Music and Clubs

new music reviews

Disclosure - Energy

With Energy, Disclosure appear to be aiming to bring back the frenetic groove of their debut album Settle. While occasionally missing the mark, it generally reminds us just how talented they are. The frst half, depending on your mood, is either a non-stop workout playlist or an ode to the still-closed nightclubs. With that, the lyrics call for unity and motivation throughout, while Disclosure’s trademark pulsing garage beats and high-quality production abound. On Lavender, vocalist Channel Tres implores “get closer, baby”, while follower My High contains a constant refrain of “please don’t fuck up my high”. The quality dips slightly in the second half, due partially to the reduced pace, with both the slow-jam interludes Fractal and Thinking ‘Bout You being pleasant, but an unnecessary change in tone. Birthday, with its lyrics about calling an ex-partner, feels out of place and can be skipped, while Reverie feels unfnished and ends the album too abruptly.

However, while there are certainly a few missteps, Energy showcases not only the talents of Disclosure but a diverse array of collaborators. Fatoumata Diawara provides a superb Bambara vocal performance on Douha (Mali Mali) over a funky bassline, and Blick Bassy sings several dialects on Ce n’est pas. Overall, it is clear that Disclosure have not lost their touch, and hopefully they continue to improve. - Alex Howe

Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess

Contrary to its name, Angel Olsen’s ffth studio album Whole New Mess isn’t exactly new. Almost all of the tracks come from the singer-songwriter’s preceding album, All Mirrors, released last year and marked by its orchestral instrumentation. Now, Olsen takes tracks which once felt meticulously produced and lessens the distance between listeners and her heartbreak, reducing the songs to just her and a guitar. She told Pitchfork that she wanted to record while she was still processing, ‘These are the personal takes, encapsulated in a moment,’ and you can hear it. While before, the emotional climaxes of songs such as ‘All Mirrors’ took the form of dramatic swells in orchestration (almost flm-score-esque), the emotion now stems from Olsen’s intimate performance. ‘(We Are All Mirrors),’ the stripped-down version, allows the strains in her voice to shine through for a more vulnerable display of her heart ache. It’s likely no coincidence that ‘Spring’ is one of just two tracks not reprised from All Mirrors, a song Olsen told Apple Music was ‘one of the happiest on the record.’ In an interview with the Evening Standard, Olsen suggests that on All Mirrors she was separated from the songs because ‘other people had their hands in the pot,’ but that ‘On Whole New Mess, I’m feeling every feeling that they evoke.’ There are no external forces imposing on her new record, no collaboration, no elaborate production; it’s just Olsen, her guitar, and her pain. Whole New Mess is a mirror itself to its predecessor – a little messier, not quite as polished or restrained, but it makes you feel her heartbreak all the more for it. - Eleanor Palmer

Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song

Kelly Lee Owens often speaks about wanting to fnd power through her music, and in nowhere is this truer than her intimate and expansive second album Inner Song. Across its ten tracks, the Welsh producer brings forth an intelligent, nuanced blend of techno and dream pop, whilst also letting her own voice shine out. Recorded over just a month, Inner Song refects the deep and protective world Owens has created inside her head to cope with a world swirling with uncertainty, anxiety, and chaos. Each drum kick and textured synth shimmers with a personal intimacy, and amongst the soundscapes of Inner Song, the listener feels completely taken in. The album constantly shapeshifts, and with each listen each track throws up something slightly different. ‘Corner of My Sky’ is a strange, poetic paean to the Welsh landscapes with the Velvet Underground’s John Cale, ‘Arpeggi’ is a minimalist rework take of the famous Radiohead track. Certain moments on the album seem deceptively simple, but on closer inspection are instead drenched in symbolism. Album closer ‘Wake-Up’ is like this, with glistening strings speaking of a natural world drowned out by a culture of intrusive technology and instant gratifcation.

There cannot be discussion of Inner Song without mention of ‘Melt!’, the dazzling jewel in Owens’ crown. A self-confessed ‘techno banger’, the track is also frighteningly complex – containing samples of glaciers melting and humans literally skating on thin ice, it’s a cathartic and emotive response to the impending climate crisis. Inner Song is a glorious exploration into the beautiful insides of one woman’s mind, a wondrous moment of serenity and peace produced in reaction to the troubled times we live in. When it seems like the world outside is crumbling to oblivion, sometimes looking inwardly is all you can ever do. - Ishmael Silvestro

Lockdown, lock in: the importance of community radio

When COVID-19 forced clubs and gig venues to close their doors earlier this year, radio became a balm for those who were left with a live music-shaped void in their day-to-day. With most operating online and for free, community radio stations offer a more accessible alternative to the ticketed events we’re used to; one that thrives in a social distancing context too. Though they lack the multi-sensory experience of live events (no sweaty shoving here!), radio is also incredibly intimate, to be listened to from home as a soundtrack to your daily errands, or to substitute your friendly chit chat with friends, family and colleagues. When off-screen company and voices in real time are scarce, radio steps up.

Independent radio stations have been operating for decades now, from the pirate approach popularised by Rinse FM in the nineties to the regional set-ups that have been popping up in venues and arts centres in recent years. However, the platforms took on a whole new importance in lockdown; one which still resonates in the altered reality we now occupy.

NTS and Rinse FM, now licensed, lead the scene in the UK, with 7-day week schedules and major artist residencies, whilst smaller stations such as Manchester’s Reform Radio and Bristol’s Noods follow suit and explore the nooks and crannies of their respective music scenes. DIY and led by people with their ears to the grounds, the shows favour content that leans far further towards the left-feld than the commercial radio your parents listen to in the car. It’s a nice break from the often crap sounds of Heart and Capital FM, who play Jess Glynne and ad breaks like nobody’s business.

Closer to home, Sable Radio champions people of colour in Leeds and further afeld with a range of music, mixes, spoken word, recipes and live scrabble tournaments. Whilst broadcasting from the Mabgate studio took a hiatus in March, Sable ran a ‘Live at Home’ series; a warming comfort when the sound of friends’ voices echoing round your living room seemed a little more distant. After a long few months, Sable reopen their doors on corona-friendly terms this September.

The future of the music scene is uncertain, but the past few months have made one thing clear: independent radio is crucial, now more than ever.

Saf Bugel

Sable Radio. Image: Bdaily Image: Hypebeast

Meet the editors

Ishmael Silvestro

Favourite album: Kate Bush - Hounds of Love Favourite venue: Wharf Chambers Lockdown tune: Kelly Lee Owens - Melt!

Elle Palmer

Favourite album: Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense Favourite venue: Brudenell Social Club Lockdown tune: Black Marble - In Manchester

Fern McErlane

Favourite album: Kaytranada - 99.9% Favourite venue: Brudenell Social Club Lockdown tune: Green Gardens - To Leave Her Alone

Liam Cattermole

Favourite album: Gorillaz - Demon Favourite venue: Wire Lockdown tune: Umi - Populous

Culture Lives In Your Sub-Par Leeds Accomodation

Everyone reading this is probably aware that coronavirus is still about. There is no other word but ‘pain’ to capture the emotion felt at having Leeds’ club nights robbed from you. Normally, an artistic and cultural experience for a Fresher is discovering how many different types of strobe lights one city can have. It just so happens, however, that culture lives inside your sub-par accommodation room. Inevitably, this year’s students will be spending more time in their room than in previous years, alone with posters badly blu-tacked to the wall and the muffed music of your fatmates. For those looking to still engage with cultural experiences and feel connected to a city you mostly see from the kitchen window, here are some suggestions.

Society19

EDUCATION!

In an era of apathy, now’s the time to learn. In the 1960s, rebellion was long hair. In the 2020s, rebellion is long reading and watch lists which include artists from underrepresented communities. As I’m sure everyone posted on their Instagram stories, civil liberty and equality isn’t a fad and momentum is always needed. From those stuffy four walls, you can easily become a conscious consumer of television, flm and books by diversifying the content you interact with. A multitude of recommendations are to be found, The Gryphon itself has compiled a few lists of BAME-produced content to pay attention to.

DEEPDIVE!

Have you ever tiptoed around the edge of a subculture and pulled yourself back from the precipice to avoid falling in? There’s that one Soul song or anime episode that replays in our heads as we go to sleep. I say deepdive. Drown in all a subculture has to offer and end up trying to crawl out of 5-hour long YouTube holes. Not only will you become a fountain of pop culture knowledge, you’ll probably end up winning a pub quiz or two- and that’s a true aphrodisiac.

DECORATE!

If culture were to live in your sub-par accommodation, it has to look the part. There’s a lot to be said for creating a space you want to be in and isn’t depression-inducing. Fairy lights and polaroids aren’t strictly the only decorative items that don’t break tenancy agreements, so get creative. It will kill a day or two, at least.

WALK AROUND!

Remember that high you got in March from going out for your daily walk? You can still ride that in your new city! Leeds genuinely has a lot of hidden treasures that you can fnd out on a walk: Kirkstall Nature Reserve, Kirkstall Abbey and the canalside are to name but a few. If you want to turn the walk into a drinking game with your new bubble, take a sip every time you see a can or a small clear bag on the ground- you’ll be drunk soon enough.

LOCAL COLLECTIVES!

Many independent artistic groups and collectives are supported and bolstered in Leeds, all of which are well worth becoming familiar with. You can tune into Sable Radio, pop down to Hyde Park Picture House, buy a new plant at Heart in Headingley or attend one of Hyde Park Book Club’s various online events. I realise that a few of those suggestions require you leaving the room you just beautifully decorated; so if you don’t want to go outside, just imagine doing them.

The truth is it that this year is going to be strange, and there is no normal way for you to cope with this, but hopefully this offers reassurance that whether it’s safer to stay inside, or you want to venture out there is still loads to do,

Sinead O‘Riordan

HydeParkBookClub

LeedsMindfulness