Last year, one of my loves was a wonderful band called Thomas Tantrum. David from the band has worked with Anja on her new track, A Kiss. A beautiful, haunting and captivating track. There’s no video at the moment (SOON!) But you can listen to it here :http://emmspublicityblog.com/2011/11/08/listen-to-anja-mccloskeys-new-single-a-kiss/
Now, as someone who has grown quite sick and tired of acoustic based music. At the moment it just seems so dull and really boring. I won’t mention names because people don’t like it when you have an opinion. However, Anja McCloskey is neither dull nor boring. Her music is exciting, and much needed. By rights, she should be HUGE this year. However we are forced to enjoy manufactured bullshit that is churned out (or spat out) by reality TV shows. Basically, if you care about music that has true heart and passion- Anja McCloskey is for you. And yes, she was once in the band, The Irrepressibles.
Everyone has a song or two (or if you’re like me, about 50) that when they listen to it, there’s always a specific part in the song that just hits them. It wraps itself around your soul, makes your heart beat double and you just lose your mind. This part of the song is the reason why you’re glad to be alive. This part of the song makes you feel alive and untouchable. You play this song, and nothing can get to you. No negative vibes stick to you. You feel like a Superhero or something. This song makes you feel like you can take on the world. That specific breakdown, that one lyric- it hits you right in the gut. I’ve narrowed mine down to 10 songs that, at the moment make me feel like this. However, as soon as I’ve posted this, I will probably want to change my mind. I’ll try stick to it this time, and I’m not sorry for how much I’ll rant. You don’t have to read this. As you were….
Florence + The Machine- What The Water Gave Me. With this song, I’ve got more than one part that sends me into some kind of frenzy. An outer body experience. You know how religous people go on about having some kind of religious experience? That’s what I get from Florence. Especially with the second record. Ceremonials feels like some kind of ritualistic cleansing of the soul. After you listen to it, you feel pure and free again. It just enlightens you in so many ways. If you’ve ever felt trapped and frustrated-play this record. It will blow all of those taunting feelings away from you. At around 2.14 in this song, that’s when it first hits me in the gut. I cannot put it into words, but the build up from there on just sets my soul on fire and throws me into an outer body experience. The chorus at just 3 minutes when it is pretty much acapella and the music kicks in again at around 3.28, when Rob’s guitar just throttles you and makes you want to shake every limb, and move in ways that look like you are having a fit- THAT is the best part of the song. This overwhelming sense of euphoria Florence creates is SO good. It’s a rare thing to find, so when you find it- hold onto it with all you have. I could quite happily write thousands and thousands of words about this song, but just listen to it and let yourself feel free- and be overcome with a wonderful euphoric feeling. I know most of Florence’s songs make you feel this way, but What The Water Gave Me is on a different level completely.
Patti Smith-Frederick. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not really a fan of lovesongs. However, I do believe that this is the greatest ode to love, devotion and admiration I have ever heard. And will ever hear. The way she sings, “Frederick, name of care” at around 26 seconds in, you can just sense how much she loves him. I can safely say that this is my favourite Patti song. Don’t get me wrong, I adore her politically charged songs; but this one is everything a lovesong should be. It just oozes dedication and pure love. It takes time to find a love like this, Patti was one of the lucky ones to experience this feeling. That feeling that makes you feel this way. The feeling that is blanket of care and a beacon of hope. That’s what love should be, yet most of us take it for granted. Or most of us just haven’t felt it yet. You’ll know when you feel it though, because you will feel exactly how Patti feels in this song. It’s a feeling that cannot be rushed, but to feel it like this-well it is utterly sacred. Cherish it my loves, because some may try to take it from you. But don’t worry if you haven’t found it yet. Don’t let society force you to fall for just anyone. You’ll meet your very own Frederick or Patti one day, for sure.
Foals-Spanish Sahara. This was probably one of my favourite songs from 2010. The stunning build up in this song just made you feel like you were stood right in front of Yannis as he poured his heart out into this song. You felt each fragment of fury and every haunting aspect of the horrors that can consume you- when you are least expecting it. You felt comforted by this song, because you felt like you could leave your horrors and nightmares behind and just carry on. I’ve never seen Foals live, but to see this song live, I’d imagine it’d be one of those life changing moments that cause something in your brain to click. It just makes you think, “Fuck it. I can do this.” A song like this is one that most spend their career trying to write. Driving themselves insane just to touch on something even slightly as moving as this. This song, I’ve used many times to just make sense of everything. You know what it’s like. You have a shit day and feel like there is really no point. Music is my only constant. It’s the first thing I go to when it all gets too much, and Spanish Sahara is one of the songs that gives me, strength I suppose. Their song, After Glow also does the same.
Dum Dum Girls-Coming Down. I remember falling in love with Dum Dum Girls a long time ago. Their first album had this sound that I adore. A surfer pop/lo-fi feel mixed with a Wall Of Sound vibe. A lot of bands I listen to have this sound. I personally thing it is stunning. Mixing a garage rock sound with what Phil Spector created just shows how timeless certain genres immediatley became decades and decades ago. I didn’t think I could love their second record as much as I loved their first. So, I sat down and listened to it. I listened to it with no distractions. I was in awe of everything I was hearing. Dee Dee Penny is evidently one of the best front-women around right now. There’s a part in Coming Down that anyone who’s listened to it, will know EXACTLY which part I am going to mention. The song is quite sad and my lord, it really tugs at your heartstrings. The song lasts 6 and a half minutes, and is 6 and a half minutes of utter beauty and brilliance. However, at 3 and a half minutes- Dee Dee hits this note that just makes you freeze. You shut your eyes and nod in agreement. She’s letting it all out for you. You cannot let it out yourself, she is doing it for you on this song. Everything you feel that’s been building up for so long just comes out in this song. That note she clings onto and lets out- you cling onto it with her. It’s like your safety net. I’m not ashamed to admit that this song is my safety net, my crutch. When I listen to it, every sense is heightend and things do not seem that bad anymore. I’ve cried to this song, and I’ve been wonderfully joyful whilst listening to this song. It’s just everything to me, and honestly- it made 2011 a lot easier to drag myself through.
The Horrors-Sea Within A Sea. I would’ve picked She Is The New Thing, but you really cannot deny that this song is a stroke of genius. A masterpiece- much like the whole album if I’m honest. I know exactly where I was when I first heard Sea Within A Sea. If memory serves me correctly, the video to this was launched on The Horrors website at 8pm one evening in 2009. I remember sitting in front of my computer hitting refresh on their site waiting for this to appear. There was a countdown to something. Most of us knew it would be something to do with new material. 8pm came, and the shadows of The Horrors was there. You knew what was about to happen. The song is just under 8 minutes long, and just reinforces my belief that songs that last over 5 minutes are the best. Easily. The euphoric part comes in just after 3.40. The synths really really kick in, and Faris’ voice captivates you more than it ever has done before. The build up as he sings, “So you may think the path we share, is one of danger and of fear….” is so amazing, it creates this wonderful tension between you and the song. You wonder what will happen next. Will there be another build up? Will it smack you in the face? YES. Yes to all of it. If you’re one of those who are only just getting into The Horrors (you’re late. You’ve really missed out, seriously. Go listen to Strange House. PLEASE) then hopefully you will see just how amazing The Horrors have always been. They’re a band that no one can predict their next sound. That is why I adore them, with all I have. The Horrors have captured every sound I love, and created their own- but changing on very record.
Warpaint-Lissie’s Heart Murmur. Every song by Warpaint makes me feel content and glad to be alive, so picking just one song was enough to cause a slight headache…and having to listen to Exquisite Corpse and The Fool a few times before I picked a song to stick with. Sure I could’ve chosen Stars, Billie Holiday or Warpaint. But, I had to go with Lissie’s Heart Murmur because let’s face it, it’s my favourite Warpaint song. For me, listening to Warpaint is a sacred experience. The intro to this song, the piano sounds like tears falling free from your face. At the end of crying, that feeling you get when you realise it’s all going to be okay- that’s what this song feels like to me. It feels like the aftermath of crying your heart out. I can’t pick out a set euphoric moment in this song, the whole song is just a beautiful experience. It is so perfect, to the very core. I could quite happily play this song, and never listen to anything else. Emily’s voice is so haunting and mesmirising on this song, more than on any other song. So many times I have just laid on my bed and played this song over and over through headphones. It’s one of those songs where you have to listen to, on your own- with no interruptions. I don’t think I’m doing this song any justice, so I’ll just link you to it. Hopefully you’ll understand why I love it so much.
The Cure- A Forest. Like my view on the song above, I can’t possibly pick a moment in this song that makes me feel so happy. I love The Cure, and Seventeen Seconds is my favourite album by the band. I remember hearing it and feeling like I was in some kind of trance. I felt like I was in a permenant dreaming state, I didn’t want to wake from it. I still feel like that when I listen to the album now. They created a sound on that record that has evidently influenced so many, Warpaint being one of them. Personally, Jenny’s bass playing always reminds me of The Cure. That wonderful, floating feeling you get. You feel like you are drifting off into someone so pure and perfect. A Forest is probably my favourite song by The Cure. I love the slight distortion on Robert Smith’s voice in this song, you really have to listen hard to hear what he is saying as the music creeps in and takes over. It is a chilling and eerie song, much like the whole album really. Some say this song and album define The Cure. But let’s be honest not, you can’t ever define a band like The Cure. I feel that, no matter what I say about this song it really won’t show it in the light I want it to. But any genuine fan of The Cure (as in someone who doesn’t just like Friday I’m In Love) can see just how inspirational they ae. Not to mention ahead of their time with all their records. They were the blueprint of this sound. Utter perfection.
The Kills-Superstition. Attempting to pick one song by favourite duo EVER was a chore. I couldn’t do it. I left it for ages, wrote down some idead. Scribbled them out, wrote new ones. A mini riot occured inside trying to figure out which song I could use. I wanted to use The Last Goodbye, then Pots And Pans. Then I wanted No Wow. Then I wanted Cat Claw. I settled finally with Superstition. When Alison lets out that scream in Superstition, it is just so electrifying. You feel like she is right there, in your face letting out this gnarly growl that actually, sounds so heavenly. I could pick any song by The Kills. With all their b-sides and four records, it was difficult. I could’ve gone with their cover of Pale Blue Eyes; but that song is too precious for me to even touch on. Their version of it gets at your heart, well and truly gets at you. Superstition shows The Kills at their rawest and most brutal. Jamie absolutley slays the guitar here, and Alison’s voice..well, what can one say. They both have a chemistry that sucks you in, and once you’ve been captivated by it-nothing else seems relevant. You’ll base all relationships and friendships on their connection. If you don’t feel how they do about each other towards a person; then it isn’t meant to be. The Kills are rage, passion, angst, fury, frustration and raw. All brutal things done in such a beautiful way. They’re more than just a band to me, they’re life.
Scott McKenzie-San Francisco. For sentimental value, I’ve chosen to put this song here. It’s a pretty short song I guess, and the whole song just makes me close my eyes- thinking I’m wandering around San Francisco, taking everything in. Are the people still gentle there? Do they have flowers in their hair? Let’s hope they do. This song reminds me of my childhood, it just makes me happy. It makes me want to live in San Francisco. Then again, it doesn’t take much for me to want to leave where I currently live! This song makes me think of summer, even if it is like hurricane season outside. I know I could’ve picked other songs instead of this one. But, a song doesn’t have to have a grand build up in order for it to give you a sense of euphoria. That comes from within, what you take from the song is a bonus.
Morrissey-Speedway. My final choice is of course, Morrissey. Is this my favourite Moz song? Oh of course. It just defines my life and how certain people are. You know, the ones who are petty towards you and what you do- but they’re just projecting. It’s best to ignore such fuckbags isn’t it. Oh, and ignore I do. The lyrics are so beautiful. What I’ve always loved about Moz is that he has NEVER had to use grand words in order to make you connect with him. He doesn’t have to polish his words in order for you to relate to him. When he sings the word “Forever” at around 2.48, the song pauses, then a few seconds kater kicks back in. The build up is incredible. You will only appreciate this if Moz is your saviour. Seeing this live last year just completed me. It came at a time when it was much needed. You know the deal. Shit happens, people act like wankers, you don’t know what to do- you then find yourself in a song. This song has always played an important role in my life, but moreso last year. However, that is in the past. This is just Moz at his finest, I adore the line, “In my own strange way, I’ve always been true to you.” I guess we all know of a few who we can attach that lyric to. But, they don’t deserve to have such a song related to them now do they.
For some stupid reason, I failed to write about one of the best songs I’ve heard over the past few years.
Home is a love song that isn’t sickly and vile like most love songs. Usually, I like the ones that are quite dark and a bit eerie (The Jesus And Mary Chain are the perfect example.) However, Home by Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros is one of those songs that just make you feel so fucking good inside. You don’t have to be with someone or in love to get this song. Hell, I’m not in love or anything like that at all- but this song just fills every single part of me with so much joy, fuck..it just makes you feel so damn happy to be alive. It takes you to a spiritual place that nothing else has done to you in such a long time.
Listening to Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros, for me, is like listening to Warpaint. It really taps into your spiritual being. It transports you to some place so beautiful. Nothing can touch you at all. Bloody hell, Home is just such a divine song. It covers you in goosebumps. It makes you want to grab someone. ANYONE! It makes you want to grab them, and shake them and just sing “HOME IS WHEREVER I’M WITH YOU!” You’d have to be one stone cold, cruel human being to not feel so much joy from this song.
You remember when I said what I Want You by Summer Camp does to me? Well, Home is on that level. It just shakes you up, stirrs your soul and makes you feel like you can do anything. It’s like a warm blanket on a cold,rainy Winter’s night. It makes your insides feel warm and your bones rested. Everything I love about music is in this song, the album it is taken from makes me feel exactly the same.
In short, Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros make you feel like you are part of their musical family. There’s about 11 of them, I think. When you see live clips of them all performing together, it looks like some kind of peaceful ritual that just elevates your soul. Maybe it’s an L.A. thing? If that’s the case, I want to be in L.A. right now. I want to sit on the beach and listen to this song until I am exhausted and just fall into a deep slumber. It’s 5 minutes long, but it should be longer. Just because it is so perfect; you don’t want it to end. Just like, when you’re having a lovely day with a friend or whatever, and everything in each passing moment you are sharing is so perfect and, nothing or no one can ruin it. That’s what Home does for me. I listen to it, and I’m in the most peaceful state of mind I could ever imagine being in.
I’ve never felt part of anything with anyone. I’ve never felt at “home.” But, when I listen to this, I feel like I am part of something. I create my own home. Home doesn’t have to be a place. It can be a feeling inside. It’s anything you want it to be. This song made me realise that. This song lifts up my spirits every single time I listen to it. Even when I feel totally fine, I listen to this and I just feel something so euphoric and untouchable.
If you cannot see that Lou Reed is one of the greatest singer/song-writers ever, then you are a fool. I’ve ignored the fact that his record with Metallica was one of the worst things to have ever happened. Obviously there are worse musical disasters, but seeing as its Lou Reed; all is forgiven.
There is no doubt at all that Transformer is one of the best albums ever created. From start to finish, it is just a sheer magnificent work of art. It just marks the end of the Velvet Underground (sadly) and the start of something equally are perfect and bloody influential. I know a debut record is probably THE record to cement an artists’ career, but with someone like Lou Reed- all he had done with Velvet Underground was enough to put him in the position as being one of the greats. His second solo record, Transformer just has everything a record needs to have.
The way he tells stories in his songs is something not many have mastered the art of. There have been very few storytellers of this level. Bob Dylan being one of them. Artists such as Captain Beefheart, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Waits- they are all excellent songwriters who have evidently influenced so many. Personally, I hold Lou Reed as highly as I hold them all. He has this stunning way of making you feel you are part of everything he is singing about on this record.
I absolutley love the bones of Make Up. I love how Lou can make you picture everything in this song. It is full of wonderful imagery. It’s more than a song; it’s a bloody wonderful piece of literature. Most probably love Perfect Day. I love how sarcastic it comes across, but for me- it will always be Make Up. I love everything about it. If this record was a woman, I’d have a civil partnership with it. It’s just one of the best albums ever made. You can tell I love it, right?
If you’ve never heard this record before (and why on Earth haven’t you!?) then every time you listen to something else, you will probably compare it to this. You’ll die a bit inside because you know NOTHING will reach the level of excellence that Transformer is on. It’s got to be one of the most influential albums ever made. It makes me wish I was a decent writer so I could create something a little bit as fascinating as this. It’s so pure, and touches on subjects many prefer to shy away from- mainly because they are small minded.
Transformer makes you wish you were in New York during the 70s, just floating around the city taking everything in. Every little detail. From the stunning cross dressers to the Punk kids waiting to lose their mind to their favourite band. You don’t get that from music anymore. The only band to possess this kind of innocence mixed with brutal tones are of course, The Kills. No one else has that edge or that sound that makes you feel that way. It’s just a flippin’ fantastic emotion to have when you listen to music. If you can find it, hold onto it. If you’re still looking for it- just listen to Transformer. You’ll find it all there. It will always be there in this record. It is perfect and timeless.
What I love about Lou Reed is that, he makes you feel part of everything he is singing. He makes you feel as if you are with him during Perfect Day- feeding animals in the zoo. He makes you imagine hitting someone you don’t like with a flower, or avoiding them in the street in Vicious. Walk On The Wild Side, bloody hell. This one, you can just see everything. You can see the men turn into women for the night in this song. Pulling up their tights, applying make up whilst riding the Subway. It’s all there; and you see it oh so clearly. You know, many gay people may turn to Lady Gaga as their gay icon with her songs. Fuck that. I cannot relate. The homosexual references in this record by Lou Reed are ones that really grab my soul, and make me feel proud to be gay. Not that I need a record or musician to do that-all comes from within. But, Lou Reed’s music has always provided a sense of comfort for me. His voice is so rugged but calming. Whether his solo work or Velvet Underground; I always feel part of the world I want to be part of. I don’t belong in this era.
What I’m trying to get at here, to anyone who reads this, is that Transformer is quite simply brilliant. The production, the music, the lyrics, his voice, the background singers- everything is just perfect. It is an honest and open record. You don’t have to be part of a certain scene to fall in love with this record. It’s evidently obvious that this record is one of the greats.
If a band are compared to The Jesus And Mary Chain, I will ALWAYS find it in myself to love them. Even if they are obviously toss, I will still love them a bit just because they sound like my absolute heroes.
Tashaki Miyaki have been compared to The Jesus And Mary Chain, now- as someone who is obviously obsessed with The Jesus And Mary Chain; I really cannot hear it. Maybe I’m getting old and my hearing is a bit fucked. But, I honestly can’t hear it. This doesn’t mean I do not love Tashaki Miyaki. I bloody love them. They remind me of Dum Dum Girls and Best Coast- two bands that I adore a hell of a lot.
They have a distorted, surfer-pop feel to their music. A sound which I am really fond of.
So basically, they do not sound like The Jesus And Mary Chain (I can see why people have made the comparison, but really, it’s lazy journalism.) If you love bands such as Novella, Dum Dum Girls, Widowspeak- you’ll probably love Tashaki Miyaki. Even if you don’t like any of the bands I mentioned; you should probably love Tashaki Miyaki anyway.
I can’t remember how old I was, but I was pretty young when I first heard of the New York Dolls. I know my mum used to play their music around the house. I used to try sing along to Jet Boy, pretty badly. I still do the same now. I’m writing this listening to their debut first album, and I cannot help but think that I was born at the wrong time. I feel no connection to life and music now. I feel it more for the 70s when NY, Ramones and Velvet Underground were all starting out.
The front cover of the Dolls debut album is one of my favourites. I love how striking they all look in their make-up. I love how bloody stunning Johnny Thunders looks; his lustful and seductive stare at the camera just makes you fall in love with him. They hear him play, and the love you feel for him makes you realise he was probably, the greatest guitarists of all time.
A debut record should always be sincere and unapologetically raw. It should be brutal with slight delicate tones. It should be dark and gnarly. It should smack you right in the face. It should leave you wanting more. Just anticipating the next release, and the next release and the next….and so on. New York Dolls did all of this and more with their debut album. It is EASILY one of the greatest records ever made, and also one of the best debut records ever made. As I listen to this, I find it hard to believe that this is the first proper record that they put out. It sounds so utterly perfect and professional- as if it had been created by a band with more than one album to their name.
David’s voice is one of the most precious and unique voices I have ever heard. His glorious New York drawl really comes through in this album, especially on the song Frankenstein (which is a favourite.)
I’m going to dedicate a bit now to my favourite track off the album, Subway Train. For me, Subway Train will always be one o the most wonderful songs I have ever heard. I love how you can sense so much frustration and despair in this song. The opening verse always hits me right in the gut:
“I can’t, ever understand. Why my life has been cursed, poison and condemned. When I’ve been trying, every night to hold you near me. But I’m tellin’ you- it isn’t easy.”
Everyone has felt that at some point in their life. You see the one you adore far too much, and all you want to do is hold them for a while. But everything you do seems to be cursed and fucked- so you never get the one you want. You’ll get it right one day, you must do. It’s hard to stomach at times, but with songs like Subway Train and the way David sings this opening verse- it makes you see the beauty in feeling such frustrations. The way Johnny makes the guitar sound so mournful is just so gorgeous. The song for me, it’s like- you like this person is unaware of how you feel- or maybe they do, and they just act so carelessly when you’re there. They do things to sort of stab you in the heart as you try to just get near them. You’ve got to let it go eventually, you’ll feel better when you do.
I cannot write about this record without mentioning that is was produced by a fantastic man. And probably one of the best producers of all time (him and Phil Spector are in my mind, genius and the two greats.) Todd Rundgren. He has produced some amazing albums; the work he has done with the Dolls is of course, his greatest.
What I love about the Dolls debut record is how wonderfully sleazey it can make you feel listening to it. I don’t mean it in a smutty kind of way. It just wakes up the sexual senses you have, it is an incredible album- and even though it was released in 1973; it still sounds so powerful, brutal and just so fucking raw. It has this edge on it that just caused the whole Punk scene to start.
Exquisite Corpse is one of my favourite EPs ever; songs like Billie Holiday and Stars sound like a lullaby that could send anyone off to sleep- even if you battle every night to get to sleep. Then you have songs like Elephants and Beetles that just ooze frustration. The complete opposite of Stars.
One of my favourite Warpaint songs has to be Stars. I adore how peaceful the song is. I love how it can calm the most uptight and angst ridden person. It just has this simple soothing sound that hits you right in the heart. The vocals are so pure and perfect. The way in which they are sung just makes you drift off into a calm state. It just cradles you in such a gentle but euphoric way.
The amount of times I have played this song when I was having issues with trying to sleep is ridiculous. Everything about Stars is just so wonderful and utterly perfect. It feels like a ritualistc chant but with no aggressive tones at all. It is so peaceful and calming. The music makes you either sway your body in such a tame way; or it makes you want to go outside in the night, and gaze up at the night sky. Letting yourself be free. This song oozes so much freedom. When you listen to it, it is like you are hearing a secret from someone. You don’t want to share this with anyone because they will not hear it in the way you do. They will not see how beautiful it is; they will miss the point of the song. They’ll just nod and say, “Yes, this is good.” They won’t hear how comforting but haunting the guitar is. They won’t hear how meek the bass is, but how it also creeps up on you. They won’t hear how relaxing the drums are. They just won’t get it. This is why this song needs to be heard the headphones, and headphones alone. Blasting it out of speakers at a stupidly high level will strip away the beauty and the true essence of this song.
Everyone has that one song they listen to every day, by themselves. With no distractions at all. This is my song. This, and Lissie’s Heart Murmur both conjur up the same feelings and imagery for me. Both have this out of body feeling to me. When I listen to it- I don’t feel like I am where I am. I don’t feel like I am in this world when I listen to it. For me, personally, if a band or singer can make me feel like that- then they are one of the greats. They well and truly are.
When they sing, “Oh wonderful one. Why are you like that?” at the start, and repeat this in some kind of ritualistic manner- it makes you feel as if they are beckoning you to join them. To just leave it all behind, and give yourself over to them. This song justifies totally as to why some of the best songs ever created last well over 5 minutes. The build up in this song isn’t as grand in songs such as Warpaint or Composure. It takes you in so delicately and you just let it happen to you. You let yourself fall into this atmospheric, beautiful piece of music. You immerse yourself completely and utterly in everything this song is. The different layers to this song hit you every single time you listen to it. I’ve played this song so many times; and I notice more things when I am half asleep with their pure voices and music echoing in my ears. I notice more clearly how certain lines are sung or certain key changes. It’s just so perfect; it is beyond all human understanding and description.
The repetition in the lyrics makes you feel as if you are part of this euphoric chant. You believe that if you sing along with them, you will be part of this world that they make you escape into with every listen.
I have discovered that when listening to Stars; you cannot get the full effect of the song if you listen to it when it is light outisde. You must be surrounded by complete darkness in order to really experience this song to its full capabilities. Obviously it is a beautiful song, and you should listen to Warpaint all the time- but this, to me, is one of their most special songs. It is is entirely sacred. Maybe it comes from the actual video of the song- the video just portrays everything this song makes you feel. I absolutley adore the ending of the song, especially when they sing :
“And in the end they ask you, for your reply. Don’t you tell them what you found out .”
To me, this just points out exactly why this song feels like a mystical and sacred secret that you daren’t share with anyone. It’s yours, and yours alone.
My love for Warpaint is one I know that will never die out. Say if they never made another record again; I can still take from Exquisite Corpse and The Fool more than I could ever take from other bands. They had this immediate impact on me, something which I really didn’t think would happen. I only thought it was bands such as The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Cure and The Smiths that could catapult me into some kind of frenzy. However, as usual, I was wrong. The amount I write about Warpaint, well I should probably start my own blog about them or something. I won’t. It all stays here. For now.
For some reason, I feel the need to write about every single song by Warpaint. I think it’s because I just need to pour out everything that their music makes me feel. Their music is like a catharsis- it just cleanses your soul, body and mind in ways nothing else ever has done. When I heard The Fool, I just froze. The world could’ve ended and I wouldn’t have noticed at all. All I could take in was the wonderful and euphoric sounds that were going through my ears and deep- so deep into my soul. Everything I had been waiting for was in that record. There’s a song on The Fool that, well, it just does something. Each song by Warpaint does- but there is always one that you connect to in a way that just totally throws you off. Even when I listen to it now, it still amazes me. It’s almost as if they are singing out my own frustrations and battles in their songs. Especially with this song.
For me, Shadows is like letting everything fall so freely from you. It is like you are handing yourself over to something and accepting this. I associate The Fool with leaving a lot of things behind. Things I thought I needed; but looking back, they weren’t worth it. Things, people- they are a distant memory. You’ve got to go and grow up. The Fool helped me do that more than anything else ever has. I owe a lot to that record. Shadows starts with such a delicate guitar sound that is matched with Theresa’s cautious voice. The lyrics are so vulnerable and bloody hell, you really do relate to them.
“The things you once told me, the thoughts you once gave me. Sound like the wind in my ears that blows out the knots I’ve got in my long brown hair. ”
The imagery in this verse is so haunting. There comes a time where everything a person has told you just escapes you. It no longer has meaning or worth; you’ve got to leave it and let go. It just sounds like the wind passing through your ears so freely. When the drumming comes in, it sounds so wonderfully angsty over the delicate voice and guitar. It sounds angsty in a “I’ve got to get out and leave you behind” way- not in a “I fucking hate you, get out of my way” vibe. It’s a song, like most of theirs, that you just close your eyes and listen to. It’s just over 4 minutes long, but in those minutes you are transported to a clear state of mind.
Warpaint’s music will ALWAYS make you feel safe and give you the ability to just float on into another universe. It carries you off in such a gentle manner. As I listen to Shadows whilst I write this- it immediately makes me think I am on a bed of water with the blazing sun reflecting its rays onto me and the water. I feel as if I am floating off into something I cannot control. Nort do I want to control it. I’m not someone who seeks to have constant control over anything or anyone. I don’t understand people who do. My ability to let things go is easy, and as I listen to Shadows- it just reinforces how easy it is to do so.
“I feel like the shadows I don’t even bother for anymore than that. ”
The security one feels in this line is just so beautiful. You feel comforted by what Theresa is singing, even if it is heartbreaking to feel like this. You can’t get to Heaven without experiencing Hell.
Writing this is as awful as telling someone you “like” them. You know that nauseating feeling that kicks in when you are about to spill your heart, and words just fall out. Words that make no sense, words that go over the other person’s head; and you have no idea what’s going on. This is what this is like, except there is no bad outcome from this. Thing is, I feel whatever I write will not justify just how amazing Patti Smith is. I could write this as a look at her inspiring career or as a review of a specific album. But, as it’s her 65th birthday today- I feel some kind of open letter is the only way. So, that is what this is going to be. An open letter to my idol, my role model- Patti Smith. I’m not going to apologise for anything I say- no matter how honest I am. Never apologise for being honest. One of the many things Patti taught me.
I’m fully aware she will never ever see this, but sometimes- you’ve just got to let it out.
Dearest Patti,
Aside from my mum you are the only person I have ever admired to the point where, when I grow up- I want to be just like. I’m only 25 years old, and I have a lot of growing to do as a person. I don’t think we ever stop growing as people-emotionally and mentally. I first heard your music when I was, well, before I was 13- I know that. I’m pretty sure I saw something on a music channel, but as I was so young I just carried on as normal. I revisited your work when I was around 16/17. That horrific age where you know nothing but think you do. I knew nothing; I probably still don’t. My teenage years were years I am grateful I never have to go through again. You were, like Morrissey, my comfort blanket. You see, I’ve never really fit in with anything or anyone. I’ve never had a place in any social group. I just carry on and do whatever. I’ve never had many friends; I’ve always had books and records as my own. It gives you more inner peace and a sense of self more than a person could. I’d always lose myself in a book or a piece of music. When I heard Horses, and you chanting “Go Rimbaud go!” Something just clicked. I cannot describe what it is, I really can’t. All I know is that, you made an emotionally exhausted teenager feel something other than self hate.
Your words are poetry, and your songs are a glimpse of Heaven that no other could ever touch on. Everyone goes on about how a person taught them to love and what love is. I used to think I was one of them; I was wrong. I discovered what love was when I heard Frederick. All I hear in that song is the meaning of true love. What it is to really devote yourself to a person. What it really is to admire another person in a way that is so unconditional, peaceful and unselfish. It is such a pure love song; it makes you want to find your very own Frederick. If more people felt that way about others, then maybe we’d live in a peaceful universe. But we don’t. I firmly believe it is important to find inner peace before you try to solve the world.
Speaking of inner peace, I’ve never been one for feeling okay with who I am. I’ve never been one for not accepting myself. I’ve never seeked approval from other’s. I seemed to constantly fight with myself over many years over who I was, and what I was. You know how it is. Kid realises they are gay, kid starts to hate themself because society frowns upon it. I could’ve stayed in that dark place so easily. So fucking easily. But, I played your music. I played your music and connected. I realised that my sexuality doesn’t define me. Nothing defines a person. When you seek to define yourself, you lose sight of who you are. Your music was my light at the end of a tunnel that I thought had no light. You were my light, my absolute crutch. Did you ever think your music would have this much impact?
It took me just one day to read all of Just Kids; I can safely say that it changed everything for me. Much like Albert Camus did. You know what Arthur Rimbaud is to you? Well Patti, that’s exactly what you are to me. I read your lyrics, I read your interviews, I listen to your songs- all with the utmost attention. It all makes me feel something that I really cannot put into words. Your art, because that is what it is, your art just makes me glad to be alive. A lot of people list teachers from school as their greatest teacher. The ones that make them want to learn and to find their calling. For me, it was you. It was you who got me into all the great writers and musicians.
Your intelligence and passion is a rare qaulity that so many people seem to now lack. There will never ever be another person like you, especially in the music industry. You were such an incredible force that was hugely needed. But you know what? You still are needed, you always will be. You were (and will always be) the Godmother of the genre that stole my heart and owns my heart-Punk. Punk wasn’t just a genre of music, it was a way of life- it was a being. A movement that shook up music in a way that nothing else has ever done. And probably will never do.
I know, I know that these words will never reach you- and I know that I’m not the only one who feels this way about your music, and the way you have changed lives. You’ve done more than change my life- you made me find this strength and peace I never thought I had. I studied your lyrics more intensley during my last year of University a few years ago, I learnt so much- and your work just makes me want to be a better writer. I always want to be better; but I never seem to get there. I guess, having this mindset just makes me work harder and practice constantly. I always have something I can write with in my pocket.
Patti, this is only small fragment of what your music has done for me. I found your music when I felt so fucking lost; you saved this lost soul. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart and with all my soul- thank you.
I remember over a year ago hearing The Fool in full and just being in awe of what I was hearing. Everything in my life stopped for a few hours, as I played the record over and over again. I felt I had found something that had been missing for so long. I found something in Warpaint that I could’ve easily drove myself insane trying to find. What I found was a state of mind, a general being that I was finally content with. I was content with myself and all I was. Warpaint’s music, from the very first time I heard them (by accident in 2009) just caused something to click. Every single song by them owns a part of me. Whether it is the devotion that pours out in Billie Holiday or the euphoric journey one experiences whilst listening to Lissie’s Heart Murmur. Their music is just solid. It is so pure and honest. I will never find this in another band; I’ve found all I’ve been looking for in Warpaint.
The song Majesty is a song I use to shrug off all the things that maybe should’ve happened; but didn’t. It’s the song that makes letting go incredibly easy. I’ve found it gets easier as I get older. I no longer feel the need to be attached to a thing or person. I no longer feel I need to be part of something in order to validate my existence. When I listen to Majesty, I realise a lot of things. You see, Warpaint are a personal band for me. When I write about them or talk about them- I cannot remove myself from it. My all goes into it- they mean that much to me. I cannot put it into one simple sentence; my love for this band goes beyond anything I have ever felt for a band. I guess it’s because since being a fan- I’ve grown up a lot; and their music has been one of the few things I have used in order to sort myself out in any way possible.
When I listen to Majesty, I think of things and people I had foolishly wasted my time on. We all do it. I will never deny my mistakes if a person is so stupid to bring them up. I will say it was an error- and leave it alone. Majesty makes me feel at ease with anything bad I have felt or had to force myself to go through. Music can make you get through something or it can constantly make you feel lke a victim because you wallow; listening to the songs that make you cry and fester in your own self indulgent state. The latter is something I cannot identify with; nor do I understand how a person can do that. However, each to their own I guess.
The opening verse to Majesty is so frail and heartbreaking, you feel the words that Theresa Wayman sings. You really feel it in your gut. It goes right to the very core of you. You listen to this song, and you think of those who have used you in a way that bruised you, but you ploughed on through- because you adored them. As you listen to the song; everything you felt- all that adoration just leaves you.
“When I held your hand, when I held your hand, When I helped you, when I held your hand, You still went the other way and you wanted me to stay, With my arms stretching away, with my arms stretching away. I couldn’t stand that sight ’cause I adored your face. I adored your face.”
Their face is too much to take in, as is them attempting to make you stick around when really; you’ve already gone. You’ve left it all behind. You stretch yourself so thin in order to stick around; but it just no longer isn’t enough. You escape in every single way possible. Warpaint’s music makes you escape your mundane life in ways no other has ever made you feel. All of these thoughts came rushing to me as I was on the bus home from work this evening. This obscure piece of writing I attempting to make sense of, all came from a half hour bus journey.
The build up in Majesty is just like all of Warpaint’s songs. It makes you feel as if your body is being lifted higher and higher until you feel weightless and free. Until everything around you seems so small. Until you are so far removed from your surroundings. You escape in the most beautiful way imaginable. The way Theresa sings, “You could’ve been my King.” makes you think, you really would’ve treated that person so well- but they fucked up didn’t they. All the longing has been replaced with realising you didn’t miss out; they did. They missed out.
The realisation of that it wouldn’t work out the way you wanted (I’m not talking about relationships in a romantic sense here by the way) comes right at the end of the song. This isn’t a sullen song, it is a beautiful piece of art that just summarises the feelings we experience but are possibly too scared to face up to. Courage my friend, courage, can be found in a song or the shadow of a stranger. It is there. It’s always there just waiting for you to embrace it. Just do it when you are ready.
“When it all comes back, when it all falls into place, Could it be that I don’t want it anyway? Could it be as sad as that? There was a day we used to laugh and I wanted you by my side.”
You didn’t want it anyway; it just wasn’t right. You can always right your wrongs. So long as you believe it to be right; then it is. Just be true to yourself and forget what anyone else may think or say. You know you’re own heart and mind. If you’re seeking for some truth; just listen to Warpaint. This band always amaze me with every single listen. I can listen to any song by them and find something else to love. A different layer in the music appears for me to fall in love with. If it wasn’t for Warpaint; my self awareness would be piss poor. If it wasn’t for Warpaint, well..I don’t want to think about that. I’m just beyond grateful that a band like them exist.
Beat In My Bones. 