Author Archives: Olivia

Summer Camp.

Posted on by

There’s one song that I heard in February this year that I have to play at least five times a day. It’s like a ritual. I listen to this song and it’s like a wave of emotions take me over. Not in a “I need to cry because everything is toss” kind of way. No no, far from it. I listen to this song and everything about it just shoots through me. I feel like a child at Christmas. I feel my body being covered in goose-bumps when the synths and drum machine kick in. I honestly advise nobody to be around me when I hear this song. I’ve written about this song loads on here, I love it so much. With every listen, I find something else to love.

The song is of course, I Want You by Summer Camp.

I’m utterly in love with everything about this band. I love Jeremy Warmsley. I first heard of him in 2008 whilst I was at Uni. His solo stuff was just gorgeous. He’s now working with the beautiful Elizabeth Sankey- who make up the duo that is, Summer Camp. I love her delicate voice, although it posses great power. I just love them to pieces. I think if I ever witnessed I Want You live, I’d probably get taken away due to going a wee bit mental. The lyrics are just (pardon my awful language) FUCKING amazing. It’s what love and lust should be about. I seriously cannot put into words how much I love this song. I think I should mention some other songs because they have so many!

You’d think after a song such as I Want You, the duo would put something else out that follows suit right? WRONG. Better Off Without You is quite frankly AWESOME. It’s a wonderful “Piss off, you’re an annoying piece of doo-doo” kind of song. I advise anyone who’s been dumped or got rid of annoying twerps out of their lives to listen to this song. You’ll feel about 60 feet tall and you’ll feel so much better about everything. The wonderful electro feel is still there, and Elizabeth’s vocals are as distinctive as ever. You can really sense the disgust for whoever this is about. It’s bloody brilliant.

Recently they joined the PledgeMusic site to raise money to fund the release of their debut album. Things you could bid for ranged from a mix-CD to a batch of Elizabeth’s homemade brownies. Seriously, this is the future kids. This is how musicians need to fund their albums. Mix-CDs and baked goods. Make it happen, seriously. Their debut album, is out, I think on Halloween- the same day as Florence And The Machine. Something tells me I will be purchasing two of the best albums of the year on that day.

Summer Camp are a band that could sing about a heartbreaking subject, but the music disguises the pain in the lyrics. I just love that. Sort of what The Drums do. It’s all well and good listening to someone pour their heart out over a piano or an acoustic guitar. But some of us just want so much more. Thank goodness for Summer Camp. I’ve played an EP of theirs to death, I seriously cannot wait for their debut album.

Now, when a band has an electro sound- can they really evoke the same imagery and make you feel the same acoustically? Only the good ones can blow your mind both ways. Obviously Summer Camp can. There have been some amazing debut albums released this year, and I have every ounce of faith that Summer Camp are easily going to put out an astounding debut album that has been well and truly worth the wait.

Lay Bac.

Posted on by

I know next to nothing about Lay Bac, apart from his real name (Josef Calamusa) and that he comes from Austin, Texas. Home of the greatest music event, ever – SXSW. I’m determined to go there one day. All I need is money and to cure my severe dislike of flying. The latter seems more likely than the former. I can keep that rage to myself though. Not here, not now.

Lay Bac is more than likely going to fall under the chill-wave category. I understand why, but if you listen to his music, it’s not really chill-wave. If anything, it’s experimental. Then again, shouldn’t all music be experimental? Surely all artists should experiment with different sounds to keep things different and interesting? If you love Youth Lagoon and Washed Out, then you will more than likely fall in love with Lay Bac. Coming from someone who is massively in love with Youth Lagoon and Washed Out, Lay Bac is just another artist I can love. I love everything about his sound.

I love how Lay Bac makes you feel like you’re wandering the streets of LA or New York in the 80s in the blistering heat. In reality, you’re in scummy England and it’s pissing down with rain outside. It’s okay, indoors you can create your own world with what is playing through your headphones. That’s the beauty of music. You can let it take you anywhere you want.

With the days becoming night so fast, and Summer abandoning us faster each year- music like this just keeps it going a bit longer. You may not have the funds or means to sit on a beach listening to Lay Bac, but the power of imagination is so great you can create it in your head. So, do yourself a favour and listen to Lay Bac and let your body and mind transport you to a place you wish to be. Heaven knows you deserve it.

S.C.U.M-Again Into Eyes.

Posted on by

What I love about S.C.U.M is that they took the time out to perfect the sound that is on their debut album, Again Into Eyes.

I remember first hearing them two years ago with the single Visions Arise and I was in awe of the bass-line and how beautiful and ghastly Tom Cohen’s voice was. Of course they are going to get compared to The Horrors- that’s not a bad thing. It’s good that a band like The Horrors can now be seen as an influence. However, there is nothing you can compare the bands with. So what if they both have captivating front-men and posses great musicianship? A lot of bands already do, doesn’t mean you can say they are like whoever.

Yes, Huw Webb is Rhys Webb from The Horrors brother- again irrelevant. He’s not lurking in his brother’s shadows. There’s no lurking or riding off the coattails of another’s here. It’s straight up originality. If you don’t like it, what’s wrong with you?!

Again Into Eyes- shall we commence the wondrous dissection? Alright then.

Firstly, I need to tell you that this album is full of wonderful imagery that just casts you into a different dimension. There are gloriously dark tones to this album but at the same time you can picture yourself stranded on a cliff gazing afar and not being scared of falling. That’s what I get from this album, especially with the track Cast Into Seasons. You don’t need me to tell you just how good Amber Hands and Whitechapel are- you should already know this. If you haven’t, what have you been listening to?

Summon The Sound has this petrifying and slightly distorted sound. You can imagine Tom Cohen hiding in the shadows waiting to chase you off into the night. He’s an attractive young man, so you’d probably turn around and ask him for a cuddle. If it isn’t Tom Cohen, then run. Run as fast as you can. Again, this goes back to what I mentioned earlier about the album having dark tones to it. It’s menacing in some points, his vocals really do give you goose-bumps at times.

When a band can exceed your expectations with their first album, you know that they are going to last longer than most.

Sentinal Bloom starts so beautifully. The intro does feel like a flower coming into bloom, then Tom’s delicate voice pushes through. On a few tracks on the album, his voice reminds me slightly of Brian Molko- but less nasally (I love Placebo, this is by no means me being negative towards them at all.)

There are haunting synths, decadent bass-lines, powerful vocals, hypnotising guitars and dominant drumming on Again Into Eyes. The whole album just makes you feel like you’re coming alive and out of hibernation.

In a better context, it is almost as if S.C.U.M is blowing away any doubters, competition or awful bands with this album. A debut album can be a solid blueprint for any artists’ career, going by this debut- you cannot help but be excited about the future of S.C.U.M.

With artists such as Anna Calvi releasing albums this year that have a dark, euphoric sound that just takes the listener elsewhere, then maybe this is what the mainstream needs? Life isn’t all sunshine and happiness you know. There’s more to life than joy, not everyone is always happy and not everyone wants to listen to music that makes them dance.

S.C.U.M has created this amazing work of art, if you overlook this debut album, then shame on you. The calibre of music being produced in this country every year/ we just won’t stand for your shallow, manufactured shit no more. Thank you S.C.U.M. Thank you for creating something we can believe in!

The Kills-Keep On Your Mean Side.

Posted on by

If I had to list my favourite albums of all time, I’d probably put all four of The Kills albums in there. However, there’s one album of theirs that owns my heart slightly more than the others. It’s not because of sentimental value, all four albums hold that. With the album I’ve chosen to focus on, it is the pure Punk feel to it- that menacing raw sound. I remember when I first heard it, I was just instantly drawn in to Alison’s delicate voice and Jamie’s aggressive guitar sounds. Keep On Your Mean Side will forever be one of my favourite debut albums I’ve ever heard.

As most are aware, The Kills are influenced by the Blues. You listen to how Jamie plays guitar, and the influence of the Blues is so obvious. Not in a rip-off sense, far from it. I firmly believe that Jamie Hince is severely underrated as a guitar player. You honestly do not have to have seen The Kills live to know this. Just listen to songs such as Wait, Pull A U, Fried My Little Brains, Baby Says, Last Day Of Magic- basically all their songs, you dig? Good.

They are also influenced by the likes of Captain Beefheart and The Velvet Underground. I’d also say hints of Townes Van Zandt are present too. Basically, as they influenced and admire such great musicians it is really no surprise that they make music which is on the same level as their influences.

When I first heard Keep On Your Mean Side, the immediate feeling I got from it was that I felt like I was taking a road-trip on some desolate and dusty road. Just getting away from everything and forgetting it all. The Kills are brilliant if you feel like a lost cause/soul. They help you find parts of you; they reach parts of you that not even someone so close to you could ever get to. Their lyrics are your life, the band are your lifeline.

There are a handful of albums and artists that make me feel this way, but with The Kills it is entirely different. Maybe it’s because of the bond Alison and Jamie have with each other, as there are only two of them making this heartfelt music- you feel it more because it’s much more personal.

I think my favourites off Keep On Your Mean Side have to be Wait and Gypsy Death And You. Both songs have this unexplainable emotion to them. The images you get from both songs are astounding.

When I listen to Gypsy Death And You, I picture a lonely person in a hotel room collapsing out of utter despair with regard to their life and the one they love. They can’t bear to look at them because it aches too much, “She covers one eye ‘cause she can see into your soul. And she no, longer wants to.” The song is full of understanding, that’s its okay to feel like that, “If that’s the way that you feel, then that’s the way that you feel.” It’s just such a comforting line. Besides, why should you have to justify how you feel? Feeling it is bad enough, you don’t have to explain.

Wait feels like a road-trip with someone you’re not really close to, but want to get close to. I think everyone has someone that they look at and wish they could figure out. I personally don’t, but that’s because I think not being able to understand someone makes life more interesting I guess. Some people are the way they are, just because I suppose. Not everything needs a reason. I love Wait because it is so simple.

“So tell me something bad you done. Tell me ‘bout your ghosts.” You just want to know the person, the good and the bad. It’s just a beautiful song; I can never get tired of playing it.

I can’t write about this album without mentioning two of the most ferocious songs by The Kills; Pull A U and Fried My Little Brains. Anyone who has seen these two songs performed live knows how mental it is. The chemistry on stage Alison and Jamie have just truly comes alive in these songs- I know it’s there with all songs, but.

The intro to Fried My Little Brains just makes this part of you lose your mind. You cannot help it, you just go crazy. You have to. That’s the beauty of The Kills, they make you feel free and give you the ability to lose your mind.

Pull A U feels like a punch in the face. The guitar in it is just mind-blowing; it just makes you feel like you’ve been smacked in the face. But you don’t care! You don’t care because it feels good.

The way their voices merge together on these songs is sexually charged, but at the same time- it isn’t. You know that Alison and Jamie are just the best of friends, and what makes them so gifted is that they can make you believe it’s something more/ they just have this insane chemistry that is really, do or die- life or death for them. This band is everything to them. This band is everything to me, and the connection they have just inspires you greatly.

The scream in Superstition is fucking incredible. The way that Alison can hold that note just leaves you in awe. It’s just beyond. Every song on Keep On Your Mean Side is so powerful and overwhelming. It makes you want to just start your own band, your own movement. They make you want to grab someone lovingly by the scruff of the neck and scream the words to Cat Claw at them.

I cannot say that this album is the most brutal sounding album by The Kills as each album has that sound. When this album came out, nothing else sounded like it, and four albums on- no one else sounds like The Kills. They’re just a perfect band. Everything about them just appeals to me. The lyrics, the aggression, the frustration, the importance, the sound- everything. You can sense in every single song just how important that song is to Alison and Jamie. You can feel just how important they band is to Alison and Jamie.

Some bands change for the worst, some change for the best. The Kills have stayed the same, but not in a way that causes them to make the same record four times over. What I mean is, they have stayed true to that Punk ethic, that harsh and raw sound that has not been done since the Velvet Underground.

Keep On Your Mean Side is a cruel and fragile album. Most people that act cruel are fragile. I’m not saying Alison and Jamie are cruel- but their lyrics can be. You love and care for someone so much to the point you cant stand them. But you need them around. That’s how you can tell that these two are the best of friends. Nothing and no one will ever come between them. They love each other with no complications, they just take each other for who they are and accept it. That’s how it should be.

If you ever wonder what the true meaning of love, friendship and loyalty is- just look at how Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince are with each other.

Wavves/Best Coast.

Posted on by

I’ve always been told to never work with family or to work with someone you’re involved with. Perfectly good advice, right? If anything seeing the same person every single day and living with them would just make you mad. I don’t care how in love you are, you will reach a point and think, “Why do they exist?” Alright, that’s harsh and I only slightly mean it.

When couples make music together- it never really works out does it. Just look at Ike and Tina. They may have made some amazing music, but the outcome wasn’t exactly loving was it? I’m slowly drifting away from my point.

Nathan from Wavves and Bethany from Best Coast are a couple. Now, if anyone has seen photos and interviews of them together, they will see that they are probably the best couple around right now. I adore Wavves and Best Coast. That lo-fi/surfer feel to their music is just brilliant. I love everything about their music. They don’t change who they are nor do they change their sound to sell records. They make music for their love of music- there’s not many that do that now.

Last night, Wavves premiered a new song that they have recorded with Bethany from Best Coast. Obviously,it is brilliant.

Wavves are set to release the EP, Life Sux on September 20th.

Novella.

Posted on by

When you hear a band such as Vivian Girls or Dum Dum Girls, you cannot help but long for a UK band to have that same kind of feel. Not necessarily the same sound, but that 60s girl group with an essence of Punk rock. The kind of music that instrumentally smacks you in face, but vocally warms your soul.

That’s what most of the most passionate and gorgeous music does to you, or should do to you. Some examples of this are The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Kills and now, Novella.

Novella are made up of three stunning and extremely talented females ; Hollie Warren, Sophy Hollington and  Suki Sou. Quick fun fact for you, Rhys from The Horrors used to work in a bagel bar with Hollie Warren. I now have a delightful image of Rhys and Hollie singing songs to each other whilst making bagels. Novella hail from Brighton and Southend-on-Sea and formed in 2010.  They all met in Brighton, and currently are based in that London.

What instantly drew me to Novella is that their sound. Their sound has been much needed in the UK for some time. See, America has The Drums, Best Coast, and Wavves etc. Who does the UK have? Nobody. No other band apart from Novella has that gorgeous sufer-pop/low-fi sound. Some may take it upon themselves to tear that genre apart, but my guess is that they’re just not listening to it properly.

This kind of music is greatly needed, especially when it’s pissing down with rain constantly. This kind of music makes you feel like you are on a LA beach, killing time watching the sun go down. There’s probably no better way to pass the hours. I wouldn’t know, but I’d like to.

I keep stumbling across new bands that I love, and wondering how I could love another new band as much as I loved the last. I’m not fickle in the slightest, but with music- I’ve just got a lot of love to give. I can safely say that Novella have stolen my heart with first listen. The Things You Do has that beautiful distorted sound that is found in bands such as Broadcast, My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus And Mary Chain. Novella take that distorted sound and combine dreamy (not in an “I love you, you’re so beautiful I could look at you forever” way) vocals that just make you want to lie down and shut off for a while. Most bands I love make me feel like that, it’s really no surprise that I’ve instantly fallen in love with Novella. It takes a lot for me to be excited about new music because a lot just seems like a rip-off. However I can genuinely say I am excited about the future of Novella and cannot wait for an album to be released. For now, we have the split single of The Things You Do/Oh Brian which is released on Dirty Bingo.

By this time next year, they’ll probably have released the album of the year and probably the best debut album of the year- do not ignore this band!

Zola Jesus-Seekir.

Posted on by

Another track from Zola Jesus’ new album, Conatus has emerged today. Obviously it’s amazing. What I love about Nika is that she creates music that sounds like nothing else. She’s only 21 years old and she’s making better music than those that have years on her. Her dark sound is so atmospheric and at times, wonderfully chaotic. Extremely tense and perfect to lose yourself in. Her music makes your soul come alive, it just takes over parts of you that you hadn’t let alone else get to. A lot may insist that her sound is “Gothic.” Well you can call it that, I just call it beautiful because that’s what it is.

If the album has the same feel as Seekir and Vessel, it is evidently going to be one of the greatest albums of 2011.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Posted on by

In 2003 something amazing happened. A sound emerged that made you think, “BLOODY HELL I’M BACK IN THE 70s WITH THE STOOGES AND RAMONES!” Well, I don’t know how you felt but its how I felt. I felt like my generation had its turn to experience something so raw and unapologetic. A sound that just sparked you up inside. This sound is labelled as awfully as “indie” to the disgustingly pretentious “art-rock.” Shove your labels, they are not needed here. Its music not food product.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs blew me away with the first listen. I remember when I first heard Date With The Night, and it had this mental pogo feel to it. It felt like you could just lose your mind to this band. Just give up and give in to the trio. Brian, Nick and Karen have this presence that lures you in.

When I saw the video to Maps, I couldn’t move. I was just stuck staring at Karen O, she cried and I cried too. Quite possibly Spike Jonze’s finest work? Possibly so. Maps is fragile and beyond vulnerable. It is a heart-breaking love song at best; there has never been a song like it. I’m sure we all have someone we think of when listening to it. It is so powerful, you don’t want to listen to it because it tears you up inside. Yet deep down, you know you cannot deny how amazing the song is. Only a fool would. Only a fool would fail to see how remarkable this New York trio are.

Fever To Tell is regarded by so many to be one of the great albums of the past decade and one of the best debut albums ever, must be something in the New York City water I reckon. Fever To Tell is made up of short, powerful songs- just like the Ramones. Yeah Yeah Yeahs have this brutal sound. Karen O sings like she is smiling through every word, even if it is as hurtful as Maps.

Songs like Pin and Black Tongue are highly energetic and just wild. That is the sound of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but then you have songs like Maps and Modern Romance that just haunt you in a gentle kind of way. The way Karen sings, “Don’t hold on. Go, get strong.” just stays with you. She sings it in a way that just steals your heart forever.

Initially I wanted to write about how important Fever To Tell is, but the thing is dear reader, every album they’ve put out is important. Each album is highly influential in different ways compared to the previous release.

Show Your Bones wasn’t as lively as Fever To Tell, but it still had that Punk feel to it. As does It’s Blitz! It just must be a New York thing.

The way the Nick’s guitar grips you on Gold Lion is exactly how he gripped you on Maps. His guitar playing takes you to places you didn’t imagine you could go. Brian’s drumming excites you to the bones. As for Karen’s voice, well it’s as dominant as ever.

My favourite track off Show Your Bones is The Sweets. I love how sad it is. Some may regard it as the newer version of Maps, I entirely disagree. There’s only one Maps. They’ve never made a replica of any of their songs. Yes, The Sweets is equally as heart-breaking as Maps, but it just takes you to a different place. To be honest, I think The Sweets is my favourite song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Everything about is so innocent and raw- the pain in Karen’s voice is so raw. The disappointment that comes through just shatters you. How can someone feel like this? It’s hurtful but comforting.

I could write thousands of words as to why I love The Sweets, but I honestly don’t think I’d get my point across the way I want to.

When Zero (first track to be released off It’s Blitz!) I got that feeling that I had when I first heard the band in 2003. That hyperactive and energetic feel was back. Again, no song is a replica of what they had done before. Each album they’ve put out has had a 3 year break in between; will they put something out in next if this is how they work? I don’t know, I can only hope.

Karen’s voice on the album is as erotic as ever. I don’t mean it in a seedy strip-club or free before midnight Freeview porn kind of way. I mean it in a classy, euphoric way. I’m fully aware me describing her voice like this is very weird, but anyone who’s properly listened to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs knows exactly what I mean. I’ll stop before I make myself out to be even more odd than usual. Let’s digress shall we?

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the most important bands to have existed and without them- we’d probably be lost. Their sound is something that nobody has ever done before and nobody has ever seemed to have tried to emulate. You cannot mess with perfection now, can you? The energy that the band has is enough to inspire you to go out and start your own movement.

Karen O is quite simply one the most enigmatic and hypnotising front-women since Siouxsie Sioux. The way she moves on stage to how she sounds on record just enthrals you, you cannot deny how captivating she is.

She’s more than just a fascinating front-woman, but she is easily a fashion icon. Her clothes (that leather jacket in Zero is beyond stylish) and her hair styles have influenced the way the average woman dresses to what designers create.

This group are influential in so many ways. They provide the soundtrack to your heartbreak and to your nights out. They’re just everything to me, and then some. They justify my love for most music that comes from New York City. A new album is much needed, but if we have to wait a bit longer then so be it. As always, it will be worth the wait.

Nico.

Posted on by

So if we’re going to talk distinctive voices there’s quite frankly only one that is more superior than most. Now, my opinion on this is more than likely going to be biased due to the fact that this goddess of a woman was once part of my second favourite band ever in the history of bands. She was part of a movement that, at the time was truly wonderful. But now? Most under the age of 20 that listen to this band are culturally starved and self absorbed fools who take photos of themselves with their camera phone in shot. Oh and whilst they do this they complain of how fat they are when they weigh about 4 stone.

This isn’t going the way it should, but I don’t want to delete that paragraph because it is true. These woe-is-me hipster kids don’t know much, they’ve not lived. I mean I’m nearly 25, but I don’t claim to have lived much. I exist, and when life improves- I’ll go from existing to living.

I should really make my point rather than going on. I guess I’ve just got a lot to say.

Christa Päffgen quite simply had the most distinctive voices, ever. Seriously, ever. Okay so you may know her as Nico. The model, actress, singer, mother, daughter- regardless. She had talent. More than you have and more than I have. She had SUCH powerful voice. Husky at times and seductively deep. The way she sang on The Velvet Underground’s debut album just gripped me. It’s my favourite debut album ever; Nico’s vocals are a huge reason as to why I love it so much.

It’s not just her work with Velvet Underground that gripped me so; her solo work is equally as gorgeous.

My mum always seemed to play singers around the house that had strong voices. Voices that sounded like no other from Bob Dylan to Billie Holiday, I was blessed to hear them all. Joan Baez to Grace Slick, I had a healthy consumption of stunning music whilst growing up. I like to think I’ve honoured all my mum taught me about music by continuing to listen to music that can be held up against its predecessors.

Nico’s deep voice evidently inspired so many. Her sound wasn’t Punk, soul, pop, rock, folk or funk. It was her own. At best, I suppose if you want to label it- it was highly experimental. At the time, no other singer had this kind of voice. The way her voice complimented Lou Reed’s was just utterly stunning.

Before she met Lou and the rest of The Velvet Underground, she was a solo artist and before that she was a model. Now, as I’m no expert in the modelling department, I’m going to focus on her music. Not that I’m an expert in music, but you know what I mean.

Nico’s first solo single was the insanely wonderful, I’m Not Sayin’. I adore this song so much, for so many reasons. It’s just highly captivating and so moving. It’s such a beautiful, honest and heartbreaking song. Read the lyrics, you’re not human if you cannot relate to the lyrics at all. Oh, and Morrissey digs this song a whole lot too. Anyone that has seen him live with has been exposed to the glorious videos he plays before he comes on stage, and this is one of them.

Her first album, Chelsea Girl was released in 1967, which is the same name of the Warhol film Nico appeared in.

Before she released her debut solo album, she recorded one album with The Velvet Underground- yes the one with the banana on. Quite simply the best debut album ever.

Her voice on Femme Fatale always amazes me, it doesn’t matter how many times I listen to it. Each time feels like I am listening to it for the first time. That’s when you know a band have something truly special.

Hard to believe that at the time, this album was basically ignored.

You’d think that when an artist puts out a solo album they are free to do what they want. Say if they are in a heavy metal band, then can release an opera solo album if they wish. Why? Because they have no one to answer to and they can do whatever they wish.

Sadly, this wasn’t the case for Nico. She wanted more drums and guitars on her solo albums. What did she get? Flutes. Lots and lots of FLUTES! It broke her heart.

Her next two albums, Desertshore and The End had less flutes and more synths. Drama of Exile was the first album she recorded without John Cale (The Velvet Underground.) Her final album, Camera Obscura, however did feature John Cale on the album’s title track and he also produced the album.

Her take on My Funny Valentine is easily one of the darkest versions of the song recorded. There was so much pain in Nico’s voice on this song.

With such a distinctive voice and a catalogue of remarkable albums, it is no wonder that Nico has influenced so many artists. She never had an act; she was just true to herself and her art. The best kind never make compromises, they do what feels right to them. That’s how it should always be, no matter whom you are and what you do.

She’s influenced the likes of Bat For Lashes, Siouxsie Sioux, Bauhaus, Patti Smith and Morrissey. All of which have always stayed true to their art. Her delicate but powerful performances have influenced so many, more recently- Florence Welch.

A talent like Nico’s is extremely rare, voices as powerful as hers do not come around often, it’s just a shame it took her death for people to actually see how talented she truly was. She wasn’t just another girl in a Warhol film nor was she just another model. She had a gift, a rare talent. Something we hope and dream of having. Her voice had so much in it, and the pain you could feel in certain songs just made you connect with her in a way you’ll probably never feel again. You’ve probably only felt it when listening to Billie Holiday or Janis Joplin.

“I find it hard to believe you don’t know, the beauty you are. But if you don’t let me be your eyes, a hand in your darkness, so you won’t be afraid.”

Song Association.

Posted on by

The thing about music that always amazes me is the ability it has to change a person’s mood so quickly to how it can bring people together- just by bonding over song. It is probably one of the most powerful forces, in an entertainment sense.

A piece of music can send you back to a certain time, sometimes a time that you wish you could forget. Or sometimes, it just takes you to that place where nothing and no one can touch you. A certain song can make you feel so unbelievably invincible, that you can take on anything.

If I hear White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane I am immediately taken back to being a baby in my mum’s arms being rocked to sleep. Me and sleep have always had a bad relationship. Bad because most of the time, I find it impossible to sleep. When I hear White Rabbit I don’t hear Grace Slick’s haunting voice, I hear my mum mimicking creepy voices to get me to sleep. Now, for most that wouldn’t send them to sleep- with me, it did. Go figure. Ever the oddball I suppose.

Most probably use this song to get stoned to, as someone who’s never gone near drugs- White Rabbit is associated with my childhood. A precious memory that nobody can ever take from me.

However there are songs and artists that I can associate with shit times. Times that I wish never happened, but they did. They had to happen in order to make me who I am now. Some don’t like who I am now, but I do- and that’s what counts. If I listen to certain songs by Ladyhawke I am instantly think of a person who used to make me happy a few years ago, there was a time where I just couldn’t listen to certain songs by her. Now I can, because they are just memories and it is just a song.

Sometimes you hear a song that you and a friend or whatever, change the words to, and make it your own. You change the words to provide a comical take on it, it becomes your song.

I’ve heard couples go on about “this is our song!” and usually, it’s the wankiest song ever. They pick the stereotypical songs. If it was me, I’d probably pick something by Zola Jesus or The Jesus And Mary Chain. A darker take on it, I don’t know why- it’s just more intense and means more. Maybe I’d choose Billie Holiday by Warpaint. Actually no, I don’t think I could. Warpaint are my lifeline, and if it was to go tits up- the song would be ruined.

See, you have to be extremely careful with choosing what song you associate with someone you are close to. There will come a time where you cannot stand that person anymore, I think it’s called marriage? If you pick a song that you love to associate with them- what happens when it goes wrong? You dislike a person AND a song. It’s not worth it. Or is it?

The flipside is, when you hear that certain song you think of the person you love/like straight away. Every single part of you just lights up, you feel alive and superhuman. You have to take the good with the bad. Sometimes a song can sum up how you feel better than you can. Personally, I’m a bit shit with telling someone how I feel about anything or anyone. I can easily write things like this, that I have no issue with. I can pour out my heart and soul into an article and leave myself vulnerable or whatever- but make me tell someone how I feel about them? No thanks, I’ll just tell you to listen to a certain song- much easier. I’d say less effort on my part, but that’s not the case. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find that one song that just says it all? Bloody difficult!

I’ve always said I will never ever associate anything by Morrissey or Florence & The Machine with anyone, in a romantic sense. When I hear Everyday Is Like Sunday by Moz, I think of being at home straight away or I’m in York with my mum watching him sing it- good memories, of course. If I hear Between Two Lungs by Florence, I’m at a Florence gig with my best friend singing as if our lives depend on it. These memories don’t hurt. They just make me want them all the time.

Music can trigger off anything in your brain and cause your heart to instantly jolt, that’s how powerful it is.

There’s one song that no matter what will always make me stop everything and probably cry. The Smiths- Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want is my life, always has been, always will be. I’ve cried to this song and I’ve loathed life and myself to this song. There’s something about Morrissey’s voice that just breaks you in this song, as does Marr’s guitar. It just breaks you. I Know It’s Over comes close to this to. When I saw it live, I’m pretty sure I cried like a baby. When you hear the songs that saved your life live, it does that to you.

There’s a difference between associating a song with a person and a situation. When a song is associated with a person, you can carry bad vibes towards the person and song. When it’s towards a situation, it is easier to let it go. You cannot help a situation but you can be entirely cautious of who you get close to.

When I hear The Model by Kraftwerk, I remember being a baby in the living room dancing to this. The same applies to Groove Is In The Heart by Dee-Lite.

When I hear anything by Aaliyah I have a ridiculous amount of mixed feelings that I just cannot put into words, I just can’t.

Certain songs remind me of train trips and road trips. When I hear anything by The Long Blondes, Gossip or The Horrors’ first album- I’m back at my first year of university. The Long Blondes first album was played to death by me during my first year of university.

We create so many memories in our lifetime, some are hard to remember and some re hard to let go of- that’s why music is such a fascinating and overwhelming force.

Whenever I hear Now That We’ve Found Love by Heavy D & The Boys, I instantly remember being in a car with my family driving to Italy for the first time (that I can remember.) I loved that song SO much; pretty sure I used to rap along to it and dance like they did in the video. My mum and I used to sing it to each other in car, probably pissing everyone else off. I must have destroyed the tape of it during that trip. I was about 4 or 5; I was obsessed with that song so badly. If I hear that song now, I have to text my mum to tell her.

I’ve not really had a point with writing any of this, I never really do. I suppose I just had to write it down. However, my conclusion is this- I’d rather have a person break my heart than them ruin a song or band I love for me. I can handle having my heart broken, just don’t ruin a song I love- that I cannot deal with.