FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Deee-Lite – World Clique

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

IMAGES/PHOTOS: Getty Images

Deee-Lite – World Clique

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PERHAPS it was a move from the blitz and fun…

of World Clique to the more serious and outward-looking on 1992’s Infinity Within that contributed to a decline in critical attention. That much-anticipated follow-up gained some positive reviews but, compared to the iconic and stunning debut, there was something lacking. Deee-Lite naturally progressed but, as they grew and got a bit more outspoken – talking about safe-sex and environmental protection -, perhaps that took some of the attention away. Definitely, Infinity Within is an important and timely album. Even now, it sounds relevant and daring but, after such a heady and acclaimed debut, perhaps people were expecting a similar follow-up. I will talk about the biblical World Clique in a minute but, before then, a little about the delightful Deee-Lite. The band started out in 1986 as a duo in New York City. Their colourful and stunning lead, Lady Miss Kier handled vocals whilst Supa DJ Dimitry was the D.J. They expanded to a trio when Jungle DJ Towa Tei joined the ranks. One can only picture the scene in the mid/late-1980s and Deee-Lite gigging in New York. Before Deee-Lite took shape, Kier and Dimitry played in some downtown clubs and cut their teeth. It was a modest beginning but life changed when Kier procured an Akai sampler. The band was very much D.I.Y. and, with Kier designing their posters and the group playing in gay and straight clubs, it was not long before they were thinking about an album.

Tei, Kier and Dimitry bonded over a mutual appreciation of Funk and Techno. I am not sure whether there were many other artists of the time fusing these sounds but, as the members of Deee-Lite came from the U.S. (Kier), Ukraine (Dimitry) and Japan (Tei), it was only natural their blend would be richer, more original and varied than a lot of music at the time. By 1988, the new three-piece was cemented and things were rolling. Rather than using a lot of instruments and having a natural sound, Deee-Lite employed samples and wonderful sounds on World Clique. They were all avid record collectors and, when it came to giving their debut new layers and different moves, they dipped into their vinyl collection. Lady Miss Kier took care of the lyrics and melodies whereas Supa DJ Dimitry handled guitar, keyboard and bass; Towa Tei was responsible for collating samples and fills. I would encourage people to get World Clique on vinyl because it sounds incredible on that format. One can imagine the sort of records Deee-Lite were pouring over when making World Clique so, to have all those sounds mixed onto a record is a wonderful thing. Included on World Clique are Bootsy Collins, Q-Tip; Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. Recorded between January and May 1990, the group were literally capturing what was happening right at the start of an incredible decade. A lot of powerful and moving albums arrived in 1990 – including Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet – but there was this intoxicating spirit happening.

Artists were mixing genres and splicing sounds. House music was emerging and becoming more prominent and there were influences from all around the world. Listen to some of the music at the time – including Soul II Soul’s Back to Life and Madonna’s Vogue – and you can find plenty of music that united people and lifted the spirits – it would be good to see more of that today; whether that is even possible, I don’t know! World Clique is not only one of the best albums of the 1990s but it is one of the best debut releases ever. It is such a kaleidoscopic, wild and liberating album that drags you in and brings you into this neon, colourful world where you feel better and safe. Hip-Hop was still prevalent but, as an alternative to an angrier and more political style of music, artists like Deee-Lite provided a wonderful alternative. More in common with peace and love of the 1960s than messages of civil rights and political concerns of the day, maybe that explains why Deee-Lite become more activated and conscientious on their sophomore release – feeling they needed to tackle big issues and get more serious. Unsurprisingly, World Clique was a huge success and received incredible reviews. The faultless Groove Is in the Heart was a top-five smash in the U.S. and U.K. whereas Power of Love/Build That Bridge and Good Beat were also very popular.

In this retrospective review, AllMusic discuss the beauty and potency of World Clique:

“Its reputation may rest on only one hit single -- but what a hit. "Groove Is in the Heart" defined the summer of 1990 on radio and MTV with its delicious combination of funk, modern dance sheen, and Lady Miss Kier's smart, sharp diva ways. Add in guest vocals and bass from Bootsy Collins (a pity his hilarious video cameo wasn't represented here), brass from the original Horny Horns duo of Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker, and a smooth mid-song rap from A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, and the results sounded good then and now. The rest of World Clique offers variations on the song's theme, with Kier's sweet, light vocals and DJs Dimitri and Towa Tei making it work in various ways. It's still a bit surprising that Kier didn't go on to greater fame on her own, because she definitely has not merely the pipes but the personality to carry something on her own -- compared to the dog-whistle vocal calisthenics of someone like Mariah Carey, there's no contest. Check out her work on songs like "Good Beat" and the amusing sass of such numbers as "Try Me on, I'm Very You." The two musicians come up with a seamless, adept flow throughout, merrily raiding whatever they so choose in the past for their own purposes. Disco is the heart of it all, with everything from hip-hop breaks to bubble-salsa piano -- even early Depeche Mode! -- taking a bow; hints of the future genre-mashing Towa Tei would make his own trademark are already plentiful. Bootsy and the Horny Horns crop up at other points as well, adding just enough classic funk to blend with the crisper electronic pulses and arrangements”.

NME had this to say where the album was released:

“Whatever the lyrical content - love, smiling DJ/dancefloor ESP, more love, more positivity - the music is always so up, it's away. Disco with soul, erotic Electro and even those big Italian piano riffs sound refreshed and invigorating under their guidance. It all sounds so easy, but you know that behind it is three years in clubs gaining contacts that resulted in work with The Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest and even a Sinead O'Connor remix. A Deee-Lite clique which resulted in JB's Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Bootsy all putting their two-penneth into this album.

The result is one of the most varied and inspirational club crossover records ever. It doesn't matter that the ingredients aren't original, it's what they've done with them, that makes this album such a dream. On the other hand you could argue that, if you walked round on platform shoes with heels as high as Miss Lady Keir's your head would never come out of the clouds either.

It's the best place for it”.

I was seven when World Clique came out and was completely blown away by it. The albums still sounds utterly sensational and fresh but, at the time, it was a revelation. I love all the tracks on the album but one cannot escape the majesty and addictiveness of Groove Is in the Heart. It is a song that puts you on another plain. It is completely entrancing and otherworldly. You get lost in the samples and myriad grooves; the insatiable energy and fun of a song that is still massively played today. I will end this feature in a bit but I want to bring in an interview Music Radar conducted with Lady Miss Kier back in 2016. She discussed her experiences of World Clique and shared her memories of its incredible tracks:

"It was my first and only time doing it," says Lady Miss Kier, gingerly. "I'd never even sang before, but we tripped out and wrote three songs. Deee-Lite was formed that night." After coming down, a yearlong writing session took place, amassing them over 30 tracks that they would road test at packed hip-hop and dance clubs around the city. Kier handled mic duties, and dreamt up the kaleidoscopic image for the group, while classically trained pianist Dmitry brought the music. Record digger and DJ Towa would later join the ranks, providing many of the choicest samples.

"We were really into that funky stuff, which wasn't that popular at the time in New York," says Kier. "We started incorporating that with some Kraftwerk - I used to call that 'holographic techno-soul'. The main thing was that we didn't want to fit into one category. For me, the best bands fuse at least three different genres."

Try Me On… I'm Very You

"This has [P-Funk legend] Bootsy Collins on. He laid down some bass. I think originally we'd used a JBs sample, and he came in and replayed some really sweet overdubs. I'm pretty sure he played guitar on this as well. We didn't sit down and write with him. He just turned up and made everything… better, you know? He knew the songs from a demo tape I sent him, and he'd throw in bits and pieces over the top.

"He introduced us to a lot of the P-Funk players who'd left that scene and were hungry to work with other artists. So, Fred [Wesley] and Maceo [Parker] are on the horns here. That was the great thing about working with Bootsy. When he came, he was like, 'You need any horn players? I know a coupla guys.' Only these two legends! He introduced us to guys like Bernie Worrell, who ended up working with us later, too. I never felt worthy. These were my heroes. We ended up with a full, nine-piece live show with these guys, as well."

Groove Is In The Heart

"Q-Tip does a great verse on this. This was before Tribe blew up. He was hanging with the Jungle Brothers. We opened up for them one time at a club called Hotel Amazon, which is where I would have met Tip. We were playing that song live and he asked if he could do 16 bars on it.

"I remember he came to the studio with a note pad and just started writing it as we were laying down Bootsy's part. It was a one-take, write on the spot, thing.

“Bootsy wrote a whole rap, too, which made it on one of the alternative mixes. People keep asking if Tina Turner did some tambourine on this. She didn't. I don't know where that rumour came from [laughs]. Maybe she was in the bits we sampled? As for the samples. I think Dmitry found the bass from the Herbie Hancock record, Bring Down the Birds, and Towa found the drums and whistle from the Vernon Burch record, Get Up".

World Clique turned nineteen last month and it is amazing to think how different Deee-Lite sound to anyone around today. That might be obvious but I wonder whether artists should be looking back and taking to heart what Deee-Lite put into the world back in 1990. It is a wonderful album that sounds perfect no matter what format you hear it on – although, for the purposes of this feature, vinyl is the way to go! Grab a copy and trip into this extraordinary world. I wonder whether, as the album is twenty next year, it will get remastered and we will see anniversary editions come out. It would be good to see how the songs started life and whether there are any demos in the vaults. That is in the future but, in a moment when we could do with more fun in music, World Clique has a lot to offer in terms of inspiration. Even if artists are not able to reproduce the wonder and vivacity of World Clique, the fact that we have this album out makes the world…

A brighter and better place.

FEATURE: Irreplaceable: Beyoncé: A Modern-Day Music Powerhouse

FEATURE:

 

Irreplaceable

PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images 

Beyoncé: A Modern-Day Music Powerhouse

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THERE are a few reasons why I...

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

am putting this feature out. I was scheduled to write a new Female Icons feature about Nina Simone but that is going to have to wait for a few days. Beyoncé turns thirty-eight Wednesday and many around the world will be marking her birthday. Naturally, when it comes to any big star, they are never too far from the news. At the moment, alas, there is more negativity and controversy than anything productive rumbling in the press but, as this is a slow time for music news, people need something to talk about. I know every artist has a birthday but, when it comes to modern artists, how many true icons are there? I celebrated Beyoncé in a recent Female Icons feature and it made me think about modern artists and whether truly have icons in our midst. Of course, there are some incredibly popular artists but how does one determine what constitutes an icon or merely a star? I think you need to have more about you than the music alone. In an age of streaming, we are counting streaming figures and assigning numbers as a mark of success. Reviews are great and we can get a lot from that but I think an icon needs to be someone who goes further; someone who is a role model and inspires others. In terms of modern artists, I guess you can call Taylor Swift an icon. She does a lot for charity and is a supporter of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ rights. She is getting more involved in politics and is influencing a lot of people.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Paolo Kudacki for TIME

It is hard to mix music with the wider world but, if you can balance both, then that is something special. Also, the musical quality needs to be great: if you are a mainstream artists who has a lot of fans but the music does not translate to other demographics then, arguably, will you remain years from now? I am not bagging on modern artists but it is difficult creating music that crosses borders and then matching that with a persona that is inspiring. Look at some of the iconic women who have gone before: Madonna, Kate Bush; Etta James, Nina Simone, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell among them. They have all given the world so much incredible music but each of them is groundbreaking; they have paved the way for other artists and remained hugely popular today. I guess you could say artists like Lady Gaga, Dave Grohl and others are icons and will go down in history but, for my money, the last of the true music powerhouses is Beyoncé. Maybe it is a subjective matter and opinion but, from her days with Destiny’s Child in the late-1990s to now, she continues to push forward and influence others. Since Destiny’s Child’s eponymous debut in 1998, we have seen this strong and independent artist blossom and strike. On The Writing’s on the Wall (1999) and Survivor (2001), Beyoncé grew in confidence and marked herself out as a solo artist to watch. Given the fact there are rumours Destiny’s Child are reforming and will tour, it makes me wonder whether there will be a new album from them next year.

I think we are living in a time when modern Pop and R&B is not that strong. There are some interesting artists around but, in terms of music that cuts to the core and stays in the mind, there are not many artists that cut the mustard. So many artists either appeal to a specific demographic or their songs are too commercial and lightweight. Aside from one or two artists/bands, I think we have lost the days of the icon. In many way, Beyoncé is one of the most recent and relevant powerhouses in music. There is no doubt that, when it comes to Beyoncé, there are contradictions and paradoxes that defines her iconic status. She has natural beauty and sex appeal but works tirelessly to succeed; she has riches and wealth but is a source of inspiration for young women coming through. Of course, she has a lot of people around her making the music come together but at the centre of everything is Beyoncé and her vision. Of course, many will say Beyoncé has had money her whole life and has been raised by marketing teams – whereas other artists have come from less and had fewer people in the mix. The legendary Dionne Warwick recently stated how much she admires Beyoncé and her fight but states that, in order to become an icon, many more years need to go by.

Perhaps, then, we need to shift the argument away from discussing Beyoncé as an icon – even though she is – and framing her as a modern powerhouse and leader. Back in 2015 – prior to the release of Beyoncé’s latest studio album, Lemonade - a BBC article argued why Beyoncé speaks for a generation:

“Beyoncé is a true Renaissance woman: a musician, a business mogul, a feminist, a mother, and a brand whose cultural gravity seems to emanate not from any one of these talents but from all of them in concert.

In an American corporate world disproportionately governed by men, Beyoncé distinguishes herself as the founder and CEO of her own record label and production company, Parkwood Entertainment. According to Forbes, her personal earnings more than double those of her husband. He is a shrewd entrepreneur in his own right who famously declared himself “not a businessman but a business, man.” Beyoncé’s self-titled album sold a staggering 617,000 copies in three days following its release, doing Kanye West the poetic justice of swiping an iTunes Store sales week record from Taylor Swift.

In 2014 Forbes declared Beyoncé to be the world’s most powerful celebrity, and she has leveraged her global brand in support of gender equality through her influential charity, the #BeyGood Project. Her hit single Flawless samples from a TEDx Talk called We Should All Be Feminists by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Beyoncé belts the anthem’s first verse and then cedes the floor to Adichie, who relays the definition of a ‘feminist’ as “the person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

One can debate whether some of Beyoncé’s popularity and success is earned and how much of her image is genuine – and how much has been manufactured. It is clear that, between her charity work, speeches and motherhood, she is inspiring so many people around the world. Artists such as Lady Gaga, Adele; Rihanna and Britney Spears have been influenced by Beyoncé and, unlike so many modern artists, Beyoncé’s music has extended across the age, gender and taste boundaries. Her fanbase is so diverse and extensive and, when you hear her music, you can tell why. Beyoncé has received numerous awards. As a solo artist she has sold over seventeen million albums in the U.S., and over one –hundred million records worldwide (a further sixty million additionally with Destiny's Child), making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed Beyoncé as the top-certified artist of the 2000s decade, with a total of sixty-four certifications. Her songs Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), Halo and Irreplaceable are some of the best-selling singles of all time worldwide. Some have critiqued Beyoncé’s brand of feminism and its authenticity. There is no doubt she has compelled generations with her powerful messages and music. She has a successful marriage – one that has weathered a few storms – and balances music with business and motherhood.

For me, it is the strength and memorability of the songs that really stands out. I am thinking, as I type this, of her career-defining performance of Coachella last year. Her Homecoming documentary still feels so relevant and, if you have not seen it then make sure you do. The album is scintillating and it shows just how hard-working Beyoncé is! The set she performed must rank alongside the finest of this generation: a performance that will go down in history and will not be equaled. I will end with a Beyoncé playlist but, in terms of her six studio albums, they range from the promising (I Am… Sasha Fierce and Dangerously in Love) to phenomenal (Beyoncé and Lemonade). With Jay-Z, Beyoncé formed The Carters and they released Everything Is Love last year. A lot of popular and commercial artists release a couple of great songs per album and they can put out four or five decent albums in their career. Not only did Beyoncé have a string of huge hits with Destiny’s Child – including Survivor and Bills, Bills, Bills – but every one of her solo albums has at least three or four true gems. From 2003’s Dangerously in Love there is Crazy in Love (with Jay-Z); Naughty Girl, Baby Boy and Me, Myself and I. From B’Day there is Déjà Vu, Get Me Bodied; Ring the Alarm, Green Light and Irreplaceable.

Look at I Am… Sasha Fierce and there is If I Were a Boy, Halo; Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and Diva. 4 has I Care and Party (ft. André 3000); there is also Love on Top and Run the World (Girls). Beyoncé boasts Pretty Hurts and Drunk in Love; Partition; XO and Heaven. It seems that, with every album, Beyoncé grows stronger and more compelling. Beyoncé was the strongest album of her career in 2013 but, three years later, Lemonade took that to a new level – songs such as Hold Up, Don’t Hurt Yourself (ft. Jack White); Daddy Lessons, Freedom; All Night and Formation rank alongside the best songs she has ever created. One can see big leaps from her earliest days with Destiny’s Child but, even though she has worked with talented writers and producers, one cannot exclude the sheer passion and talent from Beyoncé. The songs and albums I have just mentioned are packed with hugely impressive songs that will endure for years to come. As I said, Beyoncé’s music and popularity goes way beyond Pop confines and a young audience. I do hope there is more music from her next year because, at a tense and divided time, who knows what she can unleash! Whether that album is with Destiny’s Child or solo, I do not know. She has put out some music recently, but there is a lot of anticipation as to what comes next. I wanted to write this feature to mark Beyoncé’s thirty-eight birthday but, more than that, nod to an icon (or not, as some see it!) that grows in stature and importance as time goes on. She is a businesswoman and proud mother; a spokeswoman and feminist leader; a voice for young, black women and, above all else, one of the strongest artists…

PHOTO CREDIT: Beyoncé

IN the world.

FEATURE: Any Major Dude Will Tell You: The Cool King of Queens: Remembering Walter Becker

FEATURE:

 

Any Major Dude Will Tell You

IN THIS PHOTO: Walter Becker (who died on 3rd September, 2017)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

The Cool King of Queens: Remembering Walter Becker

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IF you had to ask me which artist/band...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s Steely Dan were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001/PHOTO CREDIT: Rock Hall Library and Archive

is seriously underrated and deserves bigger appreciation, I would not hesitate when it came to giving a name: Steely Dan. I will talk about their music more in a minute but, when I think about them, I sort of grin. Steely Dan had various members through the years but, in essence, it was the moniker and child of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. The musicians were known perfectionists…and I can imagine the New Jersey-born Donald Fagen and the New York-born Walter Becker sort of sitting in the control room auditioning a roster of musicians. In terms of personality, Fagen seems slightly stricter and sterner whereas Becker is more lighthearted but equally passionate. They complimented each other fantastically and, when it came to laying down these incredible songs, the duo put their heart, soul and minds into everything. It is amazing to consider that such hard-working and exacting musicians released an album a year for a time – it was only after 1977’s masterpiece, Aja, that Steely Dan took a little while to release Gaucho (1980) – they then split and it was many more years until we heard some new Steely Dan jams. I remember hearing the news of Walter Becker’s death on 3rd September, 2017 and being shattered! I did not even know he was ill and, having fallen in love with Steely Dan as early as about seven or eight years of age, it was a huge loss. The stoic and strong Fagen is still playing as Steely Dan but one can only imagine the emotions he felt when Becker’s death was announced.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The two were practically brothers and had been playing together for decades – Becker’s death ended any possibility of new Steely Dan work (a travesty and hugely sad realisation). Walter Becker was born in 1950 in Queens, New York and met Donald Fagen when the two were students in Bard College. They started life in New York but, soon, relocated to Los Angeles. Like Beastie Boys, I always associate New York with Steely Dan, yet a lot of their music took shape on the West Coast. Maybe it is a sense of cynicism and cutting humour that makes me think of New York when listening to Steely Dan. That said, many see their music as Yacht-Rock and, when listening to songs like Reelin’ in the Years and Peg, you get a definite blast of sea, sun and scintillation. I digress, naturally. Walter Becker did move to Hawaii when Steely Dan split – and continued to work as a musician – but the group did get back together in 1993; releasing Two Against Nature in 2000 and putting out their final album, Everything Must Go, in 2003. It is a shame there was not a further Steely Dan album between 2003-2017 (or before Becker was diagnosed with cancer) because it would have been fascinating to see where they were heading. Becker himself put out two solo albums: the underrated and excellent 11 Tracks of Whack (1994) and Circus Money (2008).

I shall talk about my love of Steely Dan and why we should all mark two years since Becker’s passing on 3rd September but, before then, let us head back. Although Becker’s parents separated when he was young, it is clear music was a big part of his life. Becker’s mother, who was English, returned to Britain and the young Becker was raised in Queens and Scarsdale by his dad and grandmother. After graduating university in 1967, Becker learned guitar after starting out playing the saxophone. It was clear music resonated and spoke to Becker and, coming from a rather turbulent and disruptive home, maybe music was a language and calling; an outlet where Becker could immerse himself and find answers. The story goes Donald Fagen heard Becker playing guitar at their campus café back at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York – listen to Steely Dan’s My Old School (Countdown to Ecstasy) and they name-check Annandale. Fagen was clearly impressed by the professionalism and chops of Becker. One can only imagine the tentative cooing and seduction between these kindred spirits. I can imagine these two very cool-yet-studious dudes of the 1960s playing Jazz and Blues whereas their peers would have been immersed in the music of the times. By the end of the 1960s, Becker and Fagen moved to Brooklyn and played as much as they could. Whilst they did not release any albums during this time, they gained some valuable experience and were keen to expand their horizons.

In 1971, they moved to Los Angeles and formed Steely Dan with guitarists Denny Dias and Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter. Alongside Jim Hodder and singer David Palmer, the line-up was complete – Palmer was sacked after the band’s debut, Can’t Buy a Thrill, and Fagen assumed greater vocal responsibilities. In the earliest days, Fagen did some vocals but was mainly at the back. He and Becker wrote and, with the peerless and wonderful Walter Becker adding his bass genius to the Dan pot, here was this unique and utterly beguiling outfit. I will end by talking about a new Steely Dan tour but, for the most part, the band was a studio outfit. They toured a bit until 1974 but, by that point, they stopped it altogether – that was the year they released Pretzel Logic and reached new heights of genius. By 1974, Becker moved to guitar and felt less need to bring his bass everywhere – with an expanding crew of musicians and Wilton Felder and Chuck Rainey handling bass duties, Becker was moving in new directions. I will cover Steely Dan’s music in a second but, by 1977, Becker was experiencing personal problems. Maybe it was the growing success of Steely Dan or the pressures of their perfectionism. Becker formed an addiction to narcotics after 1977 and his girlfriend, Karen Roberta Stanley, overdosed in 1978. Soon after, Becker was hit by a minicab in Manhattan and was forced to use crutches.

This accounts for the three-year gap after Aja in 1977 – 1978 was the first year Becker and Fagen did not release a Steely Dan album since their formation – and the pressure on their shoulders preceding 1980’s Gaucho. Aja is seen by many as Steely Dan’s crowning achievement – I think Pretzel Logic bumps it into second – and there was mighty expectation following that album. Gaucho has some wonderful moments – Babylon Sisters and Hey Nineteen are two blissful cuts – but there are too many fillers and aimless songs. The experimentation and ambition that makes Aja so wonderful was sort of lost by the time Gaucho rolled around. Strains between Fagen and Becker could be held responsible and, by 1981, the two had suspended their partnership. Although there was a little stress and bad blood between them at this time, the two were brothers and it was a relief when they resumed their narrative in 1993. In 2017, few of us were expecting any bombshells regarding Walter Becker and his health. He died of esophageal cancer in Manhattan and, according to his widow, Delia Becker, the legendary musicians struggled with the disease; he was noble and strong until the very end. It is heartbreaking to think of Becker being rocked by the diagnosis and having to endure a painful decline. I am not sure whether there are any unreleased Steely Dan songs in the vault but, the fact there have not been any albums since Everything Must Go suggests we have heard everything recorded from Walter Becker and Donald Fagen – or at least everything Fagen deems worthy of release!

IN THIS PHOTO: The original Steely Dan line-up with Walter Becker (right)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

There seems to be a new music biopic released every week and, whilst it is great to see popular artists portrayed on the screen, it is a bit hit-and-miss regarding quality, authenticity and accuracy (Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of Judy Garland in Judy has received some mixed reactions). It would be great to see a young and aspiring Walter Becker portrayed on screen as he and Donald Fagen start their careers. Not only would that bring Steely Dan’s music to new listeners but it would be an illuminating and incredible film. Maybe there is not enough scandal in Becker’s past; some might find a Steely Dan story a bit boring but, with their music remaining incredibly powerful, nuanced and compelling, I feel there is space for a new project – maybe a documentary or a tribute to Becker. He was an essential part of the Steely Dan machine and is, in my view, one of the most accomplished musicians ever. He and Donald Fagen did not give many interviews but, as you can see from this documentary about Aja, Becker is a passionate and hugely intelligent artist. I will end this feature by including some brilliant Walter Becker tracks – both solo and from Steely Dan – but, rather than make this a dry and factual feature, I wanted to bring in some personal recollections. Steely Dan fans are not like fans of other bands. We do not just love the wonderful choruses and hits: Steely Dan’s music is so rich and layered that one can become obsessed by the musicianship and interplay.

As I mentioned earlier, Steely Dan came into my life when I was very young (luckily, I did not learn about the origin of their name until I was a lot older!). I do not remember the act time but I know Can’t Buy a Thrill was the first album of Steely Dan I encountered. It was in my family home and, I think, remains there still. It is one of those records that is so varied and has so much going on. From the striking riffs of Reelin’ in the Years to the underrated Kings and Midnite Cruiser; the opening one-two of Do It Again and Dirty Work to the hypnotic Change of the Guard. Maybe reviews at the time (1972) were not universally hot for Can’t Buy a Thrill - but it is rightly seen as a classic now. Annoyingly, it is a right bugger tracking down Steely Dan albums on vinyl. I don’t think one can find a new (not second-hand) copy of the album in this country. I have a used copy of Pretzel Logic…and it is only really Aja that is freely and easily available – let’s hope Donald Fagen remasters and re-releases all Steely Dan albums onto vinyl; the format where they belong! Although Can’t Buy a Thrill is not my favourite Dan album (it is second), I was captured by this incredible group that sounded like nothing else I was listening to! When Steely Dan first came into my life, it would have been the early-1990s and I was hearing a lot of Dance and Pop music: Steely Dan were a revelation where musical depth and intellect were higher up the list than banging beats and commercial choruses. I have shared my memories before but, as it is relevant to this feature, I will briefly recall them again.

Not only was Can’t Buy a Thrill a key part of my childhood but, with my aunt also being a big Steely Dan fan, I got to hear a lot of their music when visiting her. She lived in Chesham, Buckinghamshire (we lived in Surrey) so visits to her house were not as common as we’d have liked. I recall hearing tracks from Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) whilst we are driving with her. The underrated Katy Lied (1975) and The Royal Scam (1976) were part of the rotation – songs like Chain Lightning and Haitian Divorce were delighting and educating my budding and tender ears! Which songs most stand out from my visits? To be fair, a lot of Aja and Gaucho were being played. Hey Nineteen particularly stands in mind and, whilst it is my mum’s favourite Steely Dan song (I find the song wanders a bit at the end), it was one particular song from Aja that sort of changed everything – I shall end with that. A lot of the later Steely Dan stuff was played at that time but I think most of my memories revolve around Can’t Buy a Thrill and the epic Pretzel Logic. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number and Night By Night (Pretzel Logic) stunned my senses; Dirty Work and Midnite Cruiser (Can’t Buy a Thrill) are gems that still bounce around my head now. It is because of my family that I became hooked on Steely Dan and listen to them passionately today.

Whilst the catchiness of the songs and the incredible variety resonated with me when I was a child, now it is the musicianship and sophisticated songwriting that speaks louder. Walter Becker was a key part of the legendary and notorious Steely Dan machine. Yes, the songwriters were perfectionists and often rehearsed and drilled musicians to extreme lengths. After the looser feel of Can’t Buy a Thrill, Steely Dan became more inspired and potent afterwards. More musicians were added to the fold and the songwriting got stronger. Whilst, for a time, there was a focused core of musicians (including Jeff Baxter), each album sounded different and unique because of the session musicians they brought in. You’d often hear new drummers between albums; several drummers on an album and riffs and licks from different guitarists. Now, bands often do not employ beyond their own camp and I feel even genres like Jazz are not as ambitious and expansive as Steely Dan were. Consider a popular group now using so many different musicians and bringing so many different strands to an album. It is staggering Steely Dan crafted an album a year because of the sheer detail and work that went into every outing! Walter Becker penned a couple of solo albums but we did not hear him take on a lead vocal until Everything Must Go’s Slang of Ages in 2003 – maybe I am wrong, but I think that his sole Steely Dan lead vocal.

Becker’s brilliance was not only reserved to songwriting and bass work: he played guitar and other instruments but it is his passion, aura and leadership that helped bring these incredible songs to life. Not too much is known about the writing process Becker and Fagen employed. One assumes that they’d be attentively locked in a room, scribbling notes, musical notes and technical details for hours and hours; screwing up the pages and starting again until they got a perfect song – not exerting too much emotion when the song was complete; maybe a wry smile or witty line here and there. I am sure the reality is very different but, when it comes to iconic songwriters and musicians, not too many people speak of Walter Becker. Maybe it is because Steely Dan hold such an important place in my heart but the world is much poorer because Becker is no longer in it. One of my lifelong campaigns is to get more people invested in Steely Dan. Even now, forty-seven years after Can’t Buy a Thrill’s release, Steely Dan fans are not as visible and widespread as you’d imagine. I’d like to think only a certain person can truly appreciate Steely Dan but I think a relatively lack of radioplay contributes to this issue. I hope, as the years go by, more radio stations spin Steely Dan and ensure these phenomenal songs survive the generations. Whilst Becker is not looking over us – once you are gone you are gone – I know he got to see a lot of people enjoy Steely Dan’s work; his work touched so many people and he brought joy to the adoring masses – two years after his death, we remember this giant and genius songwriter. I know there are bands and artists inspired by Steely Dan but there is something peerless and accomplished about Steely Dan’s music that means it is hard to equal and replicate.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ebet Roberts/Redferns

Before finishing this article, I want to talk about my favourite song ever: Aja’s centrepiece, Deacon Blues. Walter Becker plays bass on the track and I’d love to hear the isolated bass part as it is so majestic, flowing and characterful; filled with emotion, feel and heart. I can rhapsodise about the song for ages – but will not do so now just to keep things fairly focused – but listen to all the different strands and players on the song. From Larry Carlton’s guitar brilliance to Pete Christlieb’s gorgeous tenor saxophone; Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie’s amazing drums (listen to the introduction and the fact he starts off playing off the cymbals before teeing up the song with some sweet beats!); Venetta Fields, Clydie King and Sherlie Matthews adding sumptuous backing vocals and Donald Fagen adding some stunning syths – it is a bittersweet symphony; the song of a hopeful loser that knows not where he goes or what the night will hold. The protagonist of the song is an ingénue Jazz player who ‘works’ the saxophone rather than plays it. He is a night-dwelling crawler who seduced women and has these hopeless dreams that never seem to materialise. Everything about the song is flawless and Deacon Blues is my favourite track. One of my favourite lyrical snippets from the song, “I cried when I wrote this song/Sue me if I play too long” actually inspired a 1982 song by Prince, 1999 (in that song, we hear the lines: “I was dreaming when I wrote this, so sue me if it goes too fast”).

Steely Dan’s 1978-released masterpiece was written at Donald Fagen’s house in Malibu and was prompted by an observation that the University of Alabama’s college football team was called ‘The Crimson Tide’. He and Walter Becker noted how that was a grandiose name for something as insignificant and modest as a college football side. If so-called winners could have a name as ridiculous as that, surely the losers in the world could have one: “Call me Deacon Blues” was the response. The songwriters were inspired by this random story and, before they knew it, they had this gem on their hands. They claim it is, perhaps, the most autobiographical song. Hailing from New York and moving to L.A. to chase success and pursue their dreams, surely the timbre and autobiography of Deacon Blues rang bells; it was an extension of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen’s past. The only football player the duo knew as Deacon Jones: that translated to the anti-hero of Deacon Blues.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Clinch

I want to end by bringing in an interview Walter Becker gave to Time Out New York in 2008 to promote his solo album, Circus Money. Becker was also rehearsing for a Steely Dan – it was a perfect opportunity to talk to this masterful musician:

Can you give a nutshell breakdown of the division of labor in Steely Dan? It’s hard for an outsider to know who’s responsible for what.

Yeah, I think that with most partnerships that run for a certain amount of time—and ours has run for a pretty long time—the division of labor is very ad hoc. So whatever needs to be done, sometimes I’ve got something to start with, sometimes Donald’s got something to start with. Sometimes we really work very closely, collaboratively on every little silly millimeter on the writing of the song and certainly of the records, and sometimes less so. And so over the course of the partnership, I think we’ve done all sorts of different things different ways, and probably that still is changing in a way, because if I can speculate on Donald’s behalf, I think there is a level of perfection, polish, sophistication, and abundance of detail and structural stuff that he wants to hear in his music that I sort of ran out of patience to do. My attention span is not that good anymore, and I sort of believe—and maybe the lyrics somewhere say this—that the perfect is the enemy of the good. And one of the real dangers of doing the kind of thing that we do, where people let you do whatever you want and you have money, is burnout. You go too far; there’s no one there to stop you; you keep going; you keep working on things. So I have to learn, and even sort of create artificial boundaries so that doesn’t happen.

So I’m pretty positive you guys are familiar with this whole Yacht Rock thing…

Yeah! [Laughs].

I wanted to ask you about it because I think it’s kind of strange and interesting that you guys are involved with that. There’s this whole idea of smooth music, with the Doobie Brothers and Kenny Loggins and people like that. What is your feeling about being lumped in with that, and do you feel it’s accurate?

That’s just basically a gag, and I see why we would be lumped in with it. There are a lot of reasons why we would be lumped in with it, and yet there are a lot of—I mean, for example, to take someone who’s probably the furthest from where we are, like Christopher Cross, okay, who’s just doing these very simple songs; he was doing them I’m sure with some of the same musicians that we used, in some of the same studios with some of the same sonic goals in mind: a very smooth or shall we say polished product. And we ended up doing that—or maybe I should say we started out doing that, because it was our perception that if you were going to use jazz harmonies, it had to sound tight, professional; nothing sounds worse than sloppy—than kids playing jazz, you know what I mean? And so we sort of felt obliged to do that because of the kind of music we were doing. And so I think it’s great. I think it’s very amusing, the idea that all of these people knew each other, and I suppose, you know, we certainly knew Mike [McDonald], we worked with Mike, and we knew the Eagles, not as well, and the idea that we were sort of battling with each other in various types of feuds and situations, I think it’s pretty funny. I think it’s great.

Do you think that we can pretty much expect a yearly Steely Dan show and maybe another album?

I don’t know about yearly tours. I don’t take it for granted that the business of touring in this way is going to continue. And this is the third year in a row for us, we’re in uncharted territory, so I don’t know about that. But there’s so many other things to do: I mean, you just get into a little club or place in town and play periodically. We have a very stable band that’s mostly New Yorkers, which I think was an important thing to try for because it makes it easier for us to do things. And we can jump up and—for the first time last year, I think it was—the winter before last, we did a few gigs, just like four or five gigs in a row. So there’s lots of different ways we can do it. I’m certainly not counting on it becoming a summer routine. I don’t think it’s gonna work that way.

I will end with a heart-aching question that we know the answer to - eleven years after Walter Becker was interviewed:

“But is there another album in the works?

Not right now, but it could always be. I don’t know what Donald is working on, and he spends more time working than I do. I spend more time goofing off and listening to reggae records”.

Sadly, there would not be another Steely Dan album. One can only guess whether there were plans for new songs or dates when Becker died in 2017 but, now, Donald Fagen is taking a slightly reframed Steely Dan on the road. The new Sweet tour has been announced and the setlist has been revealed. A lot of the classics are being covered and, whilst Deacon Blues is not in the show, I do hope Steely Dan come to the U.K. I would love to see a show just so I can see if Donald Fagen talks about Walter Becker; how these songs he wrote with his late friend sound in 2019. There might be the odd nod to Becker two years after his death but I hope there is more attention; a few of his greatest tracks (with Steely Dan and as a solo artist) are covered. It is so sad he is no longer with us but, forever, this cool king of Queens will inspire, affect and resonate. I will play as much Steely Dan music as I can on Tuesday and, when thinking of the great Walter Becker, I will lift…

A glass in his name.

FEATURE: The King of the Tastemakers: Remembering John Peel at Eighty

FEATURE:

 

The King of the Tastemakers

IN THIS PHOTO: John Peel/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Remembering John Peel at Eighty

__________

YESTERDAY was the birthday of…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

the late, great John Peel and, when thinking about him, there are several things I wanted to cover. It is heartbreaking to think he is not with us – Peel died of a heart attack in 2005 at the age of sixty-five. I wonder why John Peel was never knighted. Maybe he would have considered it wrong or that it lacked cool but, posthumously, it would have been a suitable and much-deserved honour. I do feel like people overlook the legacy and importance of John Peel. Those of us, like me, who have found countless artists and songs thanks to him owe him a huge debt. There is a new generation that is not quite aware of what Peel was about and why he is the greatest tastemaker ever; one of the finest broadcasters we have ever seen. The world was rocked when Peel died but, in many ways, he lives on. Great broadcasters such as Mary Anne Hobbs – and all those at stations like BBC Radio 6 Music – are carrying on his great work. She is someone always scouring for great new artists and passionate when it comes to bringing the listener the best and most original music. To me, even though there are wonderful broadcasters such as Hobbs, I think Peel was unique. You can listen to John Peel’s Desert Island Discs and hear the man talk about the songs that mean the most to him.

I think, in a time when streaming services are curating playlists and guiding our tastes, we need to remember great men like Peel. Prior to Spotify and YouTube, he was bringing us all these great artists; having them in session and making music come alive. Not only were his Peel Sessions the stuff of legends, but the eclectic nature of Peel’s shows was astounding! I discovered The White Stripes through Peel – a duo I came to lionise and saw in concert back in 2005. One can imagine Peel walking into work and finding a stack of records and demos from artists who were hoping for a spin. I have heard tales of artists dropping stuff off to the BBC and Peel playing them on his show. Of course, the process is a little more business-like these days but there is something romantic about an artist dropping a new single off at reception and it finding its way to someone like Peel. Maybe I am being nostalgic, but I do miss his shows and the gravitas he brought. Warm and funny, plain-speaking and hugely popular, we will never see anyone like him again. Following his death in 2005, a lot of journalists, broadcasters and writers published articles about Peel; how he changed their life and why his legacy will remain forever. This article from broadcaster Adam Walton from 2011 mirrors what so many people think when we remember Peel:

“…But I miss him now more than ever, because I think that an authoritative, knowledgeable, passionate and prominent voice has never been needed more. Every time The X Factor dupes some poor kid into thinking that talent and expression is all about further watering down the bum gruel of a claustrophobically narrow pop market, I wish John was here to show them another way.

I miss most the natural, enthusiastic eclecticism he brought to music. It was all music to John. I don't imagine he thought in terms of genres. I don't know for sure. I'm just extrapolating on the basis of the variety in his shows. It's an inspirational template - well, more accurately, lack of a template - that influences me every day of my working life.

I think of John every single Sunday. I think of him as I do my absolute best to listen to every track that has been sent my way. The stories I have read and heard of him falling asleep at his desk, a carrier bag of demos at his side, as he sought another moment of wonder or surprise for his audience, keeps me going. That appeared to be the common courtesy he extended to any band good enough to send him music. I try to do the same.

But I feel a little uncomfortable writing about me in terms of him. He is my broadcasting god, of that there is no doubt. However I know I'm not fit to lick his boots. It won't stop me trying.

Of course, John's legacy spreads much further and wider than the dark corner of Radio Wales that I love to inhabit. There are stages at festivals named after him. His name is invoked whenever someone wants to bring attention to new music. I'm not sure what a man who adored the complex opaqueness of The Fall or Captain Beefheart would have made of the easy listening, haircut indie that is positioned in the glow of his kudos. Yes, very rich from a man who is, in essence, doing the same in print form. This is, after all, one long missive screaming: think of ME in the same terms as the late, great John Peel.

 IN THIS PHOTO: The White Stripes were championed by John Peel; he helped make their name in the U.K./PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

That isn't my motivation.

He was my motivation.

I think the finest evocation of his legacy is 6 Music. Okay, it's more sanitised and 'branded' than Peel ever was. Don't get me wrong: I love 6 Music. I'd eat one of my own limbs in a moment for a gig on that station (right leg, if you were wondering). I also love Huw Stephens' Radio 1 show. And I love Rob Da Bank. But I'm rarely surprised listening to music radio now, in the way that I was at least once in every Peel show. Happy hardcore bouncing into Bolt Thrower into gypsy folk into, of course, The Fall (or Datblygu, Melys, Yr Anhrefn et al). You cannot program that random excellence”.

Of course, John Peel has a stage named after him at Glastonbury - and it provides a crucial platform for rising artists to perform to one of the most passionate group of music lovers in the country. Peel’s radio career spanned decades, so we all have different memories and reasons to thank Peel. From championed artists such as David Bowie and The White Stripes to playing the hottest underground tunes of the day, John Peel is a titan. I am going to wrap things up soon but, before I do, I want to bring in another article.

In 2015, David Cavanagh wrote a wonderfully personal, illuminating and deep article about Peel and how he touched his life…and that of so many others:

“Oldfield. Led Zep. John Lydon. High Contrast. All four had been championed early in their careers by John Peel. Drum’n’bass DJ High Contrast, who assembled the soundtrack to the athletes’ parade, had appeared on The John Peel Show with his very first single, released on a small south London label in 2001. As for Oldfield, his multimillion-selling Tubular Bells franchise might have died at birth, had it not been for Peel’s enthusiastic support in 1973. He called it the best album he’d heard since Sgt Pepper and the ball started rolling.

The list continued. Happy Mondays. The Specials. Pink Floyd. New Order. The common factor was Peel. Pink Floyd were virtually the house band on his progressive rock show, Top Gear, in the late 1960s. New Order, emerging hesitantly from the ashes of Joy Division, have admitted they owe their existence to Peel. David Bowie. Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. All brought to Radio 1 – and to public attention – by Peel. For Bowie, this meant valuable airplay on Top Gear in 1967–68 at a time when all he had to show for his efforts was a flop single about gnomes. For Frankie Goes to Hollywood, it meant an invitation to perform onstage – in their bondage gear and G-strings – when Peel’s travelling DJ roadshow entertained students at North Cheshire College in Warrington on a December night in 1982. “Relax” was still a year away.

Peel’s influence on those generations of listeners – students, workers, dropouts, benefit claimants, even criminals detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure – is incalculable. Talk to them today and they would probably say he represented an alternative to the bland confections dominating the commercial world. He did more than anyone in the British media, I would argue, to get a nation of young minds interested in the idea of mistrusting the mainstream and investigating the unfamiliar. While Radio 1’s daytime DJs focused on around 3% of the annual recorded output – a frothy blend of Top 40 hits and oldies – Peel’s domain was the other 97%. It was a daunting remit, and much of his research was unseen and unpaid”.

There is no way of telling just how many people have been inspired by Peel, but you can hear his spirit and passion right across music today. From journalists like me to D.J.s and label owners; curators and writers around the world, we all have John Peel to thank for bringing scores of artists our way! Yesterday would have been his eightieth birthday and, if he were still with us, I can imagine he’d still be rocking Glastonbury and would still have his own show. Maybe he would not be working with the BBC, but I can picture an elder Peel working from home, still working from vinyl and old-school formats. Although he is departed, his legacy remains and so many people have got into radio because of him. I have been enriched and educated by John Peel and, because of that, I am sending…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

A salute his way.

FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential September Releases

FEATURE:

 

One for the Record Collection!

IN THIS PHOTO: Metronomy/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Essential September Releases

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THE next few months will be busy with...

artists releasing albums. That is axiomatic but, towards the end of the year, you always get some interesting stuff coming out! Maybe it is an effort to make the ‘best of the year’ lists; maybe autumn and winter are good months to release music. Whatever the reasons, do not assume we have seen the best of the year so far! There are some great records coming along before 2020 and, next month, we have some real treats in store. Lost Girls is the upcoming fifth studio album from Bat for Lashes. It is set to be released on 6th September through AWAL and follows her incredible 2016 album, The Bride. Like a lot of modern albums, we have already heard a few of the singles from Lost Girls. Kids in the Dark suggests a 1980s mood but, on Feel for You, The Hunger and Jasmine, there are other suggestions – the feeling is of the 1980s but there is a lot of variation in the music. This is an album you will want to order, and I am predicting it will be among the year’s finest albums. New York’s Frankie Cosmos release Close It Quietly on 6th September, so make sure you grab a copy. The music on offer is breezy and sunny but, as with all great albums, there is so much depth and variation.

This is how the record is described:

“Close It Quietly is a continual reframing of the known. It’s like giving yourself a haircut or rearranging your room. You know your hair. You know your room. Here’s the same hair, the same room, seen again as something new. Close It Quietly takes the trademark Frankie Cosmos micro-universe and upends it, spilling outwards into a swirl of referentiality that’s a marked departure from earlier releases, imagining and reimagining motifs and sounds throughout the album. The band’s fourth studio release is a manifestation of their collaborative spirit: Greta Kline and longtime bandmates Lauren Martin (synth), Luke Pyenson (drums), and Alex Bailey (bass) luxuriated in studio time with Gabe Wax, who engineered and co-produced the record with the band. Recording close to home— at Brooklyn’s Figure 8 Studios— grounded the band, and their process was enriched by working closely with Wax, whose intuition and attention to detail made the familiar unfamiliar and allowed the band to reshape their own contexts”.

In terms of big releases, Iggy Pop’s Free is coming soon; it is going to be another accomplished and intriguing release from the master. It is Iggy Pop’s eighteenth solo studio album and the current single, James Bond, is as cool and quality-rich as anything he has released in the last few years. In fact, Sonali has also been released and it is another quality cut. It seems like Iggy Pop is in splendid form and I cannot wait to see what he offers on Free.

On 13th September (Sandy) Alex G’s House of Sugar arrives. If you have not heard tracks like Hope and Southern Sky then make sure you do. House of Sugar is, according to Domino, an album you will not want to miss. It is going to be fantastic:

“House of Sugar - (Sandy) Alex G’s ninth overall album and his third for Domino - is a highly meticulous, cohesive album: a statement of artistic purpose, showing off his ear for both persistent earworms and sonic adventurism”.

From its evocative cover to its string of popular singles, Charli XCX’s Charli is primed to be one of this year’s biggest releases. The album will be supported by a world tour, beginning in Atlanta on 20th September, 2019. Charli was preceded by the singles 1999 (with Troye Sivan), Blame It on Your Love (featuring Lizzo); Gone (with Christine and the Queens), Cross You Out (featuring Sky Ferreira) and Warm (featuring HAIM). Go and order a copy of the album and you can get one of the most anticipated Pop albums of 2019. I am not a big Charli XCX fan but some of her new singles are pretty good. I think she has developed a lot since 2013’s True Romance and it will be interesting to see how her new album is perceived.

A couple of albums you’ll want to investigate as Chelsea Wolfe’s Birth of Violence and Devendra Banhart’s Ma. Both are very different but you will want to snap them up (you can pre-order Wolfe’s album here. I have heard The Mother Road and American Darkness from Birth of Violence and they are fantastic tracks. This article explains more about the album and its themes:

“Years of incessant recording and touring led goth empress Chelsea Wolfe to this—the album she calls her "awakening."

"I think this record is its own journey," Wolfe says about her forthcoming release, Birth of Violence, "but it's also a reflection of my personal awakening and personal journey of opening up and breaking into a new era for myself as a human being and as an artist."

The circuitous path to Birth of Violence (out September 13) spun Wolfe around the globe touring in support of the six albums she's made since 2010. The exhaustive odyssey eventually demanded a palliative hiatus in the confines of her remote Northern California home, where she recorded her latest with collaborator Ben Chisholm and the sonic respiration of the surrounding wilderness.

Restoring herself at home, but still feverishly writing and recording with (as a famous friend called it) "Mercury in [her] hands," Wolfe's new offering is a spare, acoustic stream of meditations whose scrutiny contracts and expands from personal to global along the way”.

Go and get Ma, because Banhart is always interesting and, for his tenth album, it seems like we are going to get something special:

“Devendra Banhart's new album, Ma, is due September 13, 2019, on Nonesuch Records. This is Banhart's first album since 2016's Ape in Pink Marble. Ma, bursting with tender, autobiographical vignettes, displays a shift from the sonic experimentation of his previous albums to an intricate, captivating story-telling and emotional intimacy. Banhart favors organic sounds to accompany his voice and guitar, the arrangements bolstered by strings, woodwinds, brass, and keyboards.

The simply titled Ma is Devendra Banhart's third album for Nonesuch, one that addresses—often in a beguilingly oblique way—the unconditional nature of maternal love, the desire to nurture, the passing down of wisdom, the longing to establish the relationship of mother to child, and the consequences of that bond being broken. Banhart doesn't approach the album's maternal theme in a literal way; rather, by contemplating it, alluding to it, regarding the concept of motherhood from different angles, he has fashioned an album of multiple, intertwining narratives. Its concerns are both personal and global, with subtly autobiographical looks at life and death and ruminations about the precarious state of the world. The many lighthearted moments of Ma are balanced by deeply melancholic, even somber ones. Three tracks are in Spanish, the language that is as much Banhart's native tongue as English, and one in Portuguese”.

There are six more releases I would recommend. The first one is Jenny Hval’s The Practice of Love. Ashes to Ashes, from the album, is one of my favourite songs of the year and I urge people to pre-order the album. It is out on 13th September and this article explains more:

“Jenny Hval is back with a new album. The Practice Of Love was inspired by Valie Export’s 1985 film of the same name and sees the Norwegian artist exploring the concept of love as a poetic and artistic process.

“Love, and the practice of love, has been deeply tied to the feeling of otherness”, explains Hval. “In the last few years I have wanted to take a closer look at the practice of otherness, this fragile performance, and how it can express love, intimacy, empathy and desire”.

One of the bubbliest and brightest releases of this year comes in the form of Metronomy’s Metronomy Forever. Salted Caramel Ice Cream is one of the most infectious singles of the year and there are going to be plenty of other treats on the album. This Pitchfork article sheds more light:

“Frontman Joseph Mount discussed the new album in a statement:

What happens is when you’re making music and you enter a world where you have achieved some sort of celebrity no matter how large or small you start to think about yourself in terms of legacy and what you're going to leave behind and then you realise that’s limited to the interest people have in you. In the end I feel completely comfortable with it. The less importance you place in any art the more interesting it can become in a way...I’m making music, I’m going to do some concerts, I need to feed my children”.

You can pre-order Metronomy Forever here; I would recommend grabbing it on vinyl. The British group are fantastic and Metronomy Forever follows from the exceptional Summer 08 of 2016.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Brittany Howard/PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Horton/WireImage

For fans of Alabama Shakes and those who simply love great music, Brittany Howard’s Jaime is an album you will want to get. You can buy the album here - and her recent single, Get High, is simply magnificent. I will not include quotes/snippets about all the remaining albums but, here, we learn more about Jaime and its inspiration:

“Brittany gave Jaime the same name of her sister, who passed away when both were teenagers. “The title is in memoriam, and she definitely did shape me as a human being,” said Brittany Howard. “But, the record is not about her. It’s about me. I’m pretty candid about myself and who I am and what I believe. Which is why I needed to do it on my own.”

Brittany assembled a band that included Alabama Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell, jazz keyboardist Robert Glasper and Grammy-nominated drummer Nate Smith to work on material she brought into engineer Shawn Everett’s Los Angeles studio. She came out with an 11-track effort, the first under her own name. The inspiration came from a reflective drive from Nashville to California. “I turned 30 and I was like, ‘What do I want the rest of my life to look like?'” Howard added. “Do I want to play the same songs until I’m 50 and then retire, or do I do something that’s scarier for me? Do I want people to understand me and know me, do I want to tell them my story? I’m very private, but my favorite work is when people are being honest and really doing themselves”.

The remaining three albums you need this year come later in the month. Liam Gallagher’s much-anticipated Why Me? Why Not is out on 20th September and is a record you will want to get involved with. I bought his debut album, As You Were, back in 2017 and it was a mixed experience. I liked some of the songs but felt there was something lacking; a need for more swagger and bigger tunes. On the one hand, he was as direct and up for it as usual, but I felt there was something missing from the blend. From what I have heard of Why Me? Why Not, it looks like it will be a stronger effort. Nobody is expecting Gallagher to replicate his work with Oasis, but I feel his sophomore album is going to be a more rounded, solid and memorable affair. I will keep my eyes out for that but, also, Girl Band are releasing The Talkies on 27th September. If you have not read the interview they gave with Loud and Quiet recently then check it out. The band have had a bit of a tough past few years but it seems, on their new album, they have channeled all of this – and a lot more – into the best music of their careers. You can pre-order the album, but the band are definitely ready and keen for people to hear:

“‘The Talkies’ is Girl Band’s follow-up album to their ground breaking 2015 debut ‘Holding Hands with Jamie’. It was recorded in November 2018 at Ballintubbert House, Ireland, “a few pay grades above what we're used to!”, the alien construction of Ballintubbert and its corridors help to navigate Girl Band’s cataclysmic sound within a world of its own.

“In many ways the idea behind the album was to make an audio representation of the house.“ And this enigmatic manor becomes Girl Band’s sonic playground. The Talkies is living, breathing, in a continual state of metamorphosis. It encompasses everything there is to love about Girl Band while simultaneously causing an exciting level of discomfort. The moaning and sawing guitars, atonal blankets of sound, abstractive lyrical repetition, chugging snare and ascending/descending snakes and ladders noise-rock guitar deliver something that is so distinctively Girl Band”.

Tegan and Sara’s, Hey, I'm Just Like You is also out on 27th September, and it is surely going to be another album that troubles those year-end lists. This year has been dominated by women, and with new albums from the likes of Lana Del Rey and Sleater-Kinney, Tegan and Sara are adding to the rich and growing group. Check out the duo’s official website for details but, as they say, it has been a particularly interesting creative/recording process:

“Last year while writing our new memoir, we came across two cassette tapes with dozens of songs we wrote in high school. Defiant and melodramatic, the songs captured the exultation and grief of first loves, first losses, ecstatic kiss-offs, and psychedelic tributes to the friendships we had as teenagers. It had been over twenty years since we had heard the songs and quite honestly, we both expected to listen once, cringe, and bury them for another couple decades. But they were good. Like, really good.

They were raw, and in some cases the lyrics were hard to decipher. But the melodies, the honesty in the words, and the joy listening to them after all these years was undeniable. We decided immediately that those songs were the demos we’d use to build the new Tegan and Sara record. Hey, I’m Just Like You has twelve songs, but in making those twelve songs we pulled sections from nearly twenty of those lost high school demos.

We kept the original lyrics where we could, and we only wrote four new sections. In some cases, Sara sings songs I wrote, and in other cases I sing songs she wrote. For the first time ever, we share vocal duties on a handful of songs making them the first truly “Tegan AND Sara” songs. Alex Hope produced the record in Vancouver, where we recorded this past April and May. It is also the FIRST Tegan and Sara album produced, performed, engineered, mixed, and mastered by a team of all women”.

The fact that Hey, I'm Just Like You was made by women makes it pretty special. This is their ninth studio album and twenty years after their debut, Under Feet Like Ours, they continue to progress and delight. I love their music and feel Hey, I'm Just Like You will stack up again the year’s best – quite a way to end next month. I have selected a pile of the albums out next month and, whilst each individual cannot buy all of them, stream them if you can. It is a busy and eclectic month that promises some pretty epic music. I am excited to hear these great albums out, that is for sure! Check out my recommendations and, if you have some spare pennies, go and buy a couple of your favourites. Whilst this year has been sensational for music, the upcoming releases for September proves that there is plenty more…

GOLD to come!

FEATURE: Sisters in Arms: An All-Female, Summer-Ready Playlist (Vol. XI)

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Polartropica 

An All-Female, Summer-Ready Playlist (Vol. XI)

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THIS is a big week for new music…

and I have packed the playlist with as many great songs as possible! This is a blazing time for female artists and, as you can see from the assembled tracks below, there is so much variation and quality. This year has been defined by female artists and, still, some feel the music made by women is a genre: in fact, as you know, that is not the case. The summer is still in full swing and the sun is shining. Whilst the temperature is still high and the weather is good, enjoy this collection of amazing songs. I shall be back with another playlist this time next week but, in such a huge and busy week, there are plenty of cuts to…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sudan Archives

KEEP you occupied.

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

____________

Lauren Tate – What About the Kids

PHOTO CREDIT: DontMeanMaybe

Polartropica – Can’t Hold Us Back

Girl Wilde – WeT

G Flip – Morning

SASAMI – Take Care

PHOTO CREDIT: @jfsuave

Daniela Andrade – Wet Dreams

Lindsey Stirling – Artemis

H.E.R. – 21

Sudan Archives - Confessions

Tate McRae – tear myself apart

Justine Skye – When You’re Ready

Black Belt Eagle Scout – Going to the Beach with Haley

Lana Del Rey – California

Natasha Bedingfield – Where We Going Now  

Sheryl Crow (ft. Stevie Nicks and Maren Morris) – Prove You Wrong

Miranda Joan – Happy to Have You

Mariah the Scientist – 7am

Astrid S – The First One

Trisha Yearwood – Every Girl in This Town

BigKlit – Duh

Ashley McBryde – One Night Standards

Remi Wolf - Rufufus

Celeste - She’s My Sunshine

Deb Never – Swimming 

Madison McFerrin - TRY

Camden Cox – Somebody Else

Lily Moore (ft. Maverick Sabre) – In-between

Kara Marni – All Night, Pt. II

sophie meiers – x-ray vision

Jade Monet – Pineapple

She Drew the Gun – Trouble Every Day

FEATURE: The August Playlist: Vol. 5: Ms. Del Rey and a Certain Mr. Rockwell

FEATURE:

 

The August Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Lana Del Rey 

Vol. 5: Ms. Del Rey and a Certain Mr. Rockwell

___________

THIS is a week where…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Liam Gallagher

there are a few big releases and a lot of interesting songs – a lot from slightly smaller artists. Not only is Lana Del Rey here with a new album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, but Liam Gallagher’s track, One of Us, is a blinder. There is new music from Tegan and Sara, Iggy Pop and TOOL – quite a busy and explosive week for tunes! Away from that, there is a raft of excellent music that covers so many different genres. Make sure you dig deep and enjoy the very finest songs from this week. We all need to get our weekends kicking and strutting and, with this selection, you will definitely be energised and moved! Load up, take this music with you and let the sounds get inside the brain. It is, as I say, a week dominated by a few huge artists but, also, there are so many other tremendous artists…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Tegan and Sara

GETTING in on the act.  

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

_________

Lana Del Rey – Cinnamon Girl

PHOTO CREDIT: Lindsey Byrnes

Tegan and Sara – I’ll Be Back Someday

Liam Gallagher - One of Us

PHOTO CREDIT: Rob Baker Ashton

Iggy Pop – Sonali

PHOTO CREDIT: Travis Keller

Mark Lanegan Band - Night Flight to Kabul

Twin Shadow – Crushed

Bombay Bicycle Club – Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)

Tool – Invincible

Cigarettes After Sex – Heavenly

King Nun – Black Tree

Sheryl Crow (ft. James Taylor) – Flying Blind

Whitney – Friend of Mine

PHOTO CREDIT: Phoebe Fox

Mystery Jets – History Has Its Eyes on You

PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Vivaas Kise

Sløtface – Stuff

Jack Peñate – Prayer

Sam Fender - Will We Talk?

Ferris & Sylvester – I Dare You

Tom Tripp – Ring

Floating Points – Last Bloom

PHOTO CREDIT: Guillaume Kayacan

Napoleon Gold (ft. Haiva Ru) - Love Don't Cut Me Down

Circa Waves – Something More

Ezra Furman – Thermometer

Bugzy Malone - The North's Face

Kano – Teardrops

Callum Beattie – Easter Road

DZ Deathrays – A Lot to Lose

G Flip – Lover

Lindsey Stirling – Artemis

H.E.R. – Can’t Help Me

Black Futures – Riches

Daniela Andrade – Wet Dreams

The Sherlocks – Waiting

Duckwrth – Crush

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Madonna – Bedtime Stories

FEATURE:

 

Vinyl Corner

Madonna – Bedtime Stories

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ONE can debate which Madonna album...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in 1994/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Earl

is the best but, when it comes to her most important, few can deny the role of Bedtime Stories. To me, it is the moment she cemented herself as the Queen of Pop and silenced a lot of critics. It is an album I have wanted to put into Vinyl Corner for a while and, as it turns twenty-five on 25th October, it seems like a good moment to look ahead and show why the album is still important today. In order to understand why Bedtime Stories is so pivotal, one must look back at Madonna’s output in 1992. After the success that came Madonna’s way after 1989’s Like a Prayer, she was on top of the world and slaying her peers. Madonna’s music was becoming more confident and daring; her songs were electrifying but she was mature as well as provocative. 1992’s Erotica is often seen as a cold album that talks about sex in a distant and emotionless way. It is an underrated album that gained a lot of unwarranted criticism. Throw into the mix the fact Madonna released her Sex book right as Erotica came out and, to be fair, a lot of eyes were opened! By today’s standards, Sex and Erotica are not especially explicit – Madonna definitely influenced artists of the future and opened doors. Many felt Madonna had gone too far and that her sexual nature was pushing things; her art was more about shocking people than creating great music. Of course, if a male band had acted like this and pushed boundaries they’d be celebrated and sell venues out: the fact Madonna was a woman meant she was being targeted and singled out.

1992 was a year where Madonna courted a lot of press – a lot of it was negative or critical. Few expected her to make another album; not least one that answered her critics and evolved her music to another level. There are some raw and teasing moments on Bedtime Stories – not least Human Nature; a song that jabs critics who slagged Madonna off for being ‘human’ – and the album has a more mature and balanced sound. Madonna needed to fan some of the flames – as such, songs like Take a Bow show real heart and soul. That song, to me, is the most important of her career. Listen to that and compare it with tracks such as Justify My Love and Erotica. Those tracks and incredible but, as Madonna attracted so much controversy when they were released, she needed to react and show there was more to her than met the eye. Madonna was never going to turn into a nun but, rather than push even further, Take a Bow is a gorgeous and hugely memorable hit that makes you root for this heartbroken heroine. Not only that but her songwriting ability is clear. Penned with Babyface (who provides backing vocals), it is a gorgeous, affecting song with pentatonic strings and one of Madonna’s finest vocals. I would urge people to buy Bedtime Stories on vinyl, because it was a real turning point for Madonna; an album that kept her career alive – and confirmed there was nobody like her in Pop.

Madonna knew that, during the period after Erotica, she had been misunderstood and misconstrued. She was not, as some assumed, advocating everyone go out and have sex with anyone. In an unwelcomed way, Madonna was seen as leading the charge for irresponsibly and crudeness. In actuality, she was talking about expression, freedom and being confident; as I say, she influenced so many artists. Alongside a raft of new producers – including Nellee Hooper – Bedtime Stories arrived in a year (1994) when Madonna was performing in a music scene radically different to the one she was familiar with on her eponymous 1983 debut. Grunge and Britpop were common and, in terms of her sound, she could easily have continued along the lines of Erotica and fitted in. That said, there was a need fort damage control. She might not have wanted to retreat so much but, with her reputation and her career on the line, compromises had to be made. Bedtime Stories has some seductive moments, but it is a warmer, broader album than Erotica – maybe it is not as acclaimed and progressive, but the importance of Bedtime Stories cannot be overlooked. Rather than sex, there is romance. Madonna took from R&B and the British club scene of that time; she was injecting more European influences into her sound. In terms of reviews, I feel retrospective examinations have been kinder.

At the time, there was positivity but a feeling Madonna had not taken a huge leap; there were not as many standout tracks on Bedtime Stories as on earlier records. AllMusic, in this retrospective review, assessed the album:

“Perhaps Madonna correctly guessed that the public overdosed on the raw carnality of her book Sex. Perhaps she wanted to offer a more optimistic take on sex than the distant Erotica. Either way, Bedtime Stories is a warm album, with deep, gently pulsating grooves; the album's title isn't totally tongue-in-cheek. The best songs on the album ("Secret," "Inside of Me," "Sanctuary," "Bedtime Story," "Take a Bow") slowly work their melodies into the subconscious as the bass pulses. In that sense, it does offer an antidote to Erotica, which was filled with deep but cold grooves. The entire production of Bedtime Stories suggests that she wants listeners to acknowledge that her music isn't one-dimensional. She has succeeded with that goal, since Bedtime Stories offers her most humane and open music; it's even seductive”.

I think a lot of the less-effusive reviews concern the lack of big hits rather than a decline in overall quality. Ironically, it is Madonna’s sexuality and boldness that helped score a lot of big reviews: something she felt she needed to tone down to remain popular makes Bedtime Stories seem like a strange compromise. I do like the fact there is an emotional balance on Bedtime Stories; more tenderness and maturity and, luckily, she retained her edge and sense of humour.

Despite a lot of negative press prior to Bedtime Stories, Madonna did regain traction in 1994. There are a lot of positive articles and retrospectives regarding Bedtime Stories. Here, we learn more about the creative process at the time and how Madonna was open to collaborative ideas:

“The inviting R&B sound of Bedtime Stories is due in part to co-producer Dallas Austin, who longtime Madonna backup singer Donna de Lory describes as "part of her tribe at that time." Also on board were co-producers Nellee Hooper, Dave "Jam" Hall (hot off Mary J. Blige's debut, What's the 411?) and, of course, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Demarchelier/Mario Testino 

Similar to Babyface, De Lory describes working with Madonna as a creative partnership, even if she was the one setting the tone. "Once she got her ideas out, she was open to your ideas. You didn't want to go in with her and right off the bat say, 'Well, I hear this,' because she was so specific and articulate. She already had the sound in her head. But after she'd spoken, we'd put our two cents in. We always had ideas, like, 'Can we answer this line with an extra "survival" [in the background]?'"

The result of that session is the perfect opener to the album -- a lush, beguiling anthem to resilience and statement of purpose. "I'll never be an angel, I'll never be a saint it's true/ I'm too busy surviving, whether it's heaven or hell/ I'm gonna be living to tell," Madonna sings, nodding to her critics while simultaneously brushing them off”.

Here, when marking the twentieth anniversary of Bedtime Stories, Vice discussed the furore Madonna attracted in 1992 and her response:

“For as long as Madonna has made music, she has endured relentless criticism for her sexuality. She’s been perhaps the most consistent target in the music industry, drawing critiques for more than three decades, and reviews of her work have served as a roadmap for how we scrutinize women at each stage in their music career. Whether it was public speculation on why she isn’t “like a virgin” or it was chastising her middle-aged body in a leotard, the shaming has had many iterations despite its one unwavering resolution: She goes too far.

Madonna asserted her lack of apology on the grounds that she had not said or did anything unusual; it was simply unusual for a woman to say it. In an interview with the LA Times, she defended Bedtime Stories by saying “I’m being punished for being a single female, for having power and being rich and saying the things I say, being a sexual creature—actually, not being any different from anyone else, but just talking about it. If I were a man, I wouldn't have had any of these problems. Nobody talks about Prince's sex life”.

In terms of Madonna’s discography, I would place Bedtime Stories fourth in my list of favourites – Ray of Light, Like a Prayer and Madonna would be above it – but, in terms of Madonna albums that move you and make a statement…are any as powerful and important as Bedtime Stories?! I don’t think so.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Demarchelier

Many artists in her position might have retreated and played it safe after such a backlash. There is no debate Madonna was the biggest Pop artists in the world in 1992 but, after facing some negativity following Erotica/Sex, she needed to consider her next move carefully. Bedtime Stories is, as I say, not as revered as other Madonna works. It is her most important album and, not only did it return her to favour and show great maturity, but it brought new layers to her work; again, establishing her position as Pop’s queen and setting her up for a long and varied future – her latest album, Madame X, was released earlier this year. I would recommend you check out Madonna’s albums on vinyl format as they sound incredible. With the needle dropped, how can one resist the grooves, moves and excellent cuts across Bedtime Stories?! There are a couple of weak-ish tracks in the pack but, with any Madonna album, even they are interesting and warrant investigation. Shy of twenty-five years in the world, the album has influenced artists and cemented Madonna as an icon. Rather than apologise for past ‘missteps’, she was unapologetic but dd not attack critics or exacerbate the issue by becoming even more exploit. The fact that Bedtime Stories came between her most controversial album (Erotica) and, debatably, her best (Ray of Light) means that it is overlooked and seen as a transition – that is unfair because, as songs like Take a Bow, Human Nature and Secret show, here was some of her most compelling and accomplished work to date. The edge remains but, rather than Bedtime Stories being a shot at critics and a move further into erotica, Madonna managed to create an album with plenty of heart and tenderness. It is an amazing record and I think Bedtime Stories is an overlooked jewel that warrants fresh ears – especially as it is twenty-five soon. If you cannot get hold of a vinyl copy, then stream the album and revel its beauty. It is an amazing response to a difficult period and one that solidified Madonna’s name as…

THE Queen of Pop.

FEATURE: National Album Day 2019: Which Is Your ‘Don’t Skip’ Album?

FEATURE:

 

 

National Album Day 2019

PHOTO CREDIT: @priscilladupreez/Unsplash 

Which Is Your ‘Don’t Skip’ Album?

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ALTHOUGH it is about six weeks away…

I am thinking about National Album Day and the question being posed this year: Which album is the one you listen to from top to bottom? The day is designed to celebrate the album and its importance – much like National Record Store Day did earlier in the year – and highlight the benefits of records. Before I go on, here is some information regarding this year’s events:

“Details of National Album Day 2019 have been announced, which takes place on Saturday, October 12.

The initiative launched in 2018 to champion the album format and was celebrated through a series of special events, including artist album playbacks and Q&As and an artwork exhibition in key train stations across the UK.

Lewis Capaldi, Mark Ronson, Elbow and Mahalia have been announced as 'album champions' for this year's big day. Lewis said: "Absolutely buzzing to be part of National Album Day! Unreal to have finally released my debut album this year & find out that not everyone hates it! 🎉 On the whole I’m very proud of it, although I won’t lie there’s probably a few stinkers on there, but I’m only human. Hope you don’t hate it but if you do don’t worry, it’s only my life’s work."

"The album has brought me pure joy since I was old enough to remember," Mark added. "I don’t think it will ever stop doing that."

The album is proving resilient in the ever-shifting music landscape. 143 million albums or their equivalent were either streamed, purchased or downloaded in the UK in 2018 – worth approximately £1.3 billion and representing a near 6% rise on the year before.

4.2 million of that figure were vinyl purchases a 2000% rise since their low point in 2007”.

Whilst the C.D. is dying out and cassette sales are fluctuating, it seems young and older listeners alike still hold a special place for vinyl. The benefit of vinyl is that it is harder to skip tracks: one is more prone to listen to a side the whole way through and not raise the needle! Of course, on National Album Day, we are marking all types of albums and why they bring us joy. It is a moment we can all come together and discuss the records that matter the most to us. At a time when we can easily stream albums, I wonder how many of us listen the entire way through without skipping. It has been a while since I listened to an album on Spotify without skipping; I usually listen to the best tracks and then listen to a bit of the lesser numbers; skipping here and there. It is a lot more tempting handpicking tracks but I find, when it comes to physical purchases, I tend to listen the whole way through. I have a large collection of C.D.s and vinyl and, when I put an album on, I usually make it through from start to finish – maybe the odd tracks gets skipped.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @joanna_nix/Unsplash

Maybe it has something to do with the tactile nature of a record: you sit there and have this experienced that you do not really get when listening on a phone or laptop. Even when it comes to these albums I grew up with and have listened to a lot, I might pass a few tracks by. In terms of newly-released albums, it has been a long time since I listened to the whole thing and did not pass a song by. Of course, an album has to be good and compelling for one to stay invested and attentive. If there are filler tracks, it makes it difficult to remain patient and give those songs focus. Each of us has those albums that we listen to without skipping any tracks. Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside is my favourite album; it is one I listen to a lot and adore beyond words. Whilst it will always be my favourite album, I think the one that I feel obliged to listen to every note of is Paul Simon’s Graceland. If someone asked me to recommend an album that anyone could listen to without having to know the artist’s catalogue, that genre or any history then it would be Graceland. I know National Album Day asks us to listen to all albums without skipping but each of us will have that one example of an album where we digest every track every time.

It tells us a lot about that person and what they look for in music. There are a few reasons why I cannot bear to skip any tracks on Graceland. As I said, it is an album that you do not have to be familiar with; one does not need to know how Paul Simon progressed and why Graceland was such an unexpected revelation. You do not even need to be aware of Apartheid and why Graceland was so provocative and brave. The album is so eclectic, deep and compelling. From the first notes of The Boy in the Bubble to the perfect Graceland; the haunting Homeless right through to its dying notes, Graceland is a masterpiece. Whether you are listening to it through headphones or lying on the floor and experiencing it on vinyl – as one should -, Graceland is a wonder to behold. Paul Simon caused controversy when the album came out: during Apartheid, artists were asked to boycott South Africa and, as Simon worked with South African artists and worked there, it was a very divisive move. Here, in this Pitchfork review, they discuss the political circumstances and why Graceland is pioneering:  

“So we get songs where the groove came first, and the lyrics long after. Simon considered writing political songs about apartheid but quickly concluded that he wasn't very good at it and owed it to the other musicians involved to stick to his strengths. Still, the album's opening song, "The Boy in the Bubble", is a thriller that ties together threads of technological progress, medicine, terrorism, surveillance, pop music, inequality, and superstition with little more than a series of sentence fragments, all tossed off in the same deadpan delivery. The song sets a monumental stage on which the small dramas and comedies of the other songs can play out, and it also establishes the record's unsettled tone-- out of all these songs, only "That Was Your Mother" is sung from a settled place, and even that one is a reminiscence about itinerant life.

Graceland was the first many of Simon's fans had heard of South Africa's black music. When I saw that this set included a two-hour documentary on the album, I wondered whether it would shy away from the issue of Simon's violation of the cultural boycott on South Africa, but to its credit, it doesn't. In fact, director Joe Berlinger uses a one-on-one conversation between Simon and Dali Tambo, the founder of Artists Against Apartheid and a one-time vocal critic of Simon, as a framing device for his story.

But more than Simon's single-minded devotion to his art and Tambo's ideological politics, the experience surrounding this album is best conveyed by the musicians who made it. They were violating the boycott, too, just by participating in a dialogue with non-South African musicians, and there's a moment where Ray Phiri describes a meeting he was called to in London with African National Congress officials while touring to support the album that speaks volumes. The ANC officials told Phiri that he was violating the boycott and had to go home, and his response was that he was already a victim of apartheid, and to force him to go home would make him a victim twice. In the end, Simon's assertion that Graceland helped put an emotional, human face on black South Africans for millions of people around the world doesn't seem off the mark”.

Here is an album that extends way beyond the songs themselves. It is such a fascinating, charged yet free album where Paul Simon reaches a new peak. This legendary songwriter was looking for a revival and new lease and, on Graceland, that is what he found. There are other albums I can listen to without skipping but Graceland is the one I always listen to from beginning to end every time. When National Album Day rolls around, I will have my copy of Graceland on vinyl and I will be spinning it without skipping a track. I am listening to the album now and, even though I have heard it countless times, I am still moved by the music and completely blown away! Maybe it is the fact I first heard the album when I was a child – I remember trips from the airport after family holidays; we’d listen to Graceland in the car -, but something seems embedded in me; a feeling that this album will be in my head until the day I die. I cannot get enough of it and, on 12th October, I will be listening to it again and re-appreciating it. Have a think about the albums that you love and have to hear in their entirety. I think National Album Day is important because, at a time when we stream songs and rarely spend time with whole albums, it is important to reconnect and remember why albums are so important. Not only are albums a complete story – singles and individual songs only tell part of the tale – but an artist wants the listener to hear all the music. The aim of this year’s National Album Day is to promote good mental-health and promote the benefits of albums. There are many albums that make me feel better but Graceland is an album that definitely…

PHOTO CREDIT: @nadineshaabana/Unsplash

LIFTS my spirits.

FEATURE: Popscene: Will We Remember the Best of the Mainstream Decades from Now?

FEATURE:

 

 

Popscene

IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift/PHOTO CREDIT: Valheria Rocha/TAS Rights Management 

Will We Remember the Best of the Mainstream Decades from Now?

_________

MAYBE this all circles back to what I have been saying…

regarding music and a lack of fun/joy but, at a time when music is less memorable and buoyant, this is something that keeps coming back to mind; a theme and question that seems complex. I am not going to pick on Taylor Swift but, as her new and acclaimed album, Lover, has arrived and is getting a wave of press focus, it is a good place to start. I will bring in a couple of reviews but, to start with, this is how Pitchfork judged Lover:

“Is it the prickly cotton-candy production or the lyrical detail or the vocal echo or just the event album-ness of it all that keeps Lover in the foreground, song after song? With the possible exception of the steel drums on music-box oddball “It’s Nice to Have a Friend,” the album never claims any new ground; some of its best moments are unavoidably familiar. Rihanna or Robyn might intend their new music to sound entirely fresh; Swift, our most conventional pop star, builds atop what has worked already. And with Antonoff behind so much of the sound of pop music in the latter half of the decade, the bold, ’80s-inspired style isn’t inherently more interesting or varied than any other. “I Think He Knows” sounds like Carly Rae Jepsen; “The Archer” sounds like Lorde’s “Supercut”; “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince,” actually a Joel Little joint, sounds like Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die”.

To be fair, Lover has gained largely positive reviews and there has been a lot of affection puts it way. A star like Taylor Swift is never far from the news and everything she releases will undergo scrutiny and deep investigation. People pull apart her songs and dissect her lyrics; so much of her life is laid out in the tabloids that mean there is little mystery left. I know music is a subjective thing and we all have our opinions but, even when an album like Lover is trying to be fun and uplifting, it suffers from a seemingly bland and overly-familiar Pop production. I have been listening to a lot of older music – from a couple of decades back – and seeing how it has changed through the years. Maybe time will be the real test but I have listened to Lover all the way through a couple of times and none of the songs stick in the mind. Yes, the songs are clever and there is emotional honesty; there is variation and ambition but, at the end of the day, it is likely only Swift’s fans will be remembering the songs and recommending them. You listen to a song like Cruel Summer and, whilst it sounds okay when you hear it, you don’t return to it; there is no big hook or nuance at all. I think Taylor Swift is an amazing person and role model and, if you read this recent interview, you will definitely find yourself falling for Swift.

She is a stunning artist but, in terms of memorability, the songs sound awfully familiar and repetitive. I know there have been some great reviews but I do think so many people are judging the album based on the standards of modern Pop. By that, I mean Swift very much ticks all the boxes of what is expected of a modern artist…is that the issue?! There is no denying contemporaries such as Ariana Grande are popular and influential Pop artists who have a lot of fans – her album, Thank U, Next, is one of 2019’s best-reviewed. I have listened to the album a few times and, whilst songs have a slightly different objective to the ones on Swift’s new album, one cannot help noticing that they are very similar. Although there are different writers and producers on the albums, it seems like there is a modern formula. You get the same sort of vocal tones/sounds; there is a repetitiveness that is hard to ignore. Whereas past artists – maybe there was a golden era – have been able to create timeless choruses, a sense of originality and addictiveness, so much of today’s seems to be rooted in formula. I admit that these big Pop artists have their own personalities and merits but you listen to the music and it sounds like so samey. Even more emotional songs lack any real depth and variation and, at the end of the day, you have this brand of music that will appeal to a certain demographic but can one say people will be chanting these songs decades from now – will they be seen as classics that people run to?

I know music is about personal preference and, if it pleases someone, then that is great…but I can’t help feeling so much of today’s music will be forgotten in years to come whereas we will still return to old favourites and certain years where we got so much variety and gold. Studies like this show that, indeed, Pop has gotten more repetitive and simpler. Whilst there are innovative Pop artists like Billie Eilish working away, she is still being overshadowed by more commercial acts; sounds that are less daring, perhaps, and seem to stick to a tried-and-tested formula. One can also claim Pop of the past sounded pretty similar but, even as recently as the turn of the century, there was a lot more width and memorability. I am not bagging on all modern Pop artists but it is alarming to discover so many songs/albums that sounds so similar; so lacking in any soul and heart – when you have finished listening, you sort of move on and struggle to recall what has just been played. I do like artists like Taylor Swift, Sigrid; Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and Maggie Rogers but you could comfortably play their albums alongside one another and get so many similar experiences and aspects. It is wonderful Taylor Swift’s new album is getting kudos but I cannot see how it is more radical and bold than any other Pop album from the last few years.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Jack Savorreti/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Away from a style of Pop that tries to be fun and energised – but comes off sounding anodyne, formulaic and soulless –, there is a wave of sadder songwriters, largely male, who are putting their hearts on their sleeves and showing their sensitive side. From established acts like Ed Sheeran and Jack Savoretti to newer artists like Lewis Capaldi, you wonder how much of this music will survive the test of time and endure. I am not going to write off all popular music from this year because, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Jenny Lewis and Lizzo putting out some stunning music, one has to give props to the wonderful artists out there. I do not necessarily the finer artists will survive decades down the line but that has nothing to do with a lack of quality: I think certain periods of music will survive and endure longer than others; perhaps we all will rely on certain decades when it comes to the moments that stick in the brain. I do keep coming back to this subject of Pop and whether it has changed for the worse but, when you listen to these heartfelt male artists, you cannot help but feel bored and unmoved. You do not exactly race back to these tracks and I do not feel they will be talked about years from now. Maybe modern Pop is about the fame and personal lives/loves of the artists. It is easy to emphasise with them and feel involved with their lives but, in purely musical terms, how strong are these songs?

I can admire eclecticism and ambition but, as I said, these songs are not revelatory and any different to what is out there. I don’t know if there is this secret recipe for a Pop ‘hit’ because, time and time again, you listen to albums and they sound so similar and manufactured. I think we recall and rely on older songs because there was something deeper and more interesting working away. Few modern Pop artists employ real instruments in the mix: so much of what is around relies on electronics, machines and effects. I have a lot of respect for modern Pop artists and know they mean an awful lot to so many people. Quality is a subjective measure but think about what is around now and whether it will sustain. For every endeavouring and multi-layered artist like Billie Eilish, there is this rather flat and over-hyped alternative that gets most of the attention. Every time I need a Pop tune with bounce, big hooks and something epic, most of the time, I will go back to what I know. I am always ready to open my arms to the here and now but, even when I listen to albums a few times, it just does not stick. Is it me getting older and more stubborn or are we living in a time when the mainstream is less flexible and daring? My feature’s question regarding the longevity of Pop, obviously, requires time. I wonder whether, in 2030, people will be listening back to the most acclaimed Pop music of today like we do the gems from the 1980s and 1990s? There is a lot to look forward to as the year cracks on. Lana Del Rey is releasing her album, Norman Fucking Rockwell, on Friday (30th August) and there have been so many terrific albums put out this year. I keep thinking about the top of the music food chain and the sort of attention it receives. Whilst a lot of today’s Pop turns heads and gets a lot of buzz, I have the fear that a great majority of it will be…

GONE tomorrow.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Working Men’s Club

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Lewis Johnson-Kellett 

Working Men’s Club

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I feel a lot of attention is still trained the...

 PHOTO CREDIT: Rosie Butcher

way of London when it comes to artists to watch. Maybe there is a tip towards other parts because, at time when there is so much varied music and incredible sounds, the capital no longer holds the same sway and dominance than it did years ago. Maybe Grime and Rap means eyes are always going to look to London for some hard-hitting truth and those street-level sounds but I think we should be consider the wider music scene and areas like Yorkshire. This county has always boasted great bands and, with acts like allusinlove and The Orielles rising and turning heads, it seems like there is a fire burning there. I think there is an honesty about Yorkshire that means the music speaks louder and flies freer. Among the great raft of acts rising at the moment are Working Men’s Club. Not only do they have one of the best names around – I can’t believe more bands haven’t snapped up that name – but they have some seriously great tunes to match. Whilst the band find themselves in the North West at the moment, you feel they have the potential to travel the world and play some mighty stages. It is evident Working Men’s Club are on the move but they very much have northern openness and roots. Some have compared the band to The Fall and, when you listen carefully, there is a lot more working under the surface than you’d imagine.

Yes, there is a touch of Mark E. Smith to the vocal tone but Working Men’s Club produce big synths, fascinating lines and a range of emotions that leads to this distinct and proprietary cocktail. They have recently added a new member and, as there are few photos online with their fresh recruit, one will forgive a few photos depicting them as a trio. I hope the band get some more photos done because it will help build their online base and a few of the ones on their social media pages are not that sharp in terms of clarity. That said, there are some great snaps but I assume more shoots will come as new music arrives. I will talk about their latest single in a bit but, before then, let me give you a bit of overview on Working Men’s Club (information taken from their Bandcamp page):

“Madding crowds may have found their bounce to the beat of ‘Bad Blood’s post-punk groove but Working Men’s Club will defy all expectation with their eagerly anticipated follow-up. Forcing backs off the wall and deeper onto the dancefloor, electric stomper ‘Teeth’ possesses enough bite to set pearly whites on edge and induce a wildly ecstatic feeling that’s anything but comfortable.

“It is a metaphor,” teases the band’s singer, guitarist and beat-maker, Sydney Minsky-Sargeant. “It could be about going insane or what you see, what you think you feel inside, a lot of things… put through a drum machine… basically we just want to confuse the fuck out of people, in a good way!”

PHOTO CREDIT: @brandontaylorphotog 

For Syd, alongside fellow Club members Giulia Bonometti, Jake Bogacki, and recently recruited bassist Liam Ogburn, the last 12 months has seen the 4-piece buckle up for a meteoric rise that’s been a hell of a ride. “Signing to Heavenly was a big deal for us,” offers Jake. “We’ve worshiped the label and its bands for a long time so it’s nice to be part of the family. It’s a culture; we’re all running in parallel.”

Shows with Fat White Family and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and a day of packed-out Great Escape appearance have paved the way for the band as they hone their rhythm ahead of Bluedot, Manchester Psychfest, Latitude and Manchester International Festival later this summer, before a tour with Bodega and their first headline tour though October and November.

After ‘Bad Blood’ received early support from Steve Lamacq, demand brought about a third repressing of their debut 7”, and it topped the vinyl charts; giving rise to a band subconsciously making us all slaves to the rave. “We do this because we love it.” says Syd. “But it’s not about us, we’re just faces. Working Men’s Club is about the music, the vibe, and that feeling, forcing you to move. Anyone can join”.

In terms of sound, I guess one can say they are a bit Post-Punk but there are other genres working away. One cannot deny there is a rawness and drive that gets into the blood; the band does not want to follow the pack and know there is a problem with guitar music at the moment. I will bring in an interview NME conducted with Working Men’s Club’s lead, Sydney Minsky-Sargeant in a second but, before then, take a listen to their new single, Teeth.

It takes quite a while for the song to sink in and fully strike. At first, it sounds a little grungy and groaned; it has potency and punch; there are all sorts of things happening that create this hypnotic mood. One can hear bits of others acts but, really, it is the distinct and uncompromisingly individual sound of Working Men’s Club that makes the music sound completely fresh and relevant. When talking with NME recently, Sydney Minsky-Sargeant definitely kept his tongue loose – just what you want from a young band that are on course to become legends of the future:

“The mercurial, teenaged frontman for Working Men’s Club is not one to mince words. We’re less than 10-minutes into our interview with Sydney Minsky-Sargeant and he has already made it quite clear that he’s got no enthusiasm for indie music circa 2019. “The reason there aren’t as many popular guitar bands right now is because they keep reproducing the same shit,” he tells us from his bedroom in Todmorden, West Yorkshire. “No one should be surprised it’s dying.”

There’s a certain irony here (not lost on Minsky-Sargeant) considering his band – rounded out by Jake Bogacki, Giulia Bonometti, and Liam Ogburn – has been hailed as leaders of a burgeoning post-punk renaissance. Breathless reviews greeted their debut 7”, and the blistering salvos of ‘Bad Blood’ and b-side ‘Suburban Heights’ earning them comparisons to Manchester royalty The Fall, and as well as contemporary acts like Brooklyn’s indie-rock kingpins Parquet Courts.

It remains remarkable how much they’ve achieved with so little. After all, he is still just 17, fronting a band that has been together scarcely more than a year. In addition to the avalanche of accolades it has received, the aforementioned 7” sold out a week prior to its street date thanks to pre-orders. And to top it off, there is a rumoured record deal allegedly in its final stages.

Heady days indeed, but Minsky-Sargeant would never let on if he’s feeling the heat. “For a lot of bands, their first single is meant as the overview of the first album, but I don’t think that is going to be true for us. There is much more to Working Men’s Club, and what’s to come is going to be even better than ‘Bad Blood.’” Clearly, he much prefers to fan the flames”.

The band has some live dates around the U.K. coming up and they are growing in stature and strength with each passing month. Although they have not put out too much music at the moment, there is a lot of momentum their way; stations like BBC Radio 6 Music have spun their tracks and it looks like next year will be very prosperous and busy for them. I love what they are doing and, maybe, some more information on social media would be good. I would like to know where they came from and the artists that compel them; a few more photos and tweets would not go a miss. They are bringing in new followers but I think they can increase their numbers more with a bit more self-promotion, images and push. Their live shows are speaking volumes and, with some terrific songs out there and their arsenal growing, it is only a matter of time before this northern army find themselves at some huge festivals. There are a lot of great and interesting bands coming through at the moment and, to be honest, a lot of them are quite limited or overly-familiar. Working Men’s Club have teeth and some bad blood in the veins but they are overflowing with nuance and depth. Their songs are incredible and, in 2020, a lot of doors will open for them. You might be new to the Yorkshire-formed band but, with such a sound concocted and flowing in the world, these guys will be huge…

BEFORE too long.

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Working Men’s Club

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Missy Elliott – Supa Dupa Fly

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

 Missy Elliott – Supa Dupa Fly

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IT is not often I get…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Missy Elliott/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

to put a Hip-Hop album into Vinyl Corner. That is my own fault but, with Missy Elliott’s ICONOLOGY E.P. out now, I have been thinking about this legend and her start. Her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly, was released in 1997 and remains one of her best-known and regarded works. The story of Missy Elliott and her start is an interesting one. She was part of a group called Sista who, whilst playing in high-school, caught the eye of Swing Mob. The group recorded an album but it was never released – their contract was terminated. That might have been all we heard from Missy Elliott but, returning to her home in Virginia, she recorded songs here and there; she contributed to Aaliyah’s album, One in a Million, and keeping active. Elliott soon signed to Elektra Records and embarked on her first solo record. Produced by Timbaland – who Elliott worked with on Aaliyah’s album – Supa Dupa Fly was a huge success. I recommend people buy the album on vinyl because it sounds extraordinary in that format; somehow more real and evocative. Supa Dupa Fly combines aspects of Dance, Electronic and Hip-Hop to superb affect. In 1997, there were some great female rappers around but none who had the same flow and imagination of Missy Elliott. On the album, Elliott is often funny, loose and freewheelin’; her delivery is incredible and, whilst there is humour to be found, we hear about womanhood, respect from her lovers and society as a whole.

It is a huge and confident debut album that takes no prisoners but is easily accessible. You do not need to be stepped in Hip-Hop or come from where Missy Elliott did to understand the tracks. They are so inventive and busy that you need to listen to Supa Dupa Fly several times through. The album sounds as remarkable and original as it did back in 1997 and, in today’s scene, it actually feels fresher and more thrilling – there is nothing around like it! I want to bring in one review of the album, from Pitchfork that talks about the brilliance of Missy Elliott and Supa Dupa Fly:

“While much of the music of the time was powered by well-known samples, including Bad Boy’s hits such as “Mo Money Mo Problems” (which flipped Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out”) and “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” (based on Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message”), Timbaland and Missy preferred not to sample—and if they did, it had to be interesting. Timbaland would speed up vocal samples just to use as them as a bass line. He used breakbeats in a unique way, too, employing them to create pauses and longer stretches of silence. The dead space became its own canvas within the beat where Timbaland could use overlays of beatboxing, clicks, and just about any cool sound, from a baby’s cry to an Egyptian flute. But it was the intuitive songwriting style and unique imprint of Missy’s pen that would make the duo a top-tier act.

This talk was especially innovative coming from a curvy, gender-bending woman who often appeared in exaggerated and animated form in her videos. In the iconic visual for “The Rain(Supa Dupa Fly),” Missy appears as a Michelin woman, dancing into the camera while wearing a giant plastic bag suit and biker’s helmet. The costume made her look even bigger than she was but also took away the obviousness that she was not a thin Lolita type. In the same video she wears a straight wig and sits on a hill twirling it in caricature of Lil Bo Peep. “We wanted to make fun of the ways record companies try to make black women look white,” Missy has said. “Fake hair, fake music.”

This talk was especially innovative coming from a curvy, gender-bending woman who often appeared in exaggerated and animated form in her videos. In the iconic visual for “The Rain(Supa Dupa Fly),” Missy appears as a Michelin woman, dancing into the camera while wearing a giant plastic bag suit and biker’s helmet. The costume made her look even bigger than she was but also took away the obviousness that she was not a thin Lolita type. In the same video she wears a straight wig and sits on a hill twirling it in caricature of Lil Bo Peep. “We wanted to make fun of the ways record companies try to make black women look white,” Missy has said. “Fake hair, fake music.”

She was quite aware of how she looked and how the mostly male-audience of rap would receive her but she did not cower away from being the sexual aggressor. Missy rapped and sang about the woman who was self-assured and still sensitive to heartbreak; one that knew what she wanted enough to demand it but was prone to getting hurt. Even better, because of her “lack” of sexual appeal to the market of the time, she was able to skip the highly-sexualized performative nature of her female rap contemporaries. Many of those acts spun objectification into sexual empowerment, and Missy also empowered those who may have been told that their bodies were not attractive and therefore not valuable to consumers”.

From its lyrical swagger to the confidence of Missy Elliott; to the language used and the fact Supa Dupa Fly was a revelation and shockwave, it is one of the most underrated Rap/Hip-Hop albums ever. There are multiple reasons why we need to reinvestigate and revisit this album but, the fact Missy Elliott has released new material, many people are looking back and checking out her music. She remains one of the most important voices on the block and I know this will be the case for many years to come. I will end the feature shortly but, before I do, I want to bring in a feature from DAZED. They talk about the album’s various sides but I have selected passages that discuss Supa Dupa Fly’s reinvention of Rap and the unique language employed:

“In the late 90s rap was still heavily provincial, but Supa Dupa Fly balanced the best of the era’s dominant scenes. The album had southern swagger and attitude without the molasses drawl or frequent lack of substance, while also boasting East Coast craftsmanship and adroitness without the grueling feeling of an MC trying to prove their lyrical dexterity. There are plenty of samples on the album, from obvious ones like Musical Youth’s “Pass the Dutchie” and “I Can’t Stand the Rain” by Ann Peebles to subtler flips like Teena Marie’s “Square Biz” and Rufus Thomas’ “Do the Funky Chicken”, but they’re all brought into Missy and Timbaland’s musical wheelhouse organically and rearranged into something that feels like it couldn’t have possibly existed in another form.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Sometimes, that’s because they’re interpolated and sung by Missy, like the hook on “The Rain”, and other times they’re just plugged subtly seamlessly into the organized chaos of Timbaland’s skittering soundscapes, like the reference to “Square Biz”.

Supa Dupa Fly is filled with variations on Missy’s “hee-hee-haow” adlib, and throughout the record she manages to turn conventional rap language on its head and invent her own indelible dialect in the process. When she boasts “Me and Timbaland like haaa” on “Hit ‘Em Wit’ Da Hee,” the line exudes more bravado than any of her late 90s peers boasting about the size of their jewelry or the cars they drive. Her confidence is purer and even more undeniable because it manifests itself in a wholly unique way that doesn’t feel like an artist trying to keep up with the trends of the day”.

I do think Hip-Hop and Rap have changed: some would day for the better whilst others feels it sort of peaked in the 1980s and 1990s. Whilst I feel the scene is evolving and always growing, one cannot deny the importance of Missy Elliott. Articles like this argue Supa Dupa Fly is massively underrated. It is clear that, without Missy Elliott, we might not have artists like Beyoncé or Lady Gaga. Certainly, Missy Elliott brought feminism to the mainstream. Elliott is a survivor of sexual abuse and, on her 1997 debut, she encouraged women to reclaim their bodies and reject the passive narrative – women being seen as objects or not allowed to express their sexual desires. Fascinating retrospectives like this show what a legacy Supa Dupa Fly has and how it has impacted on modern music. It is a masterful debut from one of the biggest names in Hip-Hop. If you have not experienced this hugely influential album on vinyl then go and…

GRAB yourself a copy.

FEATURE: Female Icons: Part Sixteen: Dolly Parton

FEATURE:

 

 

Female Icons

PHOTO CREDIT: Dollywood Foundation 

Part Sixteen: Dolly Parton

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NOT only does Dolly Parton warrant…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Dolly Parton captured in 2019/PHOTO CREDIT: Sean Rice for The Guardian

inclusion in my Female Icons section -  not being arrogant; she is very much an icon and music treasure to us all! – but she is in the news right now. I will come to that soon but, right now, it is worth going back to the start. I am not going to cover all of her studio albums – as there have been quite a few! – but I will select some that are worth noting. Such is the breadth and depth of Parton’s work, it would take me a long time to get to the soul of her brilliance. Parton started life writing songs for others and released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967. A lot of the all-time greats start off rather tentatively – from David Bowie to The Beatles – but Dolly Parton seemed to be in full flight; she created this debut that was instantly her own and had more than its fair share of memorable cuts! Maybe her voice was slightly sweeter and not as powerful as it would become but, with songs like Dumb Blonde in the pack, she proved she had immense power and panache in her arsenal – a song written by Curly Putman but penned by Parton! Whilst a lot of her peers would have been singing covers or having others write for her, Hello, I’m Dolly is full of personality, charisma and wise-crack. That is what Parton brought to the party from the off: that combination of smarts and style; heart and grit all in the same album.

It is amazing to think about the sheer productivity of Parton during the late-1960s. By 1971, she had already put out ten albums (some were collaborations with Porter Wagoner); this is more than a lot of artists achieve in their entire career. It was not until the 1970s when Parton really began to get acclaim and achieve the sort of success that she deserved. Although she was duetting with Wagoner into the 1970s, I think her first breakthrough occurred on 1971’s Coat of Many Colors – an album impossible to ignore. AllMusic, in this review drilled down to the core of Coat of Many Colors:

“Dolly Parton had a number of hits in the late '60s as Porter Wagoner's duet partner, yet solo success eluded her until her 1971 album Coat of Many Colors. The title track was a Top Ten single, and it effectively became her signature song, largely because it was a sweetly autobiographical tune about her childhood. That song, along with its two hit predecessors, "Traveling Man" and "My Blue Tears," were evidence that Parton was a strong songwriter, but the full album reveals the true depth of her talents. She wrote seven of the ten songs (Wagoner wrote the other three), none of which is filler. There isn't really a theme behind Coat of Many Colors, even if its title track suggests otherwise. Instead, it's a remarkably consistent album, in terms of songwriting and performances, but also remarkably diverse, revealing that Dolly can handle ballads, country-rockers, tearjerkers, and country-pop with equal aplomb. And while it is very short, clocking in at under a half-hour, there isn't a wasted moment on the album. It's a lean, trim album that impresses because of succinctness -- with its ten songs, it announced Parton as a major talent in her own right, not merely a duet partner”.

Maybe it was the chemistry and natural understanding between Parton and Wagoner because, through the late-1960s and early-1970s they released album after album gold. The sheer workrate of Parton in the first decade of her career is amazing to behold! She proved herself a unique and rich songwriter from her debut but, as her career developed, so too did her songs and voice. By 1975, her work with Wagoner became rarer. Parton, by the time 1974’s Jolene was released, was embarking solo and was adapting to a new creative life. She had been part of Porter Wagoner’s weekly T.V. series for over seven years and their professional partnership had broken up. I am not sure of the intimate details but I Will Always Love You, one of Parton’s most-famous tracks, was written about Parton’s regret regarding the break-up. The title cut of that amazing album has been covered numerous times and demonstrates the wonder of Parton’s songwriting. A heartbroken tale of this seemingly perfect tale of a woman stealing her man, on the surface, seems routine. The way Parton tells the story; the emotion and conviction in her voice and the words she employs – imploring Jolene not to take her man; not knowing what he means to her – is faultless. Parton and Wagoner would re-join forces and work together through the mid-1970s and 1980s but I think Parton’s strongest moments came when she stepped out alone.

Parton had a few missteps through the 1970s but, on 1980’s 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs, she struck a new vein. I will talk about that film but, on the album, Parton explored this concept of working and the day-to-day life. Although Parton wrote only a few of the album’s tracks – including the title cut – she brought life to songs such as The House of the Rising Sun and Detroit City. Whilst the feminist revenge comedy, 9 to 5, might not have received universal acclaim upon its release in 1980, it seems radical and brilliant today; a film that holds up and was re-released recently. Parton shines in the film and brings the full force of her personality to the role. In this review, The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw provided his thoughts:

“The sequences showing the three women’s weed-fuelled fantasy sequences of what they’d like to do to their boss (Dabney Coleman) are almost avant garde and their action plan is incidentally pretty radical too. Once they’ve got their horrible manager tied up, they fake his signature on memos decreeing job shares, a creche, an office redesign that accommodates access for wheelchair users. Pretty bold stuff, and not every 2018 workplace has as much, but 9 to 5 finally seems to lose its nerve, just a little bit, on the equal pay issue.

This 1980 feminist revenge comedy, starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as three New York office workers who kidnap their misogynist monster of a boss, is rereleased nationally, tagged to the Comedy Genius season at London’s BFI Southbank. Parton’s pumpingly brilliant song over the opening credits declares: “In the same boat / With a lot of your friends / Waiting for the day / Your ship will come in / And the tide’s gonna turn / And it’s all gonna roll your way.” Thirty-eight years on, is Parton’s prophecy being fulfilled?”.

There is no telling how many other musicians-turned-actors Parton inspired. In the 1980s, sure, there were a few artists who were on the big screen, but I think Parton definitely helped pave the way for others. I have not seen 9 to 5 for a long time but Parton and her female co-stars are infectious, bonded and truly memorable. It is a great film but I think Parton is the standout performer. For many established artists, Parton included, the 1980s was a tough decade. Maybe it was the sounds of the time that wrong-footed them; the fact they had to adapt or sounded strange against the music of the time. Parton enjoyed some success during the decade but her music did not sound as striking as it did in the 1960s and 1970s. That is no shot against her songwriting. Tastes were changing and Parton struggled to gain as much critical and commercial love as she hoped for.

With a few blips during that decade, the 1990s was a more fruitful one for Parton. One might argue the 1980s was more diverse and scene-driven than the 1980s but I think Parton got a second wind during that time. 1995’s Something Special and 1996’s Treasures provided a glimpse of Parton’s past glories but 1998’s Hungry Again really saw her return to her roots. Parton was extremely relevant during the 1980s but there was a feeling that she was being side-lined or less important than she was previously. Hungry Again is heart-warming and accomplished work that gained a lot of critical praise. This interesting article from 1998 talked with Parton as she discussed Hungry Again:

“When Dolly Parton decided to record her new album, Hungry Again, she went back to the basics — her Tennessee mountain home.

“This wasn’t something that I needed to do for money,” Dolly says. “This was something I needed to do for me. It was my music that started it all. It’s what means the most to me.”

But when she went back home to write, she took the album’s title literally — Dolly fasted for three weeks in preparation.

“It wasn’t all that different for me,” she says, slipping off her trademark stilettos and curling up in a chair in her Nashville office. “I have fasted off and on all my life, for spiritual reasons and to lose weight when I’ve been heavier.

“So that part was not that hard. I fasted for three weeks. I did a juice-and-fruit fast for the first week, to get myself into it. On the second week, I had nothing but water. Then the third week, I had juices again.

“Hungry Again” was the first song written for the album.

“I didn’t know that I was going to call the album that,” Dolly says. “It wasn’t until after I was over the headaches of fasting and kind of settled into the fact that I wasn’t going to be eating.

“Then it’s almost like you’re high — like you’re on a drug of some kind. I woke up at three o’clock in the morning and couldn’t sleep. I sat down, started singing and it all started coming:

The thrill of desire, the excitement is gone”.

I Believe in You, Parton’s forty-sixth studio album was released in 2017 – it received moderate acclaim but had its fair share of bright moments. It seems there is no slowing Parton and she will be making music for many more years to come. On 8th February, during Grammy week, she was honoured for her accomplishments as an artist and humanitarian; she was named the 2019 MusicCares Person of the Year. Here, in this article, Parton talked about her work, legacy and continued passion:

"I really think it should not matter who you are whether it’s based on race, religion, color or gender," says Parton. "You should be allowed to do a job and do your job. If you do it well, you should be appreciated, respected, and admired.  I’m proud that I’ve done well in this business. . . I try to live that as a woman. I try to let it stand in the songs I’ve written through the years long before there was ever a movement I was moving in it and talking about it even my first album was called Just Because I’m A Woman. It was based on that and my mistakes are no worse than yours and just because I’m a woman. I should get the same chance.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Musically, she's been beyond influential as well, with countless artists following in her stead and recording various versions of her songs. When asked to name a favorite rendition of one of her songs, a pretty big one came to Dolly's mind immediately.

"I will always treasure, and should, the big crossover with Whitney [Houston] on ‘I Will Always Love You,' because that really put me in the forefront as a writer and an artist and I think it made a lot of people see me as a writer," says Parton. "I was just a girl with the big hair and big tits and a big personality, but I think that one kind of pointed a finger at me as a serious songwriter and the fact that it did so well and I was so touched by it and so honored by it that. That one will stand out in my mind forever."

Parton's staggering catalog of songs listens like a testament to her earth-shaking ability to change our world, our culture and our future—and in classic Dolly style, she makes it look and sound fun.

“I dreamed it. I wished it. I hoped it and I thought it, that I had what it could take,” she says. "When I saw my name in the Billboards and the Top 10 that I was doing something right and it was going to work".

Parton is a multi-talented and ever-busy artist who has broken boundaries and inspired a wealth of artists. I have alluded to her acting career but think about some of the hits she was involved in. In 1989, she returned to acting in Steel Magnolias; a huge success that grossed millions and received a lot of positive reviews. Parton appeared in T.V. films such as Wild Texas Wind (1991) and Blue Valley Songbird (1999); she launched her own T.V. series, The Dolly Show and appeared in various sitcoms – including a spot on The Simpsons in the 1999 episode, Sunday, Cruddy Sunday. As a philanthropist, Parton has supported many charities and, through her Dollywood Foundation, is a proponent of literacy and helping those who are illiterate. Through her foundation, Parton has brought books to children and helped countless people; she has brought jobs and revenue to deprived areas and continues to donate her time and money to worthy causes. I have just sort of scratched the surface – but it is clear Parton is an icon and someone who is an inspiration to many. Through her charitable work, enduring music and positive words, Dolly Parton is a musical treasure who will continue to the generations. I am not a huge Country music fan but you just need to look at the scene now and so many artists owe their careers to Parton. There is a lot of love out there for a true legend.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

In fact, Dolly Parton is to be the subject of a BBC documentary. This feature explains more:

“Dolly Parton will be the subject of a new documentary for the BBC. “Dolly’s Country,” set to air on BBC Two this fall, seeks to show a different side of the country star, noting one that’s “no less extraordinary, but far more authentic and far more surprising.”

The doc will delve into Dolly’s songwriting, with the legend personally taking viewers through some of her biggest hits. It will also follow the 50th anniversary of her first Grand Ole Opry appearance, and more.

And speaking of that Grand Ole Opry anniversary, a new exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Dolly’s first Opry performance is set to open next month. “Dolly: My Opry Memories” will open September 3rd at the Opry House in Nashville, and run through October 31st. It will feature at least 24 of Dolly’s iconic outfits, worn at pivotal moments in her Opry career”.

The sheer stamina of Dolly Parton is incredible! She clearly loves what she does and, as I said, there are no signs of the legend calling time. Parton is restless when it comes to improving the world and spreading love and joy through music. I want to end with an interview Parton gave with The Guardian earlier this year to promote the London run of the 9 to 5 musical.

It is an illuminating and intriguing interview that digs deep and reveals a lot of new sides. Parton talks about politics, feminism and the start of her career. I wanted to quote a section that talked about a rare force: the experience and reality of being Dolly Parton:

“Parton’s work ethic is extraordinary, but the real proof of her stamina is her public persona, which she maintains as indefatigably as her makeup. The night before we meet, a friend at the BBC texted me to say she happened to meet Parton in a corridor, and she got “the full Dolly Parton experience”: southern aphorisms, boob jokes, sunny friendliness. Does she never get tired of having to be “Dolly Parton” for everybody?

“No, I enjoy what I do,” she says firmly. “I enjoy being loved – I love that. I always ask God to let me shine a light and uplift mankind because that is my purpose. I look fake, but my world is real to me”.

Where will Parton go next? I am sure there will be plenty more albums but it seems, when it comes to her, you never know what will come next. She is an influence on artists established and new and the sheer whirlwind of her humour and passion is infectious. Even if, like me, you are not steeped in Parton history and know her albums intimately, one cannot her importance; the fact she is an icon who has helped move music forward and created so much good. It is staggering to think of all the albums she has released and how productivity she has been. It makes me tiring just counting the albums but it is clear Parton does not want to do anything else. Here is someone who, since the 1960s, has added her distinct voice to the musical landscape. Sure, there have been some misses during the way but one feels Parton had a blast recording those albums/T.V. shows that were not lauded. She exudes charm and warmth in everything she does and, for that reason, Parton must be considered an icon! A true force of nature, I am sure we will see Parton reign and shine…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Parton shot for 1980’s Dolly Parton: On Tour/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

FOR a good many years to come.

FEATURE: The Underrated Gem, the Experimental Fever Dream and the Critical Favourite: Three Brilliant Kate Bush Albums Celebrating Anniversaries in September

FEATURE:

 

 

The Underrated Gem, the Experimental Fever Dream and the Critical Favourite

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in an outtake from the Hounds of Love cover shoot (1985)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush 

Three Brilliant Kate Bush Albums Celebrating Anniversaries in September

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THE good thing about Kate Bush…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

is that all of her albums remain fascinating; every anniversary allows us to a chance to explore an album from a new angle. As most of her albums are released at the end of summer through to winter, there is a long stretch where we do not get to mark anniversaries. It has been a fairly quiet period regarding Kate Bush news: she has popped up here and there but nothing in the way of fresh material. Many celebrated her birthday a few weeks back (30th July) and we are all awaiting the moment a new album is on its way – one hopes it is not too long! September and November are months, clearly, that suit Kate Bush in terms of album releases. I shall talk about the November-released albums in a couple of months but, ahead of the thirty-ninth anniversary of Never for Ever on 8th September, I want to celebrate a trio of records with very different sounds. We have the underrated and brilliant Never for Ever; the more divisive and bold The Dreaming and the critical favourite, Hounds of Love. Here, with reviews, background and choice songs, are three remarkable Kate Bush albums we get to...

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Phillips/Getty Images

RE-EXPLORE next month

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Never for Ever

COVER DESIGN: Nick Price

Release Date: 7th September, 1980

Label: EMI

Producers: Jon Kelly/Kate Bush

Background:

Production on Never for Ever began after Kate Bush’s 1979 tour and it was her second step into production – she helped produced the On Stage E.P. and her curiosity was growing. Alongside Jon Kelly, Bush delivered an album that was more experimental and personal than her previous two (The Kick Inside and Lionheart of 1978) and, as you can tell on the record, the songs are more eclectic and daring. This sense of expansion and variety would augment and go in different directions on The Dreaming (1982) but, as an album, Never for Ever is hugely underrated and under-explored. Never for Ever was Kate's first number-one album. It was also the first ever album by a British female solo artist to top the U.K. album chart, as well as being the first album by any female solo artist to enter the chart at the top spot.

Reviews:

“When it came out in 1980, Never For Ever, was the most expansive and conceptual work that Bush had released. It is suitably Floydian in parts, unsurprising given the early mentorship that Bush received from Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour. That influence seldom dilutes the impact of Kate’s distinctive voice. This is an album where Kate Bush, as songwriter, really shines through; It often feels like an aural storybook, creating a rich tapestry of tales drawn from the annals of history, art, and popular culture. From her imagining the final years of composer Frederick Delius’ life in Delius to retelling the 1961 Brit horror film The Innocents in Infant’s Kiss, Bush’s lyrics bring a new and deeply personal perspective to old tales.

It’s an album of many strong moments. Babooshka, the record’s most well-known song, has lost none of its initial impact. Its compelling, understated, piano-driven verses contrast magnificently with the explosive, bombastic choruses, which affirm Bush’s status as one of the great voices of her generation. The Wedding List and the riotous, pseudo hard-rock of Violin are slyly witty and immaculately constructed. But it is the closing one-two punch of Army Dreamers and Breathing that is Never For Ever’s undoubted highlight. The former, a song about a mother wrestling with the guilt she feels over a soldier son’s death is sparsely arranged, with Bush’s understated vocal delivery proving particularly powerful.

37 years after its release, Never For Ever still shines as a catalytic moment for Kate Bush. It’s a fact reflected in the record’s phenomenal sales achievements; it was the first solo album by any female solo artist to enter the UK charts at number 1 and it stayed in the UK top 75 for a total of 23 weeks. But it’s not just the sales that make Never For Ever special. Powerful and compelling, displaying incredible maturity from the-then 23-year-old, it set Bush up for a string of classics – The Dreaming, Hounds of Love, The Sensual World – that are amongst the greatest albums of the 1980s. It’s because of the acclaim of those successive records that Never For Ever is often overlooked. It shouldn’t be though; it’s a forgotten classic, fully deserving of re-evaluation” – Alec Plowman

“The album features plenty of single worthy pop hits as usual but does offer much more collectively. Babooshka and Army Dreamers are examples of Kate exercising more of her descriptive lyrical style. On this record, Bush explores more concepts in her lyrics than previously. It's easy noticing the lyrical contrast with the album's opening and closing tracks. The opener, Babooshka is about a distrustful wife who ruins her marriage through seducing her husband under a pseudonym. The closer, Breathing finds Kate writing about her nervous actions through a more Bowie influenced style. From this point, Kate Bush adds even more variety to the mix. Musically, Never For Ever naturally expands thanks to a more layered sound. The album features a vibrant mix of wet fairlight synths, pianos, fretless bass and layers of strings. The performances of the album fit smoother than on previous records as Bush goes for a more varied final product.

Kate's third solo album was no masterpiece but a fascinating and necessary step in her discography. Bush's writing had finally evolved enough to the point where she could write without relying too much on image or style. Whether it's experimenting with her remarkable vocal range, creative arrangements, or vivid lyrics, Never For Ever shows Kate Bush improving in all the right ways” - Sputnikmusic

Key Cuts: The Infant Kiss/Army Dreamers/Breathing

Standout Track: Babooshka

The Dreaming

COVER PHOTO: John Carder Bush

Release Date: 13th September, 1982

Label: EMI

Producer: Kate Bush

Background:

This is the moment Kate Bush assumed the mantle of producer and, perhaps, realised an ambition she had since the start of her career: to have control over her work and, as such, let her imagination run wild. Whilst The Dreaming is one of the most divisive albums of her career, it is also one of the most fascinating and nuanced. Making use of a variety of sounds, instruments and technologies, it is a kaleidoscopic album that is bursting with textures and possibilities. Songs tackle everything from a crime caper (There Goes a Tenner) to escapology (Houdini) and, nearly thirty-seven years after its release, The Dreaming sounds utterly audacious, hypnotic and wild. Bush would need a period to recuperate and regroup following an exhaustive recording period; she was drained after The Dreaming but, all these years later, the album sounds like nothing else. It is a singular work from a songwriter who was on the cusp of releasing her most celebrated and popular work.

Reviews:

“For those who only really know Bush from her most popular singles, The Dreaming might well seem insane. Even from its pounding, deeply rhythmic opening seconds, it becomes clear that it’s no ordinary Kate Bush record. ‘Sat In Your Lap’ drags you into her most avant-garde world kicking and, quite literally, screaming. It deals with existentialism and the quest for knowledge, Bush’s voice moving from languid, contemplative wonder to frustrated yelping on a whim.

Perhaps the most famous moments of lyrical magic come toward the end of the LP though. Stephen King’s novel The Shining was the driving force behind the shuddering closer ‘Get Out Of My House’, but while it is set in some form of hotel (there’s a repeated mention of the concierge), Bush’s take on King is even more disturbing than the novel. While the house still remains the source of madness (“This house is as old as I am / This house knows all I have done”), and the thunderous percussion only heightens the sense of dread, it’s not the most horrifying element of the track. There’s nothing that inspires more innate terror than hearing Bush and her fellow musicians begin to aggressively bray like donkeys, as if possessed by demonic spirits.

The Dreaming, by contrast, remains the overlooked jewel in her canon. But while it may be challenging and uncompromising, it’s almost hard to imagine what Kate Bush would be like today if she hadn’t released it. A staggeringly bold step forward for her as a singer, songwriter and producer, The Dreaming was a milestone both for Bush herself and the wider world of music” – Drowned in Sound

“The result was an internal unity, a more well-paced album than anything she’d done prior. The songs are full of rhythmic drive, moody synth atmospheres, and layered vocals free of the radio-friendly hooks on earlier albums. The sounds that kept her tethered to rock—such as guitar and rock drum cymbals—are mostly absent, as are the strings that sweetened her prior work. The fretless bass—often the masculine sparring partner to her voice—is still omnipresent.

When it works, her narrative portraits render precise individuals in richly drawn scenes—the empathy radiates out. In “Houdini” she fully inhabits the gothic romance of lost love, conjuring the panic, grief, and hope of Harry Houdini’s wife Bess. Bush was taken by Houdini’s belief in the afterlife and Bess’s loyal attempts reach him through séances. Bush conjured the horrified sounds of witnessing a lover die by devouring chocolate and milk to temporarily ruin her voice. Bess was said to pass a key to unlock his bonds through a kiss, the inspiration for the cover art and a larger metaphor for the depth of trust Bush wants in love. We must need what’s in her mouth to survive, and we must get it through a passionate exchange among willing bodies” – Pitchfork

Key Cuts: Sat in Your Lap/All the Love/Get Out of My House

Standout Track: Houdini  

Hounds of Love

COVER PHOTO: John Carder Bush 

Release Date: 16th September, 1982

Label: EMI

Producer: Kate Bush

Background:

The experience of making The Dreaming was an intense and tiring one. Whilst EMI were not completely happy with the results, lack of sales success and wait since Never for Ever, one cannot argue Bush had a right to push herself and make the album she wanted to, as she wanted to. By 1983, Bush had moved from London to the countryside. She took up dance again (which she had not done for a while); she was eating more healthily (after existing off of fast food a lot previously) and built her own studio. Not only was Bush fitter and more energised but she had the inspiration of the countryside and fresh impetus. EMI were not thrilled she wanted to produce again but, in a different headspace to the one she was in prior to The Dreaming, Hounds of Love is very different album. It remains her most well-received and celebrated work; a moment when her ambitions, songwriting genius and drive coalesced into one of the greatest albums of the 1980s. It is not my favourite but even I cannot argue with the brilliance and importance of Hounds of Love.

Reviews:

“The Fairlight was a notoriously expensive and complex computer; the few who could afford and figure out how to play one during their ‘80s heyday were either established stars like Peter Gabriel and Stevie Wonder who were invested in cutting-edge sounds, or similarly brainy upstarts who funded their techno-pop through production. One such boffin, Landscape’s Richard James Burgess, helped program Bush’s Fairlight on the very first album to feature it, 1980’s Never for Ever, which was also the first UK chart-topping album by a British female solo artist, one that marked a transition between the symphonic sweep of Bush’s earliest albums and what followed.

Imagination’s pull is the subtext to Bush’s entire oeuvre, but that theme dominates Hounds of Love, and not least in the title track. Whereas her piercing upper register once defined her output, here she’s roaring from her gut, then pulling back, and the song shifts between panic and empathy. “Hounds of Love” boasts the big gated ’80s drum blasts Bush discovered while singing background on Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers,” and yet its cello just as percussive: It builds to suggest both her pulse and the heartbeat of the captured fox she comforts and identifies with. She fears love: “It’s coming for me through the trees,” she wails. Yet she craves it, so desire and terror escalate in a breathless Hitchcockian climax” – Pitchfork

“Hounds of Love is actually a two-part album (the two sides of the original LP release being the now-lost natural dividing line), consisting of the suites "Hounds of Love" and "The Ninth Wave." The former is steeped in lyrical and sonic sensuality that tends to wash over the listener, while the latter is about the experiences of birth and rebirth. If this sounds like heady stuff, it could be, but Bush never lets the material get too far from its pop trappings and purpose. In some respects, this was also Bush's first fully realized album, done completely on her own terms, made entirely at her own 48-track home studio, to her schedule and preferences, and delivered whole to EMI as a finished work; that history is important, helping to explain the sheer presence of the album's most striking element -- the spirit of experimentation at every turn, in the little details of the sound. That vastly divergent grasp, from the minutiae of each song to the broad sweeping arc of the two suites, all heavily ornamented with layered instrumentation, makes this record wonderfully overpowering as a piece of pop music. Indeed, this reviewer hadn't had so much fun and such a challenge listening to a new album from the U.K. since Abbey Road, and it's pretty plain that Bush listened to (and learned from) a lot of the Beatles' output in her youth” – AllMusic

Key Cuts: The Big Sky/Cloudbusting/Watching You Watching Me

Standout Track: Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)  

FEATURE: Away from the Anger, Foreboding and Seriousness… The Sheer Joy That Music Can Provide

FEATURE:

 

 

Away from the Anger, Foreboding and Seriousness…

PHOTO CREDIT: @jan_strecha/Unsplash 

The Sheer Joy That Music Can Provide

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THURSDAY was a good day…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @louishansel/Unsplash

because I got to enjoy, alongside many others, the All Day Rave on BBC Radio 6 Music. As the name implies, it was a full day of bangers from years gone by – covering a few genres but most of the songs were from the Dance realm. Listening to the songs through the day, I noticed a couple of things. For one, the amazing sense of release and happiness one gets from hearing these tracks is infectious. Secondly, a lot of the tracks – the vast majority, in fact – were from at least fifteen years ago; most were from the 1980s and 1990s. I shall address that second subject a bit later on but, when we think of music, what do we want to get from it? A lot of us want something emotional that we can connect with whilst others want something more urgent and angered. I think the most important and long-lasting sensation one can get from music is joy. Let’s not confuse joy with escapism – as I have written about this subject before; I shall explain later – because that is unfair to the artists and listeners alike. I was very lucky to grow up in the 1990s and I still recall the dying years of the 1980s: a time when House and Trance were taking hold and that was sitting alongside some pretty epic Pop. Straight into the 1990s and acts like Soul II Soul and Deee-Lite crafted these timeless, colourful jams that we still fondly play today.

I am not suggesting music today has declined and lacks fun but, as I shall explore later, there seems to be a cut-off point where everything from Dance, Pop and Rock sort of lost its edge and sense of uplift. That is an interesting point. I guess many of assume music’s finest and most spirited has to be Pop or Dance but, through the years, some of the most transcendent moments have come from genres like Metal and Rock. In fact, every genre can elevate the soul and I think that quality should not be forgotten. We are experiencing so many problems and crisis’ today and I feel music plays a vital role – not just when it comes to making us feel better but documenting the severity of these issues. I understand we need to tackle everything from climate change to knife crime in music but, away from that, we do need a sense of comfort and pleasure music can provide – without feeling guilty; that goes for new music making music now. Returning to the BBC Radio 6 Music All Day Rave event on Thursday and people flooded onto social media to share their memories and favourite Rave songs. Listening to the luminous, spirited and unifying songs transported me back to my childhood and the music I was listening to through school. I am too young to remember the first blush of House and Rave but I was exposed to these trailblazing tracks before too long.

It is hard to put into words just how powerful and important these tracks are; how important they were regarding my earliest years. As I said, one cannot name-check one or two genres when it comes to bliss and fun: every corner of music has the power to resonate and genuinely make you feel happier. I love the fact music can provoke so many emotions but the thrill of hearing a big chorus or some heavy beats; an instantly memorable tune or an of-the-moment classic…one of the great pleasures of life. Even as early as 1994, which was an unbelievable year for music, there were reports arguing whether Pop has lost its melody and sense of purpose. It is obvious Pop has changed since the 1960s. I still think it had plenty of spark in 1994 but, as this article from last year suggests, things are more repetitive, sadder; less fun and angrier. Maybe it is reflective of modern culture but, at a time when we need happiness and fresh bangers, are we being let down? I do think, interestingly one can compare 1988-2004 with 2004-now. Look at both periods and see how music has changed. Not only have scenes come and gone but music from then is a lot more fun that it is now. That sounds simplistic but think of all the classic anthems and uplifting tunes and, for the most part, they are from that first time bracket.

There was some brilliantly joyous music released after 2004 – that will always be the case – but, largely, music has lost its smile. Even when artists are trying to be fun and anthemic, things sound rather flat, unmemorable or generic. As I have said in multiple pieces, music is not worse than it was but, plainly, it is not as captivating and high-spirited as it once was. The world is not necessarily bleaker than it was in the 1980s, 1990s and early portion of the last decade. There were bad leaders, huge problems and a sense of defeat back then but, rather than combat that with something ultra-real or somber, artists armed themselves with major keys and big tunes and brought them to the people. Maybe commercial tastes have changed, or something is different. Whichever way you look at it, the sound of modern music is a lot different, and less fun, than it used to be. That is okay and, whilst it seems impossible we will ever see a rebirth of heady days past, one cannot underestimate the importance of uplifting music, from whatever period you find it. Some say positive and enlivening songs are escapist because they do not address the realities of life or something serious – most of them are purely about feeling good and getting together. I find it is unfair to say positive songs are escapist. The modern world is as much about togetherness and hope as it is acknowledging big problems we are facing. I do not think the music industry today has the balance it should regarding happier tracks and those that are a bit more social aware.

Even when artists are aiming for something more positive, the end result can often appear quite undercooked or familiar – not a song that will stick in the memory. Whether you spin some Kylie Minogue or The Beatles; a House classic or a track like PM Dawn’s Set Adrift on Memory Bliss to get your spirits flowing, you cannot deny the effect the songs have. Not only does one get that warmth and giddiness but, in terms of emotional health, these songs are essential. Maybe others have their own views as to whether modern music is more mood-lifting than times past but, as I say, one need not be confined by age and modernity regarding music. I do think we forget what music can offer and how deep it can dig. At a moment when we all feel stress and a sense of dread, I feel music has so much to say; not just in regards raising awareness and compelling change but, just as importantly, making us feel better about ourselves. I think some of that lesson is being lost today – the fact so many of us head back in time when we need that cleansing burst speaks volumes. I do really like today’s music but there has been a loss of regret-free energy; no-holds-barred togetherness and pure fun. Maybe it will return but, for now, think about the songs that make you feel good and make you smile – or simply get you moving and take away the stress. I think that is a very precious thing and, to all the artists who lift people around the world on a daily basis: a huge thank you for…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @jakobowens1/Unsplash

BRINGING the fun.

FEATURE: Shining a Light: When Will the Women of Grime Get the Respect and Focus They Deserve?

FEATURE:

 

 

Shining a Light

IN THIS PHOTO: Lady Leshurr is one of the strongest voices in British Grime (despite this, women are still in the minority in a genre that is slow to evolve)/PHOTO CREDIT: Derrick Kakembo 

When Will the Women of Grime Get the Respect and Focus They Deserve?

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THIS year has been a busy and eventful one…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ms. Banks is one of the most underrated Grime artists in the U.K. right now/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

where we have seen some of the best albums of the past decade released. In my view, the best albums have been made by women. Maybe it is the passion on display or a greater sense of variety. In any case, it has been a tremendous one for female artists and, as I keep asking, I hope this reflects next year when festival line-ups are announced. It seems like the issue of under-representation is not going away. I shall come on to black women in Grime (which the BBC documentary/show tackles) but, even in 2019, it seems Grime is a genre that is still struggling to give its female artists a level platform. Whereas some genres are still struggling with gender inequality and not given women enough attention – Country and Metal spring to mind – others are starting to progress and improve. As early as 2016, when there was a wave of impressive female talent emerging, there was little talk regarding creating balance and addressing sexism. Pitchfork reacted to this:

“Yet for all the hype surrounding grime’s current wave, not enough of it is devoted to the scene’s women, who are every bit as impressive in their skills. Lady Leshurr is the most visible of grime's women at the moment—for good reason—but her melodic shit-talking is nowhere near as known as it deserves to be. Croydon MC Nadia Rose recently put her own spin on the “Eskimo” instrumental and made it sound as fresh in 2016 as it did in 2002. Ms Banks sets booths on fire, packing mentions of politics, financial aspirations, and female empowerment into one slick verse and wondering if anyone who might question her talent is “feeling alright.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz is a Grime/Rap artist who is inspiring a new wave of female artists/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

In a recent interview, Stormzy said that misogyny wasn’t really associated with his genre, or rather that it was more prevalent in hip-hop. The latter point is debatable: Of course misogyny in hip-hop culture has long been a topic of discussion, but if you listen to enough grime, it won’t take long to notice that one of the easiest ways to shut down another contender is to liken them to part of a woman’s anatomy. It took a trifecta of raw talent, determination, and shrewd business sense to propel Nicki Minaj to the top of the rap game, but if she looks around, her cohorts are overwhelmingly male”.

There are people out there – such as photographer Ellie Ramsden - who are not willing to let this discrimination and ignorance continue - but there is, clearly, a problem. Some might say Grime is evolving and more women are entering the scene and, whilst that might be true, are they given the same coverage and opportunities. Look at Grime/Rap artists like Little Simz and the amazing work she is doing. We know Hip-Hop has always had a problem with misogamy and sexism and, even now, there are vastly more men in the genre than women; the same holds true of Grime. I wonder whether it is a case of men controlling the labels and studios; venues holding all-male Grime nights and the media not doing enough to shine a light on the amazing women in Grime.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Whilst Nadia Rose is one of the best Grime artists around, she does not get the same coverage and acclaim as many of her male peers/PHOTO CREDIT: The Squad

2016 seems to be as pivotal year when discussions were happening and great articles emerged that highlighted women pushing Grime forward. The likes of A.G and Julie Adenuga were striking hard but one hardly heard about them in magazines and on the radio – compared to the men, at least. Today, the likes of Little Simz and Lady Leshurr are creating incredible music but, when it comes to the list of the best Grime/Rap tracks of 2019, they are massively in the minority. Earlier this year, a BBC article talked about gender perceptions and how, from clubs to radio stations, the microphone is largely in the hands of male artists – and why Grime and Rap should be judged on merit and not gender. I don’t agree with the opinion Grime is more popular with men because women are not interested: the comparative lack of women is as a result of a lack of acceptance, great women being overlooked and those in a position of power unwilling to promote female artists the same way as men. The BBC feature raised some interesting points:

"Music should be measured on its merit, not on its gender," according to Dotty, the host of the Radio 1Xtra Breakfast Show.

Dotty was a Grime MC herself at one point.

"I think we need to stop looking at 'women in grime' or 'woman in rap' as a separate category," she adds, "and put them on a level playing field with the guys."

 And she says there are stereotypes around the genre that need to be looked at.

"Grime is seen as more of an aggressive genre, and I think we're trying to break out of that. It's about breaking those boundaries and saying 'it's ok for women to do this'."

"We should be further, but you know what? Let's celebrate the fact that we've already made some steps," concludes Lady Fury.

"The world is changing".

It is interesting reading that last point about Grime being aggressive. I do not think genres like Grime and Hip-Hop are violent or angry: it is more about passion and, when it comes to talking about the realities of life, a degree of energy needs to be expended. Are we saying, then, that women cannot be aggressive…or they do not have the prowess and chops to succeed? Grime is about flow and conviction; the poetry and physicality of the moment – women, in all genres, are releasing sensational music with these attributes so why does Grime still struggle to bring women to the forefront?! I think there are misconceptions regarding Grime’s sound and ethos; a feeling that it should be driven by men and that they have the best lines and shout the loudest. Grime and Rap are genres evolving and growing more nuanced as the years go by. Artists are bringing in other sounds and genres to ensure Grime remains pure but is much broader and accessible.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Caroline Simionescu-Marin is a former editor of Grime website GRM Daily and is now a talent scout at the label XL Recordings/PHOTO CREDIT: GRAZIA

When it comes to critics’ lists of the best Hip-Hop and Rap albums, men still dominate…and I wonder whether we will see change. It is a lie to suggest women are inferior regarding the music they put out and they do not want to come into these genres. The fact of the matter is that there are fantastic female artists in Grime but they are not viewed as essential, rich and strong as the men – something that has to stop. Not only does Grime have a problem regarding gender but there is a real issue when it comes to showcasing black women. Again, this is not a new trend and, as we know there are brilliant women in Grime, it is alarming to see so little movement regarding progress. I want to bring in a couple of articles that speak about a lack of black women in Grime getting props. The Guardian investigated the problem last year:

“Most “women to watch” lists hailing top female talent in the genre are dominated by white women – in i-D magazine’s 2017 rundown of women in grime, of 10 game-changers listed, only three were black. If lists detailing grime’s male talent saw a dearth of black men, there would be widespread outrage. But when black women are absent, the issue barely registers.

One black male journalist who asked to remain anonymous claimed that male MCs have exacerbated the issue by giving preferential access to white female journalists and presenters. “Grime is built more like an aristocracy than a nation. That’s why they cut out black women”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Stormzy is one of the most celebrated Grime artists of the moment/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

With fierce talents like NoLay, I wonder whether strong women are a threat to male Grime artists. A lot of male artists are not taking women on tour and collaborating with them. It is a divided genre and one that would be a lot more diverse and harmonious if there was more acknowledgment from men. Here, in this BBC article, the plight of black women is explained:

“Whether as MC’s, managers, journalists or taste-makers, black women are underrepresented in Grime.

There is a dearth of successful black female artists, but what is less well known is that behind the scenes, many of the biggest female names who have worked or are still working within the industry are white - Hattie Collins, Olivia Rose, Hyper Frank, Chantelle Fiddy to name a few. 

Very few black men and white women are willing to speak up on behalf of black women, perhaps as Dr Joy White, an academic of the Independent Social Research Foundation suggests, for fear of revealing complicity. The majority of insiders willing to put their heads above the parapet, albeit hesitantly, were black women.

Though many were understandably worried about potential repercussions, they spoke openly about the difficulties faced in the industry of which there were several. In the documentary, DJ Kaylee Kay from the platform Girls of Grime spoke about how black women were often written off as ‘bitter’, the angry black woman stereotype colouring their valid grievances before they were even aired.

In asking where the black women are in Grime, we also have to ask where the black women are in any other music genre, particularly in Britain. They tend to be in the same place in each scene – overlooked”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Grime M.C. Lady Fury/PHOTO CREDIT: gene-glover.com

There is a link to a discussion that was held on Woman’s Hour back in 2016 but, three years down the line, has the situation improved greatly? Not only are black women still overlooked but women in Grime are seen as a less important and potent commodity. The fact there has been such little change means some promising Grime artists will be put off and feel their voices will not be taken seriously. It can be controversial talking about women in Grime and, when the issue is posed on social media, you always get comments that say the same things: women are not as interested in Grime as other genres; the strongest and most popular Grime is being made by men and the genre is as open as accepting as any. I do not necessarily agree with any of these notions and feel that, as Grime becomes more popular and important at a time of division, women have a vital role to play. There is still a lot of attention put the way of leaders like Wiley, Stormzy and Dizzee Rascal…what about the legendary women and newcomers who are part of the fabric? There are articles dedicated to pioneering women in Grime; those who have shaped the scene and pushing things forward. I hope 2020 sees Grime making changes and spotlighting the work of women more because, with every passing year, there are discussions around women in Grime and why they are not as prominent/popular as men. One only needs to check out the likes of Nadia Rose, Lady Leshurr and Little Simz to realise what immense…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ebi Sampson is a rising name in Grime/PHOTO CREDIT: i-D

QUALITY is on display.

FEATURE: Sisters in Arms: An All-Female, Summer-Ready Playlist (Vol. X)

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: beabadoobee 

An All-Female, Summer-Ready Playlist (Vol. X)

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NOW that we are properly back…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Gabriella Cilmi/PHOTO CREDIT: @jessbrohier

in the summer groove, it is time for another assortment of sounds from some of the best female artists around. There are songs from multiple genres that should give you a lift when needed but, if you need to kick back a little, there is something in there for you! It has been a busy past couple of weeks and I have been looking around for the best summer-ready sounds. In future weeks, I hope to include more Rock, Country and other genres – looking a little away from Pop. Take a listen to the songs below and I know there will be something in there that will catch your ear. As the weather gets warmer and the sun is blazing, I have some music that will…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Baby Rose

PROVIDE perfect accompaniment.

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

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Gabriella Cilmi – The Water

Sharky – Two Armies

PHOTO CREDIT: IMPOSE

Maria Usbeck – Nostalgia 

PHOTO CREDIT: West Smith

Great Grandpa – Mono no Aware

BAUM – Bad Kid

Chelcee Grimes – Time to Talk

Olivia Nelson – Everything

Mahalia – Square 1

beabadoobee – She Plays Bass

IN THIS PHOTO: Bea Miller

Bea Miller, Jessie Reyez – FEELS LIKE HOME

Kelsy Karter – Liquor Store on Mars

Litany – Go Out

Pixey – Supersonic Love

Phoebe Green – Easy Peeler

Sampa the Great – Freedom 

PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Clinch

Tanya Tucker – Hard Luck

Nikita Bassi – Rescue 

Baby Rose – In Your Arms

Marian Hill, Dounia – take a Number

Bibi Bourelly - Wet

Virgin Miri – Boy Story

Anna Meredith – moonmoons

MUNA – Stayaway

Vera Hotsauce – One Time

Sofia Wolfson – Nothing’s Real

FEATURE: The August Playlist: Vol. 4: A Sketch Artist for the People

FEATURE:

 

The August Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Kim Gordon captured in 2013/PHOTO CREDIT: Sebastian Kim 

Vol. 4: A Sketch Artist for the People

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A fair few mighty releases…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift/PHOTO CREDIT: Valheria Rocha/TAS Rights Management

have cropped up this week. Not only is there a new song from The 1975, People, but Kim Gordon has released a track – the incredible Sketch Artist. It is a welcome return and one that joins tracks from Sampa the Great, Elbow; Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and Missy Elliott – some seriously powerful and special female performers. That is not to say there is a lack of wonder elsewhere but this week is an especially memorable one for mainstream artists. I love what is on offer and I know you will find plenty to immerse yourself in. Across multiple genres, here are some wonderful songs that will give the weekend a proper kick. Put them on, turn the volume up and let the music…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The 1975

GET inside the head.  

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

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PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Bee 

Kim Gordon - Sketch Artist

Elbow – Empires

Sampa the Great – Freedom

The 1975 – People

Taylor Swift – Afterglow

Lana Del Rey – Fuck It, I Love You

Bat for Lashes – Jasmine

Missy Elliott - Throw It Back

Declan McKenna - British Bombs

Sea Girls – Violet

Sheryl Crow – Story of Everything

Feeder – Blue Sky Blue

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - This Is the Place

Swim Deep - Sail Away, Say Goodbye

Charli XCX – Miss U

Spector – Half Life

PHOTO CREDIT: Helen Moga

Tacocat - Crystal Ball

Anna Meredith – moonmoons

KAWALA – Play It Right

MUNA – Stayaway

Alessia Cara – OKAY OKAY

PHOTO CREDIT: Ashlan Grey

BROCKHAMPTON – No Halo

Ava Max – Torn

PHOTO CREDIT: Akira Ruiz

Stefflon Don – HIT ME up

YUNGBLUD – Die a Little

DIIV - Taker

FEATURE: No Man’s Land? Is Frank Turner’s Latest Album Mansplaining or a Progressive Step?

FEATURE:

 

No Man’s Land?

IN THIS PHOTO: Frank Turner/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

Is Frank Turner’s Latest Album Mansplaining or a Progressive Step?

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THERE is always a danger when a male artist...

puts himself in a woman’s shoes. By that, in musical terms, it can be seen as mansplaining and patronising if they take the mantle of truth-teller and activist; to tell the story of women and, to be fair, many ask why men need to do that. I write a lot about gender equality and issues but, at no point, do I assume to know what a woman feels and what the reality is. I try to portray facts and call for change but, even when I am writing about something like festivals being too male-heavy, a part of me asks whether I am the right person to do it and whether I am crossing a line. Of course, it is important each gender discusses sexism and raises awareness but getting the tone right is important. If I was to write in a very simple and condescended way then that might be wrong: similarly, if I was too factual or detached then it might seem cold and meaningless. I do think we all need to raise awareness regarding women in music and not just stop at the current crop. So many idols and icons are being overlooked or their contributions forgotten. One artist who is keen to document the important contribution of some of history’s most important women in Frank Turner. On his new album, No Man’s Land, he has written thirteen songs for women who warrant greater acclaim.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Whilst the sentiment is admirable, some quarters have accused Turner of mansplaining or being a bit ‘flexible’ regarding facts and the real truth. This BBC article explains further:

“Called No Man's Land, it unleashes his "inner history nerd", collecting the stories of 13 women who don't always get their dues, from rock 'n' roll pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe to dancer-turned-spy Mata Hari.

"The interesting thing is, you can't just put a name on a piece of paper and go, 'Write a song about her'. There has to be a hook," he explains.

"So, for example, I am fascinated by the story of Amelia Earhart - she was gay, she was the first woman who flew trans-Atlantic, she crash-landed in the desert, no-one knows where she's buried - but I couldn't quite find the way in, so I very reluctantly put that one on the backburner.

"Whereas, with someone like [Egyptian activist] Huda Sha'arawi, there's a moment where she arrives at Cairo train station in 1923 and removes her face veil and says, 'Enough!'

"Well, there you go: There's your central image, there's your chorus."

Despite that, he's been accused of "mansplaining" history, perpetuating a pattern of male writers telling stories that belong to women.

"By positioning himself at the centre of proceedings, he's inadvertently fishing for a pat on the back," wrote El Hunt in one such column for the NME.

Turner acknowledges "there are sensible, intelligent questions being raised about my presentation of this record".

"But I don't feel I'm crowding out other voices, I don't know of anyone else who's writing songs about Huda Sha'arawi right now.

"I mean, I can write a record about lesser-known historical men if you want, but it doesn't seem particularly worth my time."

More broadly, he says, it's important for men to acknowledge how women have been subjugated and mistreated”.

Turner himself, as I will source in a minute, has defended his objectives in an extensive blog post where he explains why he has written the album and, rather than write about himself again, why shouldn’t he focus on some forgotten women? It is rare for a male artist to write about women in this way, but things can get complicated. On the one hand, if no male artist took the trouble to write about women and highlight something deep then they would be accused of sexism or ignorance. On the other hand, if their voice is the main one on a record about women then they get criticism regarding motives and authenticity. The subject as to whether the songs are any good is another factor – I am not a huge Frank Turner fan but they are pretty good -, but that debate as to whether men are right to talk about women’s plight is an interesting one that has drawn a lot of response on social media and in the music press.

Before I source a review of No Man’s Land and add my own thoughts – ironically, even this sounds like mansplaining: you can see how sensitivity and a balanced voice needs to be employed! -, I want to bring in Turner’s explanation as to why he recorded No Man’s Land – many have seen this blog post as a bit defensive and shying away from addressing critics head-on:

“My answer comes in two parts. Firstly, for the most part, these are stories that have not and are not being told right now, and I think they deserve to be. I feel like I’m not crowding out other voices in releasing these songs. It seems to me that songs about Huda Sha’arawi and Catherine Blake, to name but two, are rather thin on the ground right now, as far as I’m aware. I’ve learned so much in researching and writing this project, and I’d like to share that knowledge. And, given the streaming world we live in, me putting out a collection of songs doesn’t lessen the bandwidth for other writers to make their own statements.

Secondly, I’d flip the question a bit. I’m a songwriter and a singer, writing and releasing (and then promoting) music is what I do. I could write another album about my own life, or I suppose a record about men from history, but I’m not sure I see the point (especially the latter option), and it doesn’t catch my creative interest right now. For better or worse, I have an audience who are interested in the music I make, and who will listen to the next album I put out. Having a platform, why not use it for something more interesting or worthwhile?

IN THIS PHOTO: Frank Turner with producer Catherine Marks/PHOTO CREDIT: Frank Turner

I have not tried to present this record as an aggressively feminist statement. I have no issue with that word – in fact I’m very much in favour of feminism, and equality in general. But putting that first would seem overbearing to me. I’m not trying to lead a parade I have no right to lead. My approach is perhaps best summed up by the name of a group I do a lot of work with on tour – The Ally Coalition (an LGBTQ+ rights group). It seems to me that my best contribution to all of this is to be just that, an ally, to use whatever platform I have to steer the conversation amongst my audience into better territory as best I can.

Some people have queried the lack of “prominent” female voices on the record itself. Well, I’d argue that prominence is in the eye of the beholder – all the women who played on (and produced) the record were fantastic players who are prominent in my eyes. Of course, I am ultimately singing and playing the songs that I wrote, but given my job description, that doesn’t seem especially weird to me. Naturally, my own character and viewpoint tends to come through in my own writing, like it or not. Then again, I’d argue that Mary Beard’s voice and outlook is pretty prominent in her (excellent) books, and that’s not often considered a problem”.

Musically, I think it is interesting stepping away from the clichés of love and personal focus; there is a new style of storytelling and, whilst some of the history on No Man’s Land has been lost, it is good to see an artist doing something different. The reviews have been mixed so far. NME, when they reviewed the album, had this to say:

“This incessant backpedalling and self-defence does a few things. Firstly, it shows a redeeming willingness to engage with his critics. Secondly – and vitally – it poses a simple question: what’s Frank Turner’s role in all of this? Reading a press release will tell you that Marks produced the record, and the instrumentation is an all-female job, but when you stick on ‘No Man’s Land’, it sounds like a Frank Turner record. That’s fine in itself, but he remains so relentlessly front-and-centre throughout that all the supposed reassurances he’s given across the promotional campaign for the album mean very little.

Musically, ‘No Man’s Land’ flits from old-style folk-punk on opener ‘Jenny Bigham’s Ghost’ to the grand, sweeping ‘I Believed You, William Blake’ to ‘Sister Rosetta’, which adopts the radio-friendly folk-rock he’s become a master of. Yet it does little to either push Turner forward or tell these stories satisfactorily. ‘I Am Easy To Find’, the new album from The National, comes to mind when listening to ‘No Man’s Land’. Accompanied by a short film starring Alicia Vikander, the record loosely tracks a woman’s lifetime, and is heavily punctuated by female voices that soundtrack the highest highs and lowest lows of the protagonist.

There’s no doubt that the stories of the women spoken about here are well worth telling, but you shouldn’t need to read a defensive blog post to work out what it’s all about, and on listening to the record, their voices are consistently overshadowed by Turner’s. Should’ve just made us a Spotify playlist instead, mate”.

I do feel it is important for men to talk about sexism and gender inequality and do so in a way that is compassionate and supportive. As I said, I sometimes wonder how my articles regarding gender inequality are seen and whether, as a man, some feel I am taking liberties. I, like Frank Turner, have my heart in the right place and I often quote from articles that talk to women. Going forward, I think it is important, even when reporting fact and something we all know, to bring female musicians and those in the industry into the mix. Otherwise, my work might come off as a little ironic – given the fact I am supporting women but not actually incorporating their viewpoints in my work! The same criticism has been levied at Turner who, whilst admirable in his goals, has not included female artists. I do not think, like some do, that Turner was wrong to write No Man’s Land in the first place: male artists have a right to do what Turner has done and should not have to defend themselves on that front. Whilst he didn’t need to remove his voice altogether, I wonder whether Turner should have included female artists to sing on each track; maybe sourcing from the mainstream, underground and unusual sources to ensure these stories had a greater sense of truth and purity – is Turner, as narrator, taking the spotlight away from the women he is singing about?!

I definitely feel Turner should be on the record and present, but it would have been good to bring women in. I am sure he has a long list of women he knows or would want to collaborate with so, maybe, that was a missed opportunity. NME’s review suggested Turner should have just put a playlist out, but I think that is insincere and does a disservice to the women he has included on No Man’s Land. Once more, it comes down to creating that balance and getting the tone right. As it sounds, many feel Turner is employing too much of his own voice to tell the stories of women whose voices are being ignored today. Obviously, he could not resurrect them and get their voices on the record but, as this album celebrates important women, having female voices on the album would have deflected a lot of criticism – the fact Catherine Marks oversaw a lot of the recording is being overlooked and I think it is important to note at this stage. Turner is a great songwriter and his objectives are noble. At a time when there is still a way to go until parity occurs, it is vital we encourage people to speak but, of course, ensure women are not being spoken for. Some have suggested that men in general should not tell the stories of women. I would disagree strongly and feel that this sends a very poor message.

I think, in the case of Frank Turner, it would have been a good step, musically and socially, for Turner to include women. That might not have pleased every critic, but I do feel it would have wise. Regardless, I feel Turner has come under a lot of flack for mansplaining when that was not his aim. I feel men have every right to bring women’s rights and past into music and it is important they have a voice. Perhaps, for any other artist looking to create their own No Man’s Land, ensuring there are female voices as part of the narrative is sage. On the surface, it seems like Turner is speaking for women rather than telling stories nobody else is. It is a bit of a tricky debate…but I think, as I said, his heart was in the right place. A lot of undue and unfair criticism has landed at Turner’s feet and it has raised some hackles. I think the most effective way to spotlight history’s forgotten women is to bring them into music but ensure, with that, you have women’s voices in the mix – rather than feeling, full stop, a man should not embark on such a project. Rather than being talked about as a progressive release and a step forward, No Man’s Land has come under fire from various sides of the fence. Turner’s robust defence of the album ahead of the time helped fuel some of that criticism but maybe he should just have addressed criticism when it came rather than writing a long blog post. It is a shame because, for an album that was meant to be noble, illuminating and inspiring, No Man’s Land – this could have been avoided – seems like a bit of…

 IMAGE CREDIT: Frank Turner

A step backwards.

FEATURE: Supersonic: Oasis’ Definitely Maybe at Twenty-Five: A Mighty Storm

FEATURE:

 

Supersonic

SLEEVE CONCEPT: Brian Cannon for Microdot/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Spencer Jones 

Oasis’ Definitely Maybe at Twenty-Five: A Mighty Storm

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I do not intent to write a feature about...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Oasis in 1994/IMAGE CREDIT: Kevin Cummins

every album that turns twenty-five this year but, as it was such a phenomenal year for music, it is only write I allude to a few of these classics. I have already discussed Portishead’s Dummy and Jeff Buckley’s Grace – Oasis’ Definitely Maybe was released just a few days after both albums; all three were released within a week of one another! I know there have been other years where a trio of epic albums have been released so close together but, in this case, all three are very different. I look back at 1994 and all of these scenes working away. In terms of debut albums, there are few as important, swaggering and memorable as Oasis’ Definitely Maybe. The band would go on to record some pretty big albums but, by their third album in 1997, they were losing focus and what made them special – 1997’s Be Here Now is overblown, overlong and only contains a couple of good tunes. Oasis formed back in 1991 and consisted Liam and Noel Gallagher, Paul Arthurs; Tony McCarroll and Paul McGuigan. Noel Gallagher was actually the last to join the band and was a bit reticent at first. He insisted that, if he were to join, he would take control and the band would aim for something akin to world domination – an arrogant and unreasonable plea but, looking back, where would the band be without him?! It was clear Noel Gallagher has a songwriting gift and, with Liam providing these raw and urgent vocals, there was no doubt Oasis would be a success.

Despite the newly-cemented band heading into the studio with a clear vision, sessions under producer Dave Batchelor were unsatisfactory. The guys wanted this emphatic sound to come through: when they listed to the playback, tracks were reedy and too clean. For a working-class band with bags of confidence, a more commercial and watered-down sound was emerging. With the sessions running into hundreds of pounds a day, there was some tension. Whilst Batchelor was let go, Noel Gallagher tried to do his best with the tracks he had but it was clear there was little force and energy – not what we’d hear on the finished version at least. After a rather ‘messy’ trip to Amsterdam, the group set about working on the album at Sawmill Studios in Cornwall. With Mark Coyle co-producing alongside Noel Gallagher, the group found a way of replicating a live sound and really going for it. Still, with a move forward came this feeling that the album was still not clicking. Engineer Owen Morris was drafted in and, after hearing the results from Oasis’ time at Sawmill, he knew they needed new direction – Noel Gallagher was growing angry and, rather than completely starting from scratch, Morris stripped some of the layers away and fine-tuned where need. Rather than having this overly-loud album or something too polished, what we hear on Definitely Maybe is something thrilling and real. There is a bit of polish here and there but it is the vitality and physicality of the album that takes you back.

There is so much emotion, energy and delight through the album; a band sticking their chests out but, rather than being arrogant and egotistical throughout, there are moments of uplift, joy and togetherness. That, to me and so many others, is what Definitely Maybe is all about: the feeling we could do anything; there are no troubles and we need to embrace the moment. Twenty-five years after its release and Definitely Maybe sounds completely essential and fresh. I think there are very few bands like Oasis around today and, in many ways, I wonder whether the days of the working-class band at the forefront is gone. Regardless, just listen to all the pearls and peaches on the album and it is amazing this once-troubled record sounds so good! Shakemaker and Live Forever; Supersonic and Slide Away. There is so much range and barely a wasted note to be heard. The music sounds tight yet has a loose feeling; there are big choruses but some great instrumental moments. It is a thrill-ride from start to finish and I remember being around when it came out – I sort of feel sorry for those who were not alive in 1994. To celebrate twenty-five years of a musical colossus, there will be a reissue. Here, Louder Sound report the news:

“The reissue will launch on August 29 through Big Brother Recordings, while a double picture disc will be released the following day exclusively through the band's website.

Oasis fans are also being encouraged to share their memories of the album on social media using the hashtag #DefMaybe25”.

The reviews for Oasis’ Definitely Maybe were hugely positive and I have not actually seen a bad review for the album. In this review, AllMusic give their impressions:

“It is a furious, inspiring record, a rallying cry for the downtrodden to rise above and seize their day but, most of all, it's a blast of potent, incendiary rock & roll. Soon after its release, Noel Gallagher would be hailed as the finest songwriter of his generation, an odd designation for a guy drawn to moon/June rhymes, but his brilliance lies in his bold strokes. He never shied away from the obvious, and his confidence in his reappropriation of cliches lends these bromides a new power, as do his strong, sinewy melodies -- so powerful, it doesn't matter if they were snatched from elsewhere (as they were on "Shakermaker" or the B-side "Fade Away"). The other secret is of course Noel's brother, Liam, the greatest rock & roll vocalist of his generation, a force of nature who never seems to consider either the past or the present but rather exists in an ever-present now. He sometimes sighs but usually sneers, shaking off any doubt and acting like the rock & roll star Noel so wanted to be. This tension would soon rip the group apart but here on Oasis' debut, this chemistry is an addictive energy, so Definitely Maybe winds up a rare thing: it has the foundation of a classic album wrapped in the energy of a band who can't conceive a future beyond the sunset”.

In another review, the BBC had their say:

“So how did two punters from Burnage, an unremarkable area of Manchester, become so famous? Despite the fact that the second album, (What’s the Story?) Morning Glory, sold more copies and propelled them to tabloid superstardom and 10 Downing Street, the answers are all here.

The album kicks off with Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, which Noel has since said was the end of everything he wanted to say as a songwriter. He’s right in a sense, as it’s easily one of the greatest songs about being up on stage ever written. On arguably Liam’s greatest ever vocal performance he goads all-comers with: "You’re not down with who I am / Look at you now you’re all in my hands tonight." And that’s without even considering the attendant guitar riffs that snag your brain like barbed wire on your best jumper. If you’ve got a mate or relative who’s having a bad time of it, play them this, then watch them grow 10 feet tall and walk down the street like they rule the whole world”.

Although at this point it’s easy to imagine the faces of every other British band of the time sadly searching the classifieds for a new vocation, there are still 10 more tracks left. How about Supersonic, a sky-scraping anthem about individuality adopted by the masses? Or Cigarettes and Alcohol, a brash T Rex paean to hedonism? Or Bring It On Down, a non-stop, no-messing punk stomp to certain death or glory?”

 PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Slattery

Not only is the music iconic and timeless but the spirit and essence of the album inspired bands. The this group of guys from an honest, humble background could create something so majestic certainly lit a fuse. Think about the scene in 1994 and how many incredible records were released this year – from Blur’s Parklife to Green Day’s Dookie – and how much variation there was! Maybe Oasis captured this time of freedom and possibility. Many people call Definitely Maybe a Britpop album but, to me, that suggests something commercial and Pop-like. To me, Oasis stood in their own league; they were charting their own course but, at a time when there was this brilliant British music being produced, Oasis were captivating and part of something larger. They would record (What's the Story) Morning Glory? In 1995 and there was this period when the band were unstoppable! Of course, as Britpop faded and Oasis moved in another direction, they would lose some of the edge and brilliance that defined their debut – it was inevitable a band with so much attention and pressure on their shoulders would fade away a bit. Before concluding, it is worth looking at Definitely Maybe in terms of its class values and how, in some ways, it is a sign of the past. There are more working-class bands emerging now but, still, we have a mainstreams where artists are more privileged; fewer honest bands like Oasis are around.

Not often do we see these unknown forces rise and capture a mood so clearly and importantly; role models for those who are looking for artists who speak for them and are writing something real and tangible. In this interesting article, the author talks about the working-class roots of Oasis’ Definitely Maybe and how it is one of the last real working-class success stories – can you name that many since 1994?!

“Of all the success stories that have been written about OASIS one of the most interesting ones is the focus on their roots. The rise of the 90s Britpop heroes was a triumph of the British working class. And the Gallagher brothers were its figureheads. Noel was the genius out of whose mind came the brilliant words and melodies and Liam acted as the perfect frontman.  They were snotty, boorish and with the right amount of arrogance. They weren’t intellectual giants like Damon Albarn and BLUR, their main opponents back in the days. They weren’t gloomy poets like THE SMITHS. And Liam certainly wasn’t as charismatic and visionary as Kurt Cobain who died one week prior to the release of OASIS‘ first single Supersonic. No, they weren’t the most delicate people in the world. The Gallaghers were simple lads from Manchester, born and raised in the old industrial town. The glamour of London was far away, despite the hype in the late 80s about the whole Manchester Rave and the Hacienda club.

As mentioned before, OASIS‘ story is one of underdogs making their way into the big circus of pop music without changing their attitude. They were simple boys who wanted to play pure rock and roll and they kept it that way – even now, five years after the band parted ways. The Gallaghers never curried favour to the market or to anyone. They were – in some form – some of the last uprising rebels in rock’n’roll. And probably the last big working class success story”.

I look back at 1994 and remember the possibility that was out there. There were so many great scenes and records released and it was a heady time. Whether you were a Blur or Oasis fan during the Britpop battle, all of us can agree Definitely Maybe shook things up an is a masterpiece. As I said, it is still a vital record and continues to inspire artists around the world. Maybe Oasis would not reach the peaks they hit on their debut, but they enjoyed a successful career. Liam and Noel Gallagher are solo artists now and there is always that talk as to whether Oasis will reform – it seems like this dream is unlikely to materialise anytime soon; seeing as the brothers keep tearing strips off one another! If you have never listened to Definitely Maybe – or have not spun it for a while – stream or buy the album (and get the anniversary release) and you will be blown away. You do not need to have been there in 1994 when the album came out: Definitely Maybe sounds electric and easily relatable; a creation that will sound perfect and raw decades from now. It is one of the greatest albums made and lots of people will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary on 29th August. The band promised, back in 1994, that we could live forever and, when you listen to this incredible album, you…

BELIEVE in them implicitly!