For the most part, most of us have several songs that sum us up. Maybe they are songs that are too painfully accurate to listen to; when honesty strikes like that it can be a pain for sure. But sometimes you have to ignore that. Sometimes.
But there are songs that even before you hear it- the title alone sums up how you feel. This pretty much explains how I feel about Quiet As A Mouse’s new one. Home is a difficult place to find; sometimes you think you have found it, only to discover it wasn’t right. Or the place you are supposed to call home makes you feel uneasy. The best thing to do is leave, and start again. I’ve done it many times. I know I’ve got it right this time, finally.
Quiet As A Mouse are a Scottish band which of course makes them brilliant. My favourite band is Scottish, and my love for them has stemmed onto other Scottish bands. Quiet As A Mouse are 4 guys who make a lot of noise that is full of passion. Noise with a lot of meaning and fight behind it.
Their new single, Home Is The Hardest Place To Find is produced by Marcus Mackay who has worked with the likes of Sparrow & The Workshop and mastered by Chris Potter who has worked with Arctic Monkeys, Suede and Anna Calvi. But, regardless of who they have worked with on this single it is still excellent. Most spit at the term “Indie” but I guess it is because it no longer has any meaning. Just because a band were mentioned in NME or you’re the only one who likes them doesn’t make them Indie. It’s a generic term to satisfy those who NEED what they listen to be defined, which is pretty sad. The best kind of music goes beyond needing that, that’s why I like Quiet As A Mouse. They make music that comes from the heart, and that is sometimes the hardest kind of music to find. But when you find it, you cling onto it and it becomes part of your life- in a big way.
Quiet As A Mouse do not sound like a band you can tie a comparison to; which is another reason as to why I think they are above most. When a band is a carbon copy of another band, it sounds so desperate and becomes a chore to listen to. Their sound is nothing like their band name. They are a firm name within the Scottish music scene, and it is only a matter of time before a crazed wave of love for this band erupts.
Home Is The Hardest Place To Find is out 12th August, and you can catch the guys live:
– 9th August at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh
– 12th August at Birthdays in Dalston, London (free entry release show)
– 15th August at Broadcast in Glasgow
– 31st August at Liquid Room in Edinburgh (support show)
Today is quite frankly the most important day of the year. After Record Store Day, of course. This day embodies everything wonderful. This day is full of power..and bravery…and other stuff. I don’t know.
This day is so important as it is made for such wonderful people.
Yorkshire. Today is YOUR day. Yorkshire, if you did not already know, is THE best county in the UK. You don’t need statistics to tell you, it’s just a fact. Everyone knows it. Don’t listen to those who don’t agree. They just wish they had Yorkshire blood in them. As grim as the North may be- Yorkshire will always be above the rest.
With that aside, here are some of the best things (musically) to come from Yorkshire:
I was sent something today from my pals over at Soft Power Records. They are easily my favourite label (excluding Art Fag, Zoo Music and Sacred Bones.) They put out strange sounds that just reinforces my love for music. But listening to music at the moment is a painful thing. On Saturday I was meant to fly home for the weekend. I didn’t go because I had an ear infection. However, I rang NHS Direct and they said it was my teeth and I should go register with a dentist. And also take paracetamol. I went to a Walk-In Centre on Sunday and was told it was a throat infection. I was given antibiotics which were bright pink, and my girlfriend would text me at certain times to remind me to take them. I just wanted to sleep. I went to the doctor yesterday, and I was told it’s an ear infection. My ear drops are bright yellow. Hearing out of my right ear is painful. I don’t trust NHS Direct. I don’t think anyone should. So with a painful ear, I listened to something. I listened to something extremely beautiful.
Who is Marnie?
Marnie is Helen Marnie. She’s in Ladytron. Ladytron make wonderful electro music. Electro music is easy to mess up. It is easy to overdo it and just sound like a child hitting demo. Thankfully, Ladytron never did that. Thankfully Marnie has made something equally brilliant.
I do like Ladytron, I like them a lot. But after listening to Marnie; I think I’ve sided with her solo work just because it sounds a lot more sinister. I don’t want to listen to something that makes me feel like I’m running through a field with kittens (dogs are far better anyway) Marnie makes music that does something to your insides. Something gets lifted inside of you. Her sister sound with this is the likes of Bat For Lashes. She has that eerie feel to her voice that is portrayed so beautifully in Natasha Khan’s voice- Marnie does exactly the same. The vulnerability in Marnie’s voice in The Hunter is absolutely gorgeous. It may be utterly painful for me hear anything, but this is nothing short of stunning. It’s worth the pain. I know I know I’ve made it worse for myself, but music is always worth it.
Her debut record, Crystal World via PledgeMusic for funding. That site has become a platform for all kinds of artists, and without it- maybe music like this wouldn’t be released. Then you have the likes of Soft Power Records who put out 7″ singles, and it just makes everything better doesn’t it.
The Wind Breezes On is an awesome b-side. It feels like an old folk tale. There’s something about it that oozes fight and courage. I can’t really explain it, you just need to listen to it to truly feel it. But if you don’t feel it, I guess that’s okay.
The vocals on her solo work are more clear and in some respects more delicate than what she does in Ladytron but hey- no point in comparing because they are both different. When a singer can do this, that’s when you know they are truly remarkable. Electronic music can be the happiest beat with the saddest lyrics; for some that’s why they love it. That’s why I love it; when it is done like this. It can mask the sadness with ethereal sounds.
A lot of solid music has emerged this year, Marnie is easily at the front of this. If you like Ladytron, hopefully you’ll dig this. Even if you don’t like Ladytron, I think Marnie may offer you something you’ll enjoy.
The Hunter is released via Soft Power Records on 12th August to a limited amount of 300 copies. The Hunter is produced by fellow Ladytron member, Daniel Hunt.
I should be writing this from my mum’s house. I should have flown home for the weekend. I didn’t. Normally it’s because I missed my flight, but this time it’s because I’m ill. It’s either an ear infection or my wisdom teeth are making a wonderful appearance. Advised by my mum and a pharmacist to not fly, I listened. For once. I even rang NHS Direct which proved to be a waste of 4 hour. “Just take some paracetamol.” WOW. I hadn’t thought of that. I got to thinking, and this is where it led me.
Most people slag off “commercial” radio just to seem cool or “different.” Let’s be honest, you have no control over what the radio plays so get angry over stuff that matters. IE: Everything that happens in Russia. I love listening to the radio. Yesterday at work we had 1XTRA on all day. They had an hour where they played old stuff. I felt 14 again. They played Lil’ Mo and FOXY BROWN. I nearly fainted at my desk. I was so happy to hear the songs I used to love being played on the radio. They even played that Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill duet. As I was listening to these songs, I realised who was responsible for me hearing these songs in the first place. Tim Westwood, of course.
I used to listen to Westwood’s show religiously on a Friday and Saturday night. The radio was my best friend from a very young age. If it wasn’t for the radio, I may not have learnt to love music in the way I do. For the most part radio presenters love the sound of their own voice. Maybe Westwood did too. I have no idea. I used to ring his show a lot. I got through once when Mystikal was on. At that time I was a HUGE Mystikal fan. He turned out to be a rapist. I have his autograph. He addressed it to me. I had Westwood’s and Trevor Nelson’s autographs too. Theirs were on a postcard, I was so happy. I recorded my conversation with Westwood and Mystikal. I still have the tape. I used to record certain songs off the radio. Every Foxy Brown was taped. When he’d play rappers coming in and doing a freestyle- I’d record them all. I once won the R&B Top 20 off Trevor Nelson’s show on Radio 1. I still have all the CDs.
Westwood made compilation records. I think I bought the first 4 of them. Then I kind of lost interest. I realised not all the songs were played in full and he kept shouting over the songs. I don’t mind on the radio, but not on record. Not cool Westwood, not cool. A lot of people are quick to call him many things. Not many are positive. I can see why some may call him a joke but if it wasn’t for him a lot of rappers past and present over the past two decades may never have got any radio play in the UK. Hip Hop was always deemed as “bad.” Kind of like the naughty kid at school. You privately wanted to be its friend but in the public you turned your back. I’ve turned my back on the current state of rap music. 1XTRA are currently playing Macklemore. I really don’t get the appeal. I cannot stand his music at all. Maybe it is because I can’t relate to his music, or maybe because I just don’t like it. I think it is both. I’d rather listen to EPMD.
I used to love it when Westwood would link up with New York’s HOT 97. Funkmaster Flex to Angie Martinez (I did a Spanish project on her, and emailed it to her. She saw. I got a B!) When HOT 97 took over for an hour or so on Westwood’s show, the listeners were exposed to more underground New York Hip Hop. Artists that Westwood had mentioned and maybe not played yet; they were being exposed to a UK audience because of Westwood.
Westwood’s show introduced me to one of the rappers that became a massive part of my life; Big L. Big L, as soon as I heard his freestyle that Westwood played I knew I had found someone truly amazing. Big L was a freestyle genius. I cannot, and you simply cannot, compare Big L’s style to anyone else. Westwood had 20 years on the radio, I had been listening to him for half of that. In that time I appreciated Hip Hop in a different way. I used to love it when he’d play the intro to a song about 5 times then eventually play it or when he’d play the same song over and over because he loved it that much. It was like you were listening to music with your best friend. They were getting excited about the music with you. It didn’t matter that he’d play it over and over because you did the same too. I know I did when I used to tape certain songs.
I remember the week after Aaliyah died, he did a tribute to her and it was truly beautiful. He didn’t play much R&B back then, but he played a few of her songs and just paid tribute to someone that obviously, should still be alive.
Sure Radio 1 is pretty much a station that is a victim of playing the same songs every hour. Most stations do to be honest. There aren’t many that don’t. Even though I don’t listen to it, I know it is an important platform to subjecting people to new music. I find my new music by spending hours looking for it wherever I can. This doesn’t make me better than someone who loves Radio 1. I don’t care what station anyone listens to, I’m just glad the radio is still being listened to.
The best thing is when you flick through radio stations and you hear a song that you loved a long time ago. This happened to me yesterday and it was brilliant. I don’t care where I hear the songs I love so long as someone is playing them.
So is Westwood relevant? Has he ever been? I cannot understand why someone would say he’s never been relevant. I used to love Jay-Z (I’m not dropping the hyphen) and I regard Reasonable Doubt to be his best album. The Blueprint may have been he last decent record. The Black Album is a solid record too; but after that, I stopped caring. He started to sound like the new rappers that were emerging. I’d rather go back and listen to the old stuff, and be happy with that than listen to his new stuff and weep for what should have been. BUT! If it wasn’t for Westwood, nobody in the UK would care this much about Jay. He’s not the best rapper, but he once was. The best rapper around now? I really have no idea. I’ll probably always favour Talib Kweli.
Westwood gave many many Hip Hop artists a platform to be heard. Without him a lot of them would have been overlooked. It’s been a questionable 20 years, but it has been 20 years that have no doubt meant a lot to the Hip Hop community. He may have called himself the “Big Dawg” which I never understood, and he may have been a posh boy with an Anglican Bishop for a father. But he loved Hip Hop in a way that made you love it. To some he may have been a joke, but for some like me; he made Hip Hop a massive part of their lives and really did make a difference. Say what you want about him, but what he did for Hip Hop in the UK may never be done again.
Radio presenter to history maker; you cannot deny what he’s done.
My neigbour has his TV on loud. Not even my Grandma has her TV on this loud and she doesn’t have fantastic hearing. Whatever. I’ve found something to play loud enough to not just drown him out, but the world too.
I wrote about a band called Savage Sister this year. I likened their style to a band called Tamaryn. You don’t have to know me on a personal level to know that this is the kind of music which I generally swayed towards. Savage Sister have a menacing name, but their sound is anything but that. Their music soothes and relaxes you. Even if you have a dickish neighbour and a car alarm across the street that keeps going off. It’s nothing because I’m listening to a blissed out and hazy masterpiece.
Savage Sister have created a record that is made for sacred listening. Don’t play it at parties because there will always be that obnoxious ass who will slate it and not understand it. Play it when you are alone, as the sun sinks down. Which is what I’m doing now. I’m playing it louder than I normally would because of the twit downstairs; regardless of the volume you play it at- it is so easy to hear just how beautiful this record it, and you can tell it was carefully crafted.
The best kind of music is made out of love and with no fear to go beyond what is familiar, and also what is expected. To make something that is typical may make you a bore. To make something that lacks passion doesn’t make you believable. You cannot connect to things that mean nothing to you. It’s why we fall in love with the right person, eventually. Everything has been wrong, and the right thing just appears. Music works like this also. I was going to try link it in, but I’ve missed a trick there.
Bands like Savage Sister make you want to create music. I have no musical talent, the only thing I can do is write about music that I love. But they make me wish I had some talent. I love the way that, on their record they manage to mix tranquility with the dark sounds found in Shoegaze. They’ve taken everything I love about music and made it into their own. It is inspiring and it is so beautiful.
The way you feel when you hear certain bands for the first time just stays with you forever, it becomes a memory that you find yourself going back to over and over when you listen to new music- just waiting for that feeling. When it doesn’t come it is so disappointing, but when you experience that feeling then it is truly one of the most moving things ever.
I cannot help but write with such passion and admiration for Savage Sister. To put it simply I do it because I know they make music that comes from a place not many go to and they make music with such passion. To write about them with anything but wouldn’t make any sense.
I cannot compare the songs off the self-titled record to anything, but I can compare the feeling I get when I listen to it to a record that means the world to me. I nearly set my kitchen on fire when I played Stridulum II by Zola Jesus a few years ago when it came out; my attention was anywhere but where I was. I was being exposed to something truly beautiful, and it wasn’t as harsh (but still amazing) as The Spoils. It was dark and heavenly. I found something I knew that would last in her music; the same has happened with Savage Sister. But I’m sat down watching the sunset (and writing this of course) as I listen to Savage Sister. This is my definition of bliss.
Normally I would mention certain songs and talk about how stunning they are. I can’t do that with this record as each song just flows perfectly into the other. Everything feels in place and as if it should be there. There is nothing worse than listening to a record that is 60% filler. Savage Sister’s record is a story to the soul. Each song links perfectly into the other. They make you feel like you are on a spiritual journey. It doesn’t matter where you are going and sometimes it doesn’t even matter how you get there. All you need to know is that you will get there.
The dark sound that breezes through the record and the haunting vocals are just magnificent and they just make you feel as if you are in a trance. The daze they place you in is one that you hope you don’t snap out of any time soon. They have this force in their music that is so delicate yet it is strong enough to lure you in, and to just keep you there.
If you feel you are missing something in your life, chances are it could be Savage Sister. If it isn’t, well you’re missing out. All I know is that they are the kind of band I wouldn’t just listen to at 4am when no one is awake and slumber missed me out again. I could (and do) listen to them at any time. They are the perfect soundtrack to everyday life, but to just have them on in the background would be senseless as sooner or later- they will stop you in your tracks and you’ll be left in awe of what you are hearing.
I think I have listened to more new music this year so far than I did last year, and Savage Sister will be one of the few bands I keep close to my heart this year. They offer more than is expected from a band in their music, which is why they are perfect to turn to for guidance or just to feel a sense of comfort. Last year it was Tamaryn that did it. I didn’t just listen to their music- I read their lyrics and used it as some kind of guidance. If a band can’t guide you, then who can.
My love for Hana Piranha is over a year old, but it feels like I have been playing her music for years and years. Maybe it is because she reminds me of singers I’ve loved for so long. She has a big voice, in a non obnoxious way. She doesn’t warble like most singers with a big voice. You can hear every word. She sings with power and clarity. Do not fuck with Hana Piranha.
I remember watching her covers on her YouTube channel. Her take on Closer by Nine Inch Nails was much more creepy than the original. She made it much more sinister. She made Rock & Roll Queen by The Subways go from an Indie kid anthem (I love The Subways so I’m not being disrespectful. They remind me of being at University. Their live shows are mental) to a heartbreaking ode to a love you can never seem to get. Work at it, you’ll get there.
Hana is the meanest (I mean that in a brutally gorgeous way) violinist around. She plays with a fury like no other. As someone who isn’t a fan of the violin, she’s swayed my view. Or maybe I’m only okay with her. Who knows; either way, I know a raw talent when I hear it.
The stranger the voice, the better. Why settle for conventional and bland when you can have something that is out of this world. We lack the power of Siouxsie now, the dominance of Poly Styrene. Or maybe we don’t. It lives on in the likes of Hana. She can make the loneliest of fools feel okay in the skin they are in with her words. There is something about her that just makes you glad you exposed your ears to her beautifully weird music. She absolutely slays the violin; like I said above, you really don’t fuck with Hana Piranha.
I’ve not really mentioned the new song at all. About that….
Thin Air shows her dominance in a way unlike before. She doesn’t flail about like a wounded creature with her violin. Oh no. She plays it with such fury. The heart and passion she plays with is found in the likes of the greats such as Patti Smith. She has this captivating stance that just makes you want to listen to her voice and over. Next week, you won’t be able to take your eyes off her music video to Thin Air. The teaser to the video below just shows the power she has, and is just a bloody treasure.
She resembles to musicians I love, Patti Smith and Kate Jackson (from The Long Blondes.) Her voice is a raw and rare beauty. I can’t wait for the video to Thin Air. It’s going to be fucking insane, and really? Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Last night I claimed to have found one of the best new bands. This evening I was sent another band which I can equally describe as that.
Whistlejacket are enthralling. They have a dream-like sound which is found in the likes of Savage Sister and Tamaryn. One listen isn’t enough, you’ve just got to keep playing. They have a haunting feel that cemented The Cure’s sound. They are on that level of brilliance.
They don’t have many songs on their Soundcloud page, but what they do have is enough to know that they deserve to be one of the biggest new bands around. Much like Bare Pale who I wrote about last night, they have a sound that is nothing like the “typical” London scene. It’s like they’ve acknowledge it in their own way, and shun it. There’s nothing wrong with this. Bands like The Horrors I feel were one of the few that encouraged bands to make music that sounded like nothing else. It didn’t have a futuristic glow nor did it fill you will nostalgia. It just went somewhere else, and keeps you in a solid state of mind.
I cannot tell you the best way to listen to Whistlejack, but if you’re looking for a way to truly get what they are about-play it through headphones with your eyes shut. Let the music fall from one ear into the other. The sounds swirl around in your brain. Leaving you speechless after every song, and just wanting more. For a new band to immediately do this is something truly rare and remarkable. Will this band get the recognition they deserve? I have no idea, but I truly hope they do.
Some really exciting news about them is that they are supporting Loom when they take up a 4 date residency at The Black Heart in Camden. I urge you to go, stand at the front and feel your brain implode from standing too close to the speakers.
They make music that will appeal to those who long for music of substance and for those wanting to re-live a time where music had something of worth. Of course it does now, you’ve just got to ignore certain outlets. Whistlejacket are the band that John Peel would have fallen off his seat listening to out of sheer joy and been in awe of their talent if he got them to do a Peel Session. They’d go down as putting on one of the greatest sessions, but sadly….sadly that will never happen. But I am confident that he would have loved Whistlejacket.
Whistlejacket play with the fresh enthusiasm that is missing in a lot of bands. They make music because they love it, not because some overweight CEO is dangling a carrot in front of their eyes like a tormentor would do to a rabbit. There’s a movement happening in the fair city of London, and it’s not the kind that is getting the exposure it deserves. So play them as loud as you can; people need to pay attention to this.
And hey, if you’ve got an annoying neighbour who plays drum & bass or something equally as vile as that, then play Whistlejacket as loud as you can. Not just to show your neighbour you’re pissed off, but because it just sounds so good loud.
Make sure you catch them with Loom from September. The noise, the sweat, the bruises and possibly blood will probably be one of the best gigs you’ll go to all year.
Since working, staying up until 4am to find new music wouldn’t really go well in my favour. Functioning on 3 hours sleep would turn me into a hormonal teenager. Being a functioning adult is hard, but it could easily be worse. Everyone works in different ways. Some ways are obviously questionable but no one should ever judge. I used to live off custard creams and cheap squash because I had nothing. All I could was stay up late. I seemed to be waiting for something. I realised I was waiting in the wrong place. A place where nothing (good happens). I grew up and left. I found things along the way. Some things I’ve already forgotten, but maybe they weren’t worth remembering. It’s a normal hour and I’ve found a new band to fall in love with.
Bare Pale are a three-piece from London. They posses an eerie Shoegaze sound. Haunting and brilliantly chilling (I don’t mean in a relaxed way.) It’s the kind of music that used to keep me up at 4am. Now it’s the kind of music I just listen to at any time.
Bare Pale are three guys who make music that doesn’t sound like the “typical” London scene. There’s probably only one other band that aren’t falling under that trap and that’s Loom. Both bands are making their own kind of noise in their own kind of way that is accessible to anyone but found only by those who truly want to be moved. Moved in a way that shakes everything bad out of your brain and pours some goodness into your soul.
They only have a handful of songs, but it is enough for me personally, to know that they’re pretty much above anything else I’m listening to right now. They make music that is perfect for these intensely hot days. I could listen to these guys on the tube into work and not really care for the obnoxious stench of sweat that pours out of some passengers. Makes the commute a little easier.
Rub It In is so far my favorite song by Bare Pare. They have a West Coast mood to their music that amounts to them creating a brilliant lo-fi vibe. They make music that makes you glad to be young and in love. If you can get to old and in love with the same person, then you’ve both done something right. Bare Pale are a band that you can kill time to but also create beautiful moments to. You can laze about to them or you can go create your own fun. I just think they are one of the most exciting bands I’ve heard in a long time.
If those pretentious Music Journalists get hold of Bare Pale they will no doubt compare them to the first band they can think of. It’s lazy and insulting to the band. I really can’t think of a band they sound like, which is why I love them. If I wanted a band that sounded like whoever-I’d go listen directly to that band. It’s easy to throw about pointless comparisons, but ever so silly. I just love Bare Pale’s fuzzy sound. It takes you to a place that is calm; I guess they just give you a hint of peace in a world that’s full of rage. As relaxed as their sound is, if you listen real close you can hear hints of frustration coming through.
I can only hope they get heard by millions but you know what people are like, they listen when it is too late. But, whatever. I love them. Maybe someone who reads this will love them too. You can listen to their intense yet beautiful sounds right here: http://barepale.bandcamp.com/
London should be proud to have produced a band like Bare Pale. VIVA MUSIC! Or something….
Time can give hope, it can also continue to make matters worse. It does a lot of things. From healing to despair. It’s everything and nothing; all at once. I should be getting ready for work, but I’ll only annoy myself if I don’t write this down now.
Two years have passed. You remember exactly where you were and who you were with when you found out. I was crossing the road in a place I loath with a very good friend. We got home and put the news on.
For me, Amy’s death changed everything I feel towards music. It changed how I listened to music. It’s been two years since I listened to her music; I simply cannot listen to her voice without wanting to cry. I feel ridiculous feeling this way, but her music was as important to me as is Morrissey’s music. It is on that level.
When I went to see Patti Smith in April she performed her song, This Is The Girl. Her tribute to Amy. Of course I cried. But I cried because someone who I have looked up to since I was very young was singing a song dedicated to a person who was also an inspiration to many.
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding of her death and the demons she faced; she was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister. She will always be loved and always remembered. Seeing her being labelled as part of the “27 Club” is just disrespectful. I don’t agree with it, I never have.
Maybe one day I’ll listen to her music again and not want to cry like a baby, but until that day….
Her music comforted us in our own heartbreaks and also showed a side of love we may never know. Her music captured everything we wanted to say and if you have never cried to at least one of her songs; then your heart is made of stone. She got to the very core of a feeling and no matter how ugly it was, she made it into something beautiful. Her music was a source of comfort, and was that friend at 4am when your heart and thoughts got too heavy.
1990. I’m a baby; in my mother’s eyes I always will be. I’m only 4 years old in 1990 but I already had a love for music that was evidently going to stay with me forever. I saw a video on MTV that was bright and had something about it that I instantly realised- this band would be in a line of those I quite simply, couldn’t do without.
I Left My Wallet In El Segundo was the first song I remember hearing by A Tribe Called Quest. They had an approach to Hip Hop that, at the time I didn’t really get. I was too young. Move on 10 years and I get it. I hear sounds and words that made a world of sense to me. Words and sounds that eased the soul and freed the mind. Their relaxed vibe made me feel like an alien to where I was growing up. Where your heart is, that is home. My heart was in Hip Hop and I know it always will be. Hip Hop and Punk. Both entirely different but the same in some respects. Both allowed you to be free. A Tribe Called Quest were a ticket to a different world. It all started with leaving a wallet in El Segundo.
Stressed Out which featured the beautiful Faith Evans will always be one of my favourite A Tribe Called Quest songs. It’s like a comfort blanket and a release in one. Again, they just soothed the soul and take you to a spiritual place.
The way Phife and Q-Tip went back and forth with their lyrics was insane. It felt like they never wrote anything down; that they just brought it out of each other. This laced with Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s production skills just made them stand out from everything else that was going on in Hip Hop. They didn’t project anger; they oozed this brightness to their sound that is found in the likes of De La Soul. They were, as lame as it sounds, fun. Fun is such a shit word, I’m sorry. But they made you feel as if you were part of something worthy of being proud of. They were the first Hip Hop group that made people consciously aware, maybe. Of course there were some before but I feel they brought it to the mainstream for others to see. If I started a Hip Hop group, I’d use all their records as a blueprint to what I would want to create.
Even in their solo projects they still managed to keep that Quest vibe to their music. They went in different directions, but still carried that sense of unity with them wherever they went and with whoever they worked with.
Scenario turned many on to the insane sounds of Busta Rhymes. There’s a live performance of the song where Busta turns his hat inside out and raps as if it was nothing. He quickly became one to watch; he had this way of creeping up on you on Scenario, I think that style stuck with him. Especially early on in his career. He had a wild style that caused many to fall for. Just like how A Tribe Called Quest had that calm vibe about them that lured you in; it stayed with them.
I have no idea what the world thinks of A Tribe Called Quest or what caused people to fall for them. I can only speak for myself. I just know that they’ve always been and always will be a massive part of my life. If not from a musical perspective, but from a spiritual way too. They offered more than music and they offered more than most.
They was Phife and Tip confidently bounced off each other whilst Ali Shaheed Muhammad stayed cool behind them was something that just set them apart and above the others. They sounded like none before and none after sounded like them. They had a unified sound and a family vibe. They created a world where everyone belonged. It didn’t matter where you were from or what you were- they made you feel alright with the skin you were in. There aren’t many bands that do that now. Maybe no one else ever will. It’s alright, because what A Tribe Called Quest gave us was priceless.
Every member was (and still is) distinctive in their own right. When you recite their songs you don’t know if to be Phife or Tip- so you recite both parts. You become A Tribe Called Quest and that is exactly why their music is not only important, it also improves that they will always be there.
Beat In My Bones. 