Category Archives: Influential Women In Music.

September Girls.

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Despite me looking like on of life’s most miserable buggers; it doesn’t take much to make me happy. Well, when it comes to music it may take a bit more because I’m really fussy. I’m only fussy because I am intensely passionate about it. You know how with some people, when they talk about what they’re passionate about and every single part of them lights up? That’s what music does to me. I get stupidly excited when I go to markets and find old 7″ singles of songs I never thought I could find. I sometimes can’t sleep the night before a record I’ve been waiting for is released because I want it in my hands. When I go to a gig, that’s when every single part of me comes alive. Music is everything to me. Someone once asked me, “Could you love a person as much as you love music?” I used to think I couldn’t, but I know I could. I can. I do.

I honestly don’t know much about bands from Ireland. Aside from The Undertones; that’s it. That’s as far as my knowledge goes. I’m sorry if this makes me small-minded. But you know most of my love is for New York and LA based bands. Obviously I know there is amazing music everywhere. I think most can agree that Sweden is responsible for some amazing bands right now. And of course the UK has some wonderful bands. But today, I’m going to write about a band that with first listen filled my ears with sheer joy and nostalgia. If you can do this, then I will regard you as perfect.

September Girls are a 5 piece from Dublin. I’ve been to Dublin, only once. I want to go back again. If anyone wants to take me there again; I’ve got a passport and a suitcase waiting to be packed. I think a nice whiskey trip would go down well. Whiskey talk aside, September Girls remind me of one of my favourite bands ever- Dum Dum Girls. They have managed to take the Wall Of Sound and added the purest sense of Garage Rock and have created something that makes you think, “Are we in the 60s?!” See, I love Dum Dum Girls because of Dee Dee’s delicate voice and their distorted but beautiful sound. September Girls do exactly that.

Their music gives you a true summer feel mixed with winter loneliness. But hey, don’t focus on the loneliness because you can cure that by listening to your favourite song. Or maybe by listening to September Girls. They’re the kind of band that would fit perfectly on the Girls In The Garage compilation (if anyone got me any of these, you’d have a friend in me for life.)

I’m not much of a dancer. Alright sure I have moves, but I only flail my limbs when whiskey has been summoned into my system. However, September Girls make you want to dance as if you are in a 60s girl group. I’m talking well rehearsed synchronised moves with a lot of concentration. Play their music, and conjure up a routine. Show your friends- if they mock you, find yourself a better social group.

The band only formed a year ago, and released a cassette on the amazing Soft Power label. Cassettes are brilliant, they need to be brought back. I used to make mixtapes when I was in secondary school for friends. I’d do my homework and make the tapes at the same time. Obviously the music had more of my attention.

You should head over to the band’s soundcloud page RIGHT NOW and listen to their tracks : http://soundcloud.com/septembergirls

They have haunting organs (instrument wise!) and exquisite guitars. The drums and bass make you want to move around in an insane fashion. It is fair to say that I am utterly in love with this band. I really cannot understand how you couldn’t be.

I know I shouldn’t tell you what to do and such things, but honestly- make sure you listen to them. They’ll blow your mind and move your soul in a way that no other could.

I guess if The Jesus And Mary Chain were female, they’d be September Girls. Takes a lot for me to say that because The Jesus And Mary Chain are my favourite band of all time. They have the same feel to their sound, maybe not as dark. But the general atmosphere is there. This is just a tame outburst of my love for September Girls; pretty sure I have more to offer.

2:54-Killer (cover.)

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“Is there still a part of you that wants to live.”

I’m going to try not to rant a lot about my love for 2:54 because, most are probably tired of it. It is pure love and admiration. They make me wish I could play an instrument and make haunting music. Instead I just write lyrics/poems that no one will ever see. Mainly because I’m ashamed. It’s weird, and it pisses me off. I don’t need telling that I’m being stupid, I already know. I really do.

I dislike covers. Well, I dislike covers that are badly done. I hate “talent” shows because it is generic and dull. You basically stand there, sing and you are either told you aren’t good enough or “you’re going to be a star.” We don’t need that. Yet most seem to love watching it. I don’t understand. So basically, 2:54 have taken one of the best songs of the 90s and made it incredibly haunting.

If you have their debut record (if you don’t, please buy it. Record of the YEAR!) you will be familiar with their eerie and hypnotising tones. Colette’s voice is easily one of the most distinctive and powerful voices around. Some may assume that being able to hit a stupidly high note means you are a strong vocalist, I don’t believe that. The strongest singers are the ones that give you so many feelings. The strongest are the ones that sing in a way that captivates you and grips you- you never want them to let you go.

Their take on Adamski/Seal’s track, Killer is nothing short of perfection. For me, the only way to do a cover well is to just make it your own. This is why I love it when the likes of Cat Power and The Kills cover songs, because they make you think THEY wrote the song. 2:54 do exactly that with their take on Killer. You fall for 2:54 even more when you listen to this, and you truly believe in the words again. I was only 5 years old when the original came out, but I remember being utterly obsessed with it. Now I am obsessed with 2:54’s version of this timeless song.

You can listen to the stunning cover here : http://soundcloud.com/twofiftyfour/2-54-killer

They’re also touring in November. If anyone wants to get me some tickets for the London date as an early birthday present, that will be most welcomed 😉

Dear Shirley Manson : A Birthday Letter.

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I have no problem with baring my soul, on a page. So I guess this is why I feel with it being Shirl’s birthday, I’m going to write this down. From me to her. Maybe she’ll see it, maybe she won’t. But sometimes you just have to let it out.

Dear Shirley Manson,

I’m not going to be the first or last person to say words similar to what I’m about to write. That alone proves how much of a force you are. You’ve made emotional pain and general emotions less of a chore to deal with. You’ve made demons easier to fight off. You’ve made being an outsider feel less daunting. You made it easier for acceptance of the self.

I was about 8 or 9 when I first saw Garbage on TV. It was when MTV actually played music videos, I know- so rare! I remember seeing the video to Vow and being in utter of the band. Like most, I was drawn to how fearless you appeared on camera. Then I saw Only Happy When It Rains and Stupid Girl. That was it; everything changed after seeing those videos; listening to those songs. Every song you have ever written means more to me than I can even put into words. The Trick Is To Keep Breathing fast became a mantra almost. No matter what, you’ve got to keep going. Even if you just want to stop. And I do wish I could, guess I can’t. You taught me that. I’d rather burn out and try start again. Fight comes from a place that most of us cannot go. Sometimes another person brings it all out of us. I firmly believe you have done that.

I remember skipping college to go and buy Bleed Like Me the day it came out in 2005. I remember that day so clearly. I was nearly 20 years old, and no part of me wanted to go any further. From ages 15 to around then, no part of me understood the point of anything. I held the record in my hands so tightly, and went home. I sat and played it over and over. Growing up is exhausting. I was exhausted. Run Baby Run and Right Between The Eyes did something to me that I’ll never be able to put into words. I guess you can say, they saved my life. Those two songs keep me going. I may be stubborn, and I may not listen to some people, but the words in those songs ignited something. It goes beyond words. Sure I still get miserable; but it’s okay. You taught me how to not be afraid of ugly feelings. You taught me how it is okay to be weak and vulnerable. No one can be strong all the time. Christ knows I like to act like I am though.

Your words are the light at the end of that fucking long tunnel. Being a fan of Garbage doesn’t mean just enjoying the music. It means it gives us something to believe in. And we all need that. I’m not the only one who can say that you saved my life. Knowing others feel the same makes everything less scary, and possibly worth it. Possibly. The older I get, the more I seem to be able to relate to your words. They say being a teenager is hard, but I know being an adult is enough to drive anyone mad. Are you meant to figure stuff out at 25? Because I know nothing. Maybe knowing nothing is the way to go.

Every Garbage song has provided guidance. Every Garbage song has been the security blanket at 4am when there was nothing else. People like you Shirl, well they give hope to those who truly are without. Your voice eases the soul and your words have healed wounds. Old wounds that have been opened up, new wounds that one thinks may never heal.

I still live in hope that one day..one day I get to see Garbage live. Being piss poor is starting to take its toll. But one day, I’ll be at the front. I’ll sing every word as if they were meant for me, and the day after I will have no voice. I will ease the pain by having a small glass of whiskey.

I love seeing photos of you with bands that I love, such as Dum Dum Girls and The Kills. When I saw those photos, I felt like a child at Christmas. You’re such a wonderful force.

This is just the outline of how much I look up to you, and respect you. I’m glad at 8 years old, I saw you on MTV singing the songs that would later become my lifeline.

We shouldn’t fear what we feel. We shouldn’t be afraid to feel. Be kind, be honest, be yourself, find inner peace. That’s what your words have taught me.

Your words have guided me in and out of love, teenage angst, adult insecurities, the good times, the bad times, letting go, holding on. Everything and more.

So, Happy Birthday Shirley. I hope you have the best day possible, you deserve it.

All the love in the universe,

Olivia.

xxxx

Aaliyah.

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“I want people to remember me as a full on entertainer and a good person.”

 

I remember the day it happened. It’s nothing something you forget is it? But, I also remember the very first time I saw her on MTV. I was only 8 or 9 years old. 94/95. I was watching MTV and they were playing some new music videos. Back And Forth came on, and I was hooked. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen. There was this beautiful person singing, and she was dressed like a tomboy, you know? From that moment, I became a fan. She became more than a role model. I cannot count the times where her songs have dragged me through hell and back. It wasn’t her lyrics so much, it was her voice. A voice that made you believe everything was going to be alright. She was like no one else around. There is no one else around like her. She was truly truly One In A Million; and I know we’ll never have anyone as beautiful and wonderful as her again. It took a long long time to not dwell on her death and her not being here. When I listen to her music, I feel lucky to have been a fan (and still am) of someone so precious and angel-like. My mum always promised she would take me to an Aaliyah concert when I was younger. It won’t happen in this lifetime, but in the next one I know it will. She was so rare, and I will always believe that the music industry will never be able to fill the gap she left when she died 11 years ago today. We’ll always have the music, because in the end it is the sounds that they create that stay with us for the rest of time.

I hope you’re at peace Aaliyah, wherever you are.

All the love in the world.

xxxx

The Long Wives- The Trinity.

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“Her name is Jezebel, and I once knew her well. But time changes all.”

Some time ago, I wrote about a beautiful singer/song-writer from Los Angeles. Most bands that I love that come from the West Coast have a certain sound, you can just tell they are from there. That’s why I love them. However, with The Long Wives she truly sounds like someone who lives in the depths of a dark and eerie forest. Her music makes you feel like you are the only one that can hear her. That’s she’s all yours. This goes beyond being personal. This is EVERYTHING.

The Trinity is heartbreaking. I’m talking Cat Power’s Metal Heart kind of heartbreaking mixed with Townes Van Zandt’s Waiting Around To Die. The kind that hits you right in the gut. My love for Brandy is based on how dark and open her songs are. She makes the piano sound so desperate and longing. You cling onto every word, because every word resides inside you. Sadness is something we try to shy away from, but sometimes you’ve got to let it happen to you. The darkness is something you can run from. You can let it consume you, or you can face it. Do your worst if you must.

The Trinity shows Brandy’s voice in a way previous songs haven’t. Songs such as Judas Hex (my personal favourite) and Tongue do pour out such raw emotion. All her songs do, of course. But there is something..something about The Trinity that just stays with you. Maybe you see yourself in it. Maybe you can see someone else in it. It makes any hurt you’ve felt in recent times fade away. In time, most things just fade away. Eventually it will all be dust, and a distant memory. Longing, love and lust. It’s there, but not in sight. Just in mind.

I know I’m being biased, but out of all the music I found this year I hold The Long Wives very very dear to me. When you find a band or a singer that can unleash what you feel better than you ever could; that’s when you know you have found something permanent. I know nothing ever lasts, but music gives you hope that it will. There’s something entirely romantic about it all. The Long Wives give you so much. Hope being the main feeling. Something that is needed by most, if not all.

You can listen to this gorgeous and ethereal track here : http://soundcloud.com/thelongwives/the-trinity-the-long-wives

Molly Nilsson.

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“…sometimes I don’t understand you, but you’re the abstract art in my modern museum.”

Maybe the body is made up of ghosts that haunt us all with our past mistakes, taunting us when we least expect it. Maybe we can feel it coming on, but we cannot get rid of it. It is easier to chase away what troubles someone you care for rather than facing up to your own demons. Trust me, I know. But I like to pretend. Everything is a defense and not much means much, anymore. A disgusting and cruel town is bad for the soul. The soul is more delicate than the heart. You see, when a heart metaphorically breaks, something or someone can put it back together. When your soul has been crushed and rejected, I don’t think anything can put it back together. I know I’m alone with this, I guess that’s why the only sense of peace I get is when I listen to certain kinds of music. It’s like, when I listen to Cold Cave I feel as if someone gets it. Wes Eisold’s lyrics have been a lifeline for me for so long. Much like how the Bleed Like Me record by Garbage saved my life when it came out. These are things I can write down but never actually say the words to anyone. What use are my words when all I have felt and ever will feel, have been felt before by others? It just doesn’t matter.

But you know what does matter? Music. Music that comes from the soul. Music that sounds bit dark and creepy. Sinister and loving images are conjured up.

Molly Nilsson.

I know NOTHING about her, and this is what I love. I don’t want to know the ins and outs of bands and singers I love. I wish to know nothing about their lives. I just want to hear their music and take what I want from it. I may be wrong, I may be right but I really don’t want to know what my favourite singers/bands had for lunch yesterday you know? What use is that? None at all.

Her lyrics are open and frail. The music is eerie. So basically, she is everything I love. The lyrics are full of questions, desire, love, lust, loss and hints of death. To face such exposed emotions like this is something, even if you don’t dig this kind of music- you must admire in a way. I’m massively into lyrics which is probably why I like the kind of music I like. I feel no connection to what is play-listed on certain radio stations because it means nothing to me. Not because it is commercial, I think anyone who disregards something because it is classed as mainstream is a bit of a tool but hey, can’t have an opinion. I just dislike it because for me, I can’t relate. But I must admit that a lot of underground music can be quite toss too. It’s up to YOU to find out what you connect with. I have no shame in admitting that I think Call Me Maybe, annoying as it is, is a bloody brilliant pop song. Oh, and I think Kelly Clarkson is fucking amazing. I shouldn’t have to justify myself, so I won’t. I never will. But fuck me how can I love that kind of pop music but write about someone like Molly Nilsson? Quite easily really.

Certain places just produce amazing music. Manchester, Sheffield, New York, Los Angeles and Sweden. Bloody hell Sweden, your music scene is fucking incredible. If you’re a bit lazy, you’ll make the generic comparisons. I cannot be doing with that. I think if I was a singer and this happened to me, I’d want to strangle all those wanky Music “Journalists.” For me, Molly just sounds like well, herself really. I don’t wish to compare.

Wounds Itch When They Heal gives off a Kraftwerk vibe. No this isn’t a comparison, I’m just saying that same euphoric feeling is there. I feel as if I’m arguing with myself because no one is going to read this. Anyway, one must continue.

You Always Hurt The One You Love (I’ve read it’s a cover, I’m not sure) has this fucking brilliant Calypso thing going on. Yet, if you listen to the lyrics, you sort of see yourself in the song. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. However, if you know you’ve hurt someone and you apologise straight away then you are better than most. I spend most of my time saying sorry. Maybe I should stop.

To make the music Molly Nilsson does takes something more than passion and strength. I don’t know what it is, but I know I can relate to most songs and that is enough to make me love her music. A lot.

2:54- Sugar (video.)

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“Unfamiliar territory gets the best of me.”

I have to be super quick with this because my bus is in 10 minutes and I’m not a fast walker.

Right, you know how much I am in love with 2:54 right? You know their record is my favourite of the year? Since May I have had it on constant repeat. Every song moves me in ways no other band can do. They warm my bones and blow my mind. I love love LOVE them. I’ve been in love with them for the 2 years of so. Creeping, the original version felt like a wave of euphoria take me over. This happened multiple times as I played their debut record. I felt alive. I felt so much, and I still.

ANYWAY.

New single is my favourite track off the record, Sugar. I play the record when I’m at the gym and abusing the rowing machine. Sugar always makes me go faster and nearly break stuff. Including myself. I realised recently that Sugar would be an amazing lap-dancing song wouldn’t it? I have my pervy/weird moments, this song brings it out fully. Colette’s vocals on this track are perfect. It’s like she is seducing you and you can imagine her staring at you with prowling eyes..getting deep into your soul. Taking you over. It’s not just Colette that does that to you. Throughout the whole album Joel, Alex and Hannah take you over. This song is a prime example of it; and all the more reason for you to go buy the record.

Ali Koehler-Not Like Me.

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Growing up is a drag. I’m 25 and I know I have more growing up to do, and I hate it. I don’t want to be this, I don’t want to be that. But sometimes you are fortunate enough to hear a song that eases the pains of growing up you know?

Ali Koehler is one of the best drummers around. Her, Stella from Warpaint and Sandy from Dum Dum Girls are my favourite drummers. Ech plays with utter heart and passion. Ali also makes music that just oozes the same passion and heart.

Not Like Me is self-deprecating, and as someone who believes it is better for me to be cruel about myself before someone else gets there first; I am in love with this song, and I can relate a lot to the lyrics.

It’s the kind of song I want to play to my nephew and tell him to not be a sensitive mess like his Auntie when he grows up you know? If I can stop someone from having the same traits as me, then I’ve done something well. Maybe? I’m not sure.

Not Like Me is only a minute and a half long. Despite this, it is a truly beautiful song. I love the way Ali has written something so delicate and vulnerable. It honestly makes you want to take her out for a beer and tell her she’s fucking wonderful. We all need that sometimes. I’m probably going to call this as one of my favourite things to have happened this year.

Sure the general topic of the song may be slightly dark, but we need it. It is important to have that balance. Not Like Me is fragile and pure. I cannot praise it enough. It is so honest and open. If you cannot relate, you have no heart. Don’t be scared.

You can listen to it here : http://artishardrecords.bandcamp.com/track/not-like-me

Dum Dum Girls- Lord Knows.

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“I can’t hurt you anymore.”

Basically, Dee Dee could sing the phone book and I’d regard it as the best thing ever. I love her voice, I love her lyrics and I think she is just incredible (anyone who covers a song by The Jesus And Mary Chain song just for me is a beautiful human being in my eyes.)

What I love about Dum Dum Girls is that they make music that compares to nothing and no one else. You hear something all too often and you think, “Oh that sounds like…” With Dum Dum Girls, you don’t get that. Well, I don’t. I’m pretty sure their loyal fans feel the same way. I remember hearing Catholicked and being in awe. Then came Jail La La and I knew. I just knew I had found the band to sum up every feeling. Only In Dreams was pretty much my soundtrack to last year. Coming Down got me through everything from the days where I hated everything to my mum getting sick. The whole record just oozed out everything I felt, and more. I suppose most who find a record to do this, they never go back to it. I still play it everyday. Coming Down is my crutch. I think I’m heading that way with Lord Knows.

I heard Lord Knows the other day when Dee Dee did a solo set for KEXP, but my internet connection decided it didn’t want me to hear it properly, so I thought “Alright..September it is..I can wait.” NO. I’m not waiting.

Lord Knows is vulnerable and perfect. For those who feel like they are always hurting those they love; this is your anthem, your prayer. I constantly feel like I’m fucking up so this song is like a blessing right now. I honestly cannot write about Dum Dum Girls without getting really into it, without being 100% personal. I can think of 1 or 2 I want to play this to and say, “This is all of it. I’m sorry.” But they’d say I don’t need to say sorry. No point in apologising if you haven’t done anything wrong I guess.

Lord Knows, if I wasn’t about to head out to the gym after writing this, would make me cry my heart out. Maybe I’ll do that later, or maybe I’ll cling onto knowing someone can sum up all this and much better than I ever can. Maybe things come to you when you need it most, this song definitely does that.

The lyrics to Lord Knows are just perfect and so honest. Dee Dee writes like no other. She gets right to the heart of it, and makes you feel less alone. To posses such beauty in words is something I really admire about her. She deserves a lot more recognition as a songwriter.

Basically, Lord Knows is out of this world. End Of Daze is out 25th September, and it’s the best EP of the year. I’ve not heard it, but I just know. I know.

Dum Dum Girls; thank you. Just..thank you xx

You can listen to the song here : http://wearedumdumgirls.com/

The Smears.

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The first ever article I wrote that was published in magazine was about Music and Gender (you can read it here : http://issuu.com/freeqmagazine/docs/freeq-magazine-pilot-issue) and I still stand by it being one of the best articles I have written. This article caused a band from Nottingham to get in touch with the editor and ask if I would write a feature about them. Considering this was my first ever published piece, I was honoured and in shock. The fact that a band got what I was trying to do meant so much to me.

The Smears are three fearless and fucking incredible musicians from Nottingham. My feature on them can be found here: http://issuu.com/freeqmagazine/docs/freeq-magazine-goat-issue-2 Everything I wrote there is still relevant. Still true. I will always regard them as being one of the VERY FEW bands that keep up a Punk feel to their music, and of a course a brutal kick of Riot Grrrl to their music too. Everything about them is aggressive, pure, passionate and real. A lot of musicians put on an act just to sell records. Honesty and heart are worth more than a fucking platinum plaque.

For me, I always believe that regardless of the genre; music should come from a place that the listener is afraid to go, and the band/singer guides them. They unleash all the pain,fury,loss, ANYTHING/EVERYTHING for you. They grab your hand and drag you through it. This is why I have so much love and respect for Courtney Love, Shirley Manson and Patti Smith. I regard them as the three most important musicians of all time. They are strong females who do it THEIR way. They do it their way and what you think doesn’t fucking matter. Their lyrics are sheer poetry and come from a place that most would call dark, or a place most would be afraid to go near. However, why I adore these three mind-blowing and inspiring musicians is for a different article entirely. But, staying with the purity of it- I am going to try to tell you why The Smears are one of the most important bands around.

For the life of me, I cannot remember the first song I heard by them but it was when Myspace was still thought of as being important for music. Maybe it still is. I played their music constantly when I was told about them, so I could really feel where they were coming from and  think of questions that weren’t typical. Never settle. Never accept “typical.”

Their music should leave you quivering in a ball but wanting more. They should make you want to start your own kind of riot. Their music is there to bring out all the fight in you. It makes you feel 60 feet tall. Powerful and untouchable. It makes me so sad and fucking angry when people say “Oh the Spice Girls were an important band..etc.” That just pisses me off. There is NO depth to their music. Nothing. There is NOTHING empowering about them, nothing at all. It ballsed up music greatly. If you want a girl band (but please don’t define them by gender) that can truly inspire people to pick up an instrument and start something that is so fucking needed- The Smears are right there. They pick up where the likes of Sleater-Kinney and Bratmobile left off.

If I was 14 years old and I heard The Smears every part of me would just bin everything off around me, start playing the guitar and maintain the teenage angst in my bones and turn it into something truly powerful. That’s all you can do. Rage should NEVER consume you. I believe that anything and everything can be morphed into a form of art. If you’re sad; turn it into a poem. If you’re happy; turn it into a self-portrait.

Get riled up and let it all out. Scream, shout, bleed, cry, fight,fuck, believe, whisper; just do something. Music should make you feel like you can do anything. It should give you the self-belief that carries you through. Although at times it is so much easier to just be full of self-doubt. Trust me, I know. I know what it’s like to feel like you are not good enough to do anything, To not be good enough for another. But the truth is, we are ALL good enough. Other people are just cowards. Music should be the backbone to all you feel. That’s why I love The Smears.

The Smears go beyond being a band. Just by listening to them you can tell they have a gang mentality. It is the three of them against EVERYONE. You can either get behind them, or get the fuck out of the way. I suggest you do the former. It is safer, a lot safer. They are loud and you cannot control them. The music is bold and in your face. They have the raw vibe of Hole’s Pretty On The Inside (their best record.) No other band has really captured that feeling. I am not comparing them to Hole, I’m just saying they capture that atmosphere. The Smears are just phenomenal.

Thrive off proving people wrong and do something from the heart. That is pretty much what I get from listening to The Smears. I got that from them when I first heard them, and I still get it now. When a band can hold your attention like this; you must never let it go. Ever.

Maybe I haven’t said enough about The Smears but I think it is fairly obvious that I love them.