Circulation - Volume 11

C i r c u l a t i o n V o l u m e

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DAN CROLL Also —–— East India Youth, Drenge, Canterbury + more...

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C i r c u l a t i o n V o l u m e

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—— The Team Editor

Managing Director Lily Grant

Secretary

Nat Barker

Comment Editor Events Co-ordinators

Maisie KellY

Elizabeth Villanueva Iglesias

Features Editor Sophie Brear

Reviews Editor Harry Rosehill

Press + PR

NANCY Saul

Live Editor

Kyle Picknell

Arts Editor

Georgia Marshall

Jonjo Lowe

Joni Roome

Grace Marsh

Anoosh Djavaheri Milo Boyd

Katie Barclay Sam Boullier Oscar Burton Xi

Columns

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Live

13 Earworm Records

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15 Albums

19 SPIN OFf

Majestic Casual is my Favourite Band

Talking Vinyl

Photo Credits

• Dan Croll

By Stoked PR

• East India Youth

By Rebecca Miller and

Carolina Faruolo

• Drenge From Ian Cheek Press

• DrDr

By Laurence Howe

• Canterbury From Trail of Press

Editor’s Note

I always find myself unavoidably attached to the artists and ideas that we feature in Circulation. It’s a rare indulgence to sit down and study these things in depth, and then respond to them too. This month, we’ve considered the possibilities of identities for those who live in public: whether to be overt like

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DAN CROLL

EAST INDIA YOUTH DRENGE DRdr canterbury

bhav mistry bhav@bhavmistry.net

Will the bespectacled face of edition 11 reach the heady heights that predecessors Bastille and London Grammar have? I hope so, for Dan Croll as much as for us. I came to this task with a warning and a conviction that January is a barren desert in the music industry, but learning from

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Design + Print

the rest of the team, talking to all the artists in this issue, exploring the records that have kick-started 2014, and hunting down shows from bands otherwise overlooked, has brought forth some true gems that I’ll carry with me for quite some time.

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Steve Malkmus and the Jicks ESG Deer Tick

Disraeli Gears + Friends

Kit Lockey Lucy Wegerif

Out with the old, in with the new.

The eleventh issue of Circulation is brought to you by a whole new team. Watched over by our award-winning previous cover stars, and award-winning previous editors, there’s been a lot to learn and a lot to hope for.

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The Electronic Antipodean Krautrock

Illustrators

HOLLY HUNT

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—— Contents

Contributors

Alice Lawrence

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JAY PEE

Wearing Your Art on Your Sleeve

James Vincent McMorrow Canterbury Warpaint Mogwai Of Mice & Men Bombay Bicycle Club Mark McGuire Solander Sky Ferreira

The Problem with Sharing Dirty Sexy Liberalism

East India Youth, relatable like Dan Croll, or contrived and constructed like those mentioned in our SpinOff about dirty, sexy liberalism.

There’s also been a common thread exploring how we consume music, from the vinyl stacks of record shops, to the artwork that presents the music to us, to the lack of either on certain media platforms.

We are nothing if not willing consumers.

I hope you consume our work just as willingly.

ALICE LAWrENCE

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Contact Any queries / complaints / comments?

Get in touch if you’re interested in contributing to any part of the magazine. [e] circulationmagazine@yusu.org [w] circulation-mag.com [f] facebook.com/circulationmag

COLUMNS

The Electronic Antipodean I shouted out ‘Australian music: go!’ to a room full of people. They ignored me. After I shouted it a few more times there was an unenthusiastic response: ACDC, Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave, and Rolf Harris... Later, looking into it a little deeper online, I was baffled to find quite a few acts that I had just assumed were American to actually be Australian: Knife Party, Pendulum, Madison Avenue... the list goes on. Interesting acts in their own right certainly, but all musical anomalies. They don’t really come together as a scene that you can identify as Australian.

Not that they have to, but I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the phrase ‘Australian music’ doesn’t summon any concrete ideas of what that means.

In recent years Australia and New Zealand actually seem to have exported more commercially successful comedy acts to the UK than they have music acts.

Tim Minchin and Flight of the Conchords are worthy examples.

That said, recently my iPod has become filled with more and more music from that part of the world, and my ears are happier because of it.

Ta-ku has flown relatively under the radar, despite his extensive volume of work and production credits on a variety of interesting work internationally. I recommend checking the ‘Day and Night’ EP, or the LP ‘50 Days for Dilla’. Flight Facilities did well with “Crave You” in 2010 but not much has been heard from them since, despite a few great releases, such as “Stand

Columns

make some of the best wines in the world.

Still” at the end of last year. Thrupence’s ‘Voyages’ EP remains, in my opinion, one of the best slept on releases of 2012.

Then, in 2013, Flume arrived with his debut album of the same name, followed by the deluxe mixtape version, both receiving rave reviews from the international music press. Chet Faker dropped the ‘Thinking in Textures’ EP in May 2013 to massive critical acclaim.

The two artists recently collaborated on a EP called ‘Drop the Game’, which is definitely worth a listen. Azure Maya’s dreamscape indulgence ‘The New York Diaries’ is another one to check out. The list goes on again.

Flume, still relatively small in the UK, is shopping centre music in Australia. Are we sleeping on what this part of the world has to offer us musically? Swiss wine and Australasian music are not majorly exported, which is sad because they’re both great. Go drink it. Go listen to it. Go. Oscar Burton Xi

Krautrock The children of the Nazis were a fascinating generation. In art, they gave us the neo-expressionist and conceptualist movements, in cinema Herzog, Fassbender and Wenders penetrated the arthouse scene, and in music, they came up with one of the most radical movements in rock history. For a genre born of a narrow-minded ethnic slur featured in NME, Krautrock has done a generation proud.

I’ve seen a load of different genre categories applied to these artists, but they never really seem to capture the sound. Yet whether it falls closer to house or hip hop, or whether you call it EDM or electronica, it doesn’t really matter. Maybe because of Australia’s distance from certain style epicentres like Berlin, Chicago, London and Brooklyn, its sound doesn’t get caught in dogmatic traps or attempts to pigeonhole a movement. Instead, they seem to be drawing influence in a broad way, with aspects from all of these places noticeably making their mark.

The genre wasn’t characterised by style, but rather by anti-style.

Although influenced by studies in classical jazz (rather the more bluesy western musical taste), the movement ended up leading to crazy experiments involving an unhealthy amount of Japanese hobos, computer speech software, synthesisers and enough LSD to drive Huxley bonkers. In short, it’s weird.

Ta-Ku’s moniker is The GenreKiller. The impudence of that aside, it does say something about his approach to making music that is refreshing and seems to apply to a lot of artists from Oz.

Thanks to Pink Floyd’s best efforts and John Peel’s open support, the likes of Neu! and Amon Düül II were lapped up by the hypocritically eager British public. Hours of moody jams, minimalist vocals, and radical experimentations in

I think what I’m trying to say is that Australian music is like Swiss wine. Bear with me. Switzerland is generally associated with cheese and chocolate. But scratch the surface back and you’ll find they

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what the simple set-up of synth, guitar, bass and drums can do, were loved by the mid-twenties kids who were getting over their teenage hippie phase. Elements of counter culture, psychedelia and prog-rock cling on, but the jazz influence definitely took favour, leading to a more ambient instrumentation. Most famously (or infamously), Can’s “Yoo Doo Right” is a 20 minute jam constructed from over 6 hours of recording.

Over time the movement penetrated the mainstream. With the likes of The Velvet Underground bringing similar textural soundscapes into the forefront, German bands became increasingly well known in America as well.

Tangerine Dream began doing soundtracks, most recently working on GTA V. Kraftwerk are considered one of the most influential pop acts of all time, and are still headlining festivals to this day.

Beyond influencing everyone from Ian Curtis to Thom Yorke, the genre is experiencing a rebirth, with obvious links to space-rockers such as Tame Impala, or more purist approaches such as Andrew Weatherall/Daniel Avery favourites Eats Lights Becomes Lights.

With something similar to the relationship between hip hop and the Civil Rights Movement, this was Germany transcending Anglo-American pop culture. It wasn’t just a bunch of music students hopped up on acid; it was an artistic cry for help in a time of unfairly inherited guilt. Krautrock stood as a defiant symbol of Germany’s cultural independence in a time when the country needed it most.

Sam Boullier

ILLUSTRATION: Lucy Wegerif

LIVE

Steve Malkmus and the Jicks, The Forum, London 16/01/14 A lot can happen in fourteen years. Since their formation almost immediately after Pavement’s hiatus in 2000, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks have released six albums, the latest of which, ‘Wig Out at Jagbags’, was released in January to positive acclaim. The much hoped for Pavement reunion tour was realised in 2010, but it remained a one off. It would appear then that the world is happy to let Malkmus continue to make the music he wants, rather than clamour for a bygone chapter in his career.

Support came in the form of Joanna Gruesome, who were produced by Hookworms’ MJ arguably one the most important figures in the UK’s current guitar band resurgence. Playing “Sugarcrush” from their debut album ‘Weird Sister’, the band are, as their name suggests, at both their most melodic and raucous.

With beautifully delicate vocals from lead singer Alanna McArdle and guitarist Owen Williams juxtaposed with driving drums and distorted guitars, the song is perfect noisepop. Dressed in black with hair dyed to match, McArdle had the stage presence of a puppeteer. When she wasn’t singing she turned her back to the crowd as if, despite always being visible, she attempted to make herself part of the background until she turned to deliver another blast of vocals. The effect was mesmerising, more so when combined with lines such as ‘I dream of pulling out your teeth’. A quite incredible start.

LIVE

ESG,Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 18/01/14

The Jicks then took to the stage to rapturous applause before opening with new single “Lariat”.

Malkmus sung the closing lines, ‘We grew up listening to the music from the best decade ever, Talking about the A-D-Ds’, with the room singing his sentiments back to him. As the song ended Malkmus quickly remarked ‘Okay, we got that one out the way’ and I’m still undecided as to his tone. Perhaps it was the long UK and European tour, or the stresses of filling out one of London’s largest venues, for whatever reason Malkmus seemed reserved. Bassist Joanna Bolme repeatedly apologised for not being able to hear shouts from the crowd and Malkmus did little to alleviate the situation, muttering his replies past his microphone at his feet where he seemed intent on tuning.

I’ll put it to you like this: my gigpartner, who has never listened to ESG before, thought this was one of the best gigs he’s ever been to.

I agree. ESG are, to my mind, the ultimate dance band. Originally consisting of the sparse setup of drummer, bassist and two vocalists/conga players, the Scroggins sisters proved that every other instrument is irrelevant. Being brought into music through their mother’s desire to get them off the infamous South Bronx streets, the sisters went on to create a stripped down, perfectly formed punk-funk sound.

As the set went on, the crowd continued to try to interact and perhaps misinterpreting their shouts as dissatisfaction, Malkmus became more and more retracted from them. ‘We’re probably nervous or something’ explained their drummer Jake Morris, despite a visibly growing air of tension on stage. This manifested itself physically during the opening bars of their next song, when Malkmus, clearly unhappy, stopped mid-verse to change his guitar. Despite this, guitarist Mike Clark seemed to be enjoying himself, mounting his amp in the appropriate places for the obligatory stage moves that are synonymous with a certain red guitar.

Recording their debut album ‘Come Away With ESG’ in a garage, they accidentally became major influences in the eighties New York dance movement. Having been sampled by everyone from the Beastie Boys to Nine Inch Nails, and named as major influences by the likes of M.I.A and LCD Soundsystem, it’s clear that I’m in good company when I sing their praises. Becoming accidental major influences does have its problems though; see the band’s 1992 EP ‘Sampling Don’t Pay My Bills’. You might not have heard of the band, but you’ve heard their song “UFO” on records by Basement Jaxx, LL Cool J, N.W.A, Queen, Public Enemy… The list goes on. Live, though, they are very much artists in their own right.

Malkmus, though, should give himself a break; the band sounded great. During “Senator” especially, there was a relaxed glimpse of just just how good they could have been. Maybe he just needs to believe it.

Since the band managed to technically split up before I was even born, it’s quite something to be seeing them live. They reformed in 1991 (still before I was born), and have been

Will Olenski

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touring and recording on and off since then. Last night, I saw them in a slightly different incarnation. There was two of the original four on stage, donning baseball jerseys and grins of pure joy. Alongside them were a very talented midtwenties pair on drums and bass, and a Bez-esque cowbell playing pair that riled up the audience perfectly by aimlessly cavorting across the stage.

Between the generation gaps both in the audience and the band, an atmosphere was created that fulfils every dream of the New York scene I’ve had.

In the perfectly sized Brudenell Social Club there was just enough room for everyone to dance without feeling empty, enough audience for it to be special without losing that allimportant intimacy. Everyone wanted to be there, everyone wanted to dance and everyone, particularly the band, was grateful for the night. I can understand why they’ve been trying to play their final show for seven years. The band’s love for their own music and the audience’s pleasure was so unavoidably clear that it was impossible to avoid smiling for the entire 90 minute set.

Their accidental success is a testament to their greatest asset: there is no intelligent approach to what they’re doing. It could explain how the minds of even the greatest musicians often get fogged up. Instead ESG, a musical time capsule of all that really matters when it comes to being hip, are still cutting the shit and acting on the most innocent and pure of intentions: to make people dance.

Sam Boullier

IMAGE: Will olenski & sam boullier

LIVE

GIGS G eo r ge E z r a W e d 1 2/02/14 T h e Duc h ess , Y o r k

L on d on G r a mm a r W e d 1 2/02/14 O 2 Ac a d emy, L ee d s

Ezra Furman

Deer Tick, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, 21/01/14 A couple of songs in to Deer Tick’s set, frontman John McCauley looks up to the ceiling and spits in to the air. The crowd, the band and McCauley alike watch in suspense, following the acrobatic phlegm as it travels skywards, sparkles under the stage lights, flips and land right back in his mouth again.

Indifferent, he swallows and breaks in to the next song. It’s fortunate really: his Rhode Island voice is so raspy that his saliva is probably caustic, and had that globule landed anywhere else, I think it would have burnt a hole.

It’s not the nicest anecdote to bring back, but it’s hard not to relish Deer Tick’s indifference to the way things are supposed to be done, in music and in their day-to-day life. They disagree with record labels, they hate ‘indie-rock’, they play Nirvana covers at SXSW. There’s the messy stuff about the drink and the drugs, but there’s also the nice stuff about McCauley’s recent marriage to Vanessa Carlton, in a ceremony officiated

by Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks.

All this in mind, it’s difficult to know what to expect from their live show. They start with a lot from 2013’s ‘Negativity’, perhaps with exaggerated country twangs for a UK audience.

Before long though, they break in to a raucous rendition of Buddy Holly’s “Oh Boy”, followed by “Let’s All Go to the Bar”, and it seems to be country and rock and punk in perfect, clamouring harmony.

LIVE

F r i 14/02/14 T h e Duc h ess , Y o r k

Until now, McCauley has been clambering on the drum kit and drinking beer with no hands while playing guitar. When Carlton joins the band on stage for “In Our Time” his entire demeanour changes; unable to stop glancing at her and smirking. It’s entirely affecting to watch, especially after he’s spoken about her helping with his substance abuse, his incarcerated father, and all else that comes with being in Deer Tick. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like a ripple of vicarious sanctity spreads through the room for a moment.

F o r est S wo r d s F r i 14/02/14 B elg r a ve M usic H a ll , L ee d s

RA : Hu d son M o h a w k e , G eo r ge F it z ge r a l d , J a c k m a ste r S at 1 5 /0 2 /1 4 C a n a l M ills , L ee d s

C a te L e B on S un 1 6 / 0 2 / 1 4 B r u d enell S oci a l C lub , L ee d s

The moment lasts only a song though; Carlton leaves and the second half of the set becomes groovy, more fluid, and somehow veers in to “Good King Wenceslas” amongst other, more rowdy divergences. I wonder if it’s quite similar to being inside McCauley’s head. Sometimes you amble through things, like the guitars, sometimes you swagger, like the walking bass lines, sometimes you notice other people, but sometimes you’re entirely caught up in your own thing and often it culminates in crashes and roars and feedback and noise.

F a t W h ite F a mily W e d 19/02/14 B elg r a ve M usic H a ll , L ee d s

C lou d C ont r ol W e d 19/02/14 N a tion of S h o p k ee p e r s , L ee d s

W a r p a int W e d 19/02/14 O 2 Ac a d emy, L ee d s

Occasionally this goes too far: at one point McCauley makes gun imitations at the side of his head.

The rest of the time though, this is a captivating glimpse of one of the most interesting bands working through a fascinating turning point and really coming out on top, musically and personally.

TOY S un 2 3 / 0 2 / 1 4 T h e C oc k p it, L ee d s

T RAA M S M on 2 4 / 0 2 / 1 4 B r u d enell S oci a l C L ub , L ee d s

Frankly, if I’d got my music honed like Deer Tick have at the moment, and if I’d just married someone that makes me smile like McCauley is, I’d be spitting in to my own mouth with excitement too.

TÂC H E S W e d 26/02/14 W i r e , L ee d s

B ice p F r i 28/02/14 W i r e , L ee d s

Alice Lawrence

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PHOTO: Alice Lawrence

LIVE

Disraeli Gears + Friends, Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds, 22/01/14 There is that ancient thought experiment: If a band doesn’t have a SoundCloud or Bandcamp page, does it still make a sound?

I riddle myself this as four-piece Engine take to the stage to open the evening, without so much as a Twitter page to prove their existence. Their music is noisy, but psychedelic too, with a superficial resemblance to Peace, perhaps. I overhear someone in the crowd say that this is one of Engine’s first gigs together as a band. Despite not having quite found their sound, they are definitely making one, and so the answer to the question is yes, and there’s something quite exciting about watching a band you know can’t be relived through MP3 later. I strain to fully commit to memory their fiddly bass parts, fastpaced drums and soaring chorus1 GOD Circulation Ad AW.pdf of ‘I must be getting old’.

Engine are followed by Death Rattle - dark electro perfectly set against Nation of Shopkeepers’ stage. One half is suited, chiseled and bearded like a Faustian drummer, and the other is dressed in black, with an eclipsing stare that she manages to hold with each member of the audience for an uncomfortably long time. Well-placed floor lights cast amplified shadows of the pair on to the red velvet stage curtain behind, like a bewitching, distorted puppet show.

little distant, like if you reached out to grab it, it wouldn’t actually be there. Perhaps it’s a different, more confrontational performance when there’s a real drum kit, as opposed to the mostly electric one they use tonight, but in this intimate setting, it works well. It’s gloom pop, with elements of Purity Ring, but tighter, more industrial.

Death Rattle are certainly the ones casting the spell, not being cast upon.

Leeds four-piece Disraeli Gears take to the stage, in front of a full room. They open with “Back of my Eyes” and the crowd

22/01/2014 09:17 Much like the shadows,

their music feels a little elusive, a

immediately manages to take the brooding, middle-child sulkiness of their songs and turn it in to a chant. Considering the band have yet to release so much as an EP, it’s testament to Leeds’ thriving music scene, artists and spectators alike.

Disraeli Gears sing songs about admitting to your mother that you sold your lungs (‘who needs breathing anyway?’) and about undressing by taking the skin from your bones. It’s vulnerable but potent too. Lead singer Teia has an astonishing control over the volume of her own voice; one line of a song can oscillate several times between a wail and a whisper. It becomes quite hypnotic, broken only when she pauses to allow the guitars to crash down around her.

Surprised by the crowd’s demand for an encore, they finished with “Skeleton” and admit that they’ve now played their entire catalogue of songs.

Nonetheless, they debuted a new song earlier, so one can only hope an EP or album lies in the not to distant future. The crowd tonight has certainly proved it’d be in demand.

Alice Lawrence

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LIVE

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Illustration: PHOTO: Alice Erin Lawrence Cork

INTERVIEW

DAN CROLL ‘I think we all just see music differently’ - we chat to Dan Croll.

The question, ‘what’s the point of going to university?’ is one asked with increasing frequency nowadays. I am asked it by many; I ask it of myself, and of others. It’s quite refreshing to sit down and talk to Dan Croll, a man whose achievements and projects have grown determinedly and organically out of his time at university, and are now penetrating spheres far beyond the microcosm of higher education.

Croll’s venture in to the ‘real world’ of music is not born of a furious obsession since childhood, nor nurturing from parents whose band was once the best thing the eighties

INTERVIEW

Musicians’ Benevolent Fund, played in several bands around Liverpool, and has now carved out his position as a solo musician, with a highly anticipated album, ‘Sweet Disarray’, due out next month.

ever heard. A severe rugby injury aged seventeen found him hauled up in bed for weeks, with intentions of a sporting career fading fast. “In bed with a broken leg, I was forced (not in a negative way) to listen to the music more in depth, and after a while started weirdly seeing and hearing songs differently, almost as a career or lifestyle”.

Such an introduction might portray Croll as some sort of BRIT School dancer upon tables or X-Factor competition winner of vapidity, but it’s clear that an inquisitive creativity oozes from his music and his conversation. It’s especially clear when I ask about his recent trip to South Africa to record with the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo choir. “It will always be a tough experience to try and tell people about, as it was one of those ‘you had to be there to see my face’ moments. Hearing those

Croll’s announcement that his inertia had compelled him to apply to study university was met with ambivalence by his parents, but proved more than bed-ridden delirium when he was accepted in to Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. From there, things escalated fast – he won the Songwriter of the Year award from the

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guys in person, I liken it to hearing a lion roar for the first time in the Berlin Zoo - it’s an animal that I’ve heard a million times on the TV but hearing it just a metre away from me really took my breath away and made my spine tingle. I was incredibly grateful for them having me at what was a tough time for South Africa, mourning the death of Nelson Mandela”.

A lot of Croll’s music already takes patent influence from African time signatures and percussion, of which he’s built up quite a mastery and collection. It’s most overt in the taxidermy-themed video for “Compliment Your Soul”, which sees him serenade a bear under the watchful eye of an ostrich in an abandoned primary school.

PHOTO: Stoked PR.

It’s these sorts of influences that make Croll’s music seem playful and colourful. He says he finds it important “to take into mind the season in which a song is released”; so far his singles have been tropical and summery, so what can we expect from an album released in early Spring?

“There’s a few close, intimate songs in there that will suit early spring well. Some of them start off quite slow and empty (rather similar I’m sure to how a lot of people are feeling after Christmas and in January), but they have the uplifting turn around which I’m sure will get people excited for summer and the rest of the year to come”.

Nonetheless, I can’t help but mention that some of Dan’s songs so far could possibly be described as twee. Perhaps it’s just the contrast of an ex- rugby player and doorman singing ‘if you ever come round to my house, take your shoes off at the door, cause it’s impolite not to, you’ll be damaging my floor’, as he does in “Home”. Yet there is something of Darwin Deez, or Sweet Baboo in there, and I’m curious whether ‘twee’ will illicit a knowing nod or an insulted glare. “I suppose it’s down to lyrical content - often songs are classed as ‘twee’ when the artist is talking about relationships, which I do... a lot. I think we all just see music differently, and it’s whatever you make it out to be”.

“I agree that my music can be ‘twee’; “Home”, for example, just bounces along whilst I talk about my family”.

As a result of this, Croll’s grandmother, who features in the video, has been watched over a quarter of a million times on YouTube. “She loves it, she’s always at the centre of attention in my family. She’s also a very religious woman, and I’m sure she’s the centre of attention in church after telling this story to the whole of the congregation”.

In fact, Croll’s family, and a pervading appreciation of home and its comforts, recur in his music. As someone who talks about his time at university a lot, and has recently been touring extensively in Europe and America, has this appreciation come from spending a lot of time away? There are probably a lot of young adults who have left home and come to a sharp realisation that their family is worth writing a nice song about. “We’ve always been close; I had a great upbringing with only the minor sibling squabble, so they’ve always been worth writing about. I do think though that university and tour life has enhanced

INTERVIEW

those feelings and the importance of having them all”.

of the way, or when things have calmed down, I’ll come back around to them and perhaps try and get these artists to hear them”.

It’s a nice contrast to some new artists that like to start their careers with an air of mystery, revealing little, appearing at the front of the pop world perfectly moulded; a PR campaign of non-existence waged until the critics give them the nod of approval. Croll plays no such games – he talks candidly about his previous bands (including math-rockers Dire Wolfe), his personal life in general, and more difficult aspects of his job. “Occasionally through opening up I’ve had fans give me advice and help me through things, there were a lot of people sending lovely messages when I was giving a talk on my dealings with anxiety, and I was incredibly grateful for that”.

Of Croll’s songs for himself, although he concedes “lyrics are often the last thing I’ll do on a song”, I’m particularly fond of “Compliment Your Soul” for the word play in this phrase. Though it’s not confirmed that it’s intentional, I suspect it is when he tells me about Racquet Records, his own imprint that he devised in order to release first single “From Nowhere”.

I had assumed this to be a political stance, but ”it was really because I had no other labels offering to put it out. I was also broke and recording everything ‘DIY’ in a disused primary school gym, and I suppose it made me want to release the first single in a very similar way”.

He continues, “there’s an amazing feeling that comes with fans feeling like they’ve gone through the same experience or are feeling a similar way to you, and I think this can happen not only through the music, but through day-to-day life and on social media”.

Croll says that if you listen closely, you can hear recordings of their lunchtime badminton games in the school’s courts; shuttlecock hitting racquet amongst the racket.

One can’t help but compare Croll’s busy life now - recording, touring, playing badminton - with the bed-ridden period that led him here. He must surely seek that clarity again after such a busy couple of years. “I still try to find the time to go back to that zone and give songs my full attention, often to remind myself what I’m doing”. Did he imagine he’d be writing soundtracks to hijacking helicopters and winning world cups? A couple of his tracks have featured on the FIFA 14 and GTA V playlists. His album wouldn’t be the first I reach for when I’m planning a heist with my cartel. He admits, “me neither, so that’s why I ran out straight away to buy both the games. Turns out, it works quite well...”

Alice Lawrence

There are certainly clues to Croll’s personal life in his music though; he admits “I don’t really ever think about it, like most of my songs they’ve just happened because of a recent event or experience. Every song is a bit of a ‘let out’ for me, I just sing and write about what’s happening there and then”.

I recently caught Croll on the radio lamenting never quite feeling educated enough in songwriting; a nod to the elusive nature of its virtuosity, rather than a complaint about Paul McCartney’s establishment, I think.

Still, he must have picked up a few tricks in his time there.

“I just record ideas on my phone all the time. While a song’s in its early stage I usually (and embarrassingly) just mumble stuff in to the microphone, and I often find after a few takes something just pops up that I like the sound of”.

Having been schooled in such a variety of music, and with such a vibrant, musical mind, I suspect a lot of the ideas he records must not quite fit the Dan Croll solo path that he’s currently treading. Would he consider writing songs for other artists too? “I would love to! I often write songs that I feel are just too far away from myself, genre-wise, but I’ll always keep them because I quite often have an artist in mind who could fit it better. I’m sure once I’ve got my own stuff out

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PHOTO: Stoked PR.

INTERVIEW

Ea s t Ind i a Youth We talked to East India Youth to find out more about identity of artist and music.

I sit down to talk to William Doyle – the man that is East India Youth – in the week of the release of his debut album, ‘Total Strife Forever’.

It’s been a long time coming. The demo CD version was finished over eighteen months ago, and was thrust in to the hands of the editor of The Quietus at a Factory Floor show. So impressed was he, that the website created their own record label in order to release Doyle’s earlier EP, ‘Hostel’.

Clearly, then, Doyle is a man that makes an impression (or at least his music does), though neither

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really consider myself part of any electronic scene, and I don’t view myself as an archetypal electronic producer. The album is so personal to me and I wanted to convey that”. It is quite perfectly encapsulated in ‘Total Strife Forever’’s artwork – a Lucian Freudeque portrait of Doyle, overlaid with the ‘notes’ of a MIDI software sequencer. The style seems especially fitting: Freud, too, was a man who firmly created his own artistic identity.

is easy to define. I’ve seen him politely struggling with a situation where the venue’s bouncer wouldn’t allow him back in to his own gig, yet on stage he is frantically absorbed in the desk in front of him and the sounds it produces, hardly peering out to the crowd from behind his fringe. It seems strange, then, that the artwork for ‘Total Strife Forever’, as well as for ‘Hostel’ and the video for last year’s single “Dripping Down”, features Doyle’s face prominently. In an age where musical anonymity is easier through the internet, was it a conscious decision to put the visual focus so heavily on himself?

Doyle elaborates, “we didn’t want to do any photos where I was staring out into the distance with absolutely no expression on my face or anything. We

“It was really, because I make electronic music but I don’t

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wanted to shoot straight into the bowel of the lens and pronounce the personality behind it all. It just wasn’t anything that I saw many people doing at the moment and I just thought it would be an interesting way of trying to do something different with it”.

Musically, too, Doyle is certainly “doing something different with it”. To me, it sounds as though he has three different sounds, which he uses on different tracks: the more drone influenced ones, the synth-pop ones, and the techno ones. “I think the reason it sounds like that is to do with the amount

PHOTO: REBECCA MILLER

of time it took to make the album.

It was quite a long process and in that time I ended up hearing a lot of different and new stuff that influenced me in certain ways. I always thought it would be great to make an eclectic album like that”.

“On the other hand, when people single you out and identify you as this chameleon or shape-shifter I think it can be harmful, because anything less would seem as though you’ve not tried as hard, whereas really what I want to do is focus on a certain aspect and develop that into something that’s strong. So I don’t know if I’ll always continue to be that eclectic but it made sense to me at the time of this album, to keep things fresh and exciting for me if nothing else”.

I’m intrigued by the number of artists that must have influenced this project, especially since Doyle fronted a four-piece indie band before exploring electronic music as East India Youth. “There was stuff like Brian Eno, who hangs over me like a bad smell, more in the sense of his methodology and the way he approaches creativity and that’s really inspiring to me”.

“In terms of sound, I like the tug of war between orchestral and electronic sounds, such as Sufjan Stevens on ‘Age of Adz’ and similarly

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Bjork’s ‘Homogenic’. I find that an interesting thing, I love orchestral music as much as I love electronic music so binding the two together felt quite natural, and having that same dynamic contrast and textural changes over a piece. In that sense stuff like Arvo Pärt, the Estonian composer, is such a huge influence on how the record sounds. Also, more minimalist stuff like Steve Reich and Philip Glass”. He laughs. “Every young person seems to be influenced by Steve Reich and Philip Glass now, don’t they?”

industry; it being a play on Foals’ 2010 album ‘Total Life Forever’. It’s certainly an interesting choice of title, considering the rarity of an artist outside of hip hop referencing other musicians in such a direct way. Doyle explains, “It wasn’t an attack by any means. I’ve got lots of respect for that band, they’re a really interesting group. It was just a pun I jotted down in my notebook. I assigned it as the working title for the album, but the problem with that is when you give something a name like that, it’s so hard to go back on it and call it something else as it starts to have its own identity really”.

The culmination of these influences has produced an album that has had critics rejoicing.

As someone whose work was unconventionally given the means to express itself by a music critic of sorts, I wonder how much attention he pays to them.

“I thought it might not be the best idea in the world to call it that, but it sums up the mood and theme of the album personally and I thought it was worth taking a risk on. I’m not trying to cause anyone any offence by it, I just thought it was too perfect to let it go away”.

“At the start of my career I took notice, because I didn’t have any expectation of what it was going to be like really. But as time has gone on, I’ve kind of stopped doing it. Reading criticism either positive or negative can send you the wrong way if you take it too seriously, so I’ve enjoyed the success and the reception so far but now that the wheels are in motion I’m just sort of keeping my nose out of it for the time being”.

‘Total Strife Forever’ may be apt for the album’s personal themes, but it’s also a fitting description of Doyle’s live shows. They’re excellent, but he does a lot on stage entirely alone. He frequently switches between instruments, including guitar, and seems engrossed in, if not tied to, his table of devices.

Has he ever considered recruiting others to help recreate the music live? “I had to cobble together the live set out of pure necessity - I

I had thought the name of the album was a small smirk at critics, and all the other in the music

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needed to be able to play live to get this thing off the ground really.

That was quite a big challenge for me, so I was a bit scared of involving other people at such an early stage”.

“It has developed as it’s gone along; I’ve gotten more comfortable and confident onstage. I’ve tried to develop the sound with every show, I haven’t just settled on one set and rolled that out. Every time I go out for a stint on the road, it will sound slightly different from the time before”.

Doyle seems to be a person who understands that sometimes you need to be alone. Whether that’s on stage, or in the musical epoch in which you operate, or simply as a defined individual. He doesn’t seem in a rush for company in any of those things.

“Perhaps one day I could see other musicians getting involved, but because of the way this project has developed at quite an organic, gradual pace, I want that to be a similarly gradual process. I don’t want to rush into anything”.

Harry Rosehill

PHOTO: CAROLINA FARUOLO

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D R E N GE We talk being loud, being on tour and being grizzly bears with Drenge’s Eoin Loveless.

‘Everybody thinks I’ve got new ideas’ yells Eoin Loveless, one half of emerging punk-noise duo Drenge. Only two songs into their self-titled debut album, it seems like a peculiar statement, particularly in a song so ferociously inventive. “Dogmeat” matches an imperial march drum beat with multi-tracked guitars injected with adrenaline. In a way, the statement and the song sum Drenge up.

Catching up with the singer, before he jets off for his first shows in America - beginning in New York of all places - he surprised me with a completely frank confession about the limits of his guitar sound. “I started playing guitar about 10 years ago and I guess I always thought I was playing really heavy stuff but it’s only when you have three massive amps, a chorus pedal and a distortion pedal that you start having the heaviest sound. I’m not sure I can actually go much further from here”. Despite the modesty, he admits that in terms of recording, Drenge are doing fine. After all, their critically acclaimed debut and raucous live shows have already earned the band a cult following that would be hard to

shake loose. “We’ve spent the past week in the studio recording two new songs that we’ve structured a bit differently and that we’re really proud of. I don’t know when those will come out. It’ll probably be... whenever. Whenever it’s right.

But yeah we’re in a good place in terms of writing and recording”.

Life on the road seems to appeal to the band and Eoin was quick to pay homage to some of the cities that have taken a hold on him so far. “I’ve kinda fallen in love with different bits of the UK. I really like Brighton, Liverpool and Glasgow. I think they’re all amazing places. And Hull as well.

I’m a big fan of Hull. It just doesn’t deserve the stick it gets. I find it’s really lovely and you find in those smaller places when people don’t have bands passing through, like in Manchester or London, you just find that they stop caring about genres and everyone is really appreciative of whichever band has come and played this town.

Hull has always been phenomenal to play. We really like it there”.

Just like York, I reminded him. He wholeheartedly agrees.

The highlight of their upcoming dates is without question their slot at the St. Jerome’s Parkway Festival in Adelaide. Sat alongside contemporaries as rich and diverse as Warpaint, Mount Kimbie, King Krule, Earl Sweatshirt, Jagwar Ma, CHVRCHES and Danny Brown, Eoin commented that it is the entire reason for their upcoming mini-world-tour. “We couldn’t have picked a better lineup really. It’s amazing”. When I had the chance to see Drenge live, it was with Peace and Superfood.

The sort of company Drenge keep is fittingly reflective of their undisputed talent. “We kinda met both bands at different things over the summer. We bumped into Peace at Bestival and we’re all sort of a similar age so it’s quite easy and natural to get on. Superfood are actually from the same label we’re on, they signed at the end of the summer so there is a connection there”.

A former university student at York (and Circulation alumni), Eoin was every bit as down to earth as Drenge’s rough around the edges, DIY aesthetic suggests. I asked Eoin how he relaxes on tour and he told me he has been watching, but is yet to finish Breaking Bad (although he had just wrapped up Season 4 before the interview) and begged me not to ruin the ending for him.

He also mentioned his favourite film, the Joy Division, Ian Curtis biopic Control. He joked that

he didn’t want to “pull a Curtis” before jetting off to America, and then explained why he loves the band, despite not being an obvious influence on his own unique style of music. “They’re really simplistic in a way but they’re really good at creating a mood. It’s hard to escape the mood that’s in that music. Just that whole sort of 80s, industrial sound. If you listen to a live recording of them, it doesn’t sound anything like them when they’re in the studio. It’s mad really, the difference between the band playing a gig and the tracks they actually recorded. I haven’t seen Control in a while, but every time I watch it I’m kinda devastated and not easy to talk to for a few days”.

Our throats began to swell up and in an attempt to avoid the inevitable tears and “I love you man” condolences down the phone I asked Eoin what animal he would be, were he given the choice by a magical genie or something.

You know how it is. “Probably a wolf. Yeah. I’m into wolves at the moment. Rory? (the other half of Drenge) He’d probably be a grizzly bear. The bear would win in a fight but a wolf would do... damage”.

When you actually sound like a wolf howling away with a grizzly bear on drums, do you need new ideas? No. I think not.

Kyle Picknell

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PHOTO: Ian Cheek

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DrDr We talk to the trio with a remedy for ailing electronic music.

The unusual dynamic of Brighton based production/vocalist trio DrDr definitely mark them out as something fresh and exciting within the electronic music genre. The group consists of talented producers Chris Campbell and Joe Woods, coupled with the haunting vocals of Donna Cursons. They bear an innovative sound that has been tentatively labelled ‘future garage’, but which even they struggle to pigeonhole.

Unlike many other producer partnerships, such as Disclosure and Rudimental, DrDr have chosen to make a vocalist an integral part of their setup.

This enables a closer working relationship and gives their work a fluidity that is rare in a genre where vocals are often drafted in for certain songs. When asked about the nature of their dynamic, Cursons explained it simply as: “I have always found that working together with people for a long period of time means you get to learn their strengths and the way in which they work.

There’s also something great about working with your mates and I hope the excitement that we get when writing these tracks comes across. That doesn’t mean

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it doesn’t work well with session vocalists, but it’s all about getting that vibe from a person and putting it into the track”.

who’s only after one thing’. The EP is accompanied by a stellar range of remixes, each bringing something profoundly new to the original song. DrDr comment: “We love all the producers we chose to remix this track and wanted to show them for the sheer talent that they are”.

Undeniably, their method does work, as they bring iconic pop songs such as “Show Me Love” and “Cry Me a River” into a whole new, ethereal dimension. In Cursons’ own words: “All of our covers have been out of love for the tracks or playing around with loops and having a vocal fit. They are something that we can have fun with, we never expected the insane response we got from “Cry Me a River” and it has inspired us to play with other amazing tracks to see how we can make them different”.

With a recent signing to Kissy Sell Out’s label San City Records, it appears DrDr are destined for big things. They credit YouTube channels such as Eton Messy and SubSoul as providing a platform for their music despite the negative reputation they can acquire for failing to gain recognition for the artists. When asked, DrDr strongly disagree with this image, validly pointing out that: “At the end of the day they need to promote themselves or they wouldn’t still be going, but I think they promote the artist 100%. With Eton Messy starting gigs up it gives that platform for artists who may not have worked together to have this huge audience, which their promotion has provided. It’s all about word of mouth”.

Despite their covers songs’ YouTube popularity, it is their own releases which truly showcase their talent. Past tracks such as “Addicted” and “Don’t Break It” feature a hedonistic future bass sound and silky vocals with strong lyrics. These set DrDr’s songwriting apart from the mindless repetitive vocals that electronic music is often renowned for. Cursons describes the inspiration for their new EP ‘Take it Lying Down’ as ‘about the fight you have with yourself when you start to fall for someone. About not getting in too deep, then realising you have broken your walls for someone

Kissy Sell Out is clear, as his label harbours big names such as Zeds Dead. “We have loved Kissy for years and it has been an incredible opportunity to work with someone who has been in the business for so long and is so talented. It’s all about meeting people like him in the industry to guide you in the right direction”.

By the sound of their new EP, it’s clear that DrDr are heading in the right direction. With a collaboration with Crown Duels to be released in February, and a new single due in April, 2014 appears to hold much in store for the trio.

Holly Hunt

This word of mouth led to Kissy Sell Out’s interest: “He got in touch with us after we released our first EP ‘No Compromise’, and asked us to do a cover of his track “Ready For The World””.

Their excitement at working with

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PHOTO: Laurence Howe

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C an t e r b u ry Canterbury reassure us of the state of rock.

When I pick up the phone to talk to Canterbury, I am greeted by something that sounds akin to a demolition zone. Turns out the London four-piece are in the middle of sound check for the release show of their latest album, ‘Dark Days’, out on 13 January via Hassle Records. I speak with singer and guitarist Mike Sparks, on the day of the release. He laughs about the sold-out show, held at The Hospital Club, a gentleman’s club in London: “we feel kind of out of place here”. It seems however, that Canterbury are ready to take on anything; as part of a close knit group of rising UK rock bands, Mike discusses why British rock music is currently so exciting to be a part of, the great mystery of ‘Canterbury’, and why they have New Found Glory to thank for it all.

“This is our most mature album.

We’ve definitely grown up as people, musicians and songwriters, and I think that’s really obvious (on the record)”. Canterbury, (whose line up is completed by bassist/ vocalist Luke Prebble, guitarist James Pipe and drummer Chris Velissarides) are on the rise to become one of the front runners in contemporary British rock.

‘Dark Days’ is set apart from their

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to success within the rock world; bands like Young Guns, Deaf Havana and We are the Ocean form such a group. Canterbury have recently been inducted: “In the UK rock scene everyone’s in the same boat- we’re not a huge country like America. We’re just a little island that’s making really good music. I think that everyone has a mutual respect for each other and everyone gets along.” Mike cites examples such as You Me at Six, and believes it’s now British rock bands, who are gaining big opportunities and making massive albums: “when we were growing up, all the good rock music was coming out of America, it was all pop-punk, all Blink 182 and New Found Glory, which was great, for what it was, back in the day. Now the eyes of the world are back on the UK, and it’s really cool and exciting to be making music right now.”

previous two albums, ‘Thank You’ and ‘Heavy in the Day’, Mike tells me, by the time frame they were created in. While the first two were each three or four years in the making, “We wrote [‘Dark Days’] for six months then recorded it for the next half a year.

We wanted it to sound like it was capturing a moment in our lives, more than just being a collection of songs”. It gives the album a more present sense, compared with debut ‘Thank You’ which is compilation of “the first eighteen years of our lives”.

The album as a whole is quite emotionally dark, a theme unified under the title. Was the moment it captures a personally difficult one? “It was what we were feeling in the six months that we were writing the record. Things were a bit uncertain for us”. It doesn’t have a particular concept, Mike tells me: “we just wrote the songs that we had in us, because we’re never going to make a song twice.

You hear bands and their whole album might as well be the same song, and we’re never going to do that”. However, Mike hopes that listeners will find catharsis in the album: “once you get to the end of the record, it’s actually quite an uplifting thing. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Over the past few years, a group of UK rock bands have all raised

I’m curious about their reasons for choosing ‘Canterbury’ as a band name, since none of the members originate from the city. “It’s a word that was really important to us when we were starting the band, but you have to rejumble all the letters to uncover it. We don’t tell people what that word is, so they have to work it out.” I’m intrigued by this challenge, but Mike advises me “don’t spend too much time on it as it literally could

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be anything. It’s one of the secrets that we’re always going to keep to ourselves.”

Though they all grew up in the same local area, it was a coincidental moment that brought them together. “We all met when we were about 16. I think I actually officially met everyone at a New Found Glory concert in London”.

They so happened to be stood next to each other in the crowd and were at that time searching for band mates. “We just hit it off over a mutual love of American punk. So I guess we have New Found Glory to thank for that.”

I ask about their own upcoming concerts. Mike tells me that the band’s (at the time of interview unannounced) April tour will take them through “all the hotspots around the UK” and I joke about York’s not too hot music scene.

Just as it happens, Canterbury have announced they will be playing The Duchess on the 2nd . My advice would be to not miss out.

“It’s a good day in the Canterbury camp” concludes a clearly contented Mike.

Sophie Brear

PHOTO: Trail of Press

T a l k ing V inyl wit h E a r wo r m Reco r d s

We lose ourselves amongst the stacks of wax in York’s new record shop.

Situated in a tiny yard off Goodramgate next to the Snickleway Inn, lies Earworm Records; a small independent music shop selling a vast collection of vinyl. Inside, the store is quite simply a hub of good vibes. I eluded from my interview duties for a brief moment as I hypnotically flicked through a stunning array of hip hop, gawping at the old-school likes of Nas, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre. I eventually had a chat with one of Earworm’s curators, Paul Jackson, and asked him a few questions about the store, vinyl and more.

Downloads are on the decline for the first time in years. Vinyl is on the rise. It seems like a perfect time to be opening a record store. Earworm opened last October with an aim to supply York with a specialist collection of house, techno, disco, indie, soul, reggae, pop, rock and hip hop.

So far the response seems promising. “We get people lying on the floor looking at 7”s. They just want something that’s not to throw away anymore” says Paul, as he picks up a Rolling Stones 12” and unfolds it. “When you buy a vinyl you get

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everything - it’s something you can physically hold. You get the artwork and you acknowledge every single person that had something to do with it. When you download an MP3, you get none of that”.

“I wouldn’t say we’re a ‘boutique’ though - I don’t really like that label.

I’d say we have a slightly more European vibe than that”, he adds.

Nonetheless, the independent music shop experience is so different when compared to any of the larger stores. There is less of the hustle, less of the waiting, and more of just being immersed with music you love. It’s off the high street.

It’s intimate. Earworm’s wooden flooring, the warm spot lighting, the handmade racks and shelves all compliment and reflect the style and quality of the craft that they are selling.

Vinyl is certainly a beautiful format, it’s just got something that a CD or iPod will never achieve. When you pick one up you truly appreciate everything about it. The creased corners, the fading artwork, and the delicate process of taking it out of the sleeve, placing it on the turntable and having to get back up to turn it over. These beautiful traits are all giving records that irresistible element of nostalgia and craftsmanship.

It has to be said that the backbone of this appeal is the sound. It’s undeniable that the odd crackle, scratch and pop are anything but annoyances. They add to the authenticity and bring out the true character of the no-frills format.

The store has two turntables that are available for customers to listen to records before they buy them - or even if they just want to mix for a bit. Recently, the DJ scene has seen a boom in the popularity of midi-controllers, although this isn’t considered an issue by Paul.

Rather, as a DJ, he sees it as a kind of innovation - a way of bringing

Of course, the rise of the phonographic record is also very much to do with the recent resurgence of vintage fashion. The format is commonly associated with this popular trend, and is often viewed as an accessory item. This is especially noticed in places like Urban Outfitters, who sell small selections of relevant vinyl alongside their large collections of clothing. However, at Earworm it’s a different story. “What we’re finding here is that it’s not the ‘fashion’ that’s selling, it’s the back catalogue stuff”, Paul humbles.

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people closer to wanting to try and experiment further with the ‘original sound’. “What you are starting to find is that people are moving on to vinyl after gaining experience and confidence through the more affordable controllers”, he notes.

Alongside the selling of records, Earworm communicates their passion for creative innovation through the form of artist exhibitions, local collaborations and a general push for a stronger music scene in York.

Just before I left I witnessed a moment that could have been taken straight from a cult film. A teenage boy unloaded his pocket-money shrapnel on top of the till in order to pay for a £3 record. He had spent over an hour in the store listening to dozens whilst chatting to Paul’s associate, Rich. “That’s what I used to be like - spending my entire Saturdays and Sundays in record shops”, Paul laughs. For me, that moment really summed up everything I like about independent stores. Not to mention, it pretty much summed up everything I now like about Earworm Records. It’s one of the rare places in York where you can really lose yourself.

Jack Turner

PHOTO: Jack turner

W e a r ing Y ou r A r t O n Y ou r S leeve : I nte r view J a y Pee

We talk to the Leeds based illustrator about creating art to accompany art.

Jay Pee is an artist and illustrator based in Leeds, who bears a distinctive, often grotesque style.

I caught up with him to discuss album artwork, the process of working alongside musicians to create covers, and how the success of an album can hang on its aesthetic value.

“Hi, I saw your work and I dig it, will you do me a cover for my next release?” are the words with which Jay Pee tells me most of his working relationships begin.

He illustrates for many small, Leeds-based bands and rappers; his most recent being a cover for hardcore band, We, The Defined.

Currently though, he is working on a piece for successful underground London hip hop label High Focus, whom he offered up his artistic skills to through his passion for “what they’re doing as a label”. The interest was mutual.

Now they have been collaborating for almost a year and Jay is working on his third release with them: Fliptrix’s album ‘Polyhymnia’. He says: “I like to make sure I keep good working relationships with INTERVIEW

my clients because that way you get passed around and normally more things come out of it.” He believes the most well- known artist to have a Jay Pee- created cover is Lunar C, who became famous through the rap battle YouTube show ‘Don’t Flop’.

“album artwork has to say what the whole album is about visually”, meaning that the creation of the piece is meticulous, as every tiny detail must be right. He says: “I like to have album art as a job because it’s fun and imaginative and I like to take time off from that with painting so I can loosen up a bit and make art that is just pure expression.”

Does he have a favourite? He says it would have to be his cover for High Focus signed Ramson Badbonez’s “A Year In The Life of Oscar The Slouch”, as it was the first time his art was printed as a 12” record. “It was a nice feeling to know as I looked at the products that I had made these things become a reality”.

I’m curious about the process of communication with the musician and how this proceeds into the creation of the art work. Jay tells me: “the artwork process usually starts with a brief with the client over an initial concept- normally a mood board of inspiration images and a verbal description. From there, I would sketch an initial idea, then depending on how much control the client is willing to give me there is a back and forth getting things like colour, composition and visual elements that convey the album correctly. It can take anywhere from a day to 6 months!”

As Jay puts his illustrations into many different forms, such as street art, canvas prints and t-shirt designs, I ask how these compare to album artwork. He replies: “album art is a very systematic, client-lead way of working and quite often I don’t get a lot of creative control. It’s more about how I make my style work with the musician’s ideas so the two things meet in the middle and create a kind of fusion”. Compared with his own painting and inking, album artwork is much more restrictive; Jay comments that

Impressive and intriguing album artwork has the power to capture the imagination of the music consumer, as it is assumed that the art reflects the sound and philosophy

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of the musician. “Image is everything to a lot of people and this is probably the most important thing I have to consider as an artist when I am making album art. I think musicians have to be selective when they decide to have album artwork made, because the artist they choose is representing them visually to the masses.” He adds that “I’d say album artwork has the power to make or break physical albums these days where the consumption of digital music is so prevalent.” He does, however, happily acknowledge the renewed popularity of physical album copies such as vinyl as “great news” for artists such as himself.

Finally, I ask if he sees himself making an increasing business out of album art work in the future.

He replies: “I’d like to think I have a future in album artwork. It’s a great privilege to be asked to do it by musicians and one day I’d love to be creating artwork for my favourite musicians of all time. I think the more of it I do, the more of a chance I have to keep doing it. So really I just have to keep doing what I’m doing and hope people dig it.”

Sophie Brear

PHOTO: Jonny Packham

J a mes V incent M c M o r r ow - Post T r o p ic a l When you’ve got a voice like James Vincent McMorrow, it’s hard to make bad music, so it’s unsurprising that his second album, ‘Post Tropical’, is a particularly spectacular affair. McMorrow’s falsetto vocals are as hauntingly beautiful as in his debut 2010 album ‘Early in The Morning’, but influences of soul, R&B and hip hop add another carefully crafted dimension, transforming his music from that of more generic folk to something that stretches across many genres.

“Red Dust” is a perfect example; McMorrow sings in a choir-like falsetto, accompanied by catchy, deconstructed electronic drumbeats in the background which give the track an R&B feel. It’s dreamlike, and you almost feel like you need to be brought back down to earth after listening to the ending lyrics: “I need someone to love, I need someone to hold”. McMorrow’s new sound has been compared to James Blake; however, ‘Post Tropical’ is so much more than anything Blake could produce, mainly due to McMorrow’s ghostly voice that’s impossible to erase from your mind after listening to any of tracks on the album.

To me, “Cavalier” is the best song on the album, and the sort of track that musicians have to produce many albums to achieve, but for McMorrow it just seems to come naturally. Whispery vocals over electronic keys and handclaps are followed by a brash earthiness composed of soaring symbols and organ sounds. ‘Post Tropical’ is a poetic collection of music. McMorrow’s well-crafted lyrics are plagued with longing, desire and hope, but also desperation and the mourning of past lovers, such as ‘I remember my first love’ in “Cavalier” and ‘when the sun comes, dry tears from my eyes’, in “Look Out”.

The opening minute of “Gold” is reminiscent of the folk sound of ‘Early in the Morning’, but layers of horns, guitars and snares surrounding the vocals give it a more soulful, pop sound. In contrast, “The Lakes” opens with a dreamy harp, which is then combined with a ’90s hip hop beat. The two work surprisingly well together.

When asked about ‘Post Tropical’, McMorrow told how ‘the guiding light for the record was to genuinely make something that I wanted to listen to’. Well, he’s not alone. The album may be significantly different to ‘Early in the Morning’, but it’s so refreshing to hear that it cannot be anything but warmly welcomed by fans of his earlier music.

C a nte r bu r y W a r p a int - D a r k D a ys W a r p a int Canterbury’s third album comes with some impressive names attached. Produced by Peter Miles (We Are The Ocean, Dry The River) and including tracks mixed by Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters), ‘Dark Days’ promises to be their most successful album yet.

Previous album ‘Heavy in the Day’ sounded confident and accomplished, but there is a clear maturation on this record. Sonically, it’s darker and heavier, and lyrically it’s perceptive and emotionally intelligent. There is a constant awareness of some mental darkness that could be slipped into at any moment; ‘Dark Days’ is certainly an appropriate title. With its intense, crashing guitars, the album seems to hang on the expectation of some impending destruction.

Despite their gloom, Canterbury have one hell of an ability to construct mercilessly catchy choruses. This ability manifested itself in ‘Heavy in the Day’ but here it is refined and honed to powerful effect. Each song is hard-hitting and immediate; they make constructing such hooky melodies look easy . They’re the sort of songs that will unleash themselves all over rock radio stations. With ‘Dark Days’, Canterbury have created catchy, accessible rock music that looks to earn commercial success.

The layering of the dual vocalists gives the songs great depth and texture. The vocalists are impressively versatile, bearing the strength to belt out unrelentingly intense choruses, but also to sweetly croon on the mellow closer “Going Nowhere”.

This song is a complete change of pace from the rest of the album, with its shimmering guitars and soaring string accompaniment. Lyrics like, ‘this isn’t like the world that I know, I feel like I’ve been stripped of my soul’, create a sense of alienation, from oneself and from the rest of the world.

Contrary to the song’s repetitive nihilism, and the melancholic ambience of the whole album, it ends with hope and positivity for the future (‘we’re going somewhere’). I’m left unsure how to feel about this - it feels a little corny and forced, yet in conflict, simultaneously heartfelt, injecting an uplifting sense of optimism. I suppose the concept that Canterbury are following is that however dark a day may seem, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

On the whole though, ‘Dark Days’ is a strong album, which should see Canterbury affirm their place in the current rock ranks.

Grace Marsh Sophie Brear

Warpaint’s eponymous second album is all about space. It’s textured, uncluttered and a melodic ebb and flow takes hold. Sonically more ambitious, more definitive than their critically acclaimed debut ‘The Fool’, Warpaint deliver on their apparently unlimited potential without compromising on their sound.

“Love is to Die” is an unsurprising choice as leadoff single. As close to ‘The Fool’ as anything else on the album, it rumbles along with Jenny Lee Lindberg’s magisterial bass tone, haunting vocals and sparse guitar lines. ‘Love is to die/Why don’t you not die/Why don’t you dance/Why don’t you dance/And dance/And dance/And dance’ are about as unsympathetic as lyrics come, but the Warpaint message is clear. Dancing is what they do, and the rhythm section of Lindberg and drummer Stella Mozgawa provides a hypnotic groove throughout. They now share a raised platform onstage, and this pedestal is something extremely hard to argue with. Lindberg, like former Interpol bassist Carlos Dengler, showcases a masterful dexterity and melodic intuition, grounding the entire album with an almost incomprehensible moody-disco tone.

Their talents are best showcased by the slow-burning and intense “Biggy” and the woozy daydream of “Teese”, which also sees founding members and lifetime best-friends Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman exchange gorgeous vocal harmonies. The juxtaposition of moody, intense rhythms and heartfelt vocals has always been in the Warpaint DNA, but now, with synths more prominent (and even piano on final track “Son”), they have a sound that reaches even further into emotional depths.

The instrumental opening track, ambitiously titled “Intro”, encapsulates the entire album in just under two minutes; Warpaint are showing off.

The brooding atmosphere is initially broken by Mozgawa messing up her intricate drum pattern (“AH! Sorry!”) before the whole thing is up and running again in moments. The dark, addictive ambience of the song showcases Warpaint at their most captivating. When it is followed by “Keep it Healthy”, it initially sounds as though the same song is regenerating once more. This subtle echoing means the album as a whole has an undeniable cohesive quality; rather than a collection of singles, Warpaint have you in the palm of their hand for the full-length of the LP. In the frustrating age of people with 200 artists on their iPod, and only 300 songs (all singles), they are a rare breed. Download the whole album or don’t bother at all. And dance. And dance. And dance.

Kyle Picknell

ALBUM REVIEWS

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M ogw a i R a ve T a p es Scottish quintet, prog-pioneers, and wall of sound masons Mogwai are well-known for flippancy. In an interview with Altmusic following the release of ‘The Hawk is Howling’ in 2008, guitarist Stuart Braithwait claimed they ‘just wanted to record ten good songs. There wasn’t really any specifics at all. Any time we have had aims at the beginning, it’s normally just backfired, horribly’. Although the dour realism of Braithwait’s intentions can’t be doubted, what can is his use of ‘good’. ‘The Hawk is Howling’ is characteristically dark, sonically sparse and above all fantastic. Their eighth full length offering, ‘Rave Tapes’, exhibits such qualities in equal measure, plumbing the depths of emotional instrumentation in a manner completely at odds with their faulty self-image.

The album opens with a song called “Heard About You Last Night”. As with most of Mogwai’s beginnings it is gentle - a possibly discordant steel drum chime smoothing the way for the pulsating beat that follows. Once this has subsided, “Simon Ferocious” kicks in with an almost-hummable, definitely distorted synth line. The effect is mesmerising, as the electronics flit around the entire polyphonic spectrum and drums and guitar rise and fall out of earshot almost independently of one another.

As a whole, the album tracks a beautiful progression, starting with a newly perfected Deerhoof-Holy Fuck-electronic feel and climaxing with the Sonic Youth-reminiscent noise rock that earned them their stripes. The exception is the album closer, “The Lord is Out of Control”, which piles on dreamy synths and robotic vocals, acting as a parting wave between the closing curtains.

To add to the musical mastery of the album, Mogwai have worked in some normative brilliance with track names like “Hexon Bogon” and “Remurdered”. As lexically enticing as they are and as much as they suggest half-glimpsed anecdotes and something philosophical, the album works best free of imputed meaning. It is a musically raw work of the highest quality that should push the listener into a sweetly scented, darkened room rather than onto Wikipedia.

Realistically, ‘Mogwai Young Team’ will likely remain in the centre of die hard fans’ hearts, yet ‘Rave Tapes’ is somehow better. Whilst characteristically full of bubbling energy, the band have finally broken away from the quiet-loud dynamic that has at points translated as uncomfortable tension. The feeling here is less one of foot-tapping caffeine buzz and more half-awake dreaminess. It is somehow both challenging and comfortable at the same time.

O f M ice & M en Resto r ing F o r ce With expectations high, South Californian metalcore outfit Of Mice & Men released their third studio album, ‘Restoring Force’, in late January.

Fans of the band are hoping for a heavy, rough and melodic album – and they most certainly will not be disappointed. Following the release of their second album, ‘The Flood’, Of Mice & Men shot to fame, and propelled themselves to the top tier of heavy metalcore bands, solidifying their place within the scene.

The first song to surface - “You’re Not Alone” was a reassuring pleasure to hear for fans of the band – a very Of Mice & Men-sounding piece, with a slight difference heard in the clean vocals.

The second single released was “Bones Exposed”, a much heavier, breakdown-oriented song which has since made supporters hopeful for an impacting record.

The album has arrived, and opens with a riffheavy, angry piece, entitled “Public Service Announcement”, in which lead vocalist and original band member Austin Carlile focuses on addressing negative comments regarding and towards the band, in addition to overly-inquisitive and hateful members of the audience. The song forces a fast-paced and adrenaline-filled atmosphere on the listener. A crowd-pleaser for sure, containing powerful breakdowns, commanding screaming, and forceful lyrics.

Lead man Carlile was quoted as wanting a “more rock, or I guess a nu-metal sound” for this album, and this is definitely plays an evident part in their new music. It’s most noticeable in the songs “Glass Hearts” and “Identity Disorder”, where a very distinct nu-metal - perhaps Linkin Park-influenced - sound is apparent. Fans should not be worried, however, about their slight adaptation to nu-metal, or even rock, as the prevailing sound within this album is most definitely still forceful riffs and breakdowns and, of course, powerful screaming. Bassist Aaron Pauley was introduced in this album as the band’s new ‘clean’ vocalist, and plays a very prevalent role within the music.

Pauley is seen most evidently in final song “Space Enough To Grow”, where he is the dominant sound over soft, clean guitar playing.

The only negative of ‘Restoring Force’, perhaps, is the similar-sounding natures of the songs. More variety would not have gone amiss in an album that sometimes comes dangerously close to ‘samey’. However, this is not really an issue – the album is still solid, and everything that can be expected from Of Mice & Men. Anoosh Djavaheri

Milo Boyd

ALBUM REVIEWS

B omb ay B icycle C lub - S o L ong , S ee You T omo r r ow Identifying ‘stand out’ tracks from Bombay Bicycle Club’s progressive, engulfing and eclectic fourth album has proven deliciously tricky. Jack Steadman and co. have gifted us an experimental delight with essences of psychedelic and prog rock, especially in opener “Overdone”, the loop of which returns in ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ and establishes the album’s cohesive nature.

This is the first of their albums to be so liberal with the synthesiser, and influences from Steadman’s trips to India, Holland and Turkey are rife. The use of sampling therefore gives the album a worldly feel. It’s apparent in “Feel”, which has a distinctly Bollywood vibe and the enjoyable addition of what sounds suspiciously like a cowbell. Recording in their Edgware Road studio has allowed the band experimental freedom, transporting what they began to do with third album ‘A Different Kind of Fix’ into an acid house somewhere in Asia.

First single, “Carry Me”, has an incredibly catchy hook, the sort of thing that’s inescapable from the first listen, as well as moments of suspenseful calm before the return of the gloriously driving drum beat. Second single “Luna”’s feel-good summer sound is aided by the delicate talents of singer-songwriter Rae Morris, who features in several tracks on the album.

The band’s second album, the folk based, Joni Mitchell and John Martyn influenced ‘Flaws’, now seems like a teacup ride when faced with ‘So Long...’’s loop-the-loop roller coaster. Still, elements of ‘Flaws” effortless charm are revisited in “Eyes Off You”. It has those raw qualities heard in Steadman’s haunting vocals in “My God”. It also epitomises the triumph of ‘So Long...’, managing to retain Steadman’s pure, resonant vocals, while they’re set against a backdrop of eclectic world influences.

The band’s progression is firmly established in closing and title track, “So Long, See You Tomorrow”. Its intro (although reminiscent of childhood Christmas Days spent fiddling with synthesiser options on your new electric keyboard), sets the experimental tone of the track, which matures into a psychedelic journey. Changes in tempo and tone demonstrate the band’s accomplished talents and give a sense of velocity; there’s something more dynamic going on here than the static verse-chorus structure we have become accustomed to.

Despite taking their name from a chain of Indian restaurants, and Steadman’s first instrument being squeaky primary school favourite, the recorder, Bombay Bicycle Club have ventured far from their humble beginnings with ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’. It’s their most energising and exciting album to date.

Katie Barclay

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Mark M c G ui r e - Along t h e Way

S ol a n d e r M ono — c h r om a tic M emo r ies

A close friend, who I viewed as an expert on the band Emeralds and their related projects, once told me that former member Mark McGuire’s solo work is ‘just Emeralds missing two thirds of the sound’. On this basis, I had previously avoided listening to any of McGuire’s solo albums, as there was such a surplus of excellent Emeralds material I was yet to dive into. So, listening to McGuire’s latest solo effort ‘Along the Way’ I was pleasantly but incredibly surprised. Whilst not quite hitting the immense highs of Emerald’s pinnacle ‘Does It Look Like I’m Here?’, this new offering is a close second.

This is an album filled with the sound of loss. And it is captivating.

The most surprising thing about ‘Along the Way’ is the plethora of styles and techniques McGuire employs throughout the tracks. Based around McGuire’s (usually) instrumental guitar tracks, the album recalls sounds from drone, piano ballads, country, and the intricate electronica that might be more familiar to fans of Emeralds. His greatest strength when manipulating these styles is his attempt to tackle each particular genre individually. The album could have very easily become a clustered mess, had he tried to shove clashing sounds into the same song, but the clear divisions between tracks that have very different ambitions avoid this potential pitfall. Considering this, the fact that the album works so well as a cohesive unit suddenly becomes all the more impressive.

The sound of remorse produced by the folk-pop duo over the ten songs that make up ‘Monochromatic Memories’ is not a sound to run away from.

Rather, it is one that pulls the listener in until they have surrounded themselves with it. The beautiful album is carefully sewn together with the thread of merged instruments and soft vocals. Intricate and delicate, emotion runs throughout, always in the background. But it never becomes too much to bear, as there is a sense of hope that pushes its way through, not allowing the sadness to overwhelm.

I mentioned earlier that Mark McGuire mainly sticks to instrumental music but there are a few tracks here that deviate away from this formula.

Album highlight “The Human Condition (Song For My Father)” is one of these, incorporating samples of conversations in a move reminiscent of sound collage masters The Books. Slightly out of reach of the listener is the content of each conversation, though the joyous mood of these exchanges shines through and the music matches them perfectly.

The one flaw with the album is its length, coming close to eighty minutes. Despite the eclectic mix of styles between tracks there are a few retreads that could have been cut out. Without them, McGuire could have made the album a more succinct and powerful experience. ‘Along the Way’ is the most calming album I’ve listened to in a long time, and I feel it will be able to take on different, but incredibly personal, roles in the lives of each different listener.

Sweden’s Solander were planning on using the natural world as a platform for their third album, but it was not the natural world that ended up threading its way through the folds of their creation. Instead, it was a loss experienced by the band that shaped these 44 minutes of what can only be described as folk-inspired perfection.

For fans of artists such as Bon Iver and Junip, Solander are a duo who have managed to create an album of the sort rarely stumbled upon.

The lead single, “All Opportunities”, was released in November last year. After discovering it online, during one of my extended ‘revision’ breaks, I became immediately hooked. The duo’s minimalist approach is mesmerising. Soft percussion beats carry the steady melodies, absorbing the listener in lyrics that speak gently of love and loss: ‘Well I’m holding my breath too long and I, I am about to let you go’. Fredrik Karlsson’s voice adds another distinctive layer to the continued blend of beat and strings. The words sung by both Karlsson and Anja Linna throughout the entire album are always simple, yet clear.

I imagine that I will find this album slowly becoming the backdrop to my life over the next few months. Sitting in my room, or walking around outside, instead of noticing what is going on around me, I will be absorbed in the journey that ‘Monochromatic Memories’ takes me on.

With a tour set for the U.S., following an extended European tour set for February, 2014 is looking like it will be a fast moving year for Solander. I am intrigued to watch and see whether this third album takes the Swedish duo along the kind of unforgettable path that it takes their listeners on.

Harry Rosehill Maisie Kelly

ALBUM REVIEWS

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Sky Ferreira N ig h t T ime , M y T ime In 2014 you can be a pop star gracing the cover of a magazine, advertising Calvin Klein perfume and acting in films before releasing an album.

Sky Ferreira has led a unique life to say the least: raised with Michael Jackson as a friend, signed at age 16 after cultivating a Myspace frenzy and recently gotten arrested for drug possession. A lot has happened to Sky Ferreira in her 21 years, but after numerous delays her first album, ‘Night Time, My Time’, has landed.

Let’s get this out of the way. This is a pop album.

A very good pop album at that. ‘Night Time, My Time’ casts aside polished and shiny auto-tuned vocals and ‘club banger’ beats, overlooks guest spots from elderly rappers and gives the impression that drinking from the bottle in a club only happens to Sky Ferreira at 4am with mascara down her face.

Distorted vocals, feedback and guitars haven’t featured in pop music for too long, and Sky Ferreira has created a unique and well-realised identity with her sound. It seems a bit ’80s but it’s far too modern, refreshing, but feels like you’ve heard it before. The opening half of the album is incredible; “Boys” is up there with one of the best album openers in recent years, “24 Hours” is stupidly catchy and “Omanko” strikes the perfect blend of witty, original and memorable.

Sadly, “Omanko” is the last highlight of the album as the second half falls flat with songs that just sound like half-finished ideas and B-sides. It’s a shame as the first 6 tracks are so good. Ferreira tends to fall into a trap of repeating the name of the song throughout the chorus. This would be fine once or twice but when you notice it on “Blame Myself”, “24 Hours” and “Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay)” before the halfway point, it becomes a bit predictable.

Despite all the criticism, the first half of ‘Night Time, My Time’ is as good as you’re likely to hear on a pop album for a long time. It’s disappointing that the whole thing couldn’t keep to the high standards. ‘Night Time, My Time’ might not stray too far from the distorted guitar-based winning formula but that only makes it more endearing, because of its refusal to be the album that the record label surely had in mind when signing a young Myspace princess.

Joni Roome

M a jestic C a su a l I s M y F a vou r ite B a n d

They lurk on the right hand side of YouTube. You’ve seen them before. Majestic Casual, Eton Messy and a whole host of young pretenders doing all the legwork so you don’t have to.

They collect the coolest music from across the web and stick it on YouTube for the world to appreciate with only a few million views’ worth of advertising money for compensation. Now, it’s all well and good for people to be listening to music they wouldn’t usually hear on the radio or in clubs. This is clearly seen when the comments section to every video has at least 30 comments from Belgian teenagers asking ‘what genre of music this is?’. The culture surrounding the channels is as rabid and fanatic as Justin Beiber fans; who ironically are

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for you, artists can get over hyped or illicitly hyped due to shady payments to the channels. This process then ends up taking away the kind of independently produced music the channels were set up to uncover and share.

the target of many a comment [Djdan23: ‘Bieber fans need 2 get sum majestic in they’re life]. The music is at times secondary to the appeal of being part of an internet club; some are happy to just listen to the music [PaulK12: majestic is my life, i sit around and listen to it while high on meth], whilst others feel the need to prove themselves in other ways [DarkKnight3x: MajesticCasual is definitely the best YouTube channel ever, wish they had some merch, I’d wear it like everyday].

The aesthetic of the channels is troublesome. The videos are decorated with comments that criticise pop music’s over sexualised nature yet these are negated by comments referring to the video’s background image [Themoreks: my penis has good taste in Music]. If every video has a scantily clad, attractive young white girl as a background, Majestic Casual and friends are as unhelpful to sexism in music as Robin Thicke.

It’s the same model standing on a beach, repackaged with an In-

It’s this attitude which stops the artists getting the credit they deserve. The name of the channel is plastered over the video, the artist is often ignored and very rarely do success stories like Cyril Hahn occur. With the knowledge that someone else will find the music

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stagram filter, with the channel’s branding plastered on top.

In this age of YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, Last.fm, Deezer and other such music platforms, we have more choice than ever before to explore music. It’s nice to have a guiding hand but Majestic Casual, Eton Messy and all the other YouTube channels take the fun out of exploring music.

It makes people stop looking for something they like and forces people to click like and share for whatever video may be uploaded that week. Worryingly, we are one step away from these channels putting out a ‘Now That’s What I Call Cool Music 32’ compilation.

Joni Roome

ILLUSTRATION: Kit Lockey

T h e P r oblem wit h S h a r ing Jokingly this Christmas, I displayed mock horror when a close friend put on a song at a party that I had sent to them a few months before. I was then subjected to an interrogation: why did it matter that he played the song? It was a good song after all.

‘Snoop Sings’ was the track, an unusual remix of Snoop vocals by Alok and Icy Sasaki – perhaps it’s because I considered it to be so good, that I wanted to preserve it, share it only with those who wouldn’t overplay it. It’s the fact no one’s willing to admit, we don’t like it when songs we found, or love, become popular. It’s the same as when an artist you have been supporting for months suddenly achieves mainstream success, and you want to move on, find someone

new and relatively undiscovered again. It’s horribly elitist, but if their music is blasted five times a day on Radio 1, you no longer want to champion them.

Why is it that we feel this need to discover, and then to essentially hoard good music? Sharing songs that we find particularly good only with a close few friends, and exercising trepidation when playing them. Maybe it’s human nature, a selfishness that arises from the primary school playground, a ‘this is mine and you can’t have it’ mentality that we should try our hardest to shake. Essentially, any recognition an artist you love gets should be deemed positive, but ironically, at least personally, you can’t help but feel a little deflated when you learn an artist you admire has dived into

the mainstream. See Chance the Rapper collaborating with Justin Bieber. An avid fan of his non-profit ‘Acid Rap’ mixtape, it all seemed a little too much like selling out for him to be working with Justin Bieber, an artist who embodies much of what I dislike about the music industry.

It could be seen to stem from the distinct ‘uncool’ image of what is considered ‘mainstream’. It sounds pretty foolish to admit, as the term itself evokes sentiments of negativity, and is often used in a derogatory way. But this musical elitism is something that we should try to rid ourselves of. If something is good, why not share it - surely the more that hear it and experience it the better? For artists that you support, a wider fan base can

increase the prospects of record deals, thus more music, rather than a saddening submission to popularity. Presumably, it would be far better to distribute an undiscovered YouTube remix or SoundCloud unearthing widely amongst your friends, since if you like it, no doubt others will too. But sadly more often than not, we’ll selfishly save it to favourites, immorally YouTube convert it, and reward only those we deem privileged enough to receive a share.

Personally as a resolution, I’m going to attempt to relax this musical greed, as it is a clearly superficial ownership we exercise over artists and songs.

Let’s willingly share music – enough with exclusiveness.

Holly Hunt

FWD > PLAYLIST < DWR BLOOD ON THE LEAVES KANYE WEST

successfully managed to sample, auto tune and destroy the timeless classic

Sit Back The Mouse Outfit ft Truthos Mufasa and Black Josh

has very different origins, but the Mancunian hip hop collective have a light hearted positive approach to the genre, much like

Strange Fruit Nina Simone Runnin’ The Pharcyde

Colours to Life Temples

is mystical and neo-psychedelic, reflecting the dreamy ambience of

I’m Only Sleeping The Beatles

Need U (100%) Duke Dumont (Skream remix)

claims to be ‘authentic’ disco, but it’s nowhere near the truly authentic

The Hustle Van McCoy

Dripping Down East India Youth

clearly takes a leaf out of the classic book of

Jóga Björk

A Ton of Love Editors

has an atmospheric, post-punk style in the drum beats, bass line and vocals, clearly inspired by legends of the genre: compare to

Isolation Joy Division

You’re Not Good Enough Blood Orange

is clearly influenced by the King of Pop; everything from the lyrical emotion to the socks worn in the video says

Billie Jean Michael Jackson

Wanderlust Wild Beasts

channels brooding, 80s pop ego, but it’s a step in the wrong direction for the band. To hear it done properly, check out

Enjoy The Silence Depeche Mode

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Di r ty S e x y L ibe r a lism Pop music replicates and recreates culture. US puritans wouldn’t have been scared that Slipknot were going to drive children to satanic psychopathy, or that hip hop was going to breed a bunch of women-haters if music culture didn’t permeate our lives.

From eight-year-olds flicking through the sleek press shots of album-case pamphlets, to the channel-flicking everyman, new-to-stumble-upon MTV and feeling zero for not living in a cream-clad mansion, commercial culture provides an appealing and alluring identity.

Succumbing to music is subconscious.

Foot-tapping to a tune transpires; you find yourself singing lyrics and next you’re pretty much practicing self-indoctrination. Look more positively back at the enduring pacifism of Dylan, the often-appropriated Kwesi Johnson or the volume of people who still look to Marley as a kind of demigod. Whether or not an artist’s persona and political voice is constructed, music creates a platform for the spreading and sharing of thought.

But the world over-lauded the manufactured meaning of 2013; viral media went wild in lapping up the ‘liberalism’ of pop. Beyoncé plied a fifth, self-titled album with sassy pleas for us to stick a final ‘post’ in front of patriarchy, Lily Allen allegedly outed and ousted music-exec-misogyny, Snoop Dogg consolidated the ideological growth out of rap culture and into liberal lion-hood and Macklemore went as far as to spit a few bars about thinking he might’ve actually been gay one time.

When the breasts continued to jiggle, and big dick references remained tantamount to the assertion of male magnitude, those such as Allen stood up to ‘fight commercialism’; “Hard out Here” was an attempt to set the whole ‘sex sells’ policy to right.

But “Hard out Here” was far from the selfless feminism whose pride it wore - you know, like that kind of good charity where your right hand doesn’t see what the left giveth. “Hard out Here” was the pinnacle of Allen’s commercial comeback, poignantly preceded by a cover of “Somewhere Only We Know” for John Lewis’ overplayed Christmas ad. After doing a preemptive, Bieber-act of ‘retiring’ early and an insidiously ironic Channel

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support. But as the interview goes on, Snoop’s attention wavers. He’s subsumed by a music video muted on a screen in the room. ‘She is fine’, he says; ‘She got tush. You know when they got body?’. He slips from neoliberal leader to Human-Crufts competition judge in the drop of a few words.

We want to reimagine Snoop, and welcome Allen, Beyoncé and Macklemore as people reinventing pop’s political power. But can we really deem them great for saying things which are just expected from your averagely moral, non-famous person?

Sure, it was good for Macklemore to get up and point out that gay love was the same as straight love - but isn’t that a given? It was thoughtful of Beyoncé to incorporate Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s then-trending TEDx talk into “Flawless” - but does this make her a real, self-thinking feminist?

Reinvention is a key part of selling commercial music. The pop-music industry puts pressure on artists to package and present themselves as commercially viable objects. Think about Nicki Minaj; the creatively planned ‘split personality disorder’ that allows her to slip in and out of different characters to appeal to different social demographics. Or about the way Beyoncé sampled Major Lazer’s “Pon de Floor” for “Run the World” after it had been circulating underground dance environments for two years. Is her appropriation of meme-centric feminism just the replacement for dancehall?

4 documentary about ‘not wanting to be famous anymore’, she then chose to place herself before us with a direct parody of Thicke’s already-admonished “Blurred Lines”.

ular on the back of the bitter memory of the VMAs, and Allen adopted it like the latest trending BPM. Preaching equality is good. But if devised as a promo strategy, it’s really pretty vapid. Some time back in April, Simon Hattenstone interviewed the Dogg himself about transition into Lionhood. He’s overboard in declaring his adamant support of gay rights.

Unsurprisingly, the paradigm shift comes at a time when equal marriage rights movement has a rush of media

Unfelt, auto-tuned vocals stated that she was too intelligent to shake her junk for cash. She made herself the figurehead of Anti-Cyrus Feminism 2013, but didn’t actually tell anyone what being a feminist was about or what feminists were meant to do. At the heart of it, feminism became pop-

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Pop might be making a few liberal claims and it might help those impressionable kids veer away from bigging up the bigotry. But if they want to challenge the dominant systems of society, it’s hypocrisy to pose their attacks from within the money-mongering heart of mass, music culture.

Pop is a process of continual change, rebellion, reversal and recycling.

These artists are not consolidating a different worldview, but rendering liberal attitudes the new thing to be sexed up and sold to you.

Jonjo Lowe

ILLUSTRATION: JONJO LOWE

www.luvluvluvrecords.com