“Someday we’ll be brand new again Someday we’ll be reborn.”
If there’s one person I vow to always write about, it will always be The Long Wives aka Brandy St.John. Her music means the world to me. Beyond the world. I remember when I first discovered her music many years ago, and I get that same feeling every time I listen to her. She seems to release a song just when I need it, and right now I do.
This time of year has now become a time of year I loathe. With the loss of my Grandma 4 months ago, everything and anything has felt wrong. I’ve been in a whirlwind of feelings I’m not sure of what to do with, but I have them so there’s that. Brandy St.John recently released the gorgeous and haunting Feel It All Wrong, and I can honestly say it is one of her most moving songs to date. She has this way with words that just makes you feel a little less alone, and a little less ashamed of what you carry on your shoulders.
The power she has in her has always left me in awe, and on this song it’s the combination of lyrics that hit you in the soul and her voice combined that really hit you. Brandy has this way with words that would make most envious, she has this gorgeous way of just putting you in these scenarios and really testing your strength by accepting your weaknesses. For me, that’s the sign of someone who goes above and beyond a musician. She is truly something else; I think she’s a superhero.
There are many parts to this song that I cherish, but this section of lyrics will break and mend your heart:
“I am the child again and I feel it all wrong Don’t spend your nights Lost in the years it was all wrong All that you’ve known is broken will, broken bone Don’t give your nights to those who will steal it all before you go on.”
There is something about the above that you just connect to. I hope one day she puts her lyrics into a book because they truly read like poetry. I’d probably buy every copy to be honest. Whilst I’ve resigned myself to the fact that she may never tour the UK, we’ve got songs like this to carry us through.
For me, there is quite simply no one else like her and there never will be. Artists like Brandy are rare and so vital. Her music has been and continues to be such a huge part of my life because there is such beauty and hope in her words. I have no idea if anyone has tried to label her music but to be honest, I highly doubt you could. It’s out of this world- just like Patti Smith, Nick Cave and Townes Van Zandt.
Once you’ve listened to Feel It All Wrong, I encourage you to go and listen to her previous work. The darkness in the sound and the beauty in all she creates on this song, and the rest of her work stays with you and personally- it’s artists like Brandy that reinforce my love for music and writing about it. She is truly one of a kind.
“So tell me all your secrets, And I’ll tell you where I put the gun.”
There are some bands and singers I will never grow tired of listening to and writing about, some more than others. I have a handful of bands/singers that when I listen to them, I just get this urge to write some over the top rant about why I love it. I guess it’s because if I did it to a person they would tell me to shut up and go away. Nobody needs to hear it. So I write it instead because it just needs to come out.
The Long Wives aka Brandy St John is in my list of “Greatest singers/musicians of all time.” I don’t have a solid list, but she’s in my top 5. Her music is dark poetry for the soul. Her music is that hint of hope when you feel other wise helpless. Her voice is so powerful in a non confrontational way.
When you listen to her music, you can’t help but think of one person you know who would really love her. Whether or not you and that person still peak is a different matter, but you think of them. Foolishly or not. It’s there. Brandy’s words and voice can tear open wounds and heal them in a way that doesn’t leave you flinching at the thought of being in pain.
Where I Put The Gun is dark and menacing, but there’s this fragility in Brandy’s voice that makes you just connect. Like two destined lovers who have been pulled apart and drawn together more times than they should. You can’t leave her music alone. Where I Put The Gun is the kind of song you’d play as you hit the open road on your own. Not looking back on anything or anyone.You can torment yourself with the past or you can put it to use. Brandy’s music makes you aim to do the latter. Her voice has this gorgeous healing/soothing way of just making you forget all the bad and ugly around you. She just carries you off on this eerie journey that you can’t imagine not being part of.
This dark sound is entirely comforting, and I’m pretty sure my music collection would look dull without her. If someone put Poe’s words to music this is how it would sound. Although Judas Hex is my favourite song by her, Where I Put The Gun has this equally woeful feel to it that as bizarre as it may sound to some, it is comforting and can fight off any feeling or loneliness. You can sense she puts her all into her music, and when I listen to her I just have this urge to launch myself into some intricate ramble about how her music makes me feel and why I love it so. But words fail me at times. There are no words to describe how beautiful her music is and how bloody brilliant she is. She’s everything I want from a singer.She is the opposite of what we expected from sun-kissed bands from the West Coast. She’s the hunter stalking her pray up in the hills, just watching and waiting for nightfall. Her words are full of feelings most of us would rather not acknowledge. I’d rather be terrified of how I feel than to not feel anything at all. What Brandy pulls out of you is brutally raw, and for that I am so thankful.
I thought I had 10 solid records to list as my favourite this year. My utter favourite has not changed; that was the only one I was 100% sure on. I change my mind a lot, about most things. What I like today, I may dislike tomorrow. Or in 10 minutes. It keeps things interesting to an extent, then it just gets confusing. I don’t like order or structure. Music is my favourite sound. People bragging about how much they drank the night before is my least favourite. If only there was a mute button for conversation.
With it being close to the end of the year, everyone thinks their opinion is better than other people’s when talking about their favourite record, songs, books etc of the year that has passed. My opinion isn’t made for counting or even worth acknowledging. To the one person who’ll read this; I hope you own at least one of the records I mention here. Of course, you don’t have to own it but you know..buy yourself something nice. Anyway. This isn’t in order, but the last record I mention is my favourite of the year.
Dirty Beaches- Love Is The Devil/Drifters. Anything Alex does always blows me away. He’s someone who, when you listen to his music, you can tell is truly in an untouchable zone when he makes music. You can sense that nothing distracted him in the process, and when you listen to his music nothing distracts you from that intimate moment you have listening to his music. To an extent music is pretty voyeuristic. We are listening in on other people’s thoughts and feelings. They know someone is listening; they just don’t know who. I’ve read vile criticism of this record from those who wanted Badlands part 2. It’s rally unfair to Alex because he’s one of the most passionate musicians out there; and to assume he’s going to make the same record over and over is just wrong. Same goes for many more, I know. But Alex’s music just stands out. I finally got to see him live this year, and watching him felt like you were witnessing someone unleash every demon that their body posses. It was a truly beautiful show. I interviewed him, and although it was done via email I could easily sense just how much music means to him. He’s not someone who’s had success come easy to him, and that hunger is firmly within him to keep making music. When I heard the song, Love Is The Devil it just broke my heart because it had this raw beauty to it, but pain also. It was overwhelming at times to listen to this record because of the rawness of it. The honesty in this record just makes you proud to be a fan of his music. Alex’s music makes you want to everything behind and fall in love with a gloomy European city that has history of romantic and haunting literature, with locals telling stories in dingy cafes.
Ezra Furman- Day Of The Dog. The hot pink cover did it for me. Ezra is an incredible song-writer; Day Of The Dog showcases this better than before. The songs are full of lust, self-doubt, hate (directed at the self and others) and is done in a way that doesn’t seem like it is self-pitying bullshit. So far from it. The philosophical lyrics with the delightful sax playing just makes this record a pleasure to listen to. For me, Tell ‘Em All To Go To Hell is a brilliant “fuck you” and is the perfect soundtrack to those pissed off moods we are all prone to. Ezra has this way of touching on dark subjects in a way that disguises just how dark the feeling is. It’s the kind of music you speed off into the sunset too, where night-time is all you crave. His song-writing skills are enviable. He’s not afraid to pour his heart out for all to hear; for me that’s what makes this record wonderful.
Deptford Goth- Life After Defo. For the most part, what I listen to is some kind of take on Garage rock. However, sometimes something in music happens and I just fall for it. I have no idea what genre Deptford Goth’s music falls into. I don’t really care. There’s only two kinds of music for me- music I listen to and music I don’t listen to. Why waste your time on pointless sub-genres that feed those pretentious idiots out there. Deptford Goth’s debut record is one I have played constantly on train/tube journeys as everything is dark and the odd flickering street-light is all I see. I’ve walked country roads listening to this when I was living at my mum’s- when the evenings were light. His music fits the night-time perfectly. His gentle voice makes you feel as if you have something like a best friend walking with you to guide you through anything and everything. This is the kind of music that just stays locked in the heart. I’ve tried listening to Life After Defo when it is light out, but when you start to feel tired when on a long journey as the day fades- his music becomes so apt. I advise getting on a train just as it’s getting dark, head into your nearest city and walk around listening to this record. It just makes everything feel alright and secure.
SISU-Blood Tears. Fronted by Dum Dum Girls’ drummer Sandra (she’s also the best drummer I’ve ever seen live) SISU make hypnotic music to lose your mind to. Blood Tears has an eerie feel to it, as if it should be in some insanely fucked up horror film. Th best songs usually have this feel to them don’t they. Yet Sandra’s delicate voice makes you feel at ease. It’s the kind of record you play when the sky is covered in a haunting mist; the sounds will direct you where you want to go. You get lost in the beautiful moments that Blood Tears creates. Blood Tears posses this attitude that makes you think you can pretty much take anything and anyone on. Think, Garbage’s debut record- that kind of powerful. Dominant but not obnoxious in the slightest. It’s a powerful record that pretty much merges everything I love and adore about music.
PINS-Girls Like Us. Debut record of the year; no questions about it. This ferocious and dark debut record from the finest band in Manchester is one I’ve been playing on constant repeat since it came out. Every song is addictive. My love for PINS started last year when I heard the anthemic LuvU4Lyf. If you’ve seen PINS live, you will know just how pleasurable this song is to witness live. It is like a battle cry for hearts that are full of love; all bouts of lust have faded, and it has become something tougher. Speaking of tough, Girls Like Us has a gang-like feel to it. All too often I’ve seen PINS be described as a “girl band.” If only people defined music by what it sounds like rather than the gender of those making it. PINS are pretty much the most exciting band in the UK and I honestly cannot praise this record enough. It is, in my mind, a debut masterpiece. I’m so excited about how their sound is going to grow; I just bloody adore them. You get that, right?!
POP. 1280-Imps Of Perversion. The only person I know who really loves this band aside from myself is my uncle. We both share a mutual love for all things weird and loud. POP.1280 are one of the best bands on the brilliant Sacred Bones label. You see, Sacred Bones have never released a shit record. Some labels do have questionable moments; but Sacred Bones do take risks, and they do it in a way that means the listener is going to experience some of the best music imaginable. By no means are POP.1280 easy to listen to. This isn’t a record to woo a lover to or to play to your Gran at a family gathering. Oh no. Imps Of Perversion is a collective of perverse songs that you should play in your bedroom as loud as you want to. Feel as free as you want. Let the music fuck you up and over. It’ll go through your bones, smash your skull and leave you wondering why this isn’t played on commercial radio. Let them have your noise; you’ve got your own. Imps Of Perversion is as noisy and as brutal as it gets. This is one record I’d love to have witnessed the recording process for. It is brilliantly weird and wired.
The Long Wives- A Collection Of Demonstrations And Demons. I’ve been writing about Brandy for some time now, and since accidentally finding her music there’s not been a day where I’ve not listened to her haunting voice. Her voice is scary and powerful. Her songs show that she is one of the best song-writers around; the way she tells stories enables you to feel the fury she feels in her songs. This is her debut record, but it’s pretty much a collection of old songs and demos on there. It does have my favourite, Judas Hex on. It’s one of my favourite songs by Brandy, but to pin point what it is that I love about her music would take an eternity; I simply cannot justify my love for her music. If I ever had the money and was okay with being on a plane for 8 hours, I’d fly to LA and hang out with her in a graveyard and discuss life in general with her. She’s like a stripped back version of Zola Jesus; by this I mean her music makes you think. And I mean REALLY think about everything around you. Her music to me, is romantic and can cure the heart of any illness that is surrounding it. Her lyrics are vulnerable and the way she sings is just breathtaking. She’s an inspiration for sure.
Willis Earl Beal- Nobody Knows. From one musical genius to another; Willis is the man who is putting some much-needed soul into music right now. He appeals to the loner in me, which as I get older, becomes more and more obvious. I like my own company more than I used to, which guess is an adjustment to getting older. I hate being in large groups of people, I just really hate it. Willis’ voice has a lot of soul to it, and his debut record had a lot of pain surrounding it. Read his background story, and you’ll see why. Nobody Knows has bouts of hope and strength in it. His song with the gorgeous Chan Marshall (Cat Power) just makes you feel as if everything is going to be alright again. It also makes you want them to make a full length record together. Followed by a tour is dingy, intimate venues. I can picture it now. Perfectly. Nobody Knows is the perfect middle finger to those who think most fall victim to that “second record” beast. It is obvious for the most part that it is a myth. Willis stamps all over it. His voice is extremely powerful; just look up videos of him singing without any music and you’ll quickly realise that he’s one of the greatest.
Savage Sister-Savage Sister. Savage Sister; with a name like that you’d think they’d be making menacing goth style music. They’re pretty much the opposite of that. They’re as gentle as Youth Lagoon, Beach House and Tamaryn combined. Basically, they are ideal. Their dream-like debut release is just ethereal from start to finish. Of course it is like you are floating amongst the clouds with your eyes shut as everything just passes you by. You don’t need to take notice of anything around you, because with this record, Savage Sister create moments for you that stay lodged in your brain and etched upon your heart forever. This debut release was one I’d been hugely excited for last year, and when I was emailed a copy I was so excited to finally hear it. There is something magical about this band; and they are much more than a sacred listen. Everyone should listen to them because they could possibly be the soundtrack to those memorable moments in your life. Savage Sister make music to float away and dream to. Listen and dream away.
CROCODILES- CRIMES OF PASSION. So this was pretty much an easy one. It was my record of the year before it was released; before I even heard it. I just knew it was going to blow my mind. I heard it a few months before it came out, and I was trembling with excitement as I listened to it. I get the same excitement now when I listen to it. I notice something different about each song with every listen. I initially thought I could pick one song that I loved the most, but I realised this wasn’t going to happen for me. I love She Splits Me Up but I love the lyrics to I Like It In The Dark (“I don’t have the time for a graveyard of the mind that they call shame.”) But I adore the whole romantic feel throughout the record. I was beyond excited to finally meet the band in the summer and to be able to see them live a couple of times; when I interviewed them about this record, I started picking up on different things about it. Songs that influenced by poets such as Baudelaire to Patti Smith. I’ve loved Crocodiles since the start and to hear them go from the likes of Neon Jesus to Marquis De Sade is just amazing. Live they are on a different level. Their fans really feel the music, and know they are part of something unruly and unconventional; that’s why I love them. If I was in a band, I’d want to have the same approach to music as Crocodiles do. There are so many reasons as to why Crimes Of Passion is my record of the year; but for the most part, the meanings are sentimental and close to my heart. VIVA CROCODILES!
I’ve resigned myself to the fact (and it isn’t a bad thing at all) that the only solid source of comfort I have is probably found in a song by The Long Wives. I’ve honestly never found a singer who releases so much music as frequently as she does, and I am so thankful for that. It seems she releases something when I am in need of feeling something other than I do; her dark and vulnerable words do something that nothing else has done.
With its glorious religious imagery and vengeful words, Break You In is enough to shatter a tough heart and weaken the strongest of minds. When she sings, “I’ve served my time”I can feel all my frustrations pour out into this song, Maybe 9.30am is far too early to have these deep feelings, but they are there. And maybe some of them have to come out.
What I love about Brandy’s music is that I do not relate it to anyone but myself. I’m not a selfish person, but this is as selfish as I get to be honest. I can relate to every single word she has sung and written down; they remind me of nobody but myself. No other band or singer has ever done that. I usually listen to a song and I can associate it with something or someone. Thankfully with Brandy’s music, I just direct it to myself. Maybe it’s self-indulgent, or maybe it is much-needed. I’m going with the latter.
Her voice always does something overwhelming and incredible to me, as if it is some kind of catharsis. It is a release of sorts, and quite frankly, a much-needed one. Break You In shows just how strong Brandy’s voice is. They was she sings certain words just posses such strength and determination, there’s no way you couldn’t relate to her words. The fury and passion in her words and music just shows she is more than a singer. She’s a poet, a storyteller with words that come strictly from the heart. As awfully clichéd as it is, she is real. She has a raw talent and posses delicate words that make you feel at ease. I’ve never felt at home anywhere, ever. But her words are like home. Comforting and safe yet brutally honest.
To compare this song or any of her music to someone else would be a foolish mistake, and maybe I’ve done that before but songs like this just cement how rare Brandy is. I’d say we need more singers/bands like her, but I don’t want that. I’m just happy one person is making music as honest and as ethereal as this.
You can listen to Break You In here: https://soundcloud.com/thelongwives/break-you-in-the-long-wives
“Tender words unspoken, turn so cruel on their vine.”
Brandy St.John is probably one of my favourite singers ever. She isn’t as big as most, but she has the same captivating and gentle power that is found in the adored Patti Smith. Brandy St.John’s lyrics expose the darkness that everyone seems to run from. I don’t just listen to her music; I study her words. I study her words as if I am reading poetry. Her lyrics are sheer poetry. In poetry you get Poe. Hidden messages in everything isn’t there. Sometimes. It’s not hidden for I’ve just written it down, and you can see it (if you read this.)
This morning before I went to the gym, I saw that Brandy had put up a new song. She’s a machine. A music making machine that I hope never ever stops. So, I put in my headphones and listened delicately to The Hollow Fin. I stopped what I was doing, and gazed outside as I listened to her beautiful voice. I wish there was a word that was more powerful than the word “beautiful” to describe her voice. Her voice is so hypnotic. I gazed outside and watched the snow fall (I say snow.but it’s trying. Lord knows is it trying.) Every flake that fell to the ground fell with purpose but no destination in particular. The flakes may have wanted to fall straight down, but the swayed with the cold breeze and just flurried about. My thoughts remained fixed.
I took in everything I heard whilst listening to The Hollow Fin. I glanced at the lyrics from time to time, and I thought of every fuck up I have ever done. Every wrong I’ve ever done. I struggled to think of the good. It is so easy to beat ourselves up over things we have no control over. I don’t want to control others, and my self-control is alright. I listened to The Hollow Fin, and my head was at a place calm. My heart however, knew I was stuck. A constant battle that is just eased by musicians like this. Musicians that are not afraid to go so deep and dark. My notebooks are full of poetry like this (with the occasional cheerful poem) but I’d rather point someone in the direction of The Long Wives or whoever than let anyone read what I write down in my tattered notebooks. Spare yourself.
All that The Hollow Fin is, is just Brandy and a guitar. To me it is obviously much more. As her music is so stripped, you become a bit obsessed with her voice and lyrics. I will always be massively in love with her song, Judas Hex and I do believe that The Hollow Fin is going to head the same way. I play Judas Hex a few times a day. I don’t think I could really define why, it’s just something I simply must do. The Hollow Fin has hints of regret and wonder. I’m not familiar with regrets. If I allowed myself to regret I’d be a mess. You have to just let things and people go at times. We’ve all caused hurt and we’ve all been hurt. There are musicians out there that can nurse our hurt and soothe our souls.
My favourite line from the song has to be this: “But love is vicious when it dies.”Anyone who has lost a love may know just how true this is. It doesn’t have to be a romantic kind of love. It can be friendship too. Like I said before, you just have to let some things in life go. You can cling, but you cannot have a firm grip forever.
I do hope The Long Wives comes to the UK soon, I really do. These are songs that you need to see on dimly lit stage. A purely intimate setting.
“The answer lies in your eyes,it lies in our wounds.”
My favourite singer is someone who deserves to be as big as Patti Smith. She has the heart and passion like my idol (I know that you shouldn’t have idols but sometimes, you must make an exception.) I love Brandy’s voice because, she has the power to break and mend the heart at the same time. When I saw she’d put a new song up, I just knew it’d be something truly special. I just knew I’d have to write about it. She’s one of the very few singers that make me do this. My love for music is there, but my motivation to write comes and goes. It’s a fading dream.
The Violence of Man is again, pure and ethereal. Sadness shines brightly in Brandy’s voice; but not in a way that leaves you crying on the floor in a ball wishing the end would come. She makes you feel less alone. She makes you feel less ashamed and tormented. Her words and her voice are one of the most sincere forms of comfort I have ever known. I know we seek refuge in the arms of the one we love; but sometimes we need a sound. A sound from someone who doesn’t know us, and someone we don’t know. Strangers create a world for us that becomes familiar and less daunting than what we face on a daily basis.
I simply cannot review a song in a simple way, especially when you can tell instantly that so much has gone into the song. I could easily sit here and just throw out words in a clichéd way to describe The Violence of Man, but that is no use to anyone. And I believe if you are a Music Writer, you should put the same amount of passion into your writing that the singer puts into their song. I don’t know if I’m successfully putting this across, so all I can do is hope you listen to The Long Wives and listen to her with intense and welcoming ears. That’s the only way.
Her voice echoes over the haunting strumming of the guitar. You feel the insecurities fall out of you. If you cannot be open with your love (as in the one you love) then you will be closed off forever more. Her voice and her lyrics are truly gorgeous. I know I have said this every single time I have written about The Long Wives; but I am truly in awe of her. The way she conveys religious images and such in her lyrics I believe to have only ever been found in one other; Nick Cave. I’d say she is the female Nick Cave, but really she is just her. Unique and mind-blowing. There is no other singer around, regardless of gender, like her. That alone makes you treasure her even more.
I think the line, “Did you learn to make a fist before you learned to speak?”sums up society perfectly. We are becoming more and more violent by the day. We channel our hate into things that do not matter and we create monsters out of ourselves. The Violence of Man makes you feel sorry for humanity because we are no longer accepting. Instead we just fight. We fight for nothing, we just harm others for no reason at all.
As I listen to her voice caress my eardrums, I can only hope you allow it to do the same. Brandy St.John easily has the best voice I’ve heard since Patti Smith. I simply cannot understand why songs like this aren’t taking over our airwaves. Then again, when you find something so precious of it, you think no one else will get it. But I truly hope you listen, and fully understand.
“He rides a dark horse. Crosses burned in its sides. He rides hooded in the dead of night.”
My love for Brandy’s voice is on a scale that not even I can comprehend. I seem to listen to a few of her songs a day. There is something about her voice and her dark lyrics that bring comfort. Her voice is just utterly perfect. You always find a singer don’t you, that just does something to your soul. Something that you cannot explain. Yet when you try to explain, words fail you. I guess all you can do is share the music in the hopes someone else understands and falls for the music too. In an ideal world, this would happen. Maybe it still can.
Brandy’s been working with Yeah Yeah Yeahs on her debut single, Dark Horse. It is produced by Nick Zinner and Karen O. Brian Chase plays drums, and Nick unleashes his guitar (slide and acoustic) and keyboard skills on this haunting song. You do get a Yeah Yeah Yeahs feel throughout the song, mainly songs such as Warrior and Sweets; the darker songs by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Dark Horse is pure and open. It is the kind of song that you simply must have on repeat (I’ve done so over the past hour, I can’t listen to anything else just yet.) Brandy’s voice sounds as eerie and as divine as ever. It really does annoy me that someone with this amount of talent, how someone so gifted isn’t huge you know? We give out free passes to those who make arses of themselves on reality shows, yet those with such talent are overlooked. It’s wrong. So bloody wrong. This could turn into a rant, so I’ll stop.
Brandy’s words are poems of the soul. Her words are like a cleansing of the soul. When you listen to her, you feel purer. You feel as if you have erased all past sins and you can live again. Her songs feel like you are being redeemed. That although you feel like a terrible person stuck in a dark place, you are probably more alive than most. To be in touch with the side of life that most shun takes strength and courage. You’ll find strength and courage in a song by The Long Wives.
Brandy makes music that gives you hope that out there, someone is still making music with heart and soul. This is music for the soul. This is music that acts like a confession. A step towards a cure for what troubles you.
You can listen to the single here : http://thelongwives.bandcamp.com/album/dark-horse-la-vengenista-single and is available to download and ALL sales of the single go towards Hurricane Sandy Relief. Get yourself a copy. Make a mix CD for someone, and stick this song on it. Tell everyone and anyone about The Long Wives, they just need to know.
I could quite happily sit here and write an essay on Dark Horse, but it’s one of those songs that requires nothing but your attention because words aren’t good enough; they quite simply won’t do it justice.
“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.
Music doesn’t have to be hyped up to high heaven or over-produced in order for it to be nothing short of amazing. It doesn’t have to have so much going on that you lose sight of its meaning. Sometimes when it is so simple and stripped back, you truly see and hear how beautiful something is. You can apply this to anything in life. People, books, places- it doesn’t have to be covered in nonsense in order for it to be the most chilling and haunting thing you have ever heard.
I love voices that are the strongest part of a band. Voices that really lure you in. Voices that make you stay with the band for as long as they are around. When they create a sound that is like nothing else, you find yourself being utterly enthralled by it all. It doesn’t have to posses strange effects in order for it to be the most ethereal thing you have ever heard.
The Long Wives is just one person. One beautiful person who makes music that is glued to your heart. It owns your heart, it is YOUR heart. The Long Wives is Brandy St.John. The Long Wives are one of my favourite acts to come from Los Angeles.
Brandy’s voice is haunting. Her bio says her music is, “Songs about death and love, and the death of love.” Just reading this is enough for me to know I’m going to love her music. As I play her music writing this, I cannot help but wish all music was as bare and as courageous as this. Why isn’t all music as exposed and vulnerable as this? You shouldn’t be scared to cast yourself wide open. Then again, from personal experience I have learnt that being honest about your feelings is never a good thing. Ever.
Then we have artists such as Brandy who make it okay. She sings songs that are about things people constantly fear. Death and love. If anything, the way she writes makes you feel comfortable with these two things. They are the things in life that you cannot avoid. Like it or not, you’re going to die. Like it or not, you’ll fall in love. Not sure how many times or when it will happen, but it will. Sometimes you just have to kick fear in the face. Or walk away. Make the best decision you can for yourself.
Judas Hex is my favourite track by The Long Wives. She writes like Patti Smith. By this I mean, her words are pure poetry. The music is simple and the lyrics are captivating. Everything she does is just a piece of heaven. Every song I have listened to oozes truth. It oozes so much honesty. It is like an exorcism for the soul. With all my heart I’d love to turn my friends onto her music, but as I listen to her I feel like I do when I listen to Warpaint. This is such a private and sacred experience. To share this with anyone may strip away all her music is starting to mean to me.
I know what I want to say. God..I have so much I want to say about this music. It makes me want to put some clothes in a bag, and start my life in LA. I’m giving myself to 30 to make this happen. I’ve got just under 4 years to do this. If anyone wants to help, FEEL FREE. Her music makes me feel like something is going on that..is beyond my understanding. I hope you feel the same way too when you listen to her. You cannot help but feel as if she has got inside your thoughts and turned them into something beautiful; no matter how ugly it may leave you feeling.
Hand on heart, she has a voice that I can say is one of the most stunning and perfect voices I have ever EVER heard. I know I fall instantly in love with bands on what seems a daily basis, but this right here is something I will be still clinging onto in years to come. In an ideal world this would be the kind of music you hear everywhere. But you don’t. Maybe it is a good thing because those who are fortunate to find music as deep and as soothing as this will love it for life.
There’s beauty in the darkness and there is beauty in the feelings that can sometimes petrify us. To allow us to see it sometimes means we have to turn to others to rip it out from us. The Long Wives does exactly this. This is what has left me in awe with The Long Wives. Not just that one person does all of this, but how they do it. I know people throw the word “perfect” about without even meaning it- but I truly do here. Her music is just perfect, and what’s more- you can tell it comes from the heart. A place some of us shy away from and ignore.
Beat In My Bones. 