10 years to the day, one of the most raw and influential albums emerged from New York City. The piss ridden streets that you love and loathe produced something so passionate and important- it was pretty hard to get your head around.
I was in secondary school when Is This It was released. I was listening to all kinds of music. I was obsessed with Aaliyah, Garbage, Silverchair, Wu Tang Clan and Morrissey whilst at school. I’d constantly have them on my mix cd I’d make for my cd Walkman. I had to hold the cd Walkman down with my hand as I walked because the songs would skip. Little things like this I miss. Nothing could touch me as I walked through the corridoor playing my favourite songs.
Someday was the first song I remember hearing. I was just blown away by the sound. Jules’ voice captivated my young mind. “In many ways, they’ll miss the good old days.” It’s just an utterly timeless song. Screw that, it’s just an utterly timeless album. So many “critics” have delcared it one of the greatest albums ever, and yes- they are correct. But it is the same words written about this album over and over again. It makes you wonder, are they actually listening to this album? Do they walk the streets listening to it and pretend they are in New York City? I’m not ashamed to say that I have done that, and still do.
I want to write thousands and thousands of words as to why this album is one of the most important records ever. I want to tell you how it’s been a massive part of my life. I love the album so much I have Is This It tattooed on my wrist. My reasoning? It was one of the albums that got me through a break-up and just made me feel better about everything. It gave me strength and courage. When I feel a bit hopeless, this album just makes me feel better. There’s something about it that just feels like a safety net. I can’t possibly put it into words. I’d just be throwing around words and odd descriptions of what the album does to me. It’s just played a massive part in my life.
10 years on and The Strokes are still one of my favourite bands ever. I love every single album. Yes, I even think First Impressions is a bloody brilliant album. They changed everything for me when I heard them 10 years ago. They changed the way I felt about everything and everyone. If music is about making you feel less alone and to make you feel okay with having certain feelings- then that’s exactly what Fab, Nick, Nikolai, Jules and Albert did then, and continue to do so.
“I say the right things, but act the wrong way. I like it right here, but I cannot stay.” There has never been a time where this one line doesn’t describe my life.
I feel that whatever I write about Joy Valencia will not get my point across at all. I’m going to try my best in a couple of hundred words to tell YOU just how good she is. See, the word “good” isn’t actually good enough to be honest.
Anyway.
I’m not going to say “Oh Joy sounds like…..” because quite frankly, that’s lazy journalism isn’t it. I like to go against what is expected. Not in a rebellious kind of way nor am I trying to be difficult. I just don’t think you need me to tell you who so and so sounds like. Listen for yourself, make your own comparisons if you should feel the need.
Her delicate, angelic voice is perfect for the summer. I bloody love Wallet. I think it’s because I have no money and no job- so I can relate to wanting being given a wallet full of money. I’d love a job too (That’s a hint if anyone wants to actually pay me to write, I’d love that.) Her voice just flows so gently and almost perfectly through the musicf I could drive, it’s the kind of music I’d play on a roadtrip in the blazing sun. It just makes you want to get away from everything, in a good way. Just escaping for the day with good friends.
If You Love Me is gorgeous. I normally don’t like songs as slow as that, but something about it just tugs at your heartstrings. It’s A Beautiful Day is a roadtrip song, it’s the only perfect time to listen to it is on a roadtrip. Love the whistling in it too! Don’t Wake The Lion has AMAZING drums on it, it’s just brilliant. Probably my favourite.
I love how everything seems so exaggerated- but in a good way. It’s over the top lyrically but in a good way at times- like Kate Bush, especially on Don’t Wake The Lion.
Her voice is so goregous, it feels like she is sat singing in your ear. It’s just beautiful.
Everyone knows duos own my heart. I think mine was stolen once more tonight. With it being such an emotional day due to Amy Winehouse’s passing- a gig like this was needed. Uplifting and just utterly fun.
RID are a band that deserve to be so bloody huge. Their live shows are so full of energy and life. I honestly felt I was back in the 90s part of the Riot Grrrl scene. They ooze the drive and passion of one of my favourite bands, Bikini Kill. The screaming, the singing, the dancing, the swaying- it was like one big party. Except, the venue was borderline empty. Shame on you Stoke on Trent for your wanky promotion of this gig.
With hardly anyone there, it made the gig feel so much more intimate. Close enough to touch them- or in the case of one of my best friend’s, close enough for the band to touch you. I’ve honestly never seen anyone smile like that before in my life. Hopefully he’ll wash after tonight, he’s one of the most hygenic people I know, so he’ll be all clean tomorrow. A lot of new material is played which I must say, is chuffin’ brilliant. Honestly, if you are missing the hole Riot Grrrl sound (I miss it a lot) then for the love of Kathleen Hannah- invest in RID’s back catalogue.
The crowd were piss poor- apart from the front row. The front row were bloody wonderful. It was like having Dee and Sue play in your living room. The usage of the xylophone and bright green flute was a treat. I also loved their synchronised dance moves. Sue kept saying she was still hypnotised. As cliched as this sounds- their performance tonight as hypnotising. You just left feeling so happy and content with life. It was the perfect night with perfect people.
The support acts blew my mind. Rubicks were stunning. Vanessa plays the fuck out of the guitar. The way she moves on stage reminds me of Emily Haines from Metric. She used a drumstick….A DRUMSTICK to play the guitar with on their last song. Literally blew my mind.
The first support act Kalahan made me feel like someone had thrown me into a spin-off of The Mighty Boosh surrounded by songs about zombies. It was like being on some kind of trip. I’ve never done drugs, so I’ll have to compare it with that feeling you get when you are so tired you find everything funny, but you understand nothing.
Although the venue was pretty much empty, this was one of the best gigs I’ve been too. The energy from RID was brilliant. Sue’s mini stage-dive was awesome, although I think some may have dragged her off the stage?! They’re so lovely. I had my last £5 and Sue managed to convince me to buy a poster. I think a personal high point was me yelling “DON’T BE A PUSSY MATTHEW!!!!” at Matt but accidently yelling it in Dee’s ear. I was ever so mortified at myself- luckily she found it funny. I told Matt I’m going to write him a song called that. Dee said we should call our band that. Maybe we’ll do both and take over the world. Although, none of us have any musical talent- but that’s never stopped anyone has it!
Go buy RID’s album, go see them live. You’ll feel amazing afterwards. That’s the power of live music, it just lifts your spirits and takes you some place where nothing matters.
I don’t understand why RID aren’t bigger than they are. They have so much nore to offer than what pollutes the charts right now. One day. One day….
There are some people who make a difference in the music industry as soon as you are first exposed to them.
I remember being sat at home one Saturday afternoon in 2003 and hearing a song with the most stunning lyrics, “You should be stronger than me, you’ve been here 7 years longer than me.” There was something about this voice and this woman’s voice that just pierced my heart and won it instantly.
A few weeks later I was watching Jools Holland. This young girl was stood with a blue guitar wearing leopard print trousers with a nervous stance in front of the camera. She was singing the same song, again- I was just blown away.There was this look in her eye that you could see she found it overwhelming but at the same time had a strong enough voice to rule out the nerves.
Everyone is saying, “Oh another member of the 27 club.” Or “She was just a smack head.” Fuck off. Seriously. Just fuck off. Her voice was what made her. Her voice is one of the most powerful voices that this country has produced in such a long time.
What made her so appealing is that she sung her pain and you felt like it was your pain. She didn’t make you feel alone with having your heart ripped out and trampled on. She didn’t make you feel like you were the only person to have been hurt. She made you feel, simple as. Her music as one of the rawest pieces of art created, the way she could express pain in a way you’d expect a jazz singer to vocalise it showed she was beyond her years.
I firmly believe she was my generations Billie Holiday. There is no doubt about it.
Slayer or Wagner could be your favourite artist but I ca guarantee a part of you would have been moved by an Amy Winehouse song. How could it not be?
The wisdom and hurt in her lyrics is what her made generation’s Billie Holiday. For the past 70+ years Billie Holiday’s music has influenced so many singers. Amy Winehouse was evidently influenced by the jazz greats such as Holiday and of course, Sarah Vaughn.
Her vulnerability made her easy to relate to, it was like listening to your best friend. Maybe it is strange to regard someone you’ve never ever met as a best friend. But at 4am when you know you cannot call someone due to being hurt- you turn to music. A specific artist gets you through, they become your crutch.
Back To Black got me through some shit. That album oozes heartbreak in such a glorious yet dark way. Even if you had never been hurt before, one listen to this album and you feel like you have lost the most important person in your life and you just crumble. You emotionally crumble. Then again, if you have been hurt and you listen to songs such as Love Is A Losing Game, you are just in awe of how someone so young can word such a horrible feeling.
“You were so beautiful before today, and then I heard what you say man that was ugly” Everyone has had someone they were close to and adored so much. Beautiful to them inside and out- but something they said or did just made them to be the ugliest person in the world due to their cruelty and carelessness. We’ve all been there and that line just sums it up. Its amazing how one person can mean the world to you, and then as soon as they say something so ugly- they become nothing to you. One simple line just sums up the sheer trauma of this happening.
Sadly, stupid people are going to comment on her personal life rather than her talent. Her last live performance showed she was not ready. She seemed so fragile and frightened. You just wanted to take her home, put her in bed and give her a cup of tea and say to her, “Just get some rest- you’ll be okay.” Some people you just look at and think, “You need looking after.” Although her vulnerable words made her easy to relate to, her fragile state was utterly heartbreaking to watch. It was like seeing someone you cared about so much just fall apart.
I am fully aware that many people will just dismiss her as a junkie or whatever, but she had a talent that was so utterly rare. It’s okay to be a bit mad that she may have thrown it all away. But see that she was someone who just needed help. Maybe she was one of these artists who never should have been as famous as she was because fame was too much. Fame is a killer, the media is a killer. The British public and media love to see people fail. It’s almost as if they were waiting for this to happen so they could say, “Told you so.” It’s disgusting. She had problems just like the rest of us. Some of us get help and it works. Some of us get help, but it just isn’t enough. Things take time. Maybe she understandably had enough; we all have our own demons and battles to conquer. Our solutions to it are personal and are right for us. Nobody should judge. Nobody has the right to judge Amy as “just another junkie.”
Two albums seem so little, but they are two albums that changed the face of music created in this country. There aren’t many artists around now that can make such an impact instantly with their music- Amy was a rare talent. Her voice will be missed; she will be missed so much. Surrounded by “What ifs” and “If onlys.” It is a shame, an utter shame.
The way she and Mark Ronson created the Wall of Sound feel on Back To Black made it an instant classic. From just one listen you knew you were being exposed to one of the greatest albums ever. Frank didn’t sound like a debut album, it sounded like an album from someone who had been making music for decades. It’d be impossible to pick out her best lyric, they were all beautiful, and it’s just such a tragic and awful loss. Remember the music, it means more than anything else. Her personal life was just that- her PERSONAL life. It means nothing to us, it’s the music that counts.
One can only hope that she has found peace wherever she is now.
A couple of years ago, I was in my last year of university. Struggling to think about what to do my final project on. I was heartbroken and I was consolling myself by getting drunk and watching The Wire. I went to the occasional gig to attempt to pick myself up again. So, I had some kind of brainwave one night as I was listening to Morrissey. I decided to do my project on lyrics. One article in particular was on Punk and Poetry. The link between the two has always owned my heart. Punk music and poetry are two of my greatest loves and throwing myself into an article where I got to express my love, and just listen to music in such great detail meant a lot to me. We had to send the articles off to get published, and as ever- I was rejected. So, I might aswell put the article here :
When you think of Punk, what is your first thought? That all Punks were not educated and spat in the streets? That all Punks beat up folks and started riots just for the hell of it?
If it is, then I wish to enlighten you. Punk music was one of the most influential genres of music. The passion, the angst, the love, the despair- everything about it seemed so raw and beautiful.
One of the biggest influences of artists such as Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Richard Hell was the French 19th Century poet, Arthur Rimbaud. After reading a lot of his work, it is plain to see as to why he was such an influence.
His words had love, hate, disgust and despair. As I am quite crap at reading French, I managed to stumble across some (accurate) translations of Rimbaud’s work. This is poetry that should be studied in schools. This is poetry that comes straight from the heart. Reading his work, it’s plain to see as to why he is such an influence on the mentioned artists.
Take, Night In Hell for instance, “I have just swallowed a terrific mouthful of poison. –Blessed, blessed, blessed the advice I was given!” It probably reads better in French, but how great is that? A Season In Hell is probably Rimbaud’s best work, it is so good
Richard Meyers became Richard Hell. However, the influence did not just end there, oh no! His band mate (and front man) from Television, Thomas Miller became Tom Verlaine, after Paul Verlaine whom Rimbaud had an affair with.
Labelled as the “Godmother Of Punk,” Patti Smith has mentioned Rimbaud numerous of times in both songs and poems. Land is one of her greatest songs. The way it is free flowing is just magnificent, it is a truly remarkable song- and poem. Throughout the song, you can hear “Go Rimbaud, go Rimbaud.” Reading through Patti Smith’s song lyrics, it is easy to see why and how she loves Rimbaud’s work.
Without Rimbaud, would there Patti Smith? Who knows, regardless of who has influenced her- she is still a motivation force to many female singer/songwriters today, and not just songwriters, poets too.
Godmother, or Goddess of Punk- whatever you wish to call Patti Smith, you cannot deny just how relevant she will always be. Her words, whether in song or poem, hypnotise you and send you to another world.
Although Because The Night was originally by Bruce Springstein, he couldn’t find a place for it on his album. Luckily Patti Smith took it and made it not only one of the best love songs ever, but it reads as a beautiful poem.
Imagine someone being so in love with you, that they recited this song to you. Astounding.
She has influenced a vast amount of people from Shirley Manson to Morrissey, who is known to occasionally cover Redondo Beach at some of his concerts.
If Patti is the Godmother of Punk, then who is the Godfather? Lou Reed or Iggy Pop? Everyone has their own opinion on it, maybe there’s no right or wrong answer. Both are equally as influential as each other.
Lou Reed’s Heroin is punk at its poetical best. Not moved by it as a song? Then read it, you will see just how heartbreaking it is but at the same time, it is a fine piece of poetry. Picking out a standout line from Heroin is hard, every line moves into another perfectly, so to just pick one is probably going to cause me another headache! I think, “I have made the big decision, I’m gonna try to nullify my life” may just sum up the whole song. It’s so sad, especially that line.
Some may say Lou Reed’s music is an acquired taste, if that’s the case then I urge anyone who dislikes his songs to just read the lyrics. Read the lyrics and you will see that this man is a poet, and not many can compete with his writing ability- especially nowadays.
Say what you want about Iggy Pop (would you buy car insurance from him?!) but the guy is timeless.
The Stooges were THE best punk band, and the opening riff to I Wanna Be Your Dog will always be the best intro to a song ever! God Bless you Ron Asheton.
Iggy Pop may not have created poetry in the same sense as Patti Smith or Lou Reed, but the guy has given us a lot of one-liners that just take you by surprise, like “Did HE just say that?!” His on stage (and off) antics may have caused some to immediately dislike him, but Iggy is charming. You can tell just by reading his lyrics. I will declare my love for I Wanna Be Your Dog for the rest of my life, so I won’t bore you right now with it. The Passenger as a song is Iggy at his best, read it lyrically and you’ll see just how good a song writer he is, a flawless piece of music and words.
I’m Sick Of You is the perfect “leave me alone, I can’t stand you” kind of song. For the angst side of punk, Iggy And The Stooges blessed us with a number of songs releasing their frustrations and disappointment with every day life. In a few weeks Iggy will be putting out a new album which is like nothing he has done before- it’s self described as “quieter album with some jazz overtones.”
There will never be another genre of music quite like punk, just like there will never another Patti, Lou or Iggy- and that’s just fine. They’re all in their 60s now and still going, something tells me they will still be an influence to so many regardless of what they do, and the type of music the ones they influence do.
Over 3 years ago I met a person who pretty much changed me and my life. She instantly became one of the best human beings I know. Sadly, she’s pissed off back to London and abandoned me (GUILT TRIP!!!) But it’s okay. Hand on heart, she’s amazing. She’s my best mate and just like a sister to me. We’ve bonded over Florence & The Machine. We’ve interviewed and met some of our favourite artists. Personal favourite was meeting Florence.
She’s a bloody brilliant DJ…she’s yet to play Bros in her sets, but if I annoy her enough with my requests, she may cave in and play some. She’s hard-working and utterly passionate about what she does. I highly recommend you go see her DJ. Tell her Olivia sent you, and she’ll buy you a shot.
I’ve basically given you everything you need to stalk her….apart from her phone number, BBM pin and address. It’s okay- when she becomes famous I am selling her details to various publications 😉
I change my mind about a lot of things constantly. I find it impossible to stick with certain things. However, I think I am pretty much certain with this.
A year before I was born, one of, if not THE greatest debut album was released. Psychocandy by The Jesus And Mary Chain started this sound that is just beyond words. The dark and intense feeling you get from the Reid brothers is astounding. You can listen to as much deep, dark songs as much as you want but none will capture that atmosphere as well as The Jesus And Mary Chain did. Personally, choosing to revist this album at 2am when I can’t sleep is not a waste of time. It totally justifies me having a beyond awful sleep pattern. The main issue being I don’t have a sleep pattern.
Just listening to songs such as The Living End and Taste The Floor just makes you wish new bands had something to offer like this now. But alas, they don’t. Obviously there are artists that do create such an intense powerfuk sound (personal favourites are The Horrors and Zola Jesus.) The production on Psychocandy will always amaze me. Everything just sounds like it is played and created out of frustration and despair- two things which create the best music. Extracating such feelings and producing a masterpiece, a work of art. Well, I’m not entirely sure if it has been done this well ever since.
I don’t hold any personal feelings or thoughts with the album(yet) which is quite rare. I just listen to the songs. Take in every single word in. Embrace every single dirty, grimey guitar sound and just feel utterly lost in it all. You can easily lose youself in Psychocandy, but at the end- you are found. I just love that every single song just sets fire to your soul and this wave of feeling alive takes over. Seriously, the most cold and dead inside person could listen to this album and be utterly moved. If they aren’t, well I guess they’ve missed the point really.
The subject matters in most of the songs aren’t always the most cheerful but to be honest most of the greatest songs ever written aren’t exactly about sunsgine, rainbows and kittens are they? The album is raw, real and unmerciful. It’s just a sheer explosion of excellence. I paved the way for how a debut album should sound. It captures you straight away wanting more and more, I suppose that’s how some view romance.
If I was musically inclined, I’d want to create an album that was on the same level as this. It’s just a whole different world. There is something so beautifully eerie about this album. It is creepy, it is terrifying- it is the best thing your ears will ever be exposed to. It changed my life the first time I ever heard it…lord knows when it first was, but it just blew my mind. Since then I only vowed to listen to music that made me feel like this. I’ve stuck to my word. It’s just quite simply the best debut album ever and one of the greatest albums ever created.
Writing about Patti Smith is quite pointless of me really. Why? Well, no words are going to be good enough to describe how vital she is to music. No words are going to do her justice at all. She is just the ideal performer to look up to. Her words have taken over hearts and found lost souls. Her music means the world to so many of us.
There are no words that could possibly express all of this. However, I’m going to give it a go.
The amount of nights I have fallen asleep listening to her music or just gone for walks listening to her music. There is something so deeply empowering about Patti Smith. Her lyrics feel like a protest within you and you just have to get all of these feelings out, somehow. Someway. She starts this fire within you, and I’m pretty sure if you are one of the lucky ones to have been around when she first came out- you’ve still got that fire burning inside of you. I know if it was me, I would. But sadly, I was born in 1986.
She is not just a singer or a poet or whatever you want to call her. She’s everything, she’s an artist. A true artist. She is the Godmother of Punk- the most vital music genre of all time. The most powerful and rawest kinds of music ever created. The sheer angst and honesty in this genre mixed with love, passion and daily frustrations is something that anyone can relate to. Now, whether or not they allow themselves to be exposed to this is a different matter.
Patti is someone I personally I regard as the most important female in music. You see, a person’s gender is not important but sexism has and always will be around in music- and daily life sadly. However, Patti is this strong figure that I feel more and more females should look up to and admire. She never had to expose herself to be heard. She never had to sleep with the CEO of a record label to make it. All she did was do something she loved with no compromises. All she did was work hard and never gave up. She never took the easy way out. She stuck at it and in the process become so important to so many. This something that should be praised not ignored.
When I think of Patti I think of someone I hope I can sort of be like. I don’t mean being the founder of a music genre or famous- but strong. I’m fully aware that this contradicts my article on looking up to famous people but let me explain.
Patti is a figure that I feel anyone can relate to- so to see someone like her still going after all these years- that is something to be admired. Her strength, her words, her art- it’s a lifeline for most. Myself included.
Her music is a crutch. Her music opens you up into a world that you could possibly be forbidden to visit. The world she has created with her art is something many have tried to do, but not quite got there.
You sit back and listen to her music and you just go some place. It’s astounding.
I remember watching Dream Of Life and just being in awe of her. Her presence affects others in this angelic way. It is almost as if she is super-human. Maybe she is. She has influenced so many from Shirley Manson to Morrissey to Michael Stipe- all three remarkable musicians who are equally as important to the music industry as Patti is.
There will always be another *insert generic pop singer’s name* but there will never ever be another Patti Smith. Who else could possibly do what she has done again? Nobody. See, she’s that special and that well respected that folks know it just cannot be done. It’d be rude to even attempt to do so.
One aspect of Patti that I adore the most is her poetry. For my dissertation at University (2009) I wrote and article on Punk and Poetry. A lot of Patti was mentioned; a lot of Arthur Rimbaud was mentioned. The way she writes is so eloquent, so pure, and so true. I adore her book, Auguries Of Innocence. The words she uses and how she uses them is utterly enthralling. You feel as if you are in a different era when reading her work in the book. It is just glorious.
Her poetry should be studied in schools, colleges, universities. Her words are like a spiritual guidance at times- not only with her poetry, but her songs.
The songs she has covered from Gloria to W hen Doves Cry, the way she sings them- she makes them her own. That is what makes a cover acceptable and genuine. That is what makes a cover work. Her cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit, for me- is out of this world. I was never a fan of Nirvana, but her cover is so passionate. Kurt sang it with frustration, Patti sings it with passion. You believe in all the words that fall so freely and gracefully out of her mouth because of all the heart and soul within them.
So many musicians have over and over again proven to be hypocrites who do not believe in the words they give us.
This isn’t the case with Patti. If religion is something that you believe in to have your soul saved- then Punk did that for me. There’s no doubt about it. It is the only genre that has truly grabbed my heart and kept it. I couldn’t imagine feeling this way about another genre. Yes I adore all kinds of music and singers- but Punk is the one that just makes my heart skip a beat, like a lover is supposed to.
Fall in love or lose myself in Punk? Give me the latter.
Thank you Patti for being an inspiration. Thank you Patti for Punk and poetry. Thank you Patti for your words and music.
Some may call it “dream-pop” or “surfer-pop.” Such silly lables really aren’t they. Personally, I’d just call it MUSIC. We don’t need to sub-catergorise music to justify it. It is what it is. So, how would one go about describing Seapony? Well, listen to the following and you can make your own mind up 🙂
Listening to their music just makes you feel like you are floating away from eveyrthing and into the unkown but it is entirely relaxing and comforting. They are the perfect band to carry with you all throughout the summer. Even if you are currently being exposed to torrential downpour. Oh England, how you let me down every summer!
If you enjoy the music of Best Coast, The Drums, Dum Dum Girls, Beach House etc then you’ll love Seapony (or at least you should!)
Beat In My Bones. 