FEATURE: Spinning Around in Your Eyes: Kylie Minogue and the Evolution of the Pop Video

FEATURE:

 

 

Spinning Around in Your Eyes

Kylie Minogue and the Evolution of the Pop Video

___________

THIS will be a rather long feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Grant Matthews

that is not linked to any event or anniversary. I think there are very few artists recording today who have been around for decades. In terms of the pioneers and enduring legends, we have the likes of Paul McCartney and Madonna. Kylie Minogue can definitely be added to the list of icons and pioneers. Whilst her music and lyrics have been tackled by a number of writers and producers through the years – with Minogue’s voice very much at the centre; she has written some terrific tracks herself -, I feel the way she brings her songs to life through the videos separates her from other artists. My earliest memories of her music were the videos – Hand on Your Heart and Better the Devil You Know were my favourite. A captivating and compelling visual artist, she has definitely helped evolve the Pop promotional. As her albums became deeper, more sophisticated and varied, the videos match that in terms of concept and execution. To mark her music videos’ impact, I am going to select the twenty-one best. Having released ninety-five singles, it is hard to narrow it down to the best twenty-one! Before I get there, I am going to repeat the text I brought in when I featured Minogue in my Inspired By… feature a while back. This is AllMusic’s biography of the Australian Pop legend:

“Kylie Minogue started her career as an actress on an Australian soap, but her charisma and highly adaptable talents as a pop singer soon landed her on top of the music world. The ride was bumpy, with high highs (chart-topping singles and albums, a brilliant collaboration with Nick Cave) and low lows (cancer, being dropped by record labels), but through it all, Minogue's sunny relatability never flagged. During the 1980s, she released effervescent Stock, Aitken & Waterman-produced pop singles like "I Should Be So Lucky" and "The Loco-Motion" and cultivated a cheerful, cheeky persona.

Once she broke away from the SAW machine, she was free to explore music styles and seek out a new, more adult image. She dipped her toes into trip-hop with "Confide in Me," slick dance-pop on "Better the Devil You Know," and pop/rock with guitars on "Some Kind of Bliss." She struck gold in 2001 with the huge electro-pop single "Can't Get You Out of My Head"; the album it landed on, Fever, was her most cohesive yet and kicked off a string of sleekly quirky records that were inspired by synth pop and electronic music. By the 2010s, Kylie had become a major concert draw worldwide and her singles and albums reflected her new status, sounding huge and very poppy while never sacrificing artistic growth or stylistic restlessness. Along the way, she even recorded an album with an orchestra (2012's Abbey Road Sessions) and went pop-country (2018's Golden). In 2020, for her 15th set, she returned to the dancefloor to do what she does best on DISCO.

Born in Melbourne on May 28, 1968, Kylie Minogue began acting in television dramas at the age of 12. Although the small roles brought her a fair bit of exposure, it was her 1986 debut on the insanely popular soap Neighbours that catapulted her to stardom. In Australia, Minogue's role as the tomboy Charlene won her a number of awards, but in Britain, the exploits of that character and her love interest -- played by the actor Jason Donovan -- attracted record numbers of television viewers, and made the Aussie drama one of the most watched shows in the U.K. Understanding Minogue's megastar potential, as well as her ability to vamp and sing, Mushroom Records signed her to a contract in 1987. Her success was immediate, as her debut single, "The Loco-Motion" (a cover of the 1962 Little Eva hit) rocketed to number one and eventually took the globe by storm, hitting the upper reaches of the charts in many countries.

Minogue then headed to England and partnered with the production team of Stock, Aitken & Waterman. The first track the group released with her, "I Should Be So Lucky," dominated the Australian and U.K. charts, did well on a number of charts in Europe, and hit the Top 40 in the U.S. Her pop status was further consolidated with her debut album, 1988's Kylie, which topped the charts in the U.K. and did very well in many other places, including Australia. As the '80s drew to a close, Minogue's stature worldwide only grew. Her duet with Jason Donovan, "Especially for You," sold over a million copies in 1989, even while being critically panned. A second full-length, Enjoy Yourself, was also released that year, along with a handful of singles that managed to further dominate charts in both hemispheres. In the midst of this pop success, Minogue also appeared in her first feature film, The Delinquents.

Many things would change for her in the frenetic decade of the '90s. She began to trade in her cutesy, bubblegum pop image for a more mature one, and in turn, a more sexual one. Her relationship with the late frontman of INXS, Michael Hutchence, and her shedding of the near-virginal facade that dominated her first two albums began to have an effect, not only on how the press and her fans treated her, but in the evolution of her music. Released in 1990, Rhythm of Love, its worldwide hit single, "Better the Devil You Know," and its follow-up, "Shocked," took her out of the stifling world of teen pop and brought her into the more adult world of dance music and nightclubs.

Minogue's career was not without its ebbs, however. As she began to flex a bit more creative muscle, her relationship with Stock, Aitken & Waterman felt restrictive. Their sound had dominated music for a number of years on both sides of the Atlantic, but the scene was beginning to move on, and Kylie's fourth and final album with Mushroom and the production team, Let's Get to It, would sell disappointingly. Freed from the yoke of both a production team and a mainstream pop label, Minogue began a long trend of collaborating with up-and-coming and hot producers and songwriters, which not only allowed her to roll with cultural trends and stay current in an extremely fussy and fickle genre, but allowed her to branch out into new areas of performance unheard of by most pop singers of her style.

Now signed to the dance label Deconstruction, Minogue released a much more mature and stylish dance-pop record in 1994's Kylie Minogue. The singles "Confide in Me" and "Put Yourself in My Place" were slicker and more stylish than anything she had previously recorded. While the record sold well and Kylie made more movie appearances (1994's Street Fighter and 1996's Bio-Dome), the next couple of years were fairly quiet except for the hit single (and unlikely collaboration) with Nick Cave entitled "Where the Wild Roses Grow." A dark ballad about a murder (with a video based on the Millais painting Ophelia) -- the duet featured Cave as the murderer singing his point of view and Minogue as the victim singing hers -- the single was widely successful in Australia and the U.K, earning Kylie a new set of fans and a new sense of respect.

Her eagerness to expand on this collaboration led to the work that would make up her 1997 album, Impossible Princess. While the lead single, the more rock-tinged "Some Kind of Bliss," was the result of working with James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore of Manic Street Preachers, the rest of the album (for the most part) consisted of further collaborations (with Brothers in Rhythm co-founder David Seaman, for instance) and efforts to expand on the dance-pop that was her bread and butter. The album, soon retitled Kylie Minogue in England due to the death of Princess Diana, was successful, but her attempt at developing her sound met firm resistance critically, with many radio stations and journalists writing her off, figuring her career had run its course. Obviously, this was not the case, as Minogue toured the world for the album, selling out stadiums (as usual) and appearing in a number of specialty concerts over the next two years.

In 1999, having been dropped from Deconstruction but signing to Parlophone, Minogue shed the indie influences that guided Impossible Princess and set about creating dance-pop that was more disco than anything in her catalog. The resulting album, Light Years, and its lead single, "Spinning Around," were huge successes, bringing her critical acclaim and winning a new generation of fans.

Her place in pop music history would be consolidated in 2001, and she would be reintroduced to America after more than a decade. That year's album, Fever, and its massively successful (and aptly titled) single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" were the first to be released in the U.S. since Enjoy Yourself, and the single managed to chart stateside at number three. Even the Grammys began to recognize Minogue, as the first of many nominations (eventually she would win for "Come Into My World" in 2002) finally happened that year. While her next album, 2003's Body Language, was not as big a seller as Fever, it was another successful attempt at broadening her sound, this time with electro and hip-hop influences. A greatest-hits package (her second), 2004's Ultimate Kylie, acted as a catalyst for her worldwide Showgirl tour, but that was to be set aside after her diagnosis with breast cancer.

In 2005, she underwent successful surgery and follow-up chemotherapy, and eventually made a full recovery. She started out slowly, but would eventually finish her Showgirl tour, and in 2007 she released her tenth album, X. It was well-received and sold enough to convince Minogue that 2009 was the time to undertake her first tour of the United States. Although limited to a few dates and select cities, the North American jaunt was a rousing success, and an Internet-exclusive album of the New York show was made available at the end of that year. As X was making waves in 2008, Minogue was also honored by Queen Elizabeth with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for her services to music. She released her 11th full-length, Aphrodite (a set executive produced by Stuart Price), in 2010. That same year, she guested on songs by Hurts ("Devotion") and Taio Cruz ("Higher"), and released a holiday EP titled A Kylie Christmas.

In 2012, Minogue celebrated her 25th year in the music biz with a greatest-hits collection (The Best of Kylie Minogue), a new single ("Timebomb"), an exhaustive singles collection (K25), and an album of her hits reimagined for a small band and orchestra (The Abbey Road Sessions). She also found time to restart her acting career with an appearance in Jack & Diane and a leading role in the acclaimed Holy Motors. Not one to take a rest, Minogue spent a busy 2013 appearing on Laura Pausini's single "Limpido," signing with Jay-Z's Roc Nation management firm, and recording a new album. In early 2014, she began appearing as a coach on the U.K. version of The Voice. Her 12th album, Kiss Me Once, which featured songwriting and production from the likes of Pharrell, Sia, and MNDR, was released in early spring of 2014. Soon after, she hit the road on an ambitious concert tour that took her from Istanbul to Madrid to Perth, with many stops along the way. The tour was documented on the 2015 CD/DVD Kiss Me Once Live at the SSE Hydro.

Minogue kept up her breakneck pace for the rest of 2015, appearing on Giorgio Moroder's single "Right Here, Right Now" and hitting the top of the dance charts with a spot on Nervo's "The Other Boys." She had roles in the ABC Family show Young & Hungry and the film San Andreas, released an EP with producer Fernando Garibay titled Kylie + Garibay, and finally, in November, ended the year with her first full holiday album, Kylie Christmas. In the summer of 2016, Minogue returned with a contribution to the Absolutely Fabulous movie, the theme song "This Wheel's on Fire."

Minogue signed to BMG in 2017 and began working on a new album, her 14th. Recovering from heartbreak, she took the suggestion from one of her team to try writing and recording in Nashville. For the first time in her career, she co-wrote all the songs and teamed with writers and musicians there (and a team of producers in London including Biffco and Sky Adams) to craft a sound that was a hybrid of modern country and her more traditional dance-pop. The resulting record, Golden, was released in April 2018. The following year saw the arrival of Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection, Minogue's fifth major greatest-hits album. The compilation featured 42 tracks, including the previously unreleased "New York City," which was recorded during the sessions for Golden.

In 2020, she returned with fresh material for her 15th official album, including the singles "Say Something" and "Magic." These nostalgic throwback tunes landed on the aptly titled DISCO, which returned the pop diva to the dancefloor in a major way. Primarily written and recorded at her London home during the COVID-19 lockdown, DISCO also marked the first time Minogue handled engineering duties herself. In 2021, she released an extended version of the album, Disco: Guest List Edition, which included new collaborations with Dua Lipa, Jessie Ware, Years & Years, and Gloria Gaynor”.

To illustrate not only the timelessness and watchability of Kylie Minogue’s best video, but to show how they have evolved as Minogue has grown as an artist, this is a tribute to an artist who is an extortionary visual presence. Bringing life and something magic to all of her videos, below are the twenty-one videos that I feel are the best – from the simpler earlier promotional to more recent ones. Instead of a ranking, I am taking them chronologically and, in each case, mentioning which album each video/single is from. Here are the best videos from the…

MAGNIFICENT Kylie Minogue.

________________

I Should Be So Lucky

From the Album: Kylie

Album Release Date: 4th July, 1988

Single Release Date: 29th December, 1987

Director: Chris Langman

Label: PWL

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Producers: Mike Stock/Matt Aitken/Pete Waterman

Hand on Your Heart

From the Album: Enjoy Yourself

Album Release Date: 9th October, 1989

Single Release Date: 24th April, 1989

Director: Chris Langman

Labels: Mushroom/PWL

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Producers: Stock Aitken Waterman

Step Back in Time

From the Album: Rhythm of Love

Album Release Date: 12th November, 1990

Single Release Date: 22nd October, 1990

Director: Nick Egan

Label: PWL

Chart Position (U.K.): 4

Producers: Stock Aitken Waterman

Confide in Me

From the Album: Kylie Minogue

Album Release Date: 19th September, 1994

Single Release Date: 29th August, 1994

Director: Paul Boyd

Labels: Deconstruction/Mushroom/Imago

Chart Position (U.K.): 2

Producers: Brothers in Rhythm

Breathe

From the Album: Impossible Princess

Album Release Date: 22nd October, 1997

Single Release Date: 16th March, 1998

Director: Kieran Evans

Labels: Deconstruction/Mushroom/BMG

Chart Position (U.K): 14

Producers: Dave Ball/Ingo Vauk

Spinning Around

From the Album: Light Years

Album Release Date: 22nd September, 2000

Single Release Date: 13th June, 2000

Director: Dawn Shadforth

Labels: Mushroom/Parlophone

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Producer: Mike Spencer

On a Night Like This

From the Album: Light Years

Album Release Date: 22nd September, 2000

Single Release Date: 11th September, 2020

Director: Douglas Avery

Label: Parlophone

Chart Position (U.K.): 2

Producers: Graham Stack/Mark Taylor

Can't Get You Out of My Head

From the Album: Fever

Album Release Date: 1st October, 2001

Single Release Date: 8th September, 2001

Director: Dawn Shadforth

Label: Parlophone Records

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Producers: Cathy Dennis/Rob Davis

In Your Eyes

From the Album: Fever

Album Release Date: 1st October, 2001

Single Release Date: 21st January, 2002

Director: Dawn Shadforth

Labels: Festival Mushroom (Australia)/Parlophone (Europe)

Chart Position (U.K.): 3

Producers: Richard Stannard/Julian Gallagher

Come Into My World

From the Album: Fever

Album Release Date: 1st October, 2001

Single Release Date: 4th November, 2002

Director: Michel Gondry

Label: Parlophone Records

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Producers: Cathy Dennis/Rob Davis

Slow

From the Album: Body Language

Album Release Date: 10th November, 2003

Single Release Date: 3rd November, 2003

Director: Baillie Walsh

Labels: Festival Mushroom/Parlophone

Chart Position (U.K.): 1

Producers: Dan Carey/Emilíana Torrini/Sunnyroads

Red Blooded Woman

From the Album: Body Language

Album Release Date: 10th November, 2003

Single Release Date: 1st March, 2004

Director: Jake Nava

Label: Parlophone

Chart Position (U.K.): 5

Producer: Johnny Douglas

In My Arms

From the Album: X

Album Release Date: 21st November, 2007

Single Release Date: 15th February, 2008

Director: Melina Matsoukas

Label: Parlophone

Chart Position (U.K.): 10

Producers: Calvin Harris/Richard ‘Biff’ Stannard

WOW

From the Album: X

Album Release Date: 21st November, 2007

Single Release Date: 17th February, 2008

Director: Melina Matsoukas

Label: Parlophone

Chart Position (U.K.): 5

Producer: Greg Kurstin

All the Lovers

From the Album: Aphrodite

Album Release Date: 30th June, 2010

Single Release Date: 11th June, 2010

Director: Joseph Kahn

Label: Parlophone

Chart Position (U.K.): 3

Producers: Jim Eliot/Stuart Price

Get Outta My Way

From the Album: Aphrodite

Album Release Date: 30th June, 2010

Single Release Date: 27th September, 2010

Directors: AlexandLiane

Label: Parlophone

Chart Position (U.K.): 12

Producers: Cutfather/Peter Wallevik/Daniel Davidsen/Damon Sharpe/Lucas Secon/Stuart Price

Into the Blue

From the Album: Kiss Me Once

Album Release Date: 14th March, 2014

Single Release Date: 27th January, 2014

Director: Dawn Shadforth,

Label: Parlophone

Chart Position (U.K.): 12

Producer: Mike Del Rio

Dancing

From the Album: Golden

Album Release Date: 6th April, 2018

Single Release Date: 19th January, 2018

Director: Sophie Muller

Labels: Darenote/BMG

Chart Position (U.K.): 38

Producer: Sky Adams

Golden

From the Album: Golden

Album Release Date: 6th April, 2018

Single Release Date: 29th May, 2018

Director: Sophie Muller

Labels: Darenote/BMG

Chart Position (U.K., Radiomonitor): 22

Producer: Lindsay Rimes

Say Something

From the Album: DISCO

Album Release Date: 6th November, 2020

Single Release Date: 23rd July, 2020

Director: Sophie Muller

Labels: Darenote/BMG

Chart Position (U.K.): 56

Producers: Jon Green/Biff Stannard

Magic

From the Album: DISCO

Album Release Date: 6th November, 2020

Single Release Date: 24th September, 2020

Director: Sophie Muller

Labels: Darenote/BMG

Chart Position (U.K.): 53

Producer: PhD

FEATURE: Reel-to-Real: Rob Leggatt and Leigh Marling: The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2001)

FEATURE:

Reel-to-Real

Rob Leggatt and Leigh Marling: The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2001)

___________

ONE of my favourite songs ever…

is by the Australian group, The Avalanches. The title single from their 2000 album, Since I Left You, it was released in February 2001. Reaching the top ten in the U.K. I love Since I Left You, as it is a song that mixes samples together. Rather than it being muddled and too busy, the track beautifully incorporates samples and creates this luscious, dreamy song that takes you to the heavens! The main sample is Main Attraction's Everyday (1968). Without too much input from The Avalanches themselves (vocally or any instrumentation), it is them skilfully weaving samples and sounds for a wonderful kaleidoscope. I think that Since I Left You is a song that will never diminish or sound anything other than spellbinding. Its amazing video is one reason why I love the song. Before coming to that, it is worth getting some critical reaction to Since I Left You. In  terms of its legacy and reception, there was a lot of love for this wonderful track:

“Since I Left You" received widespread critical acclaim. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave the song a positive review, praising it for "allow[ing] the sampled performances to truly glisten." Allmusic's MacKenzie Wilson also spoke favourably of "Since I Left You", remarking that it "leaves listeners spellbound and in a summer dreamscape of lushness and simplicity.” Matt LeMay of Pitchfork Media wrote that the "beauty" of the song "lies in the way that the Avalanches turn obvious sonic mismatches into something all their own". Playlouder named "Since I Left You" the twenty-ninth best single of 2001, calling it "shimmeringly gorgeous" and "much greater than the sum of its parts, and the parts were pretty good to start with." NME and Rockdelux both included the track in their respective year-end best single lists.

Pitchfork Media placed "Since I Left You" at number 40 on their list of the best singles of the 2000s.The song also ranked number 69 on Stylus Magazine's decade-end list, with writer Ally Brown commenting: "A decade in, nothing's come close to matching 'Since I Left You''s distillation of pure joy from a hundred different songs." Q included "Since I Left You" in their lists of the Ultimate Music Collection and the 1,001 Best Songs Ever”.

The video is a hard thing to realise. Such is Since I Left You’s multiple directions and possibilities, there is no definite concept that comes to mind. Directed by Rob Leggatt and Leigh Marling (both are members of the Blue Source video direction team), their concept and execution is beautiful! In my mind, they made a classic music video that stands alongside the very best. With amazing production from group members Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann, Since I Left You is this dream of a song that directors would love to tackle! Doing the song justice, it is just as well the record label rejected The Avalanches’ concept for the video: set on a cruise liner, it would have synchronised swimmers moving in time to the song. Instead, as Classic Album Sundays wrote, something far more intrigued, original and memorable was created by Leggatt and Marling:

“In the opening scene of the music video for The Avalanches “Since I Left You”, two miners are trapped in an underground abyss, surround by dirt and nothingness until they hear the opening notes of the track. The angelic and harmonious intro inspires them to search for the beat’s origin and break through some wooden planks to find a dance studio, where two dancers are performing an interpretative dance of the song for two judges. To embrace the paradise The Avalanches create with the track, one of miners, Arthur, joins the girls in dance, hilariously enough, and disappears into a mysterious flash as their final statement, never to be seen again”.

Multimodal Me, writing in 2013, breaks down the video and discusses the different shots and scenes. I love how it switches from black-and-white to colour; we see one of the miners as an old man recalling the experience at the end:

“The music video for The Avalanches Since I Left You, released in 2001, reveals the risks and rewards for two miners who fantastically enter a new world. Directed by Rob Leggott and Leigh Marling, this text would be suitable as related material for the movie Billy Elliot in HSC Standard English Module C Elective 2: Into the World.

Remember to discuss a range of different techniques from the music, lyric and film modes of this rich text. Begin your analysis by writing a topic sentence that refers to a key concept, such as transition between worlds, maturity, choice, consequences of change, risks and rewards of entering a new world. Aim to analyse different techniques than those used heavily in the actual film Billy Elliott.

keyhole shot opens or zooms out to reveal an abstract world that we slowly come to identify as a mine

miners are trapped in a black and white world and begin to dig their way out toward the muffled sounds of music

sound effects of a canary singing reinforces the notion of tradition and suggests the conservative nature of working class practices, such as the masculine attitudes of Billy’s father and brother

single guitar plays an upbeat melody that becomes repetitive, with a layering beat and percussion instruments to suggest a more complex situation

the miners break through the barrier between the worlds and enter the colourful world of a dance audition, seen in the slow upward pan of two female dancers who smile and welcome the men

Arthur is prepared to accept the risk of perfecting a new skill – dancing – which is in stark contrast to his occupation as a miner in terms of socially acceptable expectations. This links with the actions that Billy takes in following his passion by stepping outside the traditional masculinity of his small town

IN THIS PHOTO: Director Rob Leggatt

there is a clear contrast between the two audition rooms: Billy’s audition is unwelcoming with serious judges, whilst the music video shows a more inviting atmosphere, including judges with positive emotions who initially give unintentional feedback by smiling and nodding

Arthur’s friend is unable to make the necessary change into this world, and contemplates the consequences of returning to his mining world as shown in the misty split screen of Arthur with a female dancer. Arthur has clearly established a new relationship of support and friendship in this world

slow motion is used when Arthur makes physical contact with the female dancer, and as he flips over. This practiced skill mirrors Billy’s slow motion leap in the closing sequence and demonstrates his successful transition into the world of professional ballet.

Arthur’s anonymous coal mining partner dissolves into the old world, suggesting that he is unable to make the change, perhaps through his lack of ability. We see this in a point of view shot as he stares at his hand begin to flicker into black and white

the closing sequence is an interview, in colour, with the elderly anonymous coal miner who explains  that he ‘never saw Arthur again’. Even though he remained in his familiar world, he seems content with his choice as the mise en scene reveals a comfortable lounge room with a caged canary and framed photograph of the two miners as young men”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Director Leigh Marling

Through the course of this series, I am going to take a closer look at some of the best and most innovative videos ever. I will cross genres and time periods, mentioning the director and stating why their video is so special. I think Since I Left You provides a take in the song that nobody else would imagine. It is heart-warming and charming; stunning, emotional and cinematic; lush, cute, eye-opening and endlessly watchable! I keep watching the video, as it gives new angles and joy to a song that is pure ecstasy and wonder. I get new things each time I come back to the video. From the closing scene to the dancing, right through to the way it is edited and shot, it is one of the legendary and all-time best videos. If any filmmakers and artists are reading, a concept like the one for Since I Left You is one that can captivate and stay in the memory! A brilliant concept and a superb match of visual and audio, there are few videos as wonderous and interesting. Credit to Rob Leggatt and Leigh Marling for what they came up with. I am conscious of including videos in this run that were directed by women, as some of the very best have been shot by incredible and talented women. I just had to feature the video for Since I Left You. Not only will this video stun people today: this is a piece of film that will amaze and be picked apart…

FOR the rest of time.

TRACK REVIEW: Charli XCX - Baby

TRACK REVIEW:

 

 

Charli XCX

Baby

9.6/10

The track, Baby, is available from:

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

RELEASE DATE:

1st March, 2022

ORIGIN:

Cambridge/Essex, U.K.

GENRE:

Electro-Pop/Dance Pop

The album, CRASH, is available from 18th March, 2022. Pre-order here:

https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/charli-xcx/crash/lp

TRACKLISTING:

Crash

New Shapes (ft. Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek)

Good Ones

Constant Repeat

Beg for You (ft. Rina Sawayama)

Move Me

Baby

Lightning

Every Rule

Yuck

Used to Know Me

Twice

PRODUCERS:

G. Cook/Ariel Rechtshaid/Deaton Chris Anthony/Digital Farm Animals/George Daniel/Ian Kirkpatrick/Ilya/Jason Evigan/Jon Shave/Justin Raisen/Lotus IV/Mike Wise/Oneohtrix Point Never/Oscar Holter

LABELS:

Asylum/Atlantic/Warner UK     

__________

I have included Charli XCX…

a few times on this site over the past few weeks. I wanted to include her again, as her fifth studio album, CRASH, is out on 18th March. It is going to be a huge album from the Cambridgeshire-born, Essex-raised artist. One of the most talented, special and compelling Pop artists of her era, this is a moment when we will see Charli XCX hit new heights. A modern-day queen who has legions of adoring fans, Charlotte Aitchison is going to be making the very finest music for years to come. I will refer to her as ‘Charli XCX’ through his review rather than ‘Charlotte Aitchison’. I am going to look back at Charli XCX’s last two albums, just to give a sense of what she was saying in interviews and how she was being seen through the media. Charli was released in 2019. Her greatest album to that point, it marked a real sense of growth and ambition from Charli XCX. Five years after Sucker arrived – an album that I maintain is underrated -, this was a revelation. FADER asked Charli XCX about, what they say is, her most personal album yet:

“I want to talk about naming the album Charli. Did you go into it thinking that that was going to be the title?

No. I'm actually really bad with album names. I mean, I named True Romance. I named Sucker. I mean, I named Vroom Vroom. But Pop 2, Tommy Cash actually named Pop 2, because I was like, "What should we call it?" Tommy was like, "Hey, it's future pop. You should call it Pop 2." We were like, "Great, all right, cool." So, with Charli, I was throwing around all these names and nothing felt right. I don't know, I was considering tying in the 3 aspect still of like, Number 1 Angell, Pop 2, something 3. I don't know. Then, I just couldn't figure it out at all, and A.G. was like, "Just call it Charli, because it's you." I was like, "Ah, fuck. I did it again."

So yes, we went for Charli, and it just felt right, and we'd been, I don't know, at the time we named it, I was figuring out fonts for the album and that kind of thing and we were seeing my name a lot, and it just felt right. I guess most unoriginal statement ever, it's like my most personal body of work. So, it does make sense. I think encapsulates everything that I've done. There are elements of True Romance. There are elements of the mixtapes. There are elements of Vroom Vroom. Maybe even elements of Sucker and it's most pop moments. So, it kind of just feels like everything that I've been experimenting with over the past 10 years, whatever it is, however old I am, I can't remember.

“This is your 'most personal album yet,' but also there's so many people involved in it. I was thinking about the idea of how the communities around us kind of make us who we are, and that you can be your most vulnerable self on this album. Not because of these people, but I think seeing all these collaborations weave in and out of the album, it kind of has this thread of your peers lifting you up and you being able to get to that place with a little help from your friends.

Yeah. That's actually funny, because the album was going to be called Best Friends. That was a title for a while that we were thinking about, which that's kind of cool you said that. But yeah, it is really that. Like the community that I'm in, and the kind of community that I'm surrounded by, which is basically the LGBTQ community because I really feel like I'm so emersed in that in all aspects of my life. My friends, when I go out, my collaborators, it's really prominent and so important to me. I do feel like I am able to be vulnerable in that space, because I feel so comfortable there, you know? I feel like that is a community that has really embraced who I truly I am and made me feel less afraid to be myself and speak my mind when before I kind of was. So yeah, the collaborators, they really do give me that strength, for sure.

This album would not be possible without them. I'm an artist and I have an ego, for sure, but I can really comfortably say that none of these songs would be possible without the people that I work with, because they are so inspiring to me, and they bring their own worlds and their own flavor and their own insight to the work that I do, and it's really inspiring to me. I never feel threatened. I just feel so ready to learn and listen to people who've had different experiences from me and lived different lives. Yeah, it's really cool. I really love it. The collaborators make me feel very comfortable. Comfortable, but still, I think, allow me to be very progressive at the same time.

Do you have any hopes for how your fans interpret this project, or where you're going to take it from here?

I hope my fans love this album. If they don't, that's okay, but I hope they love it. I hope that they feel inspired and emotional and joy. I hope they party to it. I hope they play it fucking loud. I don't know, I never really think about the hopes. It's just out now. It's out now. I just hope people fucking like it. But also, I don't care if they don't. I don't know. I like it, that's the main thing. I'm really proud of it. I really like it. Honestly, I know I'm not supposed to say this, I'm supposed to be so in it like, "This album's streaming, buy it now." But I'm thinking about the next one. I'm like, it's done. I'm just like, onto the next”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Katherine Anne Rose/The Observer

I do feel like Charli was a watershed moment when we saw this transition. A promising Pop artist raising the stakes and upping the ante. A terrific album that was followed only a year later by how I’m feeling now. Released on 15th May, 2020, this was one of the first ‘pandemic albums’: artists releasing albums during the time that were more D.I.Y. than normal. With a lot recorded at her home and things being a bit strange, her fourth studio was very different to Charli. Overloaded with killer hooks, personal lyrics and some of Charli XCX’s finest vocal performances, I am surprised that she managed to release such a terrific album so soon after Charli. More than that, during the start of a pandemic, many would have forgiven her for holding the album back. As it was, she gave the fans something wonderful at the start of a very bad time for us all. Stereogum interviewed Charli XCX in April 2020:

“The coronavirus pandemic has forced all of us to put just about everything on hold: No matter what you thought your big plans for life in 2020 were, they’re not happening anytime soon. That’s been felt in the music world, too, with festival and tour cancellations and postponements, and with artists delaying their albums to what once seemed like a plausible post-quarantine summer date. But as we move further into this, and as it becomes clearer that normal life isn’t coming back anytime soon, some artists are changing their plans not to hold off but to make things happen in quarantine. Laura Marling and Fiona Apple both already moved their albums up earlier in the year, each feeling like a gift when we could all use new music to distract us from the news. And then there’s Charli XCX, who quickly announced her plans to record and release an album in just over a month.

As New York and LA first settled into the social-distancing/shelter-in-place guidelines, Charli began by sharing a quarantine diary. In the first entry, she admitted that this sort of scenario was daunting for a person like her — a self-professed workaholic accustomed to always being on the move, always having another project in the pipeline. It didn’t take long for her to turn this time into something positive — an opportunity to make an album quickly, at home, during the quarantine and at least partially cataloging her experience with it. She announced she’d release the album, tentatively titled How I’m Feeling Now, on 5/15.

The whole project is, by nature, unplanned and in-the-moment. Charli’s been sending material back and forth with her main producers, BJ Burton and A.G. Cook, as well as other potential collaborators. She’s been uploading snippets of unfinished songs and scattered lyrics from her phone, asking fans to weigh in on what they like and what they want to hear finished next. It’s meant to be an open process — an artist not only working on an album for this time, during this time, but also inviting her fans to take part in it. In a way, it gives everyone something to be involved in.

STEREOGUM: In the beginning when you kind of said this would be more DIY, using the tools in front of you etc., but as these demos are starting to come together and as these tones and themes are cohering, what’s the overall vibe of the album? Obviously it’s going to be a little different than the last one, which was quite big and had all these guest appearances. Do you think this is sonically or aesthetically a thing you might’ve been working on right now anyway, or it feels very specific to this experience?

CHARLI XCX: Before quarantine, around January or February, I was working on a completely different album which I wanted to put out in August or September. That album was probably my most polished, I’ll say, aesthetically and possibly musically, too. I was listening to a lot of Janet Jackson and was quite inspired and leaning into that. This sound was taking quite a different turn for me. But I paused the album when quarantine happened, even though I had written quite a bit for it, just because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to execute the visual side of that album.

 At the beginning of the year I did say I wanted to release two albums this year, so I had actually already begun discussing the idea of doing an album in December, where we would maybe in September go somewhere and really hunker down, me and A.G. and possibly SOPHIE if she was around, and write something in two or three weeks. I already had that idea towards the end of last year, so when this global pandemic arose, I was thinking, “OK, maybe I can do that album now but we won’t be in the same place.” There was no discussion about what that should sound like. Generally I don’t really have a premeditated vision of what each album will sound like. It’s very much like, I make stuff and I feel it out and I see what feels right and run with it. That’s kind of what I’m doing with this one.

STEREOGUM: It’s a bit hard to plan for what comes after all this given we don’t really know when/how we’ll go back to normal life, but do you think you’ll return to these other ideas you had in progress, like the Janet LP and the True Romance anniversary shows?

CHARLI XCX: Honestly it’s kind of impossible to say. The album I was making… I would like to release that at some point. But it really just depends on what feels right. I think another reason why that album wouldn’t feel right for right now, it’s just not the right tone. Revisiting something like True Romance, I would love to do that at some point but it wouldn’t be the right time in the world. I think the reason that this particular album I’m making now, that I do feel comfortable making it, is because it’s so collaborative, because through the creation of the music and artwork I’m also able to support other creatives who are maybe struggling to find work right now, and I’ve always wanted to collaborate with them and now is the time.

There is so much to be done because there are no rules with this project. I can make three artworks for one song if I feel like. It’s about creating as much as possible. The time feels right, because I’m able to give my platform to people who maybe aren’t able to make their work as they usually would. And hopefully through this album we’ll be able to set up some charity initiative, hopefully with LA Alliance. Basically, auction off all the artwork that’s created as originals and rough prints and donate all of that money to charity. It feels like the right tone, whereas doing a big really glossy album within this time period or even planning for that coming later when I don’t know what’s going to be going on, I don’t know that it would feel right for me personally. Who knows”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Bridgland for Rolling Stone

Bringing things to more recent times, it is great that Charli XCX released how I’m feeling now two years ago. The album is her best so far. She did so much promotion around the release of the album and she has been working really hard since. I do feel there is this pressure on big modern artists like her. I will come to it, but Charli XCX recently has said how she has been getting a lot of sh*t on social media for a number of reasons. A recent track she recorded with Rina Sawayama got some blowback. It must be a constant battle (when it comes to social media) engaging with fans and trying to do the right thing – whilst being true to you –, and also having to face negativity and the darker side of thing. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, we discover more about the real person. It is an interview that reveals a lot about the human and down to earth nature of a super-famous, modern-day sensation:

“Charli – whose real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison – considers this straightforward interpretation of Crash and decides she likes it. It reflects her current state of mind: “I almost just feel like this album title is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. I feel very explosive right now. I feel very on the edge, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way,” Aitchison continues, her voice wavering. “I feel good when I’m rehearsing for tour, when I’m moving my body. I feel safe and at home there. Basically any time I’m not doing that I feel… like a time bomb, I suppose. I don’t really know what I’m saying, sorry…”

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Bridgland for Rolling Stone 

You wouldn’t have been able to tell she was feeling turbulent had you met her in north-east London the previous week. Charli XCX arrives at our photoshoot as every transatlantic popstar should: with an indefinable air of importance and like a blank canvas ready to be transformed (sporting a cap, bleached eyebrows over sunglasses and a puffa coat that could sleep two arctic explorers). The self-professed workaholic was professional and polite. In latex pants and skin-tight leotards, she moved through her poses and angles for hours with precision and energy. Once the Rolling Stone UK mic was in hand, she said, with deadpan humour: “Being a pop icon is very turbulent. The highs are high and the lows are low and the iconicness has to stay at such a high level that sometimes you can really get exhausted just from being so, so iconic.”

Fifty minutes after the shoot wrapped, she posted on Twitter that she was leaving the app and would likely draft tweets and allow her team to post them instead. “I’ve been grappling quite a lot with my mental health the past few months and obviously it makes negativity and criticism harder to handle when I come across it,” she wrote, attributing this criticism to song-release choices, the campaign roll- out and what was necessary to fund “the greatest tour” she’s ever planned.

What she had to do was agree to play at an NFT festival called Afterparty. Fans gave her a “lot of flack” for that decision but, as she later explains over a video call with the camera off, it doesn’t matter any more. “I pulled out of the festival. That was my decision that I made and I didn’t feel the need to announce it or let them know or whatever – but I did pull out.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Rina Sawayama and Charli XCX 

A minority of fans have been vocally critical of the heavily interpolated ‘Beg for You’ featuring Rina Sawayama. “I’ve been feeling quite low throughout 2022, to be honest. I feel like my mental health has really taken a toll,” Aitchison says, becoming tearful. “I’ve never cared if you like my music or hate my music – don’t listen to it if you don’t like it – but I think at a time when I was already feeling quite low, that kind of rhetoric honestly just really hurt my feelings. There is this misconception that people in the public eye are able to take any shit that you throw at them and yes, we do have to learn how to handle negativity and criticism because it comes with the territory, but at the same time, everyone’s a fucking human being. I guess on that day that I messaged that I felt more human than ever.”

As an extremely online artist, she understands that this is the nature of self-promoting yourself and your work on social media. “The second you see something negative written about yourself, I feel like it’s like survival of the fittest to focus in on that and try to protect yourself from the threat, the negative potential danger, in a really animalistic type of way.” On a macro level, someone like Charli XCX doesn’t care what the average person has to say. With a steely air, she adds: “Honestly, you can either get on my level and enjoy the fucking party or you can just not be invited because I don’t really care, do you know what I mean?” She laughs ruefully because posting her statement on Twitter meant a question about it in an interview and though she didn’t want to dwell on answering it for long, she has inadvertently drawn more attention to the scenario. “Obviously, never address anything publicly, that’s the vibe that I learnt from that”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Pandora

I want to stick with the theme of online reactions and how that can affect an artist. An artist always pushing boundaries and exploring new ground, this is someone who, I think, has the same sort of sonic and aesthetic transformation and brilliance as Madonna. Unfortunately, like Madonna, Charli XCX has been criticised and seen to be selling out. This DAZED article asked the question about CRASH: “conceptual art, or a bashful embrace of mainstream pop?”:

“Charli’s latest Crash single – the Rina Sawayama-featuring “Beg For You” – is a perfect example of this “not very current” approach to popstardom, as a spin on September’s mid-00s dancefloor anthem “Cry For You”, with a thumping UK garage beat. “I felt like Crash wouldn’t really be a truthful representation of what it’s like to be a female pop artist signed to Atlantic Records without doing an interpolation song,” she tells Entertainment Weekly. “So I did it.”

Not everyone is buying into the singer’s nostalgic embrace of chart-toppers from decades gone by, though. While many stans stay dutifully hyped for Crash, others’ reactions range from ambivalence to straight-up outrage. “She is absolutely not staying true to her vision and art,” writes one Twitter user. “She’s making mid songs because the label told her to, which is fine go get that bag but let’s not act like she’s a genius for releasing generic radio garbage.”

“The ‘selling your soul to the label’ thing could’ve been done in such a thought-provoking way,” adds another commenter. “But I’m not really sure what these songs are meant to be subverting besides being standard radio songs.”

In true pop star fashion, however, Charli hasn’t taken the criticism lying down, coming for her online detractors like they’re an unenthusiastic crowd at a German music festival. “People be mad that i’m testing the major label system an art piece (sic) whilst still making bops,” she tweeted last week. “And honestly i love it.”

Unsurprisingly, this statement has only added fuel to the fire, with more fans honing in on the “art” aspect of the new album rollout. Namely: is it actually a conceptual art project, or it it just generic pop with arty pretensions? Internet drama aside, this is a valid question. Of course, any artist is entitled to release inoffensive synth pop and beg for streams, but why do some get to do it under the banner of Interesting Art, while others are called out for pandering and posting cringe? Is Charli’s “art piece” explanation all part of the plan, or an all-too-convenient excuse to dismiss the lacklustre response? Can we write off any ill-advised decisions as Art, and get away with it”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Rutherford 

How does a young and experienced Pop artist please everyone and manage to do something fresh and engaging?! It is more challenging now than ever for an artist to come through and succeed. I think that CRASH is going to be one of the albums of the year. Charli XCX is moving in new directions and, rather than pandering to a label, she is putting out music that sounds true to her and that she wants people to hear. The new single, Baby, which I shall come to in a minute when I review it, is a song oozing with fire, energy and sexuality! It has touches of the 1980s but is very modern; upbeat but quite shadowy in places. This is a phenomenal artist who deserves nothing but respect, trust and appreciation. Going back to that Rolling Stone interview, we discover more about the lead-up from how I’m feeling now to CRASH:

“For Aitchison to enjoy her new album, she had to surprise herself. The insular, fast-paced construction of how i’m feeling now informed its follow-up: “I knew I had to turn it up to high-octane, ten, pop-star level for it to feel fresh for myself.” Crash should have existed first: ‘New Shapes’, ‘Good Ones’, ‘Every Rule’ and ‘Twice’ were written, at least in part, before the previous album began but the pandemic halted it. She knew she wanted to put her own money into this big, impressive pop album and not being able to travel to collaborate with pop producers or put on her biggest tour yet made the entire venture redundant.

By September or October 2020, a few months after how i’m feeling now was finished and released, Crash became her focus. “This album was originally going to be called Sorry If I Hurt You and I liked that title because that sentence is both past, present and future,” she says. “You can say that sentence to someone as if you hurt them in the past or as if you’re going to hurt them or if you’re about to do it right there and then.”

 Of all tenses, the album is most indebted to the past. While making it, she was listening to Control by Janet Jackson and songs by Cameo (though generally doesn’t consume music while in creation mode because it is a distraction). Inspiration for her retro bombshell look came from watching live performance videos of Madonna, 80s interior design and movies like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. You can see the research in the campiness of her humping her own gravestone in the video for ‘Good Ones’ or the bouffant hair with deadness between the eyes on the single covers: the visuals are equally indebted to sexploitation films, Elvira and Pat Benatar.

Lyrically and sonically, Crash conjures up the monumental drama of 80s music: sweeping landscapes, thunderous skies, bold colours and the expanse of a dancefloor half-empty and ready to be met with your misery. This mood is obviously felt in the interpolation tracks, like ‘Beg for You’, which uses September’s 2006 hit ‘Cry for You’, a song which in turn mimicked 80s classic, ‘Smalltown Boy’ by Bronski Beat. “It’s become a trend within pop music these days to be very referential of previous hits, which is cool if you’re into nostalgia, less cool if you’re into pure futurism. I feel like there’s a cool middle ground that can be met, which is hopefully what I’m doing,” Aitchison says. It’s also there in the way the 80s references are heightened by her own overwhelming and staggering emotions. Far from adopting the classic tactic of front-loading an album with hits, Crash builds to feature the best run of Charli songs yet, climaxing with stories about lust, love and heartbreak”.

 Initially, messaging around the album indicated that it was about the destruction of the pop star in a manipulative and damning major label system. Charli XCX was using the spoils of her fifth and final record in her major label deal she signed with Atlantic to make a statement about autonomy and artistic freedom. With its album cover of the singer, bloodied and on the windscreen of a car in a bikini, Crash is an obvious reference to the J.G. Ballard novel of the same name. In the book, former car-crash victims seek sexual thrills from recreating the experience of crashes. In the Guardian, Zadie Smith wrote of the British postmodernist classic, “Crash is an existential book about how everybody uses everything. How everything uses everybody.”

“I’d never actually made a major label album in the way that it’s actually done,” Aitchison explains of Crash. “It felt interesting to me to use moments of that process to make this final album as somebody who has really navigated the major label record system since I was 16 in completely on my own terms.” It’s been a challenge for her. Between pitching to streaming platforms, making sure visuals align, waiting for answers to her questions and for drop dates, she has found it painfully slow: “I’m learning about patience and taking things a little bit slower, which is probably why I have so much time to look at the internet now. There’s a lot more promo and talking about yourself which one would think I’d be good at by now but I actually hate it.”

I like how her previous album had lowercase lettering (for streaming services; it was uppercase for physical releases) and was about how she was feeling now, in 2020. A cover that saw her on her bed looking thoughtful, playful and sexy, CRASH is this bold-type title where Charli XCX is on the bonnet of a car as thought she may go through the windscreen. Maybe the comedown from the past couple of years (a mental ‘crash’ as it were), I can see how Charli XCX wants to embrace a different sound and do something bigger for this album. After such a tough time, CRASH is an album that we all need. In a separate Rolling Stone interview, we get a sense of this artist still fighting to be understood and fully respected:

“Charli XCX has long been one of pop’s most galaxy-brained writers and performers, but she’s ready for what she calls her “main pop-girl moment.” With her upcoming album, Crash (due March 18), she presents a brilliant case: It’s an airtight pop project full of top-notch hooks that also functions as a quick tour through the past couple of decades of the genre. Like everything the artist does, Crash is, first and foremost, fun. “I think the people who know me and my work know that 50 percent of the time I’m entirely serious, and the other 50 percent of the time I’m a troll,” she says, calling from the English countryside. Crash follows 2020’s How I’m Feeling Now, an album she made under a tight deadline in Covid lockdown. She’s immortalized that process with a new documentary, Alone Together. Like the album whose creation it captured, the documentary is a deeply personal release, giving a glimpse into her private life and the emotional turmoil caused by the pandemic and a self-imposed deadline for the album. “Sometimes people don’t get it,” she says of her work. “Sometimes people don’t like it. But that’s what I like to do.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images 

I just watched the documentary—
Oh, God. . . .

Why “Oh, God”?

It feels like a different time, a different lifetime. Honestly, it’s hard to watch myself be so upset. Also, unfortunately, me and my partner at that time are no longer together. The whole thing is really emotional for me. I probably won’t be watching it again.

That film is a snapshot of your 2020, so I’m curious how your 2021 went.

I had actually begun making Crash prior to How I’m Feeling Now, but I decided to pivot from making that record when the pandemic hit and it was evident what the global state was. It felt quite drastic to get back into that swing after having made something [How I’m Feeling Now] in the most low-fi way I’ve made music since I was 14 and making things in my bedroom, to go from shooting music videos on a rented green screen in my basement to going to Mexico City to shoot with Hannah Lux Davis. But I always wanted projects to feel drastically different from one another.

Crash has a whole concept and narrative: The “evil pop star” who has made a deal with the devil. Was that something you had in mind when you first started the album?

I’ve always been interested in the idea of what a “sellout” is in modern-day pop music and if it even exists. I’ve been signed to a major label since I was 16. I think I’ve had quite an untypical major-label-artist journey, so it’s interesting to operate within that framework. I suppose this record and the imagery is partially a comment on that. It’s also partially a comment on what authenticity is. I think artists feel they need to really prove that they wrote their own songs, that they direct their own music videos, that they are the brain behind everything. As I got older, I began to care less and less about that because I know I can write a great pop song and I know I can communicate my vision.

When did you grow out of the mindset of needing to prove yourself? Was there a particular project or moment that made you start to say “Fuck what people think about pop music, about me, about what I’m doing”?

I think that’s been my mission station since post-Sucker, really when I began working with Sophie and A.G. Cook. From that point on, until now and probably beyond, it’s stayed the same. It’s hard. It’s not super tangible. Also, I’m constantly changing my mind about what I think, so that’s not very helpful either. I felt like that was beginning to become kind of like an expected sound from me, or an expected way that I did things. The reason making Crash felt so right is because I don’t think people expected me to do that. I always feel most myself when I’m challenging people and maybe sometimes confusing people”.

Let’s move to the new single from CRASH. Following songs like Beg for You and Good Ones, Charli XCX has released another gem! There is not refuting or resisting the sexiness of Baby and its video. Charli XCX has said it is one of her sexiest songs - and that were her intention. Having recently performed it on SNL in the U.S., the song starts with racing Disco strings that gets you hooked right away. The video has blue lighting, sort of giving it a cooler and calmer vibe. Charli XCX rises from a bed with this intent and sultry look on her face. In a moment I found quite comedic, as we have this tight shot of a bedroom opens up as Charli XCX is seen with two other women. They form a line and start this alluring and captivating dance. It is a nice shift between the intimate and something bigger. Baby is going to appear as the seventh track on CRASH. It was teased on a livestream on 4th November, 2021. Seeing it realised in a video is brilliant. Without doubt, it is one of the sexiest songs and videos Charli XCX has released! The introduction consisted of the word ‘baby’ and moans. It is sultry and sensuous. The first verse definitely sets out an itinerary and business plan that few could resist – even if it is going to require a bit of cleaning and straightening of the house afterwards!:  “I'ma love you real, I'ma love you raw/I'ma love you in the kitchen/I'ma put you on the floor/Leave you wanting more/I'ma love you real, you might lose it all/I'ma make you my decision/I'ma put you on the floor/Leave you wanting-“. The composition blends Disco pop with higher notes, together with electronics that are a bit lower and more Pop-orientated. The fact the video features two other dancers and not just Charli XCX adds another layer of physicality, sexual rawness and power. The choreography is brilliant! Rather than having a hero in the video who Charli XCX would be directing her lust towards, this is even more intriguing and teasing. It is a message to a non-specific beau. When you watch the video, you are unable to look away!

More than anything, the song itself absolutely slaps! It is a wonderfully fiery, cool and mesmerising track that is just what we need right now. Although there are some similarities to her contemporaries like Dua Lipa, Charli XCX has her own vibe and lyrical personality. The way she sets the scene and takes control... Her narrative and storytelling is excellent: “I can see it in your eyes/You're nervous, but you know just what you want/If you're feeling scared, that's fine (That's fine)/I've got no problem taking full control/Baby”. The chorus bursts into life. In the video, Charli XCX and her two dancer remind me of Destiny’s Child in their movements, formation and power. This mantra and repeated lines of “I'ma make you my—, I'ma make you my—/I'ma make you my—, I'ma make you my— (Baby)” are delivered quickly and punchily. It is catchy right away. One wonders whether Charli XCX wrote the track about a current love or someone she has her visions set on. Although there is a twinkle and sense of fun in the composition – it is one that will raise the spirits and get you moving! -, the post-chorus let’s us know that our heroine means business: “I'ma fuck you up, yeah”. Running in at less than three minutes, Baby is a tight and fairly short song that packs so much in! Charli XCX does not need to put in aimless instrumentals or say too much. She gets her message out there and has concocted a modern-day Pop diamond. It seems like there may be doubts or hesitations from her crush. The second verses findings her singing “Why you tryin' to fight what's right?/(What's right, what's right, what's right)/You know I'm 'bout to change your life for good/You can play pretend, that's fine (That's fine)/I know the truth, you really wish you would/Baby”. Neon-lit, lush, bouncing and reminding me of a Disco cut that might have been heard at Studio 54 back in its heyday, the video has this simplicity that works perfectly. The lighting and dancing puts you in a club; maybe facing Charli XCX as she puts out her message and is starting the seduction. Breathtaking in so many ways, I think that Baby is the best cut from CRASH so far. It is another tantalising offering from an album that is going to be immense! The fact that the song ends with Charli XCX repeating “I'ma fuck you up, yeah” let’s you know that she means it. She is tough and has this edge that gives her work extra depth and resonance. Baby is an incredible track from an amazing artist that we should all…

 LOVE and support.

___________

Follow Charli XCX

Official:

https://charlixcx.co.uk/ 

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOvEMf00DnwdkpOCRWdc6uA 

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/charli_xcx/ 

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/25uiPmTg16RbhZWAqwLBy5?si=Mx1uv_HNT6yfVXKKq-uZKg&nd=1

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/charli_xcx 

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@charlixcx

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CharliXCX  

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Charli XCX

FEATURE: Now That's What I Call Music! Bringing the Iconic Compilation Series to Cassette and Vinyl

FEATURE:

 

 

Now That's What I Call Music!

Bringing the Iconic Compilation Series to Cassette and Vinyl

___________

THIS may seem…

like a random feature not tied to any anniversary or piece of news. In fact, there are a couple of reasons why I am thinking about the legendary compilation album, Now That's What I Call Music. The first album was released in the U.K. on 28th November, 1983. I am not sure whether Virgin, EMI and the compilers of the album knew what they had started! Still going to this day, the series is a selection of the best Pop of the year. Whilst the series has never been confined to mainstream Pop, I think that it has diversified through the years – even if the main market is still the Pop consumer. The first real reason why I wanted to return to the Now That's What I Call Music series is because one does not really hear greatest hits anymore. I was thinking whether artists release these and whether there is any demand or need at a time when we have streaming services. Because we can compile our own greatest hits collections, is there any market for greatest hits albums? I miss them a lot. Not only is it a great way to get all an artist’s hits in one place; it is incredible to have all those big songs in one place. Now That's What I Call Music is one of the only examples of this nowadays. Even though it is more a greatest hits collection of a particular year, the fact we are still buying the iconic series without irony shows that people are not entirely relying on streaming services and the digitals!

Going back to Now That's What I Call Music, the initial pressings were released on vinyl and audio cassette. To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the album and series, the album was re-released on C.D. for the first time in 2009. I guess, in terms of the physical form, we can easily get Now That's What I Call Music on C.D. I think it is more than a nostalgic thing. Because C.D.s are starting to go through a slight revival, it is worth hanging on to any Now That's What I Call Music album you have on that format. Many artists are keeping the C.D. alive by releasing their albums this way. I do wonder whether, because vinyl and cassette have their own markets and popularity, there will be reissues of Now That's What I Call Music on these formats. The fortieth anniversary does not occur until next year. I would like to see the compilation series get its own new run. I am not aware whether you can easily get any Now That's What I Call Music on vinyl or cassette. I know some people have found copies through Discogs and other websites, though it can be quite pricey. Given the fact the series has been running almost four decades, you can imagine just how many albums would come out! I have a fondness for Now That's What I Call Music 24 (1993); to have that on vinyl and cassette again would be a dream!

 With an active and busy Twitter account coming out every year, young listeners are being introduced to this wonderful compilation. Although the singles charts are not as important and popular as they were years ago, it is still good knowing which songs are trending and scoring high positions. Having them on an album - at a time when we have streaming - is actually an advantage. It can be a real minefield and struggle trying to get to grips with which songs are the best and most popular of the year. Now That's What I Call Music is a document of that year’s sounds and artists. Having them on formats like cassette and vinyl, I feel, is a great idea. One can listen to the latest Now That's What I Call Music album on streaming services and C.D. As a memento and something more enduring, vinyl would be awesome. Cassettes are coming back now. I (and many others) would love the have a selection of my favourite Now That's What I Call Music on that format! I am not sure whether there will be fortieth anniversary plans in this direction - though I think something could come sooner. Given the fact physical formats are rising and there is a big audience for vinyl and a healthy one for cassettes, Now That's What I Call Music would look and sound brilliant released anew. C.D.s are great, yet vinyl and cassette would see the series brought to new audiences and get fresh attention. It may seem like a pricey and risky campaign and release, but I feel that…

SO many people would snap them up.

FEATURE: Inspired By... Part Fifty-Three: The Smiths

FEATURE:

 

 

Inspired By…

Part Fifty-Three: The Smiths

___________

BECAUSE the band formed in 1982…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Max Knight

I wanted to feature The Smiths in this Inspired By… I will do other features to mark forty year since one of the greatest bands ever formed. Their final album, Strangeways, Here We Come, turns thirty-five in September. They are a group have inspired so many others. I shall come to a playlist where I have compiled songs from those who either cited The Smiths as an influence or sound like them. Before that, AllMusic give us some great biography regarding an astonishing band:

“The Smiths were the definitive British indie rock band of the '80s, marking the end of synth-driven new wave and the beginning of the guitar rock that dominated English rock into the '90s. Sonically, the group was indebted to the British Invasion, crafting ringing, melodic three-minute pop singles, even for their album tracks. But their scope was far broader than that of a revivalist band. The group's core members, vocalist Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, were obsessive rock fans inspired by the D.I.Y. ethics of punk, but they also had a fondness for girl groups, pop, and rockabilly. Morrissey and Marr also represented one of the strangest teams of collaborators in rock history. Marr was the rock traditionalist, looking like an elegant version of Keith Richards during the Smiths' heyday and meticulously layering his guitar tracks in the studio. Morrissey, on the other hand, broke from rock tradition by singing in a keening, self-absorbed croon, embracing the forlorn, romantic poetry of Oscar Wilde, publicly declaring his celibacy, and making no secret of his disgust for most of his peers. While it eventually led to the Smiths' early demise, the friction between Morrissey and Marr resulted in a flurry of singles and albums over the course of three years that provided the blueprint for British guitar rock in the following decade.

Before forming the Smiths in 1982, Johnny Marr (born John Maher, October 31, 1963; guitar) had played in a variety of Manchester-based rock & roll bands, including Sister Ray, Freaky Part, White Dice, and Paris Valentinos. On occasion, Marr had come close to a record contract -- one of his bands won a competition Stiff Records held to have Nick Lowe "produce your band" -- but he never quite made the leap. Though Morrissey (born Steven Patrick Morrissey, May 22, 1959; vocals) had sung for a few weeks with the Nosebleeds and auditioned for Slaughter & the Dogs, he had primarily contented himself to being a passionate, vocal fan of both music and film. During his teens, he wrote the Melody Maker frequently, often getting his letters published. He had written the biography/tribute James Dean Isn't Dead, which was published by the local Manchester publishing house Babylon Books in the late '70s, as well as another book on the New York Dolls; he was also the president of the English New York Dolls fan club. Morrissey met Marr, who was then looking for a lyricist, through mutual friends in the spring of 1982. The pair began writing songs, eventually recording some demos with the Fall's drummer, Simon Wolstencroft. By the fall, the duo had settled on the name the Smiths and recruited Marr's schoolmate Andy Rourke as their bassist and Mike Joyce as their drummer.

The Smiths made their live debut late in 1982, and by the spring of 1983, the group had earned a small but loyal following in their hometown of Manchester and had begun to make inroads in London. Rejecting a record deal with the Mancunian Factory Records, the band signed with Rough Trade for a one-off single, "Hand in Glove." With its veiled references to homosexuality and its ringing riffs, "Hand in Glove" became an underground sensation in the U.K., topping the independent charts and earning the praise of the U.K. music weeklies. Soon, Morrissey's performances became notorious as he appeared on-stage wearing a hearing aid and with gladioli stuffed in his back pockets. His interviews were becoming famous for his forthright, often contrary opinions, which helped the band become a media sensation. By the time of the group's second single, "This Charming Man," in late 1983, the Smiths had already been the subject of controversy over "Reel Around the Fountain," a song that had been aired on a BBC radio session and was alleged to condone child abuse. It was the first time that Morrissey's detached, literary, and ironic lyrics were misinterpreted and it wouldn't be the last.

"This Charming Man" reached number 25 on the British charts in December of 1983, setting the stage for "What Difference Does It Make"'s peak of number 12 in February. The Smiths' rise to the upper reaches of the British charts was swift, and the passion of their fans, as well as the U.K. music press, indicated that the group had put an end to the synth-powered new wave that dominated Britain in the early '80s. After rejecting their initial stab at a first album, they released their debut, The Smiths, in the spring of 1984 to strong reviews and sales -- it peaked at number two. A few months later, the group backed '60s pop vocalist Sandie Shaw -- who Morrissey had publicly praised in an article -- on a version of "Hand in Glove" that was released and reached the Top 40. "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" reached number ten, becoming their highest-charting single amid a storm of controversy about its B-side, "Suffer Little Children," which was about the notorious Moors Murders. More controversy appeared when Morrissey denounced the hunger-relief efforts of Band Aid, but the group's popularity was not affected. Though the Smiths had become the most popular new rock & roll group in Britain, the group failed to make it outside of underground and college radio in the U.S., partially because they never launched a full-scale tour. At the end of the year, "William It Was Really Nothing" became a Top 20 hit and Hatful of Hollow, a collection of B-sides, BBC sessions, and non-LP singles, went to the Top Ten, followed shortly by "How Soon Is Now," which peaked at number 24.

Meat Is Murder, the band's second proper studio album, entered the British charts at number one in February of 1985, despite some criticism that it was weaker than The Smiths. Around the time of the release of Meat Is Murder, Morrissey's interviews were becoming increasingly political as he trashed the Thatcher administration and campaigned for vegetarianism; he even claimed that the Smiths were all vegetarians, and he forbade the remaining members to be photographed eating meat, even though they were still carnivores. Marr, for his part, was delving deeply into the rock & roll lifestyle and looked increasingly like a cross between Keith Richards and Brian Jones. By the time the non-LP "Shakespeare's Sister" reached number 26 in the spring of 1985, the Smiths had spawned a rash of soundalike bands, including James, who opened for the group on their spring 1985 tour, most of whom Morrissey supported. However, all of the media attention on the Smiths launched a mild backlash later in 1985, when "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" was pulled from Meat Is Murder and failed to reach the Top 40.

"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" revived the band's fortunes in the fall of 1985, and their third album, The Queen Is Dead, confirmed their popularity upon its release in the spring of 1986. Greeted with enthusiastic reviews and peaking at number two on the U.K. charts, The Queen Is Dead also expanded their cult following in the U.S., cracking the Top 100. Shortly before the album was completed, former Aztec Camera guitarist Craig Gannon became the band's rhythm guitarist, and he played with the band throughout their 1986 international tour, including a botched American tour. The non-LP "Panic," which was criticized as racist by some observers for its repeated refrain of "Burn down the disco...hang the DJ," reached number 11 late in the summer. A few months after its release, Marr was seriously injured in a car crash. During his recuperation, Gannon was fired from the band, as was Rourke, who was suffering from heroin addiction. Though Rourke was later reinstated, Gannon was never replaced.

The Smiths may have been at the height of their popularity in early 1987, with the non-LP singles "Shoplifters of the World" and "Sheila Take a Bow" reaching number 11 and ten respectively, and the singles and B-sides compilation The World Won't Listen (revamped for U.S. release as Louder Than Bombs later in 1987) debuting at number two, but Marr was growing increasingly disenchanted with the band and the music industry. Over the course of the year, Morrissey and Marr became increasingly irritated with each other. The singer wished that Marr would stop playing with other artists like Bryan Ferry and Billy Bragg, while the guitarist was frustrated with Morrissey's devotion to '60s pop and his hesitancy to explore new musical directions. A few weeks before the fall release of Strangeways, Here We Come, Marr announced that he was leaving the Smiths. Morrissey disbanded the group shortly afterward and began a solo career, signing with Parlophone in the U.K. and staying with the Smiths' U.S. label, Reprise. Marr played as a sideman with a variety of artists, eventually forming Electronic with New Order frontman Bernard Sumner. Rourke retired from recording and Joyce became a member of the reunited Buzzcocks in 1991.

Rank, a live album recorded on the Queen Is Dead tour, was released in the fall of 1988. It debuted at number two in the U.K. A widely criticized, two-part The Best of the Smiths compilation was released in 1992; the praised Singles compilation was released in 1995. Joyce and Rourke sued Morrissey and Marr in 1991, claiming they received only ten percent of the group's earnings while the songwriters received 40 percent. Rourke eventually settled out of court, but Joyce won his case in late 1996”.

Forty years since The Smiths started out, one can hear their impact across modem music. Having compelled and influenced artists since the 1980s, there are few as importance as The Smiths. I love their music and feel it will continue to influence artists for so many more years. Even if the band’s songwriters Morrissey and Johnny Marr have very much drifted in different directions (especially politically) and it is highly unlikely they will work together again, there is no doubting the influence and iconic relevance…

OF The Smiths.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Lola Kirke

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Lola Kirke

___________

I am really excited…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Silvia Draz

about the fantastic Lola Kirke. She is an artist who has been playing and recording for a while, though the upcoming arrival of her album, Lady for Sale, will cement her as a serious and extraordinary talent to watch. The London-born, New York-raised Kirke is an actor (she is the sister of Jemima Kirke) who brings a lot of that discipline and talent to her music. I wonder whether her sister has ever thought of putting out music, as I can imagine she has an incredible voice. That is a tangent. Before getting to some interviews – some will be a bit older, as Kirke has been on many people’s radar for a few years now -, I want to draw you to a pre-order link for Lady for Sale. The album arrives on 29th April:

“Lola Kirke stands out like a flash of neon magenta in this nostalgic landscape of Americana tin-types. While many of her singing, songwriting peers look further back for inspiration, Kirke’s sweet spot is decidedly in the excess of the 80’s. Anyone only familiar with Kirke through her on-screen performances (Mistress America, Gone Girl, or Mozart in the Jungle) may be surprised by just how dazzling Lola-playing-Lola can be. Just a few lines into “Better than Any Drug,“ it’s clear no written role could reveal more of Kirke’s wit, lust for life, and sense of humor than this record captures with the help of producer Austin Jenkins (White Denim, Leon Bridges).

Scheduled for release in April 2022, the 10-song sophomore full-length album showcases Kirke’s unselfconscious, country-twinged vocals alongside a brightly colored candy shop of glam-twang guitar riffs, department store tv commercial synth stylings, and swooping, lilting, unabashedly feminine background vocals. Lady For Sale channels a high-spirited insouciance that feels invigorating and familiar, decidedly more easy-going and fun-loving than what we’ve come to expect from its genre (and the world in general) in recent years. This is a party you’ll want to attend”.

Signed to Third Man and with a lot of exciting tour dates ahead of her, there is no telling just how successful and busy this year will be for her. Having released her 2018 debut, Heart Head West, Kirke has established a large and dedicated fanbase. That album was terrific, but I think Lady for Sale may shape up to be her strongest work. Before coming up to date, there are a couple of 2019 interviews that I want to bring in. The Independent spoke to Kirke, where we discover about her musical heritage and how she got into the industry:

“Kirke is the youngest of four intensely creative siblings: her eldest sister is Jemima Kirke, the visual artist-turned-actor best known for her role as Jessa in Lena Dunham’s Girls; her second sister, Domino, is a musician; and her brother, Greg, is a photographer. A career in the arts was, she says “predestined”.

She was galvanised into songwriting by “having my heart broken by a s***ty musician dude who I wanted to one-up”. Country music was “a natural fit, not least because it was easy for me as someone who wasn’t a prolific guitar player – all the songs typically have three chords,” she says. “But there’s also a simplicity to the subject matter that has always been intriguing to me. I love the storytelling and the way it talks about intense feelings like jealousy or birth control or murder. It’s edgy like that.”

Her father is Simon Kirke, drummer in Bad Company and Free – a fact that contributed to her impression as a child that being in a band was “something that men did”. “In the world of rock’n’roll, as I perceived it from a young age, women were relegated to the roles of wife or groupie.” Still, these days she is electrified by the scores of smart and brilliant women making music: “The change even from five years ago is huge. So much so that when I see a group of five straight white dudes in a band together, I’m, like, how are you still doing that? It’s 2019.”

She wonders if she was drawn to music through a subconscious desire to be more connected to her father. “My dad was the most absent in our house because he was on tour a lot of the time. I think there must have been a part of me that thought I could get his attention if I played more music.” Her father’s job also meant that she mixed with a lot of well-known musicians as a child. She won’t name names but she will say “there were a lot of weirdos passing through my living room”.

Did the weirdos put her off the lifestyle? “Not really, but it did give me a certain insight,” she replies. “I’ve seen a lot of people get a taste of success or fame and abandon any kind of groundedness. In a world consumed by capitalism, we imagine that once we attain this thing that we don’t already have, that we’ll be rendered perfect. A great gift of growing up in the world I grew up in was seeing how untrue that is, and how the people that we think of as being the most secure because they have the most things are actually the least secure. I like to think that’s always helped me stay a good person”.

Discussing the new song, Mama (from the E.P., Friends and Foes and Friends Again), Kirke was asked by TEETH about balancing the disciplines of acting and music. She also revealed who her musical influences are:

 “How do you feel about self-promotion?

It can feel terrible but I’m grateful it’s been a helpful tool for getting my work to reach people. It will probably kill us all, though.

Can you tell me about the creative process behind the video “Mama”?

We wanted to create an aesthetic that worked with the song but wasn’t predictable and I think Jemima [Kirke’s sister] did an excellent job with that. I also loved being aged and working with her as a director.

What are some things that are important to you that you like to address through your music?

Pain and confusion. I typically like to work things out through songwriting. 

As a means of expressions, how do you compare or contrast your work as an actor?

It’s all drawing from the same well, just a different means of expression, and of course, musicians are typically more fun. 

Who would you most like to collaborate with and why?

I think me and The Band would’ve had a lot of fun. I also love Courtney Marie Andrews and Sturgill Simpson. 

What are your interests and passions outside of music?

I love writing and travelling, staying home, and cooking. Also eating and drinking. My friends and the world. 

What’s your favourite book, film, and music right now?

My boyfriend’s [WYNDHAM] record A Fistful of Stars. I had a ball watching Mary Queen of Scots and I’m reading Loretta Lynn’s memoirs, which are very fun. 

Who are your musical influences?

George Jones, Roseanne Cash, Mary Wells, Bonnie Guitar, and Joni Mitchell”.

Signing to a great label like Third Man will take Kirke’s music to a wider audience. Jack White’s label is a growing and golden stable of some of the best young artists around. I know that it meant a lot to Kirke to sign to such a prestigious label. In this Yahoo interview from last month, Kirke discussed Country music (as her music mixes the genre together with 1980s sounds) and Lady for Sale:

“We say this for two reasons. First of all, the musician and actress' upcoming album – “Lady For Sale,” her debut on Jack White’s Third Man Records – is an inspired winner, pairing a honest love for classic country songcraft with a unique, unflinching embrace of vintage synthesizers and other ‘80s-rooted production choices.

But that statement is also rooted in fact, strangely enough. The album opens with the standout “Broken Families,” a duet with indie-folk favorite Courtney Marie Andrews. When the two sat down to write the song – intending to pitch it to a country artist – Kirke had an idea.

“Let's pick the most annoying melody to put this to,” she recalls saying with a laugh.

In that regard, they failed miserably. We’d bet you won’t mind at all if “Broken Families’” time-tested country tune takes up residence in your head. The album treads familiar territory, but with a distinct sonic stamp – one that Kirke found, in part, by being an open book about her influences.

“’It’s gonna be like Stevie Nicks meets ‘80s Dolly Parton,’” she remembers telling her manager. The pitch bewildered several people in her orbit – but they’ve only confessed that to her after being won over by the results.

PHOTO CREDIT: Hannah Laney 

The album’s first single, “Better Than Any Drug” might be Kirke’s boldest move. The song wraps musical nods to Madonna and Prince in a blanket of steel guitars – while Kirke, in a rich, expressive voice, details how a love interest is more compelling than any illicit substance you can name (and she names quite a few).

That’s all the public has heard so far ahead of “Lady For Sale’s” April 29 release, but Nashville fans can get a fuller picture this Saturday when Kirke plays a concert at Third Man’s “Blue Room” venue. The show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $15 in advance, $17 day of show.

Kirke has also just announced that Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins will be her special guests on Saturday night.

That news came after her interview with The Tennessean, but Kirke still had plenty to share. Don't assume her mission to write an "annoying" melody means she isn't into modern, mainstream country — that couldn't be further from the truth.

She also discussed the classic singers she's discovered, why she's happy to find a home at Third Man and the many, many acting projects on the horizon.

Inspiration from athletes: "This is really only my second time playing in Nashville, so I'm kind of nervous. But I've been reading all these articles...The New York Times published this big piece about how Olympians manage fear. And I was like, 'Okay, if they can manage fear about going down the world's craziest mountain, I can play the Blue Room.'"

What first drew her to country music? The "drama": "It's like the original podcast (laughs). If you turn on older country music, it's like a story...I started getting into country when I saw a kind of intersection between performance, acting and playing music. Country music gives the illusion of being quite easy to play, because it's just three chords and the truth. And when you're just picking up the guitar, that sounds quite appealing.

Then, when Austin Jenkins — who produced this record — and I started talking about this record, he really showed me a lot of country that I had overlooked, or just that really hadn't come into my consciousness as somebody who grew up in New York City. I mean, I think in New York, I remember hearing about Garth Brooks and Chris Gaines, and the Shania crossover stuff. It was very specific like that. But a lot of the other country music that now I really love was not really on my radar until Austin and I started talking about this record. At first it was Gary Stewart, who's less kind of represented in this aesthetic, but then Pam Tillis, Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina and some earlier Shania/Mutt Lange stuff. That became really exciting. And then Leona Williams, Janie Fricke and these amazing honky tonk singers. I just got really excited about a lot of that music, and wanted to explore it and incorporate it."

On signing with Third Man: "Of all the independent labels that I have known about since I was a kid, that's really the big one to me. I had thought when we made the record, 'This feels like it would be such a good fit over at Third Man.' Because I know that they have so much investment in making things that sound nostalgic, but also with a kind of more modern twist on it. I hoped that that would work out, and I'm so glad it did."

Her new music "feels so much more like me": “The music I had been making prior to this, I look back on it, and it feels like it kind of lacked a lot of signature, and something really personal. I mean, I'm not the happiest person in the world — but I enjoy joy (laughs). It's so kind of dour. I think Austin just kind of helped bring to life what was already there, which is a warmth, a sense of fun, and obscure references that I'm already always thinking about anyway, This just feels so much more like me than what I did before”.

A tremendous and hugely endearing artist whose career will be very long and interesting, I cannot wait for Lady for Sale. In a busy and competitive music scene, Lola Kirke definitely stands out. She has a tremendous talent and passion for music. As an acclaimed actor, she brings some of that skill and experience into making her music as memorable and nuanced as possible. If you are not au fait with the marvellous music of Lola Kirke, then make sure you rectify that. Lady for Sale is an album that you will definitely want to…

ADD to your regular rotation from April.

______________

Follow Lola Kirke

Official:

https://www.lolakirkemusic.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lolakirke/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LolaKirke

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LolaKirke

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzgps-NcXmnA8AWy4jU0Yw

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1g5bYOQ7ZHGbn0tuUHxSgE?si=v__y3YAFRb-_0wk1gxWg9w&nd=1

FEATURE: Paul McCartney at Eighty: Twelve: The Legend’s Five Greatest Solo Albums

FEATURE:

 

Paul McCartney at Eighty

Twelve: The Legend’s Five Greatest Solo Albums

___________

CONTINUING my run of features…

leading to Paul McCartney’s eightieth birthday in June, I am exploring and dissecting his work with The Beatles, Wings and solo. Now, I am going to collate, chronologically, McCartney’s best solo albums. His best five, I am not including any that credit him and Linda McCartney – as they are technically a duo in that sense. 2020’s McCartney III was his eighteenth solo album. To honour the masterful musician, here are the five essential Paul McCartney albums, a review, the standout tracks and where you can buy each of the albums. Perhaps you have different opinions regarding the albums of his that are best. It is very hard to narrow it down to five, though I am pretty confident in my choices. These are the Macca solo albums that…

EVERY fan should have.

_______________

McCartney

Release Date: 17th April, 1970

Label: Apple

Producer: Paul McCartney

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/paul-mccartney/mccartney-46a38282-f0e1-4b0e-a61f-abaee0df0c4e/lp-x2

Standout Tracks: That Would Be Something/Every Night/Junk

Key Cut: Maybe I’m Amazed

Review:

“Paul McCartney retreated from the spotlight of the Beatles by recording his first solo album at his home studio, performing nearly all of the instruments himself. Appropriately, McCartney has an endearingly ragged, homemade quality that makes even its filler -- and there is quite a bit of filler -- rather ingratiating. Only a handful of songs rank as full-fledged McCartney classics, but those songs -- the light folk-pop of "That Would Be Something," the sweet, gentle "Every Night," the ramshackle Beatles leftover "Teddy Boy," and the staggering "Maybe I'm Amazed" (not coincidentally the only rocker on the album) -- are full of all the easy melodic charm that is McCartney's trademark. The rest of the album is charmingly slight, especially if it is read as a way to bring Paul back to earth after the heights of the Beatles. At the time the throwaway nature of much of the material was a shock, but it has become charming in retrospect. Unfortunately, in retrospect it also appears as a harbinger of the nagging mediocrity that would plague McCartney's entire solo career” – AllMusic

Tug of War

Release Date: 26th April, 1982

Labels: Parlophone (U.K.)/Columbia (U.S.)

Producer: George Martin

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/paul-mccartney/tug-of-war-0a47a6a8-270c-4839-9850-91381c38a17b/lp

Standout Tracks: Take It Away/Here Today/The Pound Is Sinking

Key Cut: Ebony and Ivory (with Stevie Wonder)

Review:

“The latest releases in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection represent two turning points in McCartney’s career. Tug of War emerged in the wake of personal chaos: John Lennon’s death and McCartney’s pot bust in Japan. A year after the critically acclaimed album, McCartney released the followup Pipes of Peace, which represents his attempt to embrace 1980s pop.

Best remembered for “Say Say Say,” the hit duet with Michael Jackson, Pipes of Peace received a lukewarm critical reception, unlike its predecessor. The remastered Archive Collection releases allows listeners to revisit this turning point in Paul McCartney’s career, determining his place in the 1980s musical landscape.

Tug of War finds McCartney in a reflective mood, embracing his Beatles past and paying tribute to his best-known songwriting partner. Beginning the album with the title track, Paul McCartney gently sings words of turmoil and conflict, longing for a better world (“In another world we could stand on top of the mountain, with our flag unfurled”) but recognizing that only through struggle and change can we achieve such lofty goals (“In a time to come we will be dancing to the beat, played on a different drum”). Until a more positive world emerges, he must endure an emotional “tug of war” and knows that if he simply gives up, “the whole thing is going to crumble.”

The haunting strings give way to pure nostalgia with “Take It Away,” Paul McCartney’s fond look back at the Beatles’ early days. He recalls playing in dingy clubs until “some important impresario” discovers the band, none-too-subtly evoking images of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Cooing and sighing, the lush harmonies provide the soundtrack to McCartney’s sentimental journey. But the emotional tug of war draws him back to the present, with the moving “Somebody Who Cares” allowing fans a rare peek into the singer’s life. He assures listeners that he too has felt like “somebody has taken the wheels off your car, when you had somewhere to go.” He repeats “I know how you feel,” but urges fans to draw strength from friends and family.

Initially saying little about John Lennon’s death, Paul McCartney finally makes his statement through the lovely but fragile “Here Today,” reminiscing about his complicated friendship with his former collaborator. Now a staple of McCartney’s live shows, “Here Today” reveals his vulnerability, his lilting voice crying “I love you.” Like “Somebody Who Cares,” “Here Today” lets Paul McCartney bare his soul musically, an all-too-rare occurrence in his music. But nostalgia returns with “Ballroom Dancing,” McCartney’s charming ode to dance and young love.

The singer’s ultimate “back to his roots” moment is his playful duet with childhood hero Carl Perkins, “Get It.” As they trade lines on the country-tinged track, the two legends clearly enjoy performing together, punctuated by Perkins’ laughter giving way to the next track, “Be What You See.” Other joyful moments include Paul McCartney’s duets with Stevie Wonder, the incredibly funky “What’s That You’re Doing” and the huge hit “Ebony and Ivory.” Unfortunately, the latter track has been lampooned in recent years, but it stands as a genuine ode to racial harmony.

The one track that best summarizes the complicated Tug of War is “Wanderlust,” the epic ballad that remains one of Paul McCartney’s most underrated tracks. “Take us from the dark,” he pleads. “Help us to be free.” Through music, McCartney longs to transcend the emotional tug of war he has endured for two years. Yet, he ends the sweeping track on a hopeful note: “What better time to find a brand new day?” he asks listeners” – Something Else!

Flowers in the Dirt

Release Date: 5th June, 1989

Labels: Parlophone/Capitol

Producers: Paul McCartney/Mitchell Froom/Neil Dorfsman/Elvis Costello/Trevor Horn/Steve Lipson/Chris Hughes/Ross Cullum/David Foster (and Phil Ramone on CD reissue tracks)

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=40048&ev=mb

Standout Tracks: Put It There/Figure of Eight/How Many People

Key Cut: My Brave Face

Review:

“Paul McCartney must not only have been conscious of his slipping commercial fortunes, he must have realized that his records hadn't been treated seriously for years, so he decided to make a full-fledged comeback effort with Flowers in the Dirt. His most significant move was to write a series of songs with Elvis Costello, some of which appeared on Costello's own Spike and many of which surfaced here. These may not be epochal songs, the way many wished them to be, but McCartney and Costello turn out to be successful collaborators, spurring each other toward interesting work. And, in McCartney's case, that carried over to the album as a whole, as he aimed for more ambitious lyrics, themes, sounds, and productions for Flowers in the Dirt. This didn't necessarily result in a more successful album than its predecessors, but it had more heart, ambition, and nerve, which was certainly welcome. And the moments that did work were pretty terrific. Many of these were McCartney/McManus collaborations, from the moderate hit "My Brave Face" to the duet "You Want Her Too" and "That Day Is Done," but McCartney also demonstrates considerable muscle on his own, from the domestic journal "We Got Married" to the lovely "This One." This increased ambition also means McCartney meanders a bit, writing songs that are more notable for what they try to achieve than what they do, and at times the production is too fussy and inextricably tied to its time, but as a self-styled comeback affair, Flowers in the Dirt works very well” – AllMusic

Egypt Station

Release Date: 7th September, 2018

Label: Capitol

Producers: Greg Kurstin/Paul McCartney/Ryan Tedder/Zach Skelton

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=1418458&ev=mb

Standout Tracks: Come on to Me/Back in Brazil/Caesar Rock

Key Cut: Despite Repeated Warnings

Review:

“The thunderous opening of ‘People Want Peace’ (“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m standing before you with something important to say,” it begins) recalls the title track of ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. The bossa nova bop of ‘Back In Brazil’ speaks to his love of borrowing from other cultures. ‘Do It Now’ is baroque pop in the ‘In My Life’ vein. ‘Who Cares’ sounds like ‘Band On The Run’-era Wings, a swaggering rock ‘n’ roll with a sweetly naive message about getting one over on bullies. It has the feeling of a pep talk from a beloved granddad: “Who cares what the idiots say / Who cares what the idiots do / Who cares about the pain in your heart / Who cares? I do.”

McCartney’s been preaching peace and love for an entire career, and the message hasn’t diminished over the years. But there’s an extra edge to it this time. ‘Fuh You’, a track co-written with hit-maker Ryan Tedder (though surely if there’s a man who doesn’t need a co-write, it’s Macca) is eyebrow-raisingly randy. ‘Come On To Me’, another track released to tease the album, is plonky in sound, but bonky in lyrics: “I saw you flash a smile that seemed to me to say / You wanted so much more than casual conversation,” it goes. Paul McCartney, by design or accident, has made an album that occasionally pulses with Big Dick Energy, the term that defined summer 2018’s zeitgeist, even if it pops a comfy pair of slippers occasionally too.

Mostly, ‘Egypt Station’ is a record that’s going to delight McCartney’s fans and – importantly – Beatles fans who might sniff at some of his solo work. It’s not wildly out there, like his work as The Fireman, but nor does it err on the safe side, like 2013’s ‘New’. It’s an album of upbeat and winsome notes, and it’s simple and honest, as if one of the most famous people in the world has left his diary open for us to read.

‘Happy With You’ talks about just what the title implies – being happy in the company of his partner, with personal revelations too: “I walked around angry / I used to feel bad… I used to drink too much / Forgot to come home / I lied to my doctor”. That song, and ‘Confidante’, reveal much about McCartney, the latter a love letter to the guitar he keeps in the corner of his living room, which went largely untouched for a couple of years before ‘Egypt Station’ came into being. Those tracks, in particular, preach a satisfying message of peace: one of peace in the mind of the songwriter.

The album ends, like ‘Abbey Road’, on a medley: ‘Hunt You Down/Naked/C-Link’. We don’t need to remind you of ‘Abbey Road’’s famous closing lines, but ‘Egypt Station’s are notable too: “I‘ve been naked for so long / So long, so long, yeah.” McCartney’s always been about inclusivity and openness, but this latest glimpse into his life feels like a particularly enlightening one” – NME

McCartney III

Release Date: 18th December, 2020

Label: Capitol

Producers: Paul McCartney/(except Slidin', by McCartney and Greg Kurstin, and When Winter Comes, by McCartney and George Martin)

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/paul-mccartney/mccartney-iii/lp

Standout Tracks: Long Tailed Winter Bird/Seize the Day/Winter Bird / When Winter Comes

Key Cut: Slidin’

Review:

“The disparity between the initial reviews and their later standing suggests that McCartney’s one-man-band solo albums only reveal their true glory in the fullness of time, an idea that whirls around your head when you’re confronted with McCartney III’s Lavatory Lil. A jaunty excoriation of a gold-digger, the best thing you can say about it is that it isn’t quite as awful as its title leads you to fear. There’s always the chance that, by the middle of the century it’ll be claimed as the worthy descendent of the Beatles’ Polythene Pam, or the version of the ribald Liverpool folksong Maggie Mae that snuck on to Let It Be, but that feels a stretch: it’s not as weird or funny as the former and nor does it have the latter’s sense of history, Maggie Mae being a song the pre-Beatles skiffle band the Quarrymen used to perform. In fact, it feels more like a successor to the interminable joke track Bogey Music, one bit of McCartney II that not even the nuttiest Macca fan has attempted to reassess.

If Lavatory Lil is a moment where the process behind McCartney III – recorded in lockdown, with its author in charge of everything – has led to a self-indulgent lapse of judgment, the rest of the album finds him letting his guard down in far more appealing ways. A certain freedom is evident in opener Long Tailed Winter Bird, a lovely instrumental that’s allowed far more room to breathe than you suspect McCartney in more commercially minded mood would permit. He might also have balked at releasing Slidin’ on the grounds that it was too obviously a homage to Queens of the Stone Age, albeit one laced with an infectious sense that its author is having a high old time.

Deep Deep Feeling, meanwhile, may be the best song to bear McCartney’s name in more than a decade. Its melodies slowly entwine and uncoil over eight minutes involving lengthy instrumental passages, falsetto vocals, shifts in tempo, a Mellotron-esque synth that recalls the opening of Strawberry Fields Forever (as with Winter Bird/When Winter Comes’ nod to the bucolic atmosphere of 1971’s Ram, it’s the kind of musical self-reference that never seems accidental on a McCartney album) and an acoustic coda. The lyrical examination of emotional extremes feels authentically confessional. Similarly personal, if more oblique, Pretty Boys puts the audibly aged aspect of his voice to use, quaveringly describing its titular subject as “a line of bicycles for hire, objects of desire … a row of cottages for rent for your main event”.

It’s moving because he knows of what he speaks. This isn’t a superannuated rocker sneering at latter-day manufactured pop bands, but something fonder and more personal: a man knocking on 80 who was the subject of teen hysteria a lifetime ago, who gave up playing live because he couldn’t hear himself over the screaming. Seize the Day features the prickly, defensive McCartney of Silly Love Songs – “it’s still all right to be nice,” he protests, a sentiment that gains heft in a world of snarling binary divisions – set to a melody that’s almost preposterously McCartney-esque, navigating its twists and turns without appearing to break a sweat” – The Guardian

FEATURE: Second Spin: Blondie - Autoamerican

FEATURE:

 

Second Spin

Blondie - Autoamerican

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I know I have featured…

Blondie and Debbie Harry on my blog a few times. I think they are one of the most influential bands ever, with a terrific catalogue to boot! Though many of their albums are celebrated and hugely acclaimed, there are a few that have not got the reception and adoration they deserve. One that warrants more affection and new light is their fifth studio album, Autoamerican. Released on 26th November, 1980, it followed the successful and phenomenal Eat to the Beat. Featuring Rapture and The Tide Is High, I am surprised Autoamerican received some mixed reviews! Although only a few songs on the album come up to the standard of Rapture, there is plenty to enjoy and love. Producer Mike Chapman insisted the band record in Los Angeles (the New York band recorded in their city beforehand). That decision was met with a bit of a split in the group. Probably not affecting their sound and performances, they did return to New York for 1982’s The Hunter. One of the reasons why some were confused or not fond of Autoamerican is because it was a radical departure from Blondie. This article from November explained how the album is a varied and eclectic work:

“Incorporating elements of jazz, blues, disco, and the avant-garde, Autoamerican was still a sizable commercial success (going platinum on both sides of the Atlantic), but it confounded critics. Rather like The Clash’s equally ambitious Sandinista!, Autoamerican attracted criticism simply for daring to embrace sonic diversity – something that was an element of Blondie’s DNA from the get-go.

“Blondie was probably the most modern band I’ve ever worked with in that they soaked up influences from innumerable sources,” Blondie and No Exit producer Craig Leon said in a 2019 Record Collector interview.

 “As songs like [Parallel Lines’] ‘Heart Of Glass” show, they were like human samplers when it came to incorporating ideas and concepts and genres, often in just one song. They are probably the most eclectic band I’ve ever worked with.”

“Magical things did happen”

“Eclectic” remains the watchword where Autoamerican is concerned. Marking the first time Blondie had left their native New York to make an album, the recording sessions took place at United Western Recorders (now part of the Ocean Way complex) in Hollywood, where The Beach Boys recorded parts of “Good Vibrations”. During their Californian sojourn, Debbie Harry’s team was joined by Parallel Lines producer Mike Chapman and studio engineer Lenise Bent. The latter recalls band and producer being meticulous in their preparation.

“They’d done a lot of pre-production”, she told The Mix in 1999. “Everybody was pretty prepared by the time they got into the studio. Magical things did happen, there was room for those spontaneous things, but the preparation helped because you didn’t have to think about the basics.”

Blondie brought a wealth of new songs to the sessions, a clutch of which – “T-Birds,” the cinematic “Angels On The Balcony” and the aggressive, drum-heavy “Walk Like Me” – could easily have graced Eat To The Beat. Elsewhere, however, the band fearlessly grappled with everything from the jazzy cabaret of “Here’s Looking At You” to the shimmering disco-funk of “Live It Up” and the smoochy, noir-infused blues of “Faces,” with the latter featuring a gloriously smoky vocal from Harry.

“I was sure it was going to be a hit”

Two radically disparate musical genres, meanwhile, provided the album’s signature hits. Blondie had already dabbled with reggae on Eat To The Beat’s “Die Young, Stay Pretty,” but at the instigation of guitarist Chris Stein, they delved deeper into Jamaica’s rich musical heritage for a sunny, horn-laced cover of The Paragons’ 1967 ska hit, “The Tide Is High.”

“I was the one who picked ‘The Tide Is High’,” Stein told The Village Voice in 2008. “That’s the only song [from Autoamerican] I was sure was going to be a hit beforehand – not least because it said ‘number one’ in the chorus!”

Stein’s assumption proved entirely correct when the infectious “The Tide Is High” – released as the album’s lead single, in October 1980 – shot to the top of both the UK Top 40 and the Billboard Hot 100. Its follow-up, “Rapture,” also broke new ground. A hypnotic hybrid of disco, funk, and New York’s emerging hip-hop scene, the song featured an extended rap from Debbie Harry, who namechecked hip-hop pioneers Fab Five Freddy and Grandmaster Flash.

“An adventurous spirit and dynamic songwriting”

“Rapture” also topped the Billboard Hot 100 and received numerous critical plaudits, but while Autoamerican, which was released on November 14, 1980, fared well on the charts, it was greeted with less than sparkling reviews. These days, forward-thinking music fans would welcome a record which so brazenly pushes the envelope, but, in 1980, contemporary critics struggled to get a handle on this mind-bogglingly diverse disc, which concluded with a heartfelt cover of Lerner & Loewe’s “Follow Me,” from the musical Camelot.

Divorced from the times, though, Autoamerican has come into its own. In an interview on Blondie’s website, drummer Clem Burke enthusiastically cited it as “my favorite… it’s a very eclectic album”, while retrospective critiques such as Ultimate Classic Rock’s (“an LP beloved for its adventurous spirit and dynamic songwriting”) have finally brought this still-futuristic-sounding gem to discerning 21st-century ears”.

 I think Autoamerican is an underrated album that deserves more acclaim. I don’t think I have ever heard songs like Live It Up or Faces played on the radio. There are some deep cuts on the album that are really solid. Despite a few tracks that are not up to Blondie’s normal standard, Autoamerican is an album that is worth listening to. The reviews are largely mixed. This is what AllMusic noted in their assessment of Autoamerican:

“The basic Blondie sextet was augmented, or replaced, by numerous session musicians (including lots of uncredited horn and string players) for the group's fifth album, Autoamerican, on which they continued to expand their stylistic range, with greater success, at least on certain tracks, than they had on Eat to the Beat. A cover of Jamaican group the Paragons' "The Tide Is High," released in advance of the album, became a gold-selling number one single, as did the rap pastiche "Rapture," but, despite their presence, the album stalled in the lower half of the Top Ten and spent fewer weeks in the charts than either of its predecessors. One reason for that, admittedly, was that Chrysalis Records pulled promotion of the disc in favor of pushing lead singer Debbie Harry's debut solo album, KooKoo, not even bothering to release a third single after scoring two chart-topping hits. But then, it's hard to imagine what that third single could have been on an album that leads off with a pretentious string-filled instrumental ("Europa"), and also finds Harry crooning ersatz '20s pop on "Here's Looking at You" and tackling Broadway show music in a cover of "Follow Me" from Camelot. Though more characteristic, the rest of the tracks are weak compositions indifferently executed. Thus Autoamerican was memorable only for its hits, which would be better heard when placed on a hits compilation”.

Maybe Blondie had past their best days or were entering new territory. In any case, I feel their work from the 1980s has some great moments. Autoamerican is an album that I have grown to love more. In addition to the monster that is Rapture, there are some pearls to be enjoyed. If you have not heard the album for a while (or at all), then give Blondie’s fifth studio album…

A bit of your time.

FEATURE: Express Yourselves? The Gruelling Hunt for the Actress Who Will Play the Icon

FEATURE:

 

 

Express Yourselves?

The Gruelling Hunt for the Actress Who Will Play the Icon

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THERE are so many different websites…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Julia Garner is among the favourites to play Madonna in a forthcoming biopic/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

reporting the hunt and search for the actress who will play Madonna in the forthcoming biopic. I have written before how there is this biopic happening that Madonna will direct. Written with Diablo Cody (Cody worked on the first draft before moving on from the project), it is a rare chance to have Madonna tell her own story. When the announcement was made, I did wonder how might be chosen to direct such an important project. With the Queen of Pop keen to get the story and facts straight, it would be a lot of pressure on a director. Maybe it was not a surprise when Madonna herself decided to helm. She has directed before, though I wonder whether she is too subjective to give the biopic what it needs. It must be intimidating for anyone auditioning to play Madonna. Billboard report that there are boot camps and this strenuous hunt taking place:

“At the moment, the biggest role available for some young actresses is one of pop music’s biggest icons: Madonna. Everyone from Emmy winners and Oscar nominees to signers turned actresses has been seen for the role, with some advancing on to what can be best described as a Madonna Bootcamp.

Casting director Carmen Cuba is running the search, with the list having been whittled down over the course of several months. Julia Garner and Florence Pugh are among those that are still in the running, along with Euphoria star Alexa Demie, indie regular Odessa Young (Mothering Sunday), and newcomer Emma Laird (Mayor of Kingstown). Musical artists have also been a part of the search, including Bebe Rexha and Sky Ferreira, the latter of whom has had small roles in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver and the Twilight Zone series, among other onscreen parts.

As for the actual audition process, it’s “grueling,” says one rep with knowledge of the auditions, some of which have been going on for months. According to sources, the hopefuls participate in intense — sometimes up to 11-hour-a-day — choreography sessions with Madonna’s choreographer, after which there are choreography sessions with Madonna, herself. And then there are callbacks, which consist of readings with Madonna, as well as singing auditions with the superstar.

“You have to be able to do everything,” says one person with knowledge of the process. The movie, which sources say currently culminates with her landmark, 1990 Blonde Ambition tour (this, of course, may change as the script continues to develop), will require dancing and singing sequences, meaning that after the audition process is over, the would-be star is still looking at months’ worth of intense training ahead of a potential start date.

Musical biopics often have their subjects — or subjects’ relatives or estates — involved, in order to retain the requisite rights. Elton John served as executive producer on Rocketman, with his husband David Furnish producing the film through their Rocket Pictures, and the upcoming Bob Marley biopic at Paramount has the late singer’s children and wife onboard to produce. But Madonna’s involvement — she is the subject, co-writer and director — is particularly notable.

“The reason I’m doing it is because a bunch of people have tried to write movies about me, but they’re always men,” Madonna said in October during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. (Brett Ratner’s RatPac and Michael De Luca were previously attached to produce a biopic about the singer for Universal based on the 2016 Black List script Blonde Ambition.) In 2020, it was announced that the singer would be directing a biopic for Universal and co-writing the screenplay with Oscar-winner Diablo Cody. Amy Pascal is on board to produce. Cody has since exited the project, with Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary, The Girl on the Train) taking on co-writing duties.

Madonna is a plum role for any actress. With Universal as the distributor, it is assured a wide theatrical release. And with Madonna as the subject-director, it will no doubt attract a lot of eyeballs. The biopic, while in active development, does not yet have a green light from the studio, which is high on the project, but usually awaits a final script, budget and cast before giving the go-ahead. A major factor is ultimately who will be cast as the Material Girl”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: British actor Florence Pugh is one of the names suggested to play Madonna

I think that the right person will be chosen to play her. I am not sure whether there will be several actresses chosen to play Madonna at various point, or whether one will lead. I think there will be tough choices, but I do wonder whether the auditions and casting need to be so deep and stressful. Maybe Madonna wants to ensure that nothing is left to chance. I think Julia Garner seems like the right fit in terms of looks and acting style. She would be awesome. British actress Florence Pugh would also be magnificent. The challenging days and this exacting process means that, essentially, the woman who is choosing someone to play her can have no qualms when the decision is made. There have been attempts to portray Madonna’s story before, and it has usually been met with criticism. Whilst I think a more objective director could have worked with Madonna and made a great film (maybe a female director like Olivia Wilde?), it will be interesting seeing what comes about. Of course, now that the pandemic has receded, shooting can start., Many Madonna fans will be interested knowing what era is chosen and whether it is the rags-to-riches arc or the film gets set at a particular time. Certainly, in terms of the height of her success, the years 1987-1990 are big. Ray of Light came out in 1998. That was a hugely acclaimed album. I am not too sure. We will know soon who has been chosen to play Madonna. I do hope that the successful actress is allowed a little room to interpret Madonna as they see fit and truly…

EXPRESS themselves.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Dreya Mac

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Clara Setian

Dreya Mac

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DESPITE a change of sonic direction…

from previous Spotlight features, I am sticking with solo artists. Dreya Mac is an exciting young London-based artist who, over the past year or so, has been getting a lot of respect, column inches and adoring press. A sensational lyricist and performer, I think Mac is going to be pretty major in no time at all! Before coming to some interviews with Dreya Mac, here is some brief detail and biography about a sensational talrnt:

“West London Native Dreya Mac caused a stir with her debut single “Skippin” which hit over 600K streams across DSPs, while her Colors session received over 340K views / streams in just the first three weeks.

Dreya has garnered support from tastemakers including Annie Mac, Toddla T, DJ Target, Sian Anderson and Rickie and Melvin and Charlie.

Dreya is an alumni of the world famous Brit school where she studied musical theatre and dance from the age of 14. Since then her professional dancing background has taken her all over the world to countries as far reaching as the USA and China. She can be seen demonstrating her talents in videos and shows for prominent artists such as Stormzy, Dua Lipa and Rita Ora. She has also performed at the MTV EMAs and Brit Awards and featured in the Burberry 2020 Festive Campaign”.

There has been some interesting press and interviews over 2021 and this year so far. I wanted to get to a few of them, so that we can know more about the seriously skilled Dreya Mac. Tipping Mac for good things and spotlighting a rising force, The Line of Best Fit spoke with her in April:

 “Mac fell in love with music as a medium for movement long before she committed her voice to record. Dance, in fact, was the West London rapper's first love. Cutting her teeth as a choreographer, Mac’s instinct for conducting sound through her body landed her a role in the visual for Stormzy’s seminal “Vossi Bop” – one of the only women to carve a space for herself in the male-dominated project. So when it comes to self-expression, Mac has proven that her teeth are more than sharp enough.

With only one year under her belt as a musician, four singles which boldly redefine the parameters of the UK rap scene, and a top-down execution of her artistic vision to every beat, outfit and one-two step, to describe Dreya Mac only as a rapper is a disservice. When she was five years old, however, she wasn’t as bold. “I let my sister [speak for me],” she laughs. “I’d just get her to answer questions for me. As soon as I got into dance, it was a way to let people know how I’m feeling without having to speak.” Her foray into music began with the simple intention of having something to dance to; something that drew out the particular shapes and rhythms her body wanted to channel. But in music, Mac found an entirely new, unexpected avenue of self-expression.

“I feel like it’s a kind of therapy”, she says. “When I write, I actually like what I write – I’m really gassed at the end of it. Like, it’s such a fulfilling feeling. When I’m writing, singing or rapping, I can properly express myself. Then I started to realise this could be bigger than what it is.”

 Mac can almost pinpoint the day she decided she would take rapping seriously: the first week of the UK’s national lockdown in March, 2020. By this time, she had already laid down her debut single “Skippin’” in the studio: an atmospheric superstructure of cat-and-mouse wordplay and bouncing flows, all built on a foundation of guitar strings that merged two opposing worlds together. “I didn’t push it that much, in my mind,” she recalls. “But when it got to the day they were going to announce quarantine, I shot the video and released it that first week. It was crazy”.

In the UK rap scene, Dreya Mac was a lone wolf. Apart from producer Kill Miami, who helped her spread the word, she worked alone. Yet, she feels that her music belongs to a wider movement. “There are a few artists who I think are going on the same journey as me. I can’t box myself with a single genre because I flick between them all the time, but in general, there is a new wave,” she explains. “But I think I’m coming into the scene very differently to others. I feel like there’s a formula every UK rapper follows, and I’m just trying to break that as much as I can, not letting any preconceived ideas of my journey get in the way of the kind of music I want to release. I’m coming in on a different wave, for sure.”

It's a bar being set by the likes of Slowthai and FLOHIO, who are redrawing the battlelines of what it means to be a UK rapper. “I feel like genres are kind of getting lost over the years,” Mac says. “We’re so individual, now, and there’s so much freedom in music to allow that. I just think all of these people are helping break the stigma that comes with being a UK rapper – it’s really helpful for me, because it means I can come at this with a more open mind, too.”

 With attention spans dwindling to ten second bursts from the all-you-can-eat scrolling on TikTok, Dreya Mac is seeking to create music with longevity. “I feel like right now drill and grime music is dominating, but it’s more release-driven than creatively driven, you know? When these things blow up on social media, they can come and go real quick,” she thinks. “So it takes value away from this style of music. I don’t want to just release what the UK will want.” Instead, her line of business is to make something timeless.

She remembers cleaning days on Sundays when she was a kid, with her mum blasting garage bangers through the flat. “I feel like my music is heavily influenced by the way it switches between flows, and stuff like that. It’s the earliest memory I have of music.” As she grew up and developed her own tastes, her influences diversified in ways you wouldn’t expect. “Groups like Tame Impala have really helped the instrumentation of my music,” Mac says. “And Billie Eilish, too – she doesn’t let her age be at the forefront of what she’s doing, and I can relate to that. She doesn’t take no for an answer; she doesn’t let anyone get in the way. I feel like I look further than your average, to-the-book kind of rapper. Musicians in the UK are pushed in a certain direction, and I guess I just don’t want to be boxed in at all.”

But growing up on her estate, ambition like this was a rarity. “I feel like everyone around me knew West London and didn’t know anything further than that. I don’t know what it was, whether it was my upbringing or not, but I’ve always thought bigger than what was expected of me.” She left home at 16, and through living alone, she grew a thick skin and a nurtured a hunger for self-improvement. “I didn’t have many people to talk to, so to express myself, I would just write things down on paper – and that was way before the music,” she says. “And apart from that, I could dance”.

There are a couple of other interviews that caught my eye and are worth including here. FIZZY MAG labelled Dreya Mac a rising Rap prodigy when they spoke with. Maybe a mixed blessing, Mac discovered the pure joy and freedom of Rap just as the U.K. was going into the first lockdown back in 2020:

“You’ve said you began to take rapping seriously in Lockdown 1. How does it feel to have made such massive strides in such a small amount of time?

It’s quite overwhelming to be fair to have had such a big change in my journey in such a short amount of time. It’s a lot to adapt to and I feel like sometimes I put way too much pressure on myself when really I should just treat this craft how I have treated any other craft previously, and understand and accept that I have just started and I have so much further to go.

One gotta go. R&B, Drill, or Hip-Hop. Who you dropping? 
 
I say Drill, just because I feel like it’s dying out already... The way music works is that there is always one particular genre that is trending at the moment (in the UK anyway). I feel like a couple years back it was Afro-swing that was dominating the charts. Right now, we have Drill dominating the charts but it's starting to get a bit gimmicky... I feel like Hip-Hop and R&B are so timeless and have been forever that I couldn’t boot them off!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time? 
 
In five years I see myself touring the world... tired, exhausted as hell from touring but at the same time so full and thankful.... I see myself with at least three albums out and as a world-renowned entertainer.

Your debut EP ‘TWENTYONE’ dropped last month. How did it feel releasing your first body of work out into the world?

Do you know what, I feel like I am my biggest critic. So I’m always going to be looking for what I could have done other than what I already have. But for some reason with this release I was very much okay and at one with what I had produced. Having a body of work out there only furthers my career and I feel like it just shows how determined and busy I have been since lockdown started. I feel like I’ve made my stamp on the scene and it’s just an introduction to order different projects I have coming up now and in the future”.

Before finishing off, NME recently spoke with the amazing Dreya Mac. As TikTok is a platform where she has accrued following and attention, they asked about her gaining huge popularity there as a Black queer woman:

“Do you ever feel the TikTok stigma is hindering you and your progression?

“Before TikTok, I did live shows, I did a COLORS show and I was already performing at festivals, because I’ve created relationships with my supporters. I’ve never thought that the app could be the reason for my success. Also, even if people want to think that, I’d say the person pushing that was me. If something blows up on TikTok, it’s instantly labelled a TikTok song – I understand the logic, but ’Own Brand’ was out a couple of weeks before it started blowing up. TikTok wasn’t the basis for my success. A lot of my true supporters will know that.”

There was discourse on TikTok about you as a Black queer woman blowing up on the app, is there added pressure to be the representation you want to see in the world?

“I’m always about normalising sexuality a lot more. I don’t actively try and set out to change people’s minds or opinions or open their minds, but it happens naturally. And I feel like collectively, as humans, we can actually contribute to normalising different representations of sexuality more, by not making it a thing. I get why it’s important to talk about sexuality but it’s so conflicting in my head because I would never want something that you can’t change or have no choice over to overshadow something I’ve worked for, and be at the forefront of my career. I love being a representation for Black queer women, because I didn’t feel like I had any other like me. But I don’t want that to be highlighted over the art, you know?”

Where do you want your music and artistry to take you in the future?

“I want to be known for my music, obviously, like, that’s what I want to move the world and my artistry as a whole. Every bit of art I produce, I want it to be appreciated more than anything else. But I also want my personality to be appreciated. I want people to love the person I am as well. And, being a public figure, it helps with getting your personality out there. I can do that through music and through dance or whatever, but I want my art and I to be the main focus.

“I want my career to take me around the world. Continue my world domination. That’s what I’ve been putting out there; world domination. I don’t necessarily want to pinpoint where I want it to take me because the possibilities are endless. I’ve always had that mentality in life, in general. I just want everything to take off, really.”

“I’m currently working on my second EP. I will be dropping a couple of singles beforehand, and I’m really excited for my next single coming out very soon. I feel like I’m quite genre-fluid. You cannot pinpoint what I might come out of. I’m excited for people to hear what I can give outside of ‘Own Brand Freestyle’, and I feel like they’re gonna appreciate the variety”.

I think this year is going to be one where we will see more promising emerging artists than ever before. With live gigs back and a new hunger from artists and fans alike, Dreya Mac will court even more love and following. She is someone that we all need to keep an eye out for. If you have not checked her out yet, make sure you do so. This will be a year where Dreya Mac…

MAKES a giant impact.

_______________

Follow Dreya Mac

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/dreyamac

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/dreyamac/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHyhS6Rk5f0PyTp-GJ3GUOw

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/03AVZyE7WnmLY4rTL1s0RP

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/DreyaMac/

FEATURE: A Return to Worthy Farm… The Glastonbury Festival 2022 Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

A Return to Worthy Farm…

IMAGE CREDIT: Stanley Dorwood/Glastonbury Festival

The Glastonbury Festival 2022 Playlist

___________

THE first real…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Phoebe Bridgers/PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Malone for The Times

Glastonbury Festival since 2019, we return to Worthy Farm from 22nd-26th June. The first wave of artists was announced earlier this week. Headliners Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar join West Holts headliner Little Simz, in addition to the legends slot act, Diana Ross. On the poster/bill are the likes of Wet Leg, TLC, The Avalanches, Phoebe Bridgers, and Supergrass. There are more names to come but, after a tough couple of years, it is a relief to have the festival back! The calibre of the artists already announced means those lucky enough to have tickets are in for a treat! Let us hope that, by June, the weather improves – and the terror and war in Ukraine is over and we can return to some form of stability and peace. It will be a cathartic and wonderful celebration in Somerset in the summer. Paul McCartney headlines Saturday night; he turns eighty a week before doing his much-awaited set. Alongside him are some icons and legends of music, in addition to some newer artists who are getting this incredible platform. There will be coverage on the BBC in June. To mark the names that have already been confirmed, I have assembled a playlist of a song from those wonderful acts. In the verdant and buzzing fields of Worthy Farm in June, the amazing panoply of stunning artists will be there to soundtrack a celebration. For the first time in a long time, the excited masses will be sing, dance and…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney

COME together.

FEATURE: Terrifying, Awe-Inspiring, Stunning… A Gem from Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave: Kate Bush’s Waking the Witch

FEATURE:

 

Terrifying, Awe-Inspiring, Stunning…

A Gem from Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave: Kate Bush’s Waking the Witch

___________

I think I have written about…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

every other track on Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love. The album’s second half, The Ninth Wave, is especially captivating and immersive. Every song forms part of a suite – where a heroine is cast adrift in the sea and is hoping for rescue (and she eventually is) - that was a new thing for Bush. She had not really done anything like this before. It is a genius idea, and it gives Hounds of Love two distinct sides; almost like two E.P.s forming an album (like The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour). A song I have mentioned and not really gone into depth about is Waking the Witch. The third of seven tracks on The Ninth Wave, it is the most startling, frantic and head-tripping track on the entire album. It follows the beautiful opener of And Dream of Sheep. Almost lullaby-like (as the heroine desires a comfortable sleep and salvation), Under Ice follows. That is a colder and more urgent track. The third track is one of the most important. It needs to move the story on – as nightmares fill her head and the thoughts of an icy tomb await – and create a new sound and sensation. Whereas Under Ice relies more on a singular, deeper vocal and stern, almost-gothic string strike, Waking the Witch is busier. Starting quite calm and building to this madness and strange energy, it is a song that one does not hear played on the radio too much.

Before moving on, the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia sources an interview where Bush discussed Waking the Witch. Listening to it now, it is a song that really moves the senses and drags you into its world:

“These sort of visitors come to wake them up, to bring them out of this dream so that they don't drown. My mother's in there, my father, my brothers Paddy and John, Brian Tench - the guy that mixed the album with us - is in there, Del is in there, Robbie Coltrane does one of the voices. It was just trying to get lots of different characters and all the ways that people wake you up, like you know, you sorta fall asleep at your desk at school and the teacher says "Wake up child, pay attention!". (...) I couldn't get a helicopter anywhere and in the end I asked permission to use the helicopter from The Wall from The Floyd, it was the best helicopter I'd heard for years for years [laughs].

I think it's very interesting the whole concept of witch-hunting and the fear of women's power. In a way it's very sexist behavior, and I feel that female intuition and instincts are very strong, and are still put down, really. And in this song, this women is being persecuted by the witch-hunter and the whole jury, although she's committed no crime, and they're trying to push her under the water to see if she'll sink or float. (Richard Skinner, 'Classic Albums interview: Hounds Of Love. Radio 1 (UK), aired 26 January 1992)”.

After Waking the Witch, there are two tracks where, sonically, things calm a bit with Watching You Without Me. The lyrics are quite haunting (the heroine imagining people she loves and her not being there), whilst Jig of Life takes the energy back up. Whereas Waking the Witch is anxious, scary and dark, Jig of Life is full of Irish passion as, at last, there is that kick of life and determination to survive! I like the fact that Waking the Witch comes one song before the midway point of that suite; Jig of Life emphatically opens the second – the shift between doom and a lack of hope and signs that things might be alright. On paper, a concept like The Ninth Wave seems easy and a lot of fun. Lesser artists would have written seven songs that sounded the same or lacked necessary emotion and impact. Bush managed to create this suite and concept (even if we do not know how the heroine was saved and how she ended up in the water) and, along the way, concocted so many moods and differing compositions. To me, the darkly terrifying jolt you get in Waking the Witch is one of the standout moments from The Ninth Wave. With helicopter sound from Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and some of Bush’s best lyrics (the opening verse where various voices urge the heroine to wake up is spellbinding and harrowing in equal measures), Waking the Witch is a phenomenal and unforgettable song…

ON an album of masterpieces.

FEATURE: Fountain and Water: PJ Harvey’s Dry at Thirty

FEATURE:

 

 

Fountain and Water

PJ Harvey’s Dry at Thirty

___________

NOT only can you buy…

 IN THIS PHOTO: PJ Harvey in San Francisco in 1992/PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Blakesberg

PJ Harvey’s amazing debut album, Dry, on vinyl; you can also get the recent Demos version of it. As Harvey’s debut is thirty on 30th March, I am looking ahead to an incredible moment in music. One of the most impressive and distinct of all time, it is worth spending a bit of time getting to know the background to Dry – in addition to sourcing a couple of critical reviews. The first feature that I want to highlight is from 2020. In spite of PJ Harvey being young when her debut came out and not like any other artist, she was fully-formed and hugely confident:

“Straight out of England’s rural Southwest, Polly Jean Harvey always had a spiritual connection with the American South – the birthplace of backwoods-gothic sin and redemption – and of the blues, which she discovered through her first musical hero, Howlin’ Wolf. With that lineage, it was no surprise that the debut album by this young Englishwoman was unlike anything else that appeared in 1992. Almost three decades later, it’s no stretch to say that it’s still startling. Albums like Dry are so way-out-there that they don’t belong to a decade or scene.

The feral blues-rock underpinning Harvey’s volcanic presence on the record raises the hair on the back of your neck. More than that: hearing Dry‘s gnarled guitar/bass/drums attack is like being in the same room as something disquieting and eternal. Though Harvey’s sonic armory later included a bit of goth, a little electronica, some plain old rock, and something approaching pop, it was the blues that unlocked her storytelling abilities.

 The other remarkable thing is that despite being only 22, PJ Harvey was already fully-formed as a singer and songwriter. This “guitar-toting succubus,” in Rolling Stone’s description, had an emotional spectrum that skewed toward drama, and she had no filter. But she wasn’t out of control – as some contemporary reviewers speculated – she was just conveying her truth, figuratively ripping away Band-Aids to show some wounds, while leaving others safely covered.

One 1992 rave review – that didn’t quite grasp her – contended that Dry was an “honest irrational outpouring.” (The reviewer also claimed she’d reinvented “post-rockist guitar.”) In fact, the album was only irrational in the sense that human feelings are irrational. Honest, though, it certainly was. While Polly Jean later rebutted the assumption that her songs were autobiographical, Dry was undeniably influenced by her own life.

She and her band (Rob Ellis, drums; Stephen Vaughan, bass) had moved from her home village of Corscombe, Dorset (population 445), to London in 1991, and it was a wrench. While the move was musically productive – they signed to indie label Too Pure and were championed by influential Radio 1 presenter John Peel – Harvey was deeply unhappy. Her first real relationship had just ended, she was renting a damp flat in North London, and the city felt overwhelming.

Thus, the songs that ended up on Dry have a definite narrative arc. Over 11 tracks, the mood gradually shifts from heartbroken pleading to a thirst for revenge. Aptly, it kicks off with a discordant clang – that’s Harvey’s guitar, welcoming you to the opening “Oh My Lover.” Dark and bass-heavy, it grimly gives her boyfriend permission to see another woman while still involved with Polly.

On “Dress” and “Sheela-Na-Gig” (the first and second singles), Harvey first adopts a teenage whine, begging the guy to look at her in the dress he bought her; in the second song, she offers him her “childbearing hips…ruby-red ruby lips,” only to be rebuffed by his brutal retort, “You exhibitionist…Wash your breasts, I don’t want to be unclean.”

All of this, including the furious payback tracks “Joe” and “Hair,” is thrust along by Harvey’s caustic guitar-playing and the cavernous noise kicked up by drums and bass. In the latter song she’s Delilah, cutting off Samson’s crowning glory as he screams, “Wait!” an image that any wronged lover will relish.

Oh, and there are some first-class hook lines on Dry: the chorus of “Sheela-Na-Gig” especially, is a roaring singalong that could have been made for festival crowds, and the delight of it, is that it’s about ancient stone figures of women displaying their labia.

It’s easy to see why Courtney Love once said, “The one rock star that makes me know I’m sh_t is Polly Harvey.” Madonna, too, is a fan, and there are clear affinities with Björk, whose solo career took off a year after Dry; both women are restlessly creative, and not bound to any template. Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes was also inspired by Harvey’s “honest, real, quite intimate nakedness” while making her 2012 album, The Haunted Man.

If Dry still packs a punch almost three decades on, imagine how it sounded at the time. And imagine how she appeared to an early 90s audience. The front cover is an extreme close-up of her bruised-looking lips and the back shows her in stark monochrome, topless and watching the camera equivocally. Yet she bridled at the idea that she and her music upended conventional feminine mores: she just was what she was. Dry is a stunning debut from an artist who more than lived up to her early promise.

Featuring some of Harvey’s best tracks - Sheela-Na-Gi, Dress, and O Stella among them -, it is no wonder Dry remains such a popular and fascinating album. The Demos album is worth getting, as it is powerful and revealing. A tremendous artist who, few would have guessed in 1992, has gone on to become a legend and an icon. Many artists start life quite modestly, though there is such conviction, wonder and raw talent right through Dry! Thirty years later, it remains one of the greatest albums ever. I will end with a couple of reviews. NME had their say in 1992:

“Women are reputed never to be disgusted. The sad fact is, they often are, but not with men, they are most often disgusted with themselves." Germain Greer, The Female Eunuch

EXCEPT POLLY PJ Harvey. She's the final nail in the coffin of the carefree, careless boy music critic. Behold, she is the one-woman saviour of indie sex! From out of a regenerated but already self-pollinating indie universe she came, sounding sooo different from Thousand Yard Stare and Midway Still that she might've been from another planet of sound altogether.

Last year's 'Dress' 45 was a wildcat among homing pigeons. Minimalist, hard-faced, ferocious, string heaven, it put the indie boys in a spontaneous lather and nailed mini-label Too Pure to the map. Now you will hear this a lot over the coming weeks - and you'll hear it again and again as this incredible band make their ascent to mainstream acceptance - but I'm putting it into speechmarks: "PJ Harvey has got balls". Do me a king-sized favour! Is it not time we stopped attaching bullocks to things we think are good? Is there not an element of actual lazy journalism in bestowing the gift of sperm production on a female artist who makes the grade? Patriarchal hogwash. You don't need to be Tim Booth, with his "God made us to her own design" guilt-trippery, to be offended by this daft, out-of-date sexist slur. Polly J Harvey Hs assets, strengths, attributes, talent. She is so great, she is a man. Cheers.

"Much to discover/I know you don't have the time", she sings - and when I say sings, I don't just mean enunciate words in tune to a provided melody, Polly dredges these sounds from the pit of her dissected soul and drags them out of her mouth with clenched fists. There is, indeed, much to discover on the low-key, 11-track debut by this Yeovil three-piece. And you should make time. From the first opening vocal wrench that is 'Oh My Lover', you know you're a million miles from the hard(on) sell of corporate nutter-chic(k) such as Tori Amos or even Sinead (God strike me down!). We have come to expect hard work and running up and down and ankle-breaking effects pedal punishment from our best On stars in the last couple of years - but this, as they say, is personal. Doing it for the kids, she may be, but swat is she doing , exactly?

PJ Harvey is the name of the band; this includes cool, grumbling bassist Stephen Vahghan and deft, unmannered drummer Robert Ellis. PJ Harvey is the name of the band's raison d'être too - it is her bruise-like lips that are pushed in your face on 'Dry's' sleeve, it's her songwriting credit that takes these clever, repetitive, low-slung guitar poems into another dimension; it's her submerged, naked body that shocks from the album's back cover. In this case, the blokes are the accessories.

"I'm naked/So cover my body/Dress it fine" she sings on 'Happy And Bleeding', the album's cornerstone. The appearance of Polly's chest on this record's packaging may find itself, erm, misused in the grubby mitts of the lonelier Indie Sadboy, but let's hope they toss themselves off to death, while PJ goes on to greater things. It's problematic, for sure, this brazen, 'artistic' statement - but if you can't rise above it, you won't get far within.

When PJ says she's "bleeding for you", is it some martyrdom kick, or a lover's threat, or a metaphor for pain? One is drawn quickly to the conclusion that it's a 'woman's thing', but things get real messy when you burden a songwriter with your own gender-specific guesswork. Elsewhere, though, PJ urges the onlooker to "Look at these child-bearing hips/Look at these, my ruby red lips"(Sheela-Na-Gig) - she's washing that man right out of her hair ("Turn the corner, another one there") and on 'Dress' she's clearly addressing the pressures of fitting accepted female stereotypes - "It's hard to walk in a dress/It's not easy". You feel as if there's some absurdist gender panto going on in Ms Harvey's mind”.

I will end with Pitchfork’s from 2016. From its release to recent years, people have been awestruck and moved by one of PJ Harvey’s greatest albums. Among the many strengths of Dry are its vivid and rich lyrics:

“From Dry’s first line, Harvey relishes in that ambiguity, forcing the listener to figure out what they’re feeling and why. “Ohhh myyy loverrr,” she rasps in her thick accent, as if seducing someone with her dying breath. She’s assuring her man that it’s fine for him to see another woman simultaneously, promising she’ll soak up his troubles while he can take whatever he likes: Her character understands that his time is limited, his satisfaction paramount, and that compromise is the fate of all women. The bass thuds like a domino line of falling oak trees, while a harmonium’s eerie whine makes the song feel like a dark, lost folk standard.

She follows the streak of subjugation: A frenzied prayer to the Virgin Mary on “O Stella,” to guide her through the night on “Dress.” Then comes “Victory,” where she’s a post-punk Vera Lynn lustily imploring the boys to “sweat, dig—I’ll mop it right off your brow.” On the earthy lurch of “Happy and Bleeding” she loses her virginity and turns from fresh fruit to rotten peach both “long overdue” and “too early,” her “idle hole” then rejected on “Sheela-Na-Gig.” That’s the first half of Dry: blitzing the rigged path young women must walk from innocence to sullied castoff. It’s rife with disappointment and violence, but Harvey treats the double standard for the absurd cabaret it is, making perfect sense of it through her formative blues vocabulary. She plays victim in her words and aggressor with her guitar, adopting a libidinous swagger that’s as nasty and thrilling as the abuser who keeps her coming back for more. Nobody sings like PJ Harvey sings on Dry, veering perilously (but exactingly) between wheedling, raging, vamping, always with a sly wink.

These extreme contrasts confused critics at the time: Dry played like a feminist statement but she refused the label, wondering why anyone remarked on her sexual lyrics when plenty of rock and blues bands had gone further before her. Mostly dressed in black, her hair scraped back severely, she seemed to eschew image, but then posed topless on the cover of NME. She insisted that there was no depth to the lyrics, and professed to being baffled by people’s attempts to interpret them, but her considered use of female archetypes to depict a woman’s fall and subsequent vengeance told a different story. All of these things were true at once, part of her distancing push-and-pull. As she told Spin in ’93, “The biggest protection you can have is if people think they’ve got you and they haven’t got you at all.”

She pulls the same trick on Dry’s scumbag subject, going into the record's vengeful second half. She’s Delilah to his Samson on “Hair,” flattering him into submission and cutting off his mane. “I’ll keep it safe,” she sings, sounding emboldened by power, before flipping on a knife edge, realizing: “You’re mine.” The bass zooms as if mapping the swift transfer of power; the rhythm section pounds like Samson’s impotent rage. “Joe” is the record’s most manic moment. There’s no quiet-loud shift, just pure piledriver dynamics as she spits nails at the treachery she’s experienced: “Always thought you’d come rushing in to clear the shit out of my eye/Joe, ain’t you my buddy, thee?”

But rather than commit bloody murder as you might expect, she retreats on “Plants and Rags,” “[easing] myself into a body bag,” and finding solace at home: “Who thought they could take away that place?” she asks as the violin swirls to a deranged squall. Her love of Slint comes through on the menacing fretboard harmonics of “Fountain,” where she washes herself clean and a Jesus-like figure shrouds her modesty in leaves. On “Water,” her first utterance of the word sounds like she’s dying of thirst. By the chorus, when she’s walked into the sea, invoking Mary and Jesus again, she sounds as though the crashing waves are emanating from her own throat.

Critics have theorized that she drowns herself at the end of the album, to rid the shame from her body. But it sounds more like a rebirth; the cure to her dryness, finding satisfaction on her own terms and eradicating the need she had looked to someone else to fill. Dry is an exciting, scary joyride through the dawning realization that learning to please yourself yields far greater pleasure than relying on others to do it for you: These gory myths are her lover’s discourse, an apocalypse—in the revelatory sense—that she would push even further on 1993’s Rid of Me (after her immediate fame resulted in a nervous breakdown). Following the NYC gloss of 2000’s Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, she attempted to tap back into this sound on 2004’s Uh Huh Her, but the lack of her debut’s extreme urgency limited its success. On Dry, Harvey’s character may appear to subjugate her gratification, but it’s all there, bursting out in the zeal of her playing.

“It’s the same kind of excitement, playing music, as in a sexual relationship, and the two go hand-in-hand,” she told a French TV show in ’93. “And I think I find music physically exciting as well—actually playing loud music and standing in front of a bass amplifier is quite a sexual experience, I think.” She tells a story about playing in Chicago, and how every time Steve Vaughan hit an A, she got vibrations right up to her middle. “Wonderful,” she muses. “We play a lot of songs in A as well, so it was a good night.” The French journalist gurgles like a stunned baby, unable to process this frank, feral waif who’s got it all figured out”.

Prior to 30th March, I wanted to spotlight a classic album. I don’t think we will get an anniversary release, as the Demos album came out a couple of years back. Anyway, fans around the world will give their thanks and love to a masterpiece from PJ Harvey. As astonishing as any debut, Dry is an album that will…

NEVER lose its brilliance.

FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Ninety-Four: Pixies

FEATURE:

 

A Buyer’s Guide

PHOTO CREDIT: Travis Shinn

 Part Ninety-Four: Pixies

___________

EVEN though I usually say…

an artist needs to have released at least eight studio albums to make it onto this feature, I am making an exception with Pixies. The U.S. giants released their seventh album, Beneath the Eyrie, in 2019. They are headlining the BBC Radio 6 Music festival in April, and I have a feeling they may release an album sometime this year (and, as they released the single, Human Crime, recently, it looks likely more will follow). It may seem obvious which albums of theirs I select as the best…though that is not necessarily the case. Before getting to the essential Pixies albums, an underrated gem and their latest album (in addition to a good book relating to the band), here is some detailed biography from AllMusic:

“Combining jagged, roaring guitars and stop-start dynamics with melodic pop hooks, intertwining male-female harmonies, and evocative, cryptic lyrics, Pixies are one of alternative rock's most influential bands. On albums such as 1988's Surfer Rosa and 1989's Doolittle, they turned conventions inside-out, melding punk and indie guitar rock, classic pop, surf rock, and stadium-sized riffs with singer/guitarist Black Francis' bizarre, fragmented lyrics about space, religion, sex, mutilation, and pop culture. His lyrics may have been impenetrable, but the music was direct, forceful, and laid the groundwork for the alternative explosion of the early '90s. From grunge to Brit-pop, Pixies' shadow loomed large; it's hard to imagine Nirvana without Pixies' signature loud-quiet-loud dynamics and lurching, noisy guitar solos. However, the band's commercial success didn't match its impact -- MTV was reluctant to play their videos, while modern rock radio didn't put their singles into regular rotation. By the time Nirvana broke the doors down for alternative rock in 1992, Pixies were effectively broken up. During the rest of the '90s and into the 2000s, they continued to inspire acts ranging from Weezer, Radiohead, and PJ Harvey to the Strokes and Arcade Fire. Pixies' 2004 reunion was as surprising as it was welcome, and the band's frequent tours led them to record albums including 2019's Beneath the Eyrie, which continued the sound of their groundbreaking early work.

Pixies were formed in Boston, Massachusetts in January 1986 by Charles Thompson and Joey Santiago, Thompson's suitemate while studying at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Born in Massachusetts and constantly shuttling between there and California, Thompson began playing music as a teenager before he moved to the East Coast for good during high school. Following graduation, he became an anthropology major at the University of Massachusetts. Halfway through his studies there, he went to Puerto Rico to study Spanish, and after six months he decided to move back to the U.S. to form a band. Thompson dropped out of school and moved to Boston, managing to persuade Santiago to join him. Advertising in a music paper for a bassist who liked "Hüsker Dü and Peter, Paul and Mary," the duo recruited Kim Deal (who was billed as Mrs. John Murphy on the group's first two records), who had previously played with her twin sister Kelly in their band the Breeders in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio. On the advice of Deal, the group recruited drummer David Lovering. Inspired by Iggy Pop, Thompson picked the stage name Black Francis and the group named itself Pixies after Santiago randomly flipped through the dictionary.

After a few months, Pixies had played enough gigs to land a supporting slot for fellow Boston band Throwing Muses. At the Muses concert, Gary Smith, an artist manager and producer at Boston's Fort Apache studios, heard the group and offered to record them. In March 1987, Pixies recorded 18 songs over the course of three days. The demo, dubbed The Purple Tape, was given to key players within the Boston musical community and the international alternative scene, including Ivo Watts, the head of England's 4AD Records. On the advice of his girlfriend, Watts signed the band. After selecting eight of the demo's songs and remixing them slightly, 4AD released them as Come on Pilgrim in September 1987. Named for a lyric from a song by Christian rocker Larry Norman -- whose music Francis listened to while growing up -- the mini-album peaked at number five on the U.K. indie album chart.

In December 1987, Pixies began recording their first full-length album, Surfer Rosa, with Steve Albini at Boston's Q Division studio. Albini, who had pioneered the thin, abrasive indie guitar grind with Big Black, gave the band a harder-edged sound over the ten-day session, yet the group retained its melodic hooks. Released in March 1988, Surfer Rosa became a college radio hit in America (and was ultimately certified gold by the RIAA in 2005); in the U.K., the album reached number two on the Indie Chart and earned enthusiastic reviews from the British weekly music press. By the end of the year, Pixies' buzz was substantial, and the group signed to Elektra.

While touring in support of Surfer Rosa, Francis began writing songs for the band's second album, some of which appeared on their 1988 sessions for John Peel's radio show. That October, the band entered Downtown Studios in Boston with English producer Gil Norton, with whom they had recorded the single version of "Gigantic" in May. With a budget of $40,000 -- four times the amount Surfer Rosa cost -- and a month of initial recording sessions, Doolittle was Pixies' cleanest-sounding album yet. It received excellent reviews, leading to greater exposure in America. "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man" became Top Ten modern rock hits, clearing the way for Doolittle to peak at number 98 on the U.S. charts; meanwhile, it hit number eight on the U.K. Album Chart. Throughout their career, Pixies were more popular in Britain and Europe than America, as evidenced by the success of the Sex and Death tour in support of Doolittle. The band became notorious for Black Francis' motionless performances, which were offset by Deal's charmingly earthy sense of humor. The tour itself became infamous for the band's in-jokes, such as playing their entire set list in alphabetical order. By the completion of their second American tour for Doolittle at the end of 1989, the bandmembers had begun to tire of each other and decided to take a hiatus.

During his time away from Pixies, Black Francis went on a brief solo tour. Meanwhile, Kim Deal re-formed the Breeders with Tanya Donelly from Throwing Muses and bassist Josephine Wiggs of Perfect Disaster. In January 1990, Francis, Santiago, and Lovering moved to Los Angeles to prepare for recording Pixies' third album, Bossanova, while Deal worked on the Breeders' debut album Pod in the U.K. with Albini; she joined the rest of the group in time to start recording in February. Working once again with Norton at Burbank, California's Master Control studio, the band wrote many of the album's songs in the studio. More atmospheric than its predecessors, and relying heavily on Francis' surf rock obsession, Bossanova was released in August of 1990; unlike Surfer Rosa or Doolittle, it contained no songs by Deal. Bossanova was greeted with mixed reviews, but the record became a college hit, generating the modern rock hits "Velouria" and "Dig for Fire" in the U.S. In Europe, the record expanded the group's popularity, hitting number three on the U.K. album charts and paving the way for their headlining appearance at the Reading Festival. Though the supporting tours for Bossanova were successful, tension continued to grow between Kim Deal and Black Francis -- at the conclusion of their English tour, Deal announced from the stage of the Brixton Academy that the concert was "our last show."

While they canceled their planned American tour due to exhaustion, Pixies reconvened in early 1991 to make their fourth album with Gil Norton, recording in studios in Burbank, Paris, and London. Hiring former Captain Beefheart and Pere Ubu keyboardist Eric Drew Feldman as an auxiliary member, the band moved back toward loud rock, claiming to be inspired by the presence of Ozzy Osbourne in a neighboring studio. Upon its fall release, Trompe le Monde was hailed by some as a welcome return to the sound of Surfer Rosa and Doolittle, but closer inspection revealed that it relied heavily on sonic detail and featured very few vocals by Deal and, as on Bossanova, none of her songs. The band embarked on another international tour, playing stadiums in Europe but theaters in America. Early in 1992, Pixies opened for U2 on the opening leg of the Zoo TV tour; upon its conclusion, the band went on another hiatus, with Deal returning to the Breeders, who released the EP Safari that April. Francis began working on a solo album.

As he was preparing to release his solo debut in January 1993, Francis gave an interview on BBC's Radio 5, announcing that Pixies were disbanding. He hadn't yet informed the other members; later that day, he called Santiago and faxed Deal and Lovering the news. Inverting his stage name to Frank Black, Francis released his eponymous debut that March. The Breeders released their second album, Last Splash, in August 1993. The album became a hit, going gold in the U.S. and spawning the hit single "Cannonball." Soon after, Deal also formed the Amps, who released their one (and only) album, Pacer, in 1995. Santiago and Lovering formed the Martinis in 1995 and appeared on the soundtrack to Empire Records. During the late '90s and early 2000s, 4AD issued archival Pixies releases, including Death to the Pixies 1987-1991, Pixies at the BBC, and Complete B-Sides.

After releasing The Cult of Ray for American in 1996, Black shuffled between different labels and ended up on spinART for 1999's Pistolero, and several subsequent solo albums. Deal and the rest of the Breeders, meanwhile, suffered from problems ranging from substance abuse to writer's block, and only surfaced intermittently, spending time in the studio but only having a cover of the Three Degrees' "Collage" on the soundtrack to 1999's The Mod Squad to show for their efforts until they released Title TK in 2002. David Lovering left the Martinis and became the touring drummer for Cracker, and also appeared on Donelly's Sliding and Diving, but found himself unemployed in the late '90s. Combining his studies in electronic engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology and his years of performing experience, Lovering dubbed himself a "scientific phenomenalist," a cross between a scientist, performance artist, and magician, and warmed up the crowds at Frank Black, Breeders, Camper Van Beethoven, and Grant Lee Buffalo concerts. Santiago and his wife Linda Mallari continued the Martinis through the '90s, recording several demos and self-released albums. Santiago also began a career composing soundtracks and incidental music, beginning with the score for 2000's Crime & Punishment in Suburbia, to which Black also contributed a track.

Hopes that Pixies would re-form remained unfounded until 2003, when Black revealed in an interview that he had considered reuniting the band and that he, Deal, Santiago, and Lovering occasionally got together to jam. In 2004, Pixies reunited for U.S. tours, an appearance at that year's Coachella festival and gigs in Europe and the U.K. that summer, including performances at the T in the Park, Roskilde, Pinkpop, and V festivals. All 15 of the band's North American warm-up dates were recorded and released in limited editions of 1,000 copies, then sold online and at the shows. The week after the Pixies' Coachella appearance, the DVD retrospective Pixies and revamped best-of Wave of Mutilation: The Best of Pixies were released by 4AD. The band also released two songs, "Bam Thwok" and a cover of Warren Zevon's "Ain't That Pretty at All" in 2004.

Despite consistent touring throughout the 2000s and 2010s, no more new music appeared until 2013, when the group went into the studio with longtime producer Gil Norton. During those sessions, Deal officially left the group. Former Fall bassist Simon Archer, aka Dingo, replaced Deal in the studio, and the band hired the Muffs' Kim Shattuck for touring duties. "Bagboy," the first Pixies song in nine years, arrived in July 2013 and featured Bunnies vocalist Jeremy Dubs. That November, Shattuck was let go from the band; a few weeks later, Paz Lenchantin -- who also played with Zwan and A Perfect Circle -- was drafted as the Pixies' bassist. EP2 arrived in January 2014, and EP3 was issued that March. The EPs were compiled as the album Indie Cindy for that April's Record Store Day. It reached number 23 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, making it the band's highest-charting album in the U.S. to date. Pixies began work on their sixth album late in 2015, working with producer Tom Dalgety at London's RAK Studios. Released in September 2016, Head Carrier was the first album to include Lenchantin as a full-fledged member. The album peaked at number 72 on the Billboard 200, while the single "Classic Masher" debuted on the Adult Alternative Songs chart at number 30, marking Pixies' first appearance on a Billboard airplay chart since 1992. Late in 2018, the band reunited with Dalgety to record their seventh album at Dreamland Recordings in Woodstock, New York. Pixies documented the making of the album in a 12-episode podcast hosted by author Tony Fletcher that premiered in June 2019. That September, Beneath the Eyrie -- named for an eagle's nest discovered near the studio -- arrived on Infectious. The following year, the band issued demos for the album as well as the single "Hear Me Out”.

Almost forty-four years since Pixies put out their debut album, they are still going strong. Let’s hope the band have no desire to call it time anytime soon! If you need a guide which Pixies albums you should own, then the selection of recommendations below should be of assistance. Here is my guide to…

A legendary band.

_______________

The Four Essential Albums

 

Surfer Rosa

Release Date: 21st March, 1988

Label: 4AD

Producer: Steve Albini

Standout Tracks: Bone Machine/Where Is My Mind?/Brick Is Red

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/pixies/surfer-rosa

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/50j4Wm1b9hLpSpPIA39Vp9?si=S_eAn9coS2KVeE1n8R1CVg

Review:

“One of the most compulsively listenable college rock albums of the '80s, the Pixies' 1988 full-length debut Surfer Rosa fulfilled the promise of Come on Pilgrim and, thanks to Steve Albini's production, added a muscular edge that made their harshest moments seem even more menacing and perverse. On songs like "Something Against You," Black Francis' cryptic shrieks and non sequiturs are backed by David Lovering and Kim Deal's punchy rhythms, which are so visceral that they'd overwhelm any guitarist except Joey Santiago, who takes the spotlight on the epic "Vamos." Albini's high-contrast dynamics suit Surfer Rosa well, especially on the explosive opener "Bone Machine" and the kinky, T. Rex-inspired "Cactus." But, like the black-and-white photo of a flamenco dancer on its cover, Surfer Rosa is the Pixies' most polarized work. For each blazing piece of punk, there are softer, poppier moments such as "Where Is My Mind?," Francis' strangely poignant song inspired by scuba diving in the Caribbean, and the Kim Deal-penned "Gigantic," which almost outshines the rest of the album. But even Surfer Rosa's less iconic songs reflect how important the album was in the group's development. The "song about a superhero named Tony" ("Tony's Theme") was the most lighthearted song the Pixies had recorded, pointing the way to their more overtly playful, whimsical work on Doolittle. Francis' warped sense of humor is evident in lyrics like "Bone Machine"'s "He bought me a soda and tried to molest me in the parking lot/Yep yep yep!" In a year that included landmark albums from contemporaries like Throwing Muses, Sonic Youth, and My Bloody Valentine, the Pixies managed to turn in one of 1988's most striking, distinctive records. Surfer Rosa may not be the group's most accessible work, but it is one of their most compelling” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Gigantic

Doolittle

Release Date: 17th April, 1989 (U.K.)/18th April, 1989 (U.S.)

Labels: 4AD/Elektra (initial U.S. distribution)

Producer: Gil Norton

Standout Tracks: Debaser/Here Comes Your Man/Mr. Grieves

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/pixies/doolittle/lp

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/0DQyTVcDhK9wm0f6RaErWO?si=QULMd9o3TjKlTStD-_eOpQ

Review:

“As Kurt Cobain readily told anyone who cared to hear, Nirvana's Nevermind wouldn't have happened without the Pixies' Doolittle. When it came out in 1989, the Pixies' abrasive guitars and twisted, nightmarish vision were eclipsed by the bad-boy cool of Guns n' Roses and the frothy pop of Fine Young Cannibals. For angry, punk self-reflection, you had to comb the indie underground.

The Pixies changed all that, and with Doolittle laid the groundwork for Nineties rock. The album's breathtaking mix of noisy, almost surflike guitars, sweet pop melodies and primal-scream-therapy vocals inspired a generation of would-be rock stars: Nirvana adopted the Pixies use of quiet, mumbled verses and loud, crashing choruses, Courtney Love aped their banshee wails, and Beck drew inspiration from their catalog of surrealistic lyrics.

Doolittle chugs into action on a New Wave bass line and frontman Black Francis' adrenalized barking about a weird scene from a Luis Bu–uel movie. "Debaser," with its cool, crisp guitar line and lyrics about "slicing up eyeballs," sets the tone of the album. From there, the band careens back and forth from menacing to melodic, as Francis and bassist Kim Deal screech, snort and coo their way through tunes such as "Wave of Mutilation," "I Bleed," "Dead" and "Gouge Away.

" Despite the bizarrely violent song titles, the Pixies were schoolyard nerds at heart -- the only person Francis was scaring with his lyrics was himself. They turned out to be prescient: Within five years, awkward pop stars from Pavement to Weezer represented the new cool, and "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Here Comes Your Man" were classics” – Rolling Stone

Choice Cut: Monkey Gone to Heaven

Trompe le Monde

Release Date: 23rd September, 1991

Label: 4AD

Producer: Gil Norton

Standout Tracks: Alec Eiffel/Head On/Letter to Memphis

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/pixies/trompe-le-monde-30th-anniversary

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/1xtaONLuwdb5STNnLGNVGi?si=3bS9ywc3RXiYuwHPT4sYdw

Review:

“The title might be French for "fool the world," but with Trompe le Monde, the Pixies weren't fooling anyone: this was essentially Black Francis' solo debut. It focuses on Francis' sci-fi fascination and lacks any Kim Deal songs; even her backing vocals are far and few between. Yet the band sounds revitalized on Trompe le Monde, as if it were planned as their last hurrah. The raucous "Distance Equals Rate Times Time" and the explosive cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain's "Head On" are fairly straightforward, but the lyrics remain quirky on "Planet of Sound," a song about a Martian who lands on Earth, and "Palace of the Brine," a tribute to sea monkeys and Utah's Salt Lake. He even disses hipsters and pretentious students -- basically, the Pixies' fan base -- with nasty little digs like "Subbacultcha"'s "I was wearing eyeliner/She was wearing eyeliner" and "U-Mass"' "It's eduuucaaationaal!" Musically, "Trompe le Monde"'s psychedelic sheen and "Alec Eiffel"'s atmospheric keyboards prove that the Pixies' sound wasn't defined by Steve Albini-style rawness. There's also more emotional depth: "The Sad Punk" features the strangely poignant bridge "And evolving from the sea/Would not be too much time for me/To walk beside you in the sun," and "Letter to Memphis" is a heartfelt, if cryptic, love song. Though Trompe le Monde doesn't sound quite like the Pixies' other work, Come on Pilgrim's spooky beginnings, Surfer Rosa's abrasive assault, Doolittle's deceptively accessible punk-pop, and Bossanova's spacy sonics helped make Trompe le Monde a rousing swan song and a precursor to alternative rock's imminent success. Whether that means their music remained pure or they missed their chance to cash in is debatable; either way, the Pixies are one of America's greatest, most influential bands” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Planet of Sound

Indie Cindy

Release Date: 19th April, 2014

Labels: Pixiesmusic/PIAS

Producer: Gil Norton

Standout Tracks: Greens and Blues/Bagboy/Blue Eyed Hexe

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=677440&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6pRgKtzZuyJRYZ0ie3wRQa?si=L4dGqRrsQLS_3fzDTuyAVQ

Review:

“After 10 years as their own covers band, Pixies have finally decided to release new material to spare them the embarrassment of trotting out the same old classics on tour. Unleashing a new album 23 years after your last is risky – you’re never going to come near the legendary levels of Doolittle and Bossanova, and your mutant-surf-gaucho-punk sound has been diluted by dozens of lesser indie bands over the years. Bassist Kim Deal’s departure last year doesn’t help. Still, Pixies fans will find plenty here to like. Most of the tracks have already come out on the band’s three recent EPs, and yes, they sound fragmented as a single album, but Pixies are past masters at pulling all the pieces together. The skewed pop melodies and twisted riffs are there on Greens and Blues, Magdalena 318, Snakes and Blue Eyed Hexe, while Bagboy, Andro Queen and Another Toe in the Ocean duck and dive with grace and grit” – The Irish Times

Choice Cut: Indie Cindy

The Underrated Gem

 

Head Carrier

Release Date: 30th September, 2016

Labels: Pixiesmusic/PIAS

Producer: Tom Dalgety

Standout Tracks: Head Carrier/Classic Masher/Tenement Song

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/pixies/head-carrier/lp

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/0CwsCKBeUxkgRi9LbdWl2x?si=ZwjYk94uT0SV8lTOOziQVA

Review:

“And deeper we dig into the dirt. Don’t believe the anti-hype; despite the lack of Kim Deal, Pixies’ 2014 comeback ‘Indie Cindy’ was a worthy successor to their superlative first era, with its tales of witches, sea monsters, android queens and alien lovers.

If that record seemed plucked, musically, from intergalactic radio signals beamed between 1990’s ‘Bossanova’ and 1991’s ‘Trompe Le Monde’, their second reunion album ‘Head Carrier’ treads further back, into the consecrated murk that was ‘Doolittle’ and ‘Surfer Rosa’.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here hoping that Black Francis, at 51, might recapture the sexual frenzy and devil-pact menace of those cult-inducing records, or that new producer Tom Dalgety (Royal Blood, Band Of Skulls) will emulate Gil Norton’s rusted torture chamber aesthetic.But in a cleaner, more mature, concerned-about-its-blood-pressure manner, ‘Head Carrier’ revisits Pixies’ prime, primal age, melodically pumped and squaring up confidently to its admittedly formidable forebears.

There are obvious lifts: ‘All I Think About Now’ is essentially new bassist Paz Lenchantin’s chance at her very own ‘Where Is My Mind?’ right down to the manic pixie “ooh-oooh”s, while ‘Um Chagga Lagga’ is a classic desert punk rant so indebted to ‘Isla De Encanta’ and ‘Oh My Golly!’ that the EU may well sue it for not including the required number of verses in Spanish. Otherwise, ‘Head Carrier’ applies the surf-pop sunscreen of Frank Black’s early solo albums to the simian back hair of early Pixies. So if the album’s two ‘Here Comes Your Man’s – ‘Classic Masher’ and ‘Might As Well Be Gone’ – verge on Weezer, or the Beelzebub tribute ‘Baal’s Back’ sees Francis sounding more like AC/DC’s Bon Scott than The Dark Eater Of Souls Himself, it’s merely an age-appropriate re-imagining of their early fire and brimstone brilliance. Add in sublime off-kilter grunge pop like ‘Oona’ and the title track and, casting aside the boulder of history, you’ll struggle to find a better collection of indie rock songs this year. The reunion of the century keeps on kicking” – NME

Choice Cut: Um Chagga Lagga

The Latest Album

 

Beneath the Eyrie

Release Date: 13th September, 2019

Labels: BMG/Infectious

Producer: Tom Dalgety

Standout Tracks: On Graveyard Hill/Ready for Love/Bird of Prey

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=1604496&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/1ZqL2lIhcGoYkPnehz6KnF?si=PSzU-quCQPuW_9q6ttN6dA

Review:

“It’s difficult to pin down the inherent appeal of PIXIES. They’re abrasive and idiosyncratic, off kilter and uncompromising, with Black Francis’ lyricism a veritable rabbit warren of psychedelic imagery that takes years of listening to unravel, their catalogue doesn’t even have an easy place for the uninitiated to start.

Still though, the fact remains that PIXIES are one of the most influential bands of all time, with everyone from Nirvana to Radiohead citing them as influences. While this is arguably due to the uncompromising nature of PIXIES, the fact also remains that very few bands have a back catalogue that’s as consistently good as theirs.

Fortunately, 'Beneath The Eyrie' is the perfect addition to that canon. Doing little to tarnish said consistency, it’s a record that calls to mind some of the band’s best moments, while still managing to feel fresh and exciting.

Of course, like all PIXIES albums, it takes a few listens before really taking hold (the latter half of the record feeling somewhat lacking on the first few plays). From the ominous opener ‘The Arms Of Mrs. Mark Of Cain’ it’s clear that it’s business as usual for the Boston four-Piece. The duality of wailing abrasive guitar courtesy of Joey Santiago and Black Francis’ trademark vocal setting the record’s tone perfectly.

While 'Beneath The Eyrie' might well start with a couple of heavier tracks, it’s a much poppier, or at least softer album than one might expect; the likes of ‘Catfish Kate’, ‘Bird Of Prey’ or ‘Daniel Boone’ retaining typical Pixies idiosyncrasies yet coming off as mellower in their delivery.

Arguably the strongest track on the album falls to ‘Long Rider’. Three minutes of quintessential PIXIES, it builds towards a suitably cathartic conclusion; Francis’ vocal paired with that of bassist Paz Lenchantin to create something that feels both warm yet unnerving.

Very few bands can mount a comeback in such a way that PIXIES have. Though very few bands share the same drive, tenacity, attitude and even arrogance that PIXIES harbour. While that may well deter some people that aren’t already converted, it’s this that makes the band as seminal as they are.

And though they might be mellowing in their age, that doesn’t mean to say they’ve compromised an inch, and 'Beneath The Eyrie' proves just that” – CLASH

Choice Cut: Catfish Kate

The Pixies Book

 

The Pixies' Doolittle - 33 1/3

Author: Ben Sisario

Publication Date: 20th April, 2006

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Synopsis:

“The Pixies have had a career unlike any other in alternative rock, disappearing as not-quite-the-next-big-things only to become gods in absentia. "Doolittle" is their knotty masterpiece, the embodiment of the Pixies' abrasive, exuberant, enigmatic pop. Informed by exclusive interviews with the band, Sisario looks at the making of the album and its place in rock history, and studies its continued influence in light of the Pixies triumphant reunion” – Waterstones

Order: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-pixies-doolittle/ben-sisario//9780826417749?awaid=3787&utm_source=redbrain&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=css&gclid=CjwKCAiAgbiQBhAHEiwAuQ6BknFOhC_IwuBcLa1ulFMNKFWe4ldFtxSi17knFGUKO_TIEDXAjelR5BoCjm0QAvD_BwE

FEATURE: Spotlight: Faouzia

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Faouzia

___________

I will move away…

from Pop artists for the next couple of parts of my Spotlight feature. I wanted to include Faouzia, as she is an inspirational artist. A Muslim woman who, in terms of the music landscape, is quite a rarity, she is proud to talk about her heritage. Definitely breaking barriers and inspiring others, she is someone to watch closely. The twenty-one-year-old is a Moroccan-Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. Born in Morocco, she moved with her family to Canada as a child. Her excellent debut E.P., Stripped, arrived in August 2020. There are a few interviews that I want to bring in. Faouzia has an amazing voice and sound. She is a distinct Pop artist in a landscape becoming ever-busier and packed. Someone who is going to be a much bigger artists in the future, make sure you follow her now. EUPHORIA. chatted with her following the release of a song she recorded with John Legend, Minefields:

“How did you get involved in singing and performing? What motivates you to pursue it as your career? Have you always had the idea that music is your calling?

I have always had a love for music ever since I could remember. I grew up playing the piano, guitar, and violin and would sing 24/7. It was always my dream to do music but I never had the intention of fully pursuing it until that’s what I found myself doing. One thing led to another and I found myself doing what I love as my career.

What is your earliest musical memory?

One of my earliest musical memories was writing my first song when I was 6 years old. My mom still has the paper I wrote it on. The song was about embracing yourself, no matter your differences.

You’re fluent in several languages! You’ve even released songs in Arabic. As someone who is so proud of her heritage, is it important to you to be able to sing in different languages?

It is very important to be able to sing in different languages because I love tapping into different parts of my upbringing/roots. I grew up listening to French, Arabic, and English music, so they all shaped me in some way. When singing in French, I usually sing ballads. I think it’s because the language is so sweet and sounds very emotional. Arabic feels very powerful to me so I’m drawn to singing about more powerful topics.

A lot of your previous music comes through in powerful piano ballads, but you also have a talent for blending that classic piano sound with the best of today’s pop elements. Is there a reason you blend the two?

I have a love for pop music in general but also a soft spot for pop ballads. I would say my sound varies depending on whether I’m singing pop ballads or just pop music in general. There is always a touch of Middle Eastern vibes because of the trills I do and the way that I sing.

As a songwriter, where do you turn to when you’re in search of inspiration?

If I’m not pulling inspiration from my personal experiences, I get inspiration from those around me or from concepts that I find very interesting.

Since releasing one of your first singles, for example, “My Heart’s Grave,” your music has evolved and changed. Your audience has grown, as well, as your music has gained more and more attention on apps like TikTok. How would you say you’ve changed as an artist since 2017 to now.

I think I have grown so much as not only an artist but a songwriter as well. I grew up writing music alone at home and now I’ve been able to expand and meet other artists/songwriters and collaborate with them too. Being able to pull inspiration from others and learn new skills has helped me mature as an artist.

Can you tell us what we can expect from your upcoming music or what your plans for the near future look like?

I would say to expect the unexpected! Every track has a world of its own”.

I think that Faouzia’s music is her major strength. As an artist, there are not many out there quite like her. I feel her fashion and sense of style is also a defining aspect. In November, Faouzia discussed with UPROXX, among other things, her love of Anna Kolomoiets, a.k.a. Annakiki (a Ukrainian designer).

 “I’m actually wearing Annakiki right now,” she says. “I’m a big fan of Annakiki because it’s a designer that has such unique shapes, very cool prints and very cool colors. It’s definitely a brand that stands out — in the way that you know it’s Annakiki when you see it.” Born Faouzia Ouihya in Casablanca, Morocco, the artist moved to Canada at a very young age and grew up in Manitoba, where fashion was always one of her interests. Along with a very obvious early talent for music, Faouzia has been paying attention to her own personal taste for a lot longer than the average twenty-something, partly due to the intersecting cultures in her background.

“I’m obsessed with style and fashion, that’s a really big world for me, even though music is the one that’s obviously the most apparent,” she continues. “I find it’s just as important and it’s truly a passion of mine.” And that isn’t just lip service, either — the day after our interview she flew to Dubai to attend the always exclusive Chanel fashion show there, and shoot a spread for Harper’s Bazaar, one of the most prestigious style magazines in the world. “I’m literally over the moon, I probably won’t be getting any sleep tonight,” she laughs, happy to withstand the grueling flight for the chance to preview a new season from one of her favorite brands.

 If you’ve ever caught Faouzia at a live performance, or seen one of her colorful, carefully choreographed music videos, her emphasis on style as an element within her music will stand out immediately. Though she’s still starting out in her career as an artist, the singer-songwriter already has a signature style all her own, one that’s defined by high-fashion taste level, unexpected modern twists, and the balance between her stage persona, her at-home presence, and her Morrocan heritage.

“There’s three different Faouzias: Casual/dressed down Faouzia, show/artist Faouzia, and then there’s Moroccan Faouzia,” she explains. “I like to tap into those three categories and vary between them. Most of the time you’ll find me in the dressed-down Faouzia phase, where I resort to really big, oversized hoodies, a cool shoe with a pant, and then dress my hair and makeup up to do something cool with that.” And as she continues to establish herself as a performing artist, her stage look is getting the necessary attention from designers who want to be a part of the persona she’s building for the stage.

“I’ve been talking with fashion designers to build that brand and build that image for show Faouzia,” she says. “I want it to be very weird and cool, and play off shapes and colors. I like to stay very uniform with colors, so sticking to like two colors per outfit. And I like to be over-the-top when it comes to performing and the outfits I wear as artist Faouzia. I’m a big fan of really high heels, like chunky boots or chunky heels. And then for Moroccan Faouzia I would say it’s just traditional wear, like the kaftan, which is more traditional, dressed up attire, or the djellaba, which is more dressed down.

Even after moving to Manitoba, Faouzia’s Moroccan heritage remained a huge part of her life. She describes her childhood home as a “mini Morocco” with a full Moroccan living room, and she spoke in Arabic or French with her parents at home. “I ate Morrocan food, and I’m still very tied to my roots,” she explains. “I don’t feel like I disconnected from my culture, which is really great. I got to really experience two different cultures growing up, Canadian culture and Moroccan culture.”

Along with Annakiki, Faouzia also lists Chanel, Prada, and Bulgari as other designers who have influenced her personal style.“Chanel is one of them, I’m a big big fan of Chanel,” she says of her couture picks. “Prada is another brand that I really love. They have really interesting shapes, too. I recently got a pair of Prada shoes and the bottom has two parts to it, a shape that almost looks like an animal or something. So if I turn to the side you can see the two different shapes — it’s a very cool shoe. Bulgari also has really amazing bags and accessories. They focus mainly on purses and bags, but they’re mostly known for their bags. Those are probably my top three.”

But long before she was old enough to be interested in couture, Faouzia’s powerhouse voice was turning heads globally. As a teenager, she won so many local contests and competitions that Paradigm Talent Agency signed her — and Atlantic Records followed shortly after and she began releasing a steady stream of singles. Last year’s Stripped EP, includes six of her songs pared down to their simplest form to highlight her voice, and she’s continued releasing new music throughout this year, too. 2020’s standout included a duet with John Legend on the grief-stricken, elegant piano ballad “Minefields,” and this year’s offerings, “Hero” and her latest single “Puppet,” emphasize a fierce independence that comes through in everything she does.

As a Muslim woman, Faouzia’s identity intersects with her style in another key way — she prefers modesty even while building her own iconic looks. And it isn’t always super accessible to lock in the fresh, hip looks while also covering up. “I’ve always strived to dress modestly and be as covered up as possible,” she says. “But I’ve always wanted to do that in a way that felt like I was being true to myself and my creative direction. It’s been a lot of fun exploring this world of artistry, but also being covered up. I just want to prove to myself and to any other young girls like me that you can do that. I just want there to be a space for people who want to be fashionable and have a signature look, and do want to cover up”.

There are a couple more interviews that I want to get to. Elite Daily also spoke with Faouzia in November about making music with authenticity. The huge TikTok star and unique artist is someone with a huge future:

“Faouzia’s latest single speaks volumes about her artistry. In a world where pop stars are often controlled by major labels and industry execs, she’s taking matters into her own hands when defining her sound. How so? The Moroccan-Canadian singer-songwriter refuses to play into pre-conceived notions of what pop music should sound like, meaning she won’t deliver cookie-cutter, bubble gum tunes anytime soon. The budding singer prides herself on making music that is both infectious and impactful, just like her October 2021 single, “Puppet,” which contains empowering lyrics within every verse. At 21, she’s already had some impressive career highlights, including a collab with John Legend (“Minefields”) and an accompanying performance on The Today Show. With “Puppet,” she has an important story to tell about self-love.

“I wanted to create something that had depth to it,” she tells Elite Daily. “I always want to have depth to my music, and I just think that it's so cool when you can unpack a song and just keep listening and finding different layers to it.”

In the chorus, Faouzia sings, “You tried to pull me under / said I was too much / you're just not enough.” The lyric is an emblem of her strength and the vulnerability she puts forth in her music. Oh, and she’s also dropped versions of “Puppet” in Arabic and French, showcasing her worldly point of view. “It's very important to me for the lyrics to have a deeper meaning and to have a strong message behind them,” she says. “Growing up, I would pay attention to lyrics, almost more than the melodies and almost more than the production. I loved writing. And I loved reading stories.”

Fauzoia is not only an open book in her music, but she also prides herself on being transparent with her TikTok fans — all 2.6 million of them. For her, social media is special for its ability to bring strangers together.

“Everyone at the end of the day is human,” she says. “And when you show your vulnerability, and when you show your true colors, and start talking about your own stories... that's why people will connect to it. I think that's why it might resonate with others as well. Music really does bring people together”.

I was especially interested in a Harper’s BAZAAR interview from December. In terms of representation, we do not see many artists near the mainstream with Arabic roots. Faouzia is a pioneer and amazingly important artist who is proud to talk about being a Muslim woman, Morocco, and her Arabic heritage:

“Faouzia was also keen to talk about her Arabic roots. “I still practice Moroccan traditions today, I remember eating couscous with my family every Friday. We still do that now, it’s just not weekly,” she shared. “Also, celebrating Eid with my family is an element of my childhood that I remember and still practice today with my immediate family.”

The singer’s growing success with a western and Arabic audience alike makes her a rare breed, and she wants to use this global platform to spread a positive, feminist message to young women, and the lyrics to her latest single, Puppet, do just that.

“That is definitely the message I wanted to convey with this song. Puppet is all about being true to yourself and not settling for anything less than what you want. It’s also about having the freedom to make our own choices and to be able to live our lives in our own truth,” explained the star, who says female empowerment is a priority for her. “It’s so important! I think it’s important to remind women of how strong, intelligent, and beautiful they are in a society that seems to always try to do the opposite. I want young girls all over the world, and young Arabic girls like me, to know that you don’t need to change for anything – whether it be for a person, a job, a passion.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Fouad Tadros 

She continues to add: “So many people will try to change who you are to fit their standards, but these standards are imaginary rules that are created with pressure and shouldn’t be followed if it’s not something you want to do,” she proclaimed.

Jacket in pink, white and black painted cotton tweed with braid and jewelled buttons, POA; Black T-shirt in cotton with sequins and strass embellished, POA; Skirt in pink, white and black painted cotton tweed, embellished with braid, POA; Jewelled belt in metal, leather and resin, POA; Bag in strass beads and metal interlaced with leather, POA, all CHANEL

The star, who sings in English, French and Arabic on her tracks, has a final message for her young, Arabic fans. “Keep striving, keep pushing and going against the current, especially if it means you are being yourself at the end of the day.” As a singer who is bridging languages, cultures and musical influences, Faouzia is shaping up to be the voice of her generation”.

Someone who is a terrific artist with an amazing talent, ensure Faouzia is part of your new music rotation. Only twenty-one, the years ahead will see her release so many great tracks! Already an artist who has caught so many people’s eyes, 2022 will be a massive year for her. I am new to her music, but I was instantly struck by her raw and powerful talent. Do make sure that you get…

FAOUZIA into your life.

____________

Follow Faouzia

Official:

https://www.faouziaofficial.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/faouzia/

Twitter:

https://mobile.twitter.com/faouzia

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/faouziaofficial

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLwbyg15zJgjtNL0EErkOPA

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5NhgsV7qPWHZqYEMKzbYvo

FEATURE: All Hail the Queens! An International Women’s Day 2022 Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

All Hail the Queens!

IN THIS PHOTO: Dolly Parton 

An International Women’s Day 2022 Playlist

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ON Tuesday…

IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz

it is International Women’s Day. It gives me a chance to salute some brilliant women in music. Through the years, I have been deeply inspired by female artists. I think that music has been dominated by women for years. 2022 is showing that to be true again this year. Whilst there is still inequality regards pay, focus and giving women the same rights as men, small steps are being made. I feel we will get to a day when women are on an equal platform. Considering the music they have given us and what they have done for millions around the world deserves to be recognised. The playlist below assorts legends and newer female artists for this International Women’s Day (I know I have omitted some great artists; I had to draw a line somewhere!). Here is a list of terrific songs from…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé

SOME phenomenal women.

FEATURE: Revisiting... Hailee Steinfeld - Half Written Story

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting...

Hailee Steinfeld - Half Written Story

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WHEREAS I normally include albums…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

in this feature, I anted to include an E.P. this time around. Half Written Story was released in 2020 by the California-born actor and artist, Hailee Steinfeld. Her second E.P., I think that many people who are not necessarily fans of hers might have missed it. As it received some mixed reception when it came out on 8th May, 2020, I wanted to spotlight a recent work that deserves more. I know that Steinfeld will release an album before long. Her two E.P. so far have been a snapshot of where she is at that time. Although some would say there are one or two tracks on Half Written Story some will pass by, I feel the E.P., warrants a bit more love. In any case, if you have not heard it at all, there are a few great tracks that will introduce you to an intriguing and promising Pop artist. I am not normally one who listens to mainstream Pop, though I was intrigued by Hailee Steinfeld’s Half Written Story. As someone who balanced acting and music, one can feel the two world mingle on the E.P. There were reviews that were positive and at least highlighted the fact Steinfeld is a confident artist who has amassed a lot of fans. In terms of originality and breaking into new territories, maybe that is a little way off. That said, there are moments on Half Written Story that are distinctly her. Great tracks that do hit you. I will come to those reviews soon. Before that, Steinfeld conducted interviews around the release of her second E.P.

As she told Billboard in July 2020, Half Written Story is not about popularity and streaming. It is about depth and resonance:

“Steinfeld’s singles have been primarily composed of airy, anthemic synth-pop, and consistently garnered hundreds of millions of streams — her five biggest tracks to date have garnered a combined 1.79 billion on-demand streams in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Yet those singles have yet to coalesce into a solo project since her 2015 debut EP, Haiz. That introduction is at long last receiving a follow-up this Friday (May 8) with another EP, Half Written Story, that is being billed as the first half of a two-part project. The five new songs are the most experimental, and personal, of Steinfeld’s career; they include interpolations of songbook classics, a heartbroken ballad, and a foray into pop-rap. None of the songs sound like surefire radio staples, but that seems to be the point of Half Written Story.

“It’s not about just top 40 hits, but about adding depth and [Hailee] expressing herself,” says manager Ed Millett. “We then are banking some ideas for her eventual debut album.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah McColgan 

For Steinfeld, the significance of Half Written Story has less to do with maintaining commercial momentum than trying on a few different sounds in order to establish one of her own. Her past five years’ worth of musical output consists of one-offs that were catchy enough to cross over and more thematically universal than personally revealing. Her two biggest hits following “Love Myself” were collaborations, and neither featured co-writing credits for Steinfeld.

Now, she is writing more, exploring more mature subject matter, and going through a self-described “trial-and-error process” in order to figure out what type of pop artist she wants to become. “I haven’t had that chance to really create what [my] sound is, consistently,” Steinfeld says. “I still think I’m very much in that process of finding what it is. And I feel like, with every song I do, I get closer and closer.”

One thing she has appreciated about the lead-up to Half Written Story is the act of discussing her music, in interviews and elsewhere, after years of fielding questions about her acting career. “It’s one thing to talk about a character I play, and someone else’s writing, versus my own,” Steinfeld says. “As far as acting, I’m always going to be protected by the character that I’m playing — that’s like a safety net. And the more and more I talk about my recent music, I don’t feel that, because I don’t have that. It’s very me”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah McColgan

Forbes covered Half Written Story and emphasised the multiple talents of Hailee Steinfeld. She was asked about her approach to the E.P. and its inspirations:

“When you get an Oscar nomination at 14 years old starring opposite Oscar winner Jeff Bridges in a film from Oscar winners Joel and Ethan Coen your lot is cast as an actor in the eyes of the world. Such was the case for Hailee Steinfeld after her breakout role in 2011's True Grit.

But like many, Steinfeld is blessed with multiple talents. The list of greats who succeeded in both music and film is a stunning one, from Barbara Streisand and Frank Sinatra to more recently Jared Leto and Beyonce. And despite the fact there is a proven track record of talented musicians who have dual talents (Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell were also acclaimed painters) there does sometimes remain a prove it to me attitude from fans when it comes to actors who make music.

Steinfeld proves it without a doubt on her stellar new Half Written Story, the first of a two-part collection out this Friday (the second half of the project comes out later this year).  When you hear her intimate, her attitude in the joyous pop, the production and the passion she brings to the first five songs it is clear her love of music is genuine.

When you talk to her about everything from the Weeknd and Billie Eilish to the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac it is even more evident that, to paraphrase Elvis Costello, Steinfeld's aim is true.

On the eve of the release of Half Written Story I spoke at length with Steinfeld about her passion for music, rediscovering vinyl during the pandemic and revealing so much of herself on the new songs.

Steve Baltin: People have gone different directions in releasing music during this time. What was your thought process in releasing the EP now?

Hailee Steinfeld: It was a combination of things for sure. These are songs that I am so proud of and have had for a while now. This is a project that, unbeknownst to everyone else, has been pushed quite a bit. And if I could have put this music out the day I wrote it I would have. But obviously there's so much to take into consideration. I was also away working on a TV show [Dickinson] and this was always sort of my time that I carved out for music. I try and do my best in working with my teams and making it so that I can focus on one at a time. So that whether it's music or acting it's getting 110 percent of me. So it is a very strange time to be putting out music. But I also sort of feel music has such a unique ability of connecting people and bringing them happiness. And for me music is such a release. And any time a favorite artist of mine drops new music it's like there can never be a wrong time for that.

Baltin: What have been the songs or albums you have turned to during this time?

Steinfeld: I've had the Weeknd's new album, After Hours, on repeat. I love his music. I love the production on the record. I think that he is amazing. But I've also been doing a lot of deep dives into old albums that I grew up listening to, which are a lot of the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, a bunch of Pink Floyd this morning. And I have all these vinyl's. I've actually been putting together a little home studio and so I've been wanting to hang my vinyl's up on the wall. I pulled out a bunch I totally forgot that I even had. This has been so amazing to actually sit and listen to an entire album from start to finish without any distractions. I can't tell you the last time I did that. I of course will download albums when I'm on planes and traveling. But I'm either falling asleep, someone is interrupting or you're distracted. But to be able to just sit and listen to these records from start to finish has been really cool.

Baltin: What do you hope people take from this record as a body of work?

Steinfeld: I think people now more than ever are getting so creative in the space they are in because it's really all we've got right now. I'm just looking forward to seeing their reactions to the music. I feel like I am paying this forward in the sense that I went through this time in my life that built up a thirst to talk about. And one thing I love is that all my fans will come to me and tell me these records made them feel less alone and hearing them say that and sing these songs and watching them make videos to these songs and do all that makes me feel like if what I went through was good for anything it's that”.

To finish, there are a couple of reviews that shine some positive light on a 2020 E.P. that I think should be played more. Even if you are not aware of Steinfeld, there is much to appreciate and enjoy. This is what Spectrum Culture said in their review:

“It’s been almost five years, but Hailee Steinfeld’s second studio release is finally here. The actress turned pop star, who first displayed musical aspirations with her role as Emily Junk in Pitch Perfect 2, has been a bit busy since the release of her debut EP Haiz in 2015. In addition to releasing the standalone singles “Starving,” “Most Girls,” and “Let Me Go” (among others), Steinfeld also appeared in the lead roles of the feature films The Edge of Seventeen and Bumblebee, as well as reprising her role in Pitch Perfect 3 and starring as Emily Dickinson on the Apple TV+ series “Dickinson.” Now, Steinfeld is ready to take music off the backburner and finish what she started. Half Written Story, her new extended play, is the first of two new EPs expected for release this year.

Half Written Story sees somewhat of a departure from the dance-pop Hailee Steinfeld of years past while also still delivering on strong lyrics and production. Steinfeld perhaps made it clear that melancholy would be at the forefront of her upcoming project when she chose to release “Wrong Direction” as the lead single on New Year’s Day. A heart-wrenchingly beautiful ballad, the song chronicles the end of a relationship and one lover’s perspective on wanting to believe the best in someone, even when they hurt you. “I don’t hate you/ No, I couldn’t if I wanted to/ I just hate all the hurt that you put me through,” she sings in the track’s opening lines. “Couldn’t even see through the smoke/ Lookin’ back, I probably should have known/ But I just wanted to believe that you were out sleepin’ alone.”

While Steinfeld has thus far made most of her name as a musician through singles from the soundtracks of her acting projects, “Wrong Direction” proves that she’s no one-trick pony: she can make us sing and dance while also ripping our hearts from our chests. While her music career is still rather underdeveloped and has room for improvement, Steinfeld has already shown that both vocal ability and versatility have entered the chat.

With the release of the EP’s second single “I Love You’s”—an ode to the Annie Lennox classic “No More I Love You’s”—Steinfeld blended her newfound taste for melancholy with her penchant for entertaining, melodic dance-pop. “I Love You’s,” a breakup earworm rumored to be about Steinfeld’s broken relationship with former One Direction member Niall Horan, makes use of irresistible hooks and memorable lyrics. “Diamonds won’t fool me ‘cause I’m too far gone/ Wish I could get back the air in my lungs/ I’ve been so fucked up it’s bad for my heart,” she sings over upbeat production. “I blamed it on the time zones/ I blamed it on my eyes closed/ I blamed it on the world like it owes me/ So stop me before it’s too late/ No more I love you’s/ Until I’m okay.” While a common complaint against Steinfeld’s previous releases was that she lacked personality, “I Love You’s” solidifies what her fans already knew to be true: she knows what she’s doing”.

To finish off, Beyond the Stage definitely threw their weight and support behind Half Written Story. They were definitely enriched and impressed by what they heard:

“Beginning with “I Love You’s,” Steinfeld sets the tone for the EP. She brings her usual pop sound and beat with sad and heavy lyrics. With an intriguing hook coming at the beginning, she pulls you in immediately. The song makes it clear that she is not okay through the lyrics “no more I love you’s / until I’m okay.” She also makes the song feel relatable by saying it’s too easy to say I love you because many listeners have probably regretted or questioned their use of it before. The most memorable lyrics are “I blamed it on the time zones/ I blamed it on my eyes closed/ I blamed it on the world like it owes me.” The direct meaning is a little ambiguous, but she makes self-blame a theme of this EP.

“Your Name Hurts” followed with a sound similar to much of Julia Michaels’s music. It has that background sound and faint pop beat, creating a song that many would slow dance to. It feels even more personal than “I Love You’s” because of the blatant connection to a past relationship that filled her with happiness, but left her with sadness and without a part of herself when it fell apart. Considering it plays on the EP title Half Written Story with the lyrics “We’re a half-written story without any ending / You left me to figure it out / Filled me with ecstasy, left with the best of me / But where’s the rest of me now,” I believe it should have been the opener. As what I think is the most powerful song on the album, I think she needed to make more of a statement with it.

The third song “End This (L.O.V.E.)” is a take on the romantic classic “L-o-v-e (L Is For The Way You Look At Me)” by The Hit Crew. Obviously, Steinfeld’s version is not as sweet and tender as the original. It is actually quite the opposite. The song shines light on an ex as a vindictive liar with the chorus “L is for the way you lied to me / O is I’m the only one who sees that /  V, you’re so vindictive, so I’ll be vicious / And E-N-D this L-O-V-E, love, love.” Steinfeld flips the tone to gratefulness through the lyrics “No one’s ever messed me up like you did / Thanks to you, babe, now I know what love is.” She’s recognizing that the pain she went through taught her what love is.

“Man Up” is a different vibe than the rest of the EP and almost feels like it doesn’t belong. Even though it maintains the theme of the rest of the songs, the actual sound is a little off, most likely because of the rap. While I respect her expanding her genre and trying something new and creative, I don’t believe it fits well with the story she is telling. While the other songs do reference the other person’s faults in her relationships, they focused more on her emotions after, whereas this song really isn’t about her. I do like the song, but I wish it had been a single instead of being a direct part of this “half written story.”

The last song on the EP was released back on New Year’s Day as a single with a music video following. “Wrong Direction” was the first glimpse into her emotions and into one specific public breakup that broke more than just her heart. It also hinted at what her newest music would feel like, represent, and sound like. She ends the album with a powerful song about not seeing the red flags. Opening with “I don’t hate you / No, I couldn’t if I wanted to / I just hate all the hurt that you put me through / And that I blame myself for letting you,” she shares that she blames herself for letting her ex hurt her in their relationship and not seeing the issues sooner. By making it the last song on the EP, she ends it all with reflection, leaving the next step ambiguous and listeners with a cliff-hanger about what’s to come.

Overall, the EP is cohesive give or take “Man Up.” Filled with strong and deep lyrics and flowing melodies, it is a beautiful story of her heartbreak. Half Written Story made me feel every emotion with Steinfeld and I can’t wait to eventually hear the ending”.

A great E.P. that I have been listening to a bit lately, Half Written Story was the much-anticipated second studio release from Hailee Steinfeld. With some standout moments and enough to please any Pop listener, I think that it is an E.P. that should be aired more and get some more play today. There will be a lot from Steinfeld to come. Have a listen to Half Written Story and…

SEE what you think.

FEATURE: Paul McCartney at Eighty: Eleven: Vegetarianism, Humanitarianism and Activism

FEATURE:

 

 

Paul McCartney at Eighty

IN TH IS PHOTO: Paul McCartney at a March for Our Lives sister protest in New York in 2018 to support those demanding an end to gun violence/PHOTO CREDIT: Spencer Platt

Eleven: Vegetarianism, Humanitarianism and Activism

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ALTHOUGH most of these features…

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney in 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Linda McCartney

I am putting out ahead of Paul McCartney’s eightieth birthday in June are about his music and impact on the music world, there are areas other than that I want to explore. McCartney’s humanitarian side is something that stands out. In his career, he has written songs that highlight injustice. He wrote Give Ireland Back to The Irish after seeing footage of Bloody Sunday. I think there is always an inclusiveness in McCartney’s music. From his work with The Beatles to his later solo work, he is someone who fights for other people’s rights. From voicing his support of George Floyd’s family after Floyd was murdered in 2020, to him attending the March for Our Lives’ sister rally in New York in 2018, here is someone who wants fairness and justice for all. There is this incredible compassion and warmth that naturally feeds into his songs - though McCartney can be sharp and angry if he needs to make a point or raise an important issue through his songs. Last year, Paul McCartney, alongside other artists called for change regarding streaming platforms and artist payments. The man is someone who is always looking out for others.

Aware of the inequalities and struggles around the world, McCartney uses his platform and passion to affect change. I am going to come to his animal rights work and vegetarianism. He is deeply concerned about the climate crisis and the way we are treating the planet. Humanitarianism is at the core of Paul McCartney’s heart. This article outlines ways in which McCartney has supported charities and important causes:

“As of June 2020, Paul McCartney has supported 45 charities. Throughout his life, he has donated millions to several charities and has participated in many benefit concerts, such as Live 8 and Change Begins Within. Change Begins Within was a 2009 benefit concert in Manhattan, New York, hosted by the David Lynch Foundation. It helped raise money and awareness for at-risk youth and encouraged the use of meditation to combat stress and achieve success. Other significant charities and organizations that McCartney has supported include Adopt-A-Minefield, Cruelty Free International, Everyone Matters, Greenpeace, PETA, Red Cross and the St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters. McCartney is a patron for Adopt-A-Minefield, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the problems of landmines, raising funds to help survivors of landmine accidents and helping clear landmines. From 2001 to 2005, McCartney performed in five benefit galas for the organization. In total, he helped raise $17 million for the now-inoperative charity.

Paul McCartney is a huge advocate for providing aid for childhood diseases. McCartney has four biological children, Mary, Stella, James and Beatrice, and an adopted daughter, Heather, who is the biological daughter of the late Linda McCartney. McCartney also has eight grandchildren and used them as inspiration for his children’s book “Hey, Grandude!”, which was published in September 2019. His devotion to his own children and grandchildren is evident, but it is also apparent that he cares a great deal for the welfare of children around the world. McCartney’s humanitarian work has included donations to the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, Keep a Child Alive, Children with Leukemia and Teenage Cancer Trust. These are organizations dedicated to focusing on the needs of children affected by significant diseases or disorders. Additionally, in 2012, McCartney performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the Teenage Cancer Trust, helping raise over $382 million.

Paul McCartney’s humanitarian work dates back over 40 years. In 1979, McCartney was one of the lead organizers of the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, a series of concerts that ran from December 26-29, 1979 and took place at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The concerts raised awareness and donations for the victims of war-torn Cambodia (then known as Kampuchea) at the start of the Cambodian-Vietnamese War. The proceeds went directly toward United Nations agencies’ emergency relief work in Cambodia. In addition, in 1989, McCartney participated in a charity version of the song “Ferry Cross the Mersey.” The proceeds made from the single were used to aid victims of the Hillsborough disaster, a human crush that occurred at a soccer match in the Hillsborough Stadium in South Yorkshire, England, killing nearly 100 people. The song held the number one spot on the U.K. chart for three weeks after its release.

Paul McCartney supports the eradication of poverty. McCartney’s humanitarian work also includes dedicating time and money toward helping those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. His most notable involvement with an organization dedicated to ending poverty was when he performed at a Live 8 concert in 2005. Live 8 was a series of benefit concerts organized in support of the U.K.’s Make Poverty History coalition and the international Global Call to Action Against Poverty campaign. The goal of the concerts was to raise $50 billion in aid toward impoverished African countries by 2010 (the concerts raised about $30 billion). McCartney has also supported the Worldwide Orphans Foundation, Aid Still Required and the Prince’s Trust. These organizations assist people in underdeveloped countries and unfavorable socioeconomic situations.

In April 2020, Paul McCartney performed in the One World: Together at Home benefit concert. The current international COVID-19 outbreak has affected people worldwide. Global Citizen, a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty by 2030, hosted a charity special in the form of a virtual benefit concert starring many famed musicians. The concert was titled One World: Together at Home. It raised $127 million for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and for charities providing food, shelter and healthcare to those in need. McCartney sang a solo rendition of the Beatles’ song “Lady Madonna” while playing the piano”.

I think that Paul McCartney’s late wife, Linda, was especially instrumental regarding his activism and supporting animal rights. The couple were conscious about what they ate and wore. They talked to the uninitiated and, whilst not preachy, were definitely committed to animal rights and vegetarianism. They read The Animals’ Agenda to learn about current events in the animal movement and wrote protest letters to companies involved in animal abuse. Paul wrote songs inspired by or concerning animals, whilst Linda wrote  cookbooks and created a vegetarian food business. Following Linda’s death in the 1990s, Paul McCartney reaffirmed his animal rights agenda and commitment. Definitely important when it comes to helping others see the benefits of a vegetarian diet, he is still so passionate when it comes to animal rights. This article lists five ways in which McCartney is a dedicated supporter of animal rights:

“1. He has been a vegetarian since the 1970s.

Following the end of the Beatles, Paul and his late wife, Linda McCartney, retreated to their peaceful and secluded farm in Kintyre, Scotland. Here, they raised a variety of animals, including horses and sheep. According to Paul, his decision to become a vegetarian was the result of an epiphany he had one day in the 1970s while eating dinner with Linda. As they cut into a roast dinner, they looked out the window to see their own lambs frolicking happily in the pastures. “I had an epiphany. I was taking animals’ lives.” That day, Paul and Linda made the connection between the animals on their plate and the animals in their backyard and went vegetarian. Paul hasn’t looked back since!

2. Paul has been the face of a meat-free diet for decades.

Ever since giving up eating meat himself, Paul has been an outspoken advocate for farm animal rights. He is the narrator of PETA’s “Glass Walls,” a short documentary that exposes the cruel treatment of farmed animals and encourages people to give up animal products altogether. Paul recently arranged for copies of “Glass Walls” to be sent to the moon, in hopes of inspiring future generations to continue to fight for animal rights.

Several years ago, Paul created Meat Free Monday, a campaign that encourages people to give up meat one day a week to reduce animal suffering, improve public health, and protect the environment from the negative effects of factory farming. By actively promoting “Glass Walls” and Meat Free Monday to his fans around the world, Paul has exposed millions of people to a plant-based diet who might otherwise have discounted it.

3. Paul has written several animal rights themed songs.

A renowned songwriter, Paul has penned several songs that center around animals and animal rights. As early as 1968, Paul demonstrated his love for animals in his song “Martha My Dear,” a song written not about a woman, but about his English sheepdog, Martha. In “Wildlife,” Paul began dabbling in animal rights issues by contemplating animals who are trapped in zoos.

It was 1993’s “Looking for Changes” in which Paul first explicitly and unapologetically explored animal rights issues in his professional work. This powerful song is a statement against vivisection, in which Paul proclaims, “I tell you that we’ll all be looking for changes, changes in the way we treat our fellow creatures.” Paul recently released a short rap about going meatless and the song “Meat Free Monday” in support of his Meat Free Monday campaign, and he enlisted the support of his fans to create a music video for the song. Unlike many artists who avoid controversial issues in their work, Paul has purposefully addressed animal issues in his songs and tries to get his fans interested in the issues by involving them in the creative process.

4. He also advocates to save elephants.

In addition to advocating for farmed animals, Paul has taken a special interest in elephants and has worked to ensure their survival and humane treatment. Paul played a big role in the release of Sunder, an elephant imprisoned in an Indian temple where he was repeatedly abused by his handlers. By calling for Sunder’s release, Paul helped ensure that an international spotlight was shined on Sunder’s situation. Paul has also helped to fight ivory trafficking. In 2014, Paul donated a guitar to an auction benefitting the Nature Conservatory’s African Elephant Initiative. Paul signed the guitar and wrote an additional note on it, stating, “This guitar saves elephants!”

5. Paul supports anti-vivisection campaigns.

Paul has taken a strong stand against vivisection by supporting several notable anti-vivisection campaigns. In 2011, Paul joined with the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection in calling for the European Union to ban all cosmetics that had been tested on animals. With Paul’s help, the campaign was successful – in March 2013 the European Union banned the sale of all new animal-tested cosmetics.

In 2012, Paul lent his support to Humane Society International’s Be Cruelty Free campaign, the largest effort in history seeking to end animal testing for cosmetics. In explaining his decision to support the campaign, Paul noted that “The ugly truth about testing beauty products on animals is that it causes them unimaginable pain and suffering. If every cosmetic tested on rabbits or mice had a photo on the packaging showing these animals with weeping swollen eyes and inflamed skin, I believe everyone would leave cruelty on the shelf and go for the cruelty-free option instead.” In 2014, the Be Cruelty Free campaign experienced two wonderful victories when India banned the use of animals in cosmetics testing and the import of cosmetics tested on animals”.

In June, Paul McCartney turns eighty. There will, of course, be a lot of celebration about his music and legacy. I wanted to use this run of features to look at other areas and sides of the man. His humanity and sense of morality is not only what makes him so loved as a human. McCartney has used his songwriting to talk about the environment, animal rights, race, human rights and so much more. I was going to put together a playlist of songs that demonstrate this, though there will be a few I’d miss!  There is no doubting the fact the man has…

A heart of gold.

FEATURE: Sharp Darts: The Streets’ Original Pirate Material at Twenty

FEATURE:

 

 

Sharp Darts

The Streets’ Original Pirate Material at Twenty

___________

I am not sure whether…

there will be an anniversary edition, or anything planned to coincide with its twentieth on 25th March. The Streets’ (Mike Skinner is the principal member and songwriter) Original Pirate Material is one of the best albums of the first decade of this century, and it remains one of the most important Hip-Hop albums ever. Heavily influenced by U.K. Garage and American Hip-Hop, its lyrics are rooted in the working-class lives of British characters. Real, honest, funny, laidback, endlessly sharp and innovative, I don’t think we have heard anything like Original Pirate Material since it came out in 2002. Packed with heart, humour, cheekiness and lyrical brilliance, the album was recorded at Mike Skinner’s house in Brixton. I think its D.I.Y. feel gives Original Pirate Material so much authenticity and authority. At fourteen tracks, there is so many wonderful stories and standout songs throughout. I think that there will be new appreciation of Original Pirate Material leading to 25th March. Such a relevant and influential album, it has not aged or lost any of its wonder! To show why The Streets’ debut album is so important and loved, it is wise to reference some articles. Classic Album Sundays named Original Pirate Material a modern classic. That status and honour is more than just:

“Skinner had moved to Brixton from the suburb of West Heath where he first dabbled in music as a child messing around with keyboards. By his teenage years he was obsessed with US hiphop, particularly impressed by the production skills of figures such as DJ Premier and RZA, whose work can be heard on classic tracks by the likes of Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, and Gangstarr. Inspired by their innovative fusion of sampling and drum machines Skinner began to explore the basic principles of beat-making, an interest which would soon intersect with early nightclub experiences with the then commercially dominant sound of UK garage. In-between shifts at fast-food restaurants he remained a struggling musician, sending out hopeful demos to record labels before eventually striking up a relationship with the independent Locked On, who had enjoyed hits with acts such as Artful Dodger and Craig David.

‘Has It Come To This?’ emerged in 2001 as the debut single of The Streets, becoming an unlikely hit when it reached number eighteen on the UK charts in October. Built around a beautifully seductive chord sequence and an archetypal garage beat, the song is an endlessly quotable ode to delinquency and a rallying cry for homegrown talent. The grimy detail of Skinner’s lyrics, which portray “a day in the life of a geezer”, depict the lazy debris of video games, freshly rolled spliffs, and loose scraps of tobacco, littered around the central mantra of “sex, drugs and on the dole”. The notable lack of gloss offered a realist counterpoint to garage’s typically aspirational lyrics, which centred around the glamorous fantasy of the nightclub, and in turn perhaps represented the lives of those listening to the music closer than the genre itself. Despite the languorous lifestyle it revelled in, ‘Has It Come To This?’ showed a level of ambition that outgunned many of the high profile club MCs.

Skinner’s versatility became abundantly clear with the release of Original Pirate Material the following year. Playing like an amorphous blend of UK music history, the album traverses sound system dub and reggae, punk, new wave, house, garage, and (whisper it) brit-pop, with the naturalistic ease of an artist emerging at the dawn of online artistic consumption. The syncopated stabs and pinpoint sound effects of ‘Let’s Push Things Forward’ offer up a novel blend of Jamaica, Brixton, and Birmingham, as Skinner’s voice surmounts an equation which theoretically just shouldn’t work.

Opener ‘Turn The Page’ echoes the faded glory of The Verve’s ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ with its grandiose string arrangement that elevates the lyricist’s everyman to the level of mythic warrior. The utopian yearning of ‘Weak Become Heroes’ is underscored by chords imported from Detroit or Chicago and sustained by the eternal pulse of the kick drum which unites the crowd of an imagined rave. Primarily working out of his South London room, these vivid and varied tracks proved just how adept the young musician was at forming innovative combinations with a limited set of resources.

Skinner’s unlikely charisma on the microphone underpins Original Pirate Material’s surprisingly complex depiction of modern masculinity. Despite living in London, throughout the album the MC expresses a provincial sense of boredom and a pent up rage that manifests in binge drinking, chip shop fights, and lary confrontations with friends and lovers. His self-awareness can be fun: on ‘Hold It Down’ the banter is infectious and the self-defeating nature of male heterosexual desire is hilariously skewered. Likewise ‘Too Much Brandy’ offers a queasy perspective from the midst of a European stag-do gone horribly off the rails. But elsewhere the routine grows torturous: ‘Same Old Thing’ vocalises the creeping dread of the repetition, and the way in which its protagonist attempts to break this monotony through a serious self-destructive acts hints at a low-level depression rumbling below the surface. By the time we reach the album’s closing song, ‘Stay Positive’, Skinner’s disenchantment is overt and devastating, the loneliness articulated by his listless lyrics which were recorded whilst the MC was suffering from a cold. It is Original Pirate Material’s fading afterglow – a moment which frames the preceding forty minutes as some kind of existential crisis just waiting to erupt”.

In 2009, The Guardian named Original Pirate Material as their favourite and best album of the decade. The fact that its core was all about U.K. Garage, I think, accounts for its popularity, relatability and realness. This is an artist who was representing what was happening in 2002, both in music and on the streets of London:

 “At first hearing, the almost pathological self-effacement of Tim (the mild-mannered bong-builder who goes head to head with lagered-up Terry the law-abider in the Streets' Socratic dialogue The Irony of It All) seems about as far from the defiant self-assertion of the Who's "Hope I die before I get old" as you could possibly get. But for those who would like to remember the Noughties as a period in which British pop actually moved forward at the same time as regressing into The X Factor's primordial ooze, Mike Skinner's generational rallying cry is every bit as potent as Pete Townshend's ever was.

The two most important criteria for any self-respecting album-of-the-decade contender to meet are that it could not conceivably have been made in any other 10-year period, and that it should be impossible to imagine how that decade might have sounded without it. And the Streets' triumphantly down-home 2002 debut, Original Pirate Material, ticks these boxes for the first decade of the 21st century with the same winning flourish as Massive Attack's Blue Lines did for the 1990s.

Whatever bold claims you might make for Derek B or Mr C or even Massive Attack's 3-D, Mike Skinner was the first to prove that a British rapper could speak directly to a nationwide constituency in a voice entirely his own. The raw-boned but finely honed debut of this "45th-generation Roman" established that British hip-hop could be more than just an aspiring frontier outpost of the imperial American homeland. It also turned out to be the missing link between the observational songwriting of the Kinks and the Specials, and the current pop apotheosis of Dizzee Rascal.

As large as the album looms over the British musical landscape of late 2009, its roots were to be found in the heyday of UK garage. "Every garage MC to my knowledge at that time was really a rapper," Skinner remembers. "The thing about garage was, it gave you a chance of breaking out and reaching a wider public, whereas if all you were doing was making 'UK hip-hop', there was no hope of that happening. Yet at the same time, being a garage MC was not generally regarded as prestigious. If you're a rapper, that's a good thing: you're a wordsmith. But if you were an MC – at least until the momentous Dizzee Rascal came along – that was more like being a holiday rep."

So as well as giving Skinner confidence, did the crossover success of UK garage also give him something to react against? "I've probably said it too many times now," he nods apologetically, "but that's where Original Pirate Material came from: all this stuff about get the girl and drink champagne on the dancefloor, it sounds nice to my ears, and I like that bass line, but sorry mate, I don't know what you're talking about.'"

"My experience of listening to UK garage, which was huge," Skinner continues, "was in people's cars and houses … and the idea behind Original Pirate Material was to make music which reflected that – to be someone who was on the one hand very English, but at the same time a bit like Nas, and could come up with these cool-sounding couplets about all the weed that gets smoked and all the little adventures that you go on”.

I think Original Pirate Material is an album that will still be celebrated and explored decades from now! In a year when the British music scene was changing, along comes Mike Skinner and co. to deliver this incredible album that caused a huge stir. A truly original and staggering album, Original Pirate Material is coming up to twenty. In 2017, FADER spoke to various people to ask what the album means to them fifteen years after its release. I have picked out a few responses:  

“Annie Mac, DJ and broadcaster

I first heard “Has It Come To This?” on Ross Allen’s radio show on BBC London. It was late on a Sunday night, in my bedroom in the house I shared with my brother’s band in Forest Gate, east London. I had never heard anything like it. His references were instantly recognizable — the mundane everyday issues of public transport, cheap drugs, fast food, and hangovers. There was no self aggrandizing, just brilliant phonetical descriptions of street life and culture. And it is hilarious in parts — the characters we meet and the pictures painted are so vivid.

Last year, we did a discussion feature for my radio show on BBC Radio 1 with Laurie from Slaves, Matty from The 1975, and Little Simz. All of them cited Mike Skinner as one of their biggest influences. The album is a bona fide classic, and it’s still reverberating through popular music and influencing our U.K. artists left right and center.

Rob Mitchum, journalist

In 2002, the nuances of British electronic and hip-hop culture went way over your typical American music critic’s head — which is my lame excuse for wildly misinterpreting Original Pirate Material when reviewing the album for Pitchfork that year. Since then we’ve had grime and dubstep to put U.K. garage in retrospective context. But I was pleased to discover Original Pirate Material still sounds bonkers 15 years later. Tracks like “Don’t Mug Yourself” and “Sharp Darts” are like head-on car collisions that somehow build a motorcycle — there’s no way these combinations of beat and flow should work, but they do. Mike Skinner was also ridiculously adept at mixing the grand and the mundane, with severe, ragged orchestra loops scoring the most minute of observations. “Weak Become Heroes” might still be the most accurate song about raves in existence, with a woozy pulse, a relentless, wavy piano loop, and stream-of-consciousness imagery detailed enough to trigger flashbacks. Call it first-timer luck or genius, but The Streets’s sound aged a lot better than its genre labels and clueless reviewers.

Kojey Radical, artist

I remember hearing [Original Pirate Material] for the first time and thinking, This feels like the perfect medium between garage culture and indie music. It was like the perfect soundtrack for not knowing what you want to listen to. Hearing “Stay Positive” in [2006 U.K. film] Kidulthood confirmed it was the soundtrack for growing up in London and marrying all the cultures that you come across. I’m from east London and the way [Skinner] spoke reminded me of just going to a cafe on Roman Road and speaking with the people there. Lyrical rap can feel daunting, but Mike Skinner’s approach removed all that tension in understanding lyrics, and made it sound like a conversation. (As told to Jacob Roy.)”.

Could an album like Original Pirate Material exist today? DAZED revisited it in 2017 and noted how it is distinctly British. Maybe it was a reason why it was not really known in America. I think that has changed in the twenty years since its release:

“Original Pirate Material was as British as it got, but unlike Britpop a decade earlier, it wasn’t an aggressively patriotic celebration of Albion that came striding in with a Union Jack-adorned guitar. No one who describes themselves as “45th-generation Roman”, as Skinner does on “Turn the Page” with sly wit, believes in pure Britishness; if anything, they’re drawing attention to the absurdity of such an idea. Original Pirate Material was the lives of common people as told by one of their own, shot through with deadbeat realism – no wonder it struck a chord with so many. Skinner intelligently examined the ritualistic lifestyle of “sex, drugs and on the dole” with a sympathetic eye. Everybody knows a Terry, the loutish moron on “The Irony of It All”, emboldened by alcohol: “I down eight pints and run all over the place / Spit in the face of an officer, see if that bothers you.” Terry, the target in Skinner’s merciless crosshairs, is exactly the type of bloke who gets drunk on lager and “Wonderwall” karaoke-singalongs, the sort of hooligan stereotype portrayed in the media by the riots at Marseilles beaches during the France 1998 World Cup; Skinner’s Britain, meanwhile, is multicultural, a place where you can meet both rudeboys and foreign strangers on E in clubs, as on the elegiac “Weak Become Heroes” (“I known you all my life but I don’t know your name / The name’s European Bob, I’m sorted anyway”).

The album soundtracked the beginning of a decade – recovering from the Britpop hangover and comedown from New Labour euphoria – but also defined it. If you weren’t old enough to be one of the stoned night-owls playing Gran Turismo or “discussing how beautiful Gail Porter is” (in “The Irony of It All”), then your older brother and his mates definitely were. The poignant “Stay Positive” explored the despondency of a generation bitten by drug-induced paranoia and inner-city brooding: “You’re going mad, perhaps you always were / But when things was good you just didn’t care”; the point at which “weed becomes a chore (...) so you follow the others onto smack.” Mundane things became loaded with significance, like the choice between “Maccy D’s or KFC” or busting moves in your Reebok Classics.

The album was of its time, and it’s hard to imagine something like it existing now – in 2017, club closures, the high cost of living and gentrification are leaving the sort of audience Original Pirate Material embraced in its day poorer and even more marginalised than before. The pangs of nostalgia that arise from “Has It Come to This?”, a bass-heavy wobble flexing with skipping 2-step rhythms and cannabis calm, might leave them wondering: what has it come to? Furthermore, today’s dominant sound is no longer Skinner’s, despite grime’s resurgence: pop is far too scattershot and diverse for breakthrough records that catch the nation’s imagination”.

I am looking forward to 25th March and seeing how people react to the twentieth anniversary of Original Pirate Material. An album that s so characterful, contrasting and hugely accomplished, I wondered whether a reissue would come out with extras and demos. I guess, as the album sounds quite raw and urgent, there might not be too many sketches and other bits we have not heard. No matter. The Streets’ Original Pirate Material is a wonderful album that is…

PERFECT as it is!

FEATURE: The King of New York: Remembering The Notorious B.I.G.

FEATURE:

 

 

The King of New York

PHOTO CREDIT: Barron Claiborne 

Remembering The Notorious B.I.G.

___________

I remember 9th March, 1997 very well…

as I was on holiday in Orlando, Florida with my dad. I was thirteen, and it was my first (and only) time in America. I was aware of who The Notorious B.I.G. was in 1997. It was a strange week for music in March of that year. Spice Girls’ Who Do You Think You Are? was everywhere, but I was also hearing The Notorious B.I.G. played in America too – completely different artists getting a lot of play and love helped open my mind to the sheer range and power of music! I recall hearing on the T.V. that The Notorious B.I.G. had been shot and killed. I don’t think I had experienced that before: switching on the news and hearing of a musician being murdered. It was quite a shock! Of course, as a child, any murder that happens, matter how far away, causes you anxiety. Years after that event, I sought out the music of the Rap icon. Even though he released one studio album in his lifetime, Ready to Die (1994), and a posthumous album – Life After Death (two albums with oddly prophetic and tragic titles) was released a couple of weeks after his murder -, his legacy and influence is huge. It is announced that Life After Death is getting a twenty-fifth anniversary reissue. I will come to his legacy soon. Before that, if you do not know much about The Notorious B.I.G. or are aware of what he created in his twenty-four years on the planet, IMDB provide us with some useful bio:

“Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Jamaican parents, Voletta Wallace, a pre-school teacher, and Selwyn George Latore, a welder and small-time politician. He was raised in the poor Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Dropping out of high school at the age of seventeen, Biggie became a crack dealer, which he proclaimed was his only source of income. Hustlin' one's way was a common life for a young Black man trying to make a living in the ghetto. His career choices involved certain risks. However, a trip to North Carolina for a routine drug exchange ended being the soon-to-be MC a nine-month stay behind bars. Once released, Biggie borrowed a friend's four-track tape recorder and laid down some hip-hop tracks in a basement. The tapes were then passed around and played at local radio station in New York.

Not extremely attractive, Wallace named himself Biggie, for his weight. Biggie was a Black man who was overweight, extremely dark skinned, and had a crook in his eye, yet he was a charmer. A young impresario and sometime producer by the name of Sean Combs heard Biggie's early tapes. Impressed, Puffy went to sign Biggie to his new label, Bad Boy Records.

Puffy and Biggie worked on the artist's first album, and the Notorious B.I.G. was born. Biggie was first heard on a remix of a Mary J. Blige song and a track on the Who's the Man? (1991) soundtrack. After these successes, the album worked on earlier went through its final touches and was released in 1994, titled "Ready to Die." The record was certified platinum quickly, and the Notorious B.I.G. was named MC of the Year at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards. After the quick success of the album, Biggie went back to get his friends, some who didn't even rhyme. He had several run-ins with the law, on charges that ranged from beatings, to drugs and to weapons, while all claimed that Biggie was a gentle person. He soon met a rapper from the west coast named Tupac Shakur, and the two became friends.

Tupac supported Biggie and was often giving him advice. However, their friendship turned into the most violent era of hip-hop music on November 30, 1994. While Biggie and Puffy were at a recording session at Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan, Tupac went there to record with another rapper for his third studio album, "Me Against The World" at the same time, but in the lobby, Tupac was held at gunpoint and robbed of $40,000 worth of jewelry. Tupac was shot five times. Biggie rushed down just in time to see Tupac being loaded into an ambulance. Extending a middle finger, Pac blamed Biggie for the shooting and said that Biggie knew about it and failed to warn him. This sparked the East Coast, West Coast rivalry. Tupac later recovered from his injuries. During this encounter, Biggie admitted that he was scared for his life. Biggie never responded to any of Tupac's disses. Tupac attacked Biggie in every way he could, even starting strong rumors that there was a love affair between Tupac and Biggie's wife, Faith Evans.

Later, The entire country became divided into two groups, the west side and the east side, which became Death Row Records versus Bad Boy Records, Marion 'Suge' Knight versus Puff Daddy, and Tupac versus Biggie. The two of them finally met again late in 1995, and Tupac secretly said to Biggie, "I'm just tryin' to sell some records." Unfortunately, it became very real when on September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot four times in a drive-by shooting off the Las Vegas strip after he left a fight he was involved in inside of the MGM Grand Hotel after a Mike Tyson boxing match. He died six days later on September 13, 1996 as a result of those gunshot wounds at the age of 25. The case is still unsolved. Biggie was scared for his life, but he wanted to put an end to the rivalry between the two coasts. Biggie went to the west coast for several events, to support for his next release album, "Life After Death," but also to make a statement that the rivalry was over. On March 7, 1997, he attended the Soul Train Music Awards and went to the after party hosted by Vibe magazine and Qwest Records on March 8. On March 9, Biggie was sitting in an SUV on the street when he was shot multiple times by an unknown assailant. He died almost instantly. Hip-Hop faced its greatest tragedy when both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were killed. Biggie was only 24 years old”.

Even though The Notorious B.I.G.’s short life was embroiled in turmoil and violence, his legacy in terms of music, fashion and beyond lives to this day. He was undoubtably a rare talent who, if he had lived, could have gone on to record so many more albums. Later this year, we mark what would have been his fiftieth birthday. Ready to Die is one of the most-acclaimed Rap albums ever. Funny, scary, multi-layered and hugely accomplished, there are so many things about the album that make it a classic. Life After Death confirmed The Notorious B.I.G.’s status as a legend! Given the fact Biggie was tipped for global superstardom and huge success, his premature death shook the world. In 2020, Aspire TV discussed the legacy of The Notorious B.I.G.:

“On March 9, 1997, the world seemingly stopped as fans reacted to the untimely death of one of the hottest emcees in the game- Notorious B.I.G. The Brooklyn rapper was shot and killed in Los Angeles at the age of 24 and he continues to mold hip-hop 23 years later.

Christopher Wallace was both charismatic and very complex. He had a way of using his unique storytelling ability to bring fans into his world and make you dance at the same damn time. Although his time here was cut short, Wallace- known as Biggie, Biggie Smalls, B.I.G., and Notorious-  is arguably one of the greatest rappers to have ever lived. Truly starting from the bottom, Biggie used his God-given skills of hip-hop to find relief from the environment he grew up in.

Here are 5 reasons Biggie’s legacy continues to shine brightly on the culture decades following his death:

• His freestyle skills were unmatched. A freestyle on the streets of Brooklyn in 1989 introduced Biggie Smalls to the world. Even at age 17 he had the ability to portray full and detailed stories about life on the streets off the top of the dome with an unbreakable flow and finessed lyricism.

• He was humble. In a world where rappers solely spit about drugs and alcohol, he would often rap about himself and make fun of his own image. He once rapped “black and ugly as ever.” He may have been on top of the rap game, but was as humble as ever.

• He only released two albums before his life was cut short. His first album, “Ready to Die,” caused him to become one of the first rappers to ever go quadruple platinum. And his second album, “Life After Death”, went gold in its first week before ultimately going over diamond and becoming one of the biggest selling albums in hip-hop history. Both are considered hip-hop classics.

• His storytelling is unparalleled. Biggie Smalls was a prolific writer. His tricky wordplay and detailed stories will have audiences unsure of their actual reality. He could take you outside of your world and into his for the two minutes you spend listening to tracks like “Somebodies Got to Die,” where he imagines his own revenge after the loss of his friend.

• He showed us that the sky really is the limit. Tracks like “Juicy” show that there’s more to life than the circumstances you’re born into. “Birthdays was the worst days, now we sip champagne when we’re thirsty,” Biggie Smalls used a lot of his lyrics to preach positivity that if he could make it anyone can!”.

In addition to posthumous albums and a 2009 biopic, Notorious (which starred rapper Jamal Woolard as Wallace), there has been a lot of discussion about The Notorious B.I.G. and what he gave to the world. In terms of his music, he is one of the most influential rappers ever. Pretty much leading East Coast Hip-Hop in the early/mid-1990s, artists like 50 Cent and Eminem definitely take influence from him. Before moving to more general influence and legacy, this article discusses how, on top of everything, Biggie was a masterful marketer:

“Influencer Marketing

Black Excellence is a relatively new term, but Biggie was setting the foundations for this back in the 90s. When you look back at his music videos, he was bringing brands that had previously not been associated with Black culture to the forefront, influencing.

Moët & Chandon has a longstanding relationship with hip-hop; the business switched its focus from targeting white and wealthy audiences when the likes of Biggie organically endorsed them in music videos where they popped bottles as a sign of lavish living. The drink was instantly transformed from being just a Champagne brand to symbolising a part of what was soon to become pop culture.

This was much to do with Biggie, who referenced household names including Alizé, Dom Perignon and Moët in his music. Now some of the biggest names in hip-hop have their own drinks brands – Diddy with Cîroc, Jay Z with D'usse, and Rick Ross with Bellaire”.

There is no telling just how far The Notorious B.I.G. could have gone if he had lived! A phenomenal M.C. and lyricists, his work will continue to inspire generations of young rappers. Wikipedia documents the extensive and ongoing influence of a Rap colossus:

“Considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, Wallace was described by AllMusic as "the savior of East Coast hip-hop". The Source magazine named him the greatest rapper of all time in its 150th issue in 2002. In 2003, when XXL magazine asked several hip hop artists to list their five favorite MCs, Wallace appeared on more rappers' lists than anyone else. In 2006, MTV ranked him at No. 3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time, calling him possibly "the most skillful ever on the mic".

Editors of About.com ranked him at No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007). In 2012, The Source ranked him No. 3 on their list of the Top 50 Lyrical Leaders of all time. Rolling Stone has referred to him as the "greatest rapper that ever lived". In 2015, Billboard named Wallace as the greatest rapper of all time.

Wallace's lyrics have been sampled and quoted by a variety of artists, including Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Fat Joe, Nelly, Ja Rule, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Game, Clinton Sparks, Michael Jackson, and Usher. At the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Combs and Snoop Dogg paid tribute to Wallace by hiring an orchestra to play while the vocals from "Juicy" and "Warning" played on the arena speakers. At the 2005 VH1 Hip Hop Honors, a tribute to Wallace headlined the show”.

Before wrapping up by looking back at a documentary that was released last year, it is worth mentioning the album that The Notorious B.I.G. should have been celebrating and promoting on 25th March. Even if Life After Death has a title that seems eerie and oddly prescient, he did leave the world with a mighty and majestic album. Almost as stunning and peerless as his debut, its twenty-fifth anniversary will introduce new people to the album. This is what Pitchfork said about Life After Death in their 2017 review:

“Double albums tend to be overblown, self-indulgent cash grabs, but Life After Death warranted the approach. Beginning with the 1994 Quad Studios shooting of Tupac Shakur in New York City, the Notorious B.I.G—along with Combs, Shakur, and Suge Knight—was at the center of a multifaceted rivalry. It was a struggle between N.Y.'s Bad Boy and L.A.'s Death Row records that surpassed label affiliation to become about coastal loyalty, arguments about commercialism vs. art that spread from the music industry to the public, whispers of motives and allegiances ran from the streets to the urban criminal underworld. Big easily had more than one album's worth of material to talk about.

Not only did he have more drawn on, he had more ways to talk about it than anyone else. More than anyone one else in rap ever, Big was able to break language and bend syntax to speak about things in ways that were unforeseen yet seemingly unavoidable in hindsight: “At last, a nigga rappin' 'bout blunts and broads, tits and bras, ménage à trois, sex in expensive cars, and still leave you on the pavement,” he rapped on the No. 1 radio single “Hypnotize.” He continued: “Condo paid for, no car payment. At my arraignment, note for the plaintiff, 'Your daughter's tied up in a Brooklyn basement.' Face it: not guilty—that's how I stay filthy.”

Big was a master of flow, sounding unforced and unlabored over a bevy of pristine, hi-fidelity maximalist beats that seemed to always bow to his intent. His voice was that of a gentle giant; a sumo ballerina who could deashi and pas de bourrée, henka and plie. Few terms in any tongue can capture the way Big was light on his words while heavy on thought. He made his slams look like pirouettes even over the most grating pop moves like “Mo Money Mo Problems,” which showcased Combs' predilection for turning ‘80s R&B hits into ‘90s rap tunes—a push and pull between producer and artist that remains unmatched in hip-hop to this day.

This infamous tug between Combs' pop predilections and Big’s gully tendencies is all over Life After Death: the way the sequencing goes from the Herb Alpert-sampling “Hypnotize” to DJ Premier's Screamin' Jay Hawkins chop on “Kick in the Door” to a boudoir ballad with the R. Kelly-assisted “Fuck You Tonight” to black glove tough talk with The Lox on “Last Day” to lavish ballerism on the René & Angela remake “I Love the Dough” with Jay Z. It's a wrenching of the ridiculous that Big wins at every turn by being on “that Brooklyn bullshit” on “Hypnotize”; by making “Fuck You Tonight” unprofitable without a heavily-edited radio version; by squeezing so many words and skillful mispronunciations and imagery like wearing precious stones “in beards and mustaches” into “I Love the Dough.”

Despite being 24 cuts deep, the album never wears on—the quick twists, deep moods, dark humor, and mastered artistry more than hold your attention. But, still: Like even a good movie, you're ready for it to end when it ends, and it climaxes with songs that deliver on the promise of the era of conflict (and death and rage and extremism) that surrounded Big in 1997. Due to his assassination 20 years ago on March 9th, the last three songs—“My Downfall,” “Long Kiss Goodnight,” and “You're Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)”—were never enjoyed by the public at large while Big was alive. Today, it's almost impossible to hear them as anything other than war songs for the dead and those about to die. These numbers are both a declaration of intent and pauses for remorse; clarion-song and elegy alike, heavy instrumentation for the trenches and pews, all hymnals of well-earned paranoia and odes to a dawn of violence”.

Last year, there was a bit of a wave of new Biggie interest. The documentary, Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, featured unprecedented access granted by the Wallace estate. Rhino gave us details about a rare and personal account of a short life that was full of promise and talent:

“In the case of the Notorious B.I.G., you can never call it a comeback. Despite his tragic murder in 1997, the legendary Brooklyn rap icon's music and legacy still loom larger than life. Monday, March 1, new documentary, Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, debuts on Netflix. The film takes a look back at the life and music career of young Christopher Wallace, who grew up to become the hip-hop legend Biggie Smalls, AKA The Notorious B.I.G.

The doc arrives with the release of Music Inspired by Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, a 14-track collection that celebrates the music and legacy of Notorious B.I.G. The album is stocked with the Grammy-nominated hits that made the rapper a superstar, including "Hypnotize," "Mo Money Mo Problems" and "Big Poppa."

"This will be the first documentary to focus on the experiences of my son's life and the art of his music rather than the circumstances of his death," explained Voletta Wallace, the rapper's mom and one of the executive producers of the movie. "It shows the sort of in-depth storytelling that Christoper loved. This is how he would have wanted to be remembered”.

Whilst one cannot whitewash the facts and call The Notorious B.I.G.’s life spotless (his arrests and controversies cannot be forgotten; people accused him of being involved in the murder of one of his rivals, the iconic Tupac Shakur, in 1996), there is no doubting what an important artist and figurehead Biggie was! Despite being involved in the feud between East and West Coast rappers whilst making his second album, many feel he is the greatest rapper who has ever lived. Quite an achievement for someone who was only twenty-four when he died!  On 9th March, it will be twenty-five years since the world lost The Notorious B.I.G. Even so, he has inspired so many others; his music is still played…and we regularly see features published about him. From his music to his fashion through to his marketing genius, here was an icon and supernova talent – the likes of which we will never see again. This was a salute and fond remembrance of…

A notorious superstar.