FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Ten Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

  

Songs from Albums Turning Ten Next Year

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THE penultimate part of this series…

celebrates albums that turn ten in 2024. The year 2014 was especially strong when it came to albums. I have included a song from a range of wonderful 2014 albums in a playlist at the bottom. I suspect that a few of the albums will get a reissue treatment sometime next year. As we look ahead to 2024 and what new music will arrive, I wanted to take us back a decade to some of the brilliant albums that came out that year. If you need a refresher as to what was happening then, the playlist below assembles songs from sensational albums that…

ARRIVED in 2014.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

  

Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen Next Year

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I am going to do one more…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Armin Rimoldi/Pexels

edition of this series before wrapping up. This penultimate feature spotlights albums that turn fifteen next year. Focusing on pearls from 2009, the playlist at the end has more than a share of quality songs! Maybe there are fewer classic and huge albums as features earlier in the run. I am heading briefly back to 2009 to celebrate albums that are fifteen in 2024. I will end with albums turning ten for the final in this run. Right now, and if you need a reminder of what was popular in 2009, then I think that the playlist underneath should…

JOG the memory.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Twenty Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Albums Turning Twenty Next Year

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IN this feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

counting up to 2024 and looking ahead to legendary albums that have significant anniversaries coming up, the playlist below is all about 2004. Albums that are coming up for twenty years. Definitely a big and important milestone, it is a pleasure to go back twenty years and albums that were gaining acclaim – even if I am a bit earlier and we are still in 2023. It has been interesting putting together a playlist of tracks from epic albums of 2004. A terrific year for music, you can see the quality below. It is a pleasure to embrace and spotlight albums that turn…

TWENTY next year.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Twenty-Five Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

  

Songs from Albums Turning Twenty-Five Next Year

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NEXT up in this series…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Diana Onfilm/Pexels

that looks ahead to 2024 and albums that have important anniversaries, it takes us now to 1999. This is a celebration of albums that turn twenty-five. A big milestone, there are some real classics and masterful albums in the pack! A superb playlist with songs that ended the 1990s with real style and impact, it is worth saluting a quarter-century of some sublime work. Like I say with every feature in this run: there will be albums and songs you will recognise, though there will also be ones that you are not necessarily familiar with. Whether you were growing up in 1999 or it was before your time, you cannot deny that the songs in the playlist below are from some…

SERIOUSLY important and incredible albums.

INTERVIEW: THE GOA EXPRESS

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDITS: Cal Moore

 

THE GOA EXPRESS

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WHILST most bands…

would be resting or unwinding with less than a couple of months to go until the end of the year, there are definitely thinks to look forward to if you are a fan of THE GOA EXPRESS (James Douglas Clarke (guitar + vocals) and Joe Clarke (keys), along with Joey Stein (lead guitar), Naham Muzaffar (bass) and Sam Launder (drums). Their self-titled album arrives on 1st December. On 27th November, they release their new single, It’s Never Been Better. You can pre-order their album now. The Burnley-formed band will definitely win new fans with their approaching debut. With some December dates in the diary, go and check them out if you can. Prior to the unveiling of a song that is hook-laden and will be a hands-in-the-air anthem, I have been speaking with James from the group about some exciting forthcoming releases. On the debut from THE GOA EXPRESS, songs will document experiences of growing up, their spirit of friendship and dreams of escape. The band summon music that is infectious and relatable, yet fresh and original. I ask about their debut album and new single, whether enough focus is being given to artists from the North, what the rest of the year holds in store, and what it was like working with producers Damon Minchella and Tom Manning. It has been a pleasure discovering more about the mighty THE GOA EXPRESS. They are a band who will have…

A very bright future.

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Hi guys. How are you? How has your week shaped up?

James: We are busy busy busy. Dressed up for a Hallowe’en party on Friday night, spent all day Saturday feeling sorry for ourselves, and then watched the Manchester derby on Sunday at the pub in Hebden. It hasn’t stopped raining for a few days now, so just trying to get things in order while we have the time, keeping warm and staying dry.

You are releasing the new single, It’s Never Been Better, on 27th November. Can you tell us a little something about how the writing of that song?

The song was written many years ago as a demo on GarageBand and is the oldest track on the album and, therefore, weirdly feels right as the single we release before the album. All of the boys loved it from the first listen - and that was the general consensus from the others who also heard it. I guess the track is about how all good things come and go: friends, relationships, the weather…

“There wasn’t a moment wasted, and yet we somehow managed to get everything done”

It precedes your self-titled debut album on 1st December. How excited are you knowing it will soon be in the world? Are there any clues/teasers you can give as to the type of sounds/subjects documented on the album?

We’ve been in a band for a long, long time now, so to be able to have something physical to release to the world and show for it means a huge amount to us all. It’s hard to speak about the specific themes on the album, but I guess it’s largely about growing up, messing around, making some mistakes along the way, and doing your best to make stuff happen.

A lot of bands and artists take a while to record an album and can get into difficulties. What was it like being in the studio recording THE GOA EXPRESS?

We did the album and a few extra bonus songs in three weeks. Being in the studio with The Goa Express is good fun, we think…you would have to ask Damon and Tom. We tend to do most things  together and make sure to not run out of things to do. There wasn’t a moment wasted, and yet we somehow managed to get everything done.

“People have been asking for that song for years now”

I understand you worked with producers Damon Minchella and Tom Manning. What was that experience like?

Working with Damon and Tom was incredible. We have a huge amount of respect for the both of them and we can’t speak any more highly. Initially, we recorded a load of demos at our old studio in Manchester, and therefore knew what we wanted to achieve when we got to the studio. So when we got there, we knew what to do.

Do you have any personal favourite songs from the upcoming album?

It’s hard to say. All of the songs came naturally while writing, and therefore tell personal stories from different parts of our lives over the years. Small Talk has always been a fan favourite, so I guess we are pretty happy that people will be finally able to listen to it properly. People have been asking for that song for years now.

You grew up in Burnley. How important was the community and the spirit of Burnley important regarding your friendship and sound? Do you think that part of the North is still under-exposed and recognised?

I think the North is under-exposed. Of course, there are the big cities that we all know about like, but the smaller places around the edges seem to go unnoticed. Burnley gave us a work-hard-play-hard spirit that has kept us moving throughout the years. We try not to let things get us down and know good things come to those who wait.

“We might even win some awards along the way…”

You must be excited to be touring and performing after the lockdown! Did anything change in regards your dynamic and songwriting approach having gone through lockdown and the pandemic?

Lockdown was a strange time for everyone, but we just kept ticking along, doing our own thing, making our own plans. A lot of our plans and touring schedule got really messed up, but we didn’t let it bother us too much. I guess that’s the way we tend to operate. Just getting on with stuff. Things will work out in the end.

In addition to the album release, what else is in store for the remainder of 2023?

I think the plan for the rest of the year is to release another single some time down along the line and then play some shows for our release. Hopefully, we will be amongst many of the festival line-ups and we can have a good time doing what we do best. We might even win some awards along the way…

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Follow THE GOA EXPRESS

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Thirty Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

  

Songs from Albums Turning Thirty Next Year

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IN the next…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

of this series of features marking albums that have important anniversaries next year, it is a beautiful one-two. The previous one was concerned with 1989. One of the finest years for music ever, perhaps it is bettered by 1994. That brings me to albums that are thirty in 2024. Such a beautiful bounty of stunning albums that defined a truly wonderful and memorable year for music, I have chosen a song from each and popped them into a big playlist. I know that a fair few of these albums will be reissued next year in anticipation of their anniversary. I think that 1994 is the best year for music. The playlist below is a good argument that I am…

RIGHT on the money.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Thirty-Five Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

  

Songs from Albums Turning Thirty-Five Next Year

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CARRYING on…

 PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

with features that celebrate albums that have big anniversaries next year, we are now at 1989. One of the very best years for music ever, this is a brilliantly full and varied playlist! I am going to include as many as I can. There might be albums that I have overlooked. Turning thirty-five in 2024, below is a selection of the magnificent and genius albums that ended the 1980s in real style! Such a wonderful and near-unbeatable year for music, I have collated the very best of 1989. As many eyes will be turned to these albums next year – as there may be reissues and anniversary releases – I wanted to get in early and focus on them. Again, you may know most of these albums, yet there will be a few that are new or a bit less familiar. Here is a playlist featuring cuts from the very best and most important albums…

OF 1989.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Forty Next Year

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The Digital Mixtape

  

Songs from Albums Turning Forty Next Year

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KEEPING going…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels

in features that celebrate albums with big anniversaries next year, it is now to 1984. A terrific year for music, I wanted to mark forty years of some giant albums. Even though we are not in 2024 yet, it is worth looking ahead to some world-changing and classic albums that have those important anniversaries approaching. You will know about most of these albums, yet some might be new to you. I hope that you enjoy the playlist. As so many albums get these anniversary reissues, I think we may see some of those included in the playlist get a new vinyl/physical release next year. Let’s hope so anyway. Take a listen below to some wonderful songs from some seriously worthy and standout albums that turn…

FORTY next year.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Forty-Five Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

 

Songs from Albums Turning Forty-Five Next Year

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IN this run of features…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Grzegorz/Pexels

I am casting ahead to albums that celebrate big anniversaries in 2024. There are lots of timeless albums that will be included. For this part, I am looking to those that turn forty-five next year. Those treasures from 1979. One of music’s best years, there were so many unbelievable and legendary albums that came out then. Apologies if I miss a few, though I think I have managed to capture the very best from that year. There will be a load of songs in this playlist that are familiar and get played a lot – some of them might not be. I am excited to bring the best of 1979. For the next instalment in the series, I am compiling a best of from those wonderful albums…

FROM 1984.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Albums Turning Fifty Next Year

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

  

Songs from Albums Turning Fifty Next Year

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I was going to go back…

 PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

sixty years to celebrate albums that hit that milestone next year. 1964 saw some fantastic albums release, though I think I will start this run of feature looking back fifty years. I am starting with the best albums released in 1974. Such a rich, fantastic and iconic year for music, below is a playlist feature selections from songs from the very best. You may have been around then or it was before your time. Either way, enjoy a combination of wonderful songs from legendary albums…

RELEASED in 1974.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Some Sexy, Hot and Sensual Songs from the 2020s

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

 PHOTO CREDIT: nappy/Pexels

 

Some Sexy, Hot and Sensual Songs from the 2020s

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I am in the midst of preparing…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Samuel/Pexels

various features and playlists for Christmas and next year. From Christmas playlists, present guides, plus albums celebrating big anniversaries next year, there is a distinct vibe with that music. As it is cold and the days are shorter, I wanted to use both of those things and provide a playlist featuring the sexiest , most sensual and hottest tracks from this decade so far. It has been one when we have seen some alluring R&B, fiery and intense Pop, together with some red-hot Rap. Below are a collection of songs that will bring thew heat and sweat. For those cold days and long nights, this a selection of some pretty racy and intense songs. Even if, in my view, genres like Pop and R&B have become less provocative and risk-taking when it comes to discussing sex and passion, there is still plenty of raw and revealing songs. From nakedly direct tracks to those that have a sensuous backdrop, here are some temperature-raising songs for…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Luiz Gustavo Miertschink/Pexels

AUTUMN’S chill.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Kevin Abstract

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Kevin Abstract

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ALONGSIDE new and rising artists…

there are those are more established that I like to highlight for Spotlight. In the case of Kevin Abstract, there may be those who do not know about his work. Born Clifford Ian Simpson, the Texan rapper, singer, and songwriter is a founding member of Brockhampton.   His debut album, MTV1987, arrived in 2014. Kevin Abstract’s second album, American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, was released in November 2016. His third, Arizona Baby, was released in April 2019. Now, with Blanket fresh out, we have this impressive body of work from an amazing artist. I still think there are people not aware of Kevin Abstract. Rather than spotlight him as an artist coming through, it is a chance to make people aware of the brilliance of Kevin Abstract. Before coming to some recent interviews and reviews, I want to take things back further. Office Magazine spoke with him in 2016. After the release of his second studio album, it was a busy and eventful time for Abstract:

“OFFICE — So American Boyfriend’s just come out, what’s this past week been like for you?

KEVIN ABSTRACT — It’s pretty calm. I guess things happen here and there that I get stoked off of, but it’s pretty calm. Yeah, it’s just been figuring out what I’m gonna do next— not figuring it out, but just trying to do it.

O — Well that’s nice that it hasn’t been hectic. Have you been doing a lot of press?

KA — Yeah, a lot of the press I did, I did right before the album came out, so I get to finally see those things come out. I’ve been planning a video for the next single, that’s been taking up a lot of my time. It’s for a song called Runner, it’s one of my favorites. I’m also planning this prom, like to have my own prom basically for kids that never got to go to theirs. People like me, and most of my fan base. That’s gonna be fun.

O — And you’re performing? 

KA — I’m gonna do the whole album, I’m gonna have Jaden Smith come out, and the Neighbourhood.

O — So you moved here to LA about six months ago, right? 

KA — Yeah, I moved here from Texas, and I lived in Georgia for a little bit, the last two years of high school. In Texas I lived in Corpus Christi, and I lived in The Woodlands, which is like a suburb north of Houston. Arcade Fire, some of them are from there.

O — What made you choose LA, as opposed to, say, New York, as your destination? 

KA — New York’s too cluttered for the way I think about things, and sometimes I just have to be somewhere where I can go outside and breathe a little more, if that makes sense. See more of what’s actually around me, and be a little more in control. I like having control of certain things in my environment, when I’m in New York I don’t feel like I have that—maybe just not now because I’m, uh...I’m not rich. If I had more money, then maybe. But California feels like its own world, it’s crazy. Coming from Texas at least. I love it here.

O — Tell me about Texas.

KA —Well Corpus is kind of like a beach town almost, there’s the ocean, and the palm trees. That’s one of the reasons I like LA so much, because it reminds me of it. Except Corpus is not as beautiful as LA, but it’s beautiful in its own way. Selena’s from there. Pretty cool. The type of hip-hop scene there is like Baby Bash, Paula Deanda, just weird pop things. I was just always on the internet growing up, so I found Kid Cudi through Kanye West’s UniverseCity blog, that sparked a lot for me. Tyler, the Creator, Odd Future, all that stuff was like a really big turning point for me as an artist, and as a person. The Woodlands was just a boring suburb with a bunch of white people, not many black people or people of color, not too much culture I could resonate with. But what I found that I liked the most about the suburbs was the fact that there’s a lot of pain behind the beautiful homes and shit. I ended up bringing that to my music, and that’s what my entire album is.

O — What is that pain, where does it come from? I guess I’m not really surprised to hear that it exists.

KA — It’s not really surprising. I think it just comes from broken families, and lies. People should just be way more real with each other, and there’s a lack of that, in the suburbs that I grew up in.

O — Do you think there’s something about the suburbs that’s inherently less honest?

KA — People just want to keep up with other people’s lifestyles and money, they all have to look a certain way and they don’t want to be real with each other. This guard is up, no one ever wants to let their guard down”.

 

I will bring things more up to date. Some might not know about Kevin Abstract. There is a lot to explore and dive into when it comes to Blanket. It is an album that I realty love. One that everyone needs to hear. Vulture recently spoke with Abstract about his new album:

“Kevin Abstract is mellowing out, singing in a low whisper, and trying to abstain from antics that incite indignant threads in fan forums. Blanket, his third solo album, is a dark, tender rock opus that centers sounds he has dabbled in before — in the psych-rap jams “Tattoo” and “Yellow” from 2016’s American Boyfriend and the indie-trap deep cut “Cash” off Saturation, the 2017 release from his boy band Brockhampton — and he doesn’t want to distract from the music. “For the first time, I feel myself growing older,” Abstract sings in the shimmering, devastating “Voyager.” Maturity means making more focused art and seeking less attention. This will excite Brockhampton fans who were incensed last year when the group announced an indefinite hiatus and a final album called The Family, which turned out to be a captivating one-man postmortem on the collective’s career starring Abstract, before following up the next day with the real swan song, TM. Collective exhaustion and an itch to be done with a record deal inspired the feint last year, the 27-year-old rapper, singer-songwriter, producer, and director explained during a call last week. I wanted to confirm my guesses about which Pacific Northwest rock bands from the ’90s influenced the new songs and to trace the polymath plays that landed him a consulting job on HBO’s Euphoria.

There were guitars in the mix on your first two solo records, but Blanket is a full-fledged rock album. What brought that about?

It happened naturally. For years, I’ve been trying to make something that I genuinely would want to listen back to and stand next to on the road as a solo act. I finally did something that I’m beyond proud of. At times, I just haven’t allowed myself to fully go all the way there, but this … instinctually, it just felt right. I kept saying early on that I wanted to make my punk version of folklore. It’s a little joke we were throwing around, but it became a vision I ended up chasing throughout the whole album-making process. I was writing about exactly where I was and also dreaming of old memories from my childhood, not living in that nostalgia, but just looking back.

What have you been listening to lately?

A lot of current rap, some classical music. A lot of stuff I listened to growing up: Sunny Day Real Estate, Modest Mouse.

I like hearing that you were listening to some of the specific indie rock your new stuff made me think about. There’s a sense of intimacy because Modest Mouse at one point was just three guys trying to fill space in a song.

There’s also something supermodern about that. In a lot of rap, there’s so much space. You hear one line over and over, and it’s hypnotizing and kind of psychedelic. I thought it’d be cool to do that with these sonics and this whispering vocal style. Everyone was like, “Oh, it sounds like Alex G.” I Love Alex G so much. God Save the Animals was on repeat in my crib and in the studio all year. But the thing is, those chords are very similar to Modest Mouse chords, and growing up in high school, every boy I had a crush on was playing Modest Mouse. So it’s just in my soul and in my DNA to naturally like those kinds of chords. I think that’s why I like Alex’s music so much. I’ve been a fan since living in Texas, before we put out any of the Saturation stuff.

The timing of Blanket is very, “All right, there’s gonna be some changes around here.”

The last Brockhampton album was me straight up rapping every song. On this one, I didn’t really want to do that. But I still view it at its core as a rap album, maybe because I’m a rapper and I love rap music.

Let’s talk about those last two Brockhampton albums. When I saw the back-to-back release dates of The Family and TM and realized everyone would get 24 hours to think the final Brockhampton album had cut the rest of the group out, I knew people would be fried. How did that go for you?

People hated me. But I think it will be appreciated later down the line. I cringe a little bit saying that, but I love the fact that the group allowed me to do that.

What were the conversations about making The Family like?

They were easy because everyone was pretty much over it. Like, “All right, cool. Run it.” I think they felt betrayed by it, but we were just fully off it at that point. No one wanted to do another album, basically. Everything I say on The Family sums up how everyone felt about our decision to do that. It wasn’t just mine. It was me and a few other members.

Did you really make that album to wrap up a deal?

A thousand percent.

Before that, you became a consultant on Euphoria. What does that job entail?

Really just Sam Levinson showing me vibes and having me come to set to be like, “Yo, what do you think of that? Does that look cool?” I’m like, “Yeah, it’s cool.” It was lit. It was sick. You’re killing it. All the actors are great. I’m around all these new Hollywood people. It’s crazy energy to be around. Inspiring. One of my favorite videos I ever directed, the “Sugar” video by Brockhampton, opens with an alien in a sex scene. I sent it to Sam, and he liked it and asked me to be a consultant. I saw a bunch of cool stuff I never experienced before because of that opportunity. Truthfully, all I want to do is make movies, TV shows, and commercials. I try to take advantage of the chance whenever I’m rolling out my own music. World building — making an experience for people — is my favorite. It’s equally as important as the music. The music is just a piece of that for me.

I heard you met Drake.

I met Drake through Euphoria. I mean, I didn’t really meet him. Right before lockdown, I was at a table read, and there was a lot of food. I had a cheeseburger, and I saw him and I was like, “Bro, thank you for the food.” He said, “Of course, man.” That was great.

How has your creative process evolved since Saturation?

Back then, I was so broke and so desperate for attention. It was like, “How can I get everyone in Los Angeles and in New York and on the internet to look at me? How can I carve out my own lane where I can make albums and remind an audience that they can only come to me to get this specific sound?” I’m very patient with it right now. I’m not desperate for the attention. I’m not in a hurry to get there.

How was writing lyrics without a group to bounce ideas off of?

It was hard. It was lonely. It was challenging. But once I broke through, it was incredible. I need to be pushing myself more. It showed me how I was slacking in the past, relying on others too much”.

I am going to jump to reviews. CLASH were among those keen to praise a stunning album. Blanket ranks alongside Kevin Abstract’s very best. The more I listen to it, the more I seem to get. It is clear that this artist needs to be on everyone’s radar:

“Blanket’ is the moody new record by Kevin Abstract, a sometimes-minimalist project bathed in vulnerability and boasting a defined essence of melancholia and reflection. Coming nearly one year after the final BROCKHAMPTON album, ‘TM’, this new record from Abstract marks his first solo venture since the end of the band. ‘Blanket’ will clearly attract the lion’s share of BROCKHAMPTON fans, but where this record shines is in its absence of hip-hop, and in its embrace of genres Abstract has yet to toy with this heavily. It casts fuzzy guitars and pitched vocals in leading roles, providing a raw live concert feel – though Abstract ensures the tracks retain the hard-hitting nature of his hip-hop background.

What makes ‘Blanket’ thrive and pulse is its completely commitment to unrelenting honesty and vulnerability from Abstract. He runs through the record naked, speaking odes on his identity, atop of some gloriously fuzzy riffs, synthesisers and drums. The Texan polymath cultivates a visceral world on ‘Blanket’, the track list a diverse conglomeration of grunge, bittersweet ballads, pop and hip-hop. The record is at its best when noisy and scrappy, nineties West Coast undertones the thread throughout – the dynamic ‘The Greys’ sparse but still thrashing and heavy, ‘Today I Gave Up’ downtempo but oozing that Pacific Northwest emo tonality.

Though between the rock sensibilities, Abstract’s knack for the subtle shines brightly on penultimate cut ‘Heights, Spiders and The Dark’, a brooding, country-tinted moment with a healthy dose of expansive sub-basses. Though the tracks on ‘Blanket’ may not see the virality of previous material like the Dominic Fike-bolstered ‘Peach’, Abstract’s writing across this new record is some of his most assured and confident to date, with the phenomenal Romil Hemnani (also of BROCKHAMPTON fame) and multi-instrumentalist Jonah Abraham lending their skills to the creation of ‘Blanket’.

Remaining true to form, Abstract retains his genre-less but directed appeal, this new LP an incredible effort and easily his greatest opus to date. While the bulk of his hip-hop flair has been thrown to the side on this project, his voyage into guitar-based territory was clearly a fantastic move, Abstract sounding as comfortable and infallible as ever. As his first solo outing since the denouement of BROCKHAMPTON, Kevin Abstract’s newest studio album continues to assert him as one of the greatest talents of this generation, an individual who eliminates conformity and remains earnest and candid, regardless of the sonic environment he visits. 8/10”.

I am going to end with a review from The Standard. More alternative and broader than his previous work, some critics have not been sold and won by that. Regardless, there are plenty who have shown affection for Blanket. I think that it is one of the strongest albums from this year. Go and listen to it if you have not heard it already:

“A former boyband member making a solo rock album is not a surprising concept. From Charlie Simpson of Busted going indie with Fightstar, to Harry Styles channelling David Bowie on his first single, a guitar is a common shortcut to credibility for those suffering from a shortage of the stuff.

But as with everything involving Kevin Abstract and his former group Brockhampton, it’s a bit more complicated than that. The diverse LA rap collective, who notoriously formed on a Kanye West fan forum and included a web designer and a photographer among their members, always seemed to be using the “boyband” term to subvert it rather than because their music had much in common with production line pop, and tired of it well before the media did.

Meanwhile Abstract, real name Ian Simpson, was operating as a solo act even before his group really got going. This is his fourth album since 2014, while Brockhampton managed a remarkable eight between 2017 and their official split this time last year.

Nor is this the first time he has put guitars on a record. On his 2016 album American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, songs such as Seventeen, Tattoo and Papercut (the latter famous as the moment he came out as gay on record) all feature casually strummed guitars and a lo-fi, indie feel. But he was still mostly rapping back then. On Blanket he sings throughout in a semi-whispered, intimate voice.

Abstract has described the album as follows: “I wanted to make, like, a Sunny Day Real Estate, Nirvana, Modest Mouse type of record. But I wanted it to hit like a rap album.”

The song Heights, Spiders, and the Dark does have the kind of grim-faced acoustic chords and cello that recall Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged album. Earlier in the album, Running Out is a melodic highlight with pretty, energetic chords that might remind listeners of the Smashing Pumpkins favourite 1979.

The idea of Blanket hitting like a rap album is a tougher sell. The distorted electronic buzz and chopped-up screams of the song Mr Edwards has more dynamism, but it’s over in less than a minute. The track he calls Madonna has the brightest chorus, but he refrains from making the musical backing as forceful as it could be.

More commonly, as on Scream and Today I Gave Up, he sounds sad and sleepy, the style coming closer to the laidback indie feel of Mac DeMarco or Alex G. It’s not the kind of album that will launch him to solo superstardom, but it doesn’t sound like that would appeal to him anyway”.

Even though he is quite an established solo artist, maybe there are not as many people in the U.K. as know his work when you compare that to his U.S. fanbase. Kevin Abstract is a remarkable artist who you know is going to keep putting out these wonderful albums. If you have not tuned into his music, then make sure that…

YOU do that now.

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Follow Kevin Abstract

FEATURE: Eireplay: Doubling Up: The Urgent Need to Correct Gender Imbalance on Irish Radio

FEATURE:

 

 

Eireplay: Doubling Up

 IN THIS PHOTO: Denise Chaila/PHOTO CREDIT: George Voronov via District Magazine

 

The Urgent Need to Correct Gender Imbalance on Irish Radio

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ONE issue that seems to come up…

IMAGE CREDIT: Why Not Her?

every year is the gender imbalance across radio stations. In the U.K., there is still this problem with women being underrepresented. There is also a comparative lack of artists of colour. It is slowly improving on some stations, though there are major ones that have a huge gulf. The same is true of Irish radio. One might say there are fewer female artists (compared to men) across the Irish music scene, meaning it would be harder to create that sort of balance. A recent tweet by Linda Coogan Byrne (GDEI Consultant + Equality Campaigner at Why Not Her?) looked ahead to the gender disparity report that will come out in January. It documents the imbalance across Irish radio. There are a lot of great new Irish artists coming through that are not getting played. As I will explore, maybe the industry is not supporting women and creating an environment where they can be heard and in the mix. It is going to be quite angering reading:

“So far on Irish radio this year, in the Top 100 most played songs on Irish radio: (Jan -Oct 31st)

Only 18% of Irish radio is by Irish artists on Top 20 Playlists across all radio stations.

Dermot Kennedy still reigns across the radio, having 4 songs on heavy rotation the entire year round.

14% are white male artists.

4% is female artists and that is The Cranberries, Aimée and Jazzy making up that 4%.

Of the 18% of Irish artists, 2% make up Irish POC artists and that one artist is Jazzy, with two track, one her solo project release under Jazzy and second one is with her collab with Belters Only.

4% of Irish radio's most played artists were comprised of 3 female artists/lead female vocalists.

82% make up International Artists.

Doesn't seem right does it?”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kynsy/PHOTO CREDIT: Paula Trojner

It is not the case that there is a lack of great Irish women to play. From CMAT to Denise Chaila through to Biig Piig and Kynsy and Pillow Queens, there is enough variety and choice out there. It is not a new issue, imbalance. Look at this feature from last year that reacted to the 2022 Gender Disparity Data Report:

“The 2022 Gender Disparity Data Report on Irish Radio by Why Not Her? has stated that no artists of colour from Ireland featured in the Top 100 Most played songs on Irish radio in 2021.

Irish women artists make up just three per cent of the Top 100 Most played songs on Irish radio in 2021.

Dermot Kennedy is now the highest-impacting artist in the last five years across Irish radio with Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” being the most-played song in 2021.

The Findings

RTÉ Lyric FM and RTÉ Radio 1 had the greatest gender balance out of all Irish radio stations while Spin 1038 was the most improved.

FM104 significantly lagged behind for the third year in a row, with only three female artists in their top 20 most-played acts.

The report noted that “if you are a white Irish male artist, it is five times more likely that you’ll make it to the Top 100 than if you are an Irish female artist.”

Linda Coogan Byrne, founder of Why Not Her? and data analyst commented on the report’s findings: “There is a diverse multicultural vibrancy that is at an all-time high, this needs to be reflected in the radio stations in Ireland. It is my continued hope that these data reports can continue to set the precipice for a lot of change to come. Change can happen at a quick rate, (as is evident in Spin 103.8, Rte2fm etc) when an unconscious bias is stripped back and when the effort is applied to make the shift towards DEI.”

“It is a sad situation that we mostly rely on the privileges and power of white men to make the decision as to whether women and artists of colour are good enough to be seen and heard. I hope one day this changes. We will continue as a collective to stand with our colleagues and friends in broadcasting and the music industry in working towards reaching an equal voice for women and artists of colour alongside the LGBTQIA+ community across every facet of Irish culture and we will never be afraid to ask the question Why Not Her?”

Upcoming Legislation

Under new government plans to encourage greater participation of women on the airwaves, radio and TV programs may be required to show or publish their gender balance.

Media Minister Catherine Martin has issued a proposal for gender balance in the media that will be included in several amendments in the Online Safety and Media Regulations Bill which provides for radical moves for the establishment of Coimisiún na Meán.

Some of Minister Martin’s amendments will provide that Coimisiún na Meán may make media services codes to promote gender balance on current affairs programmes on TV and radio, as well as promote the broadcasting of musical works composed or performed by women on radio services”.

There is a gender disparity that has existed for years. It is evident that there is insufficient support of female artists on Irish radio. Like the U.K., the industry does seem to still favour male artists. I don’t entirely think it is a lack of visibility that causes these alarming statistics. Not only is there a gender disparity on U.K. radio. Sadly, there is racial imbalance too. I am not sure whether this is going to be corrected completely in the next few years. The more we see inequality across Irish and U.K. radio, the more it will impact negatively in the future. Apart from a natural bias that has always worked against women, I think there is an ignorance of talent. The talent is out there, yet there seems to be this blindness. I know that fewer female artists are signed to labels. This means it can be harder to build a large profile to make it onto radio playlists. Female artists are performing live and releasing music online, though how many have a realistic shot of reaching the same level as male artists who have a label and bigger push from the industry?! I don’t think the larger industry can be blamed entirely. Like on Country stations, there seems to be this block against women. Not playing a run of songs by female artists. It is insulting to the brilliance of music being made by women. There are so many Irish women who are making incredible music. Again, it is men who dominate and take most of the airplay. Sadly, the Gender Disparity Data Report 2023 is going to highlight inequality across Irish radio. It is very clear that…

THIS time next year.

FEATURE: Spotlight: DEBBY FRIDAY

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

DEBBY FRIDAY

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HAVING played…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Katrin Braga for The Line of Best Fit

at London’s Roundhouse last night (11th November), there is a lot of love and support in the U.K. for DEBBY FRIDAY. A stunning Electronic artist based in Toronto, her debut album, GOOD LUCK, was released through Sub Pop this year - where it deservedly won Canada’s Polaris Music Prize. I am going to get to some reviews for GOOD LUCK. With all Spotlight features, it is worth pulling in some interviews. Gaining traction and popularity in the U.K., I know that DEBBY FRIDAY’s music is connecting with people around the world. I am going to start out with an interview from The Line of Best Fit from earlier in the year. In promotion of the as-then upcoming GOOD LUCK, we learn more about her artistry and music. She is a compelling artist that everyone should follow:

“Decades down the family tree of Audre Lorde’s thinking on the transformative power of our erotic nature, which triggered an awakening that still resonates strongly today, FRIDAY’s multidisciplinary work is centred on the idea of the erotic and togetherness. “[Those two things] are very linked in the way that I understand music, and the way that I communicate through music,” she says. “I think music is metaphysical because it's both tangible and intangible. You’re dealing with stuff that is unseen, but at the same time it’s felt in the body.”

It’s a theory that she has talked about at length, and one that guides her expression through a multitude of avenues like filmmaking, writing, directing, music-making and her study of philosophy, psychology and mysticism. Armed with acid-laced drum pads and subaquatic basslines, FRIDAY plunges into the depths of herself, allowing her inner turmoil to be a source of information that prompts unfiltered creativity.

She takes her cues from the works of philosopher Carl Jung and his concept of the ‘shadow self’, using electronic punk as a tool to illuminate every aspect of herself. “I am a very firm believer in the Jungian theory that states that what is not let in through the front door will come in through the backdoor, every time,” she says. “If you don’t face your shadow – the ugly and disgusting parts of yourself, the parts that you’re ashamed of – then you’re going to have a lot of issues in life.”

FRIDAY’s artistry transcends genre and exists as a style she describes as “both a hybrid of feeling and emotion.” It’s inspired by a collection of her experiences, from warehouse raves to her early exposure to the internet and pop culture as a young child. She recalls hours spent downloading music through LimeWire, feeling as though she had everything at her fingertips while discovering genres old and new.

The music of Nigerian juju musician King Sunny Ade and Afrobeat originator Fela Kuti floated in the background of her childhood, along with folk gospel music. The electronic genre crept into her realm during high school, but her connection to it gradually bloomed when she began rave-hopping through Montreal’s nightlife circuit at age 15.

It was during her time in university that she surrendered to the experience and immersed herself in this space that was also largely informed by the underground Soundcloud culture of the time. Friday soon found DJ’ing, which was influential in establishing a foundation for her own production style. Although she only did it “for a little under a year,” the experience allowed her to travel around North America and over to Europe, bringing her into contact with “all these different communities of artists who were making the most strange and interesting kinds of music.”

Quitting the nightlife scene, unhappy with how it affected her mental wellbeing, FRIDAY moved from Montreal to Vancouver, where she taught herself how to produce her own music, gathering resources from YouTube and other online platforms. “Essentially, I just went after the sounds that I liked,” she says. “I didn’t really have an understanding of how to create a track or how to make music, but I knew what I liked”.

NME are big fans of DEBBY FRIDAY. I am going to get to a very recent interview that they conducted. First, back in April, they chatted with the artist and producer about her debut album, performing at SXSW, and her first global tour. GOOD LUCK truly is one of the best albums of this year:

“NME: How do you feel about sharing ‘Good Luck’ with the world?

“I’m very excited. It feels like it’s been a long time in the making so I’m just ready and I’m ready to see what happens. When I made the album I had the intention of making something that felt honest and I feel like I accomplished that with ‘Good Luck’. It feels authentic to me and to so many parts of my artistry. It’s a very personal album.”

Was it daunting to produce and write such an authentic record?

“I don’t think I’ve had a choice. Even from the beginning as a young person growing up in a very strict household being myself was an act of rebellion. When you’re in a really structured environment you have to find ways to express yourself outside of your home. You have to find ways to be honest about who you are. It comes automatically, I don’t know what else I would do.”

You’ve previously said that if you could describe your music in one word you’d choose ‘thunder’. What word would you use to describe ‘Good Luck’?

“I would say ‘journey’. A lot of the emotion that went into ‘Good Luck’ was coming from a place of feeling lost and finding myself and becoming myself. A lot of those songs are me in the present time writing to a past self, either sharing words of comfort or reflection. One of the things I wanted to do with this album was connect with people who had similar experiences. If you’ve ever felt lost, or like ‘what am I doing’ or ever wondered, ‘is this heaven, is this hell?’ I wanted to translate that question of ‘who am I?’ into the album to let people know they aren’t alone in that experience. It’s something that’s very common and a lot of people go through that, and a lot of my album speaks to that.”

What messages were you hoping to share with those past versions of yourself on ‘Good Luck’?

“I love you. Don’t be scared. Keep going. Especially keep going. I never thought I’d be a musician. I was very creative as a child but the idea of being a musician never entered my mind. My parents are immigrants and I had no understanding of the music industry. Even now, putting out this album I still feel so in awe of everything. I have a lot of gratitude and I’m still wide-eyed. I’m still like ‘what life am I living right now?’ So I would tell my younger self, ‘keep going’. Everything I’ve been through all of the pain all of the suffering, all of the fucked up moments, my path hasn’t been linear but I can say now on the other side that it’s worth it.”

You’ve described yourself as the “zillennial anti-heroine”. What is it about that title suits you?

“I feel in between generations. I’m a very young millennial and I grew up on the internet which I think is the dividing factor. I call myself an anti-heroine because I think if you look at the beginning of my story, you wouldn’t think I’d eventually figure things out. I was very lost and rebellious when I was younger. Now, I feel like an unexpected underdog in a certain sense”.

Prior to getting to some reviews, I am going to jump to this recent NME interview. Reflecting on her Polaris award win for GOOD LUCK, defying genres and a successful year, DEBBY FRIDAY revealed what it was like listening back to her debut album now:

“With Sub Pop backing her do-it-yourself mentality and two EPs drumming up her subversive sonics, Friday released ‘Good Luck’ in March of this year. The album followed suit of her previous releases, brimming with caustic confidence and showcasing a melting pot of soundscapes, with Friday’s soulful and sinister vocal delivery pontificating about love and hardship while outlining what she told NME during her SXSW debut earlier this year was the “journey” to become herself.

The vibrating, pulsating single ‘So Hard To Tell’ leads the album’s charge, as she sings to her younger self, asking a protagonist in a sultry register “All alone by yourself in the city / Act like you don’t need help / Honey, honey Is this heaven or hell?”. In other moments, like ‘What A Man’ Friday plays with timeless orchestration, building her voice over blistering echoing retro guitars, repeating “what a man” with the veracity of a funk singer. ‘Good Luck’ is a testament to how comfortable Friday is being both vulnerable and daring. It’s a clear evolution from her earlier EPs, and she’s not done growing.

“I did what I set out to do with this album,” she says. “Now I am in a completely different emotional space. When I listen back to it, it can be very heavy at times. I feel like I got it all out in the album and I’ve been working on my new music and hearing the difference between where I am now sonically and emotionally. I’m in a different place and it’s a different tone. I feel like the Polaris Award was almost this bow on top of ‘Good Luck’.”

Now that she’s wrapping her last life cycle the different place she’s in can be heard in her latest single ‘Let U In’, a glittery, drum ‘n’ bass love song she wrote while on tour in Melbourne, Australia. “I wrote the song about surrendering to love and missing your boo when you’re on tour,” she says. “I felt very happy and vulnerable and wanted to explore romantic vulnerability. I’m using my voice in a different way and the emotion feels lighter. It expands in a different direction, and the sound of my next album is similar.

Next month, Friday heads back out on a global tour, something she’s eager to embark on now that she’s able to revisit her past through her music and still show her fans the optimistic and lighter emotions she’s feeling in the present. “The power of music is what really takes me,” she says when asked about performing ‘Good Luck’ to fans. “I’m in awe of it.”

Now, with an award-winning debut behind her and a future of mining new sounds from fresh emotions, Friday is looking forward to what’s next while still wonderstruck about what she’s created so far. “Of course, you have goals and aspirations but having these things come true and all of it exceeding your expectations?” she says with a smile and a pause. “That’s a wild feeling”.

GOOD LUCK was received with a lot of acclaim when it came out. I am going to include a couple of the great reviews it scooped. Stereogum were compelled by the feverishness and epic quality of a compelling and confident debut from DEBBY FRIDAY:

“The artist that goes by Debby Friday was born in Nigeria and grew up in Canada, bopping around different cities before landing in her for-now home base of Toronto. She came up in the clubs and started out as a DJ but quickly branched out into making music of her own. Her debut EP came out in 2018, and it was called BITCHPUNK: a sort of genre signifier to label her aggressive, domineering sound. Another EP, DEATH DRIVE, followed the next year. Both early releases had their moments, but neither could prepare you for the sheer ambition GOOD LUCK.

Her first full-length is sweaty and determined, eager to deliver on its teeth-chattering beats with a feverish intensity. The influences are obvious, but the ways that Debby Friday crashes those sounds together are not. There are healthy dashes of Nine Inch Nails and Death Grips in her industrial gothic thump; there’s a dose of Crystal Castles in the shattered glass beat of “HOT LOVE.” You might be reminded on Beyoncé’s recent foray into the pulse-racing annals of house music on the opening title track, or the strangled guitars of Yves Tumor on “WHAT A MAN.” She spits and twists into raunchy rap on “HEARTBREAKERRR,” launches herself into sloppy religious ecstasy on “PLUTO BABY.”

There’s nothing necessarily groundbreaking about the sonics of GOOD LUCK, but its executed so well. Every one of its shadows have contours. Debby Friday has it all: songs that make you feel like that bitch, songs to wallow in, songs to lose your dignity to. Her voice is versatile and elastic — sometimes it channels disco detachment, other times it takes the form of a vicious snarl. In between the cockiness, a more conflicted figure emerges: “I’ve been a bad girl/ Oh, all my life,” she sings on “LET U DOWN,” a song that cycles through different perspectives, all downbeat and downtrodden. “I’ve been a mean lover, I’ve been a dream crusher/ I know I let you down.”

And I’ve been holding out on you, saving the best for last. The clear standout on GOOD LUCK — and the song that I think might make Debby Friday a star — is “SO HARD TO TELL,” the one where she ditches her music’s spikiness and softens her sound into a hypnotic, intoxicating loop. Pulled apart by forces beyond her control, Debby Friday navigates the wild swings of a soul that’s never content. “You’re just a young girl/ All alone by yourself/ In the city/ Act like you don’t need help,” she sings. “Honey, honey/ Is this heaven or hell?/ When it gets like this/ It’s so hard to tell.” The song is soothing and immensely catchy, and though it doesn’t contain any of GOOD LUCK’s in-your-face sonics, it’s just as tenacious and bold”.

I will finish up with Loud and Quiet’s take on an album from an artist and producer that I have a lot of respect for. DEBBY FRIDAY has just played in London, so that will boost her already large U.K. fanbase. With more dates set to come in 2024, many will also look forward to new music. There is no doubt that GOOD LUCK made a big impact with critics:

“Don’t you fuck it up / Give it what you got,” sings Debby Friday in the opening moments of her debut record, GOOD LUCK. The Nigerian-born, Toronto-based artist has produced a coming-of-age record that candidly deals with past mistakes as well as inserting positive affirmations to serve as reminders to continue growing as both a person and artist. In her lyrics, there’s evidence of a life lived and lessons learned, both in the personal and professional sphere. “You’re just a young girl / All alone by yourself in the city / Act like you don’t need help,” she intones, with an endearing vulnerability in her cadence on ‘So Hard To Tell’. A few songs later, ‘Pluto Baby’ ushers in a far more assured Friday whose unflinching presence is magnetic not only on this song but throughout the record.

Metallic timbres and industrial beats provide solid foundations to these ten instantly immersive and infectious arrangements. An overarching Y2K sensibility dominates some of the electronic elements woven into the defiant musical personality of the propulsive centrepiece ‘Hot Love’ and the pop-tinged ‘Heartbreakerrr’, which already feels like an instant classic designed to be sung late into the night. Elsewhere, Friday injects tonal variety towards the end of the LP with the sultry (and slightly unexpected) ‘What A Man’ melding a Cure-esque bass riff and a Slash-like solo within a nocturnal setting, yielding similarly magnetic results in the way these worlds collide in an Yves Tumor tune.

There’s an extraordinary elasticity across GOOD LUCK’s masterful production that makes repeated listens not just enjoyable but irresistible. Friday establishes a great sense of balance throughout the ten tracks. From the industrial, claustrophobic gloom of the album’s title track and ‘I Got It’ to the sweeter and more spacious compositions, Friday moves seamlessly through these deftly-engineered soundscapes. There’s always something new to hone in on and further draw you into this immensely multi-faceted body of work that further illuminates her dexterity as a songwriter and performer. It’s in these moments, and her faultless portrayal of GOOD LUCK’s commanding protagonist, where we can see the artistic evolution since the release of early EPs Bitchpunk (2018) and Death Drive (2019).

If there’s only one thing to be said about Debby Friday’s poised debut it’s that she most certainly gave it all that she’s got”.

A producer and artist who has already been tipped for greatness, I know that the next year or two will see DEBBY FRIDAY ascend to new heights. GOOD LUCK has been followed with amazing singles like let u in. Always creating such physical, soulful and dynamic sounds, I am going to watch DEBBY FRIDAY closely. She is an amazing talent that we all need…

IN our music rotation!

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Follow DEBBY FRIDAY

FEATURE: Revisiting… Dagny - Strangers / Lovers

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting…

  

Dagny - Strangers / Lovers

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AS the wonderful Dagny…

is releasing her second studio album (or ‘mini-album’, technically), ELLE, soon, I wanted to shine a light on her amazing 2020 debut, Strangers / Lovers. She (Dagny Norvoll Sandvik) has talked about the album and breaking that ‘second album curse’ that some artists face. Strangers / Lovers was acclaimed and popular - though you do not hear as many of these wonderful songs as you’d like on the radio. I will come to some of the amazingly positive reviews that this album accrued. Released during a real peak in the pandemic, it must have been frustrating for Dagny not to be able to tour the album and talk about it how she would have liked. Strangers / Lovers provided great relief and released for her fans at a difficult time! Check out her Instagram for updates regarding the new mini-album. I think that her debut is one of the most impressive of this decade. It is terrific and needs to be heard by everyone. I am going to start with an interview from The Last Mixed Tape. Released on 2nd October, 2020, Dagny’s remarkable debut album definitely made a big impression:

“Following her breakthrough hit ‘Backbeat’ grabbed music fans attention in 2016, Dagny has been building towards the creation and release of her forthcoming debut studio album Strangers / Lovers (due out on October 2nd). Speaking about the road leading up to this pivotal point, Dagny reflects. “It’s funny, I’ve been singing since I was 16 years old and I’ve found old interviews from years ago where I am promising my debut album was just around the corner. I eventually had to stop saying that, cause it wasn’t true. I wasn’t ready yet. Since ‘Backbeat’ I had so much to learn, I’ve always wanted to tell a story on a bigger picture and show a different side to my music, but it wasn’t until last year that I felt the time was right.”

“I think when I decided to set up my own label,” Dagny continues. “I felt I had the freedom to make the album. I had 250 songs to work through, and people were looking for a massive hit but I much rather the idea of making a full record. I enjoyed the process of telling a story not with just one song but with lots of songs and sounds. Plus, I’ve been gigging the same ten songs for years, so I think me and the people who have stayed with me all this time are ready for something new”.

Set for its full release on October 2nd, Strangers / Lovers is an album cast across two parts, one of which (side A) was released earlier this summer. Speaking about the narrative and thematic concepts that went being the record, Dagny states, “the two sides to the album came to me a long time ago. I’m from Northern Norway, and we get 24 hours of night and 24-hour daytime depending on the time of year. I remember saying that when I got the chance to do a full album, I wanted to make something that had both a light and a dark side. Side A is upbeat like summer, while Side B feels more like Autumn.”

“I react emotionally to songs” Dagny comments when asked about how she curated years of songwriting into her debut offering and fit with the central narrative of the album. “So I was able to bring everything down to the songs I connected with the most, and I felt I could make the contours of a full story. The idea of going from Strangers to Lovers and back to Strangers again is brutal. The idea of being close to someone then not being able to pick up the phone to talk to them again. Side A is chronological, it’s about meeting up and falling in love like ‘Come Over’ and ‘Paris’, but by the time you get to Side B you can see things aren’t what they once were.”

Live shows are such an essential part of the music. With the current pandemic impacting performances across the globe, Dagny looks forward to finally being able to perform once again, stating. “I love live music, it’s what I live for. Gigging is the reward to making this album, I miss it and hope that I can go out and play this album before I go and start the next one. I really can’t wait to play ‘Somebody’, ‘Come Over’ and ‘Coulda Woulda Shoulda’. So hopefully things will go back to normal soon, for both musicians and fans”.

I will come to a couple of the reviews. There was a lot of positive reaction to the amazing Strangers / Lovers. Awarding the album 9 out 10, this is what The Line of Best Fit said about a sensational debut album that announced this very special artist. If you have not checked out Strangers / Lovers, then I would thoroughly urge you to:

“Ever since bursting on to the scene with the dazzling Backbeat in 2015, Dagny has continued to deliver hit after hit. Having opened The Line Of Best Fit Five Day Forecast event back in 2017, the Norwegian star has steadily made a name for herself as a genuinely talented song-writer, a reputation which was boosted by the release of the first tranche of songs from her debut album Strangers / Lovers earlier this year.

Having proven her pop pedigree by penning tracks for Katy Perry and collaborating with Steve Aoki amongst others, Dagny’s song-writing prowess is there for all to see on this record, the second half of which, Lovers, completes the set. It’s unusual to be able to refer to something as ‘classic’ sounding for an artist when talking about their debut album, but Dagny has released such a wealth of material in the years leading up to this record that it’s hard to argue otherwise; as we’ve come to expect, this is powerful, punchy, effervescent pop music at its finest.

The latter half of Strangers / Lovers sees Dagny in her prime: open-hearted about being broken-hearted, free to muse on the highs and lows of new relationships and exuding boundless energy. Explaining why the album was released in two parts, Dagny explains “there was a very clear divide in the lyrics. There's this part that's about going into a relationship that's happy, and then there's also this part that explores the story of being out of a relationship. I felt like putting them together as one big package felt confusing.”

Following on from the foot-stomping, euphoric sounding tracks on Strangers, such as “Somebody” and Come Over”, there are elements of Lovers which are similarly explosive, irresistibly catchy and produced to perfection. You can be sure that if dancefloors were still a thing in 2020, they’d be packed out with people bouncing to the punchy bassline on “It’s Only A Heartbreak” and joining in with the ‘Oooooh’s’ on “Bye Bye Baby”. There are nevertheless some more tender moments scattered throughout, such as the melancholy piano-ballad “Bad At Love” and a nod to Dagny’s hometown of Tromsø on the closing track “Coast To Coast”.

Overall, Strangers / Lovers confirms Dagny as a true force to be reckoned with - a stellar record, consistent in its emphatic sound and almost entirely without fault”.

I will finish off with a review from The Independent. As many fans get excited about the release of ELLE – the first of a trilogy of mini-albums, it is scheduled to be released at the turn of the year -, I think that there is still a lot to get from the magnificent Strangers / Lovers:

“In Dagny’s native town of Tromsø, Norway, the sun is obscured from view from November through to January. Perhaps this explains why the artist – full name Dagny Sandvik – is compelled to make such dazzling pop music.

Her debut album, Strangers / Lovers, is a veritable koldtbord of slick, danceable tracks that capture both the euphoria of love and the defiance of heartbreak. On “Somebody”, she’s giddy, soaring across propulsive synth beats to reach an anthemic chorus; the shimmering “Bye Bye Baby” revels in the catharsis of closure. There’s a wonderful Fleetwood Mac bass thrum on “Moment”, while “It’s Only a Heartbreak” – inspired in part by Humphrey Bogart’s famous “Here’s looking at you, kid” line from Casablanca – is a clever twist on the oft-explored theme of unrequited love.

Dagny's debut has arrived a couple of years after the UK's Scandipop frenzy, which might be perfect timing. While it’s been noted that she might (to date) lack the big personality of stars such as Katy Perry (Dagny co-wrote and was sampled on Perry’s 2019 hit “Never Really Over”), her personality – and music – seems more inspired by the quirks and introspectiveness of early Sia. Which is by no means a bad place to be. RO”.

An album I loved when it came out. Strangers / Lovers is a wonderful, moving and enormously impressive release from the Norwegian queen, Dagny. She is one of the best artists in music right now. Such a complete talent who is going to inspire so many other artists in years to come. If you have not explored the brilliant, vibrant, varied, mature, open and awes-inspiring Strangers / Lovers, then make sure that this beautiful album…

DOES not pass you by.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Bo Milli

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Bo Milli

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EVEN though I wish that she had…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Synne Sofi Bønes

more of a profile across Twitter/X and Facebook, you can still find Bo Milli across a variety of platforms. Her music is that which needs to be heard by as many people as possible. Her Making Friends E.P. came out in October. I want to start out with some biography and interviews. There is not a lot of information out there about an artist based out of Bergen, Norway. I think these are the earliest days of her career. Things will expand as we look into next year. There are some interviews bits that give us more insight and depth regarding an amazing artist. In 2022, The Indy Review spotlighted her track, At the Wheel. Still a rising artist then – as I guess she is now -, there were eyes and ears on the brilliant Bo Milli:

“Coming of age during a global pandemic, with climate change as an ever-present background nightmare, newcomer Bo Milli has had a lot of existential crises to draw from with her music. Raised on an island in Norway, and now based in Bergen, the young indie rocker has been gaining recognition this year after first posting her single “At the Wheel” on Soundcloud. That track, a lightly melancholic rocker with Milli questioning the state of the world (“who is at the wheel these days?”) drew comparisons to artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Soccer Mommy.

With the release of her latest single “How it Is” last week, with “At the Wheel” as a b-side, Milli is showing that she is definitely a voice to watch. Milli’s vocals on the track have an ethereal sweetness to them, going into twee levels that contrast nicely with the sturdy drum beats, chunky, upbeat chords and horn accompaniment. Lyrically juxtaposing apathy and youthful determination, one can hear this inner battle in the musical dynamics”.

I want to move to One to Watch. They spotlighted Bo Milli (Emilie Østebø) and praised the approaching Making Friends E.P. They noted how she is someone primed for world domination. You know that this is an artist who is going to be firmly on everyone’s radar next year:

“Hailing from Norway, Bo Milli is a rising star bound for worldwide domination. 23-year-old Emilie Østebø pours her heart out in her debut EP, Making Friends, a tale of self-discovery and learning through experience. Like any successful exploratory young adult piece, each track could be perfectly placed in your favorite coming-of-age film. Universally relatable yet earnestly personal, Bo Milli’s gentle yet powerful vocals tell stories of first relationships, nights out in Bergen, and realizing harsh truths about herself and social interaction.

The EP opens with the melodic driving track “Come After Me,” an ode to the art of yearning and overthinking. Bo Milli sings of expectations taken from make-believe, grand romantic gestures you only see in movies that don’t have to be explicitly requested. A track that details the hope we feel as we age into the dating world, our narrator pours her heart out in song but not reality. The repetitive line “I want you to read my mind” showcases her admirable naivety, a trait that is also encapsulated in the lackadaisical sound of the record.

In the titular “Making Friends,” Bo Milli details the unmatched novelty of going out with friends. Its indie-rock sound energizes listeners to feel the experience first-hand, as she describes weaving through the crowd. Bo Milli sings with soft vocals, “Everyone here’s a stranger / but I know they love me / because I love them.” It’s the epitome of the electrifying experience of going out and absorbing the energy of a party.

There are welcomed stripped-back moments in the project, especially on “Be your Girl.” A flip side of the opening track, Bo Milli focuses on sincerity as she admits real intention to be with said crush. Desire slips through angelic vocals as she sings, “I know I might not be very cool / and this might be a very risky move / but it’s true.” It’s a simple love song, but one whose dynamism could only belong to Bo Milli.

"All the songs on the EP are in some way about struggling to ask for what you want from other people," Bo Milli shares. "'Making Friends' describes drinking too much when looking for genuine connection, ‘Come After Me’ fantasises about being perfectly understood without having to say anything, ‘I’m in' is about being honest in the wrong way and 'Chewing Gum’ - about macho-posturing."

 “Chewing Gum” is a standout moment for this budding artist, with a chorus so catchy it’ll be on your mind long after the song ends. What can only be described as a female macho-anthem, Bo Milli experiments with her own agency and plays the role of someone who’s unaffected by past lovers, convincing herself of her own indifference. Over an addictive pop-rock instrumental, “Chewing Gum” is an anthem for girls to pretend they don’t care, and even if they do, they’re welcome to jam out and pretend to be carefree for a couple of minutes.

In the last track on the EP, Bo Mili reflects on her actions and wonders if people can truly change. With an intriguing melody and smooth bass, she takes responsibility for blowing things out of proportion, reflected sonically in the explosive chorus. With the most confidence in her words, Bo Milli bravely announces that she’s fully in.

In her debut EP Making Friends, Bo Milli takes listeners inside her brain, from overthinking to yearning to contradicting herself and repeating the cycle again. It’s an accurate description of growing up, a diary on display put to music that emphasizes those complicated feelings. The start of a fruitful songwriter on the rise, we can’t wait to see what’s next for Bo Milli”.

I am going to finish with a feature from The Line of Best Fit. They highlighted Bo Milli’s Chewing Gum single. In the course, they also wrote how Making Friends is an E.P. is one you will want to hear. Chewing Gum is an “alt-pop macho anthem with plastic-girl power”:

“Bo Milli’s latest track "Chewing Gum" sounds like the song that kicks in as the credits roll in a teenage-coming-of-age movie (the kind they just don’t make anymore). If the song were a movie plot, it would follow the protagonist as she uses and drops someone as though they were just a piece of gum. It carries all the sonics of early 2000's pop-punk but treats us to a modern spin, lyrically subverting the traditional female role. She doesn’t submit to being dropped by anyone so takes the role on herself, describing the track best herself, as “macho-posturing.” The lyrics are all the evidence we need to know that she is not the type to comply with any preconceived expectation, and as the listener you can’t help but root for her.

Based in Norway, Bo Milli’s music is steeped in the heightened emotions of adolescence and she plans to express this in her debut EP, a body of work that has been in the making for the last two years. At only 23 she expresses her woes matter-of-factly. She paints an image of loud clubs and quiet mornings after, capturing her age with ease. It just so happens that the alt-pop rock genre suits her lyrics and the many emotions she has to let out.

Describing this latest track, Bo Milli says that "'Chewing Gum' is a macho-anthem expressed with unconvincing and plastic girl-power: totally unapologetic about having used and dropped someone as carelessly as if they were a piece of gum, I excuse this behaviour with the line "I’m a woman, I’ve gotta get it done". The choruses (and the solo) are all bravado, but the verses describe meeting a scorned lover with someone new and hints I’m not nearly as unaffected as I claim to be."

The distorted guitar alongside the echoey vocals makes it cathartic music at its best, full of frustration and relief when played at full volume. It carries all the frustration of a woman scorned presented with all the confident expression of her alt-pop rock predecessors. Bo Milli takes the events of her life and turns them into a catchy hook for others to relate to, evident as ever on "Chewing Gum".

I am curious to see where Bo Milli goes next. The Norwegian artist is one of the freshest and most exciting young artists coming through. Making Friends is among the strongest E.P.s of the year. If you have not heard her before, go and seek out her music. I hope that more interviews and profiles come online. Perhaps more engagement on Twitter/X and some bigger shouts and focus from radio stations here in the U.K. There is no doubt that the amazing Bo Milli is going to go…

A very long way in music.

____________

Follow Bo Milli

FEATURE: The Best Next American Record: Lana Del Rey: Our Greatest Living Modern Songwriter?

FEATURE:

 

 

The Best Next American Record

IN THIS PHOTO: Lana Del Rey photoed for Rolling Stone UK in 2023/PHOTO CREDIT: Chuck Grant

 

Lana Del Rey: Our Greatest Living Modern Songwriter?

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I have been thinking about Lana Del Rey…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Mat Hayward/Getty Images

recently for a few reasons. As Glastonbury tickets are not going on sale for longer than expected, it made me think about this year’s festival and why Lana Del Rey was not chosen as a headliner. Her set was captivating, leading many to wonder why she was not deemed headline-worthy (at a festival that has not had enough female headliners through the years). I am also thinking about the fact that the great Joni Mitchell celebrated her eightieth birthday on 7th November. One of the greatest songwriters and poets of her age, where does she rank alongside fellow legends like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen or even Kate Bush? There are a lot of great modern songwriters whose lyrics and images will last for decades. Taylor Swift must be up there. In my view, the greatest living modern (as in, of her generation) songwriter is Lana Del Rey. Her songbook could be a modern-day equivalate of the Great American Songbook - the loosely defined canon of significant 20th-century American Jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes – in terms of its impact, variety and brilliance. Many might disagree, though you listen to her songs and get immersed in these distinct and wonderful worlds. I am not alone in thinking that Del Rey is a modern-day icon. On Friday, she was heavily nominated by the GRAMMYs. If she wins in any of the categories, that will be her first win. Long overdue recognition of a modern-day colossus. There are a couple of features/interviews I will bring in that discuss her songwriting and different perspectives. Bringing in visions of the 1950s together with huge vistas, modern-day characters and wonderful visions, there is nobody quite like her! Back in 2020, Bruce Springsteen called Lana Del Rey one of the greatest songwriters.

Not tied to any anniversary or occasion, I am thinking about songwriters in general. There are so many artists out there, yet there are a reserved few who can create their own worlds and stand out. Lana Del Rey reminds me of a classic poet. Maybe someone from the 1950s or 1960s. Whether talking about distinct areas or sides of American culture or delving more into her own experiences, her words and vocal delivery are exemplary. I am going to start with a Rolling Stone interview published earlier this year. I am interested on the subject as Lana Del Rey as the greatest living songwriter, as more than a couple of articles have suggested it. Hannah Ewens spoke with Lana Del Rey around the release of her new album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. If you place other songwriters above Del Rey, Rolling Stone UK declared her “the greatest American songwriter of the 21st century”:

“Her ideas were before their time and heralded a new era of alt-pop where Lorde, Halsey, Sky Ferreira and the next generation’s biggest pop star, Billie Eilish, emerged young, moody and sad. Maybe if some people her own age — Del Rey was then 27 years old — had reviewed and written about her, it might have been different, she thinks. That’s not to say that some critics couldn’t recognise her distinct star power. In an article in the Guardian — one of many that circled the unimportant question of her ‘authenticity’ — a pop-culture magazine editor defended her, saying, “I think she cares about the art that she is creating. I don’t think that’s fake at all,” and adding that, “Lana Del Rey can go anywhere she wants to go. She’s going to one day be the cover of Rolling Stone.”

By retreating, she believes she has begun to see the culture more clearly. Her albums have followed suit, increasingly humorous and observational in their commentary. Meanwhile, regardless of genre, her sound has distilled into something that is pure Lana: classic and glamorous with her trademark airy, theatrical vocals. She found a fellow partially off-grid companion in Antonoff. “Jack Antonoff and I are super similar in the way we know about so much that’s going on culturally, but we have no idea how. We definitely don’t read that much about it or hear that much about it, but all of those turning points in culture, somehow we’re always aware,” she explains. Often, she and Antonoff will sit together in the studio and discuss what they’re doing to try to survive the negative waves of trends in tech, self-promotion, music and society. “I think even if I was in a remote area, I would always know what’s going on and I’ve always had a little bit of an intuitive finger on the pulse of culture,” she continues. “Even when I started singing, I knew it wouldn’t completely jive right away.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Chuck Grant

From Ultraviolence onwards, male and female critics accused Del Rey of glamourising abusive relationships. Meanwhile, other women — including Del Rey and her fans — were living out those common painful or toxic relationships. “The one thing I’ve never been spared from is having these normal, somewhat contentious relationships,” explains Del Rey, punctuating thoughts with raised eyebrows or a pointed tone. “It’s not like if you become a singer, when you date people, they feel like they have to be nice to you because if they’re not, maybe they’d be called out. That never happens. They’re still themselves completely. And I think that’s why some people might call some of my stuff polarising, because either you’ve been in a contentious family dynamic or interpersonal relationships, or you haven’t. So, if you haven’t you might use the words or phrases I’ve heard like ‘feigning fragility’, or ‘glorifying being submissive’. OK. Maybe it’s also just trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel?” To bring these narratives into a musical context and make them sonically depressing or the accompanying visuals unappealing wouldn’t work for Del Rey. “You’re writing what happened but you’re also trying to lift it up a little bit, maybe melodically in the chorus,” she says.

PHOTO CREDIT: Chuck Grant

If emotionally abusive relationships are all you’ve ever known, there are relational lessons that have to be completed to proceed to healthier dynamics. That’s probably why Del Rey’s songs are increasingly self-possessed and full of humour about these relationships (“God damn, man child,” she practically winks to us as she opens ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’). Often these lessons come directly from specific people, Del Rey says, referring to a relationship with one particular man: “The lesson was so shocking and it didn’t even really take the sting out of it. But I realised only that person with that particular look and stature and cheerful disposition that people considered him to have — that almost made me look like I wasn’t the positive one — only that kind of person could’ve brought me to my knees in the way that I needed to see what else I could add to my life to have a baseline foundation so that I could always come back to myself.”

The metaphysical and the romantic are entwined in her mind. A recent relationship she had with someone entrenched in their own personal problems comes up and Del Rey describes the mysterious way the question of whether to go or to stay in a partnership can manifest change. “I was laying on the grass and I was so pleased with myself because I was committed to this idea that I was like, ‘It doesn’t really matter, things don’t have to be traditional or perfect, you love him, that’s fine,’” she recalls. “And as I committed, he came home and was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ Tessa always says as soon as the person who is somewhat ambivalent tries to put two feet into the relationship, if it’s not right the universe has a way to sweep both people out immediately.”

So, when I ask why the overarching theme in her work is romantic love, the answer seems so obvious, as though we’re repeating ourselves. “Everybody finds themselves in a different way,” she replies. “Some people really find themselves through their work, some people find themselves through travelling. I think my basic mode is that I learn more about myself from being with people, and so when it comes to the romantic side of things, if you’re monogamous and it’s one person you’re with, you just put a lot of importance on that.” It’s different to her now, though, as part of this puzzling mood shift. Now in life and in writing she is orientated towards what’s happening day to day, “not being reactive to what appears to be the reality of the current circumstance and being as proactive as you can but letting everything go.”

That Did You know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd feels once again so different from what she’s done before and yet a collage of everything she’s ever made — it even ends with the grimy, heavy, original and unheard version of ‘Venice Bitch’ — is testament to where Del Rey is nine studio albums into her career. “Lana is boundaryless,” says Antonoff. “She’s reached a point in her work, which is really my favourite place to work from, where there’s nowhere to go but way out into the fucking wilderness artistically. Go chase radio? That’d be so stupid. Go chase trends? So stupid. She created all the trends. It’s a freeing place, if you can accept it. The only place to go is to be a leader.” So, she sauntered ahead with the bird on her shoulder to create what was, according to her, the easiest album she’s ever made”.

In August, The New Statesman celebrated a truly great American poet. An artist who definitely does not write in a conventional and commercial way, her songs are going to be dissected decades from now. Having just celebrated the eightieth birthday of Joni Mitchell, I am thinking about an American modern-day contemporary (Mitchell is Canadian) who has a similar poetic and imaginative flair. If Mitchell’s writing is beyond comparison, I do feel that Lana Del Rey will rank alongside the all-time best songwriters years from now. Her latest album continues to amaze and show new sides to her craft and genius:

“In “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd”, Lana Del Rey makes the tunnel an American legend. The song starts with an exhale, the kind of breath taken to subdue a panic attack, or avert the onset of tears. It’s why her voice, when it arrives, is steady. “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard?” she asks. “Mosaic ceilings, painted tiles on the walls”. A drum beats, bearing us ceaselessly back into the past, ceaselessly forward into the present. Violins call to something lost, irretrievable, something that never existed. “I can’t help but feel somewhat like my body marred my soul,” she sings. “Handmade beauty sealed up by two man-made walls/When’s it gonna be my turn?… Don’t forget me!”

It builds and builds, then there is the supernova. If, as Del Rey sings, Harry Nilsson’s voice breaks at precisely 2.05 in “Don’t Forget Me”, then hers breaks at the four-minute mark. Her voice ascends as she pleads her final “Don’t forget me!/Like the tunnel under Ocean Boulevard”, a vision of pain that sounds like ecstasy. The song circles a central enquiry: the question “did you know?” is seemingly the star that it orbits. But only at the end do we understand that it’s really a black hole – swallowing all questions, all answers, until all that remains is the inescapable gravitational pull of that desperate “Don’t forget me!”. It’s telling that the title contains no question mark. Del Rey always knew that the tunnel – and all of LA, all of America, including herself – was doomed to be forgotten. If, for Jean Baudrillard, LA was the apotheosis of “American reality”, then Del Rey is the city’s greatest poet. She understands that the story of the Jergins Trust Tunnel is part of some greater American story, one of boom and bust, of oil money and land banking and short-sighted capitalism, of pioneer spirit and metropolitan decay. And so she immortalises it, gilds it: spins it into the myth of the United States.

To paint Del Rey as conservative is to fundamentally misunderstand her work. Her interest in how seemingly small stories inform larger narratives allows her to compellingly communicate the climate crisis in a way no other artist does. Take, for instance, the ending of “The Greatest”, “Hawaii just missed a fireball/LA’s in flames, it’s getting hot/Kanye West is blonde and gone”. Here, celebrity culture exists not to distract or undermine the climate crisis, but to strengthen it: the dream of America is dead. What initially seems disaffected is replaced by the affect of somebody who knows it is too late to even grieve. These are the facts, Del Rey tells us. What else is left to say? The cover of Norman Fucking Rockwell! is at first glance so beautiful, so American-made, all gleaming yacht and Stars and Stripes and Hollywood progeny. It’s only when you look closer that you see it: the California shoreline engulfed in fire and smoke. “Blue Banisters” contains the devastating line: “Jenny was smoking by the pool, we were writing with Nikki Lane/I said, ‘I’m scared of the Santa Clarita Fires,/I wish that it would rain.’” It has the quality of a panicked interjection, a white-hot horror building in the veins. But, as with “The Greatest”, it’s simply a paean. There’s nothing to be done but bear witness.

There have been many proposals for the vacant Jergins Trust Building lot. Some of them have involved sealing off the tunnel, some have planned to incorporate it into a new project. An individual who purchased the land in the 1980s, whose plans involved destroying the structure to build a five-storey subterranean car park, didn’t even know the tunnel existed when he bought the lot. Nothing has yet been built. The tunnel is still there, mostly forgotten, and the sounds of the traffic above echo off tiles the orange of Long Beach sunsets before fading into the darkness.

In “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd”, Lana Del Rey tells us of a girl who “sings ‘Hotel California’/Not because she loves the notes or sounds that sound like Florida/It’s because she’s in a world preserved, only a few have found the door…”. Del Rey knows that narrative is the only way to truly immortalise. This is the ballad of America, and she is its poet”.

I have a lot of respect and love for Lana Del Rey. She should have headlined Glastonbury this year. Even though she is a young artist, it is clear that she is influencing a new generation. In terms of a ‘modern songwriter’, I mean those who are maybe not on the same level as the all-time legends, though they are the very best of their generation. I think Lana Del Rey can claim that. With this rich and fascinating songbook already penned, there are going to be more albums and revelations from one of the most distinct artists ever. There is nod denying the fact that New  York City-born Lana Del Rey is…

A modern-day queen.

FEATURE: Right Place, Right Time: The Beauty of Needle Drops in Films and T.V.

FEATURE:

 

 

Right Place, Right Time

PHOTO CREDIT: Anthony Macajone/Pexels

 

The Beauty of Needle Drops in Films and T.V.

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MAYBE words associated more…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Suzy Hazelwood/Pexels

with classic films and those from the past thirty years or so, the epic needle drop is something that can define a scene and elevate the visuals. The term refers to when you drop the needle on a vinyl album. A perfect time and place moment when a well-chosen song perfectly matches with a scene. I think, as I will explore, we are seeing some potential classics from modern films. There are articles like this that rank the most iconic needle drop moments. I feel, in an age where music can be too ephemeral and we miss so much because of the array of choices, committing a musical moment to screen in such an effective and standout why has a lot of value. In fact, when talking about his new film, Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese told Zane Lowe about the importance of music in his work and through his life. For new artists especially, a song of theirs being used as a needle drop is going to do wonders. It needn’t be a dramatic or tense scene. All genres can be considered. That difficulty of finding a ‘perfect’ song that is just right for that moment. I am going to come to modern needle drops across film and T.V. – and maybe some of the issues regarding music choice. This feature lists some of the all-time great needle drop moment, in addition to looking at the science behind that potent music-movie cocktail:

“What makes for a great song moment?

The songs on this list all range in genre and style. Some are classical pieces while others are modern pop songs from the movie’s release.

It is important to recognize that a memorable song moment is more than just plopping some music over a scene. It requires the filmmaker to understand both the song and the scene and know how he or she wants the audience to feel in that moment.

Some songs provide catharsis and allow the audience a moment to breathe while the protagonist is bolting a hit song. Other needle drops are present simply to let the audience know the setting they are in.

Let’s look at a quick definition before we jump into our list of the greats.

NEEDLE DROP DEFINITION

What is a needle drop?

A “needle drop” is slang used in the film industry to describe when a pre-existing song is used in a movie. In the best cases, the audio and video become intertwined to the point where people can’t disassociate the song from the film.

What Makes the Best Needle Drops in Movies:

The perfect fit between sound and image

Provides a layer characterization

Comments on the themes

Some of the most famous movie moments of all time are on this list. Others are a bit underrated. This list contains 60 of the best needle drops in film history based on our belief that the song and scene worked incredibly well together.

Here’s our list of the best needle drops of all time”.

I am fascinating in the interplay of film and music. How a soundtrack or diegetic song can make a good scene legendary. That interplay between visual and audio, whether a single song or sweeping score, is wonderful. For those filmmakers that can get that needle drop just so and make something breathtaking, the rewards are huge. Both the song and the film go down in legend. Screen Rant talk about the why a needle drop is so important. Why we remember those really impactful ones:

“Great needle drops in movies use popular songs to tap into deeper emotions for both characters and the audience, elevating an already emotional scene.

 Needle drops can be done ironically to juxtapose what is happening in the film and provide a unique viewing experience.

 The right song can become an anthem for a character or a film, adding layers of meaning and capturing a specific feeling or theme.

The right song in the right movie can elevate both works of art, and join forces to elevate the movie to new heights. While an original score can also enhance the emotion of a scene, there is something special about a great needle drop, especially when the song is particularly appropriate. Great needle drops don't just sell more soundtracks, but they also help expand the world and characters of a film.

An outstanding needle drop doesn't just play a popular song for no reason, but instead uses the song to tap into deeper emotions for both the characters and the audience. The song can be a favorite of the main character, or just play as a strange twist of fate, but either way, it elevates an already emotional scene. A great needle drop can also be done ironically, and used to juxtapose what is happening in the film”.

The nature of the needle drop has changed. Maybe broadened. Whereas you did get popular music scoring some classic moments, I think a lot of it was more score-based. Fewer contemporary Pop songs. Now, as film soundtracks are more varied than ever, you get needle drop moment featuring songs that are new and people might not have heard of. Variety wrote about this earlier in the year. They commended great needle drop moments. Though, as noted, a bad needle drop can ruin a song, artist and show/film at the same time. Maybe T.V. series are more culpable of this – when they misjudge the tone or go for the ‘wrong’ song (though that might be a subjective measure):

“Yet much like the films themselves, the way in which pop music was dropped into the stories was much different. Tarantino’s cues were silky, retro hits, recalibrated into unforgettable moments: The smash cut from the opening diner robbery to the opening credits where Dick Dale starts shredding his surf-rock classic “Misirlou”; Mia (Uma Thurman) making Vincent (John Travolta) wait for her slinky onscreen introduction while piping in Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man”; The Statler Brothers’ “Flowers on the Wall” soundtracking a revealing, quiet moment with Butch (Bruce Willis), before he commits a shocking act of violence. All of the choices were a perfect blend of sound, style and offbeat energy that matched the film’s kinetic spirit.

Meanwhile, “Forrest Gump” was a film about the ’60s and ’70s, and the song choices are right on the nose. A Vietnam scene soundtracked by Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son”? Check. A scene with hippies? Of course “California Dreamin'” by the Mamas & the Papas is on. Forrest (Tom Hanks) returns to Alabama and Jenny (Robin Wright) teaches him to dance? Hell yeah, “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd is blasting. Believe it or not, the famous montage of Forrest running across America features Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” and Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.” Because he’s running!

“Forrest Gump” won the best picture Oscar.

Ever since that fateful year, more and more films and TV shows deploy pop music cues instead of scores in order to enhance their scenes. While music supervisors tend to be more considerate with diegetic music (songs that take place within the world of the characters, such as the “Wayne’s World” crew head-banging along to their tape of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”) projects are using non-diegetic songs to either spark insta-nostalgia for times gone by, or to artificially ratchet up emotion beyond what the script calls for.

Two innovative shows this year — “Beef” and the second season of “Yellowjackets” — fell into the same trap. “Beef,” which is primarily soundtracked by late-’90s/early-’00s alt rock hits, ends its finale with enemies-turned-friends Amy (Ali Wong) crawling into badly-injured Danny’s (Steven Yeun) hospital bed, as a passing of time assures the audience that everything is going to be alright. It’s soundtracked to Smashing Pumpkins’ shoegaze classic “Mayonaise,” a singular work from the band that heaps emotion onto a scene that hasn’t been earned. Given what we know about Amy — even after a strange trip in the desert — this compassion wouldn’t seem to be her go-to move. By elevating it to epic levels with such a bombastic song choice makes it feel even more out of place.

The finale of “Yellowjackets” hits a similar note. The show, which is awash in early-90s alt rock, soundtracked the sudden and unceremonious death of adult Nat (Juliette Lewis) to Radiohead’s monumental work “Street Spirit (Fade Out),” an aching lament from singer Thom Yorke about the inevitability of death, buoyed at the end with his aching plea to “Immerse your soul in love.” It’s a wholly complete meditation on the life and the afterlife, and running it over a slapdash end to the season seemed like a quick fix to bring drama into the series.

What’s frustrating about both shows is that there are moments of brilliance in song choice. For example, the “Yellowjackets” theme song — “No Return” by Craig Wedren and Anna Waronker — has always sounded like a beautifully bizarre Breeders b-side, fitting the vibe and time period of the series with lyrics that only point to the themes without being overtly literal. Meanwhile, one of the key moments in “Beef” is Danny’s acoustic performance of Incubus’ “Drive,” mercifully not a reference to the road-rage in the pilot, but rather a wonderful interpretation of his musical gift, remixing a secular song into a religious lament”.

There is the risk that, with more music and series/films released, it is harder to create a modern-day classic needle drop. I think that we are still seeing them. Variety noted how it is best not to force needled drops. It is the organic and seemingly natural mix of song and visual that leads to these timeless moment. Even if Stranger Things’ deliberate use of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) does seem like a modern classic where the song was well placed and used, there is a lot of forced insertion regarding songs trying to deliberately create a needle drop moment. Variety did mention two recent examples that are pretty good and do not fall intro that trap:

“Queen’s “Under Pressure” in 2022’s “Aftersun”: It’s a testament to the power of “Aftersun” that it’s able to so deftly decontextualize one of the biggest rock songs ever. This tender dance scene between Calum (Paul Mescal) and his daughter Sophie (Frankie Corio) rewires the inner workings of their relationship — past and future — with very little dialogue and many things left unsaid.

Lil Wayne’s “How to Love” in 2022’s “The Dropout”: Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) loved dancing to hip-hop music through the series, and this scene in which she tried to lighten the mood with her lover and business partner Sunny (Naveen Andrews) was a masterclass in cringey sincerity”.

Whether you love a needle drop because it elevates cinema/T.V. and enriches a scene, or it brings to light a wonderful song, there is no doubting the fact employing a needle drop requires some skill, intuition and, above all, ensuring that the song is chosen because it is best for that particular scene – rather than forcing a song to work or using it because it is trending or popular. Whether diegetic, on a score or a soundtrack, when you see a song arrive in the right place and time and create this phenomenal scene, it does take the breath and lodges in the memory! Pairing song with scene, mind you, can be a tricky balance that can be more of…

A vinyl jump.

FEATURE: Spotlight: THALA

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

 PHOTO CREDIT: Celeste Call and Ramona Roemer

 

THALA

_________

IT can be hard…

staying on top of all the great artists to watch and stick with. I can thoroughly recommend THALA. The Berlin-born multi-talented songwriter and musician released her E.P., twotwentytwo, on 2nd November. It is a wonderful listen that confirms the fact that she is someone that everyone needs to listen to closely. I will get to details about that E.P. very soon. Before that, there are some other things that I want to bring in. I will come to an interview from a couple of years ago. Before that, here is some biography about a truly astonishing and bright artist:

“On new EP ‘twotwentytwo’, indie riser THALA continues to embrace vulnerability, summoning long-buried emotions to colour her ardent love for lyricism amid psych-tinged ‘90s indie rock soundscapes.

Filled with potent songwriting and coming-of-age anthems straight from the heart, these everyday love stories surrender to life’s insecurities. It’s a page from THALA’s diary with impulsive, adolescent brilliance. Evoking the soundscapes of Slowdive, Deerhunter and Mazzy Star alongside the widescreen pop of boygenius and Snail Mail and the subtle punk influences of Juliana Hatfield.

‘twotwentytwo’  was recorded in London and Berlin earlier this year and follows the release of ‘In Theory Depression’, THALA’s first EP on Fire Records. Spanning six tracks, it builds on its predecessor’s fearless lyricism, excavating deep-set feelings of loss, pain, desire and conflict against luminous production and addictive melodies. Bill Green’s striking design, first employed on the cover of the last release, melding sepia-tinted photographs with scribbles of youth, youth, evoking bygone days and personal secrets yet to be disclosed.

Blissful guitars and evocative crescendos permeate THALA’s unique vision of dreampop, revelling in soaring choruses and intimate storylines. On its surface, ‘twotwentytwo boasts a kind of glorious emotive draw – you’d be forgiven for mistaking any one of these tracks as a backdrop to any teen-angst drama. However, while THALA wants her songs to feel nostalgic, it’s the complexity of her songwriting that sees her modern compositions really resonate and she is keen to stress her lyrics can be interpreted in numerous ways.

“Music is the fuel to heal ourselves in whatever way we need” she says of her relationship with her craft.

And therein lies the heart of this release – a cathartic, wildly empowering, self-explorative from a future indie heartbreaker at her gutsy best.

Showing no signs of slowing down with rammed appearances at this year’s SXSW and The Great Escape, THALA was a featured artist on Rough Trade’s ‘On The Rise’, she also picked up the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, Nels Hylton and Sian Eleri, KEXP and Kerrang Radio. THALA will be touring the UK and Europe through October and November”.

I think that THALA is someone that should be on your radar. Digital Berlin chatted with her in 2021. An artist who Rough Trade and BBC Radio 1 have championed; she has recently done some gigs in the U.K. There is a lot of momentum and love behind THALA. It is interesting reading about her start, influences and favourite albums of all time:

“1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?

I’ve gone through some pretty rough patches in my life – as everyone else has – and I don’t know, I guess I’m hoping, that somehow people can relate to what I write about and have to say. Because it’s things like love, happiness, disappointment, hate, insecurities that mess with us and our heads the most and to think, that you’re not alone at facing those those things, that sometimes turn out to be demons, is somewhat comforting, and so to get back to the answer of this question: I want to make people feel. Because some people have forgotten what it’s like to do so, and embrace it, and for me personally music has always been the best way of emotional release. Writing it, playing it or even just listening to it. An album can change your life I tell ya.

2. How and when did you get into making music?

How is a funny story and when is impossible to tell as it’s always been there. I am pretty sure, that the first time I sang, was to my mum’s Celine Dion ‘My Heart Will Go On’ CD, back then I must have been 6-years-old or something. Music has always done something to me that I was never able to explain. Had a certain pull. Even though I’ve never had training in anything, I never not wanted it to be a thing for me. I started teaching myself how to play the guitar only 3 years ago (am still shit haha hope it’s ok to say that here) and during that time I was living on the Canary Islands, living the beach dream life you could say. Then started writing songs slowly, became more confident with my guitar. When I returned to Berlin in November ’18, I quickly got into the open mic scene and fell in love with the stage and the feel of performing live but was working hard like a dog, 40-hour job plus a second one on the weekends. Sleep wasn’t really a thing back then. Lived as a street musician for a little while after I cut loose all of the old jobs. I went in saying ‘All or Nothing’ and than magically ran into the people that are working with me today (I do not believe in coincidences).

3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?

Beach House – Depression Cherry
Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I Might See
Beach Fossils – Summersault
Holy Wave – Relax
Dayglow – Fuzzybrain

4. What do you associate with Berlin?

I associate pure freedom and individuality with Berlin but strongly believe, that we are the ones who are creating it. Not the old buildings and trendy places to sip your coffees at (they might play a part though). Berlin is a place of art and no-fucks-given, a place many want to call home because here you can re-invent yourself and be whoever you wanna be.

5. What’s your favourite place in your town?

My favorite place is a little lake, that is very near to my house and it’s very idyllic. Love to go there alone, with some friends, swing, think, read, play my guitar, soak in some sun. And during winter I basically become my bed.

6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?

I think I wouldn’t wanna live in a world like that.

7. What was the last record/music you bought?

I bought a super old Fleetwood Mac record a few months ago, a limited edition thing and it didn’t even work.

8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?

I would LOVE to write something with Beach House, Phoebe Bridgers or Sharon Van Etten.

9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?

Ohhh I gotta go with Foo Fighters. First Festival I ever visited, it was raining loads and we were in the first line. INSANE.

10. How important is technology to your creative process?

It is definitely a thing that I enjoy working with just as much as analog gear. There might be that one synth, that you’ll only gonna find with that one midi. The world of sounds is so amazing and interesting. I feel like a kid at a toy store when I’m at the studio”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Nathan Stewart

Prior to getting to some information about her twotwentytwo E.P., Ticketmaster ran an interview recently. They were keen to know what we would get from THALA’s E.P. They were curious to know about her influences and what compels her songwriting. This is someone I am very excited about. I really love what THALA is putting out into the world:

“What can people expect from the EP?

Obviously, the first one is very personal and very vulnerable. Thematically, it’s definitely about mental health, my upbringing and the way I see the world. And the second one is goes deeper into what I feel; how I cope with memories; and into the stories I’ve picked up about other people, friends and loved ones that I then somehow combined. I would say I definitely experimented a bit more in this second EP. When I’m in the studio I’m super nerdy, and I’m even happier when I have a producer who likes to be nerdy as well – together, we can figure out weird sounds. One time, for one of the songs, we were on the phone in a queue to order pizza. And they had such a funny melody that went kind of like [hums a jingle]. We recorded it and then we reversed it. And it’s in one of the songs.

No one’s ever gonna know. Well, now people are going to know… But yeah, I love to do these little gimmicks and little tricks. Just build in some ear candy and get more experimental. I’ve started using a bit of a vocoder effect on stuff, those layered vocals, and I’ve done much more of that. I started getting into changing structures too, so things happen that you don’t expect. There are a few really nice rocky shoegazy outros that I love. And I’m just excited to play them on stage because I haven’t played most of them yet. We rehearsed yesterday and I was just so happy with the way it sounded, and we were drenched in sweat after we finished. That’s what I want.

It’s definitely a good sign when you’re really excited to play music live.

I don’t know though, it’s a first tour, right? I said to myself, if there are only three people, you’re gonna play like it’s 30,000. It doesn’t matter. Like, I’m gonna own that sh*t. In the case of there being not as many people as maybe one would wish for, I will not make that demean the work I put into it. The effort, sweat, blood and tears – everybody says that, but it’s so true. And I’m starting to really feel like that is really true.

Are you feeling that more than you were with the first EP?

Yeah, I am. It’s a funny mixture between the heat being on, but then also more like finding the path of the thing that you really want to do, and feeling more secure in that path. When I first started out, I was just writing for fun. I lived at the beach three years before. I didn’t really have a care in the world in that sense, not about music. I was like, yeah, cool, grab a guitar sometimes and play some covers, nice. But I didn’t think I would ever make it my career. And now it’s dawning on me: this is what I’ve chosen. This is the career that I want; this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, ideally. And so it becomes more and more serious in that sense. But it’s also more interesting, because I get to tap into different types of production.

I get way more creative in moments where I didn’t used to get creative. I’m walking down the street and I hear a funny sound on someone’s bike, which would just pass me by back then, but I get so excited about it now. Yesterday, I recorded something on my phone when I was cleaning out my trash bin. It’s a metal trash bin. I know it sounds funny, but when you come from above with a water hose, and you go in the motion of a circle, it sounds cool. And I recorded it, and I sent it to a guy that I’m working on a song with. I never used to do that, but now I do. So, I feel like all I breathe, all I feel, all I talk, all I am, is becoming more and more what I do.

Have you always been interested in production and being involved with that side of things? Or has that been a more recent interest?

No, I’ve always had an intuition of, “We should stop here. The drums should come back in here. We should put this here”… But since I never learned any of it, people that don’t know me are surprised, because I jump out with these ideas. I see the sensation in every little sound and every little detail, and I get really excited, like a child. Like a grown woman child, I think. I love it. It’s the best f*cking thing in the world. Studio, and then stage. There’s nothing better than that for me.

Do you have a song that you’re proudest of so far?

I’m proud of all of them, because they come from very personal spaces. I think one of them is definitely ‘In Theory Oppression’ from the old EP, which I also then named the EP after, because I think that’s the darkest and most honest song I’ve ever written. And even though its chorus is such a simple repetitive element of the same sentence, it was such a feeling I had in that moment when I wrote it. It went so deep, and it shook me, which usually happens, but not the way it happened with that song. And even when I play it live, I tap into this old self again, and I get really sad when I play it. But it’s good that I managed to put it into a song, which doesn’t mean it’s gone, but it’s just an outlet. And I’ve noticed that it resonates a lot with people when I play it live.

Do you usually write about your own life? You mentioned that you write about your friends’ experiences sometimes.

It’s mostly my own life. But there are definitely parts in songs where I’ve had conversations with friends, and then they say a sentence to me, and I’m like, “Oh, that’s a great line”. And then I write it down, and when I remember it, I work it into the song if it fits. I would never use something like a story that isn’t mine without telling the person who the story is about though.

Looking five years ahead in your career, where would you want to be by that point?

They just opened this new venue in Las Vegas, and it looks crazy. That would be sick. I would not be against that. But I think anywhere I go in the world, I’d like to sell out a capacity of like, 200. In the bigger cities, it could be 500, 1000, to dream big… And I do. If it’s bigger than that, hey, I’m going to be so happy and grateful, but I’m already so grateful for what I have.

Honestly, the most important thing to me is that I still want to have fun making music. I don’t want this business to destroy me or turn me into a different person. I want to stay the same as I am, I want to be genuine. I want to keep writing songs that people can connect to. And hopefully have a hardcore fan base that stands in front of the venue with signs of lyrics that I wrote…”.

If you are new to THALA, then I would recommend you check out her twotwentytwo E.P. It is available on Bandcamp (and streaming platforms). This is someone that everyone will hear a lot more about soon enough. I know that she will enjoy a very fruitful career. Make sure you follow her and listen to her awesome music:

“On new EP twotwentytwo, indie riser THALA continues to embrace vulnerability, summoning long-buried emotions to colour her ardent love for lyricism amid psych-tinged ‘90s indie soundscapes. Filled with potent songwriting and coming-of-age anthems straight from the heart, these everyday love stories surrender to life’s insecurities. Evoking the soundscapes of Slowdive and Deerhunter, whilst recalling the widescreen pop of boygenius and Snail Mail.

Recorded in London and Berlin earlier this year, twotwentytwo follows the release of ‘In Theory Depression’, THALA’s first EP on Fire Records. Spanning six tracks, it builds on its predecessor’s fearless lyricism, excavating deep-set feelings of loss, pain, desire and conflict against luminous production and addictive melodies. Following rammed appearances at SXSW and The Great Escape, and having picked up the attention BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, THALA shows no signs of slowing down…

Blissful guitars and evocative crescendos permeate THALA’s unique vision of dreampop, reveling in soaring choruses and intimate storylines. On its surface, twotwentytwo boasts a kind of glorious emotive draw - you’d be forgiven for mistaking any one of these tracks as a backdrop to any teen-angst drama. However, while THALA wants her songs to feel nostalgic, it’s the complexity of her songwriting that sees her modern compositions really resonate and she is keen to stress her lyrics can be interpreted in numerous ways.

And therein lies the heart of this release - a cathartic, wildly empowering, self-explorative from a future indie heartbreaker at her gutsy best”.

An exciting and wonderfully talented young artist who has a growing fanbase in Europe, I think that THALA is going to be a worldwide proposition. Her new E.P. is instantly one of the best of 2023. She is someone I confidentially predict will make some big splashes in the music world. Go and investigate twotwentytwo and find out why there is so much love and appreciation…

AT her incredible feet.

___________

Follow THALA

FEATURE: She Loves You: Why the Recent Promotion Around The Beatles’ Now and Then Raises Questions About Gender Representation

FEATURE:

 

 

She Loves You

  

Why the Recent Promotion Around The Beatles’ Now and Then Raises Questions About Gender Representation

_________

I wasn’t quite sure…

how to headline this feature. What I want to talk about is how, especially when it comes to male bands and iconic acts, many female journalists and superfans are ignored in favour of men. Journalist and broadcaster Samira Ahmed tweeted after the release of The Beatles’ Now and Then. She is a massive fan of the band. Whilst so many fans took to social media to show their love of the song – which was released on 2nd November -, her tweet did raise questions. When you look at the vast majority of articles written about the song, and especially the radio and T.V. coverage of journalists and fans talking about the song and its impact, they are mostly men. It is not only an issue with The Beatles. The fact that women are not as included and spotlighted when it comes to getting viewpoints and discussion about their music. Almost excluding them from the debate. Of course, they are not consciously being pushed aside. It just seems like the easy go-to for broadcasters like the BBC is to find men to talk about The Beatles. Whether journalists, broadcasters or anyone else in the media, it does seem that men are favoured. The Beatles would not be as huge and popular as they are without their female fans. Those most ardent and passionate fans you see in old gig footage is usually girls and young women. The assumption that the most respected and authoritative fans of the band are men betrays a debt to women. I still think that there needs to be a correction of the narrative. That view that those screaming girls and women in the 1960s were hysterical or groupies. It was those women that gave the band their confidence and energy!

Samira Ahmed had a good point when she raised that issue as to why few women were invited to speak about The Beatles’ Now and Then. In terms of the major books about the band, most have been written by men (even though many brilliant ones have been written by women). There are scores of artists, podcast episodes and other examples of women expressing their love for The Beatles, though. Some of the most insightful and dedicated fans are women. Even so, there was still this reliance on male voices when we heard the interviews and reactions to The Beatles’ Now and Then. I don’t think it is only that band where gender inequality and disparity is quite glaring – ignoring the fact that I feel the most committed and loyal fans of the band back in the day were girls and women. Look at artists like David Bowie, and I feel like it would be mostly men invited to speak if a ‘new’ Bowie song came out. Why is there still this assumption that most of the expertise and insight about The Beatles comes from men?! There are millions of female Beatles fans that should be heard and highlighted. It is not the fact that they do not want to talk about them. In terms of Now and Then, there were countless examples of women in the media and society who would have added value perspective and colour. Yet, it was mostly (white) men who were asked to the party. In 2017, this article was published that discussed the females in The Beatles’ fandom:

“It’s been noted by a number of bloggers, (including myself) just how male-dominated the field of Beatles historiography is. Every major work in the Beatles canon, including but not limited to those by authors such as Davies, Norman, MacDonald, and Lewisohn, were written by males. This male domination goes back to the band’s earliest days, when the interviews the band provided were almost unerringly granted to male journalists, because that one gender dominated both the field of journalism in general and the rock journalist profession almost entirely. This one-sided perspective becomes even more difficult to reconcile given the apparent gender equity of Beatles audiences and fans, both then and now; unlike the Rolling Stones, the Beatles were a band that, by most estimates, had a fan base that was at least fifty percent female.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images via The Washington Post

This exclusively male-filtered perspective on the Beatles and their music – and its very real consequences on how the band’s story has been and continues to be told — is one that is only starting to receive serious, sustained discussion. Indeed, for me, the highlights of Womack’s “New Critical Perspectives” are the essays by author Kit O’Toole (“She Said/She Said,”) and Katie Kapurch, (“The Beatles Girl Culture and the Melodramatic Mode,”) which focus on this long overlooked demographic: examining the role of the female fan with insight and acknowledgement rather than condescension or dismissal.

Kapurch’s essay takes a look at how the Beatles’ use of predominantly feminine associated art forms and methods such as melodrama and “girl-group” discourse helped popularize them with their female fans, and allowed female fans to self-identify with the band. 

O’Toole rightly notes how it was the female fans who helped catapult the Beatles to fame and legend, in no small part by their impassioned responses and “buying the records in droves,” and that, when the powers that be finally acknowledged the Beatles’ talent, they did so while insulting and sidelining the band’s previous fans and largest demographic. When the male-dominated press reported on the band, their descriptions of female fans ran the gamut from insulting – one news report, showing an impassioned Beatles female audience, intoned “does it disturb you to realize that these girls will soon become mothers?” – to condescending and dismissive. In his 2008 biography of John, author Philip Norman argues that, while the majority of female fans preferred Paul – presumably for his looks – the thoughtful, intellectual and predominantly male fans preferred John as their favorite Beatle.

In “She Said/She Said,” O’Toole quotes Sheryl Garratt’s essay ‘Teenage Dreams,’ about the widespread dismissal of female teenaged infatuations: “What the press or any of the self-appointed analysts of ‘popular culture’ fail to reflect is that the whole pop structure rests on the back of these ‘silly, screaming girls.” Female Beatles author Candy Leonard argues that the stereotype of the hysterical female fan was a crucial factor in denying females a place at the males only Beatles historiography table: “If you look at fan images from fifty years ago, they are 99% female, but today, 99% of the ‘experts’ are male. So there’s a disconnect. The hysterical girl fan became a caricature …the legacy of those images today is the perception that women can’t have anything intelligent to say about the Beatles, their music, or the phenomenon.” O’Toole notes the growing amount of female voices on the band, but her list only includes approximately 8 women. Whether female voices were purposefully or unintentionally sidelined, there is little denying O’Toole’s and Kapurch’s argument that the female perspective – on the band’s history, on their own fan experiences, on music criticism – has been, and for the moment continues to be, overlooked”.

Not to take anything away from the wave of joy and emotion that greeted the release of The Beatles’ final single, Now and Then. Everyone had a chance to express their reaction online, though it would have been nice if the media and stations invited more women to speak. Have their say and discuss their relationship with the band. As I have said – and as many say -, it is women who have helped to make the band and were, in my view, their most dedicated fans. Even so, in 2023, why is it mainly male voices that are sought after when it comes to ‘expertise’?! Of course, men can’t be left out, though how many women did we hear on radio stations and elsewhere talking about this seismic and historic music moment?! Samira Ahmed’s tweet is perfectly valid. She asked why women were not more included. This decades-long gender issue. Women who formed such a huge and vital core of Beatles fandom still maybe seen as lacking the knowledge and experience that their male counterparts have when it comes to importance and legacy. I know of so many women who have incredible knowledge of The Beatles – and yet I only heard a couple or so on radio and T.V. That was quite sad and angering! There will be more opportunities for superfans of The Beatles to discuss news and new releases, so I hope that  things are corrected. Years from now, will all the most ‘important’ books, opinions and articles about The Beatles be from men?! Invaluable views and perspectives from women are not being championed and augmented. This seems wrong. When it comes to context, history, balance and such a unique and vital perspective, their voices are so…

IMPORTANT to hear.