INTERVIEW: Deanna Devore

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDIT: @rachelwinslow  

Deanna Devore

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TO start today…

I have been speaking with Deanna Devore about her new E.P., Half and Half, and what inspired the songs; if she has a favourite cut from the E.P. and what is coming next for her – she selects some rising artists we need to get behind.

The songwriter discusses her favourite albums and tastes and whether we can see her tour; what the scenes are like in Chicago and Toronto (where she bases herself) and if there are plans cemented for next year – I ask what advice she would give to artists emerging.

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Hi, Deanna. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi! It’s been pretty good - just busy preparing for the upcoming tour. 

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m Deanna Devore; a songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Chicago and Toronto. 

Half and Half is your new E.P. Were there particular stories and experiences that influenced the songs? 

I wrote the music first and then the music influenced the lyrics which were inspired by my own experiences, if that makes sense! 

Do you have a favourite cut from the collection?

I like them for different reasons but Effortlessly currently. 

Which artists got you interested in music? Did you grow up around a lot of music?

I did grow up around a lot of music. I was exposed to a variety of genres at a young age, which is why I think the music I write has a lot of different styles mixed together. There isn’t any particular artist that got me interested in music. I loved playing instruments.  

You are based in Chicago and Toronto. Is there a very different music vibe in the areas? Which city do you prefer?

Yes. The music scenes are very different. Chicago seems to have a larger Folk/Americana scene and Toronto has gotten into the more ‘Drake style’ - minimal, Downtempo/R&B/Hip-Hop. The cities are actually very similar in other ways - the size/feel and the lakefront. I like them both for different reasons but Toronto will always hold a special place in my heart. 

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

A successful tour and having the album reach as many new listeners as possible.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

I’m planning on releasing a new single in early-2019.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Opening for Jamie Cullum, solo, in front of nine-hundred people was a pretty great memory. 

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)? 

That’s a tough question. The albums that I’ve loved have changed over the years but I’ll narrow it down to three. 

Esthero - Breath from Another

I just love the production throughout this album. It got me into the whole Trip-Hop genre.

The Go Find - Miami

This artist mixed a lot of synths and guitars; some Electronic music with acoustic and electric guitars, which definitely influenced my production.

Radiohead - In Rainbows

They are just musical geniuses. 

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

To not be afraid to be unique in the music you write - so many people sound the same these days. And, to not be afraid to follow-up. People get bombarded by emails; so a friendly follow-up is usually needed.  

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Yes! Next month we will be going on tour.

11/8 - Chicago, IL

11/11 - Toronto, Canada

11/12 - Rochester, NY

11/13 - New York, NY

11/14 - Philadelphia, PA

11/15 - Washington, DC

11/16 - Pittsburgh, PA

 IN THIS PHOTO: Jadu Heart

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I’ve been really into two British groups - Jadu Heart and The Hics. 

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Hics

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I like to unwind by cooking. Nothing like a home-cooked meal with a glass of wine. 

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

I would love to open for Tom Misch. As for the rider; I’m pretty simple. Some snacks like chips and salsa and definitely Earl Grey tea with lemon and honey. 

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Galaxy Surfing by Jadu Heart.

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Follow Deanna Devore

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Deannadevore

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/deannadevore/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/deannadevoremusic/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/33ZWQlxgrQJGHCo82XqhWJ

FEATURE: Turn the Page: Is Music Journalism Really in a Healthy and Sustainable State?

FEATURE:

 

 

Turn the Page

PHOTO CREDIT: @elijahsad/Unsplash 

Is Music Journalism Really in a Healthy and Sustainable State?

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I will bring in a piece Dave Simpson wrote for The Guardian…

 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

in regards music journalism and its health. He argues, quite rightly, there is a wealth of wonderful magazines on the newsagent racks and plenty of choice for everyone out there. Let’s start with the print media and how it has shifted. Many have argued that music’s printed press and the hard copies we all grew up with are going strong – even if the market has changed and there are smaller publication. Whilst there is not the likes of Smash Hits anymore; there are plenty of options out there. I remember growing up around Pop magazines and popular publications that were shared around the playground and we would pour over the pages and read all the interviews and reviews; the cool news and great images of our favourite stars. I loved the writing but, to me, it was the colour and style of these magazines that got into the mind and stayed with me. Whilst some have bitten the dust, there are many available options for the modern consumer. The biggest change, I feel, is the age shift. Music magazines used to be digested and thumbed through by children and younger fans but I feel there are fewer modern options established for that age range. Maybe there are fewer younger music fans who are interested in music journalism or there are no real options on the shelves. Many are getting their news and fix from the Internet and a lot of the music magazines out there, bar the odd one or two, seem to be designed for the more mature and ‘serious’ purveyor…

 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

There are few of the glitzy and colourful magazines we used to buy as children. Now you have these more advanced and po-faced magazines that are as alluring and captivating as those we were raised around – even if there is a little less fun and humour to be found. There is a school of thought that suggested we do not buy magazines and the music press is irrelevant. One cannot make that declaration without frequenting a newsagents or shop and seeing the array of available mags. If anything, a lot of smaller, specialised magazines are popular and there is a wide range that covers all genres. You can buy magazines dedicated to Classic music or Metal; those for Pop and Rock and Folk options. If you want your fix of the coolest Indie out there then you have choices and affordable passions. One of the biggest losses in the music industry was the death of NME’s print edition. This is how The Independent presented the news:

“NME has announced that this week’s issue (Friday 9 March) will be its final print edition, as it attempts to expand its digital audience.

NME was launched as the New Musical Express in 1952 and began its 66-year career as one of the UK’s most recognisable music publications, featuring iconic artists on its cover including Oasis, Bowie, Amy Winehouse, The Libertines and The Strokes.

The free NME launched on 18 September 2015 and featured Rihanna on its cover. It has been handed out to commuters and students around the UK on a weekly basis since…

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images/Press 

Paul Cheal, Time Inc UK’s group managing director for Music, added: “NME is one of the most iconic brands in British media and our move to free print has helped to propel the brand to its biggest ever audience on NME.com”

“At the same time, we have also faced increasing production costs and a very tough print advertising market. Unfortunately we have now reached a point where the free weekly magazine is no longer financially viable. It is the digital space where effort and investment will focus to secure a strong future for this famous brand”

The end of NME’s print edition led many to believe this was a sign of a journalism apocalypse: the move from the newsstands to the Internet and a sign people were not buying music magazines any more. Many took to the Internet to share their disappointment and theorise why NME were struggling. Maybe there was an issue with the way the editor was taking NME or a problem regarding advertising getting in the way of the music. Whatever the reason behind declining sales; it was a sad day and the end of an era. Other publications have had to call time but, as explained, there are ample choices and a really healthy raft of magazines/papers for those who love their music journalism in printed form. Dave Simpson backs up this viewpoint:

“...And yet, to walk into any major newsagent in 2018 is to be greeted by a dizzying array of titles – far more than there were when Melody Maker, NME and Sounds shipped hundreds of thousands of copies. Today’s circulations are lower, but there are magazines for every niche or genre, from Classic Rock to Blues & Soul to avant garde title The Wire…

PHOTO CREDIT: @rawpixel/Unsplash 

“I’ve read thousands of words about the so-called ‘crisis in music journalism’, but your average punter would be hard-pressed to understand that,” says John Mulvey, who edits the 63,000-selling monthly Mojo, which celebrated its 300th issue last month. He argues that the ill-fated free NME was “a last attempt to court a general audience, as titles have realised that they are no longer mainstream but specialist publications”.

I love how Mojo and Q have survived for years and seem to have that loyal fanbase. There is no sign of end for them and it is clear, at its heart, magazines like that do their job very well. There are great reviews and interviews and it is clear people are not abandoning the printed form for the Internet. I will end by looking at negatives and ways the music media is suffering but it seems, for the most part, the visibility and variation of printed forms is evident. I am a fan of magazines like The Line of Best Fit and DORK. They are handy, cool editions that are colourful, really well-designed and informative. Each has their own style and you get these great reviews, articles and interviews. If you want a more mainstream option then you have the likes of Q and Uncut but there are these smaller rivals that seem to project a more geekish and cool element – they are the types you’d expect to hang around Hackney with really posh beer talking about the latest Wolf Alice album, Whereas one was a little limited back in the day regarding range and surprise; as music has opened and more and more choices are available for the listener; journalists have reacted to this and ensured that is reflected in print form.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @bank_phrom/Unsplash

I would not say the printed form is completely out of the woods regarding safety. The more and more we turn to the Internet; the more some of the smaller and less popular options will fail. Look at the longevity of magazines like Q and Rolling Stone and it does provide hope and comfort for those who want to bring their own options out. Whilst I acknowledge the variety and vivacity of the magazines out there; one wonders how profitable they are. Back in 2011, there was a bit of a sales dip for publications such as Uncut and Q but it seems like they recovered quite well. Advertising and revenue from that means publications can be more ambitious and attract big artists to the cover; they can employ more people and there are options available. So many of the magazines I buy and read are either free or cost very little. It seems, although printed music media is stable, the profits available are quite slim. Advertising brings in enough money to cover expenses but there is not a huge amount of profit at the end – meaning there is always that risk of loss and decline. As I shall speak about later; one of the main problems with music media/journalism is the lack of employment opportunities and paid positions.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images/Press 

What, then, is the reason behind the survival and growth of music magazines?

“Following what Mulvey calls a “recalibration”, today’s music titles are adapting to smaller circulations and more competitive markets by lowering overheads, using smaller teams and refining their core specialisms, emphasising quality, longform journalism in the face of an avalanche of disposable free content. Mulvey – an ex-NME staffer who edited Uncut until last January – wants to develop an ageing readership gently by covering new artists alongside the “evolving stories” of veteran Mojo favourites – so Paul McCartney can be on the cover and Malian star Fatoumata Diawara inside. Uncut’s current editor Bonner wants the 44,000-selling monthly to “celebrate the best of old and new” – so David Bowie retrospectives mix with passionate pieces on Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever or Moses Sumney”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

Whilst there are some positives to take away; it seems like appeal and stability is more important than sales figures and profit. We are not in a time when there are great movements like Britpop getting us racing to the stands. Fewer school children are sharing music magazines and the culture has changed. Music is more about individuals than it is genres/albums; we have changed immeasurably and, with that, there have been some bumps for a few of the bigger magazines:

“Q editor Ted Kessler has a tough job, turning around the so-called “world’s greatest music magazine” with its slightly younger remit spanning the post-Britpop era and contemporary pop: it sold 200,000 copies in 2000 but 37,000 in 2017. But the recent Christine and the Queens cover felt zeitgeisty and Kessler insists he doesn’t fret over sales figures. “I’m confident enough in what we’re producing appealing across the generations to not fear the readership dying on us. Every month I’m excited when we put the magazine to bed, which hasn’t always been the case at Q”.

Whilst there is that satisfaction, from editors, regarding their cover stars and their working lives; the fact sales figures are dipping and magazines have to retail for less/offer more means there is this struggle for survival and growth. I wonder, given the figures we just saw for Q if people are turning more and more to websites for their news and music?

PHOTO CREDIT: @rawpixel/Unsplash

A lot of people sneer at music journalists and feel most people, with streaming services, can make their own minds up and do not need people telling them what to buy. There are so many music websites around so why would we need to go out and buy magazines? Whilst there is a range of magazines on the shelves; you wonder how many will disappear in years to come and how healthy their sales figures are. It is hard to tell just how well magazines are faring but, as Simpson explored, the dents and obstacles are affecting Internet sites too:

“Internet titles have been hit hard by a collapse in web advertising, following Facebook and Google’s greater ability to place advertisements right in front of any target audience – refined, by algorithms, to age, location, “likes”, music tastes and so on. “I’m constantly being shown ghost adverts saying, ‘All your readers could see this on Facebook if you pay us,’” says John Doran, co-founder of the Quietus. The esteemed left-field website recently turned 10 and attracts 400,000 monthly readers for coverage of acts from Guttersnipe to the Fall, but requires supporter donations and pays journalists when it can (many work gratis to assist what is seen as a noble cause). Doran admits that he and colleague Luke Turner are themselves “on less than minimum wage, forever five minutes from the dole. Today, I wouldn’t start a website. I’d start a free, bi-weekly, multi-genre paper, distributed in universities”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @mikeack/Unsplash

I feel the biggest market is those smaller publications that are newer to the market and providing a bit more variety, style and personality. Perhaps magazines like Q and Uncut need to rebrand or take a new direction but I do fear for their long-term future. Whilst there is a bit more stability with Mojo and Kerrang!; I still think the next few years will provide a challenge when it comes to keeping the sales figures up. Every music magazine/outlet knows they need that print edition and few out there can survive as a website alone. People do not pay to see a website and read their news so it is vital to have that paid option. Many P.R. companies and artists want to see their work in print and it has that quality they want to hold onto. It is like the clash between digital and vinyl music: we love the accessibility and speed of streaming but people love to have that physical product and have something in their hands! It seems a lot of new artists love the choice of online sites and they can get their music/words on there but the bigger, established artists prefer print and that heritage. As more and more newer artists come through; how long before websites take sales/attention from magazines and cause some problems?!

 PHOTO CREDIT: @juliusdrost/Unsplash

I agree there is no need to write off the printed press – and many still want magazines and something they can read – but there is an inherent issue when it comes to all these websites sprouting up. I am a blogger and know there are hundreds of options out there. Not only do we have the problem with saturation and TOO many options but so many people are working in the industry for free. Advertising brings in so much but a lot of that is used for expenses such as gig tickets, travel and other costs. Maybe some of the bigger websites can pay their staff – people like The Guardian have paid employees for sure – but there are a load of websites that recruit freelance journalists who, for the most part, receive no fee. Journalism should be about passion rather than money but, if a young journalist cannot get paid and there is no easy route to paid employment; is that going to turn many away?! I have tried to apply for work at big magazines and newspapers and the route for people like me is either an internship or pitching to the editor. If you are lucky then you might get a bit of money for an article or interview but it is unstable and an unreliable source of finance in the long-term. Internships are unpaid, for the most part, and hugely competitive. Loads of people are going for them and there is no guarantee a job will await you at the end.

If you have been a journalist for a while and want to earn a wage, you cannot step back and do an unpaid internship. You will not be able to afford rent and travel and the fact you are battling so many others means long-term prospects are shaky and unsure. Not only is the lack of paid work a trouble but there is still problems around class, race and gender. Music websites are great but how often will you be able to earn some money from submitting pieces? You might get the odd bit of cash here and there but is that attractive to a journalist emerging? They will see the reality – you have to work for free a lot – and that is going to affect recruitment. People like me blog for the love of it but, naturally, we want to get paid in the future and make it a career. Even with a slightly upturn in magazines and choices, it does not mean a paid music career is a safe bet or guarantee. So many of these publications have small margins and is it realistic to be a journalist in this day and age?! If you want to work for free and can work a full-time job around that then that is an option but not one many are tempted to do. Another problem exists when you consider that issue with reviewing and public opinion. There are a lot of positive reviews out there and I feel a lot of journalists, myself included, compromise a bit of integrity and truth in order to seem warm and all-inclusive. Have critics, in fact, lost the art of being critical?!

 PHOTO CREDIT: @belart84/Unsplash

This article from earlier in the year explores issues around reviewing and some under-discussed problems in music journalism:

“This is an odd thing to notice at first, but since the turn of the decade or so, more and more mainstream, major label albums have been getting positive reviews by professional music critics.  Is the overall quality of music getting better? Turn on commercial radio and listen for yourself. Okay, clearly the good-to-mediocre-hits balance is still the same as it has been for generations – so what gives? Are critics across all industries slowly loosening up and realizing that at the end of the day, it’s all just art for the masses and tastes are subjective? Strangely enough, no.

MetaCritic.com features an aggregator to add up all the review scores given to releases in movies, video games, TV and music by professional critics everywhere, creating a fairer average rating by balancing things with more voices and viewpoints. They use colour coding for consumers scrolling their listings to quickly identify if this release is generally considered good or not. Green means good. Yellow means mixed. Red means that the critical consensus is that this entertainment product should be avoided. Each year, about 10% of movies Meta Critic lists have red scores. So for every 7,000 or so motion pictures that get widely reviewed, around 700 are considered “bad” by the vast majority of professional critics. Music releases, in the mean time, fare a lot better. For example, from 2012-2017, out of the 7,287 total albums listed on Meta Critic, eight were given a red score (no red scores in 2017). That can’t be accurate! How can it be that only the music critics are getting soft and cuddly in the last few years, but other industries are as tough as ever to please!” 

 PHOTO CREDIT: @craftedbygc/Unsplash

“The print publication makes money on advertisements in between articles. It’s a formula: “if xnumber of people are subscribers and we average y number of sales from grocery store checkout lines this time of year, that’s x+y  eyeballs reading cover-to-cover who will see an ad about your company. We think that kind of attention is worth z in cash.” Nowadays, most people read magazine articles online. The ratings are down for cover-to-cover zealous readers, and way up for clicking links to articles that your friend sent you”.

As a working-class writer; I feel there are fewer true and relatable voices in the press. Whilst a lot of the smaller publications seem to resonate; many of the bigger papers/magazines are still staffed by privileged and well-educated journalists. It seems easier to get your foot in the door if you have connections with a publication/record label and, for many, the reality is they will have to work harder is they are working-class. With so few working-class artists in the mainstream; are publications going to recruit working-class journalists?! Look at this article from a few months ago and it seems, in terms of the mainstream sites and papers; there is a long way to go until the class bias is reversed:

“The Sutton Trust, which seeks to improve social mobility, found that 51% of the country’s leading journalists were educated privately, and 80% of its top editors went to either private or grammar schools….

PHOTO CREDIT: @honeyyanibel/Unsplash  

Privately educated pupils are also more likely to go to Oxbridge, which makes more offers to one school – Eton – than all of those on free school meals, according to research by David Lammy MP.

There is more. Former social-mobility tsar Alan Milburn’s State of the Nation report found that 11% of journalists were from working-class backgrounds, compared to 60% of the population. A report by City University in 2016 found that the British journalism industry is 94% white and 86% university-educated. Just 0.4% of British journalists are Muslim.

The declining economic fortunes of the industry mean that cheap and even free labour, in the form of unpaid internships, are increasingly common, while expensive postgraduate degrees appear the best way in for many. Given this, the barriers to those who need to earn money to launch a career look set to get even worse.

Some will argue that this lack of income diversity doesn’t matter: only the best rise to the top, as though ratlike cunning and a passion for deadlines are taught alongside manners at public schools”.

Maybe Internet sites have more working-class working for them but look at the bigger publications and newspapers like The Guardian and The Independent and most of their contributors are either very well connected in the industry or from a wealthier background. They do have working-class contributors but I wonder, unless you have connections and contacts within the industry; how realistic is it for a working-class music journalist to get a foot-up and be noticed?!

PHOTO CREDIT: @clar_san/Unsplash

There are so few black and Asian faces in the music media and I get tired of seeing endless white faces starting back at me. Maybe this reflects a racial narrowness in music as a whole – fewer black and Asian artists are featured and celebrated – but I think there is more broadness and diversity in music than in journalism. I only know a few black music journalists and, for the most part, it is white journalists who you see. Maybe there is health in terms of availability of printed magazines and Internet sites but there is a clear issue regarding race and social class – the type of people recruited and the ease of being able to work as a professional is you are black/Asian or working-class. The last point I will raise is gender. It is a harder one to judge but there is a definite split between online sites and the printed press. It seems, when you read music news and reviews in papers; most of what you see is by men. Figures are improving but there is still a big imbalance. As Clash investigated in this piece; online sites have provided a bigger voice for women:

“But now the focus of music writing – and journalism in general – has shifted online. One advantage of this is that it gives everyone a voice, regardless of gender or appearance. Nepotism has always been rife in the media, and that’s by no means gone, but the theory is that online music journalism is meritocratic – everyone has access to the music and contacts they need and that allows the best quality writing to shine through. Where women may have been unwelcome in the past, barriers have been removed, and there are now even blogs and publications, such as Wears The Trousers – which look at music exclusively from a female-focused perspective….

 PHOTO CREDIT: @all_who_wander/Unsplash

“Journalism is slowly becoming more female-friendly, which is a blessing because it’s one of the few places for women where people don’t judge you predominantly on your looks,” believe Rhiannon and Holly. “Diversity in editorial is so important, and most editors have realised that only providing the white male voice is downright boring.” Herein lies the key point. It’s a question of diversity, of making sure all viewpoints and attitudes are taken into account. The world of music is a fascinating place, a melting pot of countless cultures, races and backgrounds. To continue to limit those who write about it to one group – namely young, white men – would be to miss out on some truly exciting, not to mention under-heard, perspectives”.

For many black women in journalism; it seems like there is a real problem. A couple of years ago; Jordannah Elizabeth shared her experiences and how few black peers there are in Rock journalism:

“What drew me to psych-rock music was that the songwriters of the bands were still writing about love and mind expansion. I liked that the lyrics were potent and the music, whether neo-psychedelic or revivalist, had a euphoric and nostalgic style that seemed to bond the listeners and musicians together. But even after many years, I noticed that I remained one of the few, if not the only, black female writer in my circle. As my career grew, it became important to me to address the question of why diversity was not advancing in rock and alternative music journalism.

I don't feel like I'm a part of the industry yet. That's the beauty of the internet and the crack in journalism that we're experiencing. I'm a freelance journalist, and this month is my first year anniversary of getting paid for my writing. So far my biggest challenge has been getting paid on time and getting commissioned to write about things outside of what people think is the black female experience. Don't get me wrong, I love Beyonce and def had a review of Lemonade in my drafts, but I'd still love to be paid to write about the aesthetic of early-2000s emo music and MySpace”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @bastleblanc/Unsplash

Lina Lecaro, writing in 2015, stated that, whilst online sites give women a voice and identity; there are still doubts and a certain ‘image’ they have to project:

“Backstage and beyond, women music journalists must regularly navigate conflicted feelings and complicated gray areas that we face as both critics and fans. Our profession presents us with a distinct set of challenges and unforgiving double standards as we strive to be taken seriously, particularly when starting out.

What is true is that women are conditioned, and even encouraged, to participate in the more superficial aspects of music fandom when we’re young: to be screaming, crying, poster-kissing “fan-girls.” But female obsessives’ interest in music runs as deep in terms of sonic structure, tone, mood, and inspiration as it does for anyone of any gender. We can also be into the fashion, culture, spectacle, and allure surrounding an artist. These things aren’t mutually exclusive.

Female writers, just like female musicians, are clearly still fighting for our place in the music world. Self-doubt still creeps in. Editors sometimes don’t reply. Many still favor male writers, and now that I’ve been doing this for so long, there’s ageism to contend with. But despite lower pay rates than when I started, I finally know my worth. I know I don’t have to look or act a certain way, or keep quiet about anything inappropriate that happens to me in order to stay respected as a journalist”.

PHOTO CREDIT: @beccatapert/Unsplash 

I think there is change when it comes to sexism but there are still a lot of mainstream papers and magazines that are male dominated and have mainly white faces – this is reflected in radio and many other areas of the industry. It is harder to get a paid position and make your way through the industry if you are working-class and, although blogs and online sites provide valuable experience; the reality is that many aspiring music journalists will never enjoyed a paid career and be able to make a healthy living from it. I agree with Dave Simpson and the fact there are more publications available and the printed form is surviving but there are many other issues that need addressing – sales figures and gender; the long-term potential for music magazines and whether people still value critics and follow their word. This article shows that, even as recently as a few years ago, there is blatant sexism in the music journalism sector but, perhaps, there is slight improvement. I think online sites are growing and there is a definite place for the music critic and aspiring writer but I worry those who want to do it professionally will be disappointed. The rise of the Internet means more people get their music journalism for free and, naturally, there are fewer opportunities for paid positions. It is great to see so many options on the market and that balance between printed publications and online content but I feel long-term prospects for the printed option is limited and fraught. I am glad the Internet means female journalists can have their voice but that is not necessarily translated in mainstream publications and newspapers. Race is still a problem as is class. I feel, until we get all these problems addressed and thoroughly review the true state of music journalism; we cannot confidently and convincingly say the industry is… 

 PHOTO CREDIT: @heftiba/Unsplash

IN a healthy and promising state.

INTERVIEW: Henge

INTERVIEW:

Henge

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THANKS to Henge…

for talking about their new single, Indigo Dust, and what sort of themes inspired their debut album, Attention Earth! I ask whether there are going to be gigs coming up and whether the group have any ambitions for the year ahead.

Henge recommend some rising artists get behind and discuss influences; the advice they would give to artists coming through and how they spend their time away from music - they choose some cool tunes to end the interview with.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Phantasmagorical.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Greetings, humans. We are Henge. We bring you the gift of Cosmic Dross - a kind of music that is new to your world.

Indigo Dust is the new single. Is there a story behind it?

Indigo Dust is about the thrill of making art – the rush you feel when inspiration has you in its euphoric grip… 

Attention Earth! is your debut album. Are there particular themes that inspired it?

Attention Earth! tells of our space travels; we celebrate the importance of water and admire the beauty of the moon; we use the record to reveal our involvement with your planet and your species and, most importantly, it contains our message for mankind – demilitarise, unite and colonise space or face extinction.

How did Henge come together? 

Our history spans many billions of years and covers vast amounts of space. There is too much to tell you now... 

Which artists did you all grow up around? Do you have any personal musical idols?

I grew up on the planet Agricular in Cosmos Redshift 7. There was music all around us – the distinction between 'musician'  and 'non-musician' was not as clear as it is here on planet Earth...but I absorbed the sounds of 'Cosmic Dross' (the traditional music of my people the Agriculans) and its influence have pervaded every moment of my existence since. 

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Our mission on planet Earth has taken us to many gatherings and festivals. And we have scheduled numerous landings in the U.K. (with a tour in November and December)... 

In that same vein; do you have plans for 2019 in terms of what you want to accomplish? 

We aim to reach as many humans as possible and share with them the sounds of Cosmic Dross. We wish to see the continued proliferation of joy among peoples. We will continue to encourage human beings to put aside war, to achieve their potential and set up colonies on other planets. Only when the path to mass extinction is past the point of no return will we leave planet Earth and seek new worlds where we may be able to have some positive influence on other lifeforms.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Savvy Creative

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

We have had a myriad of wonderful experiences on planet Earth so far...we have travelled Europe and Australia, played Cosmic Dross to many receptive human beings and catalysed euphoria at many, many festivals. The other members of Henge might have specific highlights – but, as a group, our most significant action on this planet so far is to release the album Attention Earth!

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)? 

We are unable to load more significance onto a single record – to do so is a dangerous trap. Your life-in-listening should be full of highlights; to get stuck on a favourite will narrow your horizons. Either we give you a list of a few hundred albums...or you must accept the answer: Attention Earth! by Henge...

Can we see you on the road this year at all?

Yes:

31st Oct - The Lost Arc, Rhayader (Wales)

1st Nov - The Bierkeller, Exeter

2nd Nov - OMA, Bristol (SOLD OUT)

3rd Nov - Nos Da, Cardiff

8th Nov - The Lexington, London

9th Nov - Hope and Ruin, Brighton (SOLD OUT)

15th Nov - The Cluny, Newcastle

16th Nov - The Warehouse, Penrith

17th Nov - Yellow Arch, Sheffield

22nd Nov - HiFi Club, Leeds

23rd Nov - The Continental, Preston

24th Nov - Kilmarnock Festival

24th Nov - The Craigdarroch Hotel, Moniaive

25th Nov - Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh

29th Nov - The Bodega, Nottingham

30th Nov - The Donkey, Leicester

1st Dec - EBGBS, Liverpool

7th Dec - The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge (SOLD OUT)

8th Dec - Gorilla, Manchester *** two shows - all ages matinee + evening show***

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Do not set out to copy a particular artist, no matter how much you love them. Listen to a wide variety of music and do not shy away from music that you don't understand. Do not get lost in your ego. When choosing musicians to work with seek to find their particular gift and play to their strengths. Try out ideas without putting yourself under too much pressure. Have fun in rehearsals.

Never bully a bandmate. Enjoy your own abilities without arrogance; where you lack ability – be kind to yourself. If you try to cover up your insecurities it will sound ugly. If you try and show off your abilities it will sound ugly. Get comfortable. Don't care. Don't try to second guess what you think the audience is thinking. Make what only YOU can make. Be unique or die trying.

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

The Evil Usses, Paddy Steer; Alabaster DePlume, Barberos; Soccer96, Orchestra of Spheres; Shunya, LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER; Dubi Dolczek, Felix Kubin.

IN THIS PHOTO: Soccer96

Do you all get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Fungus and a foot spa.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Paddy Steer - Bifurcation Arrows

The Evil Usses - Wellard J. Fowler

Shunya - Analogue Heart

Dubi Dolczek - Laser Dojo

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Follow Henge

Official:

http://hengemusic.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CosmicDross

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/henge_cosmicdross/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Hengemusic

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5R09pajxQjiwdUH6Fw4yM5?si=vWvXZmBfQ9SCSTc0vZhtKg

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/hengemusic

FEATURE: XX/XY: Despite Some Big Steps Regarding Gender Equality in Music, Is There Still One Big Divide?

FEATURE:

 

 

XX/XY

PHOTO CREDIT: @rawpixel/Unsplash

Despite Some Big Steps Regarding Gender Equality in Music, Is There Still One Big Divide?

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THERE was a time when we had to wait years…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sara Cox/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

for genuine steps to happen in the battle against sexism in music. Whether it was a lack of female headliners at festivals or a lack of female D.J.s; progress happened slowly and I feel like the last couple of years have done more to realise parity. That being said; there is still an awful long way to go. Last week, I wrote an article regarding the inequality in the radio industry and how few female D.J.s are being heard. Maybe things are different regarding smaller stations but the big guns are not doing enough to ensure there is equality in their ranks. I pitched the idea that Sara Cox should vacate the absent Drivetime slot and that would be a big step. Not that I had anything to do with it but she has just been appointed as the new Drivetime host. It is the first time, I think, that BBC Radio 2 have hired a female D.J. for that position and it shows there is that desire to change. Whilst there are still many more men on the station as a whole; having a female breakfast host (Zoë Ball) and Sara Cox in that late-afternoon/evening position; will it lead to evolution at other stations? Other BBC stations can take some steps and I think, although Cox’s appointment is a big step, there is a long way to go and it would be good to see the momentum going.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Zoë Ball/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Naturally, some have scoffed at her taking over the Drivetime show but there is recognition among many that more female D.J.s should be in these lucrative shows and things do need to improve. I do wonder how long it will take before we see true equality in radio and, indeed, every other sector of music. I am always looking at statistics regarding producers, engineers and festival headliners; the songwriters being recognised and artists getting airplay – is there actually equality there and are we getting close?! I do not think we are anywhere near to actually equality but, with little/big steps here and there; I am hopeful this movement will carry on and things will, gradually, get better. Cox’s new show will be great and it does mean that two female D.J.s at the station are hosting really big shows. I am not suggesting other radio stations lack any awareness and are dropping the ball but statistics show that there is still a huge disparity between men and women. It does not only exist in terms of numbers and who is hosting the most lucrative and big shows – there is that gender imbalance regarding pay and a need to close the gap. It would take a long time for me to name all the sectors and corners of music where more needs to be done but, as we know this, I will save you the trouble of hearing me prattle on.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @jerryinocmd/Unsplash

It may be controversial territory but I wonder whether there is a division between men and women regarding the fight for equality. One could argue there are few men in the media who are actively and persistently calling for change; most of the voices are female and, in fact, the absence of high-profile men speaking out is causing delay and a lack of progress. I appreciate the appointment of women to prestigious time slots is, more often than not, the case of male management making that decision but one could argue they are culpable of making poor decisions in the past; holding back equality and spending too much time and money with male talent. We all know most of the boardrooms and executive suites are filled with men; most studios and festivals are run and dominated by men – they hold great power and positions but, in reality, are they doing enough to speak out and call for change?! It is no surprise that most of the voices calling for change in the music industry come from women. I am not sure what percentage of men are out there and speaking loud but it is a tiny minority. I wonder whether there is general apathy (in men) or whether there is a bigger barrier at work. I realise there must be, one would hope, many other male journalists that refuse to be silent and are big advocates of gender equality.

Most men in the industry would call themselves feminists and, if asked, would like to see equality happen as soon as possible. I think there is a practical difference between those who think about these things and want them to happen and those speaking out and protesting for change. Any radio and T.V. interview regarding sexism and gender inequality features women and when one hears podcasts surrounding a need for equality; they are always fronted by women. It is great to see so many women in music leading a charge and getting their voices heard but I wonder whether a division between the genders is occurring. It may sound like a personal gripe but I tend to find, when I pitch a show about sexism in music or contact someone (a high-profile feminist or name) my calls are ignored and it is hard to get any sort of response. I have my posts shared by female musicians and D.J.s when I write features about them but when it comes to putting together my own features and shows; a big project that unites those in the industry, men and women, and discusses the problems at hand…there are many deaf ears out there. One could say it is a case of me lacking cachet but I have seen many female journalists/members of the public have their calls/queries answered and posts shared.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @alexisrbrown/Unsplash 

It could not be a personal thing – as those I contact don’t know me from Adam – and I recently contacted a radio production with a view of putting together a documentary regarding gender inequality and they already have an idea like that in process – fronted by a female journalist. When was the last time any radio documentary or T.V. show was broadcast, in relation to sexism and the need for change, with a man at the front? Has a man ever done anything like that and, in cases where there are documentaries/broadcasts; what is the proportion of men-women? Perhaps there I an assumption that men will not understand the true issues regarding sexism or they do not have the experience to warrant authority. If you have a man fronting a show about gender inequality; will that come across as ironic and problematic?! If we are looking at creating better rights for women in music, having a bloke talking about it seems rather cheap, foolhardy and unwise. Does that create problems and show that, in fact, everything needs to be controlled by men?! I am not saying people like me dominate the market and put together scores of shows regarding sexism but there needs to be a bit more integration. There are natural barriers that assume men do not want to produce these shows or would lack any knowledge. In cases of sexual abuse and sexism, indeed, women are more qualified and have that direct experience but does that mean men should be excluded?!

 PHOTO CREDIT: @jmvillejo/Unsplash

Whilst a journalist like me cannot understand what it is like to be overlooked in regards my gender and is unaware of the pain that comes from being excluded on that front; I know the statistics and I have ample understanding of the realities and what needs to be done. I have not been sexually assaulted or passed over because I am a woman. As a man in the industry; life is a little easier for me but that is not to say I lack empathy and that desire to right things. I have endlessly pitched shows and asked to be on shows to talk about the problem – including Woman’s Hour – but everything has been ignored. The same goes when I ask for advice (from women in the industry) and try and get something together. There is not a sexism working away there but I feel there is that feeling that a man does not have the authority and experience needed; that having someone like me speak openly seems more sexist. I agree that women need to be at the forefront when it comes to calling for change but there is that whitewash. Maybe there are fewer men in the industry who passionate about equality but I know there are enough out there. From musicians and D.J.s through to label owners and producers; that need to see things improve and create an open dialogue is important to so many.

The best way, I feel, to make some big movements is to create that dialogue and integrate more. I am not suggesting there is a fifty-fifty split, gender-wise, when it comes to shows and discussions but it needs to be a bit more open. I was talking with someone about my issue and they said, perhaps, women feel men are doing it to boost their own profile and there is arrogance behind that desire (to talk out). Some might be suspicious and feel the issue of sexism is heightened when you add men into the dialogue. I can understand that and, to be fair, it is a hard balance to strike. Maybe the fact men have not experienced sexism and have an easier time in music means they should show more respect and the discussion is more veracious and potent when it stems from those who genuinely suffer and are overlooked. I get that but not all men in music are privileged and not all feel like men should dominate. Another musical contact suggested the most effective way of opening up the debate and startling people is to have men talking with one another regarding what needs to be done and how things can improve. At the moment, from the outside, it looks like most men do not care and women are having to do all of the campaigning themselves.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rawpixel/Unsplash

The reality is a little different. A lot of men might feel like they’d be excluded if they asked to be involved or they might not have the necessary passion and knowledge to make a difference. Having different voices in the mix can only be a good thing. As I said; the statistics are clear and men and women alike know the realities and how much work needs to be done. Whether it is a radio show dedicated to female music or a symposium that gets some heated debate underway; creating a more gender-balanced discussion and dynamic is needed. I do as much as I can with my writing but I feel like I am a bit excluded because I genuinely want to assist. Some female artists have struck out against male musicians who have talked about sexism and feel they (women) do not need to be spoken for; they are capable of speaking for themselves. Maybe some men are jumping on a bandwagon and have other motives but I disagree there is that need, in men, to boost their profile and there are nefarious objectives. It is not taking anything away from feminism or a female voice if a man speaks out. If a male actor argued against the wage gaps in the film industry or tirade against men accused of sexual abuse then that would be applauded.

They (the men) will not have experienced that horror first-hand but the fact they are putting their voices out there shows there is a genuine shock and disgust – that most men do not condone what is happening and are supportive. The same needs to happen in music. A lot of men are arrogant and do not want things to change; those who are well-off and not affected have that apathy and do not feel motivated to get up. There are men in the industry – from journalists and artists to D.J.s – who know how crap things are. I am not suggesting replacing shows and discussions that are female-led: I would like to see more where men and women are debating and there is that visible and audible conversation. I do not think it is true that a man lacks understanding and sympathy and, whilst they do not have direct experience regarding sexism; does that mean they are cold to the problem or do not want to see improvement?! From my perspective; it is frustrating having ideas ignored or not being answered because of my gender or I might not have the same gravitas as a woman. These issues I am experiencing are a minority – most female artists and D.J.s share my work and do not see gender divisions or problems when it comes to calling for equality – but we need to see more men and women talking with one another; those in high positions being interviewed and high-profile men in the industry rallying and speaking out. There are many out there who feel outraged and want to fight sexism and inequality but I am aware there is an invisible barrier that divides genders.

I do not agree with the assumption you are making the issue of sexism worse by inviting men into the conversation and it takes away some of the potency. One of the ways to show there are plenty of men who want to see change is by inviting them in and creating a more gender-balanced debate. I love the fact women in music are standing up and will not be silenced but I have seen some worrying posts where women have turned their noses against men who have spoken out – assuming they are being patronising and being condescending. Perhaps there is an impure motive in some cases but there is genuine compassion and support to be found. If we want to create a more stark and bonded discussion then both genders need to get involved and harmonise. Male journalists and musicians need to contribute and those in positions of power need to be brought in and explain themselves. It would not be an integration and attack but an opportunity for them to think about the realities and answer some pressing questions. I would like to produce and front a documentary regarding women and sexism in music but I feel, most of the time, I will be overlooked in favour of a woman. Maybe it is my lacking name and cache but there is a feeling women are more knowledgeable and people would not want to hear a man do a show like this – like it would add to the situation in a negative way. I do not abide by this and feel, although it is alien and strange; we need to get men and women talking otherwise there will only be that one side and one impression. Men, in general, need to do more but there are plenty who want to speak and show their support and should not be overlooked because they do not have direct experience or are not affected. If we can get a more balanced discussion happening and get both sides talking and fighting hard it lead to some changes. I applaud anyone who speaks against sexism and calls for improvement but I feel there is a division. I might not have the same viewpoint and experiences as many women in music but there are many people like me who desperately want to be…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @kslupski/Unsplash

PART of the debate.

INTERVIEW: Dim Sum

INTERVIEW:

Dim Sum

___________

I am starting the week by speaking with the French artist Dim Sum…

as he discusses the story behind his latest single, Ange. I ask whether there is more material coming and the sort of music he is inspired by; if there are any rising artists we need to watch out for and whether there are a few albums that mean a lot to him.

Dim Sum reveals what he has planned for next year and the importance of Paris; which artist he would support given the chance and if he gets chance to unwind away from music – he ends the interview by selecting a great song.

__________

Hi, Dim Sum. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi. It’s been a good week…until my laptop crashed.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I am a French musician and producer. I live and work in Paris and I have released three E.P.s so far.

Ange is your new single. Is there a tale behind the song?

I started this track by sampling the voice of my girlfriend, who is not a singer at all. To me, this track evokes childhood and nostalgia.

It is from your forthcoming E.P. Can you reveal the stories and themes addressed?

I try to make Electronic music that you can both dance and think to; that you can play at a party or listen at home. This new E.P. is also in this mood.

Are there particular musicians you draw inspiration from? Did you grow up around a lot of music?

I always listened to a lot of music during childhood with my parents. They made me discover a wide range of musical styles, from Classical to Folk and Rock...

Can you recall when you got into music? How have your sounds changed since the early day?

I really got into music when I discovered Indie-Rock bands of the nineties and early-2000s; from Nirvana to The Strokes. That’s when I started in music: by learning how to play guitar. Then, I came to Electronic music with Daft Punk and Justice I think (smiles).

How important are Paris and its culture regarding your music passion and how you write?

I live in the neighbourhood of Bastille which is a very popular place with a lot of music venues and cultural events. This is a very inspiring place.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

I’m going to release my fourth E.P. and I hope that people are going to listen to it (smiles).

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yes. I’m already working on new collabs that are not on the new E.P. but that may be released next year.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

I don’t have a particular memory in mind. To me, as a music composer and producer, each case of positive feedback regarding my music is a particular moment.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Nirvana – Nevermind; Daft Punk – Homework and Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

I think they sum up what I love the most in music (smiles).

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

I’d love to go on tour with LCD Soundsystem!

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I think I’m no good at giving advice (smiles).

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I have recently discovered tracks by PINES - Glisten; Betical - Voices and Vansire - That I Miss You.

IN THIS PHOTO: Betical

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I love to chill in the city with no particular goal...and Paris is a big city (smiles).

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Some fresh French vibes with Solal Roubine and Hublot

___________

Follow Dim Sum

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Coucou_DimSum

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/dimsummusic/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/coucoudimsum

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6hZDTUqjAdw543I6czUumV

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/dimsum-music

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/soundress/videos

FEATURE: Against Their Will: The Divisive Nature of the Posthumous Album

FEATURE:

 

 

Against Their Will

IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for the posthumous Jeff Buckley album, Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk (1998)/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images 

The Divisive Nature of the Posthumous Album

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IT may sound a bit ghoulish…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @alvaroserrano/Unsplash

and weird to raise the topic of death in a music piece, but there is something to be said for the success artists can gain after they depart us! The subject is not reserved to albums released after a musician has died. We all know how some artists gain acclaim after their deaths because, for some reason, people do not seem to get what they are all about when they are alive. It is odd to think how, sadly, some bands/artists are never given the success and love their music demands when they are alive and, years later, people latch onto them. There is, as I will explore, albums released after an artist has died that was not discovered in their lifetime or they were making and never got to finish. Whether a completed and recognised studio album gains fresh traction posthumously or an unreleased record is brought out and gathers a fresh wave of respect for that artist – I am interested learning why an artist can get new fans and see their music elevated after their deaths. When music loses a talent and we have to go through that awful realisation; naturally, sales of that artist’s albums go up and there is that burst of interest. It is understandable people would want to mark that musician and have an interest in them but, for some reason, that demand and rush tends to end fairly quickly and that is it.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Johnny Hallyday (who died last year) pictured in 2014 in Los Angeles/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

Why do we have that sort of sympathetic attachment to an artist in the wake of their death and why do some albums gain huge sales figures that were not achieved during the natural life of the artist?! One reason why I bring up the ‘lure’ and importance of posthumous popularity is a story concerning Johnny Hallyday that talks about increased sales figures and a resurgence following his sad death last year:

“Johnny Hallyday, the leather-trousered “French Elvis” who died last year, didn’t believe in resurrection. But from beyond the grave, the musician has managed to miraculously restore life to a dying record and CD industry.

With 780,177 copies on CD and vinyl sold since the album’s release last Friday, Hallyday, who died in December aged 74, is expected to have bigger first-week converted sales than Drake, whose Scorpion release was the biggest album in the US this year.

The Hallyday album’s vast sales on CD and vinyl are highly unusual at a time when sales of physical records are falling. Music insiders called it “the Johnny phenomenon”, saying the CD sales were a sign of Hallyday’s huge following in France. Fans apparently wanted to own a physical copy even though it was available on premium streaming services.

The album, a combination of rock, rockabilly and blues, was recorded last year in Los Angeles, months before Hallyday died of lung cancer. It went platinum within minutes of going on sale in France on 19 October and sold 630,000 units in the first three days”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @art_ed/Unsplash

In the case of Hallyday; it seems like the posthumous release that sold big numbers has been met with positivity and it was a case of releasing material he planned to put out into the world. There is that argument, if an artist had only recorded a few tracks and they were not album-ready, then should they be released against their will? I remember having mixed emotions diving into Jeff Buckley’s 1998 posthumous release, Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. There are some fantastic gems on that collection that hint at where Buckley was heading. A lot of the material was recorded in 1997, not long after he died. One wonders whether the ‘finished’ material on the album was what Buckley wanted to release eventually or whether he would have scrapped them and started again. Buckley was a perfectionist and one feels he might have kept a song or two and then recorded completely new stuff for his sophomore release. I will bring in the case of Prince and why a posthumous release is welcome and unearths something that reveals a new side to him but there is that argument as to whether it is ethical and moral for producers/family to collect these scraps and demos and put them into a posthumous album.

This article from The Guardian, written the year Amy Winehouse died (2011), talks about an album of her unreleased tracks that divided fans and the media:

“…Next week, a little over four months after the untimely death of the singer, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, will be released.

By necessity, it is a collection of early recordings, out-takes, and just two unfinished tracks from her planned third album. "She appears to have recorded almost nothing in the last two years of her life," noted Alexis Petridis, the Guardian's music critic, this week. Anyone who followed the tabloids over the last few years will be painfully aware of the reasons for that, but Remi hoped the album would be a fitting reminder of Winehouse's talent. "Going through her music was like going through a photo album," he says. "There was a lot of stuff that I had forgotten about, and that nobody else knew existed. When I shared that with her manager and her family, we thought maybe we should share this with the rest of the world".

I am a bit split when it comes to artists unexpectedly dying and what do you do with the material they never got around to releasing. Although one can assume some of the songs would have found their way onto a new album; you can never say what their plans were and if they actually want them into the world!

IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for the posthumous Amy Winehouse album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011)/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

The article explores the seedier and more unpleasant side of posthumous releases and whether they are betraying an artist’s will:

“There is, of course, a darker side to posthumous releases, where words such as "legacy" are bandied about and sales are guaranteed as long as there are enough voracious fans who can be relied on to will buy anything connected to their late idol. (In fairness to those behind Winehouse's album, a proportion of profits are to go to the foundation set up in her name). Tupac Shakur, the American rapper who was shot in 1996, has released more albums in death than he did in life, the richness of his music appearing more diluted with each one. Jimi Hendrix, who released just four albums before he died in 1970, has had his name on more than 50 posthumously, with most years seeing a new release of live recordings or a compilation, most recently in September.

Michael Jackson's posthumous album, Michael, was released last year, 18 months after his death, amid accusations from the singer's family that he wasn't even singing on some of the tracks. Quincy Jones, his former producer, told Us magazine. "It should have stayed in the vault. It seems everybody is trying to put everything out that they can with him. It's all to make money. He wouldn't have wanted it to come out this way." Another album, Immortal, has been released, and Howard Weitzman, who co-manages Jackson's estate, says more releases are planned. "It's a pretty vibrant estate in the sense that it continues to generate not just catalogue opportunities, but plenty of other ideas," he told Billboard in October”.

I can understand the resistance fans have when they see an artist they have followed and lost having control taken away. There is a lot more content and agreement when a posthumous album is a realised and complete work that, sadly, was completed just before an artist died. In some cases, there are albums they recorded and did not released – they are unearthed and taken from the archives and brought into the world. Many people worry about the morals of record labels that mine departed artists for all they are worth. Amy Winehouse is an artist whose legacy and music is being mined even more with a planned hologram tour and biopic. I like some of the tracks that were released after her death but there is nothing that matches the honesty and rawness of Frank and the brilliant Back to Black. Estates and labels are keen to bring every half-cut demo, scratchy outtake and B-side-primed song to the fans. Many might say that is giving people what they want and ensuring they can experience new music from their favourite artist after they have died. Others argue capital incentives are behind the decision and it is all about raking in money and being exploitative – taking advantage on people’s zeal to get fresh music from an artist that is no longer around. I am a bit hit-and-miss regarding posthumous albums but, even as a die-hard Jeff Buckley fan and a bit supporter of Amy Winehouse; I was glad posthumous albums were released because there are some fascinating and promising songs. You wonder what could have been and you gain an insight into what the artist was thinking/planning before they died.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rawpixel/Unsplash

Posthumous releases are not new: ever since the 1950s; the likes of Buddy Holly have been the subjects of posthumous releases. Returning to the article I have quoted; there are some who feel like something gaudy and greedy lies behind those who bring unreleased material out when an artist dies:

"Reissue, repackage," was how Morrissey described the "sickening greed" of record companies on the Smiths track Paint a Vulgar Picture, and there is no doubt that a celebrity's earning power doesn't stop with their death. In Forbes magazine's recent list of the top-earning dead celebrities, Jackson was at the top for the second year running, earning $170m this year (£110m; the previous year, he earned $275, or £175m).

The man in second place – Elvis Presley – earned $55m (£35m) last year. If you want to see how we might treat deceased stars in future, look to the US company Authentic Brands, which bought the rights to Marilyn Monroe this year (they already market products under Bob Marley's name). CEO Jamie Salter told a Canadian newspaper that, thanks to digital technology, he expects Monroe to be starring in a new film "in the next couple of years".

I have stated how some posthumous albums are completed works that were not released in an artist’s lifetime for some reason or other. Maybe the timing was not right or the label wanted something else. Two cases where the public have been behind posthumous releases concern two artists we lost in 2016: David Bowie and Prince.

 IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie captured whilst appearing in the film, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)/PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Schapiro

David Bowie had a lot of material ready and held back. It is sad we lost Bowie to cancer but one feels he would have been behind re-releases and unreleased material coming through. It seems, every month, there is something ‘new’ from the departed innovator. Back in March; Consequence of Sound excitedly talked about planned released from the late star:

“David Bowie is said to have prepared a number of records to be released posthumously. Among the releases to have surfaced in the two-plus years since his death: an EP of unreleased material called No Plan; an archival box set featuring the unreleased album The Gouster; reissues of the Labyrinth and The Man Who Fell to Earth soundtracks; the live album Cracked Actor (Live in Los Angeles 1974); a repressing of 1971’s Bowpromo; a second archival box set chronicling Bowie’s Berlin trilogy; and an early demo version of “Let’s Dance”.

There’s apparently plenty more still to unearth from Bowie’s vault, as the coming month will bring upwards of eight new records. Two reissues have already been announced for next month: Bowie’s 1981 compilation Changes to Bowie will go back into print on April 13th, followed on April 20th by a vinyl reissue of Aladdin Sane.

Now, comes word of a trio of Bowie records available for Record Store Day 2018 (April 21st). The allotment includes Welcome to the Blackout (Live London ’78) featuring recordings from Bowie’s “Isolar II tour” at London’s Earls Court on June 30th and July 1st, 1978; a 12-inch single that includes the first-full length version of “Let’s Dance”; and Bowie Now, a rare US only promotional-only LP from 1977, which is receiving its first-ever commercial release”.

Earlier this year; Piano & a Microphone 1983 was released and is a rare chance to hear Prince and his piano – a stripped and barenaked revelation that many have welcomed and celebrated. Again, like Bowie; this has been a welcomed and much-needed posthumous chapter from a legend of music. 

“Prince, who to the shock of his many fans worldwide died two years ago, would have celebrated his 60th birthday this June.

Now, for all of 35 minutes, he is back, sitting at the piano and playing music, back in the early 1980s. Listening to the tracks, it is easy to imagine lounging in a comfortable chair, reading a book while Prince sings and tinkers on the piano. It sounds as if he were all by himself, very relaxed, raw and intimate.

Of course he is not playing in his living room, but in in a studio, where occasionally, sound engineer Don Batts gave the artist brief instructions during the recording, for instance to lower his voice.

IN THIS PHOTO: Prince/PHOTO CREDIT: Ebet Roberts/Getty Images  

Prince is said to have written more than 1,000 songs, many of them under pseudonyms and many of which have yet to be released.

Prince left no will, so legal issues had to be clarified before the release of Piano & A Microphone 1983. Prince's sister and five half brothers and sisters were declared the heirs to his estate and they have been careful with new releases. Two best-of compilations were released posthumously so far.

This newly released album is a true gem — intimate, playful and soulful songs by a musical genius who wasn't aware at that point that he'd one day become one of the world's top icons of pop”.

One of my quandaries regards that lack of control and whether an artist would consent. There was rankle a few months back when it was claimed a lot of Michael Jackson’s posthumous songs were actually not sung by him. There is still debate happening but many have heard some posthumously-released songs and say it is not Jackson singing. There are a few Jackson songs that never got released in his life but some others, one suspects, have been masquerading as Jackson-sung tunes. There is that problem with authenticity but another one revolves around quality. If a musician released faultless and brilliant records whilst alive; do these half-finished and flawed posthumous albums actually dent their legacy?! Some say the way of reaching new generations is to release these albums/tracks and, if there is music in the vaults; what is the sense of leaving them be and people being denied? It depends on whether you feel an artist’s music should be protected when they die and whether it is wrong to release new material without their consent. Some posthumous albums have proved rather interesting and popular. Other Voices is a release from The Doors that does not feature their leader, Jim Morrison. Morrison died in July 1971 and the ‘new’ Doors album was in the world some three months after. Nirvana’s famous unplugged session for MTV was brought out after Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994 and Johnny Cash’s American V: A Hundred Highways was intended to be released during his lifetime. That record is a fascinating thing and it is only the slightly untimely passing of Cash that denied the master the chance to see it released to the world.

 IN THIS IMAGE: The cover of Johnny Cash’s posthumous album, American V: A Hundred Highways (2006)/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

There is also that subject of an artist dying suddenly and having bits of an album ready with the intention of adding to it. Prince, Michael Jackson; Jeff Buckley and Amy Winehouse all died without much warning and expectation and they wouldn’t have left directives and wills that stated how they wanted unreleased material to be treated. George Harrison died in 2001 and was working on Brainwashed (2002), his final album, before he died. He was determined to get it released before his death and it is a case of the artist knowing the material that they were working on before their death should be out there. The same is true of the Queen album, Made in Heaven (1995). Freddie Mercury died in 1991 and was determined to get as many songs and demos recorded before he went – the band worked with him and there was definite desire and consent from the Queen lead. Joy Division’s Closer (1980) and From a Basement on the Hill (Elliott Smith, 2004) are completed and full work that are cherished and exceptional – sad cases of the leads and creators dying (committing suicide in these two cases) before an official release could happen. I am a big fan of Aaliyah’s eponymous posthumous release of 2001 and, again, it is a case of an artist suddenly dying before the record could be complete – she died in a plane crash on the way back from filming the video for the album track, Rock the Boat.

Despite the lauded and revelatory posthumous releases; does it all come back to the unseemly and label-dictated cash-ins?! Are they the factors that stand out – rather than the music itself?! The late XXXTentacion was the subject of a piece in High Snobiety. They looked at the posthumous release and the ethics behind them. They reacted to XXXTentacion going to number-one with the single, SAD!

“This year, late rapper XXXTentacion became the first artist to chart posthumously at number one since Biggie did back in 1997 with the release of “Mo Money Mo Problems,” joining an elite yet tragic group of hip-hop chart-toppers. Controversy aside, the success of “SAD!” is well deserved on artistic grounds, yet there’s something rather unsettling about the accompanying video, which sees X attend his own funeral.

Although the promo was both written and creative directed by XXXTentacion before his death, seeing the young star resurrected on film so soon after his real-life murder raises some ethical issues. Fans might argue that the “SAD!” video is a beautiful elegy to X’s legacy and while that’s true to a point, it’s hard not to see how the record company also had plenty to gain from capitalizing on the star’s posthumous success for financial gain too.

Either way, it’s important to note that XXXTentacion had full creative control over the “SAD!” promo and always intended to release it more or less in the form that we see today. But what will happen in five years time when unreleased songs hidden in the vaults suddenly come to light? How would X react if he knew that unfinished tracks he didn’t approve could potentially become part of his musical legacy?”

 IN THIS PHOTO: Aaliyah (whose eponymous posthumous album was released after her death in 2001)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Is everything about maximising an artist’s appeal and commercialism following their death? A lot of labels want to keep them in the public eye and ensure they can eek money from their music. In a lot of cases, there is real passion that comes from posthumous release:

“It’s not all about the sales though. Drake’s genuine admiration for the likes of Aaliyah and Michael Jackson is well-documented, transforming songs like “Enough Said” and “Don’t Matter To Me” into elegies that pay homage to the musical prowess of both artists in question. And while some fans might want record companies to leave the reputation of these deceased stars alone, we also shouldn’t assume that there’s nothing left of value in their unreleased back catalog.

After all, “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” was released after Otis Redding died, cementing his status as a musical icon, and if songs were never released posthumously, then we wouldn’t have game-changers like Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” or Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” either”.

The article raises a good point that I had not even considered: the weird ‘duets’ between a dead artist and a living recording star. I often wonder why it is allowed and whether it is a compromise between a new recording and releasing some rare offcut. Whatever the reason behind this rather odd combination; there have been some serious missteps:

“Remember Duets: The Final Chapter? Released in 2005, eight years after The Notorious B.I.G. was murdered, this album was composed entirely of unlikely duets that even new fans questioned the authenticity of. Although it’s impossible to know what path Biggie’s career might have taken, it’s clear that the esteemed rapper would have never traded bars with someone like Nelly, and the inclusion of other deceased artists like Tupac, Big Pun and Bob Marley was an even more offensive affront to everyone involved. There’s a big difference between releasing completed tracks and constructing some bizarre Frankenstein-patchwork of sub-par material”.

I will round things off soon but I, like many, was stunned hearing the news of The Cranberries’ lead, Dolores O’Riordan, earlier this year. The band were recording material before she drowned – the coroner decided her death was an accident and not suicide – so there is that heartbreak regarding what-if and what could have been. Whilst the ‘new’ and posthumous Cranberries release will be met with interest and lust; this piece reflects on that and distils the nature of the posthumous release perfectly:

“After much consideration we have decided to finish what we started,” the remaining members of the Cranberries wrote on their website this month, announcing their first new album since 2012. Dolores O’Riordan, who died earlier this year, had already finished recording her vocals: there’s no sense her parts would have needed to be imagineered. However, the ouija board of what dead musicians “would have wanted” is a faint and often baffling instrument.

Posthumous albums come in two forms: the Cobble and the Legacy. The former is the least lovable. Michael Jackson’s first posthumous release, 2010’s Michael, was so threadbare that his family strongly questioned whether it was him singing on three of its tracks – the so-called Cascio Tapes. “I immediately said it wasn’t his voice,” mused brother Randy on Twitter when he heard them. Artistically, Cobbles are normally justified on grounds of completism: that they “tell us something new” about the artist, and occasionally turf up the odd gem that “deserves to see the light of day”. On that score, something like Jackson’s Do You Know Where Your Children Are, from his second posthumous album, Xscape (2014), ticks all boxes: both a solid jam and a jarring lyrical premise. Cobbles can also offer Stalinesque revisionism: some of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’s verses on TLC’s 3D – released seven months after her death in 2002 – were spliced together from old solo album cast-offs. There was even a delayed ouija conjure from obsessively private, label-hating control freak Kurt Cobain; his 2015 soundtrack Montage of Heck – a series of solo sonic doodles and Beatles covers – only saw light of day when the Nirvana well had run dry”.

IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for the posthumous Michael Jackson album, Xscape (2014)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

I can see the appeal of posthumous releases and the itching desire to get these unfinished tracks out to the public. I am curious whether the greed of a label is the real reason why we see posthumous releases from the likes of Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson. I have mentioned artists, including David Bowie and Prince, where few are objecting but there are many more dead artists whose work has been released against their will. There are cases when musicians die unexpectedly and tragically so there is no definitive answer as to whether they would want their material released. In some cases, the band/artist were working on an album and it is cut short but accidents and unexpected mourning. I commend hard decisions and there are exceptions where a posthumous release is needed and good. I take all this into account but feel, in many cases, when an artist dies then that should be the end of things. Although I am a huge fan of Jeff Buckley and there are posthumous songs that have blown me away and I am glad saw the light of day; releasing a full album was a mistake and he would have objected to. I feel Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and other big artists would have refused labels bringing out songs/albums they were not 100% happy about and there is that unpleasant chasing of money and commercial success. Labels and estates want this music to come and people too be touched but how much of it matches the best days and does that artist justice?! I feel music cannot come out into the world until it is completely ready and that artist gives their approval. Posthumous releases can be a surprise and create some great results – in the case of Johnny Hallyday, for example – but, more often than not; there is an unpleasant aftertaste…

THAT is hard to wash away.

FEATURE: Who You Callin’ a Loser?! The Amazing and Evolving Beck: His Ten Finest Albums

FEATURE:

 

 

Who You Callin’ a Loser?!

IN THIS PHOTO: Beck/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The Amazing and Evolving Beck: His Ten Finest Albums

__________

THIS might sound relevant of nothing (and you’d be half-right)…

 IMAGE CREDIT: Billboard

but I am thinking about those artists who have managed to endure for decades in the industry and done so through consistently brilliant and engaging albums. When I think about the finest artists out there; those who have managed to cement a legacy and continue to amaze, there are few who stand firmer than Beck. The forty-eight-year-old, Los Angeles-born treasure has weirded-out, amazed and led music since his debut album, Golden Feelings, in 1993 (that album is seen as the ‘unofficial’ debut of Beck). His most-recent record, Colors, was released last year and met with critical acclaim – not seen as his finest hour but certainly nothing that can be called average! There have been thirteen studio albums spanning twenty-four years; each with their own skin, personality and dynamic. I have collated his finest ten albums and put them in their rightful order – although many might agree with the rankings! From the genre-fusing masterpieces to the more introspective and personal; here is the essential Beck back catalogue with a standout track and review from each album – showing how critics reacted to the record at the time (or in retrospect). Have a look through the top-ten and it is clear why the intrepid, experimental and wonderful Beck…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Eliot Lee Hazel 

IS in a league of his own!

ALL ALBUM COVERS: Getty Images

____________

10. Colors

Release Date: 13th October, 2017

Label: Capitol

Producers: Beck (also exec.); Greg Kurstin (also exec.) and Cole M.G.N.

Standout Track: Dear Life

Review:

“Colors closes with a nod to those of us most enamored of sad-mode Beck. “Fix Me” is a gorgeously melancholy mood piece that would’ve fit nicely on Morning Phase. Beck wrote and produced the track himself, adding an acoustic strum to its synth wash and simple backbeat. It’s telling that it’s the polar opposite of the album’s other great song, “Wow”—one’s silly, the other contemplative. They’re proof, in a way, that Beck is at his best when he’s navigating the margins rather than playing to the middle. Colors is solid—Beck doesn’t make bad records, whatever mode he’s in—and it flirts with greatness, but he’s at his best when he decides to either get loose or get serious, less so when he drives straight down the center” – AV Club

9. The Information

Release Date: 3rd October, 2006

Label: Interscope

Producer: Nigel Godrich

Standout Track: Cellphone’s Dead

Review:

“It’s a sonic tour de force, and Beck seems comfortable in the info-storm, which he presents not as dystopia or utopia, but as a restless middle ground, like Dante’s limbo, or America in 2006. The Information clearly aspires to be a self-aware update of dorm-room bong-hit soundtracks like The Dark Side of the Moon or OK Computer, right down to the cryptic, spaced-out outro (voiced by director Spike Jonze and author Dave Eggers). It earns those comparisons. At a time when freaky ’60s music is being revived with varying levels of aesthetic discernment (Espers, Comets on Fire), Beck manages to drink the psychedelic Kool-Aid without losing his wits in the process” – Entertainment Weekly

8. Mutations

Release Date: 3rd November, 1998

Label: DGC

Producers: Beck Hansen; Nigel Godrich

Standout Track: Tropicalia

Review:

“…Mutations was never meant to be a commercial endeavor -- there's no floor-shaker like "Where It's At," and it doesn't trade in the junk culture that brought Odelay to life. Recording with his touring band -- marking the first time he has entered the studio with a live band -- does result in a different sound, but it's not so much a departure as it is a side road that is going in the same direction. None of the songs explore new territory, but they're rich, lyrically and musically. There's an off-the-cuff wit to the songwriting, especially on "Canceled Check" and "Bottle of Blues," and the performances are natural, relaxed, and laid-back, without ever sounding complacent. In fact, one of the nifty tricks of Mutations is how it sounds simple upon the first listen, then reveals more psychedelic layers upon each play. Beck is not only a startling songwriter -- his best songs are simultaneously modern and timeless -- he is a sharp record-maker, crafting albums that sound distinct and original, no matter how much they may borrow. In its own quiet, organic way, Mutations confirms this as much as either Mellow Gold or Odelay” – AllMusic  

7. Morning Phase

Release Date: 21st February, 2014

Labels: Capitol/Fonograf

Producer: Beck

Standout Track: Heart Is a Drum

Review:

“Yet there's an older, wiser head here: as the title suggests, rather than wallow, Beck accepts that heartbreak is just a temporary grief he needs to see out. And so he does with lush strings (arranged by his father), gently crescendoing pianos (especially on the Nick Drake-esque Heart Is a Drum) and acoustic guitar in which you can hear the twang of each string. Despite the lyrical themes, the record's sun-dappled shimmer suggests Beck sees a way out of his emotional hole. The bad news for him is that being in it seems to make for some of his best music” – The Guardian   

6. Modern Guilt

Release Date: 8th July, 2008

Labels: DGC/XL (U.K. and E.U.)

Producers: Danger Mouse; Beck

Standout Track: Soul of a Man

Review:

“But some of the experiments that dare to fail big also feel the freshest: “Modern Guilt” reinvents the Doors‘ “People Are Strange” as a shuffling midtempo beatnik ballad — and, somehow, it works.

That last song sums up Beck’s biggest issue on the album: “Don’t know what I’ve done, but I feel ashamed.” That’s modern guilt for you: knowing the world’s going to hell and feeling partly responsible, but not quite knowing what to do about it. “Some days, we’re worse than you can imagine/And how am I supposed to live with that?” he sings on “Walls.” A few lines later, he finds his own reason to carry on: “We do the best with the souls we’re given.” And not long after he sings these words, the song cuts out abruptly in the middle of the melody. Like Tony Soprano said, you never know when your time is gonna come” – Rolling Stone

5. Midnite Vultures

Release Date: 23rd November, 1999

Label: DGC

Producers: Beck Hansen; Dust Brothers; Tony Hoffer and Mickey Petralia

Standout Track: Sexx Laws

Review:

“'Midnite Vultures' is bound to entrench opinions on both sides of the Beck divide. The doubters will recoil from its myriad layers of self-knowledge and the fact that the author's tongue is almost permanently lodged in one cheek or another. But just because this isn't a conventional dose of 'reality' doesn't mean Beck can't be sincere, and the force of character laid bare here is quite an awesome thing to behold. Narrower in scope than 'Odelay' but more immediate in impact, it's clearly been conceived as an accompaniment to our hedonistic habit of choice, the last great party album of the millennium. And like a certain song says, parties weren't meant to last” – NME

4. Mellow Gold

Release Date: 1st March, 1994

Label: DGC

Producers: Beck Hansen; Tom Rothcock; Rob Schnapf and Carl Stephenson

Standout Track: Loser

Review:

“Since Mellow Gold was pieced together from home-recorded tapes, it lacks a coherent production, functioning more as a stylistic sampler: there are the stoner raps of "Loser" and "Beercan," the urban folk of "Pay No Mind (Snoozer)," the mock-industrial onslaught of "Mutherfuker," the garagey "Fuckin' With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)," the trancy acoustic "Blackhole," and the gently sardonic folk-rock of "Nitemare Hippy Girl." It's a dizzying demonstration of musical skills, yet it's all tied together by a simple yet clever sense of songcraft and a truly original lyrical viewpoint, one that's basic yet as colorful as free verse. By blending boundaries so thoroughly and intoxicatingly, Mellow Gold established a new vein of alternative rock, one that was fueled by ideas instead of attitude” – AllMusic  

3. Sea Change

Release Date: 24th September, 2002  

Label: Geffen

Producer: Nigel Godrich

Standout Track: Sunday Sun

Review:

“The clarity of his crisis has a lot to do with the naked strength of Beck’s singing. For someone who started out as a teenage folk hobo — just voice and strum — Beck has rarely walked this far out in front of the music on his own records. And considering his eternal-high-school looks, he possesses a surprisingly manly tenor, a clean, deep instrument of lust and worry. It fills the big spaces in Nigel Godrich’s haunted production — the backward-tape buzz in “Lost Cause”; the desert-Bach air of the keyboards in “Nothing I Haven’t Seen” — with the combined pathos of Nick Drake, the solo, freaked-out Syd Barrett and the John Lennon of Plastic Ono Band. When Beck and Godrich pour on the Indo-Beatles chaos in “Sunday Sun” — ghostly pounding piano and not-so-unison guitar; a meltdown coda of drums and distortion — you can still hear Beck’s resignation and unsteady resurrection inside the song” – AllMusic

2. Guero

Release Date: 29th March, 2005  

Label: Interscope

Producers: Beck Hansen; Dust Brothers and Tony Hoffer

Standout Track: Earthquake Weather

Review:

“From there, Beck darts around the musical map like an animated flea, springing from the low-riding chicano funk of "Que Onda Guero" to the summery pop of "Girl" and the itchy bossa nova of "Missing", whose infectious Tropicalismo tone is streaked with Eastern-flavoured strings orchestrated by Beck's father, the arranger David Campbell. The song's reflections on the essential patchwork incompleteness of life - "Something always takes the place of missing pieces/ You can take and put together/ Even though you know there's something missing" - are no less applicable to his own work, which typically makes unorthodox wholes from diverse fragments.

Examples are legion here: the gulp of harmonica, breakbeat drums, babble and scratch that form the groove of "Hell Yes"; the lolloping, late-period Sly Stone-style groove of "Go It Alone", in which furtive electric piano peeks out tentatively from behind Jack White's limber bassline; the bang-in-fashion Eighties indie stylings of "Send a Message to Her"; and the darker combination of piano and bottleneck guitar in "Broken Drum". Most impressive of all is the engaging mélange of choogling clavinet and squally lead guitar that is "Earthquake Weather".

Death casts its cadaverous shadow over a few tracks, most notably the sombre "Farewell Ride", as Beck contemplates his own departure, with "Two white horses in a line/ Carry[ing] me to my burying ground". For all the superior production standards, it's a sentiment that could have come off 1994's hip-hop-folk-blues oddity One Foot in the Grave, suggesting that Beck's character remains essentially unchanged by a decade of success” – The Independent

1. Odelay

Release Date: 18th June, 1996  

Label: DGC

Producers: Beck Hansen; Dust Brothers; Mario Caldato Jr.; Brian Paulson; Tom Rothcock and Rob Schnapf

Standout Track: Where It’s At

Review:

“For Odelay, his second major-label outing (since Mellow Gold he has released two discs on indie labels), Beck has enlisted the Dust Brothers, the producers responsible for the smorgasbord of tasty, left-field samples on the Beastie Boys’ seminal Paul’s Boutique. The result: a pastiche of twangy country licks, hip-hop beats, surrealistic folk, jive-turkey rap, and samples (from Tchaikovsky to the Frogs) that further affirms Beck’s rock-chameleon identity.

Beck’s got a lot going for him beyond his wide-ranging musical interests. Primary among his virtues is an ever-present sense of humor: Without straying into Weird Al territory, he imbues his lyrics with a healthy sense of the absurd — something almost entirely lacking in rock today. ”I got a stolen wife and a rhinestone life, and some good old boys/I’m writing my will on a three-dollar bill,” he sings in ”Sissyneck,” the finest of his many country-funk inventions. Ultimately, what holds all Beck’s work together is his arch, whacked-out street poetry. Whether reminiscing about a rough-hewn club (”A place we saw, the lights turned low/With the jigsaw jazz and the get-fresh flow”) or philosophizing about settling down (”I dropped my anchor in the dead of night/Unpacked my suitcase and threw it away”), Beck maintains a perfect balance of hip disaffectedness and depth of feeling. And that’s why he’s no loser, baby” – Entertainment Weekly

INTERVIEW: Samana

INTERVIEW:

Samana

___________

IT has been great speaking with Franklin and Rebecca of Samana…

about their formation and what sort of music drives them. They speak to me about their new track, Beneath the Ice, and what it was like putting the video together. I ask if more material is coming and whether there are any tour dates approaching – they recommend some rising artists to look out for.

Samana talk about their favourite memories and what they have planned for next year; what sort of music they grew up around and how they spend time away from music – they end the interview by each selecting a great track.  

__________

Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Very well, thanks. Our week has been considerably wet, having spent the past week on top of a mountain, in our van, in the Welsh countryside in Storm Calum. We didn't bring a radio or a means of gathering the news, so had no idea what we were in for.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

We are Rebecca Rose and Franklin Mockett from Samana.

The music video for Beneath the Ice is out. What was it like putting it together? Do you have a lot of say when it comes to concepts?

Beneath The Ice is a psycho-emotional improvisation; a poem that in the act of its creation, navigates the subconscious through the intensity of loss into a deep, eternal exhalation. This song is an ode to the moulting cycle of the poet, to the expansion of solitude; to the twilight that one lives inside, between the silence of stillness and movement. It was a pleasure to put the video together, being an amalgamation of impulses and instinctive ideas.

I believe you have a single coming out soon - in the prelude to the release of your first album?

We do indeed! Keep your eyes and ears peeled. 

How did Samana get together? Have you known each other for a long time? 

Samana was born in Austria during a year-long trip the two of us took in our van as we travelled through Europe after we fell in love. We went out with the sole intention of exploring freedom in its purest form to us. During the two weeks we spent by an alpine lake, upon our return from a long walk we'd taken - where we'd stumbled upon an old woman's small rickety house in the forest where she fed us apple cake and cider - we decided to venture forward together; fusing our inner-worlds of thought, dreams and creation to form Samana.

Which artists did you all grow up around? Do you have any personal musical idols?

Franklin: I grew up to the sounds of Kraftwerk, The Stone Roses and Boards of Canada reverberating through the tiled floors of my childhood house over the years, if only to name a few. I've a lot to thank my father for. He more or less shaped the inner-musical fabric of my mind while my mum, who'd play The End by The Doors while she was pregnant with me, must have woven Morrison into my heart. 

Rebecca: Whilst my mother was pregnant with me, she played me nothing but African music - it still has an overwhelming effect on me to this day. I grew up with a very eclectic mix of music. I have many musicians that inspire me greatly - most of whom pay huge attention to the power and significance of the poetry within their music and words.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Franklin: A means of heating a house this winter...and to share the music live of course.

Rebecca: To continue journeying down the path we're on.

In that same vein; do you have plans for 2019 in terms of what you want to accomplish?

With the release of our debut album, our hearts will be set on taking the music to the people and, in doing so, we hope for a powerful year of connecting, sharing and learning. 

Have you both got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Franklin: Playing in a Munich park, we brought a large number of people together from all walks of life who listened to each song in silence. At the very front were two homeless men, both of whom were arm in arm, dancing and swaying silently to the music with their eyes closed for the whole hour we played. Afterwards, we spoke to a number of people in the crowd and every single one of them from the area had said that, over the many years the two men had lived in the park; never had they come within two yards of one another without fighting. It was a small but significant moment that lined the path of our travels with many more instances that changed us and our music forever; something we seek to obtain and imbue in ourselves and those we share our music with.

Rebecca: There have been so many. One example would be when we played in the Montpelier opera house. After our set, a young man approached me with his hand on his heart, barefooted. Franklin and I always play barefooted - as it earths us. After some very poignant and deeply touching words, he left the opera house barefooted as a symbol of his understanding and connection to the music. This image has stayed with me ever since. 

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Franklin: It's very hard for me to say as every album means so much for such different reasons. However, I guess if I was to strip them all down to their purest forms as I understand them, I'd have to say If I Could Only Remember My Name by David Crosby. It's the most human album I've ever heard in its construction and implementation and roots me to the ground and to myself whenever I hear it. I love how impulsive it is, how free it is and, with such boundless energy, how it draws rich and raw breaths with every word Crosby gifts. 

Rebecca: I think, to the day I die, I would never be able to provide a definitive answer to this question. Albums are like a geographical map of the heart; each to be paired with a significant state of emotion, time or experience. 

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Franklin: I'd probably want to support Bob Dylan before he goes, just to hear his stories first-hand before it's too late. I'd take a bottle of the finest malt whiskey, a packet of Sobranie and a chesterfield by a fireplace to be sure he'd entertain me. 

Rebecca: Alive today? Patti Smith - as she has shifted so many seas and I respect her greatly. The concert would be held in a building of significance - probably a beautiful old church. I'd go for an autumnal forest walk in her presence beforehand, with a flask of black coffee to listen to what she has to say.

Can we see you on the road this year at all?

We are disappearing next month to live in the south of France for six weeks to compose and transpose the album live; so any shows we'll be looking to play would be early-December, looking to next year. We are arranging some very interesting, boutique shows around London in the New Year so keep your eyes peeled.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Franklin: Know that the only thing that will really serve you along the long, twisted and windy road is passion. You can more or less leave the rest at the door, for it will seldom come in handy and only weigh you down.

Rebecca: Follow your gut instincts and intuition; they will always serve you on your path.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Mesadorm/PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah Cresswell

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Franklin: The best new artist I've heard is Aaberg. The music speaks entirely for itself so I've very little to say other than it moves me to the core. A song from another new artist which I've fallen for is Mesadorm's Yours and Not Yours...a bit like Roxy Music's Mother of Pearl; It introduces a rather grating and uncomfortable theme before dropping into complete bliss that you really feel after being dragged through the thorny bushes. 

Rebecca: Seabuckthorn - poignant music. 

IN THIS PHOTO: Seabuckthorn 

Do you both get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Franklin: We live and breathe our music and creations but I must say I feel constantly unwound through life; I guess it comes back to that word, passion. I have however spent more time recently working with really wonderful composers and musicians for my analogue mobile recording studio, The Road Records, which has given me objectivity and inspiration since the twenty-hour days we'd spend incessantly putting the album together. The two of us also spend large parts of our days wondering the countrysides and exploring country roads. 

Rebecca: As well as poetry, hot baths and forests.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your

music - I will do that).

Franklin: Pilots by Goldfrapp. For me, it conjures a thought of flying through the sky to a John Barry piece I've dreamt up; if only I could have remembered it first! 

Rebecca: Something on Your Mind by Karen Dalton

___________

Follow Samana

Official:

https://www.samanaroad.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/samanamusic/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/samanamusic/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0gf5phmsYQSLhOvHfgazMz

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMOZoCSCEz-juGriFMhnXLA

INTERVIEW: Julen the Human

INTERVIEW:

Julen the Human

___________

I have been speaking with Julen the Human…

about his start in music and what inspired his latest track, Time. He discusses influences and which artists he grew up around; what he hopes to achieve by the end of the year and whether there are a few albums that are especially important to him.

Julen the Human reveals a favourite memory from his time in music and highlights some artists to watch; whether there are any gigs coming up and how he spends time away from music – he ends the interview by selecting a fine track.

__________

Hi, Julen the Human. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi! Good, thank you very much. How about yourself?

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

Sure thing! Hi there. My name is Julen (the Human). I’m a multimedia artist who dabbles in both audio and visual mediums with a passion for topics regarding existence; the nature of reality and the human condition. Due to its immediacy and ‘in the moment’ nature; music is an essential part of what I do and one of the strongest emotional conduits I have to my disposal. It’s an indispensable catalyst that balances out the other, more ‘cogent’ content.

Time is your new track. What’s the story behind the song?

Well. Besides its super-original title; the song is pretty much exploring the realization of time being impartial to you or anyone; the haunting notion of wasting one’s youth by living in the hypotheticals. It’s about this sort of vicious cycle of apathy, where the chorus show a glimmer of hope/motivation but we then fall back to the monotony and melancholy of the verses. It talks about not seeing things through to the end so the song itself ‘ends’ without the ‘concluding’ chord to the final progression - smart, eh?

Might we expect some more material down the tracks?

Yup! Working on new stuff as we speak! And, by ‘stuff’, I mean content in both audio/visual mediums.

You are a YouTube star. How does your work you do there and that experience feed into your music?

I wouldn’t really say ‘star’; more like a budding, baby ball of burning gas still nestled in a fluffy nebula’s embrace. Well. The whole idea of the channel is to use it as a way to merge and showcase an array of artistic ventures and collaborations. So, in a way, it’s a sort of feedback loop - I guess.

Are there particular musicians you draw inspiration from? Did you grow up around a lot of music?

Growing up, I was always surrounded by music and instruments. My older brother is a musician so it became sort of second nature to me. To tell you the truth; I never really considered it a career choice until later in life. Whilst studying film, ironically enough.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Well. Seeing as that is right around the corner…I’m just aiming to get a better footing in terms of the content that I’ll be uploading for what’s left of this year and the upcoming one.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

I’m currently working on it!

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

There’s a funny memory from when I was very, very young…

I remember my brother got a keyboard for one Christmas and, as most keyboards do, it came with a modest constellation of ‘preset’ song buttons. I had this weird game with myself where I would go to my brother’s room, play this particular preset - I believe it was a MIDI rendition of Pachelbel’s Canon in D - and I would see how long I could go before I felt the tears swelling. I know, it’s odd. I guess music just really strikes a chord. Hah! Get it?! Ok; sorry… dad joke (and no, I’m not a dad).

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)? 

Maybe I’ll get some heat for saying this but I don’t really have a particular album that means the most to me…it’s always been more about the individual songs. Don’t get me wrong; there are some amazing albums with insane concepts which I definitively find admirable and inspiring. Anyway; here are some I really enjoy:

Discovery - Daft Punk; Give Up - The Postal Service; Melody A.M. - Röyksopp; Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers; Continuum - John Mayer; Tourist History - Two Door Cinema Club.

Basically, all of Joe Hisaishi’s work with Ghibli etc.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Don’t kill your ideas by judging them too fast. Also; it’s fine to have a vision, just remember it’s important to focus on the present and not get too carried away by illusions - or you’ll exhaust yourself in a futile pursuit.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Not at the moment, but I’ll keep you posted! If you subscribe to my YouTube channel and/or follow me on Instagram, I’ll make sure to keep you up to date and in the loop!

 IMAGE CREDIT: Zhé

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Sure! A lot of 'em: Zhé (his album, A Pretty Dark Soul, is on Spotify); Morris (their album, Va a Pasar, is also on Spotify); El HueyCoyote (yup; Spotify as well); David Alexandr (his new single, Take Your Leave, is on Spotify); Silver Twins (yes, yes. Spotify) and Nimbus (coming soon so keep an eye out!) to name a few. 

 IN THIS PHOTO: El HueyCoyote

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

When I’m not doing music, I’m usually working on some other content idea. I have an overactive brain, so something that has been of incredible help and benefit to my life in general is the practice of meditation. Really recommend it to anyone who identifies as human!

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

One Summer’s Day - Joe Hisaishi

___________

Follow Julen the Human

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/julenthehuman

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/julenthehuman/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2m0JPm0xjlyVQKdVgQVPTE?si=FUofxhItTBmI4Z0FtM1P6w

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSe9UbuGWqhMz0ySNKrOpiQ

TRACK REVIEW: Kate Kelly - The Garden

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Kate Kelly

The Garden

9.6/10

The track, The Garden, is available via:

https://soundcloud.com/katekellymusic/the-garden

GENRES:

Folk; Singer-Songwriter; Jazz

ORIGIN:

Nashville, U.S.A.

The album, The Wonder of It All, is available via:

https://soundcloud.com/katekellymusic/sets/the-wonder-of-it-all

RELEASE DATE:

26th October, 2018

_________

WHEN I think about Kate Kelly…

a few things spring to mind. I wanted to talk about songwriters who can weave genres together and create that multi-genre palette; singers whose voices have sunshine and power that creates positivity and uplift; recording in charming and perfect locations; Nashville and its endless addiction; recording and writing music that reflects on hard situations and tough life obstacles – I will end by having a look at where Kate Kelly can go and what she can achieve. It is interesting encountering Kelly and what her music stands for. I have featured a lot of different songwriters over the past few weeks and, whilst the music is good, you do not get that much of a spread regarding genre and sound. I have always been of the onion musicians are at their strongest when they mix genres together and stretch things. It is great if you can cement a particular vibe and hone it but I am drawn to those who splice together various elements and colours. Kelly is someone who weaves threads of Jazz, piano; Folk and Pop together into something elegant and enticing. You are drawn into this world and compelled to follow her ever note. I suspect this accomplishment and sense of confidence comes from a varied musical upbringing and a curious mind. Most songwriters want to bring their influences together through their own material but they are not always capable of bringing it all together in a personal and fresh way. I am not sure which artists Kelly grew up around and who she responds to now but you can sense all the different musicians and styles that her ears responded to at a young age. I can imagine Folk legends and 1960s Pop; some great Soul and Singer-Songwriter icons and some of the best modern artists. I am not sure whether Kate Kelly listens to a lot of mainstream artists but there might be a few modern Pop artists in the blend.

Music is a wonderful thing and should be explored to its fullest. Kate Kelly, one imagines, is obsessed by the power of music and how different sounds can strike different chords. There is so much emotion and variety in her music and that is one of the reasons why people are attracted to it. There is that sunshine and endless skip but you get revealing lyrics and pure emotion coming out. She is not someone who compromises her real feelings and hides them in clichés nor is she someone who pours everything out and makes for a challenging listen. There is nothing wrong with songwriters who put their pains onto the page and let their heart bleed but Kelly can balance true revelation with something hopeful and inspiring. She is hard to pin down and define as a musician. There is a lot working away and each of her songs has so much working away and going on. The Wonder of It All is an appropriate title for an album that opens its arm and travels far. You get different impressions and stories and it is as full and rounded a record as I have heard in a very long time. Another reason why I love Kelly’s fusing of genres and multifarious approach is because it remains in the mind longer. If her album were pure Folk or Pop then there would not be as much depth and nuance as you’d like. It is hard cohesively putting different sounds together so they remain focused but Kelly does that. Her record, as I shall explore, is very deep and emotional – you might think the sunny mood hides all of that. I like how the balance is created and how nothing is compromised. One gets to experience the true pains that Kelly experiences and the music provides more relief and warmth. The fact Kelly brings a lot to the party means her music will resonate and appeal to a large demographic and you do not have to work hard to jump inside and be affected by everything she sings.

I shall come back to the music and its variety when focusing on a song from the album but, right now, I want to move to the voice and what affect that has. Think about what Kate Kelly has had to endure and put onto the page – painful struggles and hardships – and it would be easy to score those feelings with a rather downbeat and dour vocal. There are some moments on The Wonder of It All where you can feel that emotion shine and pervade but optimism and hope is the abiding theme. I feel the voice is the most arresting and important part of the music process. It is hard to think of any music that is not really defined and emphasised by the voice. You can be drawn to a lyric or composition but the vocal is what brings it to life and gets it to the ears. I have witnessed a lot of different vocal styles and you get something new from each. Most of what I am reviewing at the moment is either quite hard-hitting (spiked) or have something moody working away. I feel a lot of artists avoid being too cheery and bright with regards their vocals because they feel it compromises the music or sounds a bit too cheery. Maybe that is something they want to avoid; if they are too bright and sunny then will you concentrate on what they are saying?! The sensation and bliss of hearing an artist pour something rousing and cheery into the mix is unexpected and always a pleasure. I am not suggesting all artists go out there and sing about their personal hurt in a cheerful way but there is a lot to be said (of the) emotional and intellectual impact one gets from a bigger vocal. Ballads and emotive performances are great but I think we are seeing less and less positive performances coming through. Music is becoming more introspective and personal and, with that, so much of what we hear has quite a depressive edge.

Before I go on to look at a new subject; I will stay with the vocal and artists that can create joy. Kate Kelly studied Music Therapy and, when she was studying, understood how powerful music could be and the need to celebrate the joys in life. I have been thinking about music as therapy and how potent songs can be to people. Music can touch those with physical disabilities as a means of recovery and fast progression; those with memory issues who can help regain function and focus; others who are depressed and can be helped when they hear music. There are so many different sides to music and it has a huge therapeutic role. Kate Kelly has learned about the different ways music can assist and that need to heal and uplift. Kelly’s music does not lack substance and compromise that for something endlessly positive and spirited. She is able to talk about her path and how her life has shaped and not had to compromise anything. It is fascinating hearing about a songwriter who has gone through a lot but, as her album title suggests, seen the sunshine and pleasures that can come at the other end. She is not going to let things bury her and you feel all of that hope and potential in the voice. A rich and engaging instrument that helps soothe you and nourish the spirit; few songwriters out there have the same prowess and abilities as Kelly. I will follow her career closely but there has been transition and developments since her E.P., New Heartbeat (2016), and today. The Wonder of It All, was written last year and ties together everything that has happened since the E.P. Kelly has changed a lot since then but has not lost the ability to raise the spirits and take music to a more positive place. I am not sure I would be able to keep a lid on my emotions if I wrote my own stuff; it is impressive and commendable Kelly can talk about life frankly and not bring pure negativity to things.

Kelly, before writing her album, saw a lot of negativity circling and realised how music was stepping into a darker and more depressive place. There were and are a lot of artists who are positive and bright but there are so many more that seem to be unable to find a way out of a dark place. That is easily forgiven but Kelly wanted to take a different approach and not follow the pack. You can hear something instantly gratifying and fulfilling when listening to her albums and one of the reasons why I wanted to look at The Garden as a standout is because it seems to define everything about her and bring together all her talents. One reason why we get such evocative and scenic music is because of the locations Kelly wrote the music in. Kelly reflected on a hugely challenging year in 2017 and wanted the earth and her surroundings to bring joy to the record. Rather than write this paen to misery and have a very moody record; Kelly has penned something that inhibits different spaces and locations. One knows where The Garden would have been written and how a particular beautiful space could have inspired that track. From dusty corners to gardens and open spaces; Kelly collated her songs whilst situated in these different spaces –you get so many different scenes, senses and stories. Rather than write in a studio or spend all of her time at home; she has been to these spaces and channelled what was around her. It is fascinating getting into those different locations and bringing the different elements into the songs. Parks, greenhouses and cosy rooms were all used for inspiration and situation. One feels their sounds and secrets through the record and it brings a much more interesting and detailed dynamic to the album. The Wonder of It All is a pure and honest album that opens its arms to the world but does not hide its truths and heart.

Kate Kelly feels the best way to listen to her new album is to curl up with a kitty and a cup of chamomile tea. Unfortunately, my current situation is less romantic so I have had to settle for a cup of coffee and a view of a litter-strewn street…can’t always get what we want! I can close my eyes and envisage what Kelly means and why the tea-kitten combination is the optimal setting. She wants people to step into a dreamlike state and escape from the pains of life. There is a lot going on in everyone’s lives and it can be hard to find time to step away from that and experience something more kind-hearted and pleasurable. So much modern music is steeped in something downbeat and harsh and you need that moment to get away from it and find something nice. Kelly is a songwriter who has a positive approach and can lift the mood of every listener. It is hard reflecting on something tragic or strained and keeping you head level. Kelly does not abandon the seriousness of her past and what she has gone through but feels the best way of presenting this through music is to be a more optimistic songwriter. The vocals hold a lot of the power but the whole experience is one of joy and positivity. How many of us have gone through heartache and depressive moments and been able to keep our head high and smile through it. It is difficult to get that perspective and find the positives in a negative situation. Kate Kelly wants people to find something positive in her music and feel more enlivened and lifted. I have talked a lot about her subject matter and her positive nature so it is about time I end this section by talking about Nashville and how The Wonder of It All was put together.

Nashville is a place that appeals to a lot of musicians and grabs you with its delight and beauty. Not only is it a Mecca for Country artists but there are so many styles and genres being played in the city. I have never been myself but I know what a strong economy there is there. You do not have to be beholden to a certain genre but there is a rich Country music scene. Certainty, if you want to find great Rock and Pop artists then you’ll have choices there but there is something incredibly powerful about Nashville that brings musicians together. Kelly and a group of talented musicians decamped to Iron Oak Recording Studio and started the magic. With Andrew Conner (Iron Oak) producing and backed by musicians such as Andy Cata and Scooter Spicer; it is a group effort but you definitely have the heroine’s voice shining and her leading the way. I am drawn to the music of Kate Kelly because you can hear so much working away and so much musicianship in what she does. On The Wonder of It All; you get so many different scents and sensations projected by the band and you can almost smell Nashville coming through in every note. I wonder, in years to come, where the city will go and how it will grow. I know there is a lot of Country music in the city but so many other styles and being celebrated and featured. There is a community and togetherness that means musicians can easily collaborate and the rich history of Nashville inspires new generations. Kelly hails from Alabama so it is a lot different being in Nashville and experiencing that world. It seems like Nashville is a natural home for Kate Kelly and it is helping her realise her dreams. I feel she can go a very long way and there is a lot more music coming from her. I want to move on to reviewing The Garden but, before then, I would urge people to look back at where Kate Kelly has come from and what she has planned.

There are many treasures on Kate Kelly’s The Wonder of It All but The Garden is a song that stands out. The first few notes have a child-like skip to them and you get impressions of people frolicking in the garden or wildlife in full bloom. It has some funkiness and trip and you are instantly wondering what the song is all about and where it goes from here. The introduction is fantastically evocative and has sensuality to it. There are little flourishes of strings and teasing beats that melt alongside a skipping bass-like sound. The track gets underway with a definite sense of intention and Kelly’s voice perfectly fits into the agenda. The heroine has been wandering and looking for answers. I am not sure whether there is a distinct story but one feels the setting of the garden is a place of reflection and realisation. Many people need a place to think and unwind and you feel like Kelly has come out to the open to find some solace and direction. The music backs her skip and step but you can feel that need to get away from a tense and hard situation. Maybe there is a heavy heart at work but the heroine wants things to improve and lighten. The troubles are being taken out to dry and (the heroine) is wiping her eyes. One gets elements of Soul and R&B in the music. There is something classical and modern that clashes together and gets into the brain. A new, healthier life is ahead and the garden is the place where Kelly goes so she can find some sense of peace. It is great she has that place to go and she can release her tensions. One of the things that create mystery is the secrets regarding the personal troubles. Maybe there are general stresses and problems that have motivated the songs but one feels the daily grind has made its mark. Kelly is someone who can deal with her troubles and make sense of them but still needs that retreat and calm.

I love how the music keeps this uplifting and child-like wonder and gives The Garden a true spirit. Although Kate Kelly’s vocals are not overly-bright and spirited; there is that energy and power that gets into the blood. Our heroine wants to take people to her garden and let them experience what she is seeing. There are few who get to view that sensational scenery and the innate peacefulness; it is a location that can melt all the problems in the mind and make you realise there is brightness out there. Kelly is always about finding the positive and she has found this corner of the land she can call her own and realise her worth. The band back Kelly with a delicate yet powerful composition. It seems the song relates to someone else being down and having troubles. It is interesting but Kelly seems to refer to someone else but, in a way, she might be talking about herself. Kelly is reflecting on the garden and looking at a troubled time for someone – the past year has been quite tense and tough. You know things have been bad but, again, I wonder whether it is less directed at someone else and aimed at her own soul – the lyrics talk about someone going through the motions and trying to find their way. You can hear a horn coming in and giving the song another kick and style. Little details are thrown in that seem to represent all the scents and flowers that bloom in the garden. The call of nature and the interaction of birds seem to be represented in the music; the warmth of the sun and all the colours that come bursting through. Every line seems to reveal a new truth and you get more of the story.

It seems the subject – whether Kelly or a friend – that has this secret and it is quite hard to reveal. This sacred and spiritual garden has a great open gate that leads down a restful and quaint spot. There is no need for a map, as it is said, and the heroine will be waiting there. As the bass steps and there are little flourishes in the background; the heroine calms the song and asks (the subject) to come to the garden. One gets impressions of Jazz and a more romantic and studied performance. There is looseness and playfulness but so many wonderfully tight and exceptional notes. It is a busy and intriguing composition that is allowed to wander and play to the very end. We get to imagine and reflect as the final notes come through. The song has given up some secrets but leaves some others close to the chest. Everyone will get their own impression of the garden – its size and where it is located – but everyone will share that sense of pleasure and hope. The Garden is a tender yet emotive song that hints at some darker times and struggles and you are never sure whether it is the heroine speaking about herself or someone else who could benefit from time in this secret garden. I keep listening to the song and it is great to play it when you need that lift and energy. There are many other great tracks on The Wonder of It All and The Garden is a perfect starting place if you need an introduction to the colourful and varied tapestry that Kate Kelly weaves. It will not take long until you fall for Kate Kelly and are carried away by the sheer vitality, warmth and beauty of her music.

It has been an eventful and hard year for Kate Kelly and a lot of what you hear on The Wonder of It All makes sense of all of that and projects a more optimistic sound. I have talked about the different locations Kelly wrote in and how she wanted to present music that was optimistic and embraced the world. You can definitely feel inspired and lifted hearing her music but look deeper and the lyrics point at something more challenging and hard. I know the album will go a long way and hit a lot of people. The U.S. songwriter has achieved a lot in her career so far and I feel there is a lot more to come. Right now; Kelly will be touring and promoting the record as much as she can and getting it out there. I am confident she will get more fans in the U.K. and it would be great to see her over here. Kelly is making a name for herself in the U.S. and she is marking herself out as one of the best young songwriters coming through. What strikes my mind is how effecting the music is and how you want to keep exploring it time and time again. How many songwriters stay in the mind and linger long after you have heard it? Things are getting bigger and brighter for Kelly and I know The Wonder of It All will help a lot of people out. Projecting forward, and I feel 2019 will be a big year for Kate Kelly and she will go far. I wonder whether she will tour overseas and what is coming along. I know there will be inspiration for more material and she will be reacting to the aftermath of her latest album.

I am a new fan of hers and there are many more out there who need to get behind Kelly and what she is all about. I love the way she approaches music and what she brings to her songs. The positivity and sense of peace you find in the vocals is incredible but the lyrics are personal and do not hide their pains. I have heard few songwriters like Kelly and I feel we all need to spend some more time with her. It has been a great year for music and I am seeing some brilliant new artists emerge. Each one of them has their own stories but none that are like Kate Kelly. I hope Kelly keeps writing and has been motivated to pen something new. Not to rush her but there will be an appetite for future gems and this is a songwriter that music needs right now. Explore all the avenues and stories throughout The Wonder of It All and you will feel stronger, better and uplifted afterwards. Not many records can do that and I feel songwriters could learn a lot from her. The Garden is a track I was compelled to investigate because of its setting and how potent the vocal is. I have listened to The Wonder of It All a few times around and am picking up something new with each exploration. The eight-track record is a deeply personal and inspiring thing that you can play in any mood and any time and feel better when it is over. I will end things now and wrap it up but want people to get involved with Kate Kelly and what she is all about. I love what she does and how she approaches things and how you feel when you listen to her songs. I started the morning a bit sleepy and with a slight headache but after listening to Kate Kelly and The Garden, I am in a much more positive…

FRAME of mind.

___________

Follow Kate Kelly

Official:

https://www.katekellymusic.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/katekellymusic_

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/katekellymusic/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/25qvzGCp2vdKFLjVCcypHs

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/katekellymusic

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/katekellymusic/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPKXeKafhDeoPotwuavb-wA

PHOTOS OF KATE KELLY:

Abby Weeden Photography

FEATURE: Songs to Remember Me By: The Amazing Way Music Unlocks Memories and Can Tackle Cognitive Issues

FEATURE:

 

 

Songs to Remember Me By

PHOTO CREDIT: @4lexmccarthy/Unsplash 

The Amazing Way Music Unlocks Memories and Can Tackle Cognitive Issues

__________

I have been thinking a lot about memory and why we all…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

cast our minds back to certain times. Maybe we intuitively and unconsciously lock certain events in a different compartment of the brain to be recalled when we need cheering or calming. We edit a lot of memories and try and retain as many of the good ones as possible. I have covered this topic before and examined how music can help those with memory issues or degenerative cognitive impairment. Drugs can help with patients and work wonders but there is something therapeutic about music and how it can heal. I have heard about people with diseases like Alzheimer’s and M.S. who have recalled lost memories because of music. Many sufferers might not know their loved ones’ names but, when a song from their past is played; their eyes are widened and it uncovers so many other memories. This article, written in 2013, reacted to a study regarding the link between music and memories:

“A series of recent studies have found that listening to music engages broad neural networks in the brain, including brain regions responsible for motor actions, emotions, and creativity.

In the first study of its kind, Amee Baird and Séverine Samson, from University of Newcastle in Australia, used popular music to help severely brain-injured patients recall personal memories. Their pioneering research was published on December 10, 2013 in the journal Neuropsychological Rehabilitation…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @tchompalov/Unsplash

Although their study only involved a small number of participants, it is the first to examine ‘music-evoked autobiographical memories’ (MEAMs) in patients with acquired brain injuries (ABIs), rather than those who are healthy or suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.

In their study, Baird and Samson played snippets from "Billboard Hot 100" number-one songs in a random order to people with ABI. The songs—taken from the whole of the patient’s lifespan from age five—were also played to control subjects with no brain injury. All participants were asked to record how familiar they were with a given song, whether they liked it, and what memories the song evoked.

Interestingly, the highest number of MEAMs in the whole group was recorded by one of the ABI patients. In all those studied, the majority of MEAMs were of a person, people or a life period, and were typically positive. Songs that evoked a memory were noted as being more familiar and more well liked than songs that did not trigger a MEAM. This is common sense”.

I think we can all get scared and unsure and there are times when we need some positivity or assurance we are on the right path. Maybe we consciously do it but many of us listen to music we grew up around because we want to be reminded of safer and less challenging times.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dg92/Unsplash

I am not saying we all get nostalgic but we can listen to a song that is common to many and evoke personal and unique memories. I am not sure why it is but music is held in special reserve and keeps safe snippets of our past. Maybe we inadvertently attach music to memories (or vice versa) and they are in our brain for life. If a particular song is hated or ignored by someone else; to someone like me, they can be precious because they soundtracked a formative or special time. Why do we classify music in a way that we do not with anything else? Why do we hold some songs in the brain and others can slip on by? This story sheds some light:

“The hippocampus and the frontal cortex are two large areas in the brain associated with memory and they take in a great deal of information every minute. Retrieving it is not always easy. It doesn’t simply come when you ask it to. Music helps because it provides a rhythm and rhyme and sometimes alliteration which helps to unlock that information with cues. It is the structure of the song that helps us to remember it, as well as the melody and the images the words provoke.

The technique remains important today. Neuroscientists have analysed the brain mechanisms related to memory, finding that words set to music are the easiest to remember. Just think of one of the first songs you could well have sung: “A,B,C,D,E,F,G, come along and sing with me.” Text learnt to music is better remembered when it is heard as a song rather than speech. Try and remember anything set to a tune and your powers of recall will be stronger: “Now I’ve sung my ABC”.

I have distinct memories of music that are amazing to recall. I cannot remember things I did today and the last person I spoke with but I can project clear images of my childhood when I hear a song played. The Bangles’ Eternal Flame takes me back to one of my first homes and watching the song’s music video through the bannisters. Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun takes me to a Greek island as a child; watching the video on MTV as I was sitting with my family outside a beach-side bar. I listen to The Shamen’s Ebeneezer Goode and can recall a middle-school memory where a classmate played the song on a tape recorder – delighting the class – and I cast my mind back to university when I listen to other songs. It is amazing to think I can hear Tears for Fears’ Everybody Wants to Rule the World and that is my first memory of life – a young child hearing it coming from the kitchen; the odd sensation of being aware of music for the very first time. I wanted to re-explore the subject because these memories and this beguiling music-memory romance is one we all share. It is amazing how we can hear songs from particular times and recall them for decades whilst others are lost. I am intrigued why a song such as Rhythm Is a Dancer takes me back to a family holiday at Butlins and sitting in an activity class with other kids – my parents given time to escape and have some free relaxation.

There would have been other songs played in those classes/groups and I would have heard other songs that holiday – this one song is associated with that time and is the official soundtrack. Why does the brain choose to select that song?! The BBC article I have just quoted explains why certain tones and genres stick:

“Notably, memories stimulated by music often come from particular times in our lives. Classic hits take us back to our teenage years and our twenties, much more than songs of later years. Psychologists have called it the ‘reminiscence bump’. It may work this way because this is an especially important and exciting time in our lives, when we are experience things for the first time and when we become independent. Everything is new and meaningful. Later, life becomes a bit of a blur. Music evokes emotion, but the sound and feeling of it, while important ,don’t necessary define your feelings. A sad song could be associated with a happy time, a happy one with a sad one”.

Maybe there is something indiscriminate with the selection process but I’d like to think, on some level, our childhood is about formulating the music we will follow as an adult and shaping us as consumers. We cannot retain all music but we are picking as we go along and those precious memories are the way we get music to stick. Maybe it is not so much about music being stored in the brain so we can recall it years down the line; perhaps we retain certain music as we grow up for different reasons. It is so interesting to dig deep and learn about that process.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @flpschi/Unsplash

I am always amazed how I can recall these memories and, with it, there are smells, sights and quotes. I have problems with memory but can hear a song I remembered from school days and my classmates are there (one who is actually dead is in that memory!) and the smell of paint in the class; the weather outside and what our uniforms looked like. Some of these memories might be unreliable – the weather and why that song was played – but I can picture faces and how I felt back then – maybe twenty-five years or more! There is a science and process our brain goes through with regards retention and musical memory. The article I previously quoted looks at a revolutionary 2011 study:

“In a 2011 study, Finnish researchers used a groundbreaking method that allowed them to study how the brain processes different aspects of music, such as rhythm, tonality and timbre (sound color) in a realistic listening situation. Their study was published in the journal NeuroImage.

Limbic areas of the brain, known to be associated with emotions, were also found to be involved in rhythm and tonality processing. Processing of timbre was associated with activations in the so-called default mode network, which is assumed to be associated with mindwandering and creativity.

"Our results show for the first time how different musical features activate emotional, motor and creative areas of the brain," concluded Professor Petri Toiviainen from the University of Jyväskylä. "We believe that our method provides more reliable knowledge about music processing in the brain than the more conventional methods".

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The reason I adore the 1990s and look back at the decade with fondness is not a hopeless nostalgia trip but because I have so many happy memories from them – most of them scored by music! You might say that is one of the same but I refute that. I will end this article with a memory tape list I included in the last related article: all of the songs hold a special memory for me and, whilst you may hate some/most; each has been included in that playlist for a good reason. You can match the article with the songs and see if you can think of your own memory playlist! Whilst it is true we tend to retain musical memories at a younger age – perhaps fewer songs from adulthood remain – I feel it is an ongoing process. Our memories are sharper as our brains develop so there is a natural period when we will stop retaining so prolifically. Also; as we discover music and have that curiosity; more of our memories will be tied to music. I can bring to mind memories from a few years ago revolving around music but most stored seem to go from the year 2000 back to my early childhood. One might say music was better before that year so it is only natural I would hold them dear. That raises another theory: do we recall certain songs because of their quality or is it to do with the memory itself?! Are we remembering tracks because they are so good and we had never heard anything like it or are the memories they are associated with what we remember – the music is purely circumstantial or plays a minor role?! In any case; music is a potent and powerful thing that can help us keep memories safe and brought to mind at the most random moments.

There are those who suffer from neurological disorders or brain injuries who might have poor short-term memory recall. It is devastating to see someone suffer from memory issues and literally forget their own names! I have, ironically, explored this before but I am drawn to music and how it can help those with memory/neurological illnesses. The fact I am spending time recalling fond musical visions means, in some way, I am curious as to why certain times in my life have been retained – others have been lost and it seems like there is some sort of gating mechanism. Going back to the BBC piece and they investigate why certain songs are retained and how these memories can aid in recovery after brain injuries:

“Cretien van Campen, author of The Proust Effect: The Senses as Doorways to Lost Memories researches the ways different senses act like the madeleine for the French author Marcel Proust in In Search of Lost Time when a bite of the sweet cake takes him back to his childhood with all its smells, colours and feelings. Much of Campen’s work studies the brain, but he makes an important observation about what happens outside of our heads. “Smell differs in that it is a personal memory, whereas there is something very social in our experience of music,” he points out. “Music memories are often shared with peer.”…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @zacfriesen/Unsplash

“…We listen, together. At a party, it is something that we hear whilst dancing or chatting to a friend. We go to concerts or gigs with one another. And it is because music is there as part of lives spent with others – often significant others – that helps make it especially meaningful. Indeed it is often played at or composed for significant occasions, like funerals or weddings, where we witness major life events.

People who have suffered traumatic brain injuries will often have problems with memory. Music can help bring back some of those special moments of their lives that they have forgotten. Those suffering from dementia can trigger vivid memories by listening to music they heard when they were young. Campen also highlights its uses for those with depression. It can assist people to recall difficult parts of their lives that were not necessarily as bad as they had thought. “People who are depressed often feel as if there is a blanket over their lives”. Hearing music, and remembering various experiences, “can help them remember the more complex experiences.” It’s not that these are always positive, he notes, “but they may be more rounded.” Music cannot cure, but perhaps it can help heal”.

Memories and stored reminders are incredibly important when it comes to those whose memories might be otherwise skewed. Thing about someone who suffers from a brain injury or disorder and they might not remember where they came from and who they are.

Play them a song through headphones from their past – whether Glory Box by Portishead or The Beatles’ Taxman – and that can unlock myriad visions, colours and visions. Without verbal prompt or any medication; a patient can unlock this lost world and recall memories in perfect detail. I know it is a short-term release and it only provides a few memories but we have not harnessed how music can help go further – can therapy with music help that process and stimulate the brain? Can music in general advance memory recovery and provide stimulus? This article talks about music therapy and why music is a powerful tool:

“Music taps into our emotions and creates a non-threatening, non-invasive atmosphere where individuals are provided an outlet to be creative, have opportunities for control over their environment, be social, and express their emotions. As a result, children and adults who suffer from anxiety and mood disorders may benefit from music therapy to improve coping skills, reduce anxiety, improve self-regulation, self-esteem, self-awareness, and increase their verbal and non-verbal expression of feelings.

Music provides a structured beginning, middle, and end that is appeasing to our brains! It provides predictable and organized outcomes through steady rhythm, melodic phrases, and form. Structure and familiarity through music can be very soothing and coordinating for the brain. Because of this structure, music therapy interventions can be beneficial for individuals with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder by providing music to encourage relaxation, promote self-regulation, reduce hyperactivity, adjust to changes and transitions, and improve attention”.

One of the reasons I am a music journalist and want to pursue music to its nth degree is because of the way it sticks in my mind and how I can recall certain songs. These natural memories have been carried with me all this time and that sheer power is hard to describe. I can tell you in a thousand words why T. Rex’s Hot Love is so meaningful to me but it might not resonate with anyone else. Our brain chooses to remember particular songs and I am always going to be curious why that is and how why particular songs remain and others do not. Whilst we can recall memories and songs from our past; I wonder whether, in people whose memories are distorted and fractured; can music and therapy help uncover many more lost memories and provide nourishment to the brain in ways we cannot comprehend? Music is a wonderful and evolving artform that can assist with depression, anxiety and all manner of situations. Music can help us through grief and heartache and it can lift the mood in a way nothing can. Whilst it is wonderful we can retain music from years back and recall these childhood times; I am always looking forward as to how those who suffer appalling neurological issues can benefit from music. The memory is a wonderful and complex instrument that can be taken away from us and damaged; it can be blurry and unreliable or, on certain days, clear as a bell! Music is always there; feeding into corners and sinews that we did not know existed; storing away for future days and able to aid and elevate us when required. The mystery as to why we store certain songs and times is always of interest to me but, when thinking of those whose minds and memories are slipping; it is clear that music, future, present and past has a…

HUGE role to play.  

INTERVIEW: LeWis

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDIT: Bart Boodts  

LeWis

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I have been speaking with LeWis…

about his new track, Mathilda, and how it came together. He tells me what he has coming up and whether he has any ambitions to fulfil before the end of this year - I was keen to know when music came into his life and which albums hit him hardest.

LeWis talks about the scene in his native Belgium and reveals whether he has tour dates coming; which rising artists we need to get behind and whether he gets time to unwind away from music – he ends the interview by selecting a classic song.

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Hi, LeWis. How are you? How has your week been?

Hello....

My week has been good. Every week is the same though: uni during the day and writing songs at night. I’m very lucky to be living outside the city centre of Liverpool because I love a good night walk around Sefton Park.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m LeWis; a twenty-two-year-old Belgian songwriter. I write Indie-Folk/melancholic songs about life experiences and dreams. Like most songwriters, I started writing songs at a very young age. I hope to move people with my music and lyrics.

Mathilda is your new single. Is there a story behind it? How did it start life?

Mathilda is written about a person I met when I went traveling through Canada. It's very strange how the song came to life. It all started with a bridge part; it had a very nice melancholic feel to it. The first lyrics I wrote were: "The love, the love/The love Mathilda". I think this sums up the song, so I kept repeating the pattern - and then, in one hour, I wrote the whole song.

Do you think there will be more material coming next year?

Yeah. I try to write every day. I’ve done this for some time, so I'm dead-excited to get into the studio and record all my crazy idea’s and sounds. Can't wait to introduce people to my music. I’m hoping to bring out an E.P. around April.

Which artists did you discover young and become involved with?

It’s probably not a big influence on my music but Metallica was my first ever gig. I was ten-years-old. After that, I started exploring more artist like: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen; Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel), Eddie Vedder and Sigur Rós. God Is an Astronaut were a massive influence for my writing cause they made me wanna experiment with instruments and sounds.

Being based in Belgium; what is the scene like there?

I think Belgium has a lot of different genres which makes it very hard to pin down what the scene is like. I think Belgium is a country with a lot of talented musicians. If you really had to describe a scene, I would say Alternative/Synth-Pop.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

I hope to be appreciated in the music industry. I hope to be ready to start playing live in 2019. I’d like to go on tour and start performing my songs all around the U.K. and Europe.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

My favourite memory was having an independent tour in Saskatchewan. I just packed my guitar and gigged for six weeks in all different places around Canada. It was a time when I didn’t have a lot of money, so improvising was the nicest part of travelling around.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Graceland - Paul Simon

Grace - Jeff Buckley

Takk... - Sigur Rós

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Oh; that’s a very interesting question...

I think I would have loved to go on tour with Nick Drake if he was still walking about. My dream is to play in the amphitheatre in Red Rocks (Colorado). A natural-sounding reverb in the middle of nowhere.

PHOTO CREDIT: Geert Pollier

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I think everyone have their own way to become an artist. Just be yourself is the cliché́ one, but I think stick with that.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

At the moment, we are just recording and practicing our live set so we can fire it up in 2019.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Everything Is Imagined

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Everything Is Imagined; Geppetto & the Whales.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Geppetto & the Whales

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Not really. I do try to take my mind off of music but I always end up listening or playing (to) tunes.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

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Follow LeWis

 PHOTO CREDIT: Damon De Backer

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/louisderoomusic/

FEATURE: Language Barriers: Why a Swearing Ban for Wireless Festival Hides Bigger Issues That Need Addressing

FEATURE:

 

 

Language Barriers

 IN THIS IMAGE: J. Cole (who was one of the headliners at this year’s Wireless Festival)/IMAGE CREDIT: SBM832  

Why a Swearing Ban for Wireless Festival Hides Bigger Issues That Need Addressing

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IT seems a bit of a cheek to impose…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Stormzy (who was a headliner at this year’s Wireless Festival)/PHOTO CREDIT: Oliver Hadlee Pearch

a swearing band on any music festival. Wireless Festival is an annual event that attracts the more gritty and raw talent from the music spectrum. This year’s event, held back in July, saw Stormzy, Post Malone and J. Cole play and, for the most part, the event went well without much complaint. It would be horrible stereotypical to suggest a festival that supported Grime and Hip-Hop (and other genres) artists would have trouble follow it about. Even if you are not aware of what the likes of Stormzy are all about; one cannot be naïve enough to think they’re going to be calming walking the stage, acoustic guitar in hand and using the sort of language that would appeal to the most pious and delicate. I will bring a couple of artists in that have reacted to an announced swearing ban at Wireless. I am not sure whether the decree has been signed but it seems like, from now on, there is going to be an expletive-lite festival that does not offend ears. There have been complaints that children have been within ear shot of the festival and have heard the sort of language coming from the stage. The Finsbury Park-staged event does put out a lot of noise and it can be distracting for residents if you want a bit of silence.

Consider how many songs are played across the few days and how many of those contain swearing. One cannot imagine it a torrent of swearing is happening throughout the day and I wonder whether this rather absurd ban hides some deeper issues. Before I speculate as to what actually needs to happen; Suzanne Moore, writing in The Guardian, addressed the situation and asked whether swearing was really a huge issue:

“Well, no. And Wireless isn’t for the likes of me, though I can hear it from where I live. Interestingly, the biggest sound I ever heard coming from Finsbury Park was when Madness played. The ground was shaking. The earth moved for the centrist dads that day.

Now Haringey council in its infinite wisdom has, after listening to protests, agreed that Wireless can continue, but performers have been told they must not swear, make obscene gestures or wear skimpy clothes on stage. They cannot “make any vulgar gestures actions or remarks during the performance, or at any point whilst using an amplification device, including the use of expletives”. To which the only thing you can say is two words made of asterisks”.

Reading those guidelines and proposals makes me scoff somewhat. I can understand the projected noise, if it contained incredibly vulgar and racist language, should be banned were it reaching the minds of children. I realise sound can travel a long distance but how many children and sensitive locals are going to be able to see rude hand gestures and hardly-clothed dancers?! Unless you are on the site and within a certain distance of the stage; this is not something that is going to affect you and people who attend Wireless know full well what they are in for! If you are bringing kids to the festival and then are offended; it is hardly the fault of the organisers, is it?!

 PHOTO CREDIT: @dkravchenko/Unsplash

Sound and noise pollution will always stir discontent and anger but for some but I feel music festivals, in terms of their language and acts, are not as controversial and troublesome as some of the second-hand smoke that is created. Should Wireless, rather than get precious about swearing, focus on the gender and range of acts it books?!

“There are problems with Wireless, and Lily Allen and Annie Mac have pointed them out: the lack of diversity, with only three female acts booked over three days this year. But that is not what this is about. Instead it’s part of the clampdown on what is politely termed “urban” music. Everyone knows what that means, but they can’t bring themselves to say “black”. Under these new rules, the likes of Stormzy and Kanye West would be banned.

Locals have legitimate complaints: there aren’t enough toilets; there are drug dealers and the ever-present fear of gangs – but Haringey cannot boast of its multiculturalism and then come out with this ridiculous ban. It’s the latest in a long line of attempts by the police to stop certain gatherings, which included the infamous form 696, a risk assessment used to stop bashment etc. In my day the government tried to ban “repetitive beats”, which is as mad as it sounds”.

I feel a festival needs to look at the artists it is booking and whether there is enough diversity – rather than look at issues that are endemic with any music festival.

One of the ironies of this swearing band is the fact the Haringey district is not exactly known for censorship and its homogenisation. There are countless languages being spoken and people from all over the world walking the streets. On any given day leaving my flat, I will – almost instantaneously! – encounter someone spitting. I saw a man racially abuse someone the other day and there is severe emotional and psychological poverty. I am not sure about the surrounding neighbourhoods of Finsbury Park but where I live, Wood Green, there is so much disadvantage and lacking financial investment. I have lost count of those who I suspect are drug addicts; there are numerous homeless and most of the population live very close to the breadline. You have to take quite a few stops on the Piccadilly Line past Finsbury Park before you see things improve. Walk around the street and you will hear any number of cusses and expletives casually spat within listening distance of children. Many of the mothers you see pushing toddlers around do it and the problem with drugs and drink is hardly hidden. The smell of cannabis hovers in the air; many people I know have been offered drugs and propositioned; others have been abused and encountered aggression. There is minimum police presence – as you’d expect – and there is a feeling of disconnection and alienation when you live and move around the community. This is all known and stated and, in many ways, there is more safety and security inside Wireless than the neighbourhoods mere feet away!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Giggs photoed at Wireless Festival on 8th July, 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: Ashley Verse

How far does a swearing ban go?! I guess those at Glastonbury and Reading cannot object because there are few residents nearby and, for the most part, the artists keep it clean. The sort of artists we see at Wireless are telling it like it is and not idly throwing swear words around to shock and as part of their vocabulary. The likes of Stormzy use swearing as part of their music but it is there to project a reality that is all too clear in Haringey. Many of the people Stormzy talks about – those overlooked and living close to poverty – are the ones who will hear the swearing; the ones he is trying to speak to and speak for. One wonders whether the complaints have come from some of the more well-off residents and whether many of them are middle-class. I can see why families would be a bit sensitive to swearing if they lived in areas where things were very sanitised and clean – but that is not the reality we are dealing with here! Haringey is a diverse area of London and it can range from the well-off to the downright deprived. One of the reasons why people move there is because it is more affordable than many parts of London and there is multiculturalism. Part of putting so many different people from different nations together is to project a more united, diverse and cosmopolitan city; one that is not all the same and that sports a richness. Swearing and rude gestures happen all over the place. You can hear youths swearing on public transport and at pubs; business owners during their lunch breaks and older people doing it.

 IN THIS PHOTO: A couple pose for a selfie at this year’s Wireless Festival/PHOTO CREDIT: James Bridle

If you start asking artists to cut the swearing then where does that end?! Swearing is part of your freedom of speech and you could not tell someone on the street to quit swearing because it is a bit unpleasant. Do people like J. Cole get a pre-gig contract that states he is not allowed to get political or use any swearing; he must keep his dancers covered up and can absolutely not slag anyone off! Apply that to other festivals and you’d have people complaining in their droves! I wonder whether there is something quite discriminatory and bigoted about whom they are targeted. Whether it is racially inspired or censoring a type of music that is seen as provocative and controversial. You can ban musicians who are racist and extremist but you cannot go to every festival and ask artists if they wouldn’t mind keeping the bad language to a minimum! Another article from The Guardian shed more light on the problems Wireless carries with it:

“In a complaint made to Haringey council, campaigners said the festival brought anti-social behaviour to the area, with open drug dealing, vomiting on streets and excrement on doorsteps seen in previous years.

Tom Palin, a director of Friends of Finsbury Park, said locals last year “could not get any peace” and he personally knew of 10 people who had moved out of the area as a result of the disruption each year…

PHOTO CREDIT: @lucasquintana/Unsplash 

“I remember last year when Travis Scott was performing and the windows at my friends’ house were shaking,” he said. “You could hear them jangling. The residents were adamant that something had to be done to stop the disturbance.”

The ban, which is likely to be difficult to enforce, was criticised on social media for effectively censoring music and introducing rules that might not be applied to indie and rock festivals.

Councillor Kirsten Hearn, Haringey’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “Wireless festival is a world-class urban event that helps to fund the park the whole year round and makes a major cultural contribution to Haringey. We will work to address these [concerns] with residents and partners at Finsbury Park”.

Although it is sad to see anyone forced to move because of threats or some other action; I wonder whether these events shroud a bigger problem. There are, to be fair, only a few residents who experience things like dog pooh left on their doorsteps and few who will come into contact with drug dealers. The reason I am aggrieved there is a swearing ban is because it is not a catalyst: people are not hearing the swearing from the stage, finding the most constipated dog and waiting for the thing to shed its load!

Drug dealers are not being brainwashed by artists to provoke trouble and throw up; the songs do not glamorise anti-social behaviour and urge people to strike fear into others! Wireless is the premier Urban festival in London and is designed to host artists who are speaking louder than politicians; those delivering potent and compelling messages that are deigned to make you think. In any case; I think fewer people object to swearing as they do the problem with drugs and degradation. Most of the punters who pass through Finsbury Park are law-abiding and do not want to cause any issues. They might have a couple of pints and be a bit loud but they are not hurting anyone and certainly not going as far to target residents! There is this small number who are bringing drugs to the site or dealing nearby. There are others who are drinking excessively and vomiting and generally being obnoxious. I can understand that objection but, as I say, I and many other people live in parts of London where that sort of thing happens every day! If there was a music festival right near me then it would exacerbate things but a lot of the anger aimed at Wireless is about a very small number of patrons. I feel the issue of drugs needs to be addressed and more stringent checks carried out.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Mabel (who is shown performing at this year’s Wireless Festival)/PHOTO CREDIT: Ashley Verse

There is the ongoing problem with rubbish and plastic and laws around what people could bring in would help; having recycling bins or fining those who litter. Maybe having extra security around the site and additional police during the festival would help ensure there were fewer incidents. I have spoken to a couple of people who live in and near Finsbury Park and the main issue is the additional numbers and noise. They are not so affected by swearing but the throng of people and how much more litter/noise there is. It is a time of the year when there is a more visible and obvious issue: a typical mass of festival-goers who are not respecting the locals are the areas as much as they should be. It is an issue at all major and smaller festivals but, for most of them, they are situated away from towns or there is a bit more protection. I think banning swearing is avoiding the real issue and not addressing the real threats. By banning swearing, organisers and the council will cure a very minor thing – so few I know have a problem with bad language – and they are turning a blind eye to the mess, litter and drugs. If more money were spent ensuring the site and surrounding areas were left cleaner and fewer disreputable characters were allowed entry then we might be onto something.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @thoughtcatalog/Unsplash

Even if Wireless’ majority are calm and well-behaved, there is always going to be sector that are loitering and want to stir something up. I think the hassle and intimidation that some offer locals is a much more harrowing and eye-opening concern! The artists who take to the Wireless stage would be the first to distance themselves from those who offer nothing but aggression, problems and disrespect. Wireless is not about stirring up a storm and not giving a damn about those around them. The artists are the ones who will be stifled and affected by the swearing band. Consider problems that hounded Wireless a few years back and one wonders whether these sorts of scenes are the ones that should be investigated first:

“Campaigners are calling for a huge north London music festival to be axed after it was beset by rampaging gatecrashers last year.

Residents say the Wireless festival brought "scary" disorder to Finsbury Park in July 2015 and also left the green space in tatters, with the ground looking like a “desert” and strewn with laughing gas canisters and broken glass.

The festival was attended by 50,000 people each day and featured acts such as Drake, David Guetta and Nicki Minaj.

But it hit the headlines for the wrong reasons after large crowds of youths were filmed repeatedly trying to break into the event, with many successfully storming through fences.

One shocking video showed a lone police officer attempting to hold off a crowd of would-be gatecrashers with a baton.

At least eight people were arrested during the course of the event, including for knife possession and actual bodily harm”.

Rather than targeting the artists on the stage; look at those who are causing the real problems and find ways to stop that! Swearing is not the issue and never has been; residents and those who attend Wireless would much rather they avoid riots, violence and drugs than a bit of spicy language! Are members of the council, residents and organisers actually coming together to discuss problems not related to swearing and trying to do something about that?! I am not that sure but I do know Wireless tries to ensure there is public safety and take measures to protect people. One might say banning swearing is not a huge thing and how many people is it going to affect? If it helps make the residents happy and keeps them calm then what is the issue?! I agree with that but argue you get much more swearing on the street and wherever you go then you’ll ever get at Wireless. I have already explored drugs and noises and how is a swearing ban going to stop all of that?! It is not like artists cleaning up will magically whitewash the ongoing issues that come with the festival. It is a shame that certain people ruin it for everyone and there are very obvious things that need to be eradicated. A lot of Finsbury Park residents have had enough with Wireless because of the problems that have come and the extra noise it brings each year.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @paucasals/Unsplash

Before 2019’s event – if it is allowed back – there needs to be a lot done to, maybe, limit bad language but do a lot more when it comes to most more pressing and explicit problems! I do not think musicians can be censored and you cannot tell one specific festival that their talent should be clean and not offend. I return to the first article I quoted a passage that keeps coming back to my eyes:

“I cannot imagine life without swearing, for swearing is life. Lately, football commentators have taken to apologising when microphones pick up the crowd’s chants or managers’ swearing. This is such a weird infantilising of the audience: we can hear swearing but are told we somehow shouldn’t have. It’s the equivalent of bleeping and asterisks, all of which bemuse me. Swearing can be dull and lazy and simply an exclamation mark, or it can be fantastically creative and funny. It is malleable, like all language, and when it is done in Portuguese by José Mourinho, who among us is truly offended? Indeed, it should be subtitled”.

Swearing is all around us and it is impossible to go anywhere without hearing someone saying something rude! It is not down to people to tell artists what they should say and whether they can use bad language. If you take away that right and speech then you are going to send a terrible message to the rest of the industry.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Lil Uzt Vert gets in among the crowd at this year’s Wireless Festival/PHOTO CREDIT: Ashley Verse

It seems like the pressure and circus of the festival, in general, is what residents are objecting to. If you move it to other parts of London then other people will have a problem; if you move it outside London then fewer people can get there and it means you will be brushing something away without compromise and consultation. Where does the censorship stop?! Do you ban alcohol or ensure people are strip-searched when they come in and out?! Every music festival is going to have problems because of the sheer mass of bodies coming through and you can never solve that. I am not sure what a quick fix will be but moving Wireless out of Finsbury Park is not a cure. There are plenty in the area that love having it on their doorstep and it is only the minority of those who attend Wireless that create problems. More needs to happen right now to ensure next year’s Wireless is as smooth and improved as possible. Get the residents on board and listen to their views; have a word with security and police to up the numbers and, maybe, speak with artists who can speak out themselves and direct a message against those who create trouble. A lot needs to be done but swearing, alas, is not the big elephant in the room. It is a slight problem but there are bigger ones that are being ignored. You cannot tell artists to stop swearing because they have a right and you get into some dangerous areas. It would be sad to see a more PG Wireless festival and how that affects who plays and which songs they get to perform. Nannying, controlling and editing those who take to the Wireless stage is a joke and those who feel all the problems and troubles around Wireless will simply disappear are…

IN THIS PHOTO: Post Malone (photoed playing at this year’s Wireless Festival)/PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Hughes  

PLAIN fucking wrong!  

INTERVIEW: Ellzo

INTERVIEW:

Ellzo

___________

THE first interview of the weekend is with Ellzo…

who has been talking with me about his latest track, Agnostic, and what the story behind it is. With his E.P., Time Travel, now out; Ellzo has been chatting about that. I ask which artists and albums are important to him; how influential London is to his sounds and directions – Ellzo recommends some rising artists worth looking out for.

I was keen to know what comes next and how he got into music; if he unwinds away from music and whether he has advice for musicians coming through right now – Ellzo ends the interview by selecting a great track.

__________

Hi, Ellzo. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey. It’s been a real’ good week. Just came back from an interview with BBC 1Xtra.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

So. I go by the name Ellzo. I’m a producer (and, I guess, singer now) from London. I produce a lotta bouncy Futurebeats music and R&B mainly.

Agnostic is your new single. Is there a tale behind the song?

In social interactions, I’ve been known to be indecisive on expressing my own opinions from fear of being judged. The line “stuck in the middle” refers to my mental state being torn between choosing to express my opinion or not speaking at all. I tend to go with the latter.

It is from the E.P., Time Travel. Are there particular themes and ideas that inspired the work?

Time Travel, as a whole, sums up my development in music over the years.

You were born in West London. How important is the area regarding your sound and work?

One thing I will say is that a lot is happening right now in London for the SoundCloud scene and I’m grateful to be situated here. I live very close by to my workplace, so it’s cool that I can just come straight back home and work on music.

In terms of influences; which musicians did you grow up around?

I would say The Black Eyed Peas, Pharrell; The Roots and Timbaland were key influencers for initially developing my sound. My dad was a D.J. so I heard a lot of that stuff. My guilty pleasure would have to be S Club 7, too, but don’t tell anyone (smiles).

How did you get into music? Was there a particular moment when you knew it was what you needed to do?!

I’ve always been music minded. However, as a kid; I never had the equipment to express it. But, once I was acquainted with GarageBand back in 2008; I knew this music thing would be what I wanted to do for life.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

I’d like to work with one more artist and potentially release a few more singles. 10k followers on SoundCloud would be great also. Haha.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

It’d have to be this time when I was doing a live D.J. set down at a club in London, Birthdays. I was stuck on right till the end (2 A.M.) but there were still a good amount of people waiting around for me. I started playing and, as soon as I dropped a banger, the crowd started chanting my name. It was a surreal experience that I will never forget.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Sam Gellaitry - Short Stories

As it was the first vinyl I ever bought. He’s also my number-one producer like, ever, so it’d have to be his first E.P.

The Roots - How I Got Over

It was on-repeat when it first dropped. It has a special place in my heart, particularly as it got me through some long-ass car journeys. I never got tired of it and now it has a very nostalgic feel to it.

Flying Lotus - You’re Dead

It was the first time I was introduced to the legend. It blew my mind. I’d be lying if I said his use of stereo space didn’t have an influence on my sound today.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

It’d have to be Anderson. Paak. That dude is wild! I’d be filling up the backstage green room with champagne and Sour Skittles. Bean bags are a necessity, too.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

You can’t do this on your own (well, you can, but it’s 100x harder). Reach out to other likeminded musicians. If your music is good or they see potential, the nice ones will be willing to support you.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Sadly not, but if you know anyone willing to book my sorry ass, let me know.

IN THIS PHOTO: K, Le Maestro

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Olswel is one to look out for. At this point in time, he hasn’t got anything on Spotify so you’ll have to look him up on SoundCloud. K, Le Maestro is a local friend who’s got an incredible Boom-Bap vibe. Also; myself. I’ve got some crazy new music in the pipeline.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

When I’m not making music, or working down at the bar, I’m either drinking up at a pub somewhere, lifting at the gym or binging on T.V. boxsets. Oh…and an unhealthy amount of YouTube videos.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Well, thank you. Holiday by rysk, please. Have a good one!

___________

Follow Ellzo

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/EllzoOfficial

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/EllzoOfficial

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellzoofficial/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2yxN92GLAL02HulIhDYLpi?si=3QpPKFmBQr24HIw6DcMOgQ

FEATURE: The October Playlist: Vol. 4: A RAY of Light

FEATURE:

 

The October Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: RAY BLK

Vol. 4: A RAY of Light

 __________

THIS week’s Playlist…

IN THIS PHOTO: Robyn

is a busy and diverse one…so it is best I expend as few words as possible and let the music do the talking! There are fantastic new songs from RAY BLK, Thom Yorke and Cardi B; gems from Our Girl, Hinds; Robyn and Ross from Friends – so many wonderful offerings to get your teeth into.

It is a wonderful and busy list of tracks that will get the weekend off to a great start and get right into the mind. I have been excited to see what would come this week and it is just as well artists have delivered with some offerings that are sizzling, spicy and pretty sweet. Get involved and have a listen to the best this week has to offer.

IN THIS PHOTO: Cardi B

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

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Paloma Faith – Loyal

IMAGE CREDIT: Matthias Hombauer/The Prodigy

The Prodigy – We Live Forever

PHOTO CREDIT: Gareth Cattermole/MTV EMAs 2017/Getty Images for MTV

RAY BLK – Mama

Ross from Friends – Squaz

Maggie Rogers – Light On

White Lies – Believe It

PHOTO CREDIT: Neelam Khan Vela

Her’s – Under Wraps

PHOTO CREDIT: Hollie Fernando

Our Girl – Being Around

PHOTO CREDIT: Lisa Businovski

Hatchie – Adored

Billie Eilish - when the party's over 

Cardi B - Money

Imagine Dragons - Zero

Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life

Hinds – British Mind

HAELOS – Buried in the Sand

Mumford & Sons – If I Say

PHOTO CREDIT: James Emmerman

Sigrid – Sucker Punch

Deaf Havana – Narcissus

Elley Duhé - FEVER

Ian Brown – First World Problems

Icona Pop – Rhythm in My Blood

KWAYE – Hanging On

Lauren Jauregui – Expectations

Tyler, the Creator – You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch (From Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch)

Nao – Orbit

Public Service Broadcasting – White Star Liner

Tallia Storm – World on a Slope

Fia Moon – Water Runs Through

Thom Yorke – Unmade

GRAACE – SOS

P!nk – A Million Dreams

Pillow Queens – Gay Girls

Robyn – Ever Again

The Pale White – End of Time

YONAKA – Creature

Ellie Goulding (ft. Diplo and Swae Lee) – Close to Me

The Ting Tings – A&E

TRACK REVIEW: DIDI - Fickle Friends

TRACK REVIEW:

 

DIDI

Fickle Friends

9.4/10

The track, Fickle Friends, is available via:

https://open.spotify.com/track/7sI6sqNWI7Tf9QvSVk3JiO?si=mJ2pzNoKSTO9yWyjC5W8rA

GENRES:

Indie; Pop-Punk

ORIGIN:

Hertfordshire, U.K.

RELEASE DATE:

1st October, 2018

PRODUCER:

Rhiannon Mair

The Green EP is available from 1st November. Pre-order here:

https://iamdidimusic.bandcamp.com/album/green-ep-limited-edition

PRODUCERS:

Rhiannon Mair & Lauren Deakin Davies

MASTERING ENGINEER:

Katie Tavini

_________

IT has been a little while since I last looked at DIDI…

so it is time to come back and see what she is up to. I want to look at artists who are producers or, more accurately, those who produce their own work; female producers and why they are gathering more pace; E.P.s and albums that chart a distinct story arc and personal narrative; Pop-Punk and sounds that need to be heralded more in this time; award-winners and artists who are building steam; joining with a band and putting together that fuller sound – I will end by seeing where DIDI will go. Fickle Friends is the latest single from DIDI and there will be the Green EP coming along. I will keep you alerted as to developments and the E.P. as a whole but, right now, I wanted to look at production and how important that is. There are many artists who self-produce and can take care of their own material. Fickle Friends was produced by Rhiannon Mair, who also drums on the recording. The reason I wanted to talk about production is because of artists who are still lending out there songs to others. I do wonder whether modern musicians lack the skills to produce their own material or if they prefer another person’s direction. It can be understandable why an artist like, say, David Bowie used producers such as Tony Visconti. Building up a great working relationship can last for years and lead to some terrific work. If you have someone you trust and can offer fresh perspective; it can take the work in different directions or add something you had not expected. The best producers are patient and will listen to the artist but will not sit back and allow them to have all the say. Compromise and input is important and the producer can bring your work to life. Some might say an artist producing their own work might be too subjective and rigid but I do not believe this.

Producers are among music’s unsung and they do not get the credit they deserve. Lauren Deakin Davies, as I shall explore, is a fantastic producer who is among music’s fastest-rising and most prominent producers and, as such, has the expertise and talent to know where to take her work. Not only can an artist – who learns to produce – have more of a say regarding their own work but they can work with others and bring that back to their stables. I am reminded of the case of Kate Bush on her earliest albums and how she was frustrated (she was) unable to produce. She feels, then and now, her voice was being directed by others and only achieved true comfort and contemplation several albums down the line. Maybe new artists are not as hard on themselves but learning basic production skills is a great thing to have in your locker. It might not have to be as in-depth as knowing every inch of the studio and being that advanced but I do worried whether hired producers have the understanding and knowledge of the artist’s work to really do it justice. DIDI (alongside Mair) has that experience and can ensure her work is produced and cemented as she feels fit. I, if I were a musician, would learn basic producing and engineering skills because, whilst I feel having others in the studio is important; being able to have your own say and offer some comeback is crucial. I am fascinated by producers and what they give to a song because many of us do not really take the time to think about what they do and how they enhance music. I am not suggesting every artist needs to rebuff outside producers but having some basic understanding will help enormously. Not only will that understanding aid your own work but it will, as mentioned, allow you to work with other artists and add to your C.V. From there, an artist can learn more about the studio and bring that back to their own music.

I know Rhiannon Mair (DIDI’s drummer) and her talents as a producer but Lauren Deakin Davies, as DIDI, has this duel-personality and split that is interesting to look at. I will talk more about her sound and artistry soon but I am really interested looking at the producer behind the music. Deakin Davies has a long career and has worked alongside the likes of Laura Marling. She is one of the most respected and lauded producers coming through right now and is one to watch. DIDI’s E.P. comes out on 1st November and you will get to see all her (Deakin Davies’) different sides and production talents come to the fore. She won the Producer of the Year award at the NMG Awards (she has won that two years in a row!) and I can see her picking up more silverware down the tracks. You can follow her work and search who she has produced but I feel there are few female producers who get the attention and spotlight they deserve. The likes of Lauren Deakin Davies and Catherine Marks are doing so much for music and show as much talent and force as any male peer. I am delighted Deakin Davies has been awarded and seen her talents acknowledged and I cannot wait to see who she produces for in 2019. Alongside Mair; you have this artist who knows what sound is needed and can bring it to life. We all know there are far fewer female producers and engineers in the music industry and I feel the likes of Deakin Davies will help with recruitment. I am not sure whether the studio is seen as a boys’ club and the environment is unwelcoming to women. I know female producers who are warmly welcomed but there are some who feel they are going into a male-dominated area. It is hard to know for sure but there is still a lack of education and awareness at school-level. The likes of Lauren Deakin Davies are showing women can gain acceptance and attention as producers and there are so many more out there who can add to her voice.

I feel the music industry is still too male-heavy and we need to shift the vote. I know there are producers like Deakin Davies and Mair who are having their say and campaigning; striking out and proving there is nothing to suggest female producer should be in the minority. Maybe there is that historic impression of the male studio or the fact labels and bigger artists want male producers. I have mentioned how artists can self-produce and some of the biggest names in modern music, if not solo, ensure they have a production credit. In terms of female producers being behind some of the biggest albums around; I think more awareness needs to be raised and more women need to be encouraged into the studio. It is a complex problem to solve but, gradually, we are seeing some great female producers emerge. I am one of those people who wants there to be true equality in music and I wonder how long it will take until we see that. It is hard to say how we can go from where we are now to having an industry where half of the producers around are women. Talented and growing producers like Deakin Davies are helping regarding awareness and ensuring other female producers are given kudos but I feel more needs to be done by men in the industry. We know there are fewer music lessons being taught in schools and many cannot afford to study music at colleges/universities. I will come back to the production side of things when I look at Fickle Friends but it is an interesting angle I wanted to explore. I have talked about these sides and considerations when I last reviewed DIDI but, as it has been a little while; it is worth coming back and seeing how far we have come. It is only a few days until the E.P. is around and I have heard most of the songs that will appear on it.

Although I am not reviewing the E.P. itself – I only ever look at singles/tracks – it is well worth getting involved with it and buying it when it arrives. Listen to the sound of DIDI and that has developed since the earliest days. The likes of BBC Radio 6 Music have backed her work and radio stations around the country are throwing their support behind her. DIDI used to play solo but, through gigging and the passage of time; she has now got a band behind her and it has allowed a fuller sound to come through. The tracks that will appear on the Green EP were written at the start of the artist’s birth (early last year) and it is interesting hearing those slightly early songs being given a rich and emphatic support by her band. I think, at the start, DIDI wanted something quite spiked and Pop-Punk and, although that genre remains now, we have a fuller and more colourful sound that brings the songs to life. The past eighteen months have been interesting and busy for DIDI and she has been very busy in the studio. Busy producing E.P.s for other artists; Deakin Davies has had to approach her own work slightly differently. It is hard to tackle your own material the same way you would with other artists because it (your own stuff) is more personal and you are more invested in it. The production is exceptional and having Mair offer input and her voice means the work is not too subjective. I will return to the production side of things but the E.P. charts the story of DIDI and various different stories. Artists such as Muse, Arctic Monkeys and Paramore have influenced the sounds on the E.P. but the tracks all sound tight and focused because the band have worked hard on them. Although the songs started life earlier last year; the fact the band have gigged together a long time and have that trust brings new light and layers to the music.

You get some relatable and common themes coming through on the Green EP. All the songs, bar GO!, have been released as singles and we sort of know what to expect. This is the first full body of work for DIDI and has been a bit of a nervous time. She is excited to get the work out there but, as she has been around for a little while now, there is that expectation and build. Big radio stations have celebrated her work and it has been a fascinating progression. I want to investigate themes on Fickle Friends but GO! Investigates stark emotions felt when you go through a break-up; Fast and Furious is an out-and-out pure love song with a slightly, as DIDI admits, ‘soppy’ edge to it. Back Off and Awkward have more social-political and deeper origins. The former is about a drunken guy who was shouting at a girl – who had got off a train – and a sense of immediate intimidation. The latter is more about entitlement and the feeling DIDI, and her female peers, have felt when heading into the studio. It is good there is that balance between personal/commercial and the more intense. You have common themes and something everyone can relate to. Whether looking at love as a fractured and troubled thing or a pure spirit; there are songs we can all connect with and have some experience of. So many artists get obsessed with love and relationships and that is all they focus on! It is fine when you do a few songs about relationships but one looks for something fresh and more from artists. DIDI has examined relationships from different perspectives and ensured one does not become too familiar and knows what is coming. As a female producer, feminist and advocate for equality; it is understandable she addressed gender issues and experiences she and her female peers have faced. Recalling personal stories and experiences on the road gives the E.P. movement and different shades. It also means she can get away from her own heart and explore different senses. The E.P. would be too one-sided or introspective if it were all relations: pushing away and looking at other concerns gives the work a more rounded and multifaceted aspect.

Lauren Deakin Davies, as DIDI, has this musician-producer head that has to make some tough decisions before recording has begun. A lot of artists can take their work to a producer and that consultation begins. They might run through some demos or do some trial-and-error before a final sound is realised. The producer will get a lot of say but there is that democracy between artist and producer. Deakin Davies has experience of working with others but she also knows her own music well. Does she employ some elements of other artists (she has worked with) or does she take from her musical background? By that, I mean what she grew up around and the artists who have compelled her. In the case of songs like Fickle Friends; one senses little bits of Muse, Paramore and the Pop-Punk of the 1990/2000s. I recall when Green Day released their album, Warning, back in 2000 and, at the time, I was in college and listening to them and bands like Blink-182. After living through Grunge and then seeing Britpop come and go; the U.S.-led Pop-Punk explosion was another great shift. Although DIDI is (a lot) younger than me; she loved those periods and you can hear bits of Britpop in some E.P. moments and influences of Punk. What I sense, when listening to her work, is someone who wants to put across an intensity and spirit but does not want to lose melody and something a little warmer. There are female artists/bands who are quite sharp and full-on but DIDI is that link between pure-out Punk bands and those Pop artists who could, in many ways, add a bit more spike to their work. There are some great female-led bands out there (such as YONAKA and False Advertising) who can fuse various genres/time periods and keep it quite modern but DIDI, to me, seems to go that one step further. The music you hear is so busy but it is so personal. Too many artists, I think, skew their sounds to the desires of radio and the mainstream and you never know whether authenticity is being blurred by that desire to be heralded and following the pack.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Freya Freeman Taylor

The fact Lauren Deakin Davies has awards for her production ensures that professionalism and passion comes through in the music. She has joined with a band and it seems there is a great team working away. When she started out on her own – and was almost taking care of everything – you could sense that promise but the feeling the music could be a bit fuller and bolder. As much as anything; having a band (she worked all out all the parts and performed them on the recordings (other than drums) but has a band who perform with her - Penny Churchill on bass; it's now Keyleigh Cheer on drums (as Rhiannon became SO busy, also as her solo artist RUEN moniker) and Emily Aldrich on lead guitar) gives options and the chance to bolster the music’s promise. It also means there are other players who can offer suggestion and have their say. I think there will be a lot more work from DIDI and I am interested to see where her and the band will head. It is the chemistry and companionship she has with the band that really makes the music Pop. DIDI reflects on past days and older music but there is that contemporary freshness and modernity that fuses it all together. I see artists who try and balance the older and new and it can often fail. DIDI, as the artist, has a great knowledge of modern and older sounds and teases these together in her own way. As a producer; Deakin Davies does not do what she has done with other artists nor does she mimic anyone else. She could easily fall into that trap of trying to make a DIDI song/E.P. sound like one she has already produced and know is a success. That is what I was saying about tough decisions and having a clear head. Instead, you get a work that does not copy anything else and is very personal. Any DIDI work is personal and unique but so many modern artists sound too much like someone else and it is hard to detach from that. Although one can sense colours of Muse and hints of Paramore and Green Day; they are not obvious and you have an artist who merely nods to them – never copying and sticking too closely with what they have done. I like how DIDI is not beholden to her own relationships and heart and brings in other observations.

 PHOTO CREDIT: James Gallant

Fickle Friends swings in with a big and bold loop that has this brilliant blend of Arctic Monkeys and The Jam. As the opening track of the Green EP; it is a big and immediate song that gets under the skin right away and makes it presence known. I know DIDI/Deakin Davies is a fan of the early work of the Arctic Monkeys and it is interesting the band themselves do not have that sound anymore. It is a sound I have been hankering after and it is great seeing that same swagger and sensation come back into music. The introduction sort of sets the scene and you are already picturing that the song is about and who is being portrayed. From the rushing and flowing swirl of the opening; the song changes dynamic and gets into a more syncopated zone. DIDI comes to the microphone and her voice stutters, staggers and spits; much like a fighter in the ring, sizing up their opponent. One might have expected some yelled or calm but you get an unexpended delivery that gives the words more emotion, boldness and character. It seems the friends, DIDI and her other, have been using one another or, more accurately, the heroine herself has been used. It appears the other person has been mean and they are using the heroine and not showing that respect. The first impression I got of the song was something personal that also looks out at the wider world. We all know occasions when people have not pulled their weight and there is an imbalance in the friendship. I guess DIDI has given her all to this friend and, for some reason; they are taking that for granted and showing her a lack of kindness. The heroine does not let the emotions get on top of her but there is definite anger and accusation. The production is superb (as you’d expect) and it allows for this great balance of rawness and polish.

  PHOTO CREDIT: James Gallant

You can hear every word clearly – so many producers and mixers drown the vocals and bury them – and there is a distinct shine to things. That bring said; the grittiness and spiked tongue one hears means authentic Pop-Punk attitude pervades and resonates. I mentioned Arctic Monkeys at the start but, if anything, bands like Paramore become more evident as the song progresses. That is not to say DIDI is too influenced by anyone else but you can tell who her influences are and what she wants to achieve through Fickle Friends. I love how all the instruments have their say and play their role. The bass is liquid and slithering whilst guitar and drum combine and create something heady, heavy and brooding. DIDI recounts how the ‘friend’ took from her and the imbalance in the friendship. You can sense that build up and the tension growing. The chorus is a big and gutsy blast that finds the heroine pushing away the other and wondering why she was taking advantage of. Our heroine used to have confidence – whether that friendship gave her that ability and comfort – but now that is all lost. What strikes the mind is the sheer vitality and energy of the vocal. DIDI never lets things get too accusatory and angered but you can definitely sense the electricity and aggression come to the surface. It is clear Pop-Punk and U.S. artists are an influence and it the story engrosses you. It is not explained why the bond has been broken but a definite lack of respect from the other party has led to this. The band weaves colours and threads together that bring the story to life and take it in new directions. Rather than a repetitive and predictable composition; the musicians shine and you get so many interesting notes and lines emerging. They brilliantly propel DIDI and she, in turn, keeps them level and directed. It is a clear and solid relationship that makes the song sound completely focused and pure. As things progress and they turn towards the end; the bitterness and sense of disappointment remains and one wonders whether there is any way back. Fickle Friends is an exceptional song and one that shows DIDI is among the most promising new artists around. Make sure you get hold of the Green EP and back this wonderful talent.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Tony Birch

What strikes me about DIDI is how she has progressed and developed over the last eighteen months or so. The songs we will witness on the Green EP started life back then but you can tell how much the band has added. The music never sounds like it is too rooted in one period. All of DIDI’s songs have their own skin and sound as fresh and urgent now as they did months ago. I am looking ahead and wondering whether DIDI will head. I know Deakin Davies will be producing other artists and busy in the studio but there is this whole other life that will be explored. I think DIDI will get a lot more airplay and attention from radio stations such as BBC Radio 6 Music. Maybe there will be gigs around the country but I feel DIDI can travel the globe and get some attention over in the U.S. I feel her sound naturally fits there and she could get some gigs around L.A. and New York. I am not sure what her fan numbers are like over there but, when more music comes out, she will get that demand and her numbers will grow. I wanted to study Fickle Friends for a number of reasons. Not only is it her latest release and the last single before the E.P. comes out but, to me, is her most fired and memorable tracks so far. I have followed DIDI’s work since the start and can see how far she has come. I wonder whether she is already looking to other singles and E.P.s and what 2019 holds. It will be a packed year ahead and one filled with adventure. I am seeing more female artists/fronted bands being heralded but there is a long way to go before there is equality. I have talked about female producers and I know the likes of Lauren Deakin Davies (and Rhiannon Mair) and doing a lot to get the ball rolling and discussion happening. You can see the work Deakin Davies has done and it makes you wonder whether there are female producers like her who have been restricted or felt like they would not be supported – they have a champion in the industry and someone who shows there is that potential for recognition. I shall not discuss the issue more but I suggest everyone follow DIDI and get behind her E.P. Fickle Friends is a great track that stands in the mind and compels you to investigate it again and again – no mean feat considering how many songs (not that many) from the current day provoke that reaction. The future is very bright and 2019 will be a big one for DIDI. Growing from that solo endeavour to the tight and bold band there is now; it has been a wonderful progression and I know DIDI will keep the pace going. One is spoiled for choice when it comes to great new music but I feel a playlist/collection would be weaker if it did not have…

DIDI in it!

___________

Follow DIDI

Official:

http://www.didimusic.co.uk/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/IamDIDImusic

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/IamDIDImusic/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5cQQ9FJMLv9nUwuqsn9njR?si=MCIK98F7Sk2wmf1BVt4Ywg

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/iamdidimusic

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/iamdidimusic/

INTERVIEW: NIKO

INTERVIEW:

NIKO

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MY final interview before the weekend is with NIKO…

who has been talking about his latest single, The One, and the inspiration behind it. I ask him whether there will be any more material coming along and how he got into music; which artists have inspired him and whether there are any rising musicians we need to pack.

NIKO reveals his plans ahead and talks about three albums that mean a lot to him; how he chills and unwind away from music; which artists he’d support given the chance – he ends the interview by picking a classic Swing song.

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Hi, NIKO. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi Sam! I’m good. My week has been busy getting ready for the release of my single!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

My name is NIKO. I was born and raised in Milan, Italy but now I live and work in N.Y.C. I would define my music as Pop: sonically, it has a Euro touch fused with a contemporary sound. Thematically, I’m inspired by my own experiences as well as my fantasies - and the possible scenarios that could happen in between the two.

The One is your latest single. How did that song come to be? What inspired it?

The One is a romantic song that touches on the frustration of modern dating. It’s inspired by the first moments with someone you're attracted to. It reminisces on warm summer nights, spent in and out of bars and clubs; looking for ‘the one’. It’s definitely a personal song - it was written and recorded in just one afternoon during a session in L.A.

Do you think there will be more material coming? How far ahead are you looking?

Yes. The One is part of a four-track E.P.: the fil rouge of the E.P. is romance, love and lust. The second single will come out next month while the full E.P. is going to be released early next year.

How did you get into music? Was there a particular moment when it all sort of clicked?

I was a very artsy kid and I took up acting and singing from a very young age. I think I realized I wanted to make music and be a performer when I first sang live in front of a live audience in Milan when I was fourteen. I performed Light My Fire; still one of my favorite songs.

Are there particular musicians you draw inspiration from? Did you grow up around a lot of music?

I’m inspired by the big legends of pop such as George Michael, Madonna and Janet Jackson - whenever I’m looking for inspiration I turn to their music, which is so timeless and beautiful.

I grew up in a very musical household . Even though my parents were not professional musicians or in the music business, music was always playing at home and very much part of our lives. Still nowadays, big family gatherings often turn into dance parties!

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

As an independent artist, I would be grateful to connect with more people through my music; release another single and play a couple of live shows.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yes. I’m planning the release of my E.P.!

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Some years ago, I spent a couple months in the U.K., working with different producers on a project that never saw the light of day (unfortunately). I had the pleasure of working with Joe Cross, the producer behind HURTS, and David Laudat, an amazing vocal coach who worked with the Spice Girls back in the day (and also FKA Twigs).

Even though those songs never came out, I learned a lot about music production and songwriting during my stint in London and Manchester. I treasure those days very much!

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Madonna – Erotica; Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope and George Michael – Patience

If I think about it, these three albums share similar topics and are all very personal, raw and very, very sensual. Musically; these albums definitely pushed some boundaries and innovated Pop music at the time. And, visually, Madonna, Janet and George Michael had stunning, creative videos to go with the singles. These albums influenced me a lot growing up and I still turn to them when I need some inspiration.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

That’s a hard question. There are so many artists I admire but I would love to open for Lady Gaga. She’s such a multi-talented, multi-faceted artist. I’ve been a fan since day-one.

A glass of prosecco before the show would honestly be all that I need.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I’m a new artist myself, so I would just say to never give up and to trust your vision.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Not yet, but I’m definitely looking to play some live shows in the future so stay tuned!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Leo Kalyan

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Yes. Lately, I’ve been listening a lot to the mega-talented Leo Kalyan, who put out some great music this year (like his latest single Focus), and NEIL FRANCES; a band that made an awesome cover of  Stardust’s Music Sounds Better With You and then put out a great E.P.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Sometimes, a good workout is all that I need to unwind and recharge but I also enjoy watching old Hollywood movies.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

I would go with one of my all-time favorites: Frank Sinatra - I’ve Got You Under My Skin

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Follow NIKO

Official:

http://thisisniko.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/thisisnikomusic

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thisisnikomusic

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thisisniko/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Ma0uFv5F33l0oahpy5N6Y

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/thisisniko 

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

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Josie Dunne 

An All-Female, Autumn-Ready Playlist (Vol. XIV)

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THIS playlist collates…

IN THIS PHOTO: Sick Love 

some great female artists and shows what incredible talent there is out there. Some in the music industry feel own are a genre and not a gender and, as I show, there is immense range and wonder to be discovered. I have collected together some of the best and freshest new female-led music that displays all the colours and contrasts of autumn. It is a fulsome playlist that mixes the heat and last rays of sunshine with the more contemplative and cool nights. Have a listen through this assortment and I am sure you will find some music that will go straight…

IN THIS PHOTO: Tallies/PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Gray  

TO the heart.

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

____________

Carlie Hanson – Toxins

Ea Kaya – Don’t Complicate It

PHOTO CREDIT: Naysap

Shay D – Don’t Worry

Ayelle – Too Busy

Sick Love – Are You Ready

ARTWORK: Jackie Beverly/DESIGN: Ciarán O'Brien

Jackie Beverly – Out of Reasons

Sabrina Carpenter – Paris

Josie Dunne – Cool with It

Worst Place – Soak

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Gray

Tallies – Beat the Heart

Blithe – Bad Habit

I’m with Her – Wild One

PHOTO CREDIT: Jasmine Safaeian

Dresage – Sediment

HÆLOS – Buried in the Sand

PHOTO CREDIT: Jessie Morgan

Sit Down – Knives

IMAGE CREDIT: Magda Wrzeszcz Photography

Austel – Lost at Home (Acoustic Live Video)

PHOTO CREDIT: Declan Kelly.

Montauk Hotel - Stains

Sive – Quietly

Bishop Briggs – River

Jessie Munro – I’d Like To

Sabby Sousa – Xanax

Vera Blue – All the Pretty Girls

SOAK – Everybody Loves You

LIEZA – Special

Salvation Jayne – Cortez

Jaden Michaels – Behave

INTERVIEW: The Ting Tings

INTERVIEW:

The Ting Tings

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I have been spending time with The Ting Tings…

who have been telling me about their new (fourth) album, The Black Light, and its themes. Katie White and Jules de Martino discuss how the record differs from their previous work and how Spain and L.A. played a part in the recording process.

The guys talk about plans going forward and reveal albums that mean a lot to them; whether there is a rising act we need to get behind and whether they have any goals to tick off before the end of this year – they end the interview by selecting some awesome music.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Jules de Martino: Busy. Putting out our own records is no joke!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Katie White: I’m Katie White…

Jules: I’m Jules de Martino; we are The Ting Tings

The Black Light is your new album. What are the main themes/stories that inspired the record?

Jules: We felt that years of living and touring built up a large trailer-full of baggage (as with all our lives) that gave us anxiety and concern. Most of that emotion made its way onto the record, musically and lyrically. It’s very much about shining a light on those bits we brush under the carpet of forget to address.

Do you each have a favourite song from the album?

Katie: Earthquake.

Jules: Blacklight/Estranged.

What was it like recording The Black Light in Spain and L.A.? Why did you choose those destinations?!

Katie: We always pack down; ship off to a new place to make new music. It’s just part of our fabric. We decided, very early on, that we would never make two records sound alike and, by shutting shop and starting again, we feel like a new band each time.

Jules: On The Black Light, we ended up in Southern Spain in a valley like lost souls suffering from extreme nerves and exhaustion in bliss mountain air and pure silence. Kinda freaked us out as we thawed. It almost chose us but, as the writing and jamming became something honest and worthy, we repacked and set for L.A. to cement the record. We had passed through L.A. many times - especially through the arts district - and vowed to make a record there; so it made sense that once the songs were penned to head there to get this record down.

Many people are familiar with your sound and biggest hits. How do you think your style has changed since the start?

Jules: Immensely. So many reasons for the evolution. As artists, we always want to discover and explore. Life’s short and we need to cram in as much as we can while we’re here.

Katie: We’re an Indie band that crossed over to the ‘other side’ but our hearts remain in the creation of music and art that means something to the creator.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Katie: In a way, we’ve already achieved some of our goals: to complete album-four with material we adore is huge. When we’re this happy about our efforts, we start thinking about touring and performing it live.

Jules: I’d like to master drone flying…

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Katie: Erm. We’re starting to think about places we haven’t seen or performed. It’s an interesting list: Tasmania, Mongolia; India, Iceland; Greenland, the North Pole…

Jules: Wanna go back to Ibiza and party. We spent time there on album-three and didn’t get to do everything we set out to do - so, I’m going back to unfinished biz.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Jules: There’s so many...

I have to check my journal as each time an event surpasses the one before it becomes my fave. Sitting on the street tarmac in Las Vegas after a very heavy night when our T.M. (tour manager). He forgot to get us to the airport on time, which meant missing the next show and getting more messed up in Las Vegas…pretty memorable. If I'm not mistaken, we wheeled our T.M. back to his room that night in a wheelchair as he couldn’t stand up; ex-military dude at 6ft 5.

Katie: Jakarta blew my mind when the promoter crammed 15k peeps into a 5k venue falling apart at the seams. The audience had to watch a military film before we went on stage. (There were) military personal everywhere and we thought we were in for a dud but the 15k sung every single lyric of the entire set. It took a while for me to compute. Things aren’t always what they seem.

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Katie: That’s tough. We Started Nothing will always be special as it was the first.

Jules: Yeah. I though; I still feel like I never got to finish the production on it…I’m feeling The Black Light big. It just feels like it’s really about where we are now - and the process of getting to this independent point in our lives means a lot. It’s the most honest record we have made.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Jules: David Byrne. I would need to be playing drums on Once in a Lifetime - with tequila backstage.

Katie: If The Smiths reformed; I’d like to warm up then watch them from side of stage munching a salad and drinking white wine, of which Morrissey would approve. I love The Smiths…

Jules: I once confused J. (Johnny) Marr for J. (John) Squire. Marr showed up at our studio in Salford (Manchester) and I was hungover. Making small talk; I told him I loved his new band, The Seahorses. I think the single was You Can Talk to Me…which, of course, was Squires’ band. D’oh. No chance of a side of stage if The Smiths reform, then?

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Jules: Do not do it unless you feel it is honest and you want to support it fully. Take no advice; stay true. The industry is in chaos and only artists creating their individual moments will save it.

Katie: Go slowly, surely; have a vision and stay in lane.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Katie: Not yet, but working on it.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sleaford Mods

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Jules: The Sleaford Mods.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Katie: Not at the moment. We are fully-independent releasing our own records. No time to turn off. Never been one to turn off but the time will come and I’ll fall into a big cream cake (or summin’).

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Jules: Sleaford Mods’ Jobseeker

Katie: The Smiths’ There Is a Light That Never Goes Out and Cardi B - Bodak Yellow

Bye,

J. & K.

___________

Follow The Ting Tings

Official:

https://thetingtings.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/thetingtings

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thetingtings/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thetingtings/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM8ASW_g3a6bp17Zk5pULzg

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2wvUfjKGoXvcnDHq7GgMOa

INTERVIEW: James Holt

INTERVIEW:

 PHOTO CREDIT: Debbie Ellis  

James Holt

___________

IT is great to chat with James Holt…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Debbie Ellis

about his new single, Alone Again, and how it came to mind. Holt discusses the song’s origins and reveals whether there will be more material; the artists he grew up around and what the music scene is like in Manchester – Holt recommends a rising act to watch.

I ask whether there will be any tour dates and how she spends time away from music; why he is inspired by the 1960s and that sound; a few albums that mean a lot to him – he ends the interview by selecting a great track.

__________

Hi, James. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey, Sam; all good thanks! Though, I’ve got a slight cold – aCHOO!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from one of the shires of England. I write music in an attempt to make people cry – but in a nice way.

Alone Again is your latest single. Is there a story behind the song?

There are three separate narratives in Alone Again with the underlying theme of loneliness and regret. In the first verse, the character loses his love in death (“Never-ending dream”); in the second he never told his love of his feelings (“I should have screamed when I was whispering”) and, in the final verse, he blames himself for suffocating their passions (“Like fire clings to a burning man I have smothered you”).

It’s mainly just exploring the idea of loneliness: how someone can be lonely by no fault of their own or alone in a crowd – I usually include ‘turning points’ in my songs (in this case, there are two or three!).

The song has that mid-1960s vibe to it. Was there a reason for stepping into that direction?

I really enjoy subverting people’s expectations in songs through sudden tempo changes, similar to Brian Wilson’s production method of splicing together of different sections…which gives Alone Again an angular quality. I’ve always loved the classic songs of the '60s and - drawing inspiration from The Beatles (the Rubber Soul/Revolver years) and the dramatic variety of early Scott Walker - I aimed to write a song that pays homage to that golden era of songwriting.

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Husband

What comes next in terms of material? Are you working on more stuff?

I’ll be going back in November to work on another track, maybe two. I can’t really say much about it but it’s a live favourite. 

Can you give me a sense of the artists you grew up around? Who do you count as idols?

I play piano, guitar and cello and I did all the exam grades and played lots of different styles of music (from Classical to Jazz to Rock) - because of this, I’ve grown up with so many different artists and composers. To name a few: The Beatles, Radiohead; Pink Floyd, David Bowie; Miles Davis, Bob Dylan; Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell; Scott Walker, Tchaikovsky.

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Wolfgang Webster

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

I’m looking ahead into next year now. The rest of 2018 will be spent recording some more material and I have a couple of really cool shows to announce very soon!

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

I have two…

The first (is) meeting Brian Eno and have him champion and support my music; the second, performing at the Royal Albert Hall. The performance was great but I think I enjoyed the sound-check more. I could play with the room and hear it reverberating back to me; take it all in. When I was performing my set for real, I was just concentrating on my performance; making sure I didn’t f*ck up! Haha.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Debbie Ellis

As a Manchester-based artist; what is the scene like up there now? Are there particular venues you’d recommend?

The scene is pretty healthy in terms of new music coming through – sadly, we’ve had a few venue closures recently to make way for accommodation or restaurants, which I believe is a similar story all over the U.K. (I’d like to highlight the Music Venues Trust, who protect and raise awareness of grassroots music venues). If you go to the Northern Quarter in Manchester, you’re likely to find a diverse set of musicians playing in one of its venues every night of the week.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Abbey Road - The Beatles

It’s my favourite Beatles album. It still blows my mind how a band that was pretty much split up at that point could make such a complete album.

In Rainbows – Radiohead

Just the perfect melting pot of Alt-Rock, Folk and Electronic music.

In a Silent Way - Miles Davis

My go-to chill album. This album was made by splicing together different sections and takes of different pieces. It was way ahead of its time and pretty genius really.

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Wolfgang Webster

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Have you seen U2’s live setup recently? They have this huge setup with like a double-sided screen cage (which displays huge images) that’s a few-hundred metres long and dissects the crowd and they run up and down; play on the main stage and play right in the middle of the crowd. I think, for that experience alone, I’d like to support them!

I have a thing for olives so they’d feature on my rider along with orange and mango juice.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

D.I.Y.! You can do so much yourself now, from recording and events to radio/online promotion.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Debbie Ellis

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

I’m playing at St George’s Hall in Liverpool on 1st November - it’s a event run by Universal Inclusion to celebrate equality and inclusion (featuring all sorts, including a big band; an orchestra, lute soloists). In December, I’m taking part in Foundations Fest in Manchester where I’ll be on a panel discussing the Manchester grassroots scene.

In February, I have a full band show at Victoria Theatre, Halifax for an all-day event hosted by Clint Boon. I also have a Manchester headline show announcement coming soon, so keep an eye out…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Slow Readers Club

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Check out The Slow Readers Club if you haven’t already - they recently sold out Manchester Apollo! I supported them for a couple of shows for Independent Venue Week earlier this year.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Sounds a bit sad but pretty much everything I do is music-related! When I’m not doing my own writing, recording or performing my own music I’m either teaching music or playing function gigs (I play piano in a restaurant and I’m playing keyboards in a production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat in Bolton this November!)

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Please can I have When You Know Why You’re Happy – Mary Margaret O’Hara

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Follow James Holt

 PHOTO CREDIT: Debbie Ellis

Official:

https://www.jamesholtmusic.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jamesholtmusic

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/jamesholtmusic

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/iamneavv/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5RU4BAi19LHkaPFcE1USkb

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/jamesholtartist

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/jamesholtmusic