FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Incredible Film Scores and Soundtracks of 2023

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Songs from Incredible Film Scores and Soundtracks of 2023

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I did already cover this…

PHOTO CREDIT: Pavel Danilyuk/Pexel

back in September, but I wanted to expand on the great film scores and soundtracks from last year. Because the Academy Awards opened my eyes to some soundtracks songs and scores that I was unaware of, I have assembled a new playlist. The tracks are from films that were released last year. One new soundtrack, How to Have Sex, came out earlier this month. In any case, if you want an idea of some of the most powerful and important film music of last year, the playlist below should give you an idea. The Academy Awards take place on 10th March. The  Music (Original Score) and Music (Original Song) give you a flavour of the incredible and diverse sounds that scored some of the biggest and most powerful films of last year. From Poor Things to Past Lives to Barbie, below are a selection of songs and soundtrack moments that added extra gravitas and colour to…

SOME celluloid gold.

FEATURE: Groovelines: Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do

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THERE are a few reasons…

why I want to spotlight one of the best song of the 1990s. Even though it does not turn thirty until 12th July, its voice, Sheryl Crow, celebrates her birthday on 11th February. The fourth single from Crow’s debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, All I Wanna Do is perhaps her best-known song. The second single from Tuesday Night Music Club, What Can I Do for You, is thirty on 7th February. I really admire and vibe to Sheryl Crow’s debut album. I gladly marked its thirtieth anniversary last year. I have not come to its standout track yet. Before going on and exploring the song in depth, I am glad there is an HD version of the All I Wanna Do video. Until about a year ago or so, the video that was online was pretty blurry and bad. It looks nice and sharp now – thus, bringing the song to the focus of new listeners. Recorded at the brilliantly-named Toad Hall in Pasadena, California – the perfect blend of stuffy British aristocracy and the sunshine and perfection of the Los Angeles sun! -, All I Wanna Do was produced by Bill Bottrell and written by Sheryl Crow, Kevin Gilbert, Bill Bottrell, Wyn Cooper and David Baerwald. The recipient id the 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, it was also nominated for Song of the Year. It is no wonder the song was an award-winning success and chart hit around the world. The video for All I Wanna Do was directed by David Hogan and Roman Coppola. It is full of charm and great moments! Crow has performed All I Wanna Do quite bit through the years. Another reason why I wanted to highlight All I Wanna Do is that Sheryl Crow unexpectedly announced the release of her twelfth studio album, Evolution. Out next month, many thought that her previous album, 2019’s Threads, was her last.

This iconic and beloved artist is going to get a wave of new fans as she is bringing out new material. People will look back at her previous albums. Tuesday Night Music Club is a brilliant debut. I was eleven when All I Wanna Do arrived. I was about to start high school and I was instantly intoxicated by this remarkable and insanely catchy song! I had not heard a load of Country Pop by 1994. I would be exposed to artists like Shania Twain eventually, though I think Sheryl Crow was among the first to reach my ears. I have always had a soft spot for All I Wanna Do. Maybe there will be a thirtieth anniversary release of the single of vinyl with B-sides like Solidify and I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday. Whilst I would place There Goes the Neighborhood and My Favourite Mistake (from 1998’s The Globe Sessions) and Everyday Is a Winding Road (from 1996’s Sheryl Crow) in the top five Sheryl Crow songs, I will still put All I Wanna Do top. Last year, marking thirty years of Tuesday Night Music Club, The Guardian placed All I Wanna Do at five in their top-twenty Sheryl Crow songs ranking. Also last year, this article crowned All I Wanna Do as her best song. Smooth Radio placed it top too. Before getting into the song, Sheryl Crow revealed in a 2021 interview how there was a time she got tired or playing All I Wanna Do. She came around to the joy and popularity of the hit single:

“All I Wanna Do, Sheryl’s megahit of 1993, also gets an airing, though she jokes that without her manager’s plea ‘it would not have seen the light of day’.

She explains: ‘I have to say that for a long time I didn’t enjoy playing All I Wanna Do every night, but what happens when you get older is that dissatisfaction with life sometimes gets replaced with gratitude. Although that sounds really hokey, it’s what’s happened with me.

‘I’ve gone through transitions in my life that were really public and I’ve come out the other side just being really grateful that I had a song that took me to Russia, Asia and all over South America and that people who didn’t have English even as a second language were trying to sing along with it”.

I am going to round off with some personal thoughts and memories of All I Wanna Do. Medium took a look inside a 1990s classic for a feature in 2018. I can imagine the writing process as being quite laidback. Crow, with her co-writers trading lines and noodling. Those distinct and immersive scenes, together with Crow’s distinct and character-filled vocal performance, makes All I Wanna Do such a winner. It is a song widely played to this day. One cannot help but fall under the spell of this song from the moment it starts:

“Writing credits for “All I Wanna Do” go to Sheryl Crow, Wyn Cooper, Dave Baerwald, Kevin Gilbert and Bill Bottrell.

Baerwald, Gilbert and Bottrell were founder members of an informal songwriting group which called itself the Tuesday Night Music Club. Sheryl Crow joined the collective whilst dating Kevin Gilbert — and “Tuesday Night Music Club” would go on to become the title of Sheryl Crow’s multi-platinum breakthrough album in homage to those gatherings.

At one of those casual songwriting events…literally on a Tuesday night after a few beers during the afternoon…Bill Bottrell brought along the words to a poem called “Fun” by Wyn Cooper.

You’ll recognise the opening verse from “Fun” as “All I Wanna Do” pretty much used this lock, stock and barrel…

“All I want to do is have a little fun before I die,”

Says the man next to me

Out of nowhere, apropos of nothing

He says his name’s William

But I’m sure it’s Bill or Billy, Mac or Buddy

He’s plain ugly to me

And I wonder if he’s ever had fun in his life

That pretty much set the pattern for “All I Wanna Do”. Wyn Cooper’s poem, with a few relatively minor adjustments along the way, formed the verses and, depending on whose version of events you choose to believe, either Sheryl Crow on her own or the entire Tuesday Night Music Club came up with the chorus…

All I wanna do is have some fun

I’ve got a feeling I’m not the only one

All I wanna do is have some fun

I’ve got a feeling I’m not the only one

All I wanna do is have some fun

Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard

I say Wyn Cooper’s poem was the basis for the verses in “All I Wanna Do” — that’s only true for the first three verses, and a couple of lines from the fourth verse. The other verse-and-a-bit don’t make the cut.

Which may be part of the charm of “All I Wanna Do”. In Wyn Cooper’s poem, he brings the story to a close in the “missing” verses. Without them, the song never reaches a conclusion and just goes on into the indefinite distance, ambling towards the horizon but never quite disappearing over it.

“All I Wanna Do” is one of those intriguing songs which asks more questions than it answers. And Sheryl Crow’s delivery really makes the difference.

She conveys the sense that not only isn’t she going to explore any hidden layers, or answer any further questions, she has no interest in even contemplating the possibility that she might.

Whether that’s because she already knows the answer, or can’t find herself bothered enough to care, adds another layer of intrigue to an already intriguing set of lyrics.

As does Sheryl Crow’s delightfully idiosyncratic vocal delivery, especially on the verses, which she delivers half-sung, half-spoken with a heavy overtone of ennui, paying little attention to the insistent drum track propelling the song along, or the normal rules of music performance.

Sheryl Crow captures the mood of someone sitting in a bar all day watching a guy peel the labels off beer bottles for fun perfectly.

As always, creating a “one off” is difficult. It takes a lot more skill than just doing something broadly similar to whatever everyone else is doing.

IN THIS PHOTO: Sheryl Crow in 1994/PHOTO CREDIT: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images

Thankfully Sheryl Crow has a degree in classical music and spent some time teaching music before fame and fortune came her way, so we can take it she has a thorough enough knowledge of the rules to know how to break them successfully.

Bill Bottrell worked as a producer for some of the biggest acts in popular music — Michael Jackson, Madonna and Elton John among them. David Baerwald and Keving Gilbert were both accomplished, and critically-acclaimed, record-makers themselves. And Wyn Cooper was a great poet…if largely undiscovered until “All I Wanna Do” came along.

Somehow, the heady mix of people and talents at the Tuesday Night Music Club, after a few beers, I’m sure, pulled together the song that would become “All I Wanna Do””.

As a child just about to go to high school, I was nervous and unsure what I was in for. Whether I would settle in quickly. Music was a big help and source of comfort. A wonderful musical revelation that was played at a lot in my first year of high school in 1994, this iconic track is thirty on 12th July. Tuesday Night Music Club’s fabulous fourth single, I will end with Wikipedia’s critical reaction round-up of one of Sheryl Crow’s biggest single releases:

“Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Critical darling is poised for a long-deserved top 40 breakthrough with this breezy hand-clapper. Crow has a friendly demeanor that adds extra bounce to a sweet instrumental setting of jangly guitars and toe-tapping beats. Live-sounding jam is a fitting soundtrack to a day at the beach or speeding down the highway with the top down." Troy J. Augusto from Cash Box felt it should have been the first single from Tuesday Night Music Club. "Devil-may-care lyrics ("I like a good beer-buzz, early in the morning"), a cool country twang and Sheryl's friendly vocal style should all spell hit for this feelin'-good number. Rock, country, adult and, particularly, hits radio should all find lots to love about this low-key frolic. Don't miss the live show." In a second single review, he noted, "Seriously infectious hook, simple yet clever instrumentation and Crow's likable personality all spell a winner here. A perfect summertime track, "All I Wanna Do" could well be the song that kicks off Sheryl's run at the big leagues." In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton commented, that "All I Wanna Do" "certainly has potential to go further, not least with Lisa Loeb as a role model but my one overwhelming confession is that I honestly cannot see what all the fuss is about. It's a good record, but no more." Alan Jones from Music Week said "this cheery pop/rock smash is a wordy, but expertly delivered and invigorating confection with a catchy chorus." He added, "Brits may not smile as much as US rock buyers, but they'll grin enough to get this into the chart".

A song that has lost none its cool and brilliance almost thirty years since it was released, Sheryl Crow’s All I Wanna Do is one that I would urge everyone to play now. It will lift the mood and get you singing along! Insatiable and a fusion of sunshine and beer-stained brilliance, it is a track that means a lot to me. With Sheryl Crow releasing a new album soon, she will tour again. I hope that All I Wanna Do makes a setlist soon enough. This mighty and timeless song is one of the…

VERY best of the 1990s.

FEATURE: The Teen Prodigy: Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside at Forty-Six

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The Teen Prodigy

Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside at Forty-Six

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ON 17th February…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot on 2nd March, 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Mirrorpix

it will be forty-six years since Kate Bush released her debut album, The Kick Inside. Only nineteen when the album came out, it reached number three in the U.K. Produced by Andrew Powell, it contained huge songs like The Man with the Child in His Eyes and Wuthering Heights. I find it strange that this album is not better known or has a wider appreciation. Many people know about it, yet I don’t really heard it played much across radio. Perhaps the odd song or two. There are some real gems from the album that one never heard at all. It is a pity. Such a phenomenal introduction, here was this teen prodigy that put out an album like no other! I am going to get to some parts of a fascinating exploration of The Kick Inside. The album has never fully been embraced the same way as Hounds of Love. That is fair enough. I just feel that Bush’s debut is worthy of a lot more love. Rather than this being a promising debut or her first step to something better, The Kick Inside is a fully-formed and astonishing album in its own right! I will finish with a review for The Kick Inside. Obviously, with so much interest around this new and exciting young artists, there are a lot of interviews available from 1978. An interview that I have sourced before, Donna McAllister spoke with Kate Bush for Sounds in March 1978. There was a lot of curiosity around this new artists. Most not knowing how to write about her. Many of the early interviews are quite lurid and talk about Kate Bush’s sex appeal. Others are patronising and piss-taking. There are some that get the tone right:

“The story is not at all as overnight as it seems to be, it was in fact two years ago that Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour bopped around to Kate’s flat with a Revox -- goal in mind to get some of Kate’s tunes published. She wasn't, at the time, considered a singer but Gilmour, who is genuinely interested in giving undiscovered talent a shot-in-the-arm (with his Unicorn organization) felt that the bubbling under songs should have the opportunity to be heard. They recorded about 15 songs per tape, and took them around to various record companies. The unanimous opinion, then, was 'non-commercial', and after all . . . it's not creative unless it sells, 'eh?

How Kate and Gilmour hooked up is rather a vague 'girlfriends'- boyfriends'- girlfriends friend' sort of rigmarole, but the fact is that he never did lose interest in her er . . . talents, and decided that the only way to reach a record company's gold lined pocket was to produce finished product. Which is exactly what they did. Gilmour put up the money, and Kate went into Air studios complete with a band, and laid down the three tracks she and Dave both felt were best. This is the tape which eventually landed Kate her contract with EMI Records.

Despite the fact that she has been already wrongly built (no pun intended) in the media to be a mere child, she is surprisingly aware of what is going on around her, and is accepting the entire shindig with a pleased air of disbelief.

"They keep telling me the chart numbers, and I just kind of say 'Wow' (she sweeps her arms) . . . it's not really like it's happening. I've always been on the outside, watching albums I like go up the charts, and feeling pleased that they are doing well, but it's hard to relate to the fact that it's now happening to me..."

'WUTHERING Heights', Kate's self-penned song, inspired by the book of the same title, is literally catapulting up the UK charts, and looks as though it will be one of those classic world-wide smasheroonies, though it has yet to be released in most other countries. She recently took her first air-borne flight to Germany for a television appearance, as the single, apparently, has been chosen as whatever the German equivalent of 'pick-of-the-week' might be.

"It was mind blowing," she said euphorically, in reference to flying, "I really want to do more of that . . ." Wonder how she'll feel about in in two years’ time.

She writes songs about love, people, relationships and life . . . sincerely and emotionally, but without prostituting her talents by whining about broken hearts.

"If you're writing a song, assuming people are going to listen, then you have a responsibility to those people. It's important to give them a positive message, something that can advise or help is far more effective than having a wank and being self-pitiful. That's really negative. My friends and brothers have been really helpful to me, providing me with stimulating conversation and ideas I can really sink my teeth into."

For as long as she can remember she has been toying around with the piano, much, I reckoned, to her parent's chagrin. Can you imagine living with a nine-year-old who insisted on battering away on said instrument, wailing away at the top of her lungs in accompaniment?

"Well, they weren't very encouraging in the beginning, they thought it was a lot of noise. When I first started, my voice was terrible, but the voice is an instrument to a singer, and the only way to improve it is to practice. I have had no formal vocal training, though there was a guy that I used to see for half-an-hour once a week, and he would advise me on things like breathing properly, which is very important to voice control. He'd say things like 'Does that hurt? Well, then sing more from here (motions to diaphragm) than from your throat.' I don't like the idea of 'formal' training, it has far too many rules and conventions that are later hard to break out of . . ."

IT IS QUITE obvious from the cover of 'The Kick Inside', her debut album, that Ms. Bush is Orientally influenced, but apparently it was not meant to take on such an oriental feel.

"I think it went a bit over the top, actually. We had the kite, and as there is a song on the album by that name, and as the kite is traditionally oriental, we painted the dragon on. But I think the lettering was just a bit too much. No matter. On the whole I was surprised at the amount of control I actually had with the album production. Though I didn't choose the musicians," (Andrew Powell, producer and arranger did). "I thought they were terrific.

"I was lucky to be able to express myself as much as I did, especially with this being a debut album. Andrew was really into working together, rather than pushing everyone around. I basically chose which tracks went on, put harmonies where I wanted them . . . I was there throughout the entire mix. I feel that's very important. Ideally, I would like to learn enough of the technical side of things to be able to produce my own stuff eventually."

Kate has a habit of gesturing constantly with her hands, and often expressing herself with unspellable sounds and grimaces. Though this make tape transcriptions difficult, it does accentuate something which is very much a part of her, 'movement expression'. She has studied under the inimitable Lindsay Kemp, mime artiste, an experience shared with Kate's favourite musician, David Bowie.

"I admire actresses and actors terribly and think it's an amazing craft. But singing and performing your songs should be the same thing. At this point I would rather develop my music and expressing it physically, as opposed to having a script. I think I'm much better off as a wailer. . ."

She is, indeed a beautiful woman. Carved ivory, with nary a nick. So obviously there is no way she can avoid becoming the target for sexist minds. Although she does not advocate this reaction, she's not flustered by it. After all, it is a compliment.

"As long as it does not interfere with my progress as a singer/songwriter, it doesn't matter. I just wish people would think of that first, I would be foolish to think that people don't look. I suppose in some ways it helps to get more people to listen . . ."

'THE KICK Inside' suggests a keen interest in mysticism.

"I try to work on myself spiritually, and am always trying to improve my outlook on life. We really abuse all that we've got, assuming that we are so superior as beings, taking the liberties of sticking up cement stuff all over the place. I think there is a lot to astrology, and the effect the moon has upon us all' but I hate the way it's become so trendy now.

"I'm a vegetarian, and now that's trendy as well . . . but what annoys me the most is the way people are so automatically cynical about astrology. I mean, like the Greeks put an incredible amount of hard work into carefully planned geometric charts, based purely on mathematics. People just shrug off. It's the same with coincidence, as I said in the song 'Strange Phenomena',"

At first, Kate was opposed to having any sort of management, feeling strongly that less mistakes are made if you deal with situations yourself, directly. But she quickly found out that this sort of idealism does not work, and now has Peter Lyster-Todd handling her business affairs.

"He has worked more on the theatrical side of entertainment than music. I like that. I think most managers are crooks, greedy and non-musical, and that mixing with other music managers is contagious. I think Peter will be amazing . . .”.

Prior to getting to a review and my thoughts about The Kick Inside turning forty-six, Stereogum’s 2018 feature (on the album’s fortieth anniversary) takes us inside this beguiling and beautiful album. Not this Pop ingénue who was being led and relying on others calling the shots, Kate Bush was determined and had a clear vision of her own music. In terms of the singles that would be released from it. I do often wonder whether there were any photographs taken of Bush at AIR Studio in 1977, when she was recording The Kick Inside. It would have been fascinating seeing her captured in action:

“Bush, a cult figure in America who is regarded as a national treasure in the UK, created a legacy that has influenced countless musicians, many of whom might not even realize she made their work possible. How would most pop stars tour without the headset microphone, which was created for Bush’s 1979 Tour Of Life, using a wire hanger? Producing her own work in an industry in which a small percentage of women are producers, Kate Bush has maintained a level of control and integrity within her spellbinding music that few artists have matched. She opened the door for all artists, but especially women, to experiment more radically in their audio and visual work. As Imogen Heap once said, “When I was 17 and getting my first record deal, it was the likes of Kate Bush who had contributed to labels taking me seriously as a girl who knew what she was doing and wanted.” To be frank: Without Kate Bush, none of your faves would exist in the same capacity. That might sound hyperbolic, but there is so much, from turning live performances into multimedia, theatrical spectacles, to making music videos years before MTV’s debut, to wearing a swan dress — that Kate Bush did first.

Her groundbreaking legacy of experimental yet accessible, inspiringly individualistic work begins with the extraordinary debut album that turns 40 this weekend: The Kick Inside. Released when Bush was 19 in 1978, it included songs she had written as early as age 13 and introduced the world into Bush’s wild imagination. Arriving in a year otherwise dominated by disco and punk (“Wuthering Heights” replaced Abba’s “Take A Chance On Me” as the UK’s #1 single) this imagination felt “strangely out of time” and singular. The album’s focus on female sexuality, its use of voice as an instrument, and Bush’s unique storytelling techniques — particularly her exciting use of fluid narrative identity, in which she changes identities and narrative point of view with every song — created a new, unprecedented model for women in music. The Kick Inside (referred to as TKI from now on) made the world a safer place not just for women musicians but also for freaks and outcasts everywhere, and its anniversary is well worth celebrating.

Of course, first we need to address what will make most people either adore or despise TKI: That Voice. As the album begins, a wailing, impossibly-high-pitched voice grabs (or repels) the listener as it sings that opening line “mooooooviiiiiing straaaangeeeer.” Deborah Withers, author of Adventures In Kate Bush And Theory, wrote that the pitch of her voice is “an assault on the normal parameters of vocal modulation.” I feel it is no coincidence that, within a music criticism field dominated by straight white men, her most acclaimed album is 1985’s Hounds Of Love, on which her voice deepened enough for them to be able to handle it. Dismissive and condescending quotes from male critics about Bush’s early work, both from the ‘70s and now, are too numerous to collect here, but Suede frontman Brett Anderson’s assertion in the BBC’s The Kate Bush Story that in her early work she was “finding her way … she hadn’t quite found herself and all that early stuff of her dancing around in leotards is a little bit am-dram” (is he forgetting how he dressed in the early ‘90s?) and that Hounds Of Love is “the zenith” of her artistry, typifies the traditional critical approach to Bush’s work.

Reared in the country known for stiff upper lips and repressed sexuality (full disclosure: this author is part-English), Bush sang frankly in songs written in her teens about lust, and her narrative voice on TKI possesses an active feminine, sexual gaze. In the album’s second song, “The Saxophone Song” she imagines herself “in a Berlin Bar” as she watches a saxophonist play and becomes a voyeur filled with desire, a traditionally masculine position. On the album’s second half, Bush becomes franker, and downright explicit, about her active sexuality. In “Feel It,” she and her lover go “back to your parlour” where “Locking the door/My stockings fall onto the floor, desperate for more.” She stretches out the word “more” with her inimitable voice for as long as she can, mimicking the sound of a woman in ecstasy. She then sings, “The glorious union, well, it could be love/Or it could be just lust, but it will be fun/It will be wonderful.” In case there was any doubt that Bush was singing about sex, she then explicitly describes penetration: “keep on a-moving in, keep on a-tuning in/synchronize rhythm now.” What teenage girl was celebrating the “fun” of a possible one-night stand in pop music in 1978, much less the “sticky love inside” (a cringeworthy lyric, yes) it produces in “L’Amour Looks Something Like You”?

TKI is also revolutionary because it establishes Bush’s narrative style as fluid and multiple; her songs are short stories each written from a different narrator’s perspective rather than from her own point of view. This writing style stands in stark contrast to the traditionally personal style of music focusing on love and heartbreak that continues to dominate the charts. “I often find myself inspired by unusual, distorted, weird subjects, as opposed to things that are straightforward. It’s a reflection of me, my liking for weirdness,” she said in 1980. Unlike the majority of pop/rock artists, The “I” in Bush’s music is rarely Bush. Her songs are not confessional, but are rather short stories told from the points of views of a diverse range of narrators. From Bush’s songs, we can know about themes that interest her, but Kate Bush herself rarely speaks in her work; her narrators, who occupy multiple genders, races, and historical times, do instead. This is a deeply radical break from traditional “confessional “ songwriting, especially for women up to that point. Consider that the most acclaimed female musician of the time, and probably of all time, Joni Mitchell, is most-lauded for her confessional album, Blue”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: An outtake from The Kick Inside’s cover shoot, showing the metal bar and ropes that were constructed for the shot/PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Myrdal

That sense of confidence and having a say regarding her music and aesthetics comes across when it comes to The Kick Inside’s cover. Not merely a cover that was similar to what so many other artists were putting out in 1978, there was a story and something unique behind this one. Even though I think that a portrait of Kate Bush would have been a better choice, what we have for the cover – the U.K. cover anyway; various countries had different images on the cover – is, in part, inspired by Disney. Kate Bush News, when marking forty years of The Kick Inside, spoke with Jay Myrdal. He shot the ‘kite’ album cover:

“It must be remembered that when I shot the photographs of Kate for her first album, ‘The Kick Inside’, no one had heard of her before. She was very young and even EMI didn’t expect her first album to be anything more than a minor success. While the record company were confident that she was indeed a considerable talent, they were as surprised as anyone when she topped the charts. I had listened to the tape of Wuthering Heights before the shoot and my recollection was that, while it was interesting, I thought she had a rather shrill voice and I did not expect it to do very well.

What do I know?

Kate arrived at the studio with her father and a car full of bits of wood and painted paper from which he constructed the kite as it appears in the photograph. I rigged the rather fragile kite on the black painted wall of my studio with ropes and a metal bar which was strong enough for her to hang from.

In the meantime Kate was in the back room with a makeup girl being covered in gold body paint. The image was entirely Kate’s idea and Steve Ridgeway, the art director and I simply did more or less as we were told. The idea had come from the Disney animated film ‘Pinocchio’ and the scene when Jiminy Cricket floats past the whale’s eye using his umbrella like a parachute.

IN THIS IMAGE: A still from Walt Disney’s Pinocchio (1940) 

The shoot went well of course but I had never been fully briefed on just how it would be used. I had been instructed to shoot it on black which was how it appeared on the single. Used that way, it worked just fine. Unfortunately, when it was composited against the light yellow background of the eye, the dark shadows around her legs and on the bottom of the kite didn’t work for me. In spite of it being probably the most famous record cover I ever shot, I never used it in my portfolio, feeling that this technical problem was an embarrassment to a perfectionist like myself.

Again… What do I know?

Kate returned to my studio a few times after the shoot, once to collect the kite and a few more times just to say hello. Shortly after her record was released I held one of my well known studio parties and invited Kate but sadly by that time she was far too famous and busy to attend although she did send her apologies via the record company… (sigh!)  – Jay Myrdal FRPS”.

I will finish on yet another source I have included before. Laura Snapes reviewed The Kick Inside for Pitchfork in 2019. Even though it is playful and child-like at times, it is determined and complete. If many in the media portrayed Kate Bush as a hippy or doe-eyed (or worse) in 1978, they were overlooking the fact that this was a very strong young woman getting what she wanted. An artist who deserved a lot more respect than she was afforded:

“There’s not a fearful note on The Kick Inside, and yet there is still room for childish wonder: Just because Bush appeared emotionally and musically sophisticated beyond her years didn’t mean denying them.

“Kite” unravels like a children’s story: First she wants to fly up high, away from cruel period pains (“Beelzebub is aching in my belly-o”) and teenage self-consciousness (“all these mirror windows”) but no sooner is she up than she wants to return to real life. It is a wacky hormone bomb of a song, prancing along on toybox cod reggae and the enervating rat-a-tat-tat energy that sustained parodies of Bush’s uninhibited style; still, more fool anyone who sneers instead of reveling in the pure, piercing sensation of her crowing “dia-ia-ia-ia-ia-ia-ia-mond!” as if giving every facet its own gleaming syllable.

“Strange Phenomena” is equally awed, Bush celebrating the menstrual cycle as a secret lunar power and wondering what other powers might arrive if we were only attuned to them. She lurches from faux-operatic vocal to reedy shriek, marches confidently in tandem with the strident chorus and unleashes a big, spooky “Woo!,” exactly as silly as a 19-year-old should be. As is “Oh to Be in Love,” a baroque, glittering harpsichord romp about a romance that brightens the colors and defeats time.

She only fails to make a virtue of her naivety on “Room for the Life,” where she scolds a weeping woman for thinking any man would care about her tears. The sweet calypso reverie is elegant, and good relief from the brawnier, propulsive arrangements that stood staunchly alongside Steely Dan. But Bush shifts inconsistently between reminding the woman that she can have babies and insisting, more effectively, that changing one’s life is up to you alone. The latter is clearly where her own sensibilities lie: “Them Heavy People,” another ode to her teachers, has a Woolf-like interiority (“I must work on my mind”) and a distinctly un-Woolf-like exuberance, capering along like a pink elephant on parade. “You don’t need no crystal ball,” she concludes, “Don’t fall for a magic wand/We humans got it all/We perform the miracles.”

The Kick Inside was Bush’s first, the sound of a young woman getting what she wants. Despite her links to the 1970s’ ancien régime, she recognized the potential to pounce on synapses shocked into action by punk, and eschewed its nihilism to begin building something longer lasting. It is ornate music made in austere times, but unlike the pop sybarites to follow in the next decade, flaunting their wealth while Britain crumbled, Bush spun hers not from material trappings but the infinitely renewable resources of intellect and instinct: Her joyous debut measures the fullness of a woman’s life by what’s in her head”.

On 17th February, 1978, Kate Bush released The Kick Inside into the world. Everything would change. Performing and being interviewed all around the world, this unusual and unconventional young English artist was like nobody else. Forty-six years later, I feel The Kick Inside is underrated. Not as explored and admired quite as much as it should be. Laura Shenton’s book about The Kick Inside is a useful reference. It is my favourite album of all time. The more I listen to The Kick Inside, the more I know that…

WILL never change.

FEATURE: Meaningful Allyship: The Best Way to Support and Salute Women Through the Industry

FEATURE:

 

 

Meaningful Allyship

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Hawkes/Pexels

The Best Way to Support and Salute Women Through the Industry

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ONE of my main ambitions…

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

as a music journalist is to do everything possible to support women and promote their music. To discuss important issues around inequality and discrimination. Doing as much to highlight the music and the amazing women around. There is a desire to try and make a difference when it comes to adding my voice to concerns that continue. How there is still so much discrimination and misogyny. I covered this recently. Rather than revisit that line of enquiry, I do wonder whether there is meaningful and clear allyship coming from the industry in general. I am going to deviate before coming back to music. Like so many who have an interest in film, it was gutting that Greta Gerwig was not nominated in the Directing category. Other female directors (such as Celine Song for Past Lives) missed out. A category that always struggles with gender inequality, many felt that she was worthy of nomination. The biggest film of last year, it was a massive oversight! From what the actors of Barbie said, Gerwig’s set was so much fun. This really energetic and happy space, it makes it super-crushing that she was not nominated this year. Ryan Gosling (who got an Actor in a Supporting Role nomination for playing Ken), made a statement expressing his disappointment that Greta Gerwig was not named in the Directing category. Also, his co-star, Margot Robbie missed out in the Actress category. That these two women who helped make and define one of the biggest films in many years did not get Oscar nominations (though Barbie was nominated in Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay). That sort of allyship and support from Gosling was incredible! What is clear is that Hollywood still excludes and overlooks female directors. Excuses about subjectivity and limited category spaces hid a fact: Hollywood still has a bias towards male directors when it comes to awards and recognition.

IN THIS PHOTO: Greta Gerwig/PHOTO CREDIT: Norman Jean Roy for Vanity Fair

It made me think about music. We have similar issues. Perhaps not with an award ceremony like the Oscars. Other areas like festivals maybe. Who is speaking out about the ongoing imbalance and sexism?! Women mainly. There are very few male allies (if any?). In terms of big names in the industry certainly. It does rile me that very few put their head above the parapet and voice their anger at how the industry is still misogynistic and does not value women truly! Even if some areas have improved, look at all the other areas that are rife with problems. My writing can only do so much. I know there are organisations and charities supporting women and fighting for equality. Here are organisations out there who support women in music. They do amazing work. I know about the incredible Cactus City Studio and The F-List (whose new President is Hannah Peel). We also have Why Not Her?, Women in CTRL, and Safe Gigs for Women. I would consider myself quite a passionate feminist. From spotlighting terrific women coming through and those queens established already, through to discussing sexism and misogyny through the industry, I wonder how best to filter and focus that passion. Whether it is feasible setting up my own organisation. How to best get more men in the industry speaking up and getting involved Whether there is a campaign or way of joining all the organisations together for a massive cause or campaign. On 8th March, it is International Women’s Day. I want to do something before then.

IN THIS PHOTO: Hannah Peel

It is still the case that the industry has so many problems to confront. Women, dominating the industry and really producing the best music, are in the minority when it comes to exposure and opportunities. Perhaps not quite a glaring hegemony as Hollywood, music is still male-dominated. A matriarchal music industry, rather than excluding men or causing problems, would genuinely create a more balanced and less toxic industry. So many amazing women (and men) doing important work to highlight injustice and issues. I don’t think we should be in a position, in 2024, where there is still so much work to be done. It is frustrating for music journalists like me and so many others continuingly hearing about drawbacks and inequality. Cases of abuse and discrimination. So many myriad problems that should not be such a problem in this day and age. One where women are creating such important and phenomenal music. Women behind the scenes and those in studios. Those label owners, D.J.s and all their sisters across music, constantly having to ask for change and being seen as less important or relevant as men. If I have said this a lot before, it does warrant repetition. It is a huge industry, and there are so many problems to tackle. I know that this International Women’s Day will both celebrate women throughout music but also call out an industry still unshaking in its discrimination and sexism – even if there are pockets of prosperity and progress. Men in the industry need to be more active and vocal! There are so few men in music that are continuingly and meaningfully protesting and joining the conversation. Maybe it is difficult to know where to start and how to help. I feel, as someone with a small following, it can be really difficult.

PHOTO CREDIT: Nicholas Derio Palacios/Pexels

This year, instead of having any resolutions – which are always meaningless and broken instantly -, I would try and use my platform to try and bring about change. However small that is. That may sound a little pious and self-important but, at a time when music journalism is in decline and being threatened (as so many cannot make money from it), the appetite for it grows. Each month seems to bring bad news and reports of women in the industry being negatively impacted. This sits against an industry thriving because of women. It is that cognitive dissonance that galls me! Not an industry that reflects meritocracy; that bias and unwavering and tone deaf lack of change. I do realise that there has been progress over the past few years in so many areas. Even so, when one thinks about the music industry, like Hollywood, it has a real problem when it comes to women. Many do not feel protected or safe. Many feel underheard and underpaid. Artists not given headline slots. Female D.J.s having to work tirelessly to get the same chances as men. Many women reporting sexism and misogyny they constantly face. Award shows fixing some problems but not addressing others. This very slow progress only happens because of women in music. They deserve a lot more than they are getting. I have a real drive and determination to do all I can. Transitioning from the written word to become more active and join forces with others. For women all throughout music, providing equality and true recognition is…

PHOTO CREDIT: Sound On/Pexels

THE absolute least they deserve.

FEATURE: Brother Stands for Comfort: John Carder Bush at Eighty: His Influence on Kate Bush’s Career

FEATURE:

 

 

Brother Stands for Comfort

ALL PHOTOS: John Carder Bush 

John Carder Bush at Eighty: His Influence on Kate Bush’s Career

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ALL of us are inspired and guided…

by our relationship with siblings. Whether it is an approach to life, a taste in music or something else, we take a lot from a brother or sister. This is true of so many musicians. When it comes to Kate Bush, her older brothers Paddy and Jay (John Carder Bush) opened her eyes to a whole new world of music. Beyond contemporary bands of the 1970s like Pink Floyd and artists such as David Bowie and Elton John, Bush’s brothers were playing English Folk and more esoteric sounds. Paddy Bush, who played on most of her studio albums, constantly brought weird and wonderful sounds to his sister’s attention. When it comes to John Carder Bush, there was a range of influences. A talented poet, his promise and imaginative writing clearly had an impact on the young Kate (Catherine/Cathy) Bush. Rather than writing in a conventional/traditional way, I feel a lot of her lyrical approach was influenced by her eldest brother and his poetry. A big reason why she wrote poetry herself, John Carder Bush also photographed his sister through her career. The book, Cathy, compiles photos from her earliest years (see above). Some wonderful childhood shots. Photographing images for 2011’s Director’s Cut, and iconic snaps such as the Hounds of Love album cover, you can see them all in KATE: Inside the Rainbow. There is another reason to talk about John Carder Bush. Born on 26th March, 1944, he turns eighty very soon. I know that the Kate Bush community will celebrate that nearer the time. I can only imagine how proud he was, as a fourteen-year-old, when his sister, Catherine, was born on 30th July, 1958. The two bonded very quickly. Although Kate Bush definitely inspired her brother, the influence of her brother in terms of her writing and performance can be traced to him.

I love thinking about the Bush household. All of them living at East Wickham Farm in Welling. You can see this video here of Kate Bush with her family. That was produced in 1979. I look back at photos from Cathy of John Caser Bush capturing his young sister in these intimate and brilliant photos. Entwined and interconnected throughout her career, I think the last input he has on her work was when he appeared in a speaking role on the album of Kate Bush’s 2014 residency, Before the Dawn. The narrator and writer on Jig of Life, he contributed to her most recent album release. That album came out in 2016. You wonder how much the two have worked together since then. Whether any new photos have been taken or there has been any musical coloration. Whether you feel John Carder Bush’s poetry and musical tastes is the biggest and most important association with his sister or the iconic and brilliant photographer, he clearly had a big impact on her. In fact, Kate Bush trained at Goldsmiths College Karate Club where John was a karate instructor. There she became known as ‘Ee-ee’ because of her squeaky kiai! I will wrap up in a second. I first want to bring in an Attitude interview. They spoke with John Carder Bush in 2017 about a lifetime of photographing his sister - and some favourite memories:

“John, Kate – Inside The Rainbow is just gorgeous. Why did now feel like the right time to put a book like this together?

I think the timing of this book was dictated by the reprint of Cathy [last year]. So many people had shown an interest in that book long after it went out of print, and it seemed logical to see what would happen if I brought it up to date. Originally, when I published Cathy back in 1986, I had planned to do three books – Cathy, Catherine and Kate, but like so many ambitious plans, it never happened.

Let’s start with those earliest photos you took of your sister, the ones that formed the book Cathy. Was it a case of your little sister being an easy subject to practice on, or were you aware even in those early days that there was a ‘star quality’ to her?

In those days I had only just started to feel that the camera could evoke something I wanted to express about childhood and the world of the imagination that so many children live in. I was also excited by my personal discovery of the pre-Raphaelites and had started collecting illustrated books of the turn of the century, which nobody was interested in in the early sixties and could be bought for next to nothing. My little sister was the perfect model, and although I was pleased with the results, I don’t think I detected star quality – we were a long way away from the her future career; when you know someone so well and see them every day of your life, you just don’t notice that kind of thing, although looking at them now it is quite clear she had something special.

This feels about as close to an ‘official’ retrospective book of Kate’s career as we might get. What are her thoughts on it?

I first discussed the book with Kate back in the summer of 2014. The live shows then swept her away for a few months. When I had done a preliminary selection of photos and written the text, I showed them to her for her comments and I then worked with her final selection of images for the rest of the project. As I remember, she pointed out that she had ten ‘O’ levels, when I had put nine.

When you look through the images in the book, do you see changes develop as the years go on? There’s a sophistication that seems to really develop in Kate’s imagery from Hounds of Love onwards…

Yes, I agree. You can see the development in the sense that she becomes more expert at conscious projection, more confident in knowing what works and what does not, and I think the same thing applies to my photography.

One thing that strikes me, looking through the book, is her willingness to try different things – poses, props, costumes etc – in the pursuit of a great shot. Did either of you take the lead in those situations, or was it quite a 50/50 partnership?

I think this is dictated by two different things. With album and single shots, there is a very specific intention to project a persona that matches the songs; with promotional shots, variety becomes very important otherwise every session would have looked the same. With album and single sessions, Kate always had a very definite idea of what she wanted before she stepped in front of the camera and it was a question of trying to realise that in a photographic context.

In the book, you mention Hounds of Love being a favourite record – it’s the album with perhaps the most iconic artwork of Kate’s career. What is it for you that makes that album / period a particular favourite? 

Hounds of Love seems to me to demonstrate the perfect combination of Kate’s power and ability to be able to operate successfully in the world of popular music, and at the same time create something iconic like The Ninth Wave that transcends the throwaway nature of the charts. I also had a lot more involvement with that album executively and creatively, and writing and performing the poetry section on the song Jig of Life meant that I had many happy memories of that time.

There is a big time gap in the book from The Red Shoes to Director’s Cut – eighteen years between photos. How had things changed when you went back to photographing Kate after all those years?

The big difference was that I was photographing her face and not her feet! But, seriously, nothing seemed any different except the machinery I was using; digital and not analogue. And, of course, she now had a son who was popping in to see what was going on, whereas it used to be the other way round”.

On 26th March, John Carder Bush turns eighty. It is cause to look ahead and celebrate. A few days before her brother’s seventieth birthday, on 21st March, 2014, that is when Kate Bush announced Before the Dawn. That is an anniversary I will mark. Even though her brother was not a massive part of that residency, you can see his influence through the set. The design, concept and feel. He would have inspired 1979’s The Tour of Life (see him in this video at 15:42) too. The way poetry and spoken word is in Before the Dawn definitely comes back to her oldest brother. These incredible photos that he took of a young Kate Bush, right through to more recent ones, are among the most striking and memorable of all Kate Bush photos. We discuss Kate Bush’s music a lot, though not in the context of her family. Her mother, Hannah, and father, Robert, had their part and influence. So too did Paddy. So tight-knit and supportive, I wanted to spend a moment highlighting John Carder Bush. Or Jay. How his photographers brought something from this incredible artist. His poetry and love of the arts and music had an immediate and early influence on his sister. In a year where there are going to be some important anniversaries – The Tour of Life (forty-five), The Sensual World (thirty-five) and Before the Dawn (ten) -, some might overlook a big birthday for John Carder Bush. I have been thinking about his relationship with his sister and how involved in her work he was. Even though Kate Bush is her own woman and a singular and extraordinary talent, when it comes to her beloved eldest brother, she definitely…

OWES a lot to him.

FEATURE: It’s in the Trees, It’s in the Skies: How Kate Bush’s Influence Is Everywhere

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It’s in the Trees, It’s in the Skies

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Aris

How Kate Bush’s Influence Is Everywhere

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WITHOUT sign or promise…

PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

of new material coming from Kate Bush, many are connecting with her work through reissues and retrospection. It is a way of keeping her music active and seen. I am not sure whether there will be new music ever again from Kate Bush. I guess the fact that she is revisiting her past work and ensuring new fans connect means that she wants her music to be heard and preserved. An artist who takes the time to ensure her music is as good as it could be, that is the mark of a dedicated creator. In terms of legacy and influence, one cannot say that it is small and in the past. It is obvious that a lot of artists have been inspired by Kate Bush. Even now, without there being new signs of material, artists are connecting with Bush’s past work and taking guidance from it. I will come to other artists who have been influenced by her. Far Out Magazine recently wrote about an interview where Santigold discussed her love of Kate Bush. How she has brought some of Bush’s distinct vocals and magic into her own music:

“There is no doubt about it: Kate Bush is one of the most influential artists ever to live. With her unique vocal acrobatics and rich storytelling lyricism, she’s a name regularly brought up when musicians share their inspirations.

In conversation with Los Angeles’ iconic record store, Amoeba, Santigold shared some of her biggest inspirations and favourite records. In the mix, she talks at length about the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, calling him one of her “favourites ever in the world”.

Other artists like N.W.A, Chuck Berry and De La Soul get similar praise. Helping to build an image of all the influences and genres that inform her own alt-pop meets hip-hop sound. However, a vital puzzle piece to the world of Santigold comes in the form of Kate Bush.

Picking out a box set compilation that features her 1980s albums Hounds Of Love and The Sensual World as well as the 1993 album The Red Shoes, it features some of her best work. “I’ve just always been influenced by her,” the singer says.

“Particularly, I love ‘Rocket’s Tail’. It’s one of my favourites,” Santigold says of the 1989 track. A roaring, storytelling rock song that burst into one of the most dynamic crescendos of Bush’s career, it’s a criminally underrated cut. “It showcases her full vocal range and the theatrical element,” she adds.

As a vocalist, Bush’s unique stylings and incredible range have inspired so many. From the first time the world heard her high-pitched voice on ‘Wuthering Heights’ to all the creepy voices and characterful moments heard on her later records, she’s had the world hooked. Santigold is just one of generations of artists that can’t help but reference Bush’s work to add some weirdness and charm.

“On my song ‘Creator’, it’s really funny because one of the producers said ‘do some Kate Bush shit in the beginning,’” the singer continues. “So we did it, and I was like [squeals] and he was like ‘OK…’” she laughs. Talking about the high-pitched introduction to the 2008 hit, Bush’s influence is heard loud and clear”.

Look around modern Pop, and there are artists who are keeping Kate Bush’s music alive in the form of their original takes. Not only is Dua Lipa’s recent track, Houdini, the same name as a Bush track from her 1982 album, The Dreaming; promotional images of Lipa with a key on her tongue is almost the same as Kate Bush on The Dreaming’s cover (where she has a key on her tongue to pass to Houdini (Del Palmer). Even though there have been articles about Kate Bush’s influence through the years, there has not been much modern examination. Artists like Tori Amos and St. Vincent have been inspired by Bush. How many are discussing the crop of new artists coming through?! Even if they do not explicitly mention Kate Bush in interviews, there is no doubt that a spirit or aspect of Bush’s work and approach has made its way through modern music. Back in 2020, this COMPLEX article from Brianna Holt revealed how Bush might be away from the public eye – yet her influence is strong as ever and very much evident:

“She is highly praised by her peers, too. Big-time artists like St. Vincent and Adele have publicly expressed how Bush’s music influenced their own work. Prince noted her as his favorite lady. Even Tupac was a Kate Bush fan. Big Boi, a longtime stan of “Running up That Hill,” shared that he would listen to the song everyday on his bike ride to and from school. During a phone call earlier this month he told us, “I fell in love with her songwriting and how her songs would tell stories. It was deep. From there she became one of my two favorite artists." The connection he formed to Bush's music grew so deep that he spent a week in England trying to pin her down while he was in town for press meetings.

After texting and talking over the phone for years, the two finally linked in 2017 for dinner which the Outkast member tells me “was the coolest experience ever.” He continues, "We talked mainly about our children... She wasn't really recording at the time because she wanted to focus on her kid. That's another thing that really brought us together—centering our family. We had a nice little dinner and we just sat there and chatted for like an hour or two."

Big Boi was one of the many celebrities who attended Bush’s “Before The Dawn” show in 2014.  The 22-night concert residency, which was held at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, sold out within 15 minutes online, 35 years after Bush’s last tour. Big Boi has been hinting that a Kate Bush collaboration of some sorts might be in the works, but he's hesitant to say more. "And there's a big surprise coming as well," he told us. "I can't tell you all the details right now, but yeah, something is coming."

For fans, it can be quite frustrating to admire someone who is so distant, especially in the digital age. Very little is known about Bush’s day-to-day life, and social media doesn’t provide a stance on her political views or evolving taste and perspective. It isn’t even certain when and if another Kate Bush album will ever come, leaving fans with no choice but to be patient with her timeline and dive deeper into music that already exists. Luckily, powerful art coupled with a mystifying personality has left a lot to explore since the release of her debut album in 1978. Maybe that is why Bush has continued to persist over time. After all, an artist who is not yet fully understood can often be the most compelling”.

If you look at young artists coming through who are taking risks and producing music that has even a hint of Kate Bush, it shows that, consciously or not, her influence continues and is impacting after all of these years. Maybe Hounds of Love and the dominance of that album will narrow the sonic scope. Many using this album as a reference point, rather than broadening their horizons and discovering Kate Bush’s full range and brilliance. Regardless, when Bush was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, it did help when it comes to visibility in the U.S. The nation finally embracing Kate Bush. With that, a whole raft of artists and fans were keen to share words about what Kate Bush means. This article mentions the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Considering the depth and breadth of Kate Bush’s artistry and talent, was she done full justice?! I shall come to a point later: how there needs to be a comprehensive salute to Kate Bush and what she has given the music world:

“Rapper Big Boi (“Big Sleepover”), whose real name is Antwan Patton, sponsored Bush’s induction, saying in his speech that he listened to “Running Up That Hill” every morning as a kid. Like with Clark, Patton should not be mistaken as yet another celebrity riding off Bush’s name to appeal to pseudo-nostalgic teenagers. Patton has long been a fun-fact within the Bush fandom as an unexpected superfan. Patton even name-dropped “The Dreaming” and “50 Words for Snow,” Bush albums that, despite the popularity of her big hit, have not received any resurgence by proxy.

“I know what some of you are thinking,” Patton said. “What does Kate Bush have to do with hip-hop? She is such a unique artist, you might as well also ask, ‘What does Kate Bush have to do with rock ‘n’ roll?’”

Patton’s question reflects the evolution of the RRHOF from a marketing tool to promote rock artists to a marketing tool to promote artists of all genres. Bush’s induction may seem long overdue for those who trust on the RRHOF as a rite of passage for musical legends. The RRHOF has only recently worked to compensate for its suspicious gender inequality–only about 22% of its inductees are women, as of the last induction–but Bush’s induction resonated not as a moment waiting to happen but a moment the organizers felt obligated to prepare. Bush does not need the RRHOF just as she does not need a Grammy. 

Bush’s induction ceremony will probably mark the end of a phenomenon collecting the cultural influence of ‘80s nostalgia, TikTok campaigns on behalf of Gen-Z and extensive promotional marketing outside of Bush’s direction. While Bush has always been a musical icon in her native U.K., where she performs in residencies instead of touring concerts, for the longest time her fame in America was as an eclectic foreign import, the likes of Björk (“Fossora”) and Florence Welch (“Dance Fever”).

The “Stranger Things” tie-in was not completely anachronistic, as Bush did have little but some presence on the American charts. “Running Up That Hill” originally reached no. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would be difficult, though, to find a non-hipster American alive at that time who remembers Bush as being as accessible as the show made her out to be. The phenomenon was the result of how music listening operates in the 2020s. The culturally diffusive capabilities of the Internet and the algorithm-based curation of platforms like Spotify and TikTok fostered two trends: the popularity of old music and the popularity of obscure music. These both converged to propel Schrodinger’s pop hit: a classic song that defined the ‘80s sound while not actually leaving a mark. Bush’s experimental but influential music placed her in the perfect zone for a new generation of listeners to adopt her as their Boomer alt-pop queen”.

It is humbling when artists like Dua Lipa, Santigold or even Björk mention Kate Bush and her importance. It is all around us. In the music of established and huge artists. Obviously weaving and working its way through so many new artists. From TikTok-focused Pop artists to experimental Folk and even modern Art Rock bands like The Last Dinner Party, you can hear and sense Kate Bush’s presence working and influencing. It makes me ask, once more, why it seems okay that all the documentaries and coverage about her from the past decade or so is sufficient. There have been podcasts and some short documentaries about her in the past few years. There really has not been anything comprehensive. No true or definitive career-spanning spotlight of this musical genius. Given everything she has achieve and how many years she has been around, why is there a reluctance to do justice to Bush’s legacy and importance? You do not need new words and footage of Kate Bush to make it valid. She herself would not object. It is frustrating when you know she is influencing so many artists, yet there is precious little in the way of documentaries. Regardless of Kate Bush’s clear influence, it will always be smaller and more limited if there is not wider knowledge of her entire discography. Radio stations are unwilling to push out of their comfort zone, so documentaries are a way of introducing people to her full body of work. Let’s hope that somebody is working on a documentary. In any case, a modern superstar like Dua Lipa clearly channelling Kate Bush shows that she is relevant to this day. I feel that Kate Bush’s music will move and compel artists…

FOR generations more.

FEATURE: The Next Movement: The Roots’ Things Fall Apart at Twenty-Five

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The Next Movement

The Roots’ Things Fall Apart at Twenty-Five

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A seminal album from…

the late-1990s, The Roots released Things Fall Apart on 23rd February, 1999. I wanted to look ahead to its twenty-fifth anniversary and spotlight an incredible work. Recording sessions for Things Fall Apart took place at Electric Lady Studios between 1997 and 1998. This was happening at the same time as recording for other projects of the Soulquarians collective, including D'Angelo's Voodoo (2000), Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun (2000), and Common's Like Water for Chocolate (2000). Expanding The Roots collective and membership, Things Fall Apart featured, among others, D'Angelo, Questlove, Erykah Badu and Q-Tip. One of the greatest albums of all time, features about the album are quite deep and expansive. I am going to select some segments from a few of them. Stereogum marked twenty years of Things Fall Apart in February 2019:

“Rap always had a heavy reliance on sampling since its younger days. In 1999, the Roots were manipulating samples while incorporating live instrumentation with leanings from other genres and ultimately packaging the hodgepodge of sounds as hip-hop. Lines can not only be drawn to the rest of the Soulquarian projects, but all the way to contemporary albums that synthesize a heavy dose of another genre with rap, like Chance’s gospel-doused Coloring Book, Noname’s neo soul-leaning Room 25, and Kendrick Lamar’s jazz-tinged To Pimp A Butterfly. When TPAB debuted, one of the album’s main producers, Terrace Martin, cited the Roots as a source of inspiration, giving him the confidence to know that “any genre can be folded into rap.”

Lyrically, Black Thought established himself as your favorite MC’s favorite MC on Things Fall Apart as well, long before he had a scroll from Jimmy Fallon for recognition (as if he needed one), cosigns from Harvard, articles in the New Yorker, or the title of the unofficial most underrated rapper of all time.

Thought is the backbone of the band — the ever-steady lyrical virtuoso who is often the binder of the group’s experimentation and eclecticism. Here, he’s often rhyming about how other rappers are going commercial, echoing the opening dialogue of Denzel Washington’s Bleek Gilliam and Wesley Snipes’ Shadow Henderson from Mo’ Better Blues, featured on Things Fall Apart’s intro. Gilliam and Henderson were debating what made artists popular in the jazz age. Henderson said, “The people don’t come because you grandiose motherfuckers don’t play shit that they like.” Thought and the Roots know that they are the “real” alternative to what’s ruling the radio, but the pocket that Thought sits in lyrically marries the unconventional combination of R&B-infused sonics with aggressive cadences listeners were more accustomed to at the time. Thought is the bridge between the old and new Roots, old and new soul, and old and new rap — all with a unique style and lyricism matched by very few.

Things Fall Apart is much more than the effort that established the Roots. It’s a blueprint for reinvention, genre-blending, sonic risk-taking, raw lyricism, and unflinching politics all in one. Conscious-leaning giants J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar would not have been able to grow so tall without the Roots anchoring them, and this album’s legacy will inspire many more to come. In a country and world where leaders are seemingly hell-bent on perpetuating divisive attitudes, policies, and systems, amplifying the voices of the underrepresented and disenfranchised becomes that much more imperative. The Roots have lifted those voices beautifully for over 25 years now, and continue to do so as the sole predominantly black band that appears on television regularly at the moment. Sure, they don’t have a voice or presence on TV more fitting for their legacy, but by taking up that space they’re making room for the next band to have that voice and presence. So you can see this band as sidekicks now, if you’d like, but you have to keep your ear to the ground to truly hear the Roots”.

A Deluxe Edition of Things Fall Apart was released in 2019. GRAMMY wrote about The Roots’ 1999 masterpiece in a 2019 feature. They argue how The Roots deepened Hip-Hop. Also, Things Fall Apart was only the start of a run of albums that were world-class and essential. 2002’s Phrenology is another masterpiece. The words throughout Things Fall Apart are as relevant and stirring now as they were back in 1999:

“We joke about it — there's that "J. Cole went platinum with no features" meme—but some of rap's overachievers end up doing just that. The Roots were perhaps one of the first acts in hip-hop history where maybe it wasn't immediately clear what the song was about. And while rap had always been built on borrowing and homage and one-upping, all sorts of open-source tools and watching a chant or catchphrase evolve into something else in real time, the Philadelphia group felt like its first meta commentators, deconstructing the medium as a whole and its tropes within their work itself. Lord knows they didn’t condescend to their peers (which matters when your lead vocalist is named Black Thought), though they occasionally indulged their bratty side (see the 1996 "rap video manual" "What They Do").

But just by existing, the Roots are often viewed as a fount of respectability politics: "They're rappers who play real instruments!" you’ve surely overheard one exasperated white rock fan say to another. Actually, let's zoom out entirely. How they're really viewed in 2019 is as Jimmy Fallon's house band and their elastic ability to perform on any guest's song, no matter the genre, possibly diminishes their artistic identity rather than augmenting it. Despite the fact the Roots tie Jay-Z as rap’s most consistent album artists for 20 years now, they’re rarely part of The Conversation.

You could say people so take the Roots' greatness for granted that whatever amazing thing they're currently saying or doing exists in a different universe than the one engaging luminaries from Drake to Nicki Minaj to Future to Juice WRLD. Or you could say they aren’t considered great at all. Black Thought is often referred to as an "MC's MC," which by definition means he’s undervalued by the audience. No one doubts Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is a world-class drummer, but he's treated more as the Dave Grohl of rap, a genial everydude who’s friends with everybody and checks in with a predictable new album every few years. Sure, but only if greatness in itself is boringly predictable.

Things Fall Apart, which just turned 20, is rightfully celebrated as a groundbreaking collection of music; it courted real sales, and had a real hit. "You Got Me," a Jill Scott co-write that Erykah Badu's hook curled around like smoke, won a real GRAMMY in 1999. And 2002's expansive, almost psychedelically varied follow-up, Phrenology, continued the hit streak with "The Seed 2.0," though it was a larger staple of alt-rock stations' playlists than rap ones. And then quietly, respectfully, their next six studio albums were damned with strong reviews and consistent sales in the five-to-six digits without threatening radio or year-end lists ever again. This was particularly unjust for the incredible hot streak of Game Theory, Rising Down, and How I Got Over from 2006 to 2010, but the quality of The Tipping Point, undun, and …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is also taken for granted.

Things Fall Apart is not the Roots' masterpiece, but rather the beginning of them making masterpieces. Its unforgettable cover art aside, with two terrified black people fleeing white police on foot, most of the album's depth is musical. Before Genius existed, Questlove was happy to fill the Roots' CD booklets with footnotes to help any listener place the cymbal-heavy opener "Table of Contents (Parts 1 & 2)" as a tribute to the "sloppy tambourine" of Marley Marl and "horrible mixing" of the Jungle Brothers. The drums on "Step Into the Realm" keep fading out as an homage to the breaks our heroes had to loop as kids from the ends of other songs where the only isolated drum sounds they could grab would fade out. The backing track of "Without a Doubt" is built entirely from a sample of their fellow hometown hero Schoolly-D.

Old-school rap was the foundation of Things Fall Apart, down to the back-and-forth mic-trading between Black Thought and Mos Def on "Double Trouble." But the hyper-time drum-and-bass that Questlove lays under the final chorus of "You Got Me," J Dilla's creaky deep-crate jazz on "Dynamite!" and the Jazzyfatnastees' hocketing vocals on "The Next Movement" were all expanding the sonic palates of millennial rap fans. The group embraced their progressivism visually, too, building on the subversive "What They Do" with two more Charles Stone III-directed videos: "You Got Me" remixed Radiohead's infamously open-ended "Just" clip, while the mini visual marvels of “The Next Movement,” rival anything Spike Jonze directed in the '90s.

The album cover and title of the Roots' third album were perhaps better suited to their darker later work, which became crucially political, but at least it established an urgency for the group, one they deserve to get back. Because the true theme song of Things Fall Apart is the centerpiece "Act Too (The Love of My Life)," whose titular inamorata is hip-hop itself, and that song's own music sounded like a successor to "The Cosby Show" theme, which at one time was another example of Philly pride. Making an album about how much you love what you do doesn’t sound like a radical concept, necessarily. But it’s an uplifting one, and when it busts open the doors that permit you to do so much more of it, well, that’s the beginning of a revolution, no”.

Prior to getting to some reviews, I want to bring in another twentieth anniversary feature around The Roots’ Things Fall Apart. Albumism pointed out how the album is so strong (among other reasons) because of its collaborative spirit. That collective mindset and sense of togetherness that runs through Things Fall Apart is clear:

“Things Fall Apart is the product of a particularly fertile creative time for the group. James Poysner became an integral component of The Roots’ production crew during this period, and continued to work with Questlove and others as a member of the Soulquarians. Meanwhile, Scott Storch, the group’s original keyboardist, was growing into his own as a producer, and continued to shape the group’s sound on Things Fall Apart from behind the boards. The album was recorded in Manhattan’s famed Electric Ladyland studios around the same time as D’Angelo’s Voodoo (2000), Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun (2000), and Common’s Like Water For Chocolate (2000), all classics in their own right. There was a lot of production and sound overlap between each of the albums, though each one maintained its own distinct and unique identity. The group allegedly recorded close to 150 tracks for the project, before whittling them down to 14 full songs and four interludes.

“The Next Movement” is a prime example of how The Roots have created hip-hop that satisfies the core audience as well as casual listeners. Centered around a graceful piano track and background vocals from the R&B group the Jazzyfatnastees, Black Thought conducts a lyrical clinic, likening his emcee existence to that of the life of a plant, rapping “The Black Thought, ill syllablist out the Fifth / This heavyweight rap shit I’m about to lift / Like a phylum lift up it's seed to sunlight / I plug in the mic, draw like a gunfight / I never use a cordless, or stand applaud-less / Sipping chlorophyll out of ill silver goblets.”

The Roots also have time to collaborate with their long-time musical kindred spirits. Black Thought passes the mic back-and-forth with the Mighty Mos Def on “Double Trouble.” Apparently, fellow Black Star-member Talib Kweli was originally intended to appear on the track, but it would have made the song too long. It turns out that keeping it limited to Thought and Mos is extremely effective regardless, with the duo kicking old school influenced routines and rhyme schemes over a beat that evokes Bob James’ classic “Nautilus” break. Mos starts off strong, rhyming, “A-yo I stop fools and drop jewels but never run it / Rock mics so nice I make you stock price plummet,” while Thought warns that “I burst your verses, your words is worthless / Only touching surface, the fuck’s the purpose?”

Common joins The Roots for the memorable “Act Too (The Love of My Life),” a functional sequel to Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” released five years earlier. It’s one of the album’s most beautiful and melodic songs, featuring a full string section and ethereal vocals. Black Thought and Common both continue to speak to hip-hop as though she’s their most steady love personified, marveling at the impact “she” has had on their lives, shaping who they are and defining how they view themselves. It represents a time before artists became so jaded and cynical that they were unable to talk about truly loving hip-hop music.

This sincerity is one of the key aspects that makes Things Fall Apart so memorable and such an enduring piece of work. Making an album that earns you the respect of peers, critics, the general public, and the award circuit is a difficult feat, but it’s one that the Illa-Fifth Dynasty pulls off without breaking a sweat. During an era dominated by jiggy rap and glossy fantasies, nothing about Things Fall Apart was disposable. The album presented The Roots as they were and still are today: a product of their influences with the ability to move forward and generate a lasting musical legacy”.

I will finish up with a couple of reviews. Audioxide shared their thoughts about the iconic and timeless Things Fall Apart in 2019. I don’t think it gets talked about as much as it should in relation to the most important albums of the 1990s. It is a work of genius:

“André

Things Fall Apart is a seriously solid offering of smooth hip-hop. Stop the presses. The third studio album by The Roots is comfortably their finest achievement, and it’s aged like a fine wine since its released 20 years ago. Given the melancholic tone, it’s amazing just how easy and enjoyable it is to listen to. Things Fall Apart is a fluid, continuous listen; understated to the point of being an excellent backdrop, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s appropriately structured and remains focused throughout its 70-minute duration, and this is particularly alluring for a modern listener given the amount of over-bloated rap albums we’re dealt with every single year.

I don’t think it’s farfetched to suggest that To Pimp A Butterfly may not have existed if it wasn’t for this record. Jazzy instrumentals and thoughtful flows set it apart from the majority of hip-hop classics from the ’90s, most of which were gangster rap. But not many political albums happen to be this groovy. The sequencing flows wonderfully: it’s just track after track with no interruptions.

However, this also prevents anything from Things Fall Apart from truly standing out. I thoroughly enjoy the listening experience, but nothing particularly grabs me in the way I wish it did. There isn’t anything in the realms of “N.Y State of Mind”, “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” or “Regulate”. That’s not to criticise the record as much as it is to suggest that it’s perhaps not quite on the same level as other favourites that came out from the golden age of rap. Things Fall Apart is a very good hip-hop record all the same. Though it may get lost among a sea of classics, it still deserves your utmost attention.

Fred

In many respects it’s commendable that an album can last over 70 minutes and more or less maintain a high standard during that time. It is also strangely disappointing that that is the best thing I can say about Things Fall Apart. I wish I could wax lyrical about the audacity of this track and the bone-shattering truth of that track, but I can’t. The album is pure, unadulterated flow. Well produced, sprinkled with a rich variety of genre samples and beats, it seldom sets a foot wrong. Just one in front of the other until it reaches wherever it’s getting to.

We reviewed Midnight Maraudersa few weeks back and in that I hear an album that does what Things Fall Apart does far better. A Tribe Called Quest and The Roots are both audibly East Coast hip hop groups — calmer, more meticulous, and more textured than their West Coast kin — but the latter is understated to the point of anonymity. Maybe I’m too coarse. Maybe the record is too passive. It’s done fine without me for this long in any case. I enjoy it fine in the moment and then it’s gone.

Andrew

There’s a weight to Things Fall Apart that is well disguised by the smooth flow, slick production and attention-drawing hooks. While it’d be easy to let this album pass by, a closer listen will show its real depths.

For many of my listens, I’ve come for the likes of sinister twangs of “The Spark”, the smooth instrumental on “Dynamite!” and the punchy beat on “Adrenaline!”. However, I’ve stayed for the strong latter third which shows its truer colours, culminating in the closer, “The Return To Innocence Lost”, which has an emotive, spoken-word vocal.

What sets this apart for me is variety on display. For a late-90s release, there’s a healthy portion of hip-hop true to its era, but it’s the smatters of jazz, and the sparser instrumentals towards the end that all keep me engaged. For an album to manage that with a seventy minute runtime is an achievement not to be downplayed. Behind all the smooth instrumentals, there’s a darker, sobering side to the lyrics too, and it makes for a sweet counterpoint between the two.

I’ve had a great time with Things Fall Apart, and I’ll no doubt be returning to it. Heralded as the turning point for The Roots, it makes for an essential album in their discography. But I get the feeling it’s a victim of its own success, providing a record so smooth it can slip into the background and allow its potent lyrical content to go to waste.

I will wrap up with Pitchfork’s review of Things Fall Apart. They wrote how 1999’s Things Fall Apart was the moment they figured out what sort of band they were. A more confident and resonant follow-up to 1996’s Illadelph Halflife. Pitchfork explored the themes and meaning of the album. They also discussed its immediate aftermath and the next chapter:

“Despite being a breakthrough for their band and their scene, the Roots didn’t immediately build on Things Fall Apart’s success. Powered by D’Angelo’s sultry “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” video, Voodoo became a phenomenon, and ?uest spent most of 2000 on tour as the singer’s drummer. By the time the Roots re-grouped, ?uest’s closest peers were pushing their sounds to new places. D wanted to learn guitar; Common and Dilla wanted to experiment with electronic textures. The Roots responded by moving away from the movement they helped create; their follow-up record, Phrenology, was essentially the anti-Roots album, with a heavy emphasis on rock. And while it alienated the Roots’ core fanbase, Phrenology performed well, pushing the group further into crossover territory. The Roots became a more regular presence on TV and radio. Soon after, Rahzel and Malik B. left the group for good. In 2006, Dilla died at age 32 from complications of lupus, and the Roots’ album of that year, Game Theory, kicked off a series of releases with a darker tone, including 2008’s Rising Down, 2010’s How I Got Over, and 2011’s undun. Having secured a gig as Jimmy Fallon’s backing band—first on “Late Night,” then on “The Tonight Show”—the Roots finally and completely entered the mainstream. But they used the freedom to experiment and make the music they wanted.

Things go in cycles, and the approach the Roots pioneered came back around. In 2015, the “next movement” the Roots mentioned on Things Fall Apart seemed to arrive. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly—a densely lyrical and allegorical exploration of Blackness and struggle, set to a live-jazz soundtrack featuring dozens of collaborators—is hard to imagine without this album in its rearview. Artists like Robert Glasper, Thundercat, Terrace Martin, and Kamasi Washington channel the same creativity as the Roots, D’Angelo, and company, banding together to push rap, jazz, soul, and more into atmospheric new places. The spirit of Things Fall Apart is in the air.

Looking back on it now, this record feels like both a love letter and a fond farewell to the Roots’ early days, acknowledging that they needed to evolve to stay relevant. And some of the album’s continued relevance is painful. Its closing poem, “The Return to Innocence Lost,” details the fate of a young man seemingly doomed to fail since birth. He dies tragically, leaving nothing but thoughts of a life that could’ve been. Nowadays, black men are dying at the hands of police with alarming frequency, and we’re left to mourn the dead in hashtags and shared articles, wondering what’s next—or who’s next—in this seemingly endless war. Things Fall Apart imparts a similar tone, even if the band didn’t address those issues directly. The black and white cover art, taken in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn in 1965, depicts a young black woman running from a waiting police officer, her face twisted in fear. The scene is sadly familiar 50 years later. As the Roots teetered between fame and purgatory, virtue and failure, Things Fall Apart captured the intensity of a group with everything to lose and the world to gain”.

I would recommend that people get a copy of Things Fall Apart. It tuns twenty-five on 23rd February. Maybe it will not get the same sort of focus and coverage as the twentieth anniversary. I hope that there is celebration of one of the greatest albums of its time. Considered to be one of the cornerstones of the alternative Hip-Hop movement, The Roots’ Things Fall Apart is probably not as played and known about now as it should be. Such an important album, I hope it is finding its way into the hands of a young generation. There is no doubt that this 1999 album is…

A true masterpiece.

FEATURE: He’s the One: Robbie Williams at Fifty: An Essential Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

He’s the One

Robbie Williams at Fifty: An Essential Playlist

_________

ON 13th February…

the music world will mark the fiftieth birthday of Robbie Williams. One of the biggest artists Britain has produced, I wanted to celebrate his upcoming birthday with a playlist. Rather than include Take That music, it is going to be his solo material. The bigger singles and some deeper cuts. Before I get there, it is to AllMusic. They can assist when it comes to charting the career of Robbie Williams. A hugely popular artist who has enjoyed incredible chart success, he was also recently named President of his beloved Port Vale football club. His latest album of original material, The Heavy Entertainment Show, came out in 2016. I wonder if we will see a follow-up:

"From teen idol to international headliner, English singer/songwriter and consummate showman Robbie Williams graduated from '90s boy band Take That to become a successful solo artist, embracing a mischievous bad-boy image while becoming one of the U.K.'s most prominent entertainers and one of the best-selling artists of all time. Following his stint with Take That -- during which time Williams and his bandmates issued three multi-platinum hit albums -- his star grew even brighter, with a string of chart-topping records and sales that surpassed Take That by a wide margin. Setting the stage with his 1997 debut album, Life Thru a Lens, he scored the first of many hit singles with the soaring "Angels," an enduring U.K. staple that became his breakthrough worldwide hit. Sophomore LP I've Been Expecting You was a career peak for the showman, certified ten-times platinum and breaking him into new markets with the timely "Millennium." With each successive release, Williams remained at the top of the album charts, accumulating number one singles such as "Rock DJ," "Somethin' Stupid," and "Candy," which carried him into the 2010s.

Born Robert Peter Williams in 1974, he grew up loving football and stage performance, balancing the two during his childhood in Stoke-on-Trent. When he was just 16, he was recruited as the youngest member of the boy band Take That. Roguish and more charming than the rest, he was a distinctive standout in the quartet. He also fought regularly with the other members and their management, primarily because he was occasionally averse to being so heavily packaged. So it didn't come as a surprise that he was the first to leave the band, departing early in the summer of 1995 to pursue a solo career (by some accounts, he was fired from the group).

Although he was the first out of the gate, it took Williams a while to get started. For most of 1995, he attempted to boost his credibility by tagging along with Oasis, hoping that Noel Gallagher would give him a couple of songs. He never did, but all of his time with Oasis launched Williams into a world of heavy partying, drinking, and drugging. Over the course of 1996, he became a tabloid fixture in the U.K. Occasionally, he was quoted as saying his new music would abandon lightweight dance-pop for traditional Brit-pop, but his first single was a cover of George Michael's "Freedom '90." Released late in 1996, the single failed to gain much traction, but his second attempt, 1997's "Old Before I Die," was more in the vein of his early pronouncements, featuring a distinct Oasis influence.

Williams finally released his first solo album, Life Thru a Lens, in 1997. Boosted by the international success of the single "Angels," the record became a big hit in Britain, prompting his second, I've Been Expecting You, to go multi-platinum upon its release in 1998. (The Ego Has Landed, a U.S.-only compilation designed for breaking Williams to American audiences, was released stateside in the spring of 1999.) Sing When You're Winning followed in late 2000, gaining success with the video hit "Rock DJ," while a big-band album of standards (Swing When You're Winning) appeared a year later. By this point, he had become one of Europe's premier pop stars, known for his headline-grabbing behavior as much as his hit-studded albums. Moreover, his solo work had sold far more copies than his work with Take That.

In 2002, Williams celebrated an enormous new contract with EMI (rumored to be upwards of 80 million dollars) but suffered the loss of his longtime production partner Guy Chambers. Escapology, the fifth Robbie Williams album (and the last to include Chambers' input for 11 years), sold millions of copies in Europe, though it failed to persuade American audiences. As a result, the 2003 concert record Live at Knebworth wasn't released in the States. Williams introduced a new musical partner, Stephen Duffy, with a pair of songs from his compilation Greatest Hits, and he reappeared in 2005 with Intensive Care. Although the album topped charts in Europe and helped Williams set an impressive concert record -- his 2006 record-breaking world tour sold over one and a half million tickets in one day -- a certain creative atrophy was setting in, despite the new input from Duffy.

Within a year, he had recorded and released Rudebox, a dance album recorded with half a dozen outside producers, some featured guests, and several covers instead of self-penned material. Rudebox hit number one across Europe but only went double platinum in the U.K., becoming his lowest-selling studio album to date. Accordingly, Williams' next LP -- the 2009 release Reality Killed the Video Star -- found him returning to the sound of his older albums, with the Buggles' Trevor Horn handling all production duties. Reality was Williams' only record not to top the U.K. album chart, bested by the trio JLS.

The following year, most news of Robbie Williams surrounded his reunion with Take That, which took the form of a new album, Progress, plus a few new songs recorded with bandmate Gary Barlow that were released on a new Williams hits collection, In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990-2010. Barlow also figured in the writing and production of the ninth Robbie Williams studio album, Take the Crown, released in late 2012. Produced by Williams alongside Jacknife Lee (Snow Patrol, R.E.M., Bloc Party), the record saw him return to the eclectic pop sound of his earlier work, with a trailer single ("Candy") written by Williams and Barlow. The track reached number one across Europe, including the U.K., as did the album, which was certified platinum.

For his next release, Williams worked with Chambers again on his second swing album, Swings Both Ways, which comprised a mix of standards and originals. Released in late 2013, it featured a variety of guests including Lily Allen, Olly Murs, Rufus Wainwright, Kelly Clarkson, and Michael Bublé. Williams spent the next few years relatively quietly, settling into family life with his wife, Ayda Field, and their two children, and releasing only an odds-and-sods collection (Under the Radar, Vol. 1) in late 2014. He returned to the pop realm in late 2016 with the release of his 11th LP, The Heavy Entertainment Show, which featured production by Chambers and Richard Flack, as well as songwriting contributions from the likes of the Killers, Stuart Price, and Rufus Wainwright. Entertainment became his 12th U.K. chart-topper, making him the most successful U.K. solo act in chart history upon its release.

In the summer of 2018, Williams performed at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony, issuing Under the Radar, Vol. 2 a month later. He also joined the judges' panel for the 15th season of the U.K. X Factor. A third entry to his non-album compilation series Under the Radar arrived in early 2019. His 12th effort arrived later that year. The Christmas Present found Williams in fine form, tackling holiday classics like "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and "Santa Baby" on disc one (titled "Christmas Past") and offering newly penned additions to the Christmas canon with material such as "Let's Not Go Shopping," "Rudolph," and "Christmas Future." On this release, Williams was joined by friends Jamie Cullum, Helene Fischer, Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams, and more. It saw him hit the top of the U.K. album chart for the 13th time, a feat only previously matched by Elvis Presley.

After a low-key couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic, it emerged in early 2022 that Williams had been working alongside producers Tim Metcalfe and Flynn Francis to create bubbling, electronic trance material. Naming themselves Lufthaus, the trio released their debut single, "Sway," that February and followed it with "To the Light" in April. In June, Williams released a new version of "Angels," the first fruit of an album called XXV that offered re-recorded, orchestrated renditions of his career highlights in collaboration with Chambers, Steve Sidwell, Jules Buckley, and the Metropole Orkest. That October, Lufthaus issued their first effort, Visions Volume 1”.

On 13th February, Robbie Williams turns fifty. I am sure he has big plans himself. Various radio stations will mark it in their own way. I His solo debut, 1997’s Life Thru a Lens and 1998’s I’ve Been Expecting You are albums that I really love. I have followed his career since then. Never an artist to repeat himself, Williams has covered a number of genres and musical styles. Injecting each with his distinct personality and music voice. One of the Pop greats, I am ending this feature with a complete playlist of his best work together with…

SOME lesser-played tracks well worth a listen.

FEATURE: You’ve Got to See Her: Blondie’s No Exit at Twenty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

You’ve Got to See Her

Blondie’s No Exit at Twenty-Five

_________

ONE of the more underrated albums…

by the legendary Blondie, No Exit was released on 15th February, 1999. I wanted to mark twenty-five years of a very important release. It was the band’s first album since 1982’s The Hunter. I can appreciate that there might have been some expecting Blondie to be at their very best in 1999. Maybe coming back with an album to rival their 1970s peak. The band’s latest album, 2017’s Pollinator, was better reviewed and received. Even so, one cannot underestimate the importance of 1999’s No Exit. I was in my final year of high school and vividly remember getting the album’s lead single, Maria. That came out in January 1999. That song got to number one. It was a huge success. Genuinely one of their best songs ever. Classic Blondie! If there are few moments across No Exit to rival that, I do think that their seventh studio album is underrated and worthy of new consideration ahead of its twenty-fifth anniversary. I am going to bring in a couple of reviews for this album. As it is a big anniversary, one would hope that a few of the songs from No Exit – such as Maria and Nothing Is Real But the Girl – are played on the radio. I have fond memories of buying the album. Having listened to Blondie growing up, it was thrilling knowing they were putting out new material. I believe they are in the studio at the moment working on another album.

Led by the super-cool and iconic Debbie Harry, No Exit reached three in the U.K. and eighteen in the U.S. I am going to start out by bringing in an article from Ultimate Classic Rock from 2014. Marking fifteen years of No Exit, I wonder how many people around in 1999 could predict new Blondie music. Their only album from the 1990s, happily they have put out a lot of material since then. A band that has undergone change but remained passionate and a live fixture:

“Unlike a lot of the era's defunct acts, Blondie never really left the public consciousness, in part because singer Deborah Harry managed to carve out a fairly successful solo career while scoring parts in a series of films. But more importantly, the band's influence – and Harry's in particular – grew exponentially in the years after their breakup, with a burgeoning group of image-conscious pop and rock acts (including Madonna and No Doubt) blending pop, rock, and New Wave in similarly savvy fashion.

"In a way, we never really finished our mission," Harry told the Associated Press in 2012. "But I think getting back together and writing new music was a really good thing for us."

Before they could reach that point, however, Blondie's former members had to find their way back together. It was a particularly messy proposition, considering that the band was not only responsible for forging musical partnerships, but the long romantic relationship between Harry and guitarist Chris Stein, which ended in 1989. While Harry and Stein continued to work together, with Stein contributing to all of Harry's solo records, things were a little more complicated when it came to some of the other ex-Blondies.

In 1997, the original Blondie lineup reconvened for a series of live dates, provoking a lawsuit from former members Nigel Harrison and Frank Infante, who'd been present for the band's best-selling albums. While they weren't able to prevent the reunion, Harrison and Infante did succeed in earning lasting wrath from Harry, who later told the AP, "There was no excuse for them suing us. That ended it."

By the end of the year, original bassist Gary Valentine was out of the band again, and Blondie returned to the studio as a four-piece, with Harry and Stein joined by drummer Clem Burke and keyboard player Jimmy Destri. The fruits of the band's labor, dubbed No Exit, were released Feb. 23, 1999. They hadn't released a note of new music since 1982's underwhelming The Hunter, but fans welcomed them back with open arms, sending the record to No. 18 on the U.S. Billboard chart – and No. 3 in the U.K. For the band members, it added a note of redemption to a story that once seemed destined to end with acrimony.

"Close personal relationships are hard," Harry said in a 2003 interview with Uncut. "We get along a lot better now, and Chris is my favorite person in the world and I adore him. Back then ... I think we exploded and imploded simultaneously somehow. It was a very dark period for us. We wound up with no record contract, no manager, and we all had tax problems up the wazoo. It was just this big morass of serious, very adult problems. All of a sudden we were standing there legless."

"It was a madhouse," she recalled of the group's early-'80s split during a 1993 interview with Q. "We didn't take any vacations and that was the big mistake. Whenever we read bad reviews, we'd have these tremendous fist fights and everybody would be really freaked out and pissed off with everybody else for being jerks. It was like punching up your brothers, a family feud thing."

Feuding behind them, Blondie re-emerged triumphant with No Exit, scoring a worldwide hit with the record's first single, "Maria," and returning to the road for a lengthy comeback tour that kicked off an era of renewed creative vitality for the band. They followed No Exit with The Curse of Blondie in 2003, and continued to record and tour.

"We’re part of the future as well as the past," Harry pointed out in 2013. "Making new music is really, really important for me and for the rest of the band. When we first got back together in 1997, one of the stipulations I had was that it not be just a revue of Blondie’s greatest hits. I really felt convinced of and dedicated to the idea that we had to move ahead and do new music".

This article from Bill Copeland Music News from 2009 shone light on an album that did not quite get the commercial success in the U.S. that it deserved. Whereas the music throughout No Exit is strong, poor marketing and the public misperceiving the album and where Blondie were stifled and watered down a terrific comeback:

“Listening to the CD now, I think if Blondie had done a better job staging their return, they would have enjoyed the best comeback in music history. A push with local music promoters in each major U.S. city as well as licensing for film and television could have given their new tracks a combination of guerrilla marketing as well as a national strategic presentation.

Blondie’s real problem was public perception. Being off the radar screen for several years left people thinking they were through. Once they reappeared, many assumed they had nothing new to offer.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. “No Exit” was a typical Blondie smorgasbord of genres and styles that worked for them in the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The title track is a driving, grooving rocker with a rap interlude between Deborah Harry and rapper Coolio. “Boom Boom In The Zoom Zoom Room” is a breezy jazzy piece that finds its sex appeal in a groove that insists on taking its time. Ballad “Maria” oozes sweetness and “Happy Dog” dances around rocking guitars while Harry pouts a sexual come on. “Screaming Skin” opens the disc with blistering guitars cascading around a hard rock beat.

Harry’s voice was then at its rangiest and richest, probably from time spent pursuing a side career as a jazz vocalist.

Yet, in 1999, radio turned a deaf ear to Blondie, and the public never got a fair taste of “No Exit.” And it’s too bad, since they still tour—usually as part of a package with other 80s band, and their old songs are still on radio and are still featured on television and in movies. “Dreaming” marks the moment when the two title characters in “Zack And Miri Make A Porno” realize they’ve been in love with each other for ten years. With such a solid grounding as catalogue artists, it is hard to listen to their CD from 1999 without a haunted feeling for what might have been.

An exhaustive review of “No Exit” reveals at least one person’s opinion of what Blondie had to offer the music world ten years ago.

“Screaming Skin” opens with Harry in top vocal form. Her silky and dynamic voice hits all the right cadences and her inflected timbre sets the eerie tone for this guitar driven rave up.

A wash of synth and electronic enhancement of primitive percussive beats pulls us into “Forgive And Forget,” a danceable pop rock number caressed by Harry’s high seductive range.

“Maria,” a throwback to Blonde’s original sound, succeeds with Harry’s aloof, casual approach the right topping for poppy keys. “Maria” hit number 1 on the U.K. music charts but stalled out at 82 in the U.S. Billboard charts. Harry was the first female singer in British history to achieve a number 1 hit 20 years after her first single hit number 1 there. Do the Brits know something that we Yanks don’t? Maybe so. “Maria” hit number 1 in 13 other countries as well.

Title track “No Exit” opens with an odd twist on Johan Sebastian Bach’s creepy organ melody before Harry jumps in with attitude and aggression. Guitars and keys drive this rap rock number while Harry and rapper Coolio battle it out in a contest of cool in this oddly appealing tune about a friend contemplating suicide. I cannot believe a film producer hasn’t plugged this number into the soundtrack for a dark, artsy, meaning of life film.

“Double Take” utilizes lush synthesizers, saxophones, and an embracing rhythm section to recreate more of Blondie’s 80s style. “Nothing Is Real But The Girl” continues Blondie’s earlier sound. A driving rhythm section, pulsating keyboards, and aggressive guitar reveal Blondie’s roots in pop and disco. Pulling back into their new sound with “Boom Boom In The Zoom Zoom Room,” Harry showcases her cool, jazzy approach as she waltzes over this bopping, breezy tune that breathes sensuality into the grooves. Drums and bass are so palpable here I can picture Clem Burke’s sticks hitting skins and Leigh Foxx’s fingers plucking knobby strings.

The CD does loose some steam near the end. “Night Wind Sent,” a low-key graceful glide relying on dynamics for lift, kisses the ear as it passes imperceptibly by. “Under The Gun” offers a danceable percussion track but doesn’t really go anywhere despite Harry’s dynamic voice. “Out In The Streets” brings the energy level back up a notch, yet, it’s another filler tune that goes nowhere even though, again, Harry’s voice is in fine form.

“Happy Dog” becomes the life of the party and more than saves this CD from the eject button. Bluesy slide notes and blistering guitar grab like a mugger and entertain like a stripper. Drummer Burke whips up a backbeat to motivate the feet and guitarist Stein cranks out enough crunchy chords and grinding phrases to build a perfect dramatic arc.

“The Dreams Lost On Me,” with its pseudo roots feel of banjo, accordion, and fiddle, is a nifty and likeable addition even though Blondie will never convince anyone they’re a deeply into old Americana music. “Devine” brings us back to Blondie’s penchant for inspired creativity. A keyboard driven circular melody gives this pop rock song its catchy interval of notes while a second keyboard fills in spaces with washy sounds. Together with Harry’s voice this song tickles the ear as only Blondie can.

Blondie’s grand finale “Dig Up The Conjo” makes for one of the CDs most memorable tunes. A hypnotic dance beat anchors a swirl of keyboards from Jimmy Destri that never let go. Bouncy guitars and bass fill in the background and keeps the ear glued to the music.

With an album this good, it’s hard to understand how Blondie failed to return to the top. Many of their 1980s peers staged comebacks with out releasing any new music. Others made it with mediocre packages. Blondie needed a combination of high road and low road marketing. Film and television licensing would have overcome the blockade caused by classic rock radio stations not playing new material from classic rock artists. Local press in major cities could have given Blondie an anchor with the taste-mongers/culture vulture types”.

There are other positive reviews like this one that show Blondie lost little of their step. After the disappointing The Hunter of 1982, Blondie found a new gear and spark for No Exit. Ending the 1990s with a terrific album, I think it still sounds great now. Ahead of the twenty-fifth anniversary of No Exit on 15th February, I wanted to spend some time with an underrated album from a legendary band. People really need to give No Exit…

ANOTHER listen.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: D’Angelo at Fifty: The Essential Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Gregory Harris for GQ

D’Angelo at Fifty: The Essential Playlist

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AN important music birthday is coming up…

so I thought it only right to mark that with a playlist. The artist in question is D’Angelo. Michael Eugene Archer was born on 11th February, 1974 in Virginia. One of the music world’s most talented and astonishing artists, he released the phenomenal debut, Brown Sugar, in 1995. His latest album, his third, was released in 2014. Black Messiah was under the name of D’Angelo and The Vanguard. Three faultless albums, I wonder if we will get a fourth at any point. In any case, across these three albums alone, D’Angelo has established himself as a legend. I am going to end this feature with a playlist of his best cuts. A mixture of well-known songs and deeper cuts, it is the ultimate guide to the acclaimed and highly successful artist. Before getting to the playlist, AllMusic provide a detailed biography of the legend:

“D'Angelo established himself as an unwitting founder and leading light of the late-'90s neo-soul movement, which aimed to bring the organic flavor of classic R&B back to the hip-hop age. Modeling himself on the likes of Marvin Gaye, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, and Al Green, D'Angelo exhibited his inspirations not only with his vocal style -- albeit with a stoned yet emotive twist all his own -- but also wrote his own material, and frequently produced it, helping to revive the concept of the all-purpose R&B auteur. His first album, Brown Sugar (1995), gradually earned him an audience so devoted that the looser and rhythmically richer follow-up, Voodoo (2000), debuted at number one despite a gap of almost five years, and won that year's Grammy for Best R&B Album. A wait of nearly three times that length preceded the release of the bristlier Black Messiah (2014), a Top Five hit that made D'Angelo a two-time Best R&B Album winner. The musician since then has released "Unshaken," recorded for the soundtrack of the video game Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018).

The son of a Pentecostal minister, Michael D'Angelo Archer was born February 11, 1974, in Richmond, Virginia. He began teaching himself piano as a young child, and at age 18 won the amateur talent competition at Harlem's Apollo Theater three consecutive weeks. He was briefly a member of a hip-hop group called I.D.U. and in 1991 signed a publishing deal with EMI. His first major success came in 1994 as the co-writer and co-producer of the Jason's Lyric soundtrack single "U Will Know," a Top Five R&B hit featuring a one-time all-star R&B aggregate dubbed B.M.U. (Black Men United). That led to the July 1995 release of Brown Sugar, D'Angelo's debut album. Across the next several months, the Top Ten of the R&B chart made room for three of its singles: the title track, written and produced with A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad; a self-produced cover of Smokey Robinson and Marvin Tarplin's "Cruisin'"; and "Lady," made with Tony! Toni! Toné!'s Raphael Saadiq. In the process, Brown Sugar caught on with R&B fans looking for an alternative to the slicker mechanized sounds dominating the urban contemporary landscape, and went platinum. In October 1996, the majority of a September 1995 performance -- featuring another major studio collaborator, Angie Stone, on background vocals -- was released in Japan as Live at the Jazz Cafe, London.

Between proper LPs, D'Angelo took some time off and split acrimoniously with his management. Meanwhile, neo-soul, a marketing term coined by industry executive Kedar Massenburg, caught on as a legitimate subgenre with the success of like-minded artists such as Maxwell and Erykah Badu. D'Angelo surfaced on a handful of soundtracks, primarily via cover versions, contemporizing Eddie Kendricks' "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" (Get on the Bus), Prince's "She's Always in My Hair" (Scream 2), Ohio Players' "Heaven Must Be Like This" (Down in the Delta), and Ashford & Simpson's "Your Precious Love" (a duet with Badu, for High School High). He placed a DJ Premier-produced original, "Devil's Pie," on the soundtrack for Belly, and joined Lauryn Hill on "Nothing Even Matters," a cut off the Grammy-winning The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

fter all that intermittent activity and a series of delays, D'Angelo made his full return in January 2000 with the looser and more jam-oriented Voodoo. Affirming the devotion and size of D'Angelo's following, the album debuted at number one. A highly collaborative and freewheeling recording, it was created at the same time as Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun and Common's Like Water for Chocolate, and involved much of the same personnel, some of whom -- including Badu, Common, ?uestlove, J Dilla, Q-Tip, James Poyser, and D'Angelo himself -- were dubbed the Soulquarians. The drifting falsetto ballad "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" narrowly missed the top of the R&B chart and won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal. Voodoo likewise won for Best R&B Album. Throughout the remainder of the 2000s, D'Angelo made only a handful of recorded guest appearances. Most notably, he took part in a version of Fela Kuti's "Water No Get Enemy," recorded for the Red Hot + Riot compilation. Raphael Saadiq's "Be Here" and Snoop Dogg's "Imagine" were events by virtue of the artist's mere presence, while two versions of the Dilla production "So Far to Go" -- first heard on Dilla's posthumous The Shining, then reworked for Common's Finding Forever -- also reunited him with Soulquarians.

D'Angelo's long-awaited third album, said to be titled James River, was originally due in 2009 but did not materialize. In January 2013, Billboard asked ?uestlove about the status of the recording, and was told that "99% of it is done." Around this time, D'Angelo was performing more often, including European club dates and scattered festival appearances. In March 2014, Live at the Jazz Cafe, London, expanded and reissued internationally through Virgin, served as stopgap product once more. During the second week of that December, cryptic posts on various social media platforms announced "Black Messiah is coming." One of the earliest warnings came from journalist, author, and filmmaker Nelson George, who had recently featured D'Angelo for his Finding the Funk documentary and conversed with the musician for a public conversation facilitated by Red Bull Music Academy. On the evening of the 14th, George hosted an exclusive listening party for Black Messiah, an album credited to D'Angelo and his backing band, a mix of old and new associates dubbed the Vanguard. The LP was released the following day on RCA. More adventurous and outward looking than what preceded it, Black Messiah entered the Billboard 200 at number five and won the following year's Grammy for Best R&B Album, while lead single "Really Love" took Best R&B Song. D'Angelo toured briefly and wasn't heard from again until the October 2018 release of the video game Red Dead Redemption 2. Along with Daniel Lanois and Rocco DeLuca, he provided "Unshaken" for the game's soundtrack. The song was available commercially on its own the following January”.

Looking ahead to D’Angelo’s fiftieth birthday on 11th February and it makes me realise how there are few like him in music. Even though he has influenced other artists, there is something about D’Angelo that is hard to replicate. Any news of new material would be hugely welcomed! To celebrate his importance and brilliant work, the playlist below is an assortment of D’Angelo gems and some intriguing deeper cuts. All of these songs show that D’Angelo is…

ONE of the greats.

FEATURE: ‘24/7: The Ongoing Issue of Misogyny and Inequality in Music

FEATURE:

 

 

‘24/7

PHOTO CREDIT: Карина Каржавина/Pexels

The Ongoing Issue of Misogyny and Inequality in Music

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THIS may sound like me…

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

covering something I have written about a lot. You would be right though, as it concerns something very serious, it is worth repeating. There is no doubt that the music industry has always had an issue with misogyny and sexism. This leads to inequality and huge issues It is not only the music industry. Hollywood and the acting industry too. From notable omissions during the Oscar nominations through to the pay gap between men and women, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. With men still holding most of the executive positions – and welding the most power and influence still -, we are always going to see slow progress. Rather than something quick and long-lasting. In terms of music, there are hints of light and progress in various corners. Even if the BRIT Awards finally included more women and tipped the balance in favour of them – it took complaints and women pointing out the imbalance to get their act together, rather than them realising that something needed to be done! -, certain categories had one or no female nominees. When it comes to the band market and genres like Rock and Hip-Hop, women are vastly under-representation and lacking. It makes us ask questions about the industry and areas where women are struggling to get noticed. Not enough done to foster their talent. With every seeming move forward in one area, there is stagnation or a move back in another. Frustrating to see the industry not doing as much as it should. Before moving onto a couple of news pieces/interviews that caught my eye, it is worth noting that award ceremonies like the BRITs making long-overdue changes hopefully will lead to changes regarding festival line-ups.

Still, with women dominating music, this is not being reflected in terms of festival line-ups! Big festivals like Reading & Leeds choosing very few female headliners; other ones relying on tired and samey legacy male acts to headline rather than expanding shows a real lack of respect for women. I know there are festivals that have a balanced bill and are making change. Glastonbury are expected to both have two female headliners this year - and, one hopes, have at least a fifty-fifty balance across the rest of the line-up. In the past decade – or, let’s say, ten festivals – Glastonbury has had only five female headliners. One of them, Florence + The Machine, was a replacement for Foo Fighters. With two this year, that only means seven in the past eleven years. Not even a third of the headliners being women! Compare it to the twenty-eight male headline acts and you can see how women are viewed. Glastonbury has never had more than one female headliner in a year (I mean the three acts who play the Pyramid Stage and not the Legends slot). Women not headline-worthy? This is rubbish! One only needs to look around the music scene from the past decade to see all the amazing queens who were worthy of headliners! Rather than there being genuine and good excuses – women not available or there being conflicts of schedule -, the fact is they are not being asked at all. A recent feature from God Is in the TV highlights the fact that many festivals are recycling male acts and not taking chances on female artists. Those who would be perfect and refreshing headliners. It makes for depressing and sadly predictable reading:

“Look at some of the recently announced festival line-ups coming out of the UK right now, taking extra notice of the mid-level festivals such as Y Not, Kendal Calling, Isle Of Wight, and Tramlines. Now take another look at them, this time without paying attention to which is which – can you distinguish between them? Probably not. Why is this? Well, it’s easy to see why. They all have the same headliners, or at least from the same pool. It feels like a discussion that gets bought up every year, and it seems to get more infuriating with every year that passes. Why are festivals in the UK so scared to diversify their line-ups?

Although achieving a more gender-diverse split would be nice, it is not just about gender. Festivals should strive to attain gender-diverse line-ups, and this can be made possible by following the PRS’ KeyChange movement that aims to increase gender balance in the music industry. What is important is for people to feel inspired when they look at these line-ups. However, can festivals achieve this when they are so focused on making their events a nostalgia trip? I don’t think so.

It’s disheartening to look at these line-ups to be greeted by a Gallagher brother – past his sell-by date and riding on the success of albums almost 10 years older than the average YNot Festival attendee (with the Derbyshire-based festival being quite widely known in the Midlands for being the one that teenagers go to post GCSEs) with most throwing in The Kooks, who haven’t had a relevant release since 2006, and, more often than not, The Vaccines, who peaked with their 2011 debut, for good measure. But, why is this the way forward for most of these mid-level festivals?

The answer lies with lad culture. Festivals are almost certain to make more money from nostalgia acts, as these are the crowd that they attract. Festivals look to the one-time-a-year festival goer and accommodate them, knowing that these people will rock up with their cans of Strongbow Dark Fruits, flares in one hand, bucket hats in the other, and they will do so with a large group of mates that will spend hundreds of pounds on the bar, ultimately resulting in more profit for the promoters involved.

 But if this is what is believed to be the ‘way forward’, then who will be headlining these festivals in five years time? Who will be there to sell the tickets if festivals today aren’t helping to promote the next big thing? Here is where festivals like Truck Festival, Deer Shed, and Bearded Theory excel – as they often break away from the norm and offer new, not-seen-before headliners a chance to show attendees what they’ve got. This year’s Truck Festival sees Isle of Wight sensations Wet Leg step up to the challenge, receiving their first major headline slot, marking their festival season comeback off the success of their self-titled debut album, not only doing something different, but something exciting too.

Festivals need to diversify their headliners by inviting new acts to fill the stage. It may be more of a risk for them financially, it may result in a change of demographic, but it will inspire more festivals to take the same risk. If festivals want to have a crowd that is more representative of the population, they need to pay attention to the full-time gig-goers who are continuously pushing new artists to the forefront, it’s time to give the Wolf Alices, the Fontaines D.Cs, the Young Fathers and the Amyl & The Sniffers of the industry a chance to prove themselves. It’s the only way to save the industry from caving in on itself”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rahul Pandit/Pexels

If there is some progress happening at some festivals, award ceremonies and areas of the industry, it still is eclipsed by the huge gulfs and sexism that remains elsewhere. One hopes that festivals yet to announce their bills do better. This constant lack of respect for women. Insulting their talent and potential. An industry that needs to address its misogyny and bias against women is not doing enough. Very few male allies and those in positions of power doing enough to confront a continuing issue. It is not only inequality that continues to rear its head. Attitudes towards women. Misogyny and abuse that keeps making the news. I was reading an interview from The Guardian. They spoke with Nadine Shah recently (her album, Filthy Underneath, is out next month). Rather than there being particular and recent occasions where Nadine Shah has been affected by sexism and misogyny, mentions of her past work that addressed these subjects made me think how many other women in the industry have faced similar things. Many women have struggled with their mental health and addiction issues. Whilst it can feel stigmatising for all genders, one feels there is this judgment against women. The way they are portrayed in the press. Shah speaks about and has addressed the gender pay gap. How music journalism is dwindling (many female voices being taken away). How few women have spoken about their experiences with rehab. I wonder if there is still this attitude towards women when it comes to personal struggles and addiction. If they are scandalised and hounded rather than supported:

“She is writing a memoir about her time in rehab because there are so few accounts of it by women. “I was ashamed about being there,” she says. “There was shame in being a woman who was an addict, whereas male musicians might have been revered for it. One of the reasons we can’t get many women into recovery is because of the stigma.” I mention Amy Winehouse; Shah was briefly friends with her. “She was ridiculed so awfully,” says Shah, but “she was an unwell person”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Suki Dhanda/The Guardian

Shah is a singular force in British rock, as funny and charismatic in person as she is on stage and in song. The Tyneside songwriter’s atmospheric, tragicomedic post-punk songs tackle tough themes with an acid tongue, and find absurdity in bleakness: her 2017 Mercury prize-nominated album Holiday Destination had songs about the Syrian refugee crisis and Islamophobia. The follow-up, Kitchen Sink, sent up the sexism she has experienced as a woman in her 30s, and depicted men selecting mistresses as if they were livestock.

After her debut album, 2013’s Love Your Dum and Mad, written after the deaths of two former boyfriends, Shah became an ambassador for the mental health charity Calm; she has called out issues such as the music industry’s gender pay gap, the unfairness of the streaming economy for musicians, or the “racist bullshit” she’s faced because of her Muslim surname (her father is of Pakistani heritage). Now, drinking tea in a London bar, she is self-effacing: “I think a lot of people found me righteous before, like: ‘If she’s not talking about how we should save refugees, now she wants to fix streaming. And here she goes again.’”

There has been quite a lot written this year already that has sparked anger. Pitchfork being incorporated into GQ means that the industry will lose some incredible female journalists. With there still being imbalance and issues when it comes to highlighting female voices, it seems like another body blow. Women like Nadine Shah speaking about their experiences with sexism through the years. How there are nerves and reluctant to speak personally and open through, perhaps, a fear of being judged or subjected to tabloid-style scandalisation. Hoe progressive is the music industry?! Certainly, a lot more so than the 1990s I feel. Even so, at a time when there should at the very least be equality across the board and a lot of respect given to all women, we seem to miles away from that! Still, this male bias exists. It extends beyond everything covered so far. Many women have been subjected to online harassment, sexual harassment and abuse. This is another stain and huge problem that is not going away. The last thing I want to mention is a recent case of deepfake technology being used to produce pornography featuring Taylor Swift. I have seen so many reactions online – mainly from men – making light of it. Saying it is a bit of fun. Even worse, seemingly getting off on it! It shows that there is still such a debasing attitude towards women.

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

Horrific indignity and disgust is greeted with acceptance and cheer by many! The Guardian explained what is currently happening. Even some of the most powerful women in music are being abused and degraded. Showing how women are still valued because of their bodies rather than their talent and minds. A vile and disturbing case of degradation that adds yet more toxicity to the music industry. Like I said: with every step forward, there seems to be a bigger step back:

“The rapid online spread of deepfake pornographic images of Taylor Swift has renewed calls, including from US politicians, to criminalise the practice, in which artificial intelligence is used to synthesise fake but convincing explicit imagery.

The images of the US popstar have been distributed across social media and seen by millions this week. Previously distributed on the app Telegram, one of the images of Swift hosted on X was seen 47m times before it was removed.

X said in a statement: “Our teams are actively removing all identified images and taking appropriate actions against the accounts responsible for posting them.”

Yvette D Clarke, a Democratic congresswoman for New York, wrote on X: “What’s happened to Taylor Swift is nothing new. For yrs, women have been targets of deepfakes [without] their consent. And [with] advancements in AI, creating deepfakes is easier & cheaper. This is an issue both sides of the aisle & even Swifties should be able to come together to solve.”

Some individual US states have their own legislation against deepfakes, but there is a growing push for a change to federal law.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ed Zurga/AP

In May 2023, Democratic congressman Joseph Morelle unveiled the proposed Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act, which would make it illegal to share deepfake pornography without consent. Morelle said the images and videos “can cause irrevocable emotional, financial, and reputational harm – and unfortunately, women are disproportionately impacted.”

In a tweet condemning the Swift images, he described them as “sexual exploitation”. His proposed legislation has not yet become law.

Republican congressman Tom Kean Jr said: “It is clear that AI technology is advancing faster than the necessary guardrails. Whether the victim is Taylor Swift or any young person across our country, we need to establish safeguards to combat this alarming trend.” He has co-sponsored Morelle’s bill, and introduced his own AI Labeling Act that would require all AI-generated content (including more innocuous chatbots used in customer service settings, for example) to be labelled as such.

Swift has not spoken publicly about the images. Her US publicist had not replied to a request for comment as of publication time”.

In a larger sense, it makes me wonder whether we will see any real progress in the music industry. I know there are developments happening. Influential women being commended and highlights. Some festivals doing better regarding their line-ups. Some radio stations working towards a balanced playlist. People, the vast majority women, calling out sexual abuse and the toxic side of the industry. Sexism and misogyny is still rife. If attitudes towards women are not as regressive as they were years ago, things have not come as far as they should. With every story about inequality, discrimination, ignorance or misogyny, it makes me wonder whether there is this unmoving perception of women. If their music is being celebrated and spotlighted, why does this not result in greater visibility, opportunities and respect?! Maybe it is the fact that men have too much of the influence still. Too few male artists and those in the industry speaking up and out. This year should have been one where we saw improvement. If a minor success story at the BRITs has patched over one hole, there are other (stories) that take us into a dark place. Women need to be championed more. They deserve more opportunities than they get! They deserve fewer/no barriers in their way. Not only do venues and spaces need to be safer for women. The online world does too. Perceptions around women, in so many ways, seem to be stuck in the past. Unwilling to move and evolve. It is sad and hugely angering to see. Progress and correction needs to happen. It needs to happen…

PHOTO CREDIT: Dominika Roseclay

MUCH faster than it has been!

FEATURE: Gold Soundz: Pavement’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain at Thirty

FEATURE:

 

 

Gold Soundz

Pavement’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain at Thirty

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MAYBE not ranked…

IN THIS PHOTO: Pavement in 1994

alongside the best albums of the 1990s, I think that Pavement’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain should be! The fact that it came out in 1994 – the best year ever for music – meant that other albums got credit and more attention. The fact is that the band’s second studio album is a classic. Released on 14th February, 1994, I wanted to mark the approaching thirtieth anniversary of a huge album that everyone should hear. Led by songwriter Stephen Malkmus, this album was a minor commercial success upon its release. Perhaps resonating more with critics than the public, in the years since its release, many more people have connected with the awesome Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. You can read fascinating features and insights into the album here. You can also pick up a copy here. I wondered whether there would be a thirtieth anniversary reissue. So that it can be made available on different coloured vinyl or cassette. I will come to some reviews for this album at the end. In 2014, Stereogum published an oral history of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. It is amazing to imagine why this stunning album did not fare better in the album charts:

“For Pavement, already an underground sensation thanks to 1992 debut Slanted And Enchanted, this album marked a massive leap in terms of fidelity and style. Sonically, they traded the static-laden home recordings of their early days for studio work with outside engineers. Crooked Rain was hardly a polished record, but it sounded bright and clear compared to what came before it. Stephen Malkmus’ lyrics continued to be an inscrutable collage of scattered phraseology, ironic commentary on the music industry, and inside jokes interspersed with brief glimpses of relatable human sentiment; in the single “Gold Soundz,” the apparently soul-baring lyric “So drunk in the August sun/ And you’re the kind of girl I like/ Because you’re empty, and I’m empty” exists alongside nonsensical banter like “Did you remember in December/ That I won’t eat you when I’m gone.” But Pavement’s music underwent a substantial makeover on Crooked Rain. The band largely left behind the post-punk framework of Slanted in favor of an easygoing classic rock influence, establishing a template they’d work from for the rest of their storied career.

Although Crooked Rain never climbed above #121 on the U.S. album chart, it was by far the most visible release yet for the young New York label Matador Records, generating radio and MTV airplay for a scene that existed almost completely underground. That’s partially because it boasted the most accessible music to ever emerge from that scene. The songs bursted with undeniable melodies couched in off-kilter delivery, be they vocal hooks tweaked by squawks and whimpers or effortlessly slinky guitar leads that shined and careened like casually waved sparklers. The chorus from lead single “Cut Your Hair” is indicative, pasting the album’s most indelible melody into wordless falsetto mewling. It sounded unlike much of the leading alternative radio staples of the day, but it did reference some of them by name when Malkmus playfully dissed Stone Temple Pilots and the Smashing Pumpkins in the closing bars of the country-tinged “Range Life.” The album-closing guitar epic “Fillmore Jive” declares the end of the rock and roll era and ends on an unfinished sentence.

Such exploits didn’t rocket Pavement to the forefront of the commercial alternative explosion that dominated the early ’90s in the wake of Nirvana; a year after Crooked Rain’s release, the band was pelted with rocks and mud at Lollapalooza’s West Virginia tour stop and had to end its set early. But the album did (ahem) cement Pavement’s fervent fan base, a cult that grew steadily until their breakup at the end of the ’90s and blossomed exponentially in the 2000s when bands and critics alike began rampantly name-checking the group as a formative power in the underground. Furthermore, Crooked Rain paved the way for Matador’s rise into a fertile middle ground between the mainstream and the underground and, in a larger sense, guitar-based indie rock’s evolution into a commercial force in the new millennium. It’s hard to imagine bands as disparate as Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, and the Shins ascending to legitimate rock stardom without Crooked Rain laying the groundwork a decade earlier — firstly by unapologetically blending punk and classic rock influences, secondly by nudging the cloistered indie underground out into the mainstream spotlight without making the leap to a major.

Its place in music history aside, Crooked Rain remains an incredible collection of songs, a document of a singular band at the peak of its powers confidently carving out new territory. The music feels effervescent and alive in a way that belies the disjointed way the record was assembled. The lyrics stick with you, even the ones that read like complete nonsense. It is an unforgettable album and one well worth remembering. So today, with the assistance of the members of Pavement and other key figures in the record’s creation, we do just that. Below, those closest to the action tell the story of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain”.

As a slight detour, I want to source from 2019. Billboard collated recollections and testimony from artists about how Pavement’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain impacted them. What their experiences were discovering this album. If songs like Cut Your Hair are played more than any from the album, there is a richness and consistency throughout that makes it an incredibly solid and compelling listen – one that will grab you from start to finish:

“I didn’t really have a lot of access to music, because my parents don’t really listen to music that much, and I grew up not being able to watch TV or use the computer except on the weekends (laughs). So I didn’t have MTV nor did I know how to download stuff off the Internet. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I acquired a group of friends who would burn CDs for me. And I had a friend burn Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain for me, and I would play it all the time on my Discman. “Range Life” is a big favorite on the album, because going on tour with Potty Mouth the song really resonates with me. The idea of “I want a range life if I could settle down” — always going out on the road and never really having a stable life. I identify with that sentiment very strongly. – Abby Weems, Potty Mouth

I was in junior high school and deep into radio grunge played on Atlanta’s 99X when my older brother purchased Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. I’d heard him play Slanted and Enchanted a few times on our hour commute to school but was lured in by CR‘s higher fidelity, the “Cut Your Hair” single, and the Smashing Pumpkins / Stone Temple Pilots commentary. It seemed like “Cut Your Hair” could have been on mainstream radio. It was more or less the first time I can remember describing someone as “indie-rock” to my friends. Most of my buds were into jam bands and when Phish later covered “Gold Sounds” I felt redeemed. Jams aplenty on CR, particularly the “Stop Breathin'” outro jam and “5-4= Unity” in particular being favorites for me. But I was definitely most interested in the lyrics and how a “career” could seamlessly morph into a “Korea” or how “if I could settle down, then I would settle down.” It seemed like the more Stephen repeated a word or phrase, the more dimension it accumulated. CR has great one-liners like “there’s one thing I’ll never forget, hey you gotta pay the dues before you pay the rent” or “no one serves coffee, no one wakes up,” but it also has lyrics I’ve misconstrued for years. I used to think “Unfair” said, “walk with a credit card in the air, swinging nunchucks like you just don’t care” which I later refined to “slinging nachos like you just don’t care” before realizing that it was officially “swing your nose like you just don’t care.” But that’s what made it all so great. It all somehow simultaneously mattered a lot and didn’t matter at all, it was playful, fun, and without enough reverence to be irreverent. It wasn’t angsty because nothing seemed worthy of getting angsty about. It was just cool. – Parker Gispert

I don’t think me or Curtis actually like Pavement. I had this experience with the lead singer I thought was funny. The first time I saw him was my first day working at a BBQ restaurant in Texas. I was flustered and didn’t know what I was doing. He was very polite. The next time I saw him I told him about it and he was very polite again. Then I saw him when I was drunk a few months later and accidentally told him the story again. This time he seemed less into the conversation. I realized that I had already told him about it before. But now I feel like I have to say this story every time I see him. I told him for the third time at a show for Matador. We haven’t run into each other for years but an ex of mine said she saw him at some festival and he said “you have that annoying boyfriend right?” And she said “not anymore.” – Coomers, Harlem

I am old enough that I remember when “Cut Your Hair” was a hit on the radio, and young enough that I have yet to see a Pavement show. I remember, as a kid during the onset of some of the best indie rock, Pavement came across as fresh and obscure. Malkmus spoke with a simultaneous candor and nihilism that was really appealing to my young brain. Crooked Rain shows Pavement at their finest. Pop indie rock candy that could be chewed by the weirdos. That’s how it felt to me, and still does. I have never heard a song like “Range Life,” well, in my life. The melodies are their own, as well as the perfectly tight loose jangle of the band. “Stop Breathin” is a ballad that no one could write but Stephen Malkmus. Pavement is able to cleverly celebrate their influences through a unique sound that is their own. Bands will spend years trying to sound as nonchalantly beautiful as this album just IS. P.S. I saw Stephen Malkmus this past summer, and he was more boyish and lackadaisically perfect than ever! – Lilly Hiatt

Crooked Rain is my all time favorite Pavement record. In fact, “Range Life” is one of the few songs I’ve covered live. I got kicked out of my apartment in North Carolina because the owners wanted to sell the whole house. The song “Range Life” seemed to encapsulate that period for me, so I got onstage at the Mothlight in West Asheville and sang it to my heart’s content. It’s an oddly relatable and beautiful song for a band that seemed so content to throw a wrench in most pop structures. My friend Dom helped me rewrite the Smashing Pumpkins lyrics at the end to be about DIIV and Sky Ferreira and we got a good chuckle out of it. Also, “Stop Breathin’” is a perfect song. It’s rare to hear a U.S. Maple influence on a mainstream rock band. Anyway, Pavement rules. Malkmus rules. – Eric Slick, Dr. Dog”.

I want to end with some reviews. I will start out with Rolling Stone. They reviewed Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain when it arrived in 1994. It is clear that this album from the Californian band was very different from anything around them. Maybe a reason why it both resounded with some and maybe did not instantly connect with others:

“ROCK IS DEAD — long live rock. The Who introduced this contradictory sentiment 20 years ago, around the time of punk’s birth, and Pavement revive it for punk’s rebirth — and not a moment too soon — on their stunning new album, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. While the Who smashed guitars and eardrums, Pavement smash preconceptions on Crooked Rain — about how an indie-rock band should sound, about whether “alternative music” is an alternative to anything — creating an album that’s darker and more beguiling than their heralded previous efforts.

Despite — or maybe because of — obvious lifts from Sonic Youth, the Fall and the Pixies on earlier releases, Pavement’s slacker sound, which buried primitive pop melodies under layers of pretty noise and lazy rhythms, made critics and the college-radio crowd swoon. On Crooked Rain, Pavement — vocalist-guitarist Stephen Malkmus, guitarist Spiral Stairs, bassist Mark Ibold, percussionist Bob Nastanovich and drummer Steve West — avoid the expected indie inclinations to noise, volume and lo-fi sound, replacing them with clearly ringing guitars and Bowieesque tinkling piano.

Crooked Rain’s clean production and insidiously catchy melodies hardly signify that Pavement have sold out — if anything, their vision is more warped and caustic than before. On such previous releases as Watery, Domestic; Slanted and Enchanted; and the numerous, hard-to-find vinyl EPs collected on Westing (By Musket and Sextant), the band’s lyrics seemed artily tossed off, resembling dada transmissions from another, more surreal dimension.

On Crooked Rain, though, Malkmus, the band’s principal songwriter, appears concerned with more earthly matters, in particular the rise of alternative music and the concurrent death of rock & roll: As “Newark Wilder” laments: “It’s a brand-new era/And it feels great/It’s a brand-new era/But it came too late.” On “Cut Your Hair,” Malkmus equates the recent popularity of alternative music to a trendy haircut, mocking Nirvana-be’s who “dance right down to the practice room/[To] get attention and fame,” reminding them that “songs mean a lot/When songs are bought/And so are you.” On “Range Life,” Malkmus gets specific in his vitriol, dropping vicious put-downs of his peers that would seem more at home in a hip-hop dis than in that song’s sweet, country-rock shuffle. He targets Smashing Pumpkins, claiming, “They don’t have no function/I don’t understand what they mean/And I could really give a fuck.” He also derides Stone Temple Pilots as “elegant bachelors,” adding that they “do absolutely nothing more to me.” Elsewhere, Malkmus’ lyrics are replete with drug references and desperate, mundane pleas, as in the chorus of “Stop Breathin'” (“Stop breathing for me now”) or this refrain from “Fillmore Jive”: “I need to sleep/Why won’t you let me sleep?”

Pavement’s contradictions come to a head in the album’s closer “Fillmore Jive,” which is seemingly inspired by the death of Bill Graham and rendered in an elegiac tone reminiscent of Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer” (and Don McLean’s “American Pie”). In “Fillmore,” Malkmus addresses various punks, rockers and the “dance faction,” bidding them to say “good night to the rock & roll era/’Cause they don’t need you anymore.” It’s ironic in itself that as Malkmus declares that rock is dead, he displays the sort of passion, skepticism and inventiveness that only offers proof of its ongoing vitality”.

Moving to 2014, where The Quietus gave their assessment of a magnificent album. One of the very best of the 1990s. They reviewed it twenty years after its release. Since then even, you can hear bands coming through that are distinctly influenced by Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. If you have not heard the album lately, then take some time out and experience it. You will not be disappointed:

“That joy’s in its buoyancy, its wide-open major cadences, the shimmering warmth Pavement slid into after Steve West took over drum duty from Gary Young. It’s in the sound that other publications describe as "classic rock". In the way that at the end of ‘Silence Kid’, you get Malkmus’ admission that he’s “screwing myself with my hand” – that brief fall into fucked-up defiance – and then a few seconds later, ‘Elevate Me Later’ kicks in and it’s back to exuberance. It’s in the way it splinters out like fireworks from the steaming, angry freak-out of ‘Unfair’, one of the few songs on the album in which the subject is disarmingly obvious:

We've got desert, we've got trees

We've got the hills of Beverly

Let's burn the hills of Beverly!

It’s how, within a breath, the band move from that release of rage towards their California homeland to the laid-back beauty of ‘Gold Soundz’, and pull you right along with it. It’s in the unexpected, sparkling jazz of ‘5-4 Unity’. And then, of course, it’s in the wonderful alchemy of loucheness and yearning in ‘Range Life’. It’s such a warm, loose song, an easygoing pisstake that famously damned the Smashing Pumpkins (Billy Corgan was offended, but Malkmus, of course, had just grabbed any old band or two from the air because they sounded right).

The album became a strange, shimmering tapestry of things to take seriously and things to mock; a combination of optimism, melancholy and smart slacker indifference that was a guiding philosophy for years. It probably still is.

Believe in what you wanna do

And do you think that is a major flaw?

Quicksilver shifts between earnestness and diffidence; endless alterations between soul-baring snapshots of a deep, vast inner life and cocky mockery. And the instinctive genius of the way these both flowed alongside the melodies or jutted out against them made the whole thing glorious.

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is arguably the most commercial record in the Pavement canon; ‘Gold Soundz’ being exemplary here. Sandwiched between the rougher Slanted & Enchanted and Wowee Zowee, it’s a glimpse of a band who could have, if they wanted, gone in a mainstream indie rock direction. This was as crowd-pleasing as they got – there are more polished, pretty tracks on it than on any of their other albums. Even so, it also contains its own resistance, most especially in ‘Heaven Is A Truck’ (as Beavis & Butthead asked about Pavement: “Are they even trying?”); and the disjointed dissonance of ‘Hit the Plane Down’. This resistance wasn’t calculated or even particularly conscious. Pavement really weren't trying. They simply shrugged at external notions of success and got back to making the record. And if the world thought it pretty and embraced it, or thought it ugly and shunned it, so be it.

'Fillmore Jive' is where it ends.

passed out on your couch

A song that meanders, dips and builds around a desperate yearning to be asleep; to be submerged in dream. How resonant this hollowed-out, underwater song would sound to me for so many years. When Stephen Malkmus sings “I need to sleep” then begs “why don't you let me?” I felt it deeply, listening on a Sunday night after another weekend making myself make the most of my twenties. So much of that decade is exhausting; you have to show up, think about

career, career, career, career

about people's new haircuts, needing credit cards, elegant bachelors (are they foxy to you?), if you’re the kind of girl he likes (cos you’re empty), all those fortresses and ways to attack, your grandmother's advice – and you need to sleep.

When I asked to write this review, I wondered if an album that shone so brightly in the past would be lost to me now, as the truth is, I don’t listen to it much these days. I thought that at 32 I’d wonder why it’d had such a hold over me five, ten years ago. I was ready to admit that if something so of its time and at such an angle to the world could still steal over me in the same way, it’d prove I was stuck in an extended adolescence or in ex-stoner nostalgia – that I should just admit defeat and become a 90s casualty, giving into wearing nothing but flannel shirts and listening to Brian Jonestown Massacre.

But recent spins have only reaffirmed that its exuberant grace is transcendent. And anyway, you can never quarantine the past”.

I will end with this review from Secret Meeting. It is interesting reading what they had to say in their 2020 piece. How the music scene was transforming and turning by 1994. It was a fascinating year where some scenes peaked and were levelling off and others were coming through. Within that year, early on, Pavement put out this incredible musical statement:

“When Pavement released their second studio album in 1994, the alternative music scene in the US had been riding the crest of a wave. Genre-defining records from the likes of Soundgarden, Nirvana and Beastie Boys would all go on to reach number one in the Billboard chart that year, and acts which had emerged from the DIY underground had become household names. But the worm was slowly starting to turn – as with most crossovers, there is always a danger that A&R men, TV Execs and unscrupulous advertisers start to see the dollar signs, and the inevitable sub-par ‘cash-ins’ begin to appear. It was the first flashes of this cynicism that ended up seeping into Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain – an album that satirically critiqued the music scene. Questions about whether The Stone Temple Pilots were ‘foxy’ or not, tales of ‘Range Rovin’ with the cinema stars’, and a tongue in cheek line about the ‘drummer’s hair’ were all thinly-veiled barbs about the way the mainstream media and related hangers-on had started to jump on the alternative bandwagon.

For a songwriter who’s often claimed his lyrics are largely nonsensical, and is known for using phrases purely because they sound good together, on Crooked Rain it seemed Stephen Malkmus was making more of a point. None more so than on Elevate Me Later. But instead of a typical punk attack on the rich, Malkmus cuts them down with wry digs at the woes of upper class fashionistas and again at the music suits.

For all of Pavement’s avant-garde, noiserock-lite tendencies, they’ve always had a deft ear for melody, and pop gem Cut Your Hair is a fine example. A scuzzy, upbeat song complete with a throwaway ‘ooh ooh ooh’ refrain that mocks the image obsessed music scene, and the poseurs and scenesters that inhabit it.

The jewel in the crown of the album is undoubtedly Gold Soundz – a beautifully written, twilight-kissed song that shifts focus momentarily and catches the melancholy feeling of remembering people or times that have been lost. 5-4=Unity maybe shouldn’t have made the cut. However, on an album that moved away from the MTV-led version of alternative music, it isn’t surprising that Pavement included an instrumental in a 5/4 time signature – in fact it wouldn’t have been surprising for them to release it as a lead single.

Alt-country track, Range Life, is an Americana-tinged song that trots along breezily, and stays just on the right side of being glib or cheesy. With brilliantly throwaway lyrics, Malkmus describes youth in suburban America, and makes the mundane sound idyllic- ‘Out on my skateboard, the night is just humming/ And the gum smacks are the pulse I’ll follow if my Walkman fades’. After an understated, but perfectly placed bar-room band middle eight, Malkmus again can’t help but turn his thoughts to his contemporaries, referencing both The Stone Temple Pilots and The Smashing Pumpkins – and on a song with such a carefree, laid back sentiment it’s easy to see why Malkmus has nothing in common with Chicago’s perpetual nihilists.

Pavement always had a punk ethos, DIY values – they didn’t really fit into the Generation X mould. It’s also hard to say exactly when Pavement peaked (they would go on to release three more brilliant studio albums), but it could be argued that commercially, critically, and creatively Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain wasn’t ever really bettered. The band split after Terror Twilight in 1999, but would reunite again in 2010 to tour in support of the aptly named best of compilation, Quarantine The Past. They also announced last year that they would be reforming once again to play a pair of shows this weekend to celebrate the anniversary of Primavera festival, which, obviously, has been postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. But the reaction to the announcement was greeted with such anticipation that it’s hard to overstate their ongoing popularity.

Members of Pavement have forayed into other musical ventures since the split, but it’s Malkmus who found the most success in the post-Pavement years – releasing a plethora of albums, including 2018’s Sparkle Hard, that would arguably go on to overshadow the Pavement back catalogue, and cement himself as the ever inventive, constantly shifting godfather of lo-fi slacker rock.

In terms of its legacy, Crooked Rain helped inform new generations to a whole host of other artists – including modern day acts Parquet Courts and Car Seat Headrest. Their influence has been synonymous with some of the best alternative music of the last quarter of a century, while still remaining a band who simply can’t be imitated”.

On 14th February, it will be thirty years since Pavement released their acclaimed second studio album, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. One of the absolute standouts from 1994, in years since it has gone on to influence artists. You hear its songs played on the radio. It has endured and created this distinct legacy. I am not sure whether Stephen Malkmus and the band will mark the thirtieth anniversary. I hope they do! After all these years, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain remains a work of brilliance. We will be discussing this wonderful album…

FOR years to come.

FEATURE: Change in Speak: De La Soul’s Seismic and Groundbreaking Debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, at Thirty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

Change in Speak

De La Soul’s Seismic and Groundbreaking Debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, at Thirty-Five

_________

ON 3rd March…

it will be thirty-five years since De La Soul’s iconic and revolutionary debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was released. Released through Tommy Boy, it is one of the most important Hip-Hop albums ever. For so many years it was unavailable through streaming services. That recently changed. It was also issued on a range of physical formats, meaning old and new fans of the album could listen to it. At a time in Hip-Hop when there was an angrier and more political sound reigning – with groups like N.W.A. and Public Enemy -, New York’s trio (Kelvin ‘Posdnuos’ Mercer, David ‘Trugoy the Dove’ Jolicoeur, and Vincent ‘Maseo’ Mason) offered something more peaceful and positive. Heralding in the ’Daisy Age’, this was a different approach. Relying more on skits and humour, there was this contrast with the more direct and brutal sounds of what was around them. Even so, 3 Feet High and Rising was a massive critical and commercial success. I wanted to look inside the album ahead of its thirty-fifth anniversary next month. I am going to get to some reviews of 3 Feet High and Rising. There are incredible articles that dive inside the album and how it was made. You can get the album here. I will finish with a couple of reviews for this landmark album. I am going to start out with some features about one of the greatest albums ever released. Record Collector looked at the mighty 3 Feet High and Rising last year:

“What does ‘Tush eht lleh pu’ mean?” It was the summer of 1989, and that innocuous rebuttal was just about the most aggressive moment on De La Soul’s game-changing debut album 3 Feet High & Rising. From now on, hip-hop was going to be a Day-glo sampladelic cartoon strip of good vibes. This was the Daisy Age (“da inner sound y’all”) and that meant saying goodbye to all that crazy cop shootin’ gangsta shit. Or so we thought.

Long Island high school friends, Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo (two of them still in their teens, the other just turned 20), spelled their names backwards, too, but under the patronage of wizard DJ/producer Prince Paul, they were about to kickstart the future. Despite vinyl being their primary source material, they unwittingly accelerated the rise of CD culture into the bargain by cramming 24 tracks onto a 67-minute slab of vinyl. But more than anything, they completely revolutionised hip-hop. Scroll through the tributes to the tragic news that Dave “Trugoy The Dove” Jolicouer had died last month, just a few weeks after speaking to RC for the interview to go with this review, and you’ll have everything you need to know about the high standing in which De La Soul were held.

Back when the trio emerged, the hip-hop landscape could be roughly divided into two teams. On one side the righteous rage of Public Enemy and the gun-toting misogyny of NWA; on the other, flashy gold chains and New Jack Swing. In De La Soul’s wake came Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Digable Planets, Da Bush Babees, Dream Warriors (how come they all began with a ‘D’?), a transformation unthinkable without 3 Feet High & Rising. Spiritual cousins, Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest, would soon charge forward, baton in hand, helping to reinvent a medium whose cliched rhyme and posturing was already wearing thin.

Just a few weeks before his death, Dave “Trugoy The Dove” Jolicoeur recalled the dawn of a new hip-hop era.

The early records have been absent from streaming services, meaning there is a new generation of hip-hop fans who probably haven’t ever heard them.

Early in our career, there was no such thing as streaming services, no language about internet or downloading. So, it has meant a lot of renegotiating and unfortunately, it didn’t seem that labels who held our catalogue had any interest in doing that. Our parent company, Tommy Boy, had folded and our music was being bounced around so much we were never sure who the right people were to sit down with. But it’s good that new listeners will hear it now. At our shows, there’s always been quite a range in the demographic – people bringing their kids, younger faces – and it still excites us when people stumble upon our music. With The Magic Number being in the Spider-Man movie [it featured over the end credits of Spider-Man: No Way Home], that seems to have flicked a switch for younger people.

3 Feet High & Rising sounded like a new dawn, and was a catalyst for a change on the hip-hop scene with artists like Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest following up with incredible albums of their own. Did it create intense rivalry between the artists?

I don’t know if hip-hop needed to change, but it felt like it needed an awakening, fresh air. I remember the release party for the album – there was KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick and they were like gods at the time, and they were saying stuff like, “Man, this is so fresh, we need more of this!” So, it definitely felt like a new chapter. There were moments when we were recording in the same building with Tribe. I can remember us thinking, “Oh God, how are they doing this?! This is fucking amazing!” So, you start questioning yourself, going back to the other guys saying, “Right, we’re gonna have to make some dope shit or we’ll get left behind!” Those times exemplified what hip-hop is really about. It became a competition, MCs versus MCs, DJs versus DJs, or sometimes more serious rivalries like LL Cool J versus Ice T. The same thing was happening with our crew. Hearing what Tribe were doing spurred you on to do something even better.

One of the most striking aspects of your music at the time was its eclecticism, the incredible range of samples you used. These days are you still inclined to draw from mum and dad’s record collections?
Yeah, we still dig through those old record collections. Sampling is still part of our musical culture. That’s what inspires and moves us. We have tonnes of vinyl we still go back to. For …And The Anonymous Nobody [2016] it was all about creating, using a live band, but at our core, we like to go into the garage or the basement and dig through tons of old vinyl for inspiration”.

It is impossible to state how important 3 Feet High and Rising is in terms of shaping Hip-Hop. Even if the Daisy Age did not last too long, it definitely influenced many other artists. In 2019, for its thirtieth anniversary, Albumism dissected this phenomenal album. They mention the importance of the production by Prince Paul and the sampling that helps define and colour the songs:

“Released 30 years ago, 3 Feet High and Rising was unlike anything that had been released before it. It was a strange and sprawling piece of work that was the product of four young men making the bold and brave statement that it was okay to be different in hip-hop.

It’s hard to oversell how 3 Feet High and Rising was borderline alien compared to anything that had been released before it. There had been other crews that were left of center, like Ultramagnetic MCs and the Jungle Brothers, (more on them in a sec), but De La Soul were positively indecipherable. Pos, Dove, and Mase, along with producer “Prince” Paul Huston came together to craft the definitive oddball hip-hop album that created the lane for others who wanted to “try something different.” And while making the album, Prince Paul encouraged De La to experiment as much possible, try new things, and not be afraid to make mistakes. It’s this wide-eyed and liberated attitude that give 3 Feet High and Rising a lot of its charm.

It made sense that they came together with the aforementioned Jungle Brothers and the fledgling group A Tribe Called Quest to form the groundbreaking Native Tongues clique. The crew became synonymous with outside-of-the-box thinking in regards to hip-hop music, and 3 Feet High and Rising is the foundation for their movement.

When I first heard 3 Feet High and Rising, I didn’t quite get “it.” I was 13, and the album was a bit too odd for me at the time. The group used obscure slang and their lyrics and skits seemed to be filled with in-jokes that were inscrutable except to those in their immediate crew.  A classmate had to explain to me that “Potholes In My Lawn” was about people stealing their rhymes; I would have had no idea otherwise. Still, I’d dug the singles, especially the “Buddy” remix, which I’d gotten to know through its low-budget but madcap video. What a difference a couple of years made, as I revisited 3 Feet High right around the time that its successor De La Soul Is Dead (1991) surfaced, now more open to its idiosyncrasies and bizarre moments.

Much of the attention of 3 Feet High centers on its production, handled by Prince Paul. Specifically, it centers on the sample sources for the album. A lot of hip-hop artists mainly subsisted on samples from James Brown and Ultimate Beats and Breaks Records. De La Soul and Prince Paul were one of the first groups to utilize records from eclectic sources as the bricks and the mortar for their tracks. They sampled songs from relatively obscure artists like the Mad Lads and Cymande, and untouched musical ground like Steely Dan and Liberace. The album’s title is taken from a line in an early Johnny Cash song. The type of creativity that De La used on this album is functionally infeasible for a major label hip-hop release in 2019, due to the massive costs associated with the sample clearances. It’s one of the biggest reasons why Tommy Boy Records only recently worked out a deal to get the album onto streaming services.

As mentioned earlier, the album’s subject matter can be hard to decipher, but the group spends the album positioning themselves as rejecting the traditional definition of what it means to be a rapper. “Me Myself and I” remains the group’s anthem in that sense, expressing the importance of substance above traditional style, and how if the music dope, their dress doesn’t really matter. The point was hammered home in the video for the song, which was about rejecting the ultra-machismo driven image of what many associated with being a rapper. The group came to dislike the track, and for years prefaced live performances of it with chants of “We hate this song. We hate this song. We hate this song, but you love this song.”

For all the attention that 3 Feet High receives for the group’s abstract approach and their beats, Pos and Dove don’t get enough credit as innovative emcees. The two really experiment stylistically, crafting non-traditional rhyme schemes and patterns, switching deliveries and flows mid-song. They display this aptitude right from the get-go with their first single “Plug Tunin’,” and continue on songs like “Magic Number,” “Change in Speak,” “Living in a Full Time Era,” and “D.A.I.S.Y. Age.”

3 Feet High is also associated with the “D.A.I.S.Y.” image aka Da Inna Sound Y’all, first alluded to on songs like “Potholes” and further championed on “Me Myself and I.” Tommy Boy made this a central part of their marketing scheme for the group, often championing De La as “hippies.” De La noticeably bristles at the hippie label and the marketing scheme in general, and notoriously spent their tours getting into fights with locals who assumed that the group was soft because they were associated with “daisies”.

I want to get to a review from Pitchfork. I find it impossible that anyone would find anything to fault about De La Soul’s debut album! Luckily, the vast majority of critics have the album resounding love. I wanted to take some sections from Pitchfork’s impassioned and hugely positive review of the 1989 album that is a true classic:

“In 2011, 3 Feet High and Rising was added to the Library of Congress National Registry of Recordings. Even that honor prompted no action from Warner Brothers. So on Valentine’s Day in 2014, De La Soul gave away digital files of their entire Warner catalog to their fans. That sharing has been the only official digital release of these records, which remain locked away in that null existence between copyright orphanhood and full viability.

Questlove told New York Times reporter Finn Cohen, “I mean, 3 Feet High and Rising is very much in danger of being the classic tree that fell in the forest that was once given high praise and now is just a stump.” We are left to ask: as history is made and remade, who can be heard in America?

On the album’s proper opener, “The Magic Number,” over a sample of the “Schoolhouse Rock” theme song and a chopped version of John Bonham’s huge drum break from “The Crunge,” Pos and Trugoy had rocked a virtuoso, rapid-fire manifesto full of mind-spinning wordplay. Pos positioned hip-hop as the new insurgency:

Parents let go cause there’s magic in the air

Criticizing rap shows you’re out of order

Stop look and listen to the phrase, Fred Astaires,

And don’t get offended while Mase do-si-do’s your daughter

Trugoy described his creative process:

Souls who flaunt styles gain praises by the pounds

Common are speakers who honor the scroll

Scrolls written daily creates a new sound

Listeners listen ‘cause this here is wisdom.

By the end, Mase and Paul were scratching snippets at a fast and furious rate—Steinski, Syl Johnson, and Eddie Murphy all fly by before Johnny Cash suddenly drops in to give the album its title: “How high’s the water, mama? Three feet high and rising.” The line was taken from a reverb-drenched performance of “Five Feet High and Rising,” a blues in the grand tradition of Mississippi River flood songs.

De La Soul were making a point about the power of culture to mobilize people to action or immobilize them with fear. It was an idea they explored more explicitly on their fable, “Tread Water.” There were animals, squeaky organs, friendly humming—at the time, journalist Harry Allen called it the most African song he’d heard in hip-hop—but “Tread Water” also offered perhaps the most ambitious hope on the record, that De La’s music might help us all elevate our heads above the water. In this polar-cap-melting, politically disastrous age, the song feels prophetic.

Today’s debate over sampling is mostly mind-numbingly narrow, shaped largely by big-money concerns that are ahistorical, anti-cultural, and anti-creative. The current regime rewards the least creative class—lawyers and capitalists—while destroying cultural practices of passing on. Post-hip-hop intellectual property law rests on racialized ideas of originality, and preserves the vampire profits of publishing outfits like Bridgeport Music, that sue sampling producers while preventing artists like George Clinton from sharing their music with next-generation musicians, and large corporations like Warner Brothers that continue to disenfranchise Black genius.

By contrast, the processes of sampling and layering on 3 Feet High and Rising and other hip-hop classics of that era demonstrate the opposite: expansively, giddily democratic—Delacratic, even—values.

Pos’s production on “Eye Know” put Steely Dan into conversation with Otis Redding and the Mad Lads, his work on “Say No Go” Hall and Oates with the Detroit Emeralds. The musical chorus of “Potholes in My Lawn” pointed not only to Parliament’s 1970 debut Osmium, but to the African American roots of country and western music.

Together, the sampled sounds of the Jarmels, the Blackbyrds, the New Birth, and even white artists like Led Zeppelin, Bob Dorough, and Billy Joel, make a strong case that all of American pop is African-American pop, from which everyone has been borrowing. Sampling—De La Soul sampling Parliament, Obama sampling Lincoln, Melania sampling Michelle—is nothing less than the American pastime, the creative reuse of history amid the tension between erasure and emergence that is central to the struggle for the republic. No one can ever do it as big as De La Soul did”.

Thirty-five years after its release, 3 Feet High and Rising remains one of the most important albums ever released. That idea of heralding in a more positive sound of Hip-Hop. AllMusic gave Del La Soul’s debut some incredibly positive words. So innovative, funny, compelling and eclectic, the majestic and timeless 3 Feet High and Rising sound be heard by everyone. If you have not heard the album in a while, I would urge you to spend time today revisiting it:

“The most inventive, assured, and playful debut in hip-hop history, 3 Feet High and Rising not only proved that rappers didn't have to talk about the streets to succeed, but also expanded the palette of sampling material with a kaleidoscope of sounds and references culled from pop, soul, disco, and even country music. Weaving clever wordplay and deft rhymes across two dozen tracks loosely organized around a game-show theme, De La Soul broke down boundaries all over the LP, moving easily from the groovy my-philosophy intro "The Magic Number" to an intelligent, caring inner-city vignette named "Ghetto Thang" to the freewheeling end-of-innocence tale "Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)." Rappers Posdnuos and Trugoy the Dove talked about anything they wanted (up to and including body odor), playing fast and loose on the mic like Biz Markie. Thinly disguised under a layer of humor, their lyrical themes ranged from true love ("Eye Know") to the destructive power of drugs ("Say No Go") to Daisy Age philosophy ("Tread Water") to sex ("Buddy"). Prince Paul (from Stetsasonic) and DJ Pasemaster Mase led the way on the production end, with dozens of samples from all sorts of left-field artists -- including Johnny Cash, the Mad Lads, Steely Dan, Public Enemy, Hall & Oates, and the Turtles. The pair didn't just use those samples as hooks or drumbreaks -- like most hip-hop producers had in the past -- but as split-second fills and in-jokes that made some tracks sound more like DJ records. Even "Potholes on My Lawn," which samples a mouth harp and yodeling (for the chorus, no less), became a big R&B hit. If it was easy to believe the revolution was here from listening to the rapping and production on Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, with De La Soul the Daisy Age seemed to promise a new era of positivity in hip-hop”.

On 3rd March, 1989, an album was released into the world that would shake up the Hip-Hop world. There was not a lot of comparisons or like-minded albums at that time. It was both unusual and radical that an album like 3 Feet High and Rising would sit alongside very different sounding albums. Enduring and succeeding as this positive and peace-loving album, 3 Feet High and Rising is faultless in my eyes! I vaguely remember when it came out and how people reacted to it. It still moves me…

THIRTY-FIVE years later.

FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential March Releases

FEATURE:

 

 

One for the Record Collection!

IN THIS PHOTO: Ariana Grande/PHOTO CREDIT: Ariana Grande

Essential March Releases

_________

THERE are a load…

of great albums out next month that I think people should pre-order. You can see the full range of albums out in March. I shall start with 1st March. There are some amazing albums that are out this week. There are two I want to highlight particularly. The first is Faye Webster’s Underdressed at the Symphony. This is an album that I would recommend people pre-order:

“Faye Webster’s songs are direct lines to the human subconscious, and Underdressed at the Symphony documents what happens once you begin to build a new self from the ashes of your old routines. This rebirth isn’t flashy or definitive, but is instead a series of seemingly mundane moments that, scattered across weeks and months, sneak their way toward something like healing. Yes, there’s a breakup in play, but Webster is not documenting the heartbreak of a breakup so much as she’s navigating the contours of heartbreak itself.

Recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in Texas with her longtime band, Webster is accompanied on Underdressed at the Symphony by Matt Stoessel’s arcs of shimmering pedal steel, the plaintive, unhurried drums of Charles Garner, and, occasionally, additional guitarwork from Wilco’s Nels Cline, among many other crucial players. The title of the album refers to Webster’s post-breakup compulsion to visit the symphony on a whim, usually buying a ticket at the last possible second. “Going to the symphony was almost like therapy for me. I was quite literally underdressed at the symphony because I would just decide at that moment that that's what I wanted to do,” she says. “That's what I felt like I needed to hear. I got to leave what I felt like was kind of a shitty time in my life and be in this different world for a minute.”

That strain of lightheartedness with a melancholic backbone permeates the album, and is the major driving force behind “Lego Ring,” which features Atlanta multi-hyphenate Lil Yachty, the only guest voice on the entire album. Yachty’s ghostly warble floats just under Webster’s voice, jabbing through empty space, trembling over a low rumble of bass. The song is also a sort of release—a buoyant moment that cuts through the sadness. “I think I hit a point in songwriting during this record where I was just like, man, I said a lot.” Webster says. “I'm just going to sit down and sing about this ring that I really want.” Like the rest of the album, Webster isn’t providing answers, nor is she on some epic journey of healing and self-care. Instead, she’s choosing to just live, to document heartbreak and ridiculous moments right next to each other, until they start to blur together, becoming real enough for us all to feel”.

The other album out on 1st March that I want to point people towards is Everything Everything’s Mountainhead. One of our most consistent and original bands, there are few that have a sound and dynamic as Everything Everything. Mountainhead looks like it will be among their best albums. If you are a big fan of the band or not, this is going to be an amazing album that I would urge people to pre-order:

“In another world, society has built an immense mountain To make the mountain bigger, they must make the hole they live in deeper and deeper. All of society is built around the creation of the mountain, and a mountain religion dominates all thought. At the top of the mountain is rumoured to be a huge mirror that reflects endlessly recurring images of the self, and at the bottom of the pit is a giant golden snake that is the primal fear of all believers. A “Mountainhead” is one who believes the mountain must grow no matter the cost, and no matter how terrible it is to dwell in the great pit. The taller the mountain, the deeper the hole”.

There are four albums from 8th March that have caught my eye. The first, and one of the biggest and most anticipated of the year, is Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine. You can pre-order the album here. Following the release of its first single, yes, and?, there is a lot of excitement around the album. Rolling Stone provide more detail:

“Ariana Grande‘s hint-dropping tactics in the lead-up to her latest single, “Yes, And?” offered fans a few puzzle pieces about her upcoming album era. In the song’s music video, a red card reading AG7 — shorthand for her seventh studio album — featured coordinates that led to Montauk, New York. And on Instagram, the singer shared a selection from Alexander Pope’s poetic “Eloisa to Abelard” from 1717. The clues all came together as Grande finally announced the record title: Eternal Sunshine, out March 8.

As it turns out, Montauk was the prime filming location for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the 2004 film directed by Michel Gondry. Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey — whose birthday is today — star in the film. The “Eloisa to Abelard” passage that Grande shared read: “How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! the world forgetting by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pay’r accepted. and each wish resign’d.”

Eternal Sunshine marks Grande’s first album release since Positions arrived in 2020. Over the last few months, the singer has quietly teased the record with videos and photos of her in the studio with Max Martin. She first worked with the pop juggernaut on her sophomore album My Everything, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary later this year.

At the close of 2023, Grande reflected on her year in a post that described it as “one of the most transformative, most challenging, and yet happiest and most special years of my life.” She added, “There were so many beautiful and yet polarized feelings. I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me. I feel more human than ever. I feel more deeply than ever. I feel softer and stronger, all at once.”

The album’s first single, “Yes, And?,” took aim at critics and skeptics who observed her from a distance over the course of time and came to their own conclusions about her artistry and personhood. The record’s lyrics request that people “don’t comment on my body, do not reply” and prompt them to investigate: “Why do you care so much whose d— I ride?”.

The second album out on 8th March is Kim Gordon’s The Collective. This is the second solo album from the legendary Kim Gordon, it follows 2019’s No Home Record. It is going to among the absolute finest albums of this year. I would recommend that people pre-order the album. A magnificent and must-hear release from Sonic Youth icon. Here are some more details. If you are on the fence or have not heard about the album, this will give you some motivation and insight:

“Musician and visual artist Kim Gordon returns with her second solo album, The Collective on Matador.

Recorded in Gordon’s native Los Angeles, The Collective follows her 2019 full-length debut No Home Record and continues her collaboration with producer Justin Raisen (Lil Yachty, John Cale, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Charli XCX, Yves Tumor), with additional production from Anthony Paul Lopez. The album advances their joint world building, with Raisin’s damaged, blown out dub and trap constructions playing the foil to Gordon’s intuitive word collages and hooky mantras, which conjure communication, commercial sublimation and sensory overload”.

I shall get to 15th March soon. Before that, Norah Jones’s Visions is going to be an album you’ll want to keep an eye out for. Like Ariane Grande, Norah Jones’ new album has a gorgeous and eye-catching cover. Her upcoming ninth studio album sounds fascinating. I have loved her music since the 2002 debut, Come Away with Me. Visions looks really intriguing. You should go and pre-order this album:

“Nine-time Grammy winning singer, songwriter, and pianist Norah Jones releases her ninth solo studio album Visions, a collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Leon El Michels. Visions is a vibrant and joyous 12-song set that finds Jones singing about feeling free, wanting to dance, making it right, and acceptance of what life brings. It’s the yang to the yin that was Pick Me Up Off The Floor, Jones’ last album of new original songs which was released early in the pandemic lockdown of 2020 and foreshadowed many of the dark emotions of that period”.

Another pretty big this year comes out on 15th March. It is The Libertines’ All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade. Another album with an interesting and distinct cover, I have been thinking all the band have gone through. Their debut, Up the Bracket, arrived in 2002. Their last album, Anthems for Doomed Youth, came out in 2015. The latest release looks to be their strongest since 2004’s The Libertines. It is going to be worth pre-ordering this album. Make sure that it is on your radar:

“The Libertines release their fourth studio album entitled, All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade. The release marks the band’s first new album in nine years and opens with the infectious new single, Run Run Run.

On All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade, the quartet of unlikely lads have gathered from their new-found homes in France, Denmark, Margate and London to solder a strongest-ever internal bond, and scale new creative heights resulting in the best music of their extraordinary career so far”.

Moving to 15th March, there are plenty of top albums to seek out. Because there are quite a few from the final two weeks of March, I will highlight one from 15th March that is worth investigating. Lenny Kravitz’s Blue Electric Light is going to be a tremendous listen. Kravitz always releases amazing albums. In a month that is offering up striking album covers, Lenny Kravitz throws his hat into the ring! In May, Kravitz turns sixty. His debut, Let Love Rule, is thirty-five on 6th September. His consistency is amazing. Go and pre-order Blue Electric Light:

“Timeless. Explosive. Romantic. Inspiring. How else to characterize Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz’s 12th studio album? Kravitz’s mastery of deep-soul rock ‘n roll is a long-established fact. As a relentless creative force—musician, writer, producer, actor, author, designer—he continues to be a global dynamic presence throughout music, art and culture.

Blue Electric Light is an impassioned suite of songs, that broadens this distinction and is the latest contribution of a man whose music—not to mention his singular style—continues to inspire millions all over the world. On the album, Kravitz's talents as a writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist resonate as he wrote and played most of the instruments himself, with longtime guitarist Craig Ross”.

There are six incredible albums out on 22nd March. It is a busy week! The first is FLETCHER’s In Search of the Antidote. The Pop trailblazer is a name that should be on people’s minds. She is a tremendous artist. You can pre-order the album here. If you are new to the wonder of FLETCHER’s music, CLASH fill some gaps in this article that looks ahead to the release of In Search of the Antidote:

“Fletcher will release new album ‘In Search Of The Antidote’ on March 22nd.

The pop trailblazer released her debut LP ‘Girl Of My Dreams’ back in 2022, a scintillating set of future-facing anthems that saw Fletcher speak her truth.

Returning with recent single ‘Eras Of Us’, the American star hinted that something new – something big – was upcoming.

New album ‘In Search Of The Antidote’ ends the wait for her next statement. Out on March 22nd, it’s typically personal, with Fletcher acting as the creative pivot alongside producer Jennifer Decilveo.

This time round Fletcher assembled a stellar cast, with contributors including Aldae, Jon Bellion, Julia Michaels, Monsters & Strangerz, and Michael Pollack.

The title should be taken literally – Fletcher believes that love is the antidote to our human problems. She comments..

Over the years, I’ve looked for the antidote in so many things: women, the road, the stage, fans, spirituality and self-reflection. Making this album was an excavation, a deep dive where I asked myself what would truly heal me, and my ultimate realisation was that love is the antidote.

From the ‘Finding Fletcher’ EP to ‘you ruined new york city for me’ to ‘THE S(EX) TAPES‘ to ‘Girl Of My Dreams’, love has always been my muse. But before now, I don’t think I’d ever really looked at love through all the different lenses and angles and discovered all its infinite manifestations. That’s what this album is about for me”.

In addition to some magnificent album covers arriving in March (including FLETCHER’s), there is some sensational music too. Adrianne Lenker’s Bright Future is an album I want to bring to your attention. Out on 22nd March, you can pre-order it here. A must-own album from a truly special songwriter and artist. Here are some more details about potential one of the best albums of this year:

“Bright Future marks Lenker’s first album since 2020’s songs and instrumentals, and features co-production from Philip Weinrobe, alongside contributions from Nick Hakim, Mat Davidson, and Josefin Runsteen. On Bright Future, Adrianne Lenker, a songwriter known for turns of phrase and currents of rhyme, says it plainly, “You have my heart // I want it back.” Documented with analogue precision, what began as an experiment in collaboration, became proof Adrianne’s heart did return, full to the brim, daring her into the unknown.

Bright Future’s co-producer and engineer, Philip Weinrobe, prepared the studio. He has been Adrianne’s partner on previous solo albums, but this was something new. Adrianne did not intend to make an album. They would instead explore the songs with no expectations. Even with an open outcome, from the start, Phil wanted to capture the sessions with the purest, technical honesty. He rolled onto Double Infinity’s old cherry wood floors an Otari 1/2 inch 8-Track and Studer console.

To fill the air of the 150 year-old main room, Adrianne wanted piano, guitar, and violin. Mat Davidson plays them all. “I’ve known Mat a long time,” she says, “It doesn’t matter what instrument, his spirit just pours through.” At 17, Adrianne met Nick Hakim. She trusted her friend of 15 years to bring his sensitivity to the piano. “The way Nick would hold my songs, he would put every ounce of love.” Adrianne first met Josefin Runsteen in an Italian castle, and sought the classically trained violinist and percussionist’s “magnetic and contagious” energy. “She has such fire.” In addition to instrumentation, they made a chorus, adding carefully measured vocal harmonies. The sessions impressed and enchanted Adrianne. “I think the thing these people have in common, they are some of the best listeners I know musically. They have extreme presence.”

Admirers of Adrianne’s solo music and Big Thief will find on Bright Future her reliable talent captured in stunning, magnetic clarity. In the company of parlour instruments, Adrianne’s modern melodic and lyrical inventions create new traditions. Her vocal flights at times outwit gravity, then land, guiding along an earthly path. The wholeness of the un-spliced recordings preserves a time of musical friendship during a golden season. The album also features the original recording of the now-beloved Big Thief song ‘Vampire Empire.’ Although they recorded for only some days, in Adrianne’s recollection, “It felt like we were together forever”.

An album that I am particularly interested in is Gossip’s Real Power. Another tremendous album cover – it must be something about March or 2024, where artists want to make a visual impression in addition to a sonic one -, it is amazing that we get a new album from Gossip. It has been a long time coming. You can pre-order the album here. Real Power is among the most anticipated of the year:

“Beloved, Portland pop / indie-rock trio Gossip returns with Real Power, their first album in 14 years. The album marks a reunion with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin, who helmed the band’s pivotal 2009 album Music For Men. Rubin coaxed the band started recording in 2019 after completing a tour for the ten-year anniversary of Music For Men. Recorded at Rubin’s home studio in Kauai, the process was temporarily halted by the pandemic and resumed when restrictions lifted. The result is an 11-track celebration of the galvanizing might of music, the joy of creative expression, and the power of chosen family in the aftermath of collective and personal trauma. The timing is ripe for a Gossip reunion, and Real Power heralds a new maturity and renewed sense of purpose for the trio. “When we began, so much about Gossip was about running away—that was always in the music,” says Ditto. “We survived. We came from nothing, and we got the fuck out of there. And to be here 20 years later and still making music together is just incredible”.

There are three more albums I want to cover off before getting to one from 29th March that is well worth checking out. On 22nd March, Lauran Hibberd’s girlfriend material arrives. Again – and not to labour the point to death! -, we have a standout album cover. I have been following Lauran Hibberd’s career for years now. She is one of our very best artists. Her new album is one you will want to pre-order:

“After documenting her life to date on Garageband Superstar, more than anything Girlfriend Material captures who Hibberd is in this moment – changed from the artist we met on album one and likely different from the artist we’ll meet in the future. It is, she says, a record that captures everything she is right now. “I’m figuring out who the hell I am,” she smiles. “I’m lighting candles and trying to manifest, I’m reading books, and I’m trying to run – all of these things will fade off in the next two months, and I’ll never do them again, but it’s part of that process.” ‘Girlfriend Material’ courses with that exploratory, sometimes confused, questioning feeling. The widescreen, glittering duet ‘Pretty Good For A Bad Day’ was co-written with and features Alex Gaskarth, frontman of All Time Low, one of her biggest influences. The bravest moment of the album comes in ‘I Suck At Grieving’, a song that manages to both jangle and pummel as it finds Hibberd lamenting herself for “avoiding” mourning her dad and projecting her feelings onto other incidents and annoyances instead”.

The incredible duo, The Staves, release All Now on 22nd March. Formerly a trio of Jessica, Camilla and Emily Staveley-Taylor, the duo of Jessica and Camilla continue on. 2021’s Good Woman (which was their previous album) was the last as a trio. All Now is a new chapter. You can pre-order the album here. I would urge people to pre-order their copy:

“It was in December 2022 that The Staves celebrated the 10th anniversary of their debut album Dead and Born and Grown - a strange and beautiful period in the lives of sisters and band members Jessica, Camilla and Emily Staveley-Taylor, making their fourth album All Now with the same organic vulnerability as that first record: except now everything was different, and they kind of were too.

All Now emerges, bold and bright, from a period of quiet, which followed a period of chaos, for the band. When Good Woman was released in 2021, to positive reviews, it felt like "an echoing silence" to share such a cathartic album with a world shut down. So The Staves had to retreat, again, and actually wrestle with everything they had been through.

The result? An album as rich and honest as all the most profound music by The Staves scattered across albums for the last decade, calcifed here into something special.

But the most thrilling part of this album, is that the hardest pills to swallow, here, almost have a sweeter taste. Once you've survived the climb to the top, learned from the journey, you may as well enjoy the view. "When you sing about hesitation and fear, there's a lot of power in not making it sound fearful and being quite steadfast instead," says Camilla. "It feels like an act of taking control." With All Now, there's no letting go”.

The final album from 22nd March I want to spotlight is Waxahatchee’s Tigers Blood. This is going to be a terrific album. A slight mystique looks back at us from the album cover. Making the listener wonder what will great them when it comes to the songs within. Here are some more details about an album that you will definitely want to add to your collection:

“One of the hardest-working singer-songwriters in the game is named Katie Crutchfield. She was born in Alabama, and grew up near Waxahatchee Creek. Skipped town and struck out on her own as Waxahatchee. That was over a decade ago. Crutchfield says she never knew the road would lead her here, but after six critically acclaimed albums, she's never felt more confident in herself as an artist. While her sound has evolved from lo-fi folk to lush alt-tinged country, her voice has always remained the same. Honest and close, poetic with Southern lilting. Much like Carson McCullers's Mick Kelly, determined in her desires and convictions, ready to tell whoever will listen.

And after years of being sober and stable in Kansas City-after years of sacrificing herself to her work and the road- Crutchfield has arrived at her most potent songwriting yet. On her new album, Tigers Blood, Crutchfield emerges as a powerhouse-an ethnologist of the self-forever dedicated to revisiting her wins and losses. But now she's arriving at revelations and she ain't holding them back”.

Out on 29th March, we get a welcome offering from a music legend. Sheryl Crow releases Evolution then. Many thought that 2019’s Threads was going to be it from her. Luckily and happily that is not the case. Whether there are going to be more albums to come or this is definitely her final one, it is just great Crow is bringing us more music. Go and pre-order Evolution. It is going to be pretty special:

“Nine-time Grammy Award winner and 2023 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee Sheryl Crow releases her 11th full length studio album, Evolution via The Valory Music Group. The album comes as a welcomed surprise after Crow publicly stated that she would not release another full-length album after Threads (2018) and kicks off with her lead single “Alarm Clock,” which is perhaps Sheryl Crow’s most radio-friendly pop song since “Soak Up The Sun”.

March is a busy month for awesome albums. I have listed the ones I think you should pre-order. There are many more that you might want to check out too. From Ariana Grande to Everything Everything…there should be something in there for everyone. If you were looking for some early tips about the March albums to add to your collection, then I hope the above was of…

SOME use to you.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Cate

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Cate

_________

THE bewitching and beautiful music…

of Cate is that which I would recommend to everyone. Full name Cate Canning, she is a Canadian artist residing in London. Having recently released the gorgeous singles, Rocket Science and You Don’t Love Me, we are going to hear a lot more from this tremendous artist. Last year was a busy one for Cate. Releasing awesome singles like One Hit Wonder, U Want Me and Girlfriend, many fans would love to see an album this year. I am going to come to some interviews from Cate. In case you do not know about her and where she came from. I am going to come to some interviews from last year. To begin, let’s go back to 2022 and an interview with Discover Gigs and Tours. Influenced by some of the queens of Country and Pop, Cate talked about her then-new long-E.P., Tell Me Things You Won’t Take Back. Even though she had been releasing music since 2019, this E.P./short-album was her most complete and compelling work to that point:

“You’re originally from Vancouver, Canada, how have you found living in London? Has the city inspired your music in any way?

I love love London! It inspired this EP in so many ways. A lot of the songs were based on specific places in London!

Who would you say your main influences are?

Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Shania Twain!

You recently released your song ‘The Ruler’ what inspired you to write this song?

Yes! I wrote that song with my two friends Rory and Tessa. We were joking around that this one guy is the king of the cruel world, and then we sat down and wrote the song in like an hour!

Your new EP Tell Me Things You Wont Take Back is out on the 28th October, what was your songwriting process like for this?

I wrote the EP all throughout 2020-2021. Most of the songs were written with friends or on zoom with some of my favourite collaborators. I didn’t really know it would be an EP when I first started writing it, and now here we are!

What’s the best gig you’ve played so far?

My favourite gig I’ve played so far has to be the headline show I did earlier this year at Camden Assembly. That was my first headline I’ve done having music out. I wrote/released my whole project in lockdown so it was so special to see everyone in a room together”.

I am moving onto an interview from Thomas Bleach from October. Cate was in Australia supporting Gretta Ray. She was also discussing the new single, One Hit Wonder. If you have not discovered this incredible artist who is clearly going to have a big future, then make sure that you get involved and follow Cate:

“THOMAS BLEACH: Your new single “One Hit Wonder” is out now, and I love the playful analogy that he disappears after a short but amazing moment, just like a one hit wonder. What inspired this parallel idea for you?

CATE: It actually started as a joke. I was in a session with my friends Elle and Corey for another artist, and we were all really tired. I started singing something, and it took me a few times, but then Elle just started singing “she’s a one take wonder”. So I started mimicking that and kept going with it, and then decided we should write a song about that. So we started writing it and I was like, “well, this is obviously gonna be a thing about a man”. So it came really quickly, which was fun. We then went back in the studio two days later with Andreas who produced it, and finished the idea.

TB: Was there a one hit wonder that you tried making work in the song but it just didn’t?

C: I didn’t want to offend anyone, so I googled “the biggest one hit wonders”. But here’s the thing… I still offended people. The dads are after me at the moment. But I tried so hard to not go niche, and just do the biggest one hit wonders that everyone can agree on. So there I was on a Buzzfeed article thinking I was safe. But I honestly wrote it in the order of the article I ready *laughs*. I knew I wanted “Somebody That I Used To Know” in there.

TB: From releasing “Tell Me Things You Won’t Take Back”, what is something you learnt about yourself as an artist, as it felt like such a big growth from “Love, The Madness”?

C: That EP was crazy as it was just me and my friends in lockdown. I hadn’t played a show yet, and I didn’t quite know what the reaction for my music was going to be. So creating music now is such a different experience to then, as it was so insular in that period as I was just writing songs for me, and then putting them out. But then once I played a show I was like “oh, people will hear these”, so now I feel like I’m also thinking about the live show when I’m writing songs.  I feel like I’ve grown as a writer in the way of those things now. I think I’m also a bit more bold now as a writer, which is good.

TB: “Funny Story” to me still feels like an essential Cate track. So what is a recent classic Cate funny story that you can share with us?

C: I feel like I said a lot of things at the Sydney and Brisbane shows that I wouldn’t have said if I was so delirious, so that was rogue but funny. When we got to the Brisbane show, I had landed that morning and I fell asleep on the sofa at the venue with a tiny towel on me. Gretta came up to me and was like “wakey wakey! It’s time to do your show!”. So that’s not a crazy story, but it is funny and random *laughs*.

There are a few more interviews that I want to include before ending this feature. Spindle Magazine chatted with Cate back in August. However you define her music, Spindle argued that Cate was breathing new life into Disco-Pop. Clearly someone gaining a lot of kudos from the press and fans alike, this year is going to be a huge one for Cate. I have always loved what she puts out into the world:

“Congratulations on releasing your latest single, ‘U Want Me,’ it’s absolutely fantastic! Can you take us through the creative process for the record? We hear that you wrote the track with two of your friends.

Thank you so much! I wrote the single with my friends Navvy and Josh Wilkinson exactly one year before it was released. I was listening to a lot of disco music at the time, and I wanted something that felt like that. I really wrote the song for one of my friends who was going through an awful break-up and I realised I didn’t really have any songs to send her – so I wrote this one! 

What themes or messages did you want fans to take away from ‘U Want Me’ after listening?

I just wanted a really confident” I Don’t Miss You” type song, so I hope it helps some of them get over their exes ahaha

We need to talk about the track’s high-energy music video! When brainstorming for the visual, which elements of the song were you most excited to bring to life?

I loove the video, it was SO fun to film. My creative director Abi Ford was the real mastermind behind this video. She’s amazing, and made the whole day so comfortable and fun. We really just wanted it to feel like one of those nights dancing in your room with your friends listening to break-up songs.

Your last few releases have had such a retro 80s/disco sound. Is there an artist or album from that era you looked toward when creating ‘U Want Me,’ ‘Girlfriend,’ and ‘Get Better?’ 

It’s funny because the disco influence really came from Karl Frederik (who produced all 3 songs). I was listening to a lot of Kacey Musgraves and Shania Twain at the time so not exactly disco. 

Let’s go back to your music beginnings. When did you first realise that you wanted to be an artist? What was your “ah ha” moment?

Honestly probably watching Hannah Montana. I was obsessed. Also when I started Idolising artists like Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton, that’s when I really fell in love with songwriting.

It’s been over four years since you released your debut single, ‘Sad Song.’ How have you evolved as an artist since then?

Oh my god, so much! I really didn’t know what I was doing back then. I was just making music with my friends and then releasing it through CD Baby. I feel like I have a clear direction of the type of music I want to make now. It’s so crazy that the song came out 4 years ago; it’s like my first child. 

Looking back on your journey, what advice would you give your younger self? 

Just to relax and make as many mistakes as you can – they make great songs. 

With ‘U Want Me’ currently making the rounds, what else can fans expect from this music era? How will it differ from your album ‘Tell Me Things You Won’t Take Back?’

They should expect a lot more music this year. It will be different from that EP in many ways but also that EP represents so much of the way I tell stories in my songs – so I think it’ll definitely stay true to that. 

You’re set to have a busy fall season with headline shows in Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin, Birmingham, Bristol and London. Can you spill some details on what fans can expect from your upcoming shows?

A whole new show!! New everything. I’m so excited for these shows. We have so many surprises planned. I can’t wait!”.

In October, Dead Good Music spoke with the tremendous Cate. This was back in October. In the midst of a second U.K. headline tour, she was asked about the difference between her home in Canada and London. Also, what her future held in terms of new music and a possible album. It is always fascinating reading interviews from Cate. You learn something new and get a better impression of a phenomenal young artist with a sound all of her own:

“Cate Canning grew up in Abbotsford just outside Vancouver in Canada. In high school she fronted a country band and when she left frequently drove down the West Coast highway to songwriting sessions in LA. During these sessions she met fellow artist Cian Ducrot who, along with another singer, debunked to London with in 2019. Ducrot produced her debut EP Love, The Madness the following year and her debut album Tell Me Things You Won’t Take Back followed a month later. Citing fellow Canadians Kacey Musgraves and Shania Twain as influences and with a love for Dolly Parton, her mix of sugar rush pop and emotive country style storytelling sees her out on a current second headlining tour. We put a few questions to her after the show in Birmingham.

You are currently on a second headlining UK tour. How’s it going so far?
So great, I love touring the UK!

What have been the tour highlights?
I’ve loved every single show for different reasons. Birmingham was a gig i’ll never forget – I lost my voice the day before the show and everyone basically sang for me. I’ll never forget it.

What do you do in your downtime? Any hobbies?

I always take up hobbies then forget them a few months later ha ha, but one that has stuck is reading. I’ve been reading ”Notes on Heartbreak” by Annie Lord on this tour!

You played British Summer Time in Hyde Park last year and Down on the Farm. Do you prefer playing festivals or smaller venues?

I looove both, but the smaller venues are extra special because they are usually headline shows.

Who were your musical inspirations growing up in Abbotsford, Canada?

I have loved Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves for sooo many years now. They inspire everything I make.

Vancouver always gets voted in the top 5 best cities in the world. In your experience what makes it achieve such an accolade?

It’s just the best city in the world in my opinion. I grew up outside of Vancouver and then moved after highschool and would love to go back one day. It’s the most beautiful city surrounded by mountains and the ocean.

How does living in London compare?

I love London so much, but it’s very different. I love England for different reasons. I love writing music in London – it’s so so inspiring.

What do you miss most about your hometown?

My brother and Lepp’s farmers market ha ha

How do you think your song writing process has changed since your debut release ‘Sad Song’ in 2019 to your latest single ‘One Hit Wonder’? Do you think it has changed at all?

I think it has stayed the same in many ways but it’s more storytelling now.

Which one of your tracks are you the proudest of?

Probably ‘Cant Wait To Be Pretty’ just because of how honest it is.

Which track would you direct people to who haven’t heard your music before, that sums you up as an artist?

I think ‘Cant Wait To Be Pretty’ or ‘Ruin’.

What are your future plans? New releases, a new album, another tour?

Ive been writing in Nashville for another project…

What would be your advice for any aspiring pop stars?

To write as much as you can and with friends!

What’s the best thing about being a pop star?
The shows and meeting the fans after the shows”.

I am going to end with an interview from Ticketmaster Discover. Also going back to August, they spoke to Cate ahead of her British tour. Having enjoyed so much momentum off the back of some incredible singles, there was this intrigue and interest. A lot of people wanting to know how the people and music of her native Canada stacks up against the U.K. There is no doubt that Cate is a modern music treasure that everyone should know about:

“Have you found British pop to be a friendly space in general?

Yeah, in my experience. When I first moved here it was COVID, so it was really hard to make friends. But I feel like once I met a few people it was really welcoming. I feel like every girly musician I meet at shows is always so nice.

And it’s less competitive that it used to be, I guess maybe because with Spotify and TikTok there’s more room for everyone. Especially in the UK. Obviously, there’s little ounces of it, but I feel like I’ve been lucky with all the people I’ve met.

How have you found the British pop scene in general compared to your experience in Canada?

It’s interesting, because Canada has so many talented musicians, but there’re not a lot of sessions going on unless you’re in Toronto. I grew up right outside of Vancouver, and those sessions… you couldn’t really fill a week, whereas in London there’s just a lot more things happening. And Vancouver’s live scene too… it’s a shame, because there’re so many good musicians there and so many amazing people who go to Vancouver, but it’s a very tame city for live music. London has a lot more going on, which is why I moved. If you grow up making music in Canada, you kind of assume you have to move to America or the UK. But I love Vancouver. Home of Carly Rae Jepsen!

In songs like ‘Can’t Wait To Be Pretty’ and ‘Groupie’, you talk a lot about these feelings of inadequacy and coming in second to someone else. Have you found that writing these songs and seeing the response to them has healed those feelings at all?

It’s so healing. Singing ‘Can’t Wait To Be Pretty’ used to be really scary, but now it’s one of my favourite moments of the set. I feel like once I release a song, the feeling is, it was mine and now it’s not. I’m very lucky that the people who come to my shows are really open. It’s all girls holding each other, and it’s so cute.

It’s a real sisterhood feeling. Which I feel is so indicative of where female pop is at the moment – that willingness to confront ugly and uncomfortable emotions head on.

That’s what I look for in the music that I love. I listen to a lot of sad songs to make myself happier. In ‘Can’t Wait To Be Pretty’, I’m capturing this really obscene feeling, and it doesn’t mean that’s how I feel all the time, but it’s there, and it’s put into something. And it’s cool to see at the shows, too. I feel like live music is so exciting right now. I was saying this about Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. People dressing up and getting so excited for concerts just feels so nice after COVID when we couldn’t go to anything.

And at my shows too, it’s a lot of glitter and a lot of pink and a lot of girls holding each other and it feels like… somebody said it feels like a drunk girls’ bathroom. Which is really cute. There’s a lot of very unapologetic girliness.

Looking a little bit further into the future, is a debut album something you’re starting to think about?

I’m definitely starting to think about an album, which is really exciting. Like, how I’d want that to sound and where I want to make it. I’m going to Nashville in August, and I think I’m gonna put a whole bunch of songs together and start thinking about an album. I’m gonna deep it. I’ve never done it before. It’s why I put out an eight song EP but I didn’t call it an album. I think the first album I make has to be so, like, entirely me. Right now, I’m really lucky. I get to just experiment with a whole bunch of sounds. I feel like the stuff I was doing on the last EP was more like singer songwriter pop. I love it, and I think I’ll eventually go back to that kind of acoustic pop. I think if I put out an album, it’ll kind of be like that.

And even further ahead, what are your main goals for the next few years of your career?

I want to tour in Canada and America. That’s one of my biggest goals, whether it’s opening up for someone or doing my own tour. I want to have at least an album or two out in five years and tour self-sufficiently”.

If you have not heard Cate or know much about her, then go and check out her social media. Rocket Science and You Don’t Love Me are her latest offerings. Yet more terrific single, you feel that 2024 is going to be Cate’s biggest year so far! She is an artist that all eyes should be on. I hope to see her play live if she has a London date soon. For those hunting a new artist who will continue to exceed expectations with their music, then look no further than…

THE wonderful Cate.

____________

Follow Cate

Official:

https://www.cateofficial.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/catecanning/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/catecanning

TikTok:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7D25zMq1tDmT0nfh6ieYph

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAdjKaEb4cki7NyKojOGgrA

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/catecanning/

FEATURE: The First Sound of the First Track: Inside Kate Bush’s Moving and the Majestic The Kick Inside

FEATURE:

 

 

The First Sound of the First Track

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

Inside Kate Bush’s Moving and the Majestic The Kick Inside

_________

THERE are a couple of interviews…

that I wanted to cover off. I will write more about The Kick Inside closer to its forty-sixth anniversary on 17th February. Today, I will discuss it in the context of its remarkable opening track. Although Wuthering Heights, Kate Bush’s debut single, was released on 20th January, 1978, some may not have heard that. In any case, the first track on The Kick Inside is Moving. It is really the only song that could open the album. It is a song I always felt could have been released as a single in the U.K. It clearly meant a lot to Bush. Opening her album with whale song (it is sampled from Songs of the Humpback Whale, an album including recordings of whale vocalisations made by Dr. Roger S. Payne), there is this beautiful meditation on personal growth and crashing the lily in her soul – meaning her timidity and fears were going. Getting rid of any sadness or lack of will, this song about growing and connecting with dance the physical. It was for her mime instructor, Lindsay Kemp. He taught mime in London during the 1970s. Bush attended his class and learned a lot from him. Someone who helped bring Kate Bush out of herself, this first track on her debut album is dedicated to Kemp. There is a lot to love and admire about Moving. One reason I want to cover it off is because it was released as a single in Japan on 5th February, 1978. Time to discuss the song on its forty-sixth anniversary. First, the Kate Bush Encyclopedia give some details about one of Kate Bush’s finest and most beautiful songs:

“Moving’ is a song written by Kate Bush, included on her debut album The Kick Inside. The song is a tribute to Lindsay Kemp, who was her mime teacher in the mid-Seventies. She explained in an interview, “He needed a song written to him. He opened up my eyes to the meanings of movement. He makes you feel so good. If you’ve got two left feet it’s ‘you dance like an angel darling.’ He fills people up, you’re an empty glass and glug, glug, glug, he’s filled you with champagne.”

‘Moving’ opens with a whale song sampled from Songs of the Humpback Whale, an LP including recordings of whale vocalizations made by Dr. Roger S. Payne.

Formats

On 6 February 1978, ‘Moving’ was released as a 7″ single in Japan only, featuring Wuthering Heights on the B-side. 

Versions

There are two officially released versions of ‘Moving’: the album version and the live version from Hammersmith Odeon. However, a demo version from 1977 has also surfaced and was released on various bootleg cd’s.

Performances

Soon after the release of The Kick Inside, Bush performed ‘Moving’ alongside with ‘Them Heavy People’ on 25 February 1978 on the BBC TV show Saturday Nights at the Mill. On 12 May, she took part in a Dutch special TV show dedicated to the opening of the Haunted Castle, the new attraction of the amusement park Efteling. She performed six songs in six videos filmed near the castle and across the park. At the beginning of the video for ‘Moving’, the camera shows a tombstone covered with leaves. Then, the wind blows the leaves and lets appear the name of Kate Bush. She performs the song in front of the castle’s door. In June 1978, Bush sang ‘Moving’ at Nippon Budokan during the Tokyo Music Festival. The performance was retransmitted on the Japanese television on 21 June and was followed by a 35 million audience. She won the silver prize alongside with the American R&B band The Emotions. In 1979, Bush included ‘Moving’ on her first tour, The Tour of Life. Her performance can be seen on the video Live at Hammersmith Odeon”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz 

There are few opening tracks on a Kate Bush album as strong and fitting as Moving. For those who bought the album back in 1978, putting down the needle and listening to Moving come into view must have been an experience for the senses! Like nothing else in music at the time, it is this hypnotic and gorgeous song that takes you somewhere else. You lose yourself to it. Even though The Skinny misinterpreted the ‘crushed lily’ line in Moving, they did acknowledge that it was a perfect opening track on Kate Bush’s debut album:

“Opening track Moving was the only other song to be released before the whole album. However, for inexplicable marketing reasons it was only released in Japan, with Wuthering Heights as its B-side. It begins, and hence begins canonical Kate Bush, with 20 seconds of whale song before segueing into a moving tribute to Lindsay Kemp, with whom Bush had taken mime classes (and also taught, influenced and collaborated with David Bowie). The lyrics invoke a sense of motion as an enveloping state, one which surrounds and affects, that can uplift, 'How I'm moved, how you move me / With your beauty's potency / You give me life...', but can also be destructive, as exemplified in the abstruse line: 'You crush the lily in my soul'. A mixture of gleefully simple sentiment, theatrics and enigma; a perfect introduction”.

I do think that there is not enough focus on The Kick Inside. Kate Bush’s debut album, it is enormously important. I am going to cover it in more detail closer to its anniversary on 17th February. With all thirteen tracks written by Kate Bush, this insanely talented and original teenage artist came into the music world. She would develop her sound. Many argue that she would hit her peak later on. I still think that The Kick Inside is her best album. In terms of its range and the impact it has, there is no other album that leaves the same impressions. I can only imagine the excitement Kate Bush felt entering the studio (AIR in London) when she recorded her debut! It was a new experience for her. Showing no weaknesses or nerves, what she put out into the world in 1978 is this masterpiece. Starting with the stunningly beautiful Moving, you cannot help but be hooked into the album. It gets into your head and heart and stays with you. With so much attention paid to Hounds of Love (1985), I do think that some overlook Bush’s earliest albums. Moving is one of thirteen distinct and fantastic songs. I feel it would have been a chart success if it was released in the U.K. Instead, we had Wuthering Heights and The Man with the Child in His Eyes. Both remarkable songs, Kate Bush was spoiled for choice when it came to potential singles! The wonderful Moving was…

THE perfect introduction.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Carpark

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Carpark

_________

AN exceptional trio…

who have not long released their latest single, Happy on Mars, it comes off the back of some late releases last year from Carpark. Declaring their intentions for 2024, this is a phenomenal group that people need to get behind. The London trio consists of lead singer and bassist Scottie, drummer Loda and guitarist Hattie. I am going to get to some interviews with the band. They have been together a little while now, though they were making their earliest moves during the pandemic. I always feel sorry for artists that had this start. It is almost like last year and this is ‘catch-up’ in terms of releases and visibility. Carpark put out singles in 2021 and the tremendous E.P., The World Ended in 2012, in 2022. Before getting to some more up-to-date press, When the Horn Blows covered the single, Don’t Want You, in 2022. They gave us some background to this incredibly tight-knit and wonderfully talented trio:

“The London-based 3-piece consists of lead singer and bassist Scottie, drummer Loda, and guitarist Hattie. From playing their first gig in a friend’s garage only last year, to opening for Lauran Hibberd on her UK tour, the indie rock band have made notable accomplishments since their musical debut in April 2021. Since releasing their first EP ‘The World Ended in 2012’ this March, 2022 has been a busy year for Carpark, consisting of various festival appearances over the summer, as well as two London headline shows. The trio’s talent has not gone unnoticed, with the self-managed band gaining themselves features on Jack Saunders’ Radio 1 Future Artists show and Spotify’s New Music Friday UK”.

With fresh material out this year already, many are looking forward to a possible album from Carpark. There are a smattering of interviews and profiles from between 2021 and 2023. There are going to be further pieces as we move through the year and more and more people get to know Carpark. There is actually an E.P., Born to Be Average, coming next month. It is a perfect time to spotlight the trio. I shall come to an article that mentions the E.P. at the end. Before that, there are a couple of features/interview I want to include. I will start with an interview from Bring the Noise from last year. An exciting time for Carpark, they were getting under people’s skins and getting their music played at some big radio stations:

“People definitely came and it was so much fun. It was the perfect way to start our day. So for people who haven’t heard of Carpark before can you sum yourselves up in five words?

H: We can do one each.

S: Concrete.

H: Rock.

S: Cars.

H: Dry humour.

Loda: Chaos.

S: You can choose whichever five sum us up best.

You released ‘The World Ended in 2012’ last year, what can you tell us about any news music and follow up plans? You played Suburbs Of Hell during your set. What can we expect and when can we expect it?

S: Suburbs Of Hell is going to be the next single we release which we’re really, really excited about and it’s going to be end of summer. Yeah, we don’t know the exact release date yet. But like, we had the first mix yesterday and it’s sounding great. We’re really excited to get that out.

H: It’s close!

So what is the vibe going to be? Is it going to be the same as the old Carpark? Are we going to hear something completely new?

L: I think sonically it’s definitely levelled up and we’re really, really excited about the new songs. I think in terms of the things that we’re writing about now yeah, I think it’s kind of changed a lot. I don’t know we kind of were going through a bit of a phase where everything we’re writing is a bit like catastrophic and a bit like maybe that’s the running theme of everything we write is everything’s a bit awful, but we’re actually positive people I think.

S: feel like it’s gonna be a slight evolution. But you know, we might still throw in a little ballady number.

Everybody loves a ballad don’t they? Those are the rules.

S: Those definitely are the rules. We plan on following them.

And final question, what are your 2023 and beyond plans for the band?

S: 2023 plans are we have a headline show. Our next headline show, which is on the 29th of September at the Lower Third on Denmark Street, which we’re really excited about. That’s going to kind of be around the release of new music, which we’re pretty hyped for. Yeah, so after this festival, we’ve got like a few weeks in the studio recording our next thing. So yeah, we’re gonna be busy, but we’re really excited”.

There is a lot coming up for Carpark. An E.P. is on its way. No doubt an album will be along soon. I am thrilled to see this London three-piece getting a lot of love and applause. Their music is instantly compelling and addictive. I hope to see them live very soon. Euphoriazine featured the trio when covering their new track, Suburbs of Hell. That came out back in October. Another big step from the immense Carpark:

“Carpark, made up of Hattie, Scottie and Loda, are back with their brand new single,  “Suburbs of Hell.” Transporting listeners to what could be the soundtrack of a 2000s coming of age movie, Carpark brings the energy, relatability factor and nostalgic feel to their music. Gaining much deserved attention from BBC Radio 1’s Nels Hylton and Jack Saunders, it is clear to see why Carpark are a band that many people have taken an interest in.

With a catchy chorus, sugar sweet vocals and the grungy undertone, Carpark knows what it takes to create a signature track and not be predictable with whatever they deliver. That’s what sets them apart in this ever changing scene. The relationship that all three members have with each other, both through their live performances and on record works perfectly to create a song like “Suburbs of Hell.”

Produced by Spaceman, who produced music for artists including Dua Lipa and Dermot Kennedy, it is hard for emotion not to shine through in the creative process. Carpark are rewriting the rules and continue to bring a refreshing vibe to the scene. According to the band, the meaning behind “Suburbs Of Hell” is, “A dark parallel reality brought to life, it’s about the anger and frustration of being trapped in the inner city of hell but aspiring to live out in the suburbs and sunbathe with the devil in your back garden.” This is something that many people may be able to resonate to, as well as the band’s authentic character and style.

The production of the track allows each element to stand out and have its own moment. “Suburbs of Hell” fits in perfectly amongst the band discography. The signature sound of Carpark always shines through, as well as being able to switch things up which makes things exciting for every release. This year saw the band play festivals including Barn On The Farm and 2000 Trees, where they played the track live for the first time. Quickly capturing the attention of the crowd, this is well translated on the record.

Encapsulating their style and culture in their songs, this doesn’t go unnoticed. It shines through and as always, it feels authentic. 2022 saw Carpark drop their five track debut EP which received high praises and rightly so. This gave people an insight into the trio and what they are here to deliver. “Suburbs of Hell” does the same. Showcasing infectious riffs and strong drum beats, the track is a reminder of living in the real world and knowing exactly where you want to be, as well as recognising that there can be obstacles in the way to overcome.

In this ever so changing industry, staying authentic and releasing music that resonates with the audience is one but major step to gaining the right sort of fans and being seen in a positive light. This is what Hattie, Loda and Scottie do best and will surely continue to do throughout their career. If “Suburbs of Hell” is anything to go by, especially with the release of their highly- anticipated EP, Carpark are ready to kick off 2024 the right way”.

Last month, Loud Women got to listen to Born to Be Average. It does seem like the E.P. heralds in a new chapter and sonic evolution for Scottie, Loda and Hattie. It does sound like the E.P. is Carpark stamping their personality on the scene! Really announcing themselves. Listening to their songs and you get a real live sense. Like the songs are recorded live. Something that means their songs will translate to the stage easily:

“They may cite Blink-182 as one of their biggest inspirations, but Carpark are redefining pop punk and making it their own. The effortlessly cool trio are here to make you play air guitar in your bedroom like you’re fifteen again.

Scottie, Hattie, and Loda (even their names are cool!) already have a stream of knockout singles and an EP under their belt. Now they promise an enticing follow-up, Born To Be Average, dropping early next year.

Two of the five tracks on the upcoming EP have been released so far. ‘MIA’ is an angsty, nostalgic grunge-fest with dreamy bedroom vocals and a home-style video to match. Any ’90s baby is sure to be transported back to the days of wailing into their hairbrush surrounded by band posters and fumes of Charlie Red. ‘Suburbs of Hell’ is pure classic guitar pop, though the lyrics paint an ultra-relatable picture of feminine rage.

With so much variety to offer in just two of its tracks, Born To Be Average is set to be a real gem of an EP. The band themselves promise that all sonic bases will be covered, stating:

“Born To Be Average introduces the new era of Carpark with heavy rock and even some dance elements, but we also have a ballad that pays homage to earlier Carpark, and a song that is so undeniably inspired by the pop/punk influences we grew up on. It’s been a really fun process and we can’t wait for everybody to hear all five songs in February”.

There is nothing average about Carpark. Their E.P. is going to get a lot of attention. Based on what they have released so far, there is no doubt they are going to be on the scene for years to come. Avoiding too many carpark-related jokes, but they are very much here for a longstay. Such a close-knit and fantastic trio, recent singles Happy on Mars and MIA give you an impression of what the E.P. will be like. A group that you need in your life, spend some time with the music of Carpark. Once heard, it is impossible to forget…

THIS electric and exciting trio.

___________

Follow Carpark

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/carparkband/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@carpark.band

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/carparkband

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wNKTp1adxnPYP5L3Vja3b

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@carparkband

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Carparkband/

FEATURE: Spotlight: EMMI IIDA

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Tabitha Brooke

EMMI IIDA

_________

AN artist who…

is very much more than just the music she is making, EMMI IIDA is someone who needs to be on your radar. What I mean by that is that music and this new artistry is a culmination of other things. A way to create something holistic through music. Someone who wants to not only create incredible sounds that are remembered and people embrace. There is this consideration towards mental and spiritual heath. Nourishment and fulfilment. I will come to some features and interviews in a minute so that we can learn more and getting a better impression of EMMI IIDA. Before that, from her website, is some detail and biography about this incredible creative:

“EMMI IIDA (Emmi Granlund), 33, is an internationally recognised Finnish visual artist, holistic interior architect & musician currently based in the countryside of Southern Finland. She creates art in unlimited forms through her company EFG Productions Oy, expanding her horizons consistently. Most recently, she has founded EFG Records Oy, a record label focusing on bringing holistic wellbeing and union with healing frequencies”.

I know that, among other radio stations, EMMI IIDA has received praise and airtime from Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6 Music. Craig Charles has also featured her work. I shall end with a feature about the amazing single, Trinity (perhaps her strongest work to date). There is a lot to recommend and love about EMMI IIDA.

I will wrap up with a couple of features relating to Trinity. It is early days still, so we shall see more music from EMMI IIDA this year. Someone I am excited about and would recommend to anyone. So different to other artists out there. You get the impression that, unlike most, EMMI IIDA is trying to make the listener feel better. Get inside their heart and mind. This holistic approach to music. The music itself is incredible! It does seem that she is going to be very busy throughout 2024. I shall come to an interview from back in October. Before that, Naluda Magazine spoke with EMMI IIDA about the single, Energy Guru, and what she has planned for 2024:

“Check out our interview with internationally recognized Finnish visual artist, holistic interior architect & musician EMMI IIDA who just released her new single ‘Energy Guru’ via EFG Records Oy.

The multi-faceted artist has hosted solo art exhibitions around the world, from Barcelona to Los Angeles. She now seeks to translate her artistic prowess into her music, with ‘Energy Guru’ set as her second official release, following the success of her song ‘Blooming’, which gained support from notable tastemakers METAL Magazine and CLASH Mag, as well as securing her an interview with MTV Finland. In addition, ‘Energy Guru’ was produced by #1, gold-disc selling songwriter and producer Jess Sharman, who has created music for shows and movies like Grey’s Anatomy, Love Island and The Inbetweeners.

Hi EMMI, please tell us a little about you?

I was born and raised in the countryside of Southern Finland, was the oldest of six kids with five younger brothers… we had kind of a free upbringing in a countryside environment so that leaves a lot of room for creativity, I’ve been painting and making things from scratch from a young age. For the past decade I lived in the States, in Minneapolis and Nashville, and recently moved back to Finland with my two kids, appreciating it all, the safety and pure nature, even more now.

Describe your sound in 3 words?

Ethereal, dreamy, meditative

Who influenced you and why did you choose to make music?

People who expand their limits inspire me. Music has always been close to my heart but it was only 4 years ago when I started getting these songs. Or should I say I opened up to the possibility of being able to write a song.

Tell us about your new single “Energy Guru?”

It’s about the connection with the divine, with it all. It’s about finding the truth, your own true nature and co-creating your world with the Source, feeling oneness, union with everything there is.

What’s the story behind the song?

The song started playing in my head summer 2020 when I was meditating at a cabin in Lapland of Finland. It was playing with the full orchestra, explaining to me that you can find the energy guru within you, when you calm your mind, listen to your intuition and get clear with anything that’s been bothering you.

How was working with popular producer Jess Sharman in the project?

Jess is such a talent, both in songwriting and producing. We were going through the lyrics and the song structure and tweaking it to find the best possible outcome for the song, and I feel like we did. I learned so much working with her this spring and I’m very, very grateful to have the honour to be working with her.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?

Personally it’s been so healing to create these songs. The element of the healing frequencies in the songs and the messages of the songs are so therapeutic in themselves, that I feel success if one other person other than myself gets the same feeling of hope and love that has helped me. Also it’s so rewarding when my kids sing the lyrics of the songs, that brings me to tears every time.

If you were a book, what would be the title of the book and why?

I have written a book actually, related to the album! It’ll be published in 2024 so you’ll see.

What’s next for EMMI IIDA in the last months of 2023 and for 2024?

Exploring, grounding and expanding. Taking time for just being”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EMMI IIDA (@emmi.granlund)

Phuture Sound spoke with EMMI IIDA back in October. With the amazing Blooming out in the world, they wanted to know about her the defining moment in her career, in addition to what is her biggest inspiration as an artist. I would encourage everyone to spend some time with this amazing artist:

“EMMI IIDA is an internationally-recognised Finnish visual artist, holistic interior architect & musician currently based in the countryside of Southern Finland. She released a new single, ‘Blooming’, on the 22nd of September 2023 via her own label EFG Records Oy. The song is accompanied by a stunning music video filmed in the Peak District of England, produced by Sebastian Luke-Virgo. The multi-facetedartist has hosted solo art exhibitions around the world, from Barcelona to Los Angelesand now seeks to translate her artistic prowess into her music, with ‘Blooming’ set as her first major official release. Accelerating her artistic momentum, the track has already gained support from notable tastemaker METAL Magazine. We chatted with the multi-modal artist below.

Walk us through your creative process?

For me having space and time for creativity is vital, creating the right atmosphere for those subtle energies to flow and to get inspired. I have two boys, who are 2 and 4, so peace and quiet is such a luxury in our household, but I try to make time for my morning rituals every day: lighting up a candle, burning palo santo and grounding incense, taking a moment for a meditation session and journaling. That truly sets the tone for the day and uplifts your vibrational levels. And that opens up the space for new ideas and songs, too.

What has been the most defining moment of your musical career?

I opened up to the idea of creating songs about four years ago. It was all about curiosity and honouring the art form of music, as previously I had been focusing on my visual art, designing and creating clothing and interiors – I did my school for interior architecture and design. So at first, after writing down my first song, I started playing with Garageband and self-producing some sort of demos of them. I lived in Nashville at the time, for the past four years, and studied Logic Pro with an engineer for a spring, wanting to learn how to speak the same language with actual producers and learn more about the process. The eagerness of making the best versions of my songs was the defining moment of my career. I was lucky to find the talented team around me, Jessica Sharman as co-writer and producer and Femke Weidema as mixer and masterer. It’s been such an eye opening project, creating this whole album of 14 songs and I’m excited and hopeful for them to help someone with similar struggles that I’ve been going through.

@emmiidaworld

BLOOMING MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERED BY CLASH MAGAZINE

♬ original sound - EMMI IIDA

What equipment or software are you using the most?

All of the instruments in the songs are produced electronically, we used Logic Pro for them. All of the songs are tuned into 432 Hz which has been shown in the studies that it improves one’s wellness levels by lowering stress, helping to get better sleep and bringing harmony instead of the constant chaos in our lives. I also studied sound healing and do sound baths with Tibetan singing bowls, gongs and koshis – sound is a great way to fall into a meditational state of mind, we’re re all vibrational beings and full of water, so that immediately takes us to peace and calm. Also the songs of this project have additional frequencies to unblock specific chakras, that are related to the themes, the deeper messages of the songs. For example, ‘Blooming‘ is for the sacral chakra, our sensuality and creativity, and Energy Guru is for crown chakra, our connection with it all, the oneness.

Whats your performance setup looking like?

The last time I was singing solo for an audience was with a choir as a kid, so we’ll see what kind of Beyonce level performance will unfold this time, haha.

Who are your biggest inspirations at the moment?

My kids inspire me every day. It’s fascinating to see the level of creativity when one hasn’t been programmed yet or doesn’t have any issues with self-confidence, it’s just pure joy, excitement and creation.

Whats next for you as an artist?

I have many upcoming projects, filming music videos, producing new songs and painting for art exhibitions.. and performing the songs of this project, too! I’m excited to expand my horizons as an artist and open to see where it takes me”.

Let’s wrap up with some more recent press. Muze.fm featured EMMI IIDA in December. Highlighting the incredible single, Trinity, it was another remarkable release from the multi-talented Finnish artist. Someone who is going to make some really big steps through this year. I do hope that there are some gig dates in the U.K. later in the year. Plenty of people here who would love to see her:

“Finnish multi-modal artist EMMI IIDA has released an avant-pop single, ‘Trinity’ on the 1st of December 2023 via her own label EFG Records Oy. EMMI IIDA is an internationally-recognised visual artist, holistic interior architect & musician. The single follows the success of ‘Blooming’ and ‘Energy Guru’, which saw support from notable tastemakers METAL Magazine, CLASH Magazine, and NOCTIS Mag as well as securing her an interview with MTV Finland. ‘Trinity’ premiered with an interview from Naluda MAG and received early airplay from BBC 6’s Craig Charles as well as over on RTÉ 2FM.

‘Trinity’, sees EMMI IIDA ramping up the attitude – her last two singles were distinctly spacey, ambient and ethereal – here, her vocal tone and instrumental backing are more upbeat, with more of a pop sensibility, while still retaining her holistic and spiritual intentions . Featuring a pulsating synth bass over a deep marching drum beat, distorted synth arpeggios, pads, and effects, the track is a gorgeously extraterrestrial sonic landscape.

EMMI IIDA shared: “Think about being an alien who arrives on Earth for the first time. She’s wondering what’s going on in here, all the madness, and if we still have time to make a change and save it all. ‘Trinity’ is all about finding that power within, activating our solar plexus chakra, through the frequencies and messages of the song”.

@emmiidaworld

TRINITY OUT NOW

♬ original sound - EMMI IIDA

I will finish off with Wonderland. Magazine and their spotlight of EMMI IIDA. There has been a lot of positive press and praise of EMMI IIDA from the U.K. Her music is definitely hitting people and leaving an impression. Someone I am quite new to but was instantly fascinated by. I think she is going to go a very long way in the coming years. A name to keep your eye out for. Trinity is a magnificent song that showcases a wonderful and hugely creative soul that everybody needs to know about. Make sure you follow her on social media:

“EMMI IIDA, a versatile Finnish artist, seamlessly navigates between various creative pursuits, spanning from visual artistry to holistic interior design. In her latest work, ‘Trinity,’ Iida showcases a mesmerizing and experimental evolution in her musical repertoire, skilfully fusing avant-pop elements with her distinctive ethereal sound. The track features distorted synth arpeggios, pads, and effects, creating a sonic backdrop that complements the eclectic visuals which feels synonymous with retro science-fiction cinema.

Set against the desert backdrop of Joshua Tree, California, ‘Trinity’ captures the ethereal essence of EMMI IIDA, whilst evoking memories of late-90s sci-fi fantasy cinema. The narrative commences with EMMI descending from the expansive blue skies, adorned in a silver ensemble and futuristic visors. As she journeys through the desert, a radiant burst of light metamorphoses her into a more ‘human’ form, now clad in all black. A serendipitous encounter with a wanderer reveals a metaphysical connection, tapping into IIDA’s distinctive exploration of spirituality, as she activates his third eye.

Discussing the themes and inspirations behind the project, Emmi shared: “’Trinity’s music video is about an extra-terrestrial landing on Earth against her own will, as she has been given a mission of waking people up, trusting their intuition, activating their own willpower, solar plexus chakra and opening their third eye. She’s wondering about the state of our Earth and horrified by how it currently is: how we’re fighting instead of finding our way to union, oneness. She’s hoping there’s still time left for us to make a change. Is there?”.

I wanted to spend some time with the brilliant EMMI IIDA. You may not have heard of her name, though I guarantee you will love her music. A label owner who has that different approach to music, as EMMI IIDA is a visual artist and holistic interior architect, you get this different approach to music. Songs that are designed to heal, lift and inspire the listener. A debut album is out on 22nd February. She is a stunning artist who I predict good things for. Do make sure you follow EMMI IIDA, as she is very much…

SET for massive success.

______________

Follow EMMI IIDA

 Official:

https://emmiida.world/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/emmi.granlund/

TikTok:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/48cuVGUphasvPgtyetiLP5

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBGz1eoyD0m53_L4JR7HQLA

FEATURE: Speak the Rhythm on Your Own: Soundgarden’s Spoonman at Thirty

FEATURE:

 

 

Speak the Rhythm on Your Own

Soundgarden’s Spoonman at Thirty

_________

I will mark the album…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Soundgarden (Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Chris Cornell) in February 1994/PHOTO CREDIT: 4/Shinko Music/Getty Images

closer to its thirtieth anniversary on 8th March. That album in question is one of the best of the decade. It is Soundgarden’s immense and near-perfect fourth studio album, Superunknown. It is rammed with some simply awesome songs. Most know it for Black Hole Sun. The third single from the album, it was released on 13th May, 1994. Because the lead single, Spoonman, was released on 15th February, 1994 – quite an interesting post-Valentine’s Day release! -, I wanted to mark its upcoming thirtieth anniversary. It is one of the finest songs from an album that I really love. I will come to the single and dive deeper. A fifteen-track album can seem a bit sprawling. In the case of Superunknown, you are engaged to the very end! Spoonman is the eighth track. In the middle of the pack, it is a nice kick into the second side. Even if the first half is stronger – as it contains Black Hole Sun, Superunknown, My Wave and Fell on Black Days -, Superunknown is well sequenced so that there is a strong end to the album. Written by the band’s lead, Chris Cornell, I wanted to salute this great track. We sadly lost Cornell on 18th May, 2017. He is still very much missed! That incredibly powerful, raw voice that could display so many emotions and so much depth, not enough people talk about him in terms of his songwriting. An incredibly original and intelligent lyricist, he was the antithesis to some of the more meat-headed and simplistic Grunge and Alternative bands of the 1990s - those who were writing sexist, dumb and banal lyrics. A single that was a top twenty in the U.K. and a top five in the U.S., Spoonman remains one of Soundgarden’s best-loved songs. It is their third most-streamed song on Spotify (behind Fell on Black Days and the gold medal holder, Black Hole Sun).

In terms of the songs on Superunknown, there are tracks about Cornell’s depression and emotional state. Black Hole Sun seems like a need for sunshine and hope following bleakness. Released around the time of Kurt Cobain’s suicide in 1994, a feeling of something coming and washing away the rain. Spoonman is less personal and enigmatic. Its title suggest something quite eccentric. It is an appropriate mid-album track. Most would pass people by or be a great pivot/interval. Instead, Spoonman is a natural single and one of Soundgarden’s best compositions. In this Request interview from October, whilst exploring and explaining the lyrics behind Superunknown songs, Chris Cornell revealed Spoonman’s influence and story:

“Getting back to Superunknown, the first single was "Spoonman." The song is superficially about Artis the Spoonman, but the underlying sentiment is that rhythm and music have healing properties.

It's more about the paradox of who he is and what people perceive him as. He's a street musician, but when he's playing on the street, he is given a value and judged completely wrong by someone else. They think he's a street person, or he's doing this because he can't hold down a regular job. They put him a few pegs down on the social ladder because of how they perceive someone who dresses differently. The lyrics express the sentiment that I much more easily identify with someone like Artis than I would watch him play”.

Before moving on, Loudwire published a feature in October about the magnificent Spoonman. One of the band’s most iconic songs, some people are not aware of its truth and meaning. It is definitely a standout of Superunknown in that sense. Nearly thirty years old, this song still holds a quirkiness, mystique, power and beauty that few other tracks. Testament to the connection and musicianship of Kim Thayil, Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron:

“The track is featured on the band's fourth and most commercially-successful album Superunknown, which came out in 1994. It peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock songs chart, and it won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance at the 1995 Grammy Awards. Despite its popularity, many people don't know the origin story of the song, so we're going to dive in and explain it.

Who Is the 'Spoonman'?

"Spoonman" was inspired by a man named Artis, who made a name for himself as a street performer in Seattle. His instrument of choice were always spoons, so he was given the name "Artis the Spoonman." According to his website, he started performing in 1972, and eventually shared a stage with Frank Zappa and Aerosmith, in addition to Soundgarden.

“My mom bought me a pair of musical spoons when I was 10... I had a collection of records that I played along with on my bongos and spoons and I’d sing along, too. She never told me to turn it down or turn off the music," Atis recalled to Maximum Ink in 2019. "I’ve always wanted to be a rocker... Imagine yourself as a 12-year-old, and instead of being something like what your father was, you said: poet or musician. Who is going to accept that? I just wanted to be a rock star, and who would have thought of that?”

"It's more about the paradox of who he is and what people perceive him as. He's a street musician, but when he's playing on the street, he is given a value and judged completely wrong by someone else," Chris Cornell said of the song in an interview with Request in 1994.

"They think he's a street person, or he's doing this because he can't hold down a regular job. They put him a few pegs down on the social ladder because of how they perceive someone who dresses differently. The lyrics express the sentiment that I much more easily identify with someone like Artis than I would watch him play."

What Was Artis the Spoonman's Connection to Soundgarden?

Soundgarden knew of Artis because he'd been performing in Seattle for years, and they developed a friendship in the '90s. The rockers invited the artist to open one of their shows in Seattle, and they later asked him to play his spoons on the recording of the song "Spoonman." He's also the star of the music video.

"We didn't know what a spoon solo was gonna sound like on a Soundgarden song since it's never happened before. You don't hear a lot of rock songs with spoons in them, so it was sort of an experiment and it turned out really great," Cornell said during a special with MTV.

"I never really met 'em until they invited me to open a show for them two years ago here in Seattle," Artis explained in the clip. "When I'm in Seattle, or wherever I'm anywhere, my only aspiration and involvement vocationally for 20 years is playing spoons and entertaining."

IN THIS PHOTO: Artis the Spoonman, pictured left, performing in Seattle in 1993

Where Is Artis the Spoonman Now?

Artis suffered a heart attack in 2002, according to The Seattle Times, and a pass-the-hat benefit held during a festival in Seattle helped raise over $3,200 for him to help with his medical bills. Several years later, he moved to Port Townsend, Wash. and has lived there ever since [via KUOW.org].

He released an album called Finally in 2018, and keeps the spoons from the "Spoonman" video in a cabinet in his home, according to the aforementioned Maximum Ink interview.

“I just managed to be a rock-star with fucking spoons!” he concluded”.

There are features like this that give more insight into a classic song. I am fascinated by the origins of Spoonman and how it took shape. The fact that it sounds like an anomaly on Superunknown is because of its inspiration. Rather than Chris Cornell taking from the personal or traditional lyrical sources, this song has a very different starting point – especially in terms of its geography. Rolling Stone explained when they marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of Superunknown on 8th March, 2019:

“In a deleted scene from Cameron Crowe‘s grunge-steeped 1992 rom com Singles, Matt Dillon’s character, Cliff Poncier, busks on a Seattle street. A friend walks by and asks him what happened to his band, Citizen Dick. “They didn’t get it; they weren’t with the program,” the dudely, long-haired singer-songwriter says. “But I’m solo now — I’m doing some really, really interesting things.”

At that point, he reaches down and grabs a homemade demo tape from a box. “That’s my latest,” he says of the cassette, adorned with his silhouette and simply titled Poncier. “They’re playing that record in France.”

At the time, Poncier wasn’t real, but the fictional tape — the brainchild of Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament — served as the inspiration for “Spoonman,” a future classic by Soundgarden, one of the bands featured in the film.

“The idea was that Matt Dillon’s character, Cliff Poncier, in the course of the movie, he loses his band, and he loses his girlfriend, and he gains soul,” Crowe told Rolling Stone of the origins of the Poncier tape “So, there’s a period where he’s on a street corner busking, having lost his band, but beginning his solo career. And there would be, in reality, these guys standing on the corner outside the clubs in Seattle hawking their solo cassettes. So we wanted Cliff Poncier to have his own solo cassette. And Jeff Ament, in classic style, designed this cassette cover and wrote out these fictitious song names for the cassette.

“And Chris Cornell was another guy who was close to us when we were making the record and still is a good friend,” Crowe continued. “I really loved Soundgarden; they were my favorite band. I originally thought Chris could play the lead, but then I think that turned into too big of a commitment for everybody and so he became the guy he is in the movie, but in the course of making the movie he was close to all of us. He was always around.

“Anyway, Jeff Ament had designed this solo cassette which we thought was hilarious because it had all of these cool song titles like ‘Flutter Girl,” and ‘Spoonman,’ and just like a really true-type ‘I’ve lost my band, and now I’m a soulful guy — these are my songs now’ feeling. So we loved that Jeff had played out the fictitious life of Cliff Poncier. And one night, I stayed home, and Nancy [Wilson], we were then married, she went out to a club, and she came back home, and she said, ‘Man, I met this guy, and he was selling solo cassettes, and so I got one for you.’ And she hands me the Cliff Poncier cassette. And I was like, ‘That’s funny, haha.’ And then she said, ‘You should listen to it.’ So I put on the cassette. And holy shit, this is Chris Cornell, as Cliff Poncier, recording all of these songs, with lyrics, and total creative vision, and he has recorded the entire fake, solo cassette.”

“I felt like these titles were brilliant,” Cornell told Rolling Stone of the tape in 2014. “They inspired me. I never would have written [‘Spoonman’] or the other four songs that were part of that if the titles weren’t compelling.”

Cornell’s solo version of “Spoonman,” listed on the tape as “Spoon Man,” appeared in the film and was released at the time on a promo CD. (The entire Poncier EP was reissued in 2017 on the deluxe edition of the Singles soundtrack, and also later came out as a stand-alone Record Store Day exclusive.) Soundgarden’s brawny version of the song would become the first single from the band’s fourth LP, Superunknown, which turns 25 today.

Ament’s original title was inspired by the Seattle street performer Artis the Spoonman, known for playing percussion with spoons. Cornell’s lyrics delved further into Artis’ persona, and the real-life Spoon Man would be featured on the song itself as well as in the video.

“It’s more about the paradox of who he is and what people perceive him as,” Cornell said of the song in a 1994 interview. “He’s a street musician, but when he’s playing on the street, he is given a value and judged completely wrong by someone else. They think he’s a street person, or he’s doing this because he can’t hold down a regular job. They put him a few pegs down on the social ladder because of how they perceive someone who dresses differently.”

Cornell also later credited Artis for inspiring his career as a solo singer-songwriter.

“He also changed my life in that the only thing I do outside of Soundgarden is this one-man acoustic show that I tour with,” he told Rolling Stone. “He was a big inspiration for me that anyone can do that. I remember sitting in a room, probably with eight or 10 people, and he walked in with his leather satchel he always carries with him and took out spoons. Everyone’s jaw dropped. I thought, ‘It’s amazing this guy performs at festivals, fairs and street corners.’ This guy can walk into a room and get a reaction. Suddenly, I felt embarrassed and smaller, ’cause I felt like I call myself a singer, a songwriter, a musician, and I’ve sold millions of records and toured the world, but I can’t do what he can. I can’t just walk into a room and pick up an instrument and perform and entertain everyone and their jaws drop. So that stuck in the back of my mind, and at some point I started to pursue that. He was the main inspiration for that.”

The song would make it to Number Three on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and win the 1995 Grammy for Best Metal Performance. The band performed it hundreds of times, including at Cornell’s final show in Detroit on May 17th, 2017”.

On 15th February, the first taste of the genius album that is Superunknown turns thirty. For many, Spoonman might have been their very first experience of Soundgarden. I think that Black Hole Sun was my initial exposure. I listened back to albums such as Badmotorfinger (1991) later on. Spoonman, in my view, is one of the all-time best Soundgarden releases. A perfect introduction to the classic Superunknown, I wanted to celebrate this song ahead of its thirtieth anniversary. It makes me think of Chris Cornell and how he is so missed today. How he would be chuffed that this song continues to get played and hit new ears.! Superunknown turns thirty in March. Another chance to remember one of the best songwriters and leads of his generation. Spoonman is a typically brilliant offering from a musical mind…

LIKE no other.

FEATURE: U-Love: Remembering the Great J Dilla at Fifty

FEATURE:

 

 

U-Love

Remembering the Great J Dilla at Fifty

_________

THERE are a few features…

I want to come to, as they look at the genius and legacy of J Dilla. Born James Dewitt Yancey in Detroit, Michigan on 7th February, 1974, many see this incredible producer and Hip-Hop genius as one of the most influential of his day. We sadly lost him on 10th February 2006 at the age of thirty-two because of complications related to lupus. Even though he died very young, he left behind this immense legacy and influence. Posthumous albums have been released. People perhaps know him best for the 2006 album, Donuts. There are weird parallels with David Bowie, in the sense of a career-best album was released both close to his birthday and the day he died. In J Dilla’s case, Donuts was released on 7th February, 2006 – his thirty-second birthday. Three days later, J Dilla died. Heartbreaking that he did not get to see how Donuts was received and celebrated, we are glad that he left behind an incredible body of work. J Dilla emerged during the mid-1990s underground Hip-Hop scene in Detroit. He was a member of the group Slum Village. He was also a member of the Soulquarians. They were a musical collective during the late-1990s and early-2000s. I will come to a book that was written about J Dilla and his impact on the world. First, AllMusic provide some biography about the great J Dilla:

“Frequently and rightly placed in the same context as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and Kanye West, J Dilla (aka Jay Dee) built and sustained a high standing as a producer's producer while maintaining a low profile. When Pharrell Williams appeared on BET's 106 & Park in 2004, he excitedly declared that Dilla was his favorite producer and told an audibly stumped crowd that it had probably never heard of the man. At the time, Dilla had been active for well over a decade and had netted enough beats -- including the Pharcyde's "Runnin'," De La Soul's "Stakes Is High," Common's "The Light," and several others with production teams the Ummah and the Soulquarians -- to be considered an all-time great. Dilla never produced a mainstream smash and, in many cases, his presence has to be confirmed with a liner notes scan. (And even then, that might not help; he occasionally went uncredited.) He never marked his territory like Just Blaze ("Just Blaze!") or Jazze Pha ("This is a Jazze Phizzle produc-shizzle!"), and he never hogged the mike like P. Diddy. He let his music, and its followers, do the talking. Rather than provide immediate (or fleeting) thrills, he was hooked on working the subconscious as much as the neck muscles. He was so focused on his work that it took a severe toll on his health.

Born and raised on the east side of Detroit, Dilla -- James Yancey -- was forced by his parents to become involved with music, and he was a record fanatic at a young age, absorbing funk and rap singles and jazz albums, from Slave to Jack McDuff. He learned to play cello, keyboards, trumpet, and violin, but drums got him like nothing else. He tried his hand at producing tracks on a tape deck by using the pause and record buttons, and he also took up MC'ing. In 1988, he formed Slum Village with Pershing High School friends Baatin and T3. It wasn't until 1992, after receiving some valuable guidance from fellow Detroiter Amp Fiddler, that his talent really began to take shape.

A session keyboardist who had worked with Prince, Parliament, and Enchantment, Fiddler taught Dilla how to use the MPC drum machine. To say that Dilla was a quick study would be an understatement. Fiddler introduced his protégé to A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, who heard some of Slum Village's material, liked it, and helped get the word out. Following sessions with First Down (a collaboration with Phat Kat, another Detroiter), Little Indian, and alternative rocker Poe, Dilla's production career reached full flight. In 1996 alone, he worked with Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, and the Pharcyde, all the while playing a major role in the Ummah with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. (He did extensive work on Tribe's last two albums.) Before long, hardcore hip-hop fans began to know Dilla for his steady wobble, which was unfailingly musical and rich in details -- shuffling hi-hats, oddly placed handclaps, spacious drum loops with drastically reshaped samples of tracks both obscure and obvious.

Through the remainder of the '90s, Dilla quietly racked up more output, including Janet Jackson's "Got 'Til It's Gone" (for which he did not receive credit), additional tracks for the Pharcyde, and collaborative work with Q-Tip on all of 1999's Amplified. Largely upbeat and filled with boisterous energy and thick sounds, Amplified is one of many pieces of evidence against the argument that Dilla was about one sound and one style. During the producer's steady rise, Slum Village remained a priority. Fantastic, Vol. 2 and Best Kept Secret (the latter credited to J-88, an SV pseudonym) were released within weeks of each other in 2000. However, the producer would only contribute a few tracks to the group from then on, as his schedule became increasingly tight. As a core member of the Soulquarians, with James Poyser and the Roots' Ahmir "?eustlove" Thompson, Dilla worked on Common's Like Water for Chocolate, D'Angelo's Voodoo, Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun, and Talib Kweli's Quality. Through 2005, he continued to work with past associates while dipping his toes deeper in R&B. A favor was returned on Fiddler's 2004-released Waltz of a Ghetto Fly, and a couple dynamite tracks -- Steve Spacek's "Dollar" and longtime collaborator Dwele's "Keep On" -- were released the following year.

Amazingly, from 2001 on, Dilla was also a prolific solo artist. A couple singles and the Welcome 2 Detroit album came out in 2001, and a number of low-key instrumental compilations and incidental 12" singles followed shortly thereafter. Rarely praised for his mike skills, he was often assisted by the likes of Phat Kat, Lacks, and Frank-n-Dank. Wooed by a Madlib mixtape that featured the rhymes of Oxnard's finest over his own beats, Dilla forged an alliance with his admirer for 2003's Champion Sound, released under the name Jaylib. It was around this time that his health took a sharp decline. For over two years, he had to use a dialysis machine. Despite having to perform in a wheelchair, he was still able to tour in Europe during late 2005.

Donuts, an album of instrumentals that Dilla completed during one of his extended hospital stays, was released on February 7, 2006, his 32nd birthday. Three days later, while staying at his Los Angeles home with his mother, Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey, he passed away, a victim of cardiac arrest. While reflecting on the tremendous loss, close colleague and friend Thompson (an authority if there ever was one) compared the producer's level of genius to that of jazz giant Charlie Parker. Karriem Riggins, a close associate, put the final touches on another album, The Shining, which was released six months later.

A dizzying quantity of posthumous albums, EPs, and singles, most notably a greatly expanded edition of the Ruff Draft EP, were issued throughout the decade that followed. In 2014, Dilla's mother, who was involved in many of those releases, donated her son's MPC and Minimoog Voyager synthesizer to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Diary of J Dilla, which originated as an early-2000s project for MCA, saw release in 2016. MCA had signed Dilla for his reputation as a beat maker, but Dilla confounded the major label by switching to MC mode and enlisting the likes of comrades House Shoes, Waajeed, Madlib, and Pete Rock as producers. After an extended period that entailed major legal obstacles and the recovery of recordings, the album was released in 2016 on the reactivated Pay Jay label through Mass Appeal. Yet another poshumous release arrived in 2017. Titled Motor City, that set consisted of previously unreleased instrumentals selected and sequenced by Maureen Yancey”.

There is a book you can buy here called Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm. Written by Dan Charnas, it was released in February 2023. Pitchfork provided details of a must-read book for any fans of J Dilla’s work:

“After his untimely death from lupus-related complications in 2006, just after his 32nd birthday, J Dilla became recognized as one of the most important producers in hip-hop history. Born James Dewitt Yancey to an opera singer and a jazz bassist, the Detroit native started rapping and beat-making as a kid, forming the rap trio Slum Village with his high school friends, and eventually working with the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, the Roots, and Erykah Badu. With his meticulous knowledge of records and wily command over drum machines, he created intricate, sample-based productions that defied the rigid structure of the grid and altered how musicians of all stripes thought of time. “What Dilla created was a third path of rhythm,” writes journalist, record executive, and professor Dan Charnas in his upcoming biography of the artist, resulting in a “new, pleasurable, disorienting rhythmic friction and a new time-feel: Dilla Time.”

Charnas’ book, Dilla Time, is a fascinating, immersive look at Dilla’s impact both during his lifetime and beyond: the producer’s relationships and upbringing, his musical interventions, and the contentious dispute over who gets to control his posthumous legacy. Below, we have an excerpt from Dilla Time (out February 1) about how mentorship from A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip led to Dilla’s first big production credits and the formation of the musical collective the Ummah”.

There is another article, this one from The New York Times that dives into that book. Because we are approaching what would have been J Dilla’s fiftieth birthday – on 7th February -, I am ending with a selection of his best work. With a heavy dip into Donuts. I hope that there is celebration of the amazing and peerless J Dilla closer to his fiftieth birthday. It is strange to think that Donuts came into the world nearly eighteen years ago. It still sounds so fresh and immediate to this day:

“Listenership and the breadth of Dilla’s influence have grown exponentially since his death. There are now annual Dilla Day events around the world, and his music has been celebrated by institutions like Lincoln Center and the Detroit Institute of Arts. His MPC3000 is displayed behind a glass case at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Charnas teaches a course about Dilla, which is how the book originated, as an associate professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University.

Over the years, there has been almost a deification of Dilla; Charnas’s book takes great efforts to humanize him. Though he is sympathetic to his subject’s struggles — particularly his misfortunes as an artist in the major label system and his deteriorating health — Charnas does not shy away from describing his imperfections.

Dilla had a temper and could become jealous, those closest to him said to Charnas. When he was frustrated, his quietness would break as he lashed out at them. But the same people who told Charnas these unflattering stories continued to care about Dilla unconditionally.

“He was private, and there’s still things I don’t talk about,” said Frank Nitt, Dilla’s close friend since middle school whose music he later produced as part of the group Frank-n-Dank. “But on the flip side, being who he was and how he’s being perceived by the people at this point, there’s a lot of misconceptions.”

One of the foundational Dilla myths is how he arrived at his signature sound, in which the rhythm can feel off, different or just wrong. Some have said it was a failure to quantize his compositions, a feature in digital recording that eliminates human error and puts the timing of drum beats in their “correct” place.

Charnas explains that Dilla’s process was more complex and that he took multiple steps to purposefully accentuate the sonic effects of error. The result was a fresh rhythmic feel that Charnas labels the titular “Dilla time” — differentiating it from straight time and swing time, the two rhythmic patterns that defined Western music. Dilla’s explanation for his innovation? He would just say that’s how he nodded his head.

Charnas traces Dilla’s influence beyond hip-hop and soul, as it extended to pop, electronic music and jazz. His imprint can be found in songs by artists like Michael Jackson, Flying Lotus, the 1975 and Robert Glasper. (“Dilla Time” reveals that Dilla blew off potentially working with ’N Sync, twice.) Sometimes Dilla’s impact has been circuitous. He inspired young Los Angeles jazz musicians like Terrace Martin and Thundercat. Then Kendrick Lamar had those artists work on and expand the palette of his landmark 2015 album, “To Pimp a Butterfly.”

Charnas also clarifies the story around “Donuts,” an instrumental album that Stones Throw Records released right before Dilla’s death that has become a key entry point for new generations of fans. It’s been said that Dilla recorded “Donuts” in the hospital, embedding messages for loved ones in his compositions as the end approached. In reality, “Donuts” was born from one of the many beat tapes he had made. It was largely edited and extended by Jeff Jank, who worked at Stones Throw, and completed months before Dilla died.

Though he settled on J Dilla around 2001, he was alternately credited under names including Jay Dee, Jaydee, J.D. and Jon Doe. For much of the mid-90s into the turn of the century, he was part of two production collectives, the Ummah and the Soulquarians, alongside more famous members.

In the book, Charnas relates how during the making of D’Angelo’s 2000 opus “Voodoo,” D’Angelo and Questlove called Dilla and Prince their “two North stars.” Dilla was around for many of the recording sessions at New York’s Electric Lady Studios, but none of the songs he initiated were completed. In the end, when he received his copy of the record, he was disappointed to realize that his name was nowhere in the liner notes.

“The main theme for James in this story is credit, being seen,” Charnas said, “and he’s struggling to be seen.” Even on Common’s “The Light,” the biggest hit Dilla ever produced, he’s listed as “The Soulquarian’s Jay Dee for the Ummah,” leaving him, as Charnas said, “smothered in brotherhood.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Gregory Bojorquez/Getty Images

Charnas’s main reasons for writing the book are not only to make Dilla’s contributions to music known but to also explain that the devotion from fans is justified. “Ultimately it’s really about me saying to everybody who loves Dilla: ‘You were not wrong. Your affection was not misplaced,’” he said. “He is special, more special than many of you all even know”.

On 7th February, it would have been J Dilla’s fiftieth birthday. There has been controversy regarding posthumous releases and bootlegged stuff. The estate having to seek legal advice and act. It is sad that it has slightly muddied the waters. I have included as much as I can. Material that demonstrates J Dilla’s brilliance, though I know that there are E.P.s and albums that perhaps the estate of J Dilla are not happy with. Releasing three studios albums in his lifetime – 2003’s Champion Sound was with Madlib (J Dilla’s moniker was ‘Jlib’) -, there is a lot to explore when it comes to this much-missed genius. A true music and production original, when you look at artists and talent that has arrived since J Dilla’s death in 2006, it is clear that there are…

FEW like him.