The Kills-Wild Charms (video.)

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“How it stirs me, how it stirs me now. To think my fire burnt them out.”

For the past 1o years, The Kills have been more than a band to myself and so many others. I believe that they make music that makes you fall in love with them instantly. They’re not a band you play once and forget about. They’re a band you listen to once, and your mind is well and truly blown. You listen to them, and everything changes around you. You see things differently. You probably see things more clearly. They invite you into their world that is so passionate and brutal and raw. Above all, it is honest. It is a world that makes you feel as if you belong. Be an outsider, struggle for what you believe in. Fight for your art. Be bold, be passionate, be everything those fucks you know said that you couldn’t.

I remember the first time I heard The Kills, I was only 15/16. My uncle and I bonded years before over a love for the Velvet Underground and The Jesus And Mary Chain. It’s a bond that I treasure, and learn from. He handed me a magazine article about The Kills. I read it, and instantly did all I could to listen to their music. Their debut record, Keep On Your Mean Side corrupted my mind in the most pleasurable way and moved my soul in a way no one and nothing else ever will. I don’t just love their music, their videos- I love the way they are with each other in interviews and on stage. They have a beautiful chemistry that I think we all wish we had.

Wild Charms is directed by their good friend, Kenneth Cappello who also took the photos over the past 10 years in their book Dream And Drive. Wild Charms is one of my favourites off Blood Pressures. Jamie’s voice is just so pure; much like the lyrics. It is a delicate ode to love. The video is wonderfully shot. The Kills do make music videos or just songs- they make works of art. Works of art that leave you in awe.

Cat Power-Cherokee (video.)

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“Feels like time is on my time. Bury me upside down.”

Chan Marshall isn’t just a singer. The woman is a beautiful voice who makes art that just, well, it is good for the soul. She pours out every emotion you’re probably afraid to feel. She exposes vulnerability in a way that you wish you could. I remember hearing Metal Heart (original version) and just sobbing. I sobbed as if someone had told me someone I loved had died. My heart broke, but pieces were mended because finally- someone got it. Finally someone was unleashing all these ugly feelings for me. Her music isn’t something you play in the background, it is something you feel. You truly connect with her. She breaks your heart and makes you believe in every single word. Much like Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith. She is on that level.

Her new record, Sun is on a par with You Are Free. You Are Free is my favourite record by her. The artwork alone is just stunning. The video to Cherokee is nothing short of wonderful, and was directed by Cat. I hope this brings her new fans who truly appreciate the genius and beauty that is, Cat Power.

Happy 29th Birthday AJW.

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“Mr Destiny 9 and 14….”

Some things, no matter how often you are faced with them. No matter how much time passes, no matter how often you talk about it or hear about it; it just doesn’t seem right. It feels like your heart broke over someone you never even met or knew, and you feel silly for feeling so sad. You’ve cried over the death of a person who you never met, and you don’t understand what kind of person you are. Are you silly or just in touch with your feelings? There’s no right or wrong. There’s no shame in feeling, ever.

You remember certain moments. Certain dates stick in your mind. Music does more than what we think it does. It heals, it hurts, it brings smiles, it causes tears. It is everything, and more. How do you go on without it? How do you go on when the one who told your story, and so many others, is no longer around? Maybe you learn to adjust to it, but that piece of your heart that broke; maybe it doesn’t heal.

Today, 14th September 2012, would have been Amy Winehouse’s 29th birthday. Some things just do not seem real. Regardless of how many times you read about it or hear others mention it. No part of you can get your head around any of this. So senseless and too much to take in.

The other day, for the first time since Amy died I tried to listen to her music. I got about 10 seconds in, and hearing her voice was too much to deal with. I turned it off. I hate that this is how it is now. I hate it. Maybe one day I’ll stop being such a wuss and get a grip. Until then, I will constantly believe that she should still be here. I could write thousands of words about all of this, but it has been said so many times before.

With all I have, I do hope that Amy is at peace and at ease. I hope she has healed and is safe.

Happy Birthday, Amy. You are dearly missed.

xx

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.

Crocodiles: Rough Trade. The Wait And Beyond.

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“I can piss away my cash, my time I can’t get back.”

My love for Crocodiles is on a par with my love for The Cure, Morrissey and hugs. Since 2009 they’ve been a solid source of comfort, and an outlet for any frustration I may encounter. Last Tuesday they played a free gig at Rough Trade. I extended my trip in England basically so I could see them. During that week some amazing things happened. Seeing Crocodiles and another thing (it’s personal, so shush) was basically my highlight and improved this year.

I don’t want to talk about the free gig, I want to talk about how when you wait for something for so long- that moment when it is finally yours, well no one can take it from you. Nothing can reach you. You feel invincible and as if you can take on the world. The music is your cape, cloak the world with your power.

I’ve already written about how my love for Crocodiles started, and how they dragged me through what I thought at the time-was a really bad patch. Turns out, I’ve gone through worse and I’m still here (sorry to those who hate that.) Their music for me goes beyond anything else. When I saw them last week, I just felt an explosion of being content with everything. I guess I had to because I spent £5 on a Jameson & coke in a bar beforehand and it cost me £5. London, sort out your whiskey prices please. I love you, but this is going to cause tension.

This year, after waiting since 2005 to see them- I saw The Horrors. After waiting 3 years, I finally saw Crocodiles. I guess this year, for all the things I have waited for- they finally happened. Music is pretty much the centre of my tiny universe. It keeps me going. It gives me what I need to carry on. My love for Crocodiles is something I cannot put into words. I chickened out of going up to Brandon and Charles to tell them how much it meant to me to see them. I suppose I didn’t want to seem like some creepy fool. I’m nearly 26, not 14- but I had a bit of fear. I guess when you’ve been in awe of a band for so long, it is a bit daunting. However, they’re not assholes so I guess if I blurted out “YOUR MUSIC KEEPS ME SANE” I’m pretty sure they’d be okay with that. But anyway. Next time. Hopefully.

For me it was hearing All My Hate And My Hexes Are For You and No Black Clouds For Dee Dee that just made me insanely happy. They are two songs right now that mean the world to me. I obviously have a lot of love for I Wanna Kill, and the first verse of that song means more to me than I can get my head around. To see them play to about 30 people (there may have been more, I wasn’t really paying the crowd attention) was just perfect. It may not have been a full set, but I didn’t care. For those 45 minutes or so, I got to see one of my favourite bands ever.

When you wait for something, no matter what it is and you finally have it. Whether it be seeing a band, a record finally coming out, being with that one person who doesn’t make you feel every kind of ugly-anything. When you have that moment, no matter how long or short it is- you cling onto it for the rest of your time here. That moment just stays with you, and when you are alone- it makes the time pass quicker. You remember parts of it, and you carry on; carrying the memory with you.

Music has the power to change everything. To be everything. Last Tuesday, I felt that more than ever. I closed my eyes, sang along and swayed. It was like I was the only person in the room with Crocodiles. Every so often I caught a glimpse of the crowd and didn’t see many people singing, but I say a few sway their bodies. Truly feeling the music in their bones.

If by some strange stroke of luck they see this; Brandon and Charles, thank you. Not just for last Tuesday but for the music. For always, and forever. Thank you is all I’ve got.

Vex Ruffin.

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Noise is good. Noise that comes from the heart is even better. I have no idea what’s going on (I never do) as I had a 3 hour nap, and I’m still tired. I’m a better person when I’m asleep..mainly because I’m no bother. I can’t help but believe knowing me is a pain in the arse. You always find comfort/joy/something in music. Maybe that’s just me, okay maybe it isn’t. Music can be that safety net at 3am when you feel like if anyone looks at you, you will cry. It’s that reassurance that you can get out. It’s the self-belief that you need. It’s the one thing that will never leave you. You watch people fall in and out of your life. You probably do the same. It’s easier to leave everything behind than stay. We all have one person who taught us the art of leaving. But that person is probably alone now; through no fault of their own. You don’t want to be like them. You must never want to be like others, because when you do; you stop being who you really are. And don’t let anyone dictate you on how you should live your life. This all links in with someone.

Vex Ruffin.

Artists like Willis Earl Beal and Dirty Beaches amaze me and leave me in awe because they do things on THEIR terms. You can put the likes of King Dude in their too. They don’t need you or some chubby CEO telling them how to make their music, how they should sound or what they should look like. Every so often we are blessed with artists like this; we can only hope they stick around for a long time because they are the ones making inspiring music where everyone else is prancing about singing about flowers and rainbows. No. No one is ever that happy. To make others relate to you, you must be believable. Vex Ruffin does this. He goes beyond.

Vex makes short lo-fi songs that smash you so pleasurably in the face. There’s an incredible fusion of lo-fi, garage rock and punk in his sound. Basically, he’s perfect. Well to me he is. You don’t need to be some jumped up and over-produced brat in order to make GOOD music. It should come from a place that makes others want to do the same. It should have some kind of empowering vibe that makes you think, “WE WON’T STAND FOR YOUR BULLSHIT NO MORE.” Vex has the passion of the likes of MC5 and the heart of no other. Is it too soon to call him a genius? Well fuck it, he is.

You can probably tell I know nothing about him. I just really dig his music. It’s the kind of music that drags me kicking and screaming through another dull day here. If I was somewhere else, I’d still love it as much as I do. But the frustration I feel about this shithole makes my love for certain bands and singers a lot more intense.

So I think my favourite track right now by Vex has to be Shield For You. I think everyone has one person that, although we feel useless/worthless, there’s one person we just want to look after and love forever. We know we can’t do much, but we could keep them safe. It’s a rare thing to find someone who makes us feel that way, it is important to hold onto it.

Alright so that’s enough of me rambling on about Vex. Go listen to his music. Vex is the truth. The sheer and utter truth. I think anyone who is influenced by Madlib is to be honest.

Oh and you can listen to his new track, Take It right here:  http://soundcloud.com/stonesthrow/vex-ruffin-take-it

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 😉

Neurotic Wreck.

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The colours in her eyes, paint the beach. How I wish that we could stay. It’s always quick, the moment dies. How I long for yesterday.”

You know how on cough medicine it tells you not to operate heavy machinery when you’ve taken it? Well, camomile tea should come with a warning too, “Olivia don’t attempt to write when you’ve had some because you’ll make no sense..” Or something like that. It’d probably be safer for me to drive a tractor right now.

Without sounding like a massive prick of life, I really love it when bands/singers email me their music. By no means do I think what I write is any good nor do I think my opinion should be valued; I just really love writing about bands no one has maybe not heard of. The stranger, the better.

There is something about atmospheric music such as Burial, The Weeknd and James Blake that makes you only want to listen to them at night. I have tried many times to listen to Burial during the day but I just can’t do it. It’s almost as if the meaning doesn’t stand-out until it is pitch black. As someone who is more alert at night (however I am close to falling asleep right now) music like this is just everything, and more.

St.Helens isn’t exactly known for having a thriving music scene (if I am wrong please tell me, and I’ll change that sentence) so when a producer from there emails you their music, you cannot help but be massively intrigued. Unlike most, I actually do listen to what I am sent. As I listen to Neurotic Wreck (much love for the name) I cannot help but feel the same way I did when I first heard Burial. I’m glad it is dark outside because I don’t think I’d take from it what I currently am if it was light outside.

Love and lust usually stir you at night-time. During the day you can fixate your thoughts onto something else. At night, it is like everything you try to push down comes back to either haunt, consume or mock you. Or you can let it go, and enjoy it. It depends really. Some people make it easy. Some make having emotions a chore. Cut them out. The right one finds you- you don’t find them.

Neurotic Wreck makes music that evidently comes from the heart. Oh but how can you tell? Easily. As you listen, his words seem to wrap themselves around your heart and make you feel something else. Something that one simply cannot put into words. You truly pick up on the strangeness of a David Lynch film in his music; yet you get the sheer vulnerability of a James Blake track in his voice.

So far (I will change my mind about 50 times) my favourite track has to be Tired Of Me. The general atmosphere of most songs here is quite eerie, but Tired Of Me takes it to a completely different level.

Neurotic Wreck make music for that lonely moment at 3am when the world is asleep and you have no idea what is going on. I could find thousands of more words to tell you as to why I love his music and why I think he’s nothing short of amazing; but instead you should just listen to his music. The music truly speaks for itself. What most lack, Neurotic Wreck has. Treasure him.

http://neuroticwreck.bandcamp.com/album/leave-tonight-mixtape-side-1

Saint Lou Lou.

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“If you’ve got an emptiness inside, you should let our worlds re-collide.”

I’m writing this based on one song I have heard by them and I’m 100% sure that this is enough for me to know that Saint Lou Lou are nothing short of amazing.

Music should make you drift off. I don’t care for where it may take you, but it should take you far away from where you are. Maybe because where you are is a bit rubbish, and anything can be seen as an escape. It takes you to a place where nothing and no one can really get to you. Sometimes you get really lucky and find that place physically too. Yet when you have to leave it behind for a while, you feel as if you are being torn apart. One day you will get to stay. One day it’ll go your way. Listen to the one you love, because they know. They just know.

Maybe You is such a gorgeous song. The kind of song that makes you want to sit alone (or with someone you are fond of) staring at the sea and ignoring everything around you. You both fall into this untouchable dreaming state. hit repeat to avoid the come-down. I’ve heard some strange songs this year, I’ve also heard some truly heartbreaking and beautiful songs- Maybe You can easily be placed in the best songs of the year. The intro immediately lures you in. You feel secure; as if nothing and no one in this world can harm you. Music can soothe and tame. Maybe You does exactly that.

When one song can make you believe in a band. Make you believe that they are going to keep making music that just blows your mind; then maybe it is worth trawling through some awful sounds to find this tiny bit of heaven.

Of course them being a duo (they’re also twins) is a big part of my love for them. I just love duos. For me, it is like they work so much harder. They make more noise, they sometimes play with more heart. More passion.

I can only hope that for the remainder of this year and years to come causes people to pay attention to Saint Lou Lou. They go beyond making music for you to believe in; they just make you feel part of it. That’s rare.

Rachel Zeffira-Break The Spell.

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You know how some people throw words around and they just lose meaning? When someone says someone is “beautiful” or if something is “perfect” it all loses its meaning after a while. These are two words that should be used very carefully and not often. Of course you can see beauty in most things, and some may say perfection doesn’t exist. Maybe it doesn’t, maybe it does. It is all a personal view. It’s like my view on time. I hate knowing the time. I think watches are awful. I hate being rushed; yet I seem to be early for most things. I like to wander. Usually when I shouldn’t. I also have a habit of going off track. Much like how I just have.

So today has been a bit shit (most days are when you live where I do) and it was improved a bit by hearing Rachel Zeffira’s new song. It was also improved by a massive nap and a person. I just love sleeping; mainly because I’m not bothering anyone.

Rachel’s voice is pure and wonderful. Her solo work (pre-Cat’s Eyes) and her work in Cat’s Eyes is just remarkable. Rachel and Faris have set up their own label, RAF Records which will be putting out Rachel’s debut record The Deserters on 10th December. If anyone wants to buy me a copy, I’ll be forever grateful.

Break The Spell keeps with the 60s girl group vibe that caused anyone to fall in love with Cat’s Eyes. Yes it is perfect, and yes it is beautiful.

You can get a free download of the song here : http://soundcloud.com/rachelzeffira/break-the-spell

Break The Spell features one of the best drummers around, Melissa Rigby ( S.C.U.M.) and also members from TOY. It showcases London and Canada’s finest.

Rachel will be playing St. Andrew Church (Holborn) on 18th October. Tickets: http://www.seetickets.com/Event/RACHEL-ZEFFIRA/St-Andrew-Holborn/658664