I've enjoyed a lot of music in 2013. It was probably a little bit easier to pick 50 tracks that have really made an impact on me this year than albums, mainly due to the wealth of great tracks on offer. Instead of trying to put my favourite tracks of 2013 into any sort of uniform order, which would've been near impossible, I've just decided to place them in alphabetical order for your viewing and listening pleasure. A lot of these tracks also had my favourite music videos of the year attached to them, so they're well worth a watch. See all 50 tracks below the break!
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Friday, 3 January 2014
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Top 30 Albums of 2013
Trying to compile the top albums of 2013 has probably been a lot more difficult than top album lists of previous years. Firstly trying to narrow it down to just 30 when 2013 has been chock with fantastic albums that have resonated with me is a task in itself. There are probably plenty of albums that I have forgotten to include but that would be equally worthy of being somewhere on the list. Secondly trying to figure out an order for the 30 is difficult and, no doubt, I will end up changing my mind at some point in the future as to the order I've put them in. Either way, 2013 has been great for brilliant albums and here my Top 30 (that I've not forgotten about. Sorry all those I loved but that have slipped my mind!)
30. Connan Mockasin - Caramel
The New Zealand folkster’s second album is a real batty
affair, which is why it’s so easy to fall in love with it. Mockasin has always
been a bit ‘off-kilter’ and it’s proudly displayed here, on an album influenced
by classic soul. With smooth rhythms and beautifully intricate guitars
juxtaposed with his often screechy vocals, it’s a mix that on paper shouldn’t
work at all but, in practise, brings a really interesting alternative to the
bass and baritone vocalists that dominate soul. It’s different and it’s proud
to wave that freak flag high.
29. AlunaGeorge – Body Music
While AlunaGeorge have put out some incredibly catchy
singles in the last year and a bit that have found their way burrowing into my
brain and refusing to leave, their debut album, Body Music, failed to strike that same chord with me. While the
tracks, on their own, are fantastic, with brilliant production from George Reid
and the saccharine R&B vocals of Aluna Francis, the album didn’t feel much
like an album, more like a ‘Greatest Hits’, not really giving us anything new
but still packed full of great tracks.
28. Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety
Anxiety is an
album that, admittedly, I wasn’t too keen on. But after repeated listens,
something struck. It’s a very distinct album, with a strong sense of
personality. Laced with exciting and slick production, it’s an ultimately
pop-centric album that feels much rawer and interesting than something likely
to hit the mainstream charts yet retains that accessibility of pop.
27. Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right
Actions
The fourth album from the Scottish foursome (even if only
one of them was actually born in Scotland) is a return to the Talking
Heads-esque, disco influenced rock that made their self-titled debut album so
exciting. With production from Todd Terje, and Joe Goddard/Alexis Taylor of Hot
Chip, everything bounds along with energy and charm. While Tonight didn’t really have that usual punch, Right Thoughts sees the band getting right back into the swing of
things with great aplomb.
26. Kanye West – Yeezus
Yeezus is
incredibly exciting and, upon its release, felt like a breath of fresh air in the
mainstream. Kanye was beginning to use his star status to try something
different, something challenging, instead of pandering to the whims of the
charts. When it worked, it really worked. ‘Black Skinhead’ and ‘New Slaves’
felt like powerhouses. But in amongst all these great bits of genius were some
real clunkers that really lets the record down as a whole. On the strength of
those few incredible tracks and the balls it took for Kanye to release
something as different as this, though, it definitely deserves a place.
25. David Bowie – The Next Day
2013 saw David Bowie completely misunderstand birthdays.
Instead of us giving him a gift on his 66th birthday, he gave us the
gift of his first single, ‘Where Are We Now?’ since around 2004. Admittedly, it
wasn’t the best, a track that would’ve just been seen as OK at any other point
is career (apart from Tin Machine era, because then it would’ve been a fucking
masterpiece compared to that drivel). Luckily, the rest of the album
surrounding it felt like an incredible tour through the career of Bowie. Shades
of Ziggy here, splashes of Berlin era there, it didn’t feel like the record of
a 66 year old man, it felt as fresh and young as his best work in the 70s. The Next Day is a comeback that, in a
year full of comebacks, actually managed to work out extremely well.
24. Foals – Holy Fire
If ever there was a band who have proved, in 2013, that they
have matured, it’s Foals. Moving from the art school pretention of 2008’s Antitdotes, to 2010’s rather all over
the place Total Life Forever, to Holy Fire, it’s difficult to hear that same
fresh faced band that sent NME into a tizzy way back when. Holy Fire feels like an incredibly confident third album; singles ‘Inhaler’
and ‘My Number’ confirming that they do indeed deserve those big festival
billings. It’s brassy, interesting, and feels like the product of years of
getting things right but also getting things wrong, learning along the way and
evolving into a more assured product.
23. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away
After a brief detour into the more garage rock area that
caused Mick Harvey to leave the band, Push
The Sky Away sees Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds returning to the more
melancholic and intricate songs they do so well. The stars of the show here, as
always, are the lyrics, wrestling everything from love, death, and pop culture,
all brought to life by Nick Cave’s gravelly vocals, which ride at the forefront
of the bubbling rhythms. It’s not the most accessible Bad Seeds album but it’s
a great example of what they do best, polished with a nice cinematic feel.
22. A$AP Rocky – Long. Live. A$AP.
With the usual names you might expect from someone making a
real scene in the hip hop game, and some you definitely wouldn’t expect, Long Live A$AP has a list of
collaborators longer than your arm. They all assist A$AP in creating one of the
most diverse hip hop albums of the year, deftly able to flick between styles
with relative ease. Even when he falls short, lyrically, the track is usually
saved by some fantastic production. It feels like an excellent exploration into
the vast array of things that influence A$AP’s style and a confident debut from
someone sure to make waves.
21. Ghostpoet – Some Say I So I Say Light
Some Say I So I Say
Light is an album with a very distinct sense of time and place. With a
surreal, dreamy quality to it, Ghostpoet’s second album is one designed for
that last bus home. Contemplative and nocturnal, Ghostpoet’s flow, while
reminiscent of Roots Manuva’s, is a lot dreamier, with sentences seeming to
blend into one, adding to that mysterious, sleepy quality. While his lyrics
might not as sharp and exciting as on the Mercury nominated Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam,
it’s the eerie production so suited for the night time that makes Some Say I such an interesting listen.
20. Blood Orange – Cupid Deluxe
Dev Hynes is a man that goes by many names. Having wet his
feet in the utterly ridiculous but brilliantly anarchic Test Icicles, he moved
to the opposite end of the spectrum with the folky Lightspeed Champion. Blood
Orange sees him sit more a in the pop area of things. Cupid Deluxe all sees him getting help from a couple of friends
including Friends’ Samantha Urbani and Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek, each
adding their own distinct mark to the album. It’s a very open and obvious
record about love, with nothing hidden behind metaphors, particularly on those
in which he shares vocal duties with girlfriend Urbani. It’s funky, full of
crooning and sexy brass, and might just be the best album he’s ever had a hand
in. Until this MKS album lands anyway…
19. Public Service Broadcasting – Inform Educate Entertain
An album almost entirely comprised of samples from old
British propaganda/public information films is not one I would’ve expected to
be putting in this list when 2013 began. And yet it works so well. Accompanied
by guitars, banjos, synths, various percussion instruments, the samples come to
life. Of course, PBS seem to be less of a band and more of an idea, making it
quite difficult for them to move forwards without becoming repetitive. For now,
however, Inform Educate Entertain
provides us with something entirely new and very interesting, a sort of history
lesson through music.
18. Factory Floor – Factory Floor
Factory Floor’s debut has been one fans have been waiting
for for what seems like years and years. Luckily, the wait seems to be worth
it. Their self-titled debut is a triumph in turning what is ostensibly noise
into something that you can dance along to, getting lost in an almost hypnotic
trance. What’s appealing about Factory
Floor is that, despite ultimately being an electronic album, it’s one that
feels very human albeit a little more polished than previous releases on their
live sets. It feels more like they’re allowing us to listen in to them making a
right noisy racket than it does an album, and this sense of exciting fun
permeates the entire album.
17. Daughter – If You Leave
Daughter’s debut is a lesson in how to do wonderfully hypnotic
and enchanting music. Although Elena Tonra’s lyrics do often seem to be ripped
from a teenage girl’s diary, overwrought with clichés and unnecessary
metaphors, it’s hard not to be taken away, especially thanks to her beautifully
destructive vocals. If You Leave
feels like the Death Cab for Cutie of old; it almost feels suffocating in the amount of
emotions it throws at you, though it allows you time to catch your breath and
ultimately gather some semblance of hope towards the end that everything is
going to be OK.
16. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
Reflektor is the
sign of a band trying not to get caught into a musical rut while also trying to
shed any idea made by fans that they are gods. It’s an album that’s both
self-reflective and iconoclastic, trying to figure out what it is they are
wanting to do. As such, it’s a bit of a messy album. There are hints of disco
all over the place, with the old Arcade Fire still bubbling beneath the
surface, but it’s this mess that makes it quite endearing. It’s a step in a
huge direction for the band and they haven’t done a half bad job at it. It’s
not a masterpiece, and it’s certainly not perfect, but it’s a pleasure to listen
to a band try to rediscover themselves and try something wildly different to
what they’ve done before.
15. Pet Shop Boys – Electric
Who’d have thought that Pet Shop Boys would create one of
the best dance records of 2013. After having split from their old label
Parlophone, the synth duo decided to release their twelfth studio album on their
own label. The result is the sound of them taking their old retro style into
the future. Electric is an album that
retains that feel of the old Pet Shop Boys while still being a modern dance
record, something many thought they could no longer do. Electric also has the pleasure of being the only album that has
Example on it in any way to feature on a Best Of list. This is Pet Shop Boys
sounding like they give a shit once more, and they’re doing it in the most
fist-pumping, dance floor filling way possible.
14. Jon Hopkins – Immunity
Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2013, Immunity was pretty much the rank
outsider. It’s not that it’s a difficult album, quite the opposite in fact; it’s
mainly that, despite being everywhere, Jon Hopkins still isn’t much of a
household name. But Immunity is by
far one of the most interesting albums to be nominated. Full of warmth and
emotion, it’s an album that needs to be listened to in full; the whole glorious
hour. Each track blends into the next as if soundtracking a night out. First
begins the excitement and anticipation, but also nervousness, for what the night
may have in store then comes, in the form of the absolutely fantastic ‘Collider’
the night itself, slightly disorientating and bewildering, but utterly
captivating. It’s easy to get drawn into Hopkins’ beautifully realised world
and it’s quite difficult to leave.
13. CHVRCHES – The Bones Of What You Believe
In a year pretty sparse of dark but incredibly catchy and
accessible synth-pop, CHVRCHES were the shining beacon of the year, stylised
name and all. With a heavy Depeche Mode influence riding at the top of
everything, but utilising the more modern technology available to them, it
became an album that has been near the top of my mind this year. With repeat
listens, it grew and grew and became even more infectious with every listen.
Packed full of joyously dark tunes, led by Lauren Mayberry’s delightfully sweet
vocals, The Bones of What You Believe
was an album that just sticks.
12. Rhye – Woman
Rhye began by shrouding themselves in anonymity, sending the
blogosphere into a fury because they love that kind of shit. With some utterly
stunning tracks under their belt, reminiscent of Sade, they pulled down the
curtain and released Woman, a
superbly hypnotic exploration and love and sex without the need for over
sexualisation. Here, both topics are treated in an incredibly mature and
disarmingly honest way. Michael Milosh’s falsetto coos its way through Robin
Hannibal’s superb production, both being surprisingly intimate with a hint of
shyness. It’s an endearing debut that is incredibly hard not to fall in love
with.
11. Lizzo – Lizzobangers
Lizzo has already made a splash in Minneapolis but, until
now, has stayed very much within that scene. Lizzobangers is probably the best introduction anyone could need to
what she is about. As with A$AP Rocky, Lizzo is able to change styles
seamlessly between tracks depending on the topic and the production on hand
yet, unlike Rocky, her lyrics hit the mark nearly every time as opposed to some
of the time. It’s honest, exciting, and more often than not raucous as
hell. She has a command over language that never ceases to impress and, put over some extremely tight beats, it
flourishes into something spectacular. The only album with "bangers" somewhere in the title you should care about!
10. Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time
Had the rest of the album been terrible, I still would’ve
been tempted to put this album on this list anyway, just for the absolutely
incredible ‘You’re Not The One’. Luckily, the rest of the album is pretty
brilliant too, although never quite reaches that high (it is a pretty big high
though!). Night Time, My Time is
Ferreira finally discovering what her voice is, and she’s done it some style.
Previous tracks and EPs have always felt a bit off to me, but here every single
track seems to work excellently at portraying the real Ferreira; one that isn’t
perfect and has plenty of faults. It’s a confident and defiant album with one
of the best pop singles of 2013 on board.
9. Julia Holter – Loud City Song
Whereas Holter’s breakthrough album, Ekstasis, was an incredible album, it was also not the easiest to
get into. Loud City Song has a real
pop feel to it without sacrificing the eccentricities behind Holter’s work that
makes it extremely accessible yet still distinctly her voice. Adding a band to
the proceedings allows the California Institute of Art graduate to play around
with things a little more, adding more jazz like elements which she, on her
own, could not provide. It’s still “weird” and outlandish, but it’s wild, exciting,
and oddly beautiful, like an otherworldly circus.
8. Beyoncé – Beyoncé
It’s almost a blessing that it took me so long to get around
to compiling my Best of list. While all those publications had sent their copy
off to be printed, Beyonce decided to make an ordinary Friday morning something
spectacular by dropping this self-titled piece of brilliance without any
warning whatsoever. I didn’t want to make a snap judgement on how great it was
but, after letting it sink in over the past few weeks, I’m still completely in
love with this album. It’s raw, it’s fierce, it’s Beyonce not giving a shit. It
feels like an album made for her, rather than pandering to anyone else. A
statement to pop music that she has still got it and can produce a wildly
exciting and altogether varied collection of tracks.
7. Chance The Rapper – Acid Rap
2013 is the year in which Chance really made himself known. Acid Rap is quite easily the most fun
and exciting hip-hop to come out of 2013, and, probably, to come out of Chicago
since Kanye West’s College Dropout.
Every track sees Chance pushing himself to the limits, trying something new,
testing himself, and showing that he definitely does have the talent. Just 2
years out of high school, released by himself for free with no label support,
this is what this young Chicagoan has produced. It’s an album/mixtape inspired
by Chicago, both the good and the bad, and by youth, but also the frailties of
it. There’s no messing around here. As with Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, Chance has a
very clear persona that shines through here, creating a transparency that draws
you in. This is clearly just the start for Chance.
6. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
While the album as a whole feels a little longer than it
should, mainly the fault of the congestion of the slower tracks all in the
second half of the album, Trouble Will
Find Me is still yet another stunning collection of melancholic rock tunes
from one of the most well-dressed bands of the moment. It’s the sound of a band
who are trying to get used to their move from being that cult band that everyone
used to talk about to prove they’re ahead of the curve to a band that is really
hitting the big time, and deservedly so. It’s awkward and a tad clunky but
tracks such as ‘Pink Rabbits’ and ‘Humiliation’ are just utterly beautiful in
their melancholy. The energy might be turned down a little from High Violet but the beauty is definitely
still there.
5. Arctic Monkeys – AM
AM is a strange
mix of hip-hop influences, the LA sun, and the darker side of the Sheffield
lads. Like Foals, it’s hard to even imagine that these are the same fresh faced
boys who were once writing songs about getting chucked out of clubs or trying
to get a taxi home at 4am. It’s not as wildly different as it might sound, but
it’s an album that is a definite thrill to listen to each and every time. It’s
a bit saucy, retaining that cheek of Whatever
People Say I Am, mixing in a more Velvet Underground style; something
rooted a little bit in nostalgia that wears its influences on its sleeve whilst
being distinctively Arctic Monkeys. While the previous two albums felt like
they were taking themselves too seriously, dipping into pretensions that didn’t
feel like them, AM goes back to the
fun-loving, easy going Arctic Monkeys we fell in love with so long ago, except
now they’re sunning themselves in LA.
4. Disclosure – Settle
Disclosure brought with them a debate of where they actually
fit, genre wise. Are they deep house? What even is deep house? Are they garage?
My only comment on this debate is who cares, when they’re producing such
fantastic dance music. Clearly influenced by house and 90s garage, Settle is one of the best dance records
of the year. The album has a whos-who list of exciting collaborators, yet these
big names, including Jamie Woon and Jessie Ware, never manage to overshadow the
two brothers. Instead, these names manage to weave themselves seamlessly into
the overall fabric of the album. 2013 has generally been a year of intelligent
dance music, be that hitting the mainstream or sticking to the underground.
Disclosure have been the finest example of this, providing tracks that can not
only work perfectly on any dancefloor in any club, but also on the radio.
3. Darkside – Psychic
Psychic feels like
something completely otherworldly. The entire album feels like you’re falling
into a dream; a minimalist, futuristic dream directed by David Lynch and
scripted by Haruki Murakami. It sounds completely pretentious, and in most
respects it is, but it’s an album that makes you want to accept that pretention
and just dive in, head first, to explore everything on offer. It’s definitely
not one to stick on in the background, it really shines when you fully pay
attention to what is on offer, but when you do explore it, it’s incredibly
rewarding with so much to love and respect that it’s easy to overlook that it’s
really just Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington showing off a bit, though they definitely have a right to.
2. HAIM – Days Are Gone
I know a fair number of people that don’t like HAIM, and I
find it terribly difficult to understand why. Sure, they’re not all that original;
feeling like a blend of Destiny’s Child and Fleetwood Mac, but there’s
something undeniably refreshing about a band like this making it big in the pop
charts. To each their own, I suppose. Siblings brought up on rock and roll, while also living as kids through
the heady days of 90s pop, Days Are Gone
feels like a mission statement to what HAIM are all about. It’s slick, it’s
fun, it is pop, but with the intricacies of, say, Fleetwood Mac’s Tango In The Night. The enthusiasm and
the sassiness rub off on you extremely easily. It’s definitely not the most
revolutionary album of the year but, my goodness, if I didn’t have a lot of fun
listening to this album.
1. Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady
With The Electric Lady,
the third release in her Metropolis inspired series, Janelle Monae has undoubtedly
secured her rightful place as the current Queen of Pop. The album is jam packed
full of different styles, yet each one is done to such perfection that it’s
impossible to not sit there, slack jawed, wondering how the hell she actually
did this. Actually, that’s a lie. Listening to The Electric Lady, it’s actually impossible to sit still enough to
do that, each track just making you want to boogie, or sway, or just generally
move your body. From the extraordinarily smooth ‘Primetime’ to the explosively
sassy ‘Q.U.E.E.N.’, there will be at least one track everyone will love, if not
several. It’s whip-smart, it’s exciting, it’s original, and it’s exactly what
pop should be. Plus, it also has one of the most gorgeous pieces of album art in a long while courtesy of one of my favourite pop culture artists, Sam Spratt. Janelle Monae continues to surprise even though, by now, I
should know that anything with her stamp of approval on it is going to be
brilliant. Music needs more Janelle Monaes.
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Darkside - Psychic [4th October 2013 on The 405]
Psychic has had very little publicity surrounding it beyond a listening party in Brooklyn, yet it's this lack of anything, no overt campaigns, no graffiti, no teasing a release every other hour, that's made real intrigue as to what this release will be like. Something that Daft Punk could definitely learn from; less is more. It's an ethos that bleeds into the album itself. Everything is a shadow of what you might expect, giving the entire album a dreamlike, otherworldly minimalism that feels not too far from a Haruki Murakami novel.
Opening track, 'Golden Arrow' is an 11 minute long summation of what Psychic is about. Beginning with static noises, clicks, and beeps before transforming into this space-age beast as Harrington's whirling riffs combine with the striding beats; the start of your journey. The pounding march of 'Heart', a catchy trip that feels as if Brian Eno's Apollo got infested with Pink Floyd prog guitar riffs, gives way to 'Paper Trails', the latest single from the album, with its dark and mysterious vocals, and echoing blues guitar that feels like an homage to Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Games'; extraordinarily simple but hauntingly beautiful in equal measure.
'The Only Shrine I've Seen' takes you to what could quite easily be a ritual involving the Cult of Prince. Otherwordly vocals mix with ritual clapping and the jangling of wind chimes before leading into disco inspired riffs and Prince esque falsettos, all driven along by a confident minimal bassline.
Album closer, 'Metatron', feels like awakening from the weird and jarring dream that is everything that preceded this track. Your mind is still a jumble; a mix of the sounds of your air conditioner, voices on the radio as you tune it to find a station and the general hustle and bustle outside until it finally clears as the sleek guitars and sultry bassline kick in to deliver you safely back to a world that almost makes sense, but with memories of this dream still present albeit a blur, a shadow of what just happened. Like 'Golden Arrow' it feels like a microcosm of the album but, instead of preparing you to dive in to the album, 'Metatron' makes you want to jump right back in to relive those memories all over again.
Psychic is an album that isn't trying to please anyone but itself and, to many, this could be an instant turn off. There is pretension dripping through it - a sort of "look at what we can do" feeling - but it's a pretension you want to get involved with and embrace. It's an album that sounds as though it was conceived by a bunch of mad scientists, pouring in a dash of blues, some jazz, and some special Jaar minimal formula, while ripping up conventions into as many pieces as it can before strutting away with such confidence and swagger that it's hard not admire this confusing yet infectious creature.
Rating: 8/10
Milk It [2nd October 2013 on The Fly]
Last week, the long-awaited 70 track reissue of Nirvana’s ‘In Utero’ was released. Among those 70 tracks, there is, however, only one that’s “new”. Aptly named ‘Forgotten Tune’, it feels as though it was forgotten for a reason. It is literally nothing more than a rehearsal practice. When Krist Novoselic et al are wracking their brains to remember what exactly the track is and when it was recorded (sometime around 1988 is the rough estimation), unable to even give it a name, you know they are really scraping the barrel. ‘In Utero’ is a great album, no doubt, but why dig so deep as a rehearsal in hopes of enticing a few more fans to buy it?
Nirvana are not the only ones to have their bins rooted through in such undignified fashion, however. In 1995, 25 years after The Beatles broke up, the surviving members unearthed a home recording made by John Lennon in 1977, ‘Free As A Bird’. The rest of the band decided to release it with their own contributions added to it. It felt to many like a publicity gimmick, and it was. Released alongside a documentary about the band, ‘The Beatles Anthology’, it was the Fab Four’s first “new” single since 1970’s ‘The Long And Winding Road’. It was also a bit crap, meaning The Beatles ended not with a bang, but with a whimper set to an old, unreleased recording of John Lennon.
Re-recording half-done tracks is something of a recurring theme with posthumous releases.
Sometimes, this can be a good thing — ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’, for instance, was released a month after Otis Redding’s death, with the signature whistling refrain which Redding had intended to replace with vocals at a later date. And we don’t want to imagine ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’ without the whistling. Other times, we have Drake getting his beastly paws all over an unreleased Aaliyah track, recorded before she died in 2001, and vomiting out his only contribution of an occasional “yo, what’s up” and a rap about Mario Balotelli. ‘Enough Said’, released last year, is not terrible — the Aaliyah parts prove exactly why she was coined the “Princess of R&B”, and Noah ’40′ Shebib’s production is hazy and minimal. But then everyone’s favourite Degrassi star-turned-rapper (that list isn’t very long) decides to throw his own verse on top, which feels like he has chucked barbeque sauce all over a meticulously prepared chocolate dessert.
The same thing happened when meathead rapper 50 Cent – who was supposed to have quit music when he lost a bet to Kanye West – hopped into the studio in 2010 to record a verse on an unreleased Michael Jackson song. The result was ‘Monster’ which, unlike ‘Enough Said’, was not great in the first place… and only went downhill from there.
Of course, capitalising on an artist’s success occurs while they’re still alive. Decca Records have a lot to answer for with their decision to re-release David Bowie’s ‘The Laughing Gnome’ not once, but twice. This truly awful song was released as a novelty track in 1967 where it was panned by nearly everyone as the heavy-handed, cockney irritant it was. To get some idea of how astonishingly bad this song is, you’ll have to imagine Crazy Frog going onto carve himself a career as the most influential pop star of the early 21st century.
Luckily, this was before Bowie started making it big and we could class it as a little misstep on the way to greatness. Yet, in 1973, after Bowie had made his name, Decca re-released it and, somehow, it became certified silver in the UK. The only explanation I can think of for this tragic moment in music history is that the government were stockpiling copies to use as instruments of torture. Then in 1982, tragedy struck again with a re-release designed to commemorate the track’s third decade of existence (and shore up Decca’s own flagging sales). Luckily, this time it flopped in the charts as people tried to scrub the idea that Bowie could be awful from their minds. Little did they know that Tin Machine lay just around the corner.
Nick Drake was not especially given to releasing singles, which was probably for the best given how many people paid attention to his career during his tragically cut-short lifetime. In 2004, he managed the nifty trick of releasing his first single some 30 years after his death, when ‘Magic’ was used to promote the ‘Made To Love Magic’ compilation. The track — which is a long way from being the best or worst thing he recorded, to be honest — was originally left off ‘Five Leaves Left’ recordings until it was exhumed to satisfy a burgeoning public appetite for unreleased Drake material which, in truth, was pretty thin on the ground. By the time another comp rolled around in the shape of 2007’s ‘Family Tree’, even Drake’s mum was being pressed into service in the hope of shoring up a few more quid.
In short: it’s nice to hear unreleased stuff from your favourite artists; whether it’s listening to John Coltrane mess about in the studio or hearing a rough cut of one of your favourite tracks to see how it has developed. You could even argue that, with the Aaliyah track, Drake was trying to bring her music to a generation that might not be aware of who she is, and that is commendable. But, really, if it was utter tripe or could become utter tripe with further messing about, just don’t bother. Burn it. Bury it. Throw it on a landfill in New Mexico. Leave it where you found it. Just don’t tarnish the reputation of artists we love for the sake of a quick buck!
Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady [9th September 2013 on The 405]
Here was a pretty exciting new artist, inspired by Fritz Lang and Logan's Run mixing funk, soul, rock (every genre under the sun really) that didn't really make much of a splash. It wasn't until the continuation of the series, The ArchAndroid was released in 2010 that people started to sit up and take notice. Hints of John Barry orchestration here, touches of James Brown there, a healthy dose of Michael Jackson and David Bowie all over the place; she finally managed to capture the hearts of the public and critics with her story of a messianic android who defied the rules of Metropolis by falling in love with a human and, as a result, is sent back in time to stop a secret society from putting an end to freedom and love.
The story of Cindi Mayweather was not just a great example of Afrofuturism akin to that produced by the likes of Sun Ra and Parliament but thematically tackled notions of self-liberation, acceptance, and, as the disc jockey on 'Good Morning Midnight' preaches, "love, not hate."
The Electric Lady picks up where The ArchAndroid left off, with Mayweather taking up a position similar to that of Bokonon in Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, an unseen rebel leader who is hunted by those in power and revered by everyone else though without the utterly confusing mantra of Bokonism of course. Stylistically, as well as thematically, The Electric Lady is similar to its predecessor, with Monáe using a vast array of genres to create some completely infectious tracks, like a chef with a well-stocked spice rack, where a pinch of electro-pop or 50s soul can completely change the feel of a track in an instant.
With guest appearances from the likes of Erykah Badu, Solange Knowles, Miguel, and even Prince, this is an album that is completely jam packed and never really seems to let go. There are 19 tracks here and not once does it really feel like it's stalling for time, even with radio skit interludes which give a nice little glimpse into the world of Metropolis, mainly tackling the idea of "the other" and "the acceptance of the other" with one caller, admittedly a bit too on the nose with his parody of anti-gay protesters, declaring cyborg love is just wrong. 'Look Into My Eyes' does at the start appear to be a carbon copy of a few of the slower tracks on The ArchAndroid but then transforms itself into a Roger Moore era Bond theme-esque beauty. Other than that one minor misstep, it becomes almost baffling that in its full run time it can be so packed with tune after tune.
Lead single from the album, 'Dance Apocalyptic', kicks off with a ukulele riff and pushes it up to 11 from there, making it impossible not to dance along to regardless of where you are. 'It's Code', although one of the weaker tracks, features psychedelic guitars, Vangelis-esque synths, and Monáe's beautifully soulful voice creating something that sounds as though Funkadelic ended up soundtracking a much more hopeful version of Blade Runner. It's this mix of the future and the past that makes Monáe so endearing; everything sounds like it belongs at the time of Cindi Mayweather but heavily rooted in pre-90s pop music. The recruitment of Prince on 'Givin Em What They Love' is testament to this and works well in realising this idea.
The main message throughout the album, and throughout the Metropolis series, is that of equality, particularly of female empowerment and The Electric Lady is loaded with tracks focused around this. 'Ghetto Woman' is one of the most interesting due to how personal it is, especially from a woman who tends to coat her messages in this sci-fi sheen. The track is a tribute to Monae's mother and allows us a glimpse into her life growing up in Kansas City while keeping things as funky as they have been throughout the album.
'The Electric Lady', featuring Solange, is perhaps one of the best "girl power" anthems of the year. Sometimes, the lyrics can get a bit too Hallmark such as on 'Victory', but it's never too overbearing to instil a sense of apathy in the listener; bored due to its unoriginality. In fact, lyrically, the album is extraordinarily strong from start to finish, the highlight, as mentioned earlier, being 'Ghetto Woman'.
Lyrics aside even, the production here is so strong; the classical interpretations of songs on the album in the overtures scattered throughout, the soft harp in 'Victory', the minimal synths giving a sort of Balearic feel to 'What An Experience'. Some may say the album is way too long, and it's unlikely that people will find the time to listen from start to finish so often, but there are so many highlights here that it's incredibly easy to dip your toes into the album at any point and still have a great time with it.
The Electric Lady features so many different styles yet each one is done near perfectly. Moving between genres is seamless and each track is so full of character as a result of this diversity, the exemplary arrangements and, of course, Monáe herself leading the way.
It's easy to see why almost every producer, artist, and critic is hailing Monae as something special. She is the Cindi Mayweather of pop, sent back in time to save us from the risk of banal chart gubbins - so let's follow The Electric Lady to this new land of whip-smart, exciting pop music and rejoice.
Rating: 9.5/10
Hot Natured - Different Sides of the Sun [2nd September 2013 at The 405]
Hot Natured are there too but, like Disclosure and Duke Dumont, they're not actively trying to destroy house music, simply take inspiration from the past and put their own modern, pop friendly spin on it, unleashing this world to your average Radio 1 listener. The "supergroup", consisting of Jamie Jones and Lee Foss, co-founders of the Hot Creations record label, as well as Ali Love and Luca C of Infinity Ink, have been one of the main proponents of this move to the mainstream, with sell out shows at Brixton Academy and a domination of radio airwaves over this past year. Their debut LP Different Sides of the Sun has all the tracks that soundtracked many a summer present and a few others that will definitely make an impact on dancefloors across the country but the rest of the album is disappointingly uninspired.
From the off - many of the first few tracks being the big singles - Different Sides of the Sun sounds like it was made by a bunch of guys enthusiastic for the old days of house as well as the new glossy sheen of the Balearic inspired house, which is always a great start. Latest single 'Isis' makes the first real impact which, oddly but intriguingly, sounds not too far from what a Bonobo/Metronomy collaboration might sound like. Sure, the lyrics aren't the most imaginative or exciting, but the beat and odd, punchy synths take you on its own carpet ride to the beaches of Ibiza.
'Reverse Skydiving', filled with Italo disco style synths and a catchy, yet minimalist groove continues this ride whilst hit single 'Benediction' takes things down a notch and settles you down by the pool for a more chilled out affair. It feels light and airy; lie back, close your eyes and feel the sea breeze and sun's rays wash over. Even the often neglected 'Forward Motion' makes such an impact in the context of the album, with its Detroit inspired repetitive pounding alongside those pop sensibilities, probably won't leave your head for a long while.
The problem is, once we get past those first few tracks that have been on every radio playlist under the sun albeit for good reason, there's not much else here. Apart from perhaps 'Detroit', which appears towards the end of the huge 15 track album with its down tempo, minimalist yet no less satisfying beat, nothing here sticks out.
Even a guest spot from electronic legend Roisin Murphy of Moloko fame doesn't really perk things up and we just get track after track of uninspiring house that all seems to bleed into one. It almost seems as though they thought they'd just ride it out with those big hits right at the start and hope the rest is OK, which makes it feel a tad lazy.
Disclosure's Settle suffered from the same problem but, luckily, that only lasted for a few tracks in the middle, picking up towards the end, whereas, here, it continues until the end from somewhere after the first third of the album. This isn't to say it's a bad album, it's just one that seems to rest on its laurels too much. The production is solid, as you would expect from a collective filled with such big names, but there's just not much new or exciting here to really make a big splash.
Rating: 6/10
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Preview: Beacons Festival 2013
Leeds Festival is not the only festival to make a major
scene in the Summer festival period. Entering its second year (third if we
count the year it was cancelled due to floods which luckily didn’t spell the
end as many of the artists set to perform held free gigs at Leeds’ Nation of
Shopkeepers that weekend), Beacons Festival has made a big splash in the Summer
festival circuit, despite some hiccups last year. But now it is back, with
significant improvements and a line up to drool over. Mixing big name bands of
the now with bands that are sure to make it big in the future, alongside some
good old Yorkshire charm, it’s definitely worth paying attention to. Here are
where you’ll probably find us over the weekend.
Friday:
Lulu James – Loud and Quiet, 18:50
North East newbie, Lulu James, has been well and truly
blowing up in 2013. ‘Closer’ has been all over the radio airwaves, as has ‘Step
By Step’. Bringing her soul/disco vocals that scream Donna Summer and Grace
Jones attitude to club bangers that wouldn’t sound out of place on Newcastle’s
Diamond Strip, this girl is most definitely worth a watch post-tea time.
Bonobo – Loud and Quiet, 22:45
You’ve lasted a whole day. You’ve probably eaten a lot.
Drunk a lot. Not properly sat down for more than ten minutes while you wait for
your mate to come back from the loo. What do you need? Bonobo. Yorkshire born
and bred Ninja Tune legend will be on hand with his downbeat, chilled out tunes
to give you a much needed break.
John Talabot – Resident Advisor, 00:00
After being thoroughly chilled out by Bonobo or ripped to
shreds by Fucked Up, a choice I am admittedly still torn by despite
recommending Bonobo, it’s clear that, come midnight there’s only one place you
need to be to end the night. That place is in the hands of Spanish DJ and
producer, John Talabot, set to bring
his blend of Balearic house to the Yorkshire countryside, hopefully
transforming the by then well trampled field into the beaches of Ibiza.
Saturday:
Wolf Alice – Loud and Quiet, 14:30
OK so Friday night was pretty heavy, especially staying up
so late for John Talabot. You roll out of your tent, grab your breakfast of a
pie or some BBQ food (because why not? You’re at a festival. Breakfast can mean
anything here!) and sidle on over to Loud and Quiet. Wolf Alice will definitely
blow away any cobwebs you have from the night before. Already making a name for
themselves on the festival circuit, their ability to mix the loud and the quiet
(making the stage they’re adorning all the more relevant) will wake you up but
then give you a bit of time to gather your thoughts before barraging you once more.
Just wake up already!
East India Youth – You Need To Hear This, 15:00
Music website The Quietus recently got in the record game.
After trying to get labels to sign William Doyle AKA East India Youth after
Doyle gave Quietus editor John Doran a copy of his CD at a Factory Floor gig,
they thought “Let’s just do it ourselves!” set up The Quietus Phonographic
Corporation and released Doyle’s debut EP Hostel.
Exciting chilled out pop, it might be a bit of a punt if your timetable is full
then but, hey, if The Quietus loves him, he must be at least half decent (NOTE:
He’s very good!)
Wire – You Need To Hear This, 23:00
Wire have been going long before you were probably born.
They’ve influenced everybody under the sun from REM to Sonic Youth to Elastica
(who “borrowed” heavily from a number of Wire tracks) to Bloc Party to The
Futureheads to…well….everyone. Now’s your chance to see what everyone has been
banging on about for the past 30/40 years.
Sunday:
Sky Larkin – Loud and Quiet, 13:00
Another local band who, until a few months ago, seemed to
drop off the map entirely. Already with two fantastic albums under their belt,
they took a brief hiatus while lead guitarist and singer Katie Harkin went
touring with Wild Beasts as their new keyboardist. A quick shimmy of the
line-up, adding These Monsters’ Sam Pryor, and an announcement of a new album,
they’re back with a fury and well worth rolling out of bed for.
Savages – You Need To Hear This, 21:00
You’ve probably heard enough about this lot this year.
They’ve already proven themselves as an amazing band to smash up the tour
circuit, blowing minds on every stage they walk upon. And with debut album Silence Yourself well and truly making
waves, head to You Need To Hear This because you need to see this as well as
hear this.
Django Django – Loud and Quiet, 21:40
Right, you’ve made it. The weekend is nearly over. Pissed as
a fart and probably a little bit heavier (unless you took part in morning yoga
to get rid of those burgers from the day before; if so, kudos, you’re a better
person than me), you might as well go out with a good old boogie. Django Django
will surely provide that with explosively danceable tunes filled with joy. Grab
your new mates and just dance the night away.
Special Mention:
Hate the usual festival food? You’re in luck because Beacons
have got a line-up of vendors which might just surpass the music on show, or at
least it will when you’re stupidly hungry. From Leeds’ Red BBQ providing pulled
pork and flame grilled meats to Skipton’s own Pie & Mash and some of the
best fish and chips you might ever have at Fish& (operating out of a beach
hut, I’ve only managed to catch them once but their chilli batter fish is
unbelievable), this isn’t your standard noodles and burgers. To wash it all
down, the fantastic Layne’s Espresso, based in Leeds, will be on hand to perk
you up with some of the best coffee in Yorkshire. Or, if you’re leaning more
towards the alcohol (if so, maybe find a bin to prop you up), Whitelock’s Real
Alehouse is holding an ale festival with ales from all over the world. Let’s be
real here. You’re probably just going to find me rolling around outside the
food and drinks tents all weekend.
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