of Love in Studio 2, and the orchestral parts for the albums The Sensual World and The Red Shoes. On 17 June 1981, the music video for the song Sat In Your Lap was recorded in the cavernous Studio 1, a huge space about half an acre in size. On 12 November 1981, Kate attended a 50th anniversary party for the studio, and cut the birthday cake alongside singer Helen Shapiro. In March 1986, she recorded a performance of the song Under The Ivy for the 100th broadcast of The Tube”.

Whilst I cannot really pinpoint the month the shot was taken – as there is scares information online about this image -, I do think that it ranks alongside the best. I am pretty sure it is in 1980, but I do not have a photographer credit. During the recording of Never for Ever, she worked alongside Jon Kelly as producer. These two young people were given the keys to Abbey Road! It was the first time Bush co-produced. It would have been such an exciting time. Both revealing and scary, this was a big leap for her. As it turns out, the sound and production work on Never for Ever is incredible. The tone and sound would radically shift for 1982’s The Dreaming – Bush produced solo and worked out of Abbey Road for parts of it. There are several reasons why I love the shot of her looking intent at Abbey Road. The fact it is a black and white shot makes it more memorable and beautiful I think. Also, her expression is wonderful. Bush always gave great looks when it came to her photos! Here, there is a mixture of seriousness and curiosity. If the Hounds of Love studio shots were more fun, this is a more determined and focused look. Bush was following on from 1979’s The Tour of Life and a very busy first couple of years of her career. Although 1980 was a busy year for her, the period where she recorded Never for Ever seems less intense than in 1978. She had more control of the music, and her next album would not be for another two years.

I think that Never for Ever is an underrated album. One that is not often talked about, one has to marvel at Bush’s songwriting and the different moods expressed throughout. Songs like Babooshka and Army Dreamers are very different. Lesser-heard tracks like The Wedding List and The Infant Kiss are magnificent. So assured and accomplished, there was no doubt that this was a songwriter and talent at the top of her game! Wanting to exert more control of her material and create an album that was truer to her, she worked very well alongside Jon Kelly. Even though he did not produce with her again, the two had a good working relationship. It was just that, having had a taste, Bush knew that she had to produce alone and take full the reins on her own. Only twenty-one when she started recording Never for Ever, it is amazing to hear the complexity on display. Peter Gabriel introduced Bush to the Fairlight CMI. We hear it a bit of Never for Ever, though this exciting new technology would play a bigger role on The Dreaming and Hounds of Love. Able to simulate all sort of sounds, it was a real breakthrough. It was a really exciting time for Kate Bush. One can see that in the expression she gives in the photo from Abbey Road Studio 2. A remarkable young artist who always produced such phenomenal music, it would have been fascinating sitting in the studio and hearing these songs come together. In terms of the conversations and memories that are held in that studio from that time, it is something that…

WE can only imagine!