for fans of: The Internet, James Blake, Childish Gambino
a poor illustration by me
The only thing that could awaken me from my eight-month writer's block/blogging hibernation was the same cosmic powers that placed Frank Ocean back into public consciousness. Frank's four year hiatus has, along with 'Hotline Bling' and Harambe, provided just enough meme material to last the Internet this long. Thankfully, Frank Is Dead is finally dead as he presents Blonde: possibly the most anticipated album of all time. No pressure then.
Blonde is not a pop album. It's not the euphoric, commercially on-point, occasional sing-a-long Channel Orange that made Frank Ocean a cult icon. Maybe that's why some fans haven't jumped completely on ship... just yet. Blonde is initially faux-avant-garde. It's an exploration, a way for Ocean to find his feet; oozing subtlety and spewing poetry to make Whitman green with envy. The Frank of Channel Orange fame has regenerated, and in his place comes someone every so slightly wary of his musical ambition.
This is mapped out in opening track 'Nikes'. It begins life rich in crispy autotune, interposing lyrics like "R.I.P. Pepsi / R.I.P. Trayvon, that nigga looked just like me" before it meanders into the unmistakable voice that a generation has missed. Much like the rest of Blonde, the noticeable lack of percussion makes it audibly light. Yet, also like Blonde as an entity, the labyrinthine artistry of Ocean weighs rings heavily in the silence.
That's not to say that there aren't parts of Blonde that are dyed orange. Much of the album is gracefully opiated and no longer youthfully hedonistic, yet many of the wistful and dreamy soundscapes wouldn't be far from home with Blonde's predecessor. This rings most true with the first half of the album, particularly with 'Ivy', 'Pink + White' (not to mention that Channel Orange features tracks entitled both 'Pink Matter' and 'White') and 'Skyline To' which excel in the trademark "indie-fied" hip-hop and paradoxically modernly Shakespearean poetry that have secured Ocean's superstardom.
His aforementioned stardom is one quite unlike any other, best exemplified in the album's use of featured artists. Only a musician who humbly commands the kind of respect that Ocean has could score a Beyoncé feature ('Pink + White')... and make her only provide backing vocals. I'm certain even Jay-Z could never get away with such a feat. It's a similar story with 'Skyline To': upon reading "featuring Kendrick Lamar" on the tracklist, the anticipation mounts to hear maybe an 'Alien Girl' or even a 'untitled 07'-esque refrigerated verse. Instead the rap superstar offers merely six odd words, shifting attention away from him and onto the musical landscape that him and Ocean have created. This composition, again like Blonde as a completed body of work, everything is as mis-matched as it is delicately balanced.
Yet, the most unlikely collaboration on Blonde turns out to be the most winning; possibly the most fitting track on the album's audible aesthetic. 'Self Control' features Swedish hip-hop hero Yung Lean, thus perfectly encapsulating the album's power struggle between its own simplicity and complexity. Every way the robotics bend make it sound like an illegal high in a way that's simultaneously out of this world and grounded firmly on earth. Then the strings kick in: it's affirmed that Blonde was worth the wait. It cements its status as a comfort album - an album for blankets and early mornings and awkward comedowns.
Arguably, Blonde wouldn't have been possible without a changing music industry. As digitalisation has more or less taken over the way audiences consume music (bar the vinyl revolution and emphasis on touring to generate revenue where album sales may miss out), artists are drawing attention to their upcoming releases through alternative mediums. While Beyonce twinned her blockbuster album Lemonade with an accompanying short film and Kanye continues to re-release edited and updated versions of The Life of Pablo, Frank Ocean has too selected streaming exclusivity as well as simultaneously releasing a very experimental visual album and a zine featuring the now-infamous McDonald's poem by Kanye (not worth reading, btw. Just adding it for interest.). And people still say they're "disappointed" with Frank. Sheesh, what's a guy gotta do to get some commendation? He cares 'bout y'all.
Whether he's navigating 21st century perceptions of dating and masculinity in the sketch-like 'Good Guy', churning alternative sunshine beats in 'Nights' or purring out odes to "your speckled face" on 'Seigfried', Blonde proves to be not always easy listening, but always a morphed kind of beautiful. Take your time to listen more than once before you fully form your opinion, because there's way more to Blonde than meets the ear. It was a really difficult album to write about - not even taking my writer's block into consideration. Yet, each time I've relistened there's something I haven't heard before and I'm slowly discovering myself feeling every syllable, every reverberated chord. If you've ever read Beckett, you'd know that everything is detailed and each word and punctuation mark is there for a reason. I feel like Blonde is almost an audible version of this experience. It's an album of nuances, and you've got to be open to being responsive to it all.
"Acciomixtape's end of year mixes are always the best. This is a fact." - Kanye West
A soundtrack for 2015.
21. Colors - Halsey
for fans of: Ryn Weaver, Troye Sivan, Banks
2015 was a great year for pop music. It's been a long time coming, but it seems that enjoying pop music is well on its way to becoming something of the mainstream. Critics are warming up to sugary beats, the stars are getting more serious and music snobs are becoming more and more extinct. Halsey, for example, has been hailed as the 'next-big-thing' but I personally think she's run-of-the-mill and a bit embarrassing and unbearable). She's nothing particularly original and seems to have molded her entire persona on a cocky model of Lorde, but this song still strikes a chord. Once the childish first verse dissolves into the bridge, everything supercharges. The sultry alien beats merge with the hue-themed lyrics to create a kaleidoscopic atmosphere, leading into the powerhouse chorus which oozes vulnerable emotion. Perhaps Halsey is so acclaimed is because of moments like her enchanting spoken monologue, the cherry on top of a remarkable pop song: "you were red and you liked me because I was blue / you touched me and suddenly I was a lilac sky / and you decided purple just wasn't for you".
20. Eventually - Tame Impala
for fans of: MGMT, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Temples
On their strongest album to date, Tame Impala have been more scrupulous with their sound. Their universe is more sonic and immersive as it tackles the kind of 80s electronica that makes you think of permed hairdos being blown about by a wind machine. On Eventually, Kevin Parker whines "I know that I'll be happier / and I know you will too" in, what has become, a hugely reflective heartbreak anthem. The sticky bass reverberates through crashing synths as musical moments are left to run wild before abruptly being reined back in. Psych music has found its place in the 21st century with Tame Impala.
19. Loud Places (feat. Romy) - Jamie xx
for fans of: James Blake, Disclosure, SBTRKT
Part of Jamie xx's Mercury Prize nominated In Colour spectrum, Loud Places is gorgeous. Two thirds of The xx feature on this track, with one of the world's most knowing producers handing vocal duties to bandmate Romy Croft. The results are bewitching. Romy's hushed whispering vocals pull you in and make you listen closely - they're effortless and minimalistic yet introspective, complementing Jamie xx's downbeat production. The pulse of London's clubbing scene (that's the cool East London haunts, not Tiger Tiger Croydon) runs through the veins of Loud Places, making me think of blurry eyed drops and the luminosity of night buses. Soon the chorus builds spectacularly and you're lost in electric gospel where everything is alive and wonderful.
18. Know Yourself - Drake
for fans of: A$AP Rocky, Future, Post Malone
The king of the meme released a boundless stream of hits this year, starting with his surprise album, If You're Reading This It's Too Late, lighting fires with the Meek Mill diss track Back To Back, and finishing with worldwide phenomenon Hotline Bling. Whatever Drake touches seems to turn to gold, and the hurricane thrill of Know Yourself is no exception. Being the only person to ever refer to his hometown of Toronto as 'The Six' is a minor detail to the Canadian rapper - he can do whatever the fuck he wants. This time around he illustrates his demons racing through the city with him on top of the glistening neon beat that so comfortably glides along beneath him. It's classic Drake - "I'm the realist, but I'm also emotionally unstable". If only hip-hop superstars could be emos too.
17. Ladybird - Beach Baby
for fans of: Alvvays, Beach House, Gengahr
Deep in the grooves among the lyrical nonsense of Beach Baby's debut single ("I wanna be your brother / take a bite of the apple and just spit it out / I wanna be your mother / raise you up and fuck you right up" like...okay...) there seems to be a momentum. There is a growth in the song's melioration from stubborn acoustic twangs into wide-eyed indie rock - and it's a little bit magical. Everything is layered - the alternating lead vocals, swirling percussion, hazy backing vocals, ceaseless guitars - to create a dreamy musical landscape. Understated beauty at its best.
16. Baby Blue (feat. Chance The Rapper) - Action Bronson
for fans of: Joey Bada$$, Childish Gambino
There are a lot of rappers way more meaningful and necessary than Action Bronson, but few have an audible charisma like his. Baby Blue is a scathing curse to an ex-lover that still manages to be endearing and fanciful. Bronson's raspy, soulful delivery is somber and unapologetic, whereas Chicago superstar Chance The Rapper is rogue enough to distribute a very sincere 'fuck you' to whoever deserves it. This is braided into jazz and funk inspiration, which become less abstract once you know the track has been produced by Mark Ronson, drawing unlikely comparisons to the attitude of someone like Lily Allen. Spiteful and petty, but the mid-tempo bounce adds humour, not hatred, to both rapper's use of ingenious wordplay.
15. Mess Around - Cage The Elephant
for fans of: The Strokes, Palma Violets, Spring King
Kentucky rockers Cage The Elephant seem to have almost completely ditched the teenage angst of their first two albums, first evident in 2013's Melophobia which was rife with a new kind of maturity. Though they haven't returned to the jumpy anxiety of their early years, they've shaken off this sophistication in favour of a regression into cheeky adolescent rock - and this is a good thing. Produced by god almighty Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, it's an entirely eccentric take on crooked and gnarly blues sounds. Self-proclaimed OutKast influences are evident in the mischief of Matt Schultz's delivery, resulting in a playful and vintage-tinged yet full-sounding rock record that paves the way to a reckless fourth album.
14. Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd
for fans of: Miguel, Frank Ocean, Trey Songz
Who would've thought that the guy with the filthy lyrics and the poodle on his head could turn around and make one of the world's most astronomical hit records? Beauty Behind The Madness spawned a superabundance of polished hits, but none were as polished as his Michael Jackson moment Can't Feel My Face. To say this track is smooth is an overwhelming understatement - it's so damn smooth you could spread it on toast. The extraterrestrial production pulls you in from the minute it drops and your feet are left itching until the very end. With basslines that wouldn't be out of place on the Drive soundtrack and lyrics so absurd they almost make sense (he can't feel his face when he's with her? Well okay, I'll roll with that), Can't Feel My Face revels in its own simplicity. What The Weeknd lacks in vowels, he makes up for in universal appeal.
13. One Great Song And I Could Change The World - Swim Deep
for fans of: Peace, The 1975, Splashh
"Have I said why I love the sunrise? It's cause it's only gonna get lighter / feels different than paradise, is this love?" lead singer Austin Williams murmurs into the static on the opening track of Swim Deep's second album Mothers. Optimistically and epically titled, One Great Song And I Could Change The World has the kind of futuristic orchestral arrangements you may expect to find in a space movie soundtrack. Having ditched the drippy indie rock, Swim Deep have found bliss in the euphoric psychedelia evident in songs like this. Everything sounds deeper, snappier and magnified, lost in the acidic twilight of fizzy synths. One dizzy spoken monologue later and Swim Deep have a great song on their hands, but can it change the world?
Just because Honey Moon are the lesser-known act on this list, it doesn't mean they need be overlooked. Ellie, the first track from their self-titled and independently released EP, is a pensive catapult back into the sounds of childhood. Listening to this track feels like watching a home video VHS tape. Whimsical and romantic, Ellie is shrouded in heavenly harmonies and shimmering instrumentals. The atmosphere created is of nothing but luscious and self-indulgent summer laziness and the innocent gaiety of first love.
11. Different Angle - The Cribs
for fans of: The Courteeners, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines
This year, The Cribs released their seventh studio album For All My Sisters - arguably their best to date. It boasted pop-tinged garage with tough punk edges. While the lead single Burning For No One tingled with disco vibes, Different Angle blusters potent rock and roll that reaks of classic status. As the song makes its way through each verse, chorus and bridge, the melodies beef up and the band's dynamics flourish. Lacking no luster on the Jarman brothers' behalves, the slippery guitars make for riotous festival rock for the ages. Drenched in harmless fun and characterised by shout-a-long chourses, it will have Cribs fans old and new toe-tapping for years to come.
for fans of: Public Access TV, Twin Peaks, Circa Waves
Kickstarting the top ten is Jasmine - a diamond in the rough from new kids on the block The Magic Gang. Hotly tipped for 2016, the Brighton band offer an airy approach to sprightly indie rock. It's refreshing to see a band from this genre not taking themselves too seriously and embracing their uncoolness. Their upbeat nerd rock is most conspicuous in Jasmine: modest yet tender and heartfelt, built around coquettish riffs and buoyant hand claps. Woozy and summery, The Magic Gang have captured the kitschness of a certain 50s barber quartet feeling for the modern age.
9. You're A Germ - Wolf Alice
for fans of: Drenge, Alabama Shakes, Superfood
This year Wolf Alice released one of the best debut albums to come out of the UK music scene in many years. My Love Is Cool won the hearts and souls of music fans and critics alike with their unique brand of glitter grunge. The album had a fair sprinkle of cheery indie sweetness (Bros, Freazy) but was most daring when the London quartet dabbled in bold, slaughtering rock. You're A Germ is the best of a very, very good bunch. Beginning quiet and unassuming (oh, how you've underestimated Wolf Alice), the track abruptly, and heroically, dives headfirst into brash noise. It's a fearless track, characterised by tenacity and screaming countdowns, but, of course, it's bloody and shameless and ticks all the right boxes. Long live Wolf Alice.
8. Jealous - Nick Jonas
for fans of: Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande
As a feminist I should hate this song - it's possessive, portrays women as solely purposed to be the object of the male gaze, and its lyrical content encourages women to relinquish control of their own sexuality even though many live performances of the song feature scantily clad women dancing behind Jonas. However, I am only human and I have a weakness for boppy pop classics. Maybe it's the surprising and new-found slinky confidence of the baby Jonas brother or the glorious falsetto hook that make this song truly irresistible. The slick R&B infused production and aeronautical singalong chorus are a recipe for chart success. Huge props to Nick J: in early 2015, when this fuckboy anthem was unleashed in the UK, Jealous was well on its way to being the pop song of the year. However, that was until What Do You Mean hit the airwaves and pissed all over it (that said, Sorry soon ran away with that crown).
Kendrick Lamar is important. Really important. Not only are modern day legends clamoring for a piece of the Kendrick effect (David Bowie has claimed that he was influenced by the US rapper on his forthcoming album), but music fans across the universe are all nodding simultaneously and praising his sophomore effort To Pimp A Butterfly as the album of the year (this fan is wholeheartedly in agreement). There are a plethora of tracks to choose from as the best from the album, but there's something special about Hood Politics. As ever, Kendrick's flow is smart, but it's sharper here - teasing aggression instead of respiring it like he does in The Blacker The Berry. There's a certain cheek in charting his journey "from Compton / to Congress" that he seems very self-aware of, highlighted by the mellow and sophisticated beats that boil under his spits. Lamar has been instrumental in promoting the #BlackLivesMatter movement and is taking no liberties in accentuating its prominence both socially and politically, calling out the "Democrips and Rebloodicans" in a fusion of a critique of 'real' politics and the politics of hip-hop. When the offbeat synthetic drums drop out and he pipes "Obama say what it do", Hood Politics falls far into soul-influenced glory and reminds us of Kendrick's genius.
6. Shutdown - Skepta
for fans of: Wiley, JME, Stormzy
Grime superstar Skepta has arguably had the biggest breakout year of them all. Skepta went from the guy who London school kids used to talk about on Formspring (that didn't happen to you? Where were you?) to the favourite of your upper middle class white friends who live on country estates in Suffolk. Everyone's had his name tattooed on them, from kids who belong on Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents to actual Drake (kind of), proving that, bar Adele's Hello, Shutdown is probably the most iconic song to come out of 2015. It has topped best track lists complied by everyone from The Guardian to NME, and is way more important than anyone gives credit to the North London MC for. It's catchy, has a bombastic brass intro, and is entirely tongue-in-cheek as it basks in its own brilliance. The king of counterculture is a true trailblazer with fire under his Adidas.
5. Bitch Better Have My Money - Rihanna
for fans of: Beyoncé, Azealia Banks, Nicki Minaj
Rihanna courted controversy this year (does she ever shy away from it?) upon premiering the accompanying video of 2015's coolest club hit, Bitch Better Have My Money. Was there a feminist message behind the gory violence? Or was it entirely misogynistic and reductive? Were there important representations of race intertwined in the narrative? Or was it all simply self-indulgent and ridiculous? In short, the video split opinion and distracted from how kind of brilliant the song itself is, suggesting we're all a bit too wrapped up in the fickle Madonna-Miley shock factor. Executively produced by Kanye West (who else), Rihanna shakes off her R&B royalty in favor of taking her rightful place as the commanding and reigning empress of hip-hop. Melodically, the track is monotone but the metallic beat drips with a wholly lovable breed of arrogance. The OG trap queen is back, this time evolved as a sassy garage gangster, and she doesn't show any signs of slowing down.
4. Sooth Lady Wine - Matt Corby
for fans of: Jeff Buckley, Chet Faker, Ben Howard
Following a hiatus that has lasted for over two years, Australian singer-songwriter (and real-life Jesus) Matt Corby declared on his Facebook page "I recorded an album two years ago that I didn't like". This was the sound of the rumbling folk-rock of his international smash hits Brother and Resolution, however his latest single, Sooth Lady Wine, could not be further away from the genre he made his name in. As the honey-soaked production ripples through the instrumental, Corby croons "you sold me out to the man to the man to the man with the nuclear plant", bringing hippy 70s vibes into context, taking listeners on a delirious acid trip. There is a timelessness in the song's swooning psychedelia; its syrupy riffs and jazzy percussion are delicious. Corby has found himself knee-deep in a new, drippy kind of genre and, by the sound of things. he has already mastered it.
3. Sorry - Justin Bieber
for fans of: music in general
2015 was the year everyone became a Belieber: the critics, your nan, the roadmen on your Snapchat, and the ones who were always fans but concealed their love for fear of public ridicule. His comeback blockbuster Purpose is loaded with enough ammunition to set the world alight, but it is Sorry which is the masterpiece. Sorry is his Starry Night, his Weeping Woman, his Mona Lisa. The Skrillex produced track takes audiences worldwide on a whirlwind trip into ecstasy with contagious verses and lofty choruses (even though the opening makes me think of a seal). It's impossible not to be dazzled by the bubbling beats and tropical bops. There's even something very emotive in his utterances...deep down...somewhere. Regardless, the world is going through a Bieber renaissance: Where Are Ü Now caught our attention, What Do You Mean sustained it, but it was Sorry which made us Belieb. The only thing Justin should be apologising for now is for not warning the public before releasing such an unprecedented set of bangers.
for fans of: Father John Misty, Max Jury, Paul McCartney
Heartbreak ballads don't come more devastating than Without You. Piano man Tobias Jesso Jr. is the balladeering answer to Drake; both Canadian giants (Drake is one of the biggest rappers in the world, Tobias is a ginormous 6ft7) have you nostalgically philosophising over loves you never lost and exes you don't miss. His debut album Goon, produced by The Black Keys' Patrick Carney, is full of gems, but Without You stands out head and shoulders above the rest (as Tobias does, the freakin' giant). From the first trembling murmur of "why can't you just love me?", you're drowning with him until, by the track's conclusion, you're literally drowning in a puddle of your own tears and screaming "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?" (this has never happened to me). And you're not alone in this: the Haim sisters are superfans (Danielle plays drums on the track) and Adele has declared him one of her favourite people and snapped him up to co-write that low-selling underground album of hers, 25. Without You works so damn beautifully because it's simple; there are no gimmicks, nothing to sell himself with. - just a piano and his broken heart.
for fans of: The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club, Arcade Fire
British rock music climbed to new peaks following the release of a brand spanking new Foals record this August. What Went Down trampled new ground while staying true to what it is to be Foals - their sounds, their visions that they so uniquely possess. Everything Foals have done since Antidotes has felt very naturally inspired and elemental - both aesthetically and audibly. While the trance-rock of Total Life Forever dealt with oceanic bodies of water and Holy Fire rumbled with fiesty guitar thrashing, What Went Down married the peaceful with the epic and was truly mountainous. It can only be right that the true highlight from the Oxford band's latest gem was Mountain At My Gates: an anthem for the ages. It is the vocals of lead singer Yannis Phillipakis' vocals that seize the listener and are an artform to behold; beginning tamed and graceful, they soon break free as his roars are catapulted to soaring heights before crashing back down into a breathless ending that lingers onto the rest of the record. Each beat builds and builds into the zenith where a culmination of those incredible Phillipakis vocals, thunderous percussion and ricocheting riffs manically result in the finest climax of any song of the past 12 months. I hope you're festival-ready for 2016, because Foals are coming at ya.
...dissecting the politics of the music industry and championing underrated bands one step at a time...
(photo creds: Pooneh Ghana)
Twin Peaks are the generation-defining band that most of the generation hasn't heard of...yet. The cheeky chaps from Chicago (I already regret that alliterative combination) are set to do what The Strokes did for riotous indie rock in the previous decade - shatter any previous misconceptions and spearhead it into a a new, restored direction.
My gripe with modern 'indie' (besides the fact it is a truly awful world that should be used only to - ironically, of course - describe twatty teenagers) is that it fails to live up to its namesake. Indie is, in the classical sense of the word, associated with independent labels that traditionally churned out the kind of music of which this genre originates. However, could this also be translated into a more independent movement of music; one that nudges boundaries, challenge its peers to do better and gets audiences excited just because they can be. Transecendal electronica from Jamie xx and FKA Twigs and underground grime from JME and Skepta are doing this. Apart from the few exceptions, indie rock is not.
As I believe I've mentioned in previous blog entries, I feel that most of modern indie tends to mesh into one. Of course big sing-along choruses are fun, and boppy riffs act as ammunition for festival mosh pits, but what separates decent bands from those of potential heroic status? Indie seems to have lost its roots along the way and it's time that Twin Peaks brought it out of the woods.
Returning to The Strokes comparison; both bands capture rock music in its purest form - (seemingly) unfussed about delicacies, unsubtly advertising a passion for noise and pledging allegiance to their art. This Is It is a landmark in music history, so it should be noted that Twin Peaks' ascent into rock and roll fame won't be as quick as their apparent counterparts. However, who's to say that this quartet can't be as equally meteoric? It could be suggested that The Strokes achieved success so early in their career because they are associated with prominent labels and don't look like they play fight on an hourly basis. On the other hand, Twin Peaks are messy, marijuana obsessed teens, yet the latter's releases are significantly and seriously overlooked which is certainly not down to the quality of their first two projects.
Sunken - their debut mini-album - bursts with feverish colour. Erupting with serious DIY garage rock, it's over quicker than you can bat an eyelid. From the musty vocals to the explosive stifle of the percussion, there is little time for pause in a record that runs for less than twenty minutes: it's lo-fi scuzzy rock and roll in its most natural form.
The urgent immediacy in Sunken is endearing; almost every track fades into one another, giving it a more vintage touch and making it perfect for vinyl (apologies for the pretentiousness but I own it, and it's honestly amazing). There's also something strangely wistful about their lyrics (a la Natural Villain and Ocean Blue) even if they still spiced with youthful slang (particularly my favourite Stand In The Sand - an ode to their holy grail).
Clay of Twin Peaks (photo creds: unknown)
The boyish essence Twin Peaks captured on Sunken lingered into 2014 when they released their sophomore effort Wild Onion. While Sunken trembled with a this-is-an-extended-jam-session vibe, they truly wore their influences on their sleeve during the recording of Wild Onion (perhaps somewhat of a modern masterpiece, but that's just my opinion). These roots of inspiration lay the foundations for a great record and are most obvious in the album's title and artwork which mimic The Beach Boys' Wild Honey. Not only is the title of Twin Peaks' second record a nod to the 1967 album (both compromising untamed vegetation of some kind), but there are also similarities to be found in the fonts and positioning of the two album titles as well as the floral aesthetics - undoubtedly a homage on Twin Peaks' behalf. However, this is not where the Wild Honey influences come to a halt. Throughout Wild Honey there is a hedonistic thrill and buoyancy, particularly in Darlin' and the album's title track, that can be found to be so tightly intertwined in Wild Onion. Though the latter may be without the prominence of keyboards and organs to add that punky edge, the lazy carelessness of each respective band's vocals are uncanny.
i spy the similarities?
The Beach Boys aren't the only sixties/seventies swingers that Twin Peaks emulate. Particularly on Wild Onion, a lot of the tracks have a definite Rolling Stones air to them. From the Mick Jagger-esque yelps of Making Breakfast to the Stones style climaxes of I Found A New Way, it's blatantly obvious that Twin Peaks had Sticky Fingers on rotation whilst recording. The entire album works as a juxtaposition of the forceful garage gnarl (Flavour, No Way Out) with the delicate soft rock (Mirror Of Time and the ambrosial stoner daze of Ordinary People), something akin to The Kinks spectrum. Where Wild Onion truly succeeds is the harmonious balance of both, in tracks such as the uptempo euphoria of stand-out Telephone.
Where Twin Peaks triumph and other bands falter is the way they've coined their inspirations. Their body of work is less of a recycle of what we've heard in the past but more of a leasing of new life into the ways of the old classics. Through wicked live performances and songwriting that's beyond their years, it's clear their ethos is modernisation instead of imitation - and this is why they will reign supreme.
Some may say her power lies in her ability to single-handedly make the largest cooperation in the world redesign their business plan (we're looking at you, Apple). Others in her ability to reduce relatively emotionally stable people of all ages into a fit of tears. Although, it's most prevalent (and, perhaps, most overlooked) in her ability to sell out Hyde Park (that's 65,000+ tickets, I'll have you know). Out of all the other headliners of the British Summertime Festival, the only other act who was able to draw identical numbers were The Who. Neither Britpop heroes Blur nor the founders of modern indie rock The Strokes could achieve such numbers. Hence, Taylor Swift is a musician completely on par with rock legends celebrating their golden anniversary. And she proves it in her biggest UK headline show to date in the company of her London crowd.
The day-long event was opened fittingly by an array of genre-crossing acts. Rae Morris was charming and euphoric; Vance Joy's cotton candy acoustics were impressive and dynamic; though he can't dance for piss and tried (and failed spectacularly) to get an audience who wasn't there for him to sing-a-long to his unknown tracks, John Newman gave his all; and Ellie Goulding went above and beyond, pumping up the crowd with a cluster of electronica fire-starters. Surprisingly, it all made the excruciating seven hour wait from doors opening to Miss Swift's set a little less painful.
For someone who once claimed she couldn't dance and is infamous for her problematic award show moves, the love letter to her beloved new home and show opener Welcome To New York was the first of many performances to boast high-precision body pops and locks. It also set the bar for an ornately camp extravaganza. Almost every sugar-tinted synth was accompanied by high kicks in even higher waisted garments and the most incredible (for lack of a better term) slut drops the eyes have ever seen. Behind the superstar herself was an army of truly exquisite backing dancers to accentuate the big top show. (Collectively, we decided we loved Mason Cutler the most.)
Each beat which burst from the Great Oak Stage was bedazzled to perfection; whether they were a blazing inferno as in her 2013 worldwide smash-hit I Knew You Were Trouble or silky smooth under Style. During the latter - a slinky, seductive instant classic glossed with immaculate hooks and retro riffs - she paraded members of her ever-growing girl squad of beautiful people - Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid (I literally died), Serena Williams, Martha Hunt, Karlie Kloss, and Cara Delevingne - to the adoring crowd.
Prior to attending, I was initially a bit ambivalent towards the set list as, for a Swift-till-death personality like myself, it was too 1989-heavy for my liking, particularly due to the inclusion of This Love (which was a bit of a snore and could definitely done with being replaced by a masterpiece like Last Kiss or All Too Well) and You Are In Love. After attending, I still harbour these feelings. However, one of the most bewitching moments of the show was Taylor being suspended above the crowd against a background of sallow oranges as the sun was in mid-set as she acoustically (and unforgettably) sang You Are In Love.
love story at sunset
Yet, her set was not shy of her previous catalogue. Though it did not include any full version of her songs from the greatest album of all time (2010's multi-platinum Speak Now), the songs she did incorporate showed her remarkable talent for reinvention. It's not just the fact that 1989 transformed her from pop princess to the biggest superstar on the planet, but her tour has given her the artistic opportunity to inject fresh energies into her archive. During her platform suspension over the crowd, she played the song that catapulted a then-18 year old Taylor Swift into international music fame: Love Story. Tinkering at her keyboard, she turned the country crossover smash into an 80's tinged ballad. Later in the set, she electrified the crowd with an amazing beefed-up version of one of her dryer tracks We Are Never Getting Back Together, shredding guitar and whipping like it was nobody's business. Her final surprise was a mash up of one of my most favourite T Swizzle songs Enchanted (circa 2010) and brooding ballad Wildest Dreams. Living up to its namesake, it was enchanting. Beginning as a soft piano solo and evolving into a momentous serenade to the beauty and delicacy of love. It was certainly a set highlight.
It is a well-known fact that Taylor is not a one-trick pony. Not only is she, possibly, the most famous singer-songwriter of the 21st century, accomplished multi-instrumentalist, philanthropist and the dictionary definition of 'goals', but she can add 'agony aunt' and 'potential Noble Prize speech writer' to her CV. Before Clean, her severely underrated track about finding yourself in the midst of stormy heartbreak, she gave a speech that wetted the cheeks of many. She preached about the importance of self-love and how we are not "damaged goods", before launching into a graceful melody that captured the crowd.
It is indisputable that Taylor Swift is some kind of phenomenon. She brings the bangers through some of this year's biggest songs - Shake It Off, Blank Space, Bad Blood (the tour version is, unfortunately, minus the explosive Kendrick Lamar appearance) - and lifts them to new, dazzling heights. She has flowered into a bonafide music icon. May the reign of Taylor Swift continue.
With a Letterman appearance across the pond, a sold out UK tour and a top 20 album under their belt, Drenge have got it going on. The London leg of the Undertow tour was held at Camden's famous Electric Ballroom - a mini-Brixton type venue with a dodgy paint job, known to house rising rock and punk acts.
For their sophomore effort Undertow, Drenge departed from dry wit and towards something as close to maturity as you can get while being a member of a rock band who gets cups of overpriced beer thrown at you every night. Undertow was written with a new voice; a new perspective on old themes of death, weapons, and vehement melancholy. While songs like The Snake rumble with vicious biblical undertones and Favourite Son dreams of bloodthirsty sex, they've made a grittier statement than their eponymous debut did. Luckily, their signature meditated fury is easily brought to the stage.
The Loveless brothers (plus one) emerged into a room pumping with testosterone. Sweating adolescent males with rubbery torsos mimicked the boiling angst of Drenge's stone cold grunge. Violent mosh pits broke out from the moment the first echoed chord of album stand-out Running Wild was strung.
The addition of a bassist means Drenge's sound is sonically expansive but lacks niche. They've been replaced with the likes of Slaves and Royal Blood - the latter of which's success they may not achieve as it's unlikely that this Sheffield-born band whose lyrics consist of themes similar to "make you piss your pants / I wanna break you in half" could get the backing of the clean-cut, viewer-hungry BRIT Awards. Regardless, the fever of their live presence really proves that they can do what they want and their fans will follow like a pack of salivating dogs.
What they lack in on-stage charisma, Drenge (Danish for 'boys') make up for in monstrous sound. Lead singer and guitarist Eoin Loveless showcased their new, flavourful riffs in Never Awake - complete with howling crowd wail-a-longs - and old-school grunge favourites like Gun Crazy, where the mosh pits relished Loveless as he growled "woah, oh oh, my baby, oh my baby's gonna mess me around". The fantastic energy of their debut is still present in their sweatiest of new hits - We Can Do What We Want - where the atmosphere transformed into one of a collective acid trip.
Before unusual (i.e. dull; i.e. where is I Don't Want To Make Love To You?) set-closer Let's Pretend, the crowd - sounding like 60 year old heavy smokers - chant along to fan favourite Fuckabout. A few bruises and dislocated shoulders later, Drenge's set ends and proves that total anarchy will forever be in their favour.
The Sebright Arms is an awkward venue. Deep in a pub basement, it attracts clusters of shouty people who are either transfixed or completely unengaged with the music.
What was even more awkward was the joke made by Honey Moon about how they've come all the way from London. No one in the basement of Shoreditch pub laughs, but I thought it was kind of funny. Clad in Mac Demarco flat hats and baggy shirts along with a member who resembles Reid from Criminal Minds, the opening set from this foetal (i.e. they formed in 2015) band is finished in a flash. In all fairness, they probably performed the only four songs they've written: songs about girls and the weather. Yet what they showcase is truly excellent: crafted hippy licks and dips and psychedelic melodies performed not entirely like amateurs but with a whimsical sort of air. Unfortunately, Honey Moon performed for about 20-30 people in the 150+ capacity venue but they are seriously ones to keep on your radar.
Between sets, the crowd grew steadily as a seemingly seamless string of people fed into the crowd. Soon the Sebright Arms was even more awkward - packed and stuffy, drawing in an odd mix of people, and not a bar of phone service in sight.
When Goldsmith University's Beach Baby took to the stage, they were met with a surprising amount of adoration - an unforeseen reaction because they've only released two songs... out of the five or six they already have. Nonetheless, either they have exceedingly impassioned fans, intensely proud family members or, the more likely scenario seeing as this is Britain, everyone was a jolly drunk - everything Beach Baby did was met with rapturous applause.
Fresh off Jungle's European tour and splashing into their first ever London headline show, Beach Baby are a bit of a mix-match - nothing quite fits yet. Blissful percussion beats were met with shredding guitars, and complimentary vocals from two lead singers with questionable fashion choices (like, board shorts????). The traditionally subtle debut single Ladybird was excitingly brash and fierce - totally different to the studio recording. Long gone were acoustic rumblings and vocal mumblings; in it's place were frantic guitars and exasperated vocals. If the crowd was young enough, there might have even been a mosh pit.
Take the sunny, slidy guitar licks of Mac Demarco, the dulcet rumblings (and carrot top) of King Krule, and the cheeky geezer rap of Jamie T - sugar, spice, and everything nice - and you have Only Real. West Londoner Niall Galvin - not like the river, but like the Irish one in 1D - has conjured up a debut with as much fizz as a shaken up champagne bottle.
Free-spirited baggy pop is indented in every groove of Jerk At The End Of The Line, giving a ballsy twist to slacker rock. Opening with Twist It Up, a looping 90s-flared ditty that draws similarities to the dainty daydreaming of later track Backseat Kissers, a peculiar level of intrigue is set. Then the record plunges into the classic theme of 'fuck-I'm-in-my-late-teens-to-early-20s', accentuated by teasing vocals and commonplace tales of messing about, i.e. in the almost-titular track Jerk. If that Caribbean Twist alco-pop you used to drink when you were sixteen could sing, it'd probably sound something like this festival-ready soundtrack. Feeding the tongue-in-cheek lyrics that gave the album its name (baby when did you get so fine? / if you missed me, I'm the jerk at the end of the line), Jerk is Only Real at his indie-ska finest.
He brings the lo-fi hip-hop side out of him most prominently on the reworked version of Blood Carpet, heavy with saliva spits and floppy jingles. Yet he easily flips back to cutesy ska on the hyperactive sugar rush Pass The Pain, Daisychained - it's okay baby, we're crooks too - and Yesterdays, with its layers upon layers of easy breezy riffs. These vintage-tinged riffs are also favoured in closing track When This Begins, which starts with harmonies and minimalist production that could have come straight off of a Jungle demo.
The 22-year-old's biggest hitter, Cadillac Girl, gets stuck in your head for days on end. There's a certain psychedelic seriousness that's championed by essentially odd lyrics - e.g. the quick succession of too late / few days / shirt off / Kool-Aid (and whatever else he says... something about screw face, or some equal sort of slang...). The rythmic rap gathers the distance of lost love - "oh she's so over me / she's so cold" - as the summery synths take a step back into an undercover kind of sadness.
The instrumental of Petals seems to be haunted by more of a Casper the Friendly Ghost-esque ghoul but steps away from UK-centric grime to a spit with more of an American hip-hop flair, whereas Break It Off may have lackadaisical verses but the chorus is a heavy, resentful chant. Seemingly written from a place of nebulous disturbance, Can't Get Happy covers these dirt tracks of raw emotion with addictive beats and massive percussion. Though with a first listen the melancholy could be overlooked, it's actually all over Only Real's debut making it more complex than meets the eye... Or in this case, the ear. Nevertheless, Jerk At The End Of The Line marks the impending breakthrough of an underrated British talent.
JERK AT THE END OF THE LINE IS AVAILABLE NOW ON VIRGIN EMI RECORDS
A sociological and psychological examination of how two of the music industry's biggest and most profitable genres contribute to the gender gap
In an interesting debate over class/politics/gender with a friend of mine (send him twitter hate), he made the following rhetoric: "Like its not sexist that the rock industry is dominated by males and pop industry is dominated by females?". This was interesting because it opened up a new perspective. We've all heard a lot about the fact that the industry is sexist - women as a whole have experienced moments were they aren't treated as serious musicians, but as pop puppets in the male game, etc. - however, through inclusive probing (scanning the web, looking at statistics, reading the opinions of others) I've theorised a possible explanation for why the industry is so rooted in sexism (besides from - but not excluding - the obvious existence of the capitalist patriarchy).
If you turn a blind eye and look at the side of the argument where the industry can be perceived as non-sexist, the difference in genres could be down to the biological difference between the sexes. Men are typically physically stronger, women are typically more empathetic. Solid fact. Therefore, it can be seen that the sexes have separated themselves into genres in which they thrive in due to their alternative biological wiring. Extensive research by scientists and psychologists alike have found key differences in men and women that suggest that we were born to be different. For example, Dutch studies on transgender and cisgender individuals in the late 1990s discovered that the size of the BSTc (bed nucleus of the stria terminalis), which is located in the thalamus of the brain, correlates with preferred sex rather than biological sex. This is one of the many pieces of research which defines just how men and women think differently - and are therefore fundamentally separate. Our brains are built differently and are zapping with different kinds of hormones. But how does this apply to our taste in music and preferences for different genres?
This study, and many others that consider the differences in male and female brains, would suggest that its highly possible that men dominate rock and women dominate pop because of our integral human diversities. But still, how would this explain why Royal Blood have female fans or why your mate Tom bought the Lorde record? Here the argument falls flat, and we are back to arguing the case in favour of sexism in music.
The biggest selling music act of all time is The Beatles. John, Paul, George, and Ringo changed music forever following the release of their debut 1962 single Love Me Do. The Liverpudlian quartet would go down in history as four of the most influential individuals of the Twentieth Century, but why is this? Probably because of the magic of the Lennon/McCartney writing duo and their consequent success following the band's demise, but Beatlemania would become way more significant than they had ever predicted. For reasons that have puzzled scholars and remain largely ambiguous, four working class boys from the North sent teenage girls across the world into a heightened frenzy. Beatlemania was a phenomenon never seen before. The Beatles were an important watershed in showing the big bosses just how many bucks they could make if they marketed acts to the right audience.
Henceforth follows the next fifty years in music when the ability to correctly market an act to an audience became one of the most successful ways to sell records. Of course, not all big artists sold because of marketability - take acts such as Pink Floyd, Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, Jay-Z etc; covering a wide range of genres and line-ups, it's undeniably clear that merit and skill also churns out success. However, if we specifically examine other million-selling artists (particularly those from the 21st century) such as Rihanna, Katy Perry et al we can recognise similarities in marketability traits. Not to say these ladies should be diminished of their talent because they've proved to marketable, however their ability to be sold to the public as a product is of note.
MILEY CYRUS: is her sexuality the extent of her male appeal? (photo creds: idolator)
Since the beginning of the media world we live in, the deprecation of women has been an essential factor in selling products. Unfortunately, as a woman, you are likely to have been socialised to be belittled since before you could talk, walk, or think for yourself. The media has used this belittlement to its advantage and so played on the universal insecurities which women suffer from in order to sell products. This works especially in cosmetic products, but can also be applied to fashion, food, and - in this case - the records we purchase. This means that females are more impressionable, simply because we've been socialised to believe that we can always be better than what we are. L'Oreal does this when they want you to buy their latest celebrity endorsed product, as do a multitude of other major corporations who cater to the female market.
This means that young girls can be easily sold to the pop star façade. Figureheads in pop are a model for girls to imitate. When males see a female pop star they don't think "hey, she's hot and a talented musician - I'm going to buy her single on iTunes"; they're more likely to think "hey, she's hot and a talented musician - she's one for the wank bank!". On the other hand, the manipulation of a young woman's psyche can lead her to think "hey, she's hot and a talented musician - what's her secret? How is she so goddess-like? Maybe if I buy her record, I can be like her. Maybe then I'll appeal to males too."
BRUNO MARS: one of the biggest pop stars
of the last five years (photo creds: Us Weekly)
This works too with the boyband phemoneon. It's been happening since, what seems like, the beginning of time with groups from The Monkees to N*Sync, but the most recent and relevant example is, of course, One Direction. The British group are five attractive, wholesome, boy-next-door types and have been manufactured in order to centre their marketability on making them accessible to their audience. Songs like What Makes You Beautiful aren't just catchy pop classics, but tools to lure in their audience and make their listeners believe that they could be singing to them, triggering fantasies about being the one who makes Zayn Malik overwhelmed. Pop music is, therefore, female-orientated and relies heavily on feminine ideals and aspirations in order to appeal not just to the people who enjoy a well-written Mariah Carey track, but also to the vulnerable who have been manipulated by the pop star smoke screen. This is one of the many reasons why pop music succeeds. (Again, I do not disregard the genuine talent and star power of the majority of pop musicians. I am not destroying pop - it is a fantastic, innovative, and zesty genre - but, like all systems in society, it has its major flaws.)
'Pop' isn't just a fizzing burst of energy - it is also a contraction of 'popular'. Pop is the mainstream. Therefore rock - or alternative - acts as a counter-movement to the revolution of pop music. Therefore, it's an alternative to pretty boys in suits - though, being real, rock music is not shy of them - and big budget arena showdowns. Alt seeks to be the polar opposite of pop, though the lines are becoming more and more blurred as the genre is slowly being embraced, by creating a genre which encircles male interests by pushing out the females. Males dominate the genre because it's a territory they believe to have acquired. Not only does this lock out a lot of passionate female acts, but it ostracises female fans as it means they're not taken seriously as ardent music lovers.
Girls are made fun of for screaming at concerts (which, okay, is extremely irritating and uncomfortable for those surrounding them, but it's all just a bit of fun) or for worshipping their favourite band (which Jack Black TOLD. US. TO. DO), but no one bats an eyelid at the "spirited" fans of sports teams who literally riot when their teams lose...They resort to actual violence over something that has no importance after the season finishes. Yet teenage girls at Justin Bieber concerts are 'sad' and 'pathetic'. Regardless of your opinion of the Biebs, is this not misogyny at its finest? And yet, I have met boys who've acted with surprise at the fact that I love Foo Fighters. Am I not allowed to because societal standards dictate that my gender means I've crossed into the wrong territory? Gender doesn't dictate where your music preferences lie. I simultaneously enjoy the tunes churned out by Taylor Swift and by The Cibs, and I don't see the problem.
I leave you with the following quote. Unfortunately, I don't know the source as I found it on Tumblr but I hope that it makes you think about the impact of socialisation on young girls and in the media in which we consume:
"There’s still very much this stereotype that teenage girls are not serious consumers of music, even though they are the number one purchasers of music. Teenage girls are the number one consumers of music, they are the number one drivers of taste, and yet they are still not considered serious music fans." (x)
READ MY PREVIOUS POSTS ON FEMINISM-RELATED ISSUES (I promise one day that I'll write something that's more important than Western white feminism, just give me a couple o' trys)
Today - 8th March 2015 - is International Women's Day. Though we should be celebrating the achievements of phenomenal women everyday - no matter how small or how large - today we truly appreciate womanhood. From Malala Youzafi to your local community women's centres, the past 12 months have caused for a lot of praise for the work of women across the globe who are slowly but surely pushing oppression out and bringing equality in. This International Women's Day prioritise women of colour, women being murdered or mutilated for their right to say no, transsexual women, poor women, etc. Look beyond what these women can do for your feminism, but what your feminism can do for these women. This playlist complies songs by artists who highlight the importance of women, despite what the patriarchy tells us we are, and though it's largely focused on Western ideals, this International Women's Day I think we must look beyond the problems in our own society and into the ones of those littered with women without privilege, and therefore, without a voice. Just think about that.
(this post comes one year on from my 'feminism for beginners' post. the response i got from that was overwhelming, and over 400 views in 365 days may not seem like a lot to some but to me, wowee. thank u billion upon billions)
1. Nicki's verse from Monster
Nicki Minaj is one of pop culture's finest feminist role models. She consistently speaks out about the importance of education, women owning themselves and their sexuality in the way that men do, and rightly identifies herself as a rapper - she does not degrade herself to be categorised as a female rapper. This doesn't mean she believes to be female is dehumanising in any shape or form - she's proud to be a woman - however she fully realises that she is at the top of her game and is on par with, if not better than, the top male rappers in hip-hop. As a guest speaker at Oxford University last week, Kanye West admitted that he was destroyed by Nicki in his own song. It's the subject of countless of internet memes, and now it will go down as history as the moment when Kanye's ego was finally murked. He met his match, and I bet he never thought it'd be a woman.
TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: you can be the king but watch the queen conquer. Your successes and accomplishments should not be devalued because of your gender. You should not be placed into a category of 'female excellence' as opposed to simply 'excellence'. It's patronising and ridiculous, doing nothing but further increasing the gender gap, suggesting that women cannot even fathom to reach the standards of men. Sometimes girls are better than boys, and that's a fact of life that needs to be recognised.
As the pinnacle of feminist pop, Beyoncé inspired thousands following her 2014 VMA performance in which she stood firm and proud before the word 'FEMINIST' to promote the 21st century makeover of the movement. The music industry is among the most misogynistic (and, unfortunately, most influential) industries in the world, so this was a huge turning point in the movement's perception in pop culture. Women in music are highly undervalued (for instance, out of the 2015 BRIT Award winners, the only female winners were those nominated in female-specific categories) despite being equally, if not more, successful than their male counterparts. Taylor sold the most albums worldwide last year, Nicki broke countless rap records, and Beyoncé continued to sell out venues across the world, so why are the music industry so reluctant to give women in music praise for their excellence? Regardless of a stuffy corporate male's opinion, we salute you, Bey - thanks for all you have done to promote women's interests.
TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: the sample speech from acclaimed Nigerian writer and social justice fighter Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. The entire prose piece is ground-breaking but the lines that deliver the most impact are the opening ones - we teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. It's important that, in the future, we refuse to socialise girls in a way that makes them think of themselves as anything but a force of nature.
3. Bros - Wolf Alice
Wolf Alice are the female-fronted act of the year, and - though it should be shocking, but is rather unsurprising - one of only ten female artists booked to perform along with hundreds of other acts at this year's Reading and Leeds Festival. This means there will be only twenty female performances across the two sites over the August bank holiday weekend. Again, this highlights just how much sexism there is in the music industry. It is not entirely the fault of festival organisers, but more of the problem of lack of female role models in rock/indie/alt etc, despite research showing that females are the largest drivers of taste - they decide what is popular and relevant but are under-represented in terms of those who are actually making the music. This festival season is a chance for people like Wolf Alice wonder woman Ellie Rowsell to inspire and encourage the industry to take female acts more seriously.
TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: it may be called Bros, but this song is about nothing but the power of female friendship - me and you / we can do whatever / I'm quite sure. Just because you were born undervalued in the eyes of the patriarchy, doesn't mean you should settle for anything less than incredible things - you were not meant for mediocrity.
4. My Song 5 - HAIM
Whoever says women have no place in rock have clearly never been to a HAIM concert, because they truly put female rock on the map. You better take them seriously, else they'll kick your ass. The GRAMMY-nominated sister trio vibe harder than most bands out there, blowing all competition (male or female) out of the water. Any frontman would find themselves breaking a sweat in a jam session with lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Danielle, but all three are at an equilibrium in performance level and songwriting capabilities. Their quick-witted sass and boppy riffs to match has attracted the attention of critics, an army of fans, and Stevie Nicks, proving that they've dominated a genre that usually suppresses women from succeeding in. Plus My Song 5 has a really boss video to match, with appearances from Grimes and Ezra Koenig.
TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: renouncing themselves of all male possession - honey I'm not your honey-pie. You are more than an object of male desires - you are an embodiment of your own aspirations. They are not dictated by patriarchal values or gender barriers. What can you do to defy expectations?
5. After Hours - The Velvet Underground
When you think of The Velvet Underground, you are immediately picture Lou Reed. Or maybe a banana. However, one of the most underrated, badass females in music has to be Velvet Underground's drummer Maureen (aka Moe) Tucker. She admirably taught herself how to play the drums before gaining respect on the 60s New York music scene (which was probably a million times more sexist than it is now) and continues to demand that respect today through her unconventional drumming techniques. Known for her androgynous exterior, she showcases her sugary sweet vocals on After Hours - one of only a small number of songs which Tucker leant her voice to. As The Velvent Underground was released in 1969, this was an early and significant moment for rock music.
TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: just the fact that someone as amazing as Maureen Tucker exists is empowering in itself. She toured and did studio work while pregnant and with a family; a big fuck you to Nigel Farage's recent comments on Loose Women about how its a "fact of life" that women cannot balance work and family lives and must choose between a career and motherhood. Shoutout to all the incredible working mamas out there, you are loved and you are appreciated.
6. I Will - Sky Ferreira
Ferreira's 2013 debut Night Time, My Time was crafted in electronica-indie heaven, but it was a result of a seven year process which she suffered crippling setbacks and blows to her self-confidence. A year and a bit later, her breakout LP is still as important as it was on its first listen. It's honest and raw, and though still encompassing these elements, I Will is the most brash and outspoken track on the record. Heavy guitars and heavier synths make for blissful levels of female angst. Try screeching along to this when you're drunk.
TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: the entire song is a spicy rebellion about the impossible standards that accompany not only the celebrity persona but also being a woman. It narrates the struggles of female voices being heard among those that deem them to unimportant to listen to. But shout louder, bite back - well it's with me you're messing / I'm gonna teach you a lesson. Be bold and be heard. Forgive me for my misquote, but a famous woman once said something along the lines of "if a man is assertive, he's the boss, but if a woman is assertive, she's a bitch". Defy this, be a hardcore take-no-shit bitch if it means you achieve your dreams and aspirations.
7. I'm A Girl - Peace
This addition is a bit cheeky because, okay, an International Women's Day mixtape should be about celebrating women, but this Peace track - although performed by an all-male line up - celebrates women and femininity. Though we, as humans, should all celebrate each other anyway and shouldn't praise men for appreciating women because that's what they should be doing anyway, it's nice to know that these boys are on our side. As Harry K himself said "sausage rolls: good; gender roles: bad".
TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: a nice renouncement of typical gender expectations for men - the creators of man were calm, kind, and nice / but nature demands / that we fuck, eat, and fire / if you're not macho then try to be funny / if you can't fuck or fight then I hope that you're hungry. An important aspect of feminism is working for equality, and that means dismantling stereotypes that affect both genders. The human race can't achieve equality until we no longer suffer from harmful ideals.
8. Doing It (feat. Rita Ora) - Charli XCX
Pop perfection comes no shinier than in the form of super Brit duo Charli and Rita who undertake Spice Girl levels of girl power in this anthem. Regardless of your opinion of her music, Charli XCX is one of the biggest advocates for female equality in the music industry and has openly spoken out about her distaste for the misogyny in her field of work. Aggressively fun and youthful, it's refreshing to hear something other than a love song by a crooning male or a demeaning piece of crap about booty or some shit on the radio.
TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: the ethos of the song is what stands out most as it's a true celebration of female friendship, showing just what women can do when they put their minds to it.
9. Feeling Myself (feat. Beyoncé) - Nicki Minaj
No, it's not about masturbation, but does explore an important aspect of female sexuality: identification. Flavoured hot and urban, they are recognising that their greatest weapon is their womanhood. It's something to brag about and they're not shy of it. Yet it's not in a way that they want to brand themselves as "better than" you or I, but in a way that's encouraging taking those key steps to self-love. They have the kind of confidence that we should all aspire to. Destroy the myth that confidence is attractive but cockiness isn't. Who defines where one ends and the other begins? Why is realising your potential anything but an admirable quality?
TOP EMPOWERMENT MOMENT: I stopped the world / male or female / it make no difference / I stop the world - on this International Women's Day, the queens of contemporary pop music want you to step up to the plate and lead your generation. Do something incredible, show-stopping, game-changing that positively influences both your future and the future of those who need it. We, as women, were born to achieve greatness but have spent thousands of years being told we weren't. Stop that motherfucking world.
LISTEN TO THE 8TRACKS PLAYLIST CONTAINING ALL THE TRACKS FROM THIS POST BELOW
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