Last year some amazing EPs came out. My favourite was of course End Of Daze by Dum Dum Girls. It’s hazy sound eased everything, and made everything pure again. Everything felt right.
A few weeks before the end of the year, one of the best new bands in the UK put out their debut EP. LOOM will blow your mind. They will unleash fury in your head. They will takeover your mind. They’ll become your everything, if you let them. They are not for people who enjoy the quiet and cannot appreciate anything but. I love silence, but I do like the be surrounded by pleasant noises at times. By this, I mean music. I enjoy music that is dark and brutal. This will be why I adore LOOM.
I’ve already written about them and why you need them in your life. So now, a month late (sorry) I’ll tell you about their three track EP, Bleed On Me.
Do you remember the first time you heard something quite strange, and unlike anything else? I’m trying my best to not compare this to Psychocandy, but I feel I must do so. Look, you know I compare a lot of records to this I simply cannot help it. Bleed On Me gives you that dangerous feeling that Psychocandy did. Bleed On Me is dangerous, and should be played so loud; your neighbours are concerned about your wellbeing. But you’ll be just be thrashing about in your room immersed in this incredible band.
She is my favourite track from the EP, but after playing it religiously I am finding different things to love about this EP. Tarik’s voice is aggressive and passionately possessive. Say hell to your new favourite frontman. Say hell to your new favourite band.
“No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”
If I had anything about me, I’d have written this before Gil died. But I am useless. I know this, you should too. I assume you now do. However, maybe what I may have written about them would have been totally different. There’s a reason for writing this.
For Christmas my auntie and uncle gave me a copy of Gil’s memoir, The Last Holiday. It took me 4 days to read it. I wasn’t reading much a day, but today I just sat on my bed and read 200 pages. I refused to put the book down because with every page, every word; I was learning something. Not just about Gil and his world; but the way the world is now.
For my 15th birthday, my auntie and uncle (they are the ones responsible for certain bands I love) gave me a CD of Gil and a copy of The Last Poets debut spoken word album. I was at an age where most of my hate was aimed at myself and unsure of how I could leave a place I hated so so much. Through listening to their words, I fast realised that the way out was education. It was the only way. Alright so I’m back here, but I know I need to leave here. I don’t think anyone truly will ever understand how this fuck of a place destroys me. Some days its little parts of me that are tossed aside and destroyed. Other days it is more than that. But I keep it hidden, because I have to. I know when I leave here, it will be for good and I will not come back. If I can leave Stoke, another place that held my spirits prisoner; I can do the same here. If you’re free in the mind, you are free. It’s hard to keep hold of that when you feel trapped. And your best efforts are continuously rejected. I’ll get there, more than likely with no help because there is nothing anyone can do is there.
Gil Scott-Heron was the creator of a movement that was vital. Thing is, we need someone like him now. But is there any hope for it? Maybe there is, there just has to be. We cannot stay hopeless forever.
As much as I’d love to touch on the importance of Gil. I think most of this is going to come from what The Last Holiday has done, for me.
I write. I write badly, I know I do. This isn’t for attention. It’s just the truth. I know I can do better, but I never seem to get there. So I carry on. Much against the wishes of some, I know. But they’re highly irrelevant aren’t they. I do think one day I will write something I am proud of. But self-doubt is a thing that keeps me going. When I apply for jobs I think, “I’m going to get ignored or rejected but fuck it…one day I’ll get a yes.” I cling onto “one day” because when that goes, I am more fucked than I already am. I try to channel every ugly thing I am into something worthwhile; writing. I know I write far too personally, but after reading The Last Holiday, I realised it isn’t a bad thing. If you cannot ope up about certain things in life, then you’re going to be alone. If you think the world owes you, you’re going to be alone. If you’re going to always expect bad things, then maybe you deserve it. I read The Last Holiday with no expectations. As I reached the final page I felt every question I had ever wanted to be answered, were answered. Maybe you could say I am now enlightened. I’m not sure.
There is one part of the book that stands out for me in ways I cannot begin to describe, but I’ll mention it anyway.
Gil mentions a young boy reading his essay as to why Martin Luther Jr deserved to have a day in his honour, and as a remembrance of his death. The young boy struggled to read his essay as some of the words were faded and hard to read. Diana Ross was stood next to the young boy, and she had her arm around him. When the young boy couldn’t read certain words, she helped him. For some reason this brought tears to my eyes. One- because the boy needed help but didn’t ask, but was given it. Two-because we no longer have compassion like this anymore. We don’t bat an eyelid to violence anymore, and it is wrong. Not to mention heartbreaking.
With everything he ever wrote and spoke, Gil had the power to make you feel as if you were there with him. Right next to him seeing it all happen the way he did. Every trauma and every piece of success, you felt it. I’ve said many times there are only a few that instilled a love of words in me. Gil is evidently one of the very few. I cannot understand how anyone couldn’t be moved by his words and just the way he was. A man who loved learning and loved words. He was so rare. So very rare.
Some have called him the “Black Bob Dylan.” It pisses me off because colour should never be an issue. It should never be about the colour of your skin; but people put that first because they lack the imagination to say something of worth. Gil Scott-Heron was is own, much like Bob Dylan is his own. There’s no one else like them, regardless of colour.
As I was reading The Last Holiday, I went back 11 years in my mind to when I was 15 years old hearing Gil’s words for the very first time. Then it dawned on me, we’ll never hear or read something new from him again. But what he gave us was more than words. He gave us comfort, strength and belief. I think The Last Holiday is going to mean to me what Just Kids by Patti Smith does. It’ll go beyond being a book, it’ll turn into a guide for life. A piece of literature offering everything I cannot find anywhere else.
You know, I could rant about my love for Scott Walker until I ran out of words and time escaped me; and I wanted to go to sleep. I’ll keep it short, and try to explain my love for Scott in a non-ranting kind of way. I do feel I will mess it up. It’s alright. I must remind myself that no one will see this.
Of course The Walker Brothers were one of the best bands ever. Timeless and divine. Scott Walker’s voice is out of this world. Has anyone else managed to do what he does? No. Has anyone else possessed a voice like that? No. Could anyone else make a record like Bish Bosch and still be taken seriously? No. Bish Bosch is fucking insane. It is mental, completely mental. And I loved it so. The lyrics are genius and mad. That’s just Scott though.
I have a story to tell about Scott.
I was raised on The Walker Brothers, and I dabbled in Scott’s solo work. Scott and Scott 4 are my favourites. I think I’d put Bish Bosch there just because of how mental it is. Anyway, a few years ago I was miserable and living in a shit place. That shit place was sadly, Stoke On Trent. The only good thing about it was that it was easy to escape to Manchester or London. I thought I could hack it, I thought I could get a job and get out. I ended up being a boomerang between there and where I am now. I have never felt at home anywhere. I have never felt like I belonged anywhere. Maybe I never will; and it partly why I don’t get attached to objects and why I am so far from being materialistic, because one day I hope to leave it all behind and start my life. For real. But I am 26 and I fear it will never happen for me. I am made up of mistakes, false starts and a want to just make something of myself. I fail even when I think I’ve done alright.
So I was struggling. Nothing was working. I wasn’t working. I was stuck. I feared I was going to be thrown out of where I was living at any point, so I never said a word about the broken washing machine or the leaking bath. I had nothing, but I carried one.
One day I got a package from my mum. A care-package I guess. I opened it, and in the parcel was a photo of Morrissey and Scott Walker’s debut record. All I did that day was listen to Scott Walker. I wandered around and just listened to Scott Walker. That debut record means more to me than anyone will ever know.
So a very Happy Birthday to Scott Walker. You gave this hopeless case some kind of lifeline.
“I guess nobody ever told you All you must hold on to Is you, is you, is you.”
Many singers nowadays sadly do not last. They are given what they need, they take it and no one hears from them ever again. Reality shows give us talentless beings who too, will not last. It is saddening and disheartening. We need singers and bands to believe in. If we cannot believe in the music, the true art of it; then what hope do we have?
So we go back. We go back to one of the strongest voices ever. A voice that oozes the pain that was once felt in the greats such as Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. A voice that is so pure, so divine. You try to imagine music without this one voice, and it makes no sense. You cannot wrap your head around that idea. I’d love to write this, and make it the best thing I have ever written- just because I love this singer a hell of a lot. Since 1996, the love has been there. I was 10 years old, and by then my obsession for music had already taken over. This was just another singer who I’d carry their words on my shoulder, and in my mind. As a reminder that struggle is needed, and you can be tough; without being mean. You can be oh so vulnerable with your words. But you can also show the world you have a strong side that comes out when needed.
The woman I am attempting to big up here really doesn’t need my words, but I need to get them out.
Erykah Badu.
I remember hearing On & On and being totally immersed in her voice. I didn’t pay attention to the melody until later on. I listened to Baduizm, and thinking I was hearing something so sacred. I was only in primary school, and I knew nobody else at my school knew of this fantastic singer. I’ve always kept my love for Erykah Badu strongly close to my heart. It’s love and admiration above all. I’ve read her lyrics like you would read poetry. I’ve watched and read interviews with her, and it has reinforced my love for her. Some singers you just know you will always love, for life. For always.
I don’t think you should trust anyone who doesn’t regard Baduizm as one of the finest debut records of all time. There is such beauty and wisdom in her words. I’m not a religious person, I’d always choose a spiritual path. Nobody but me has influenced that decision. Erykah’s music feels like a spiritual cleansing of the soul. Her music is soulful and spiritual to the core.
In 2003, my mum went to Edinburgh on holiday. She came back with Danger on vinyl for me. I’ve not played it many times because no part of me wants it to get ruined. To this day it remains one of my most prized possessions. I only own books and records. I have no attachment to technology. Give me a good music, and pure music; that’s all I need.
Do you remember the first time hearing You Got Me, the song she featured on with The Roots. I swear that was one of the best moments in music ever. Two greats making heartbreaking music; it was just divine. Her voice sends shivers down your spine and just make you feel so so alive. Not many can do that, not many have done that.
There are many things I adore about Erykah, of course I do not know her personally- but her lyrics, they give the impression that she is a very free person. A person who is careful with feelings but free (at times) with her own. The freedom she has within her comes across in her music, which makes the words so easy to relate to. Her song with Common, Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop) is such a stunning work of art dedicated to another kind of art. To love Hip Hop is to constantly feel it around. It isn’t just a genre of music, it’s a lifestyle. Throughout my teens I was obsessed with Hip Hop. I used to listen to Don’t Sweat The Technique by Eric B & Rakim (on tape) whilst walking through school. I was painfully shy, and I used music as a safety net. I still do. Shyness is something I need to cling onto but also let go of; music makes it easier. The love both Common and Erykah Badu portray for Hip Hop in this song is so genuine and rare. You can try express your love for something, but you always feel as if you’ve fallen short doing so because you can’t quite get your point across. This song conveys it all, it does it so effortlessly and so gloriously. It moves you; even if you aren’t a fan of Hip Hop. You still relate to the love that is there.
For me personally, Erykah Badu is not just a singer. She never was destined for that I don’t think. I believe her words will serve more purpose than any of us could ever fathom. For romance, loss, lust, direction and love; she’s got a song for it all, and then some. Her words don’t just touch your heart. They stay there forever more. I do believe she is one of the rare ones. When you hear one song, you want to hear them all. That’s what happened the day I heard On & On. I just knew that this woman was going to sing songs for the soul. Regardless of your race, religion, sexuality, whatever; Erykah’s words and music just has the ability to reach out to you, and keep you.
Her wisdom knows no end. Her music is some form of light, and a relief for those wanting and needing more just to get by. You can watch everything around you float on as you slip into a trance whilst listening to her dreamy and captivating voice. The hazy sounds of Didn’t Cha Know ALWAYS get me. Right in the gut. That intro is something else. Of course it uses a sample of Dreamflower by Tarika Blue in the most exquisite way. It is just a divine song.
Erykah Badu is a just a rare soul. A soul so pure and easy to relate to. There’s no reason for me writing this, but I just simply had to.
“Hopefully my music is medicine, some type of antidote for something. Or some kind of explanation or just to feel good.” Oh Erykah, it does all that and so much more. Thank you.
Sacred Bones Records cannot and do not ever fail. They are Brooklyn’s finest. Speaking of Brooklyn’s finest, so are The Men. Did you ever hear Leave Home and Open Your Heart? Both became instant classics. Their debut (Leave Home) is more rowdy compared to last year’s incredible Open Your Heart. They’re a band worthy of your time.
Time. Time can be wasted. Time can be enjoyed. Time can be a drag. Spend it wisely, or unwisely. On yourself, or with the one you love. The beautiful thing about time is that it is YOURS. No one can really tell you what to do, if you don’t want to do it. I don’t wear a watch. I don’t own a diary. I don’t make plans. Things just happen. I like to nap.
Electric is the new single from The Men’s third record, New Moon which is out 5th March on Sacred Bones Records. Brooklyn’s finest are about to make some noise. This is enthralling and boisterous. This is The Men ladies and gentlemen. Get to know. They will lure their way into you somehow, it might as well be now.
Electric is just as pleasant taster from the new record, and I may just be utterly biased with this, but I think it’s going to be one of the best records of the year. Just throwing that out there with every ounce of confidence I have.
“And their kindness was not a weakness. And when they were there they were there for you.”
I’ve magically, and much to my horror got some form of flu going on. It’s probably just a cold, but this feels worse. My eyes hurt, glands are swollen and everything tastes of metal. I just wanted to enjoy a cup of tea; but it didn’t down too well. Cough medicine that tastes like sweets doesn’t always help, but it tastes nice. I don’t want that strong stuff that looks like piss from an angry Bull. No thanks. I want something that tastes like Skittles and takes me longer to get better. For I am a wuss, and I do not care.
So, with all this sickness building up inside of me I awoke this morning to discover Suede had a new song out. I was dreading it because I didn’t want it to be shit. Then I thought to myself, “SUEDE HAVE NEVER BEEN NOR WILL THEY EVER BE SHIT.” I couldn’t face another disappointment so early in the year. Don’t fail me, don’t fail me.
I sat and listened. Intensely and lovingly. I listened.
I’m still listening.
The opening chords got me in the heart. The opening chords remind me as to why I love Suede. I will always back new bands, but I’m sorry. When a band I have loved since I heard Animal Nitrate in 1992 come back with a new song; I am going to place them above all. Suede have always had a place in my heart that allowed me to enjoy music in a different way. With a new album set to come out in March, I think it will change again how I listen to music.
For me, I regard Brett Anderson as one of the greatest songwriters ever. Everyone was always “Oasis or Blur.” Neither bands appealed to me. I didn’t want “lad” songs nor did I care for dull anthemic sounds. I wanted poetry. I wanted lust. I wanted something darker but purer. I found everything I wanted in Suede. Flamboyantly dapper with his words, Brett Anderson manages to capture everything in a way no other does. I just love them more than my brain is allowing words to form.
Barriers shows their genius once more, but then again; if you love Suede, you love them for life. Nothing can rip you away from them. They are your safety net. They have the songs that describe your life in all its gory and glory. Perfection in a wonderful form. Barriers is going to be one of the best songs you will hear all year, and the record Bloodsports will be one of the best records we are blessed with too this year.
Don’t give in completely to new band hype, because they may not last as long as some of the greats(such as Suede) have lasted.
Many have frequently stated that you must suffer for your art. I’m unsure how true this is, or if I even believe it. Surely if you are a good writer or painter, you can place yourself in various positions without having to hit rock bottom. You can empathise with those who are in a dark place rather than torturing yourself on a daily basis.
I write songs/poems. I personally think they are bloody awful. I don’t show them because I don’t want anyone to see how shit they are. However, I do have some stupid dream of having them published in a book one day. I haven’t done anything about it because the fear of rejection plagues me more than I want it to not because I am lazy. Some of what I have written is quite dark, but not because I feel so utterly hopeless and depressed. I know what depression. I’ve seen what it does to people, and I’ve never felt like that. People who say they are depressed but can still go out and function aren’t depressed. You cannot move, you cannot do a thing; that’s depression. My gran had it before I was born, and a bit when I was younger. Friends have battled with it, and there is nothing you can do but watch helplessly hoping one day it leaves them alone so they can go back to being the person they once were. You don’t need to be in love to write about love. Feelings of love and joy can fill you by watching a certain film, listening to a certain song or gazing at a piece of art. It is everywhere. Everything and nothing can be inspiring.
Being able to put yourself in the mind-set of others teaches you to be a more accepting and gentle person. I’ll happily be the first to admit that I am far too sensitive. I know I need to toughen up, but it just will not ever happen. I cannot be cruel to get something I want. I cannot harm someone on purpose; I’d rather just hug everyone instead. I’d like to think one day that being a gentle soul will go in my favour. Until then, I wait. Or just accept it. Same thing I suppose.
I’m drawn to the darker things. Dark songs, creepy literature. It is all fascinating. I’m not religious at all (I believe there’s a spiritual being above us all, but not in a powerful sense) but anything that questions God or whatever in songs really gets my attention. That’s why I love bands like Dum Dum Girls, Crocodiles and The Long Wives. There are religious references, but not in a “I BELIEVE IN GOD AND YOU MUST TOO” kind of way; far from it. I am all for people questioning each other in a non-threatening manner. I’m not religious but that doesn’t mean I’m going to belittle someone who does. We all have our own things to believe in; nobody should ever try to shy someone away from what they believe in. Unless it means promoting hatred and intolerance, then I’ve got an issue with it.
I honestly had no point in writing this. I never do. It’s a cheap outlet I suppose, as always. I just thin we need to stop thinking we must feel low and hopeless in order to achieve something great. You can function being a happy person. But it seems, when you are happy people have an issue with it. Yet when you feel like shit, people may deem you as being draining. You cannot win, so forget them. Yet I know it is hard. You do not need to suffer in order to do something of worth. You justify your own worth, not the objects and people that surround you.
It’s that annoying time of the year where we’re given a handful of bands that we have to force ourselves to love over the next 12 months, because some twerp told us to. Don’t believe the hype. It’ll just turn you into someone you don’t want to be. I can apply this to many things, but sometimes when you have an opinion; others turn on you. I’d call them “bell ends” but I’m trying to be nice. Trying. I don’t know if I am, I don’t think so. Anyway, ignore the hype and go find someone YOU like. Someone you haven’t been forced to love. I could give you so many bands and singers that deserve your time and ears, but others have beaten me to it. Besides, I’m just a nobody from nowhere and no one is going to listen to that are they.
But maybe there is someone out there who is searching for a sort of new band, or a band that just go against all the drivel we are meant to consume and love. So, if you are that person this band are for you.
YOOFS are three lads from Bournemouth. I cannot comment on Bournemouth or the music scene there because I know nothing. However, as I am judging by the music that YOOFS make I am just going to assume that it’s a really good place. Anywhere is better than where I currently am, and have lived. I’ve made mistakes. People and places. Fortunately, I never have to return.
YOOFS are pleasurably noisy. YOOFS are a beach-band. Can I make beach-pop into a sub genre? Can I be that idiot that makes up a sub-genre and everyone falls for it? I’ve done it. I’m declaring these guys as BEACH-POP. It’s going to be a thing. I’ve decided. If this catches on, then I will have to hang my head in shame. Anyway, they are delicate and bold. Two things that many struggle to be, but very few naturally are. They are just brilliant.
As I write this, I am listening to their EP, We Used 2 Be Fun. If you need to feel like you are anywhere but where you are. If you need to feel like you’ve found a connection in a band; then this is the band for you. They are like a blissed-out version of Tame Impala. It’s hard to look at someone who doesn’t dig Tame Impala. I can’t quite understand how someone couldn’t like them, or YOOFS.
I’ve not seen much written about YOOFS, and this doesn’t bode well. It seems entirely wrong that a band with such talent and promise aren’t being heard. I know, as I said I am a nobody from nowhere. But I’m a nobody from nowhere that enjoys finding new music that sounds like nothing else. If it sounds a bit strange, I always fall for it. If it makes me feel creeped out, I will love it. If it makes me feel like I am watching the sun set on a beach, I will love it. Although YOOFS do not creep me out nor are they strange, they do give you a feeling of being at the beach doing a whole load of nothing with no one and being totally happy with that.
Alright, so you can listen to their deliriously stunning tracks right here: http://yoofs.bandcamp.com
Enjoy. Tell your friends and be the envy of your enemies as you listen to one of the most perfect band around.
“And all these loose ends are getting out of hand.”
Royal Chant are Australia’s finest. They didn’t pay me to say that, but we’re chums and I believe in them. Therefore, I am right. My self-doubt projects onto bands I love as belief in them. If you can work out how I got there, then I can only thank you. From the bottom of my empty jeans pocket and loving heart; I thank you. This is going to be a sick (as in I have a cold, I’m not using awful slang) induced ramble about my love for this amazing band.
Did You Pay Cash For That Panic Attack was a song I wrote about a few months ago, I think. If I haven’t, let’s just assume I have done because I have a really bad memory. The intro sounds like it should be done by The Jesus And Mary Chain, it isn’t obviously. But it has that same aggression and darkness to it that caused me to fall in love with The Jesus And Mary Chain many many years ago. Think their Darklands era, that’s the feel you get from Royal Chant.
Aside from being nothing short of amazing musicians, their lyrics (courtesy of Mark) are easy to relate to; especially if your head and heart are full of complex feelings you wish to no longer carry around, but you do because you cannot function any other way. It keeps you going I think. Mark’s lyrics are like poetry. The vulnerable words make the feelings you carry around less heavy and less exhausting. Bands like Royal Chant are necessary. This is from a selfish point of view, but they really are brilliant bunch of guys that deserve every amount of success possible, and they have my unconditional support no matter what. I hope they come to the UK this year because I will do all I can to go to every single date, just because they are incredible as musicians and as people. I simply cannot review their music, because I just want you to listen. I just want you to become a massive fan of theirs because they just wonderful. When they toured America last year, I wished I had a lot of money so I could have supported them, one day I will. Front row, lobbing whisky at them (in a nice way.)
Spread out across the sky Beyond all time & reach . Making amends with eternity And an eternal mess of things. It’s almost over. And God Damn! That was fast. It’s almost over. And it don’t come back
The amount of cough medicine I’ve taken over the past two days is enough to make me think I am slowly turning into Lester Bangs. Well, okay..maybe not THAT much. Cough medicine shouldn’t taste like Skittles. If it tasted of something vile, then maybe I’d be more careful, but when it makes you think you’re being cuddled from the inside then I suppose you should carry on- with caution, of course.
If you want a safer way of feeling like you’re being cuddled from the inside out, then you should probably listen to The Very Most. I have many reasons as to why they are pretty good (by pretty good, I mean I really like them.) The band came together in 2002, and are fronted by Jeremy Jensen. I may be alone in thinking this, but doesn’t he sound like he should be a superhero? Peter Parker. You know it makes sense. If I could draw, I’d probably have a character called Jeremy Jensen. I’m not one for making obvious compliments that work out, but that is a big one. Considering my love for superheroes (they are real.)
Superhero dreams aside, the music is wonderful. The Very Most are influenced by the likes of Camera Obscura and the Beach Boys. Find fault in this, and we may have a problem. They have such a relaxed feel to their music. Do you remember The Magic Numbers? I loved them, mix them with The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and you have the innocent atmosphere that The Very Most have in their music that you should fall in love with.
Their cover of Here Comes Your Man (from the Patricia EP) is gorgeous. I don’t know how fans of The Pixies may take it, but I love The Pixies and only music snobs would be vile about it. They aren’t important, we do not need them.
What I adore about The Very Most is that you can hear the love they have for the music, that’s a pretty rare thing to possess. Anyone who has a passion for anything in life are much more interesting than those who waste their days doing nothing. Barely living, just exisiting. I know I love music that at times, could cause someone to question their sanity and possible purpose on this planet; but I am a fan of gentle sounds that just sway the soul; The Very Most are one of those bands. Considering they’ve not taken over the world (YET) they have a huge discography that just needs to be heard, so you may as well start here : http://theverymost.bandcamp.com/
So there you have it. They may not be a “new” band but they play with heart and have a wealth of passion for what they do; which is something to truly admire.
Beat In My Bones. 