Morrissey claims that there isn’t a need to go touring around without any scheduled future releases, therefore she shows which he recently performed in the UK were his last. They’ve already taken place this month in Hammersmith, London on the 20th and 21st.
Morrissey has posted on his fan site, True to You:
“There is absolutely no way that we can generate any interest from record labels in the United Kingdom, therefore the imminent two nights at Hammersmith are likely to be our final ever UK shows. We are obsessively grateful for all interest and loyalty from our audience … throughout 28 years … but without new releases, there is no point in any additional touring. Thank you for so many absolutely incredible times. The pleasure and privilege is mine …”
Meanwhile on the brighter side, Morrissey’s debut novel “List of the Lost” was out in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand on the 24th of September. Did you get a copy?
Some sub-genres tend to burn into the scene and then just fade away as new trends and movements begin to occur. Back in the late 80s-early 90s many women, particularly in the music industry, were starting an angry feminist movement which expressed their disappointment for the way society treated women. This movement was the “Riot Grrrl” movement. It was mostly maintained as a movement in music, however there are also many visually artistic aspects to this movement such as zines, which eventually caused this to become a way of life for many women.
Women would dress the way they wanted and acted the way they wanted to, but they also formed rock bands where they could express their fury for the rape culture and many other issues degrading women around the world.
As a result bands such as Bikini Kill, L7, Bratmobile, and 7 Year Bitch were formed. These bands made songs that addressed their feminine points of view of certain aspects in society. Songs such as “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill featured strong female characters that did what they felt like doing and resisted being raped by men or hating each other, in other words spreading the message that women should look out for each other, instead of competing against each other for some ‘silly’ man. Sometimes this musical movement can be overlooked, causing it to be underrated because it was only really popular until the mid 90s, and then it sort of hid away. This must’ve been because other trends were coming along and people simply forgot and moved on.
However, did it ever die out? Do riot grrrls still exist, and are they still making music? The world has evolved ever since the late 80s and more women have taken part in loads of music related things and more, when compared to the late 80s. Feminism is no longer something that needs to be known, everyone knows about it, maybe too much, which leads to a misunderstanding of what feminism really is. We live in a more open minded world today, so therefore women aren’t as degraded by society anymore. Who knows, maybe these bands, zines, and women in general made the world open their eyes in the 90s and realise that if you get on the wrong side of a woman you are screwed. Now a days, there’s still a feminist vibe going on, and yes, there’s all-girl rock bands expressing their own views and thoughts on society and men. There’s Girlpool who are a duo making beautiful music about most subjects that girls can probably relate to, but still presented with a strong voice and independent insight. There’s also Sleater-Kinney who have become really popular recently with their out-spoken lyrics and catchy riffs, they’re also making a difference, and in fact, they are actually identified as a riot grrrl band. Of course, there’s also Pussy Riot who are well known around the world for their lack of fear to express themselves, and that’s how it should be.
This whole lifestyle of being a riot grrrl, has changed, because times have changed. It never died out, it only evolved and shifted to benefit the young women of today’s society. I am speaking from my own point of view on this one, we still exist. We are just the girls that aren’t afraid and want to know more and more about the world, DIY our own jackets, fill our rooms with posters, and so much more, but we are definitely not afraid to be ourselves, and I believe that is one big thing to value about being a riot grrrl. Just be yourself.
If you’re feeling the whole riot grrrl vibes at the moment, I suggest you listen to this mini-playlist I put together for you.
Wolf Alice have been getting pretty big lately in terms of being an indie band. Their new album “My Love Is Cool” has come to my attention given that lately it’s been everywhere. I was rather surprised that an increasingly amount of people were making a big deal about it. However, after listening to the album, it’s quite understandable why a lot of people have plugged themselves into it. I’ve never been too keen on Wolf Alice until now, I guess prior to this, their songs kind of passed me by.
“My Love Is Cool” features beautiful vocals and stunning lyrics like most of Wolf Alice’s music. They really manage to make a bold and beautiful statement with the combination of vocals and guitar. The song “Turn to Dust” which is the first one on the album is a gorgeous one, it has this innocence and timeless feel to it. Definitely, one of the best song’s on the album is “Your Loves Whore” because it is irresistibly up-beat, and both the drums and guitar are snappy and on-point. Another song that you simply cannot miss on this album is “You’re a Germ”, it’s sweet, fun and still deep. The instrumentals on this song are combined so well that so much is felt when listening to the song, yet there’s that innocence still kept to it. Songs such as “Giant Peach” and “Fluffy” are loud but extremely charismatic as they leave a strong impression on the listener due to the energy which they hold. In fact, the whole album obtains a type of energy which feels unique.
Wolf Alice have definitely grown with this album, hopefully they keep growing and growing, thus becoming stronger. This album demonstrates that Wolf Alice is capable of really catchy riffs, bouncy bass lines, energetic drumming and swooning vocals.
Swim deep have recently been up to some really cool and new stuff with the making of their new album “Mothers”. We’ve already heard their new ground breaking single “To My Brother” which has this really hazy yet upbeat tune to it, and also “One great song and I could change the world” which still remains hazy and trippy but it’s more of a slow song compared to “To My Brother”.
Recently the band has released another new song which is to be featured in the new album, “Namaste”. This is absolutely something which completely new and fresh compared to the stuff they have, it kind of stirs away from Swim Deep’s ‘iconic’ sound. “Namaste” still keeps the usual upbeat and soft sound that Swim Deep is known for, however it is missing that trippy and hazy feeling that most of their songs have, which is rather shocking in its own terms. The band’s front man, Austin Williams recently went on Radio 1 and was asked about this new song and its relation to the new album, he said that “It’s a very immediate album, more a reaction to the realities that we’re in, rather than being a bit hazy about it.” It appears that the band themselves have grown and shaped themselves through their music, and this album happens to be an exhibition of their maturity as artists.
So there is more to expect. Watch this space, it seems like these lads are onto something.
It’s always mesmerising to look back in retrospective to artists who have contributed largely to a certain sub-genre, in this case we’re talking about My Bloody Valentine. As a band, MBV were very big in the Shoegaze scene back in the 90s, and this album which was released in 1991 was considered a really great album by many critics, despite that it didn’t do that well commercially. Loveless is an influential album because of its pioneering sounds, which other bands of that time such as Ride and Slowdive also contributed to largely.
To rewind a bit for those who don’t know exactly what Shoegaze is, it’s a sub-genre of alternative music. Basically the term derives from the actual stage presence of the artists who were always looking down at their pedals when performing, due to the large usage of the pedal. Therefore this made the artist gaze at their shoes, hence the term Shoegaze. Shoegaze music is usually described as being ‘dream pop’, distorted or just with a lot of feedback, it can even sound like a type of ‘psychedelic distortion’. There is a lot of this type of stuff featured on MBV’s Loveless album, that’s the charm that it has.
Ranging from songs such as “Touched” and “Sometimes” there is a certain beauty to its distortion of the instruments. It’s the type of stuff you hear at first and don’t really understand, but then it just ends up growing on you. This probably explains why Shoegaze wasn’t immediately popular in its time. Out of personal choice, I believe that “Loomer”, “When You Sleep”, and “Only Shallow” are by far the best songs on the album because they provide that catchy distorted sound that instantly captures you at some point with its gorgeous riffs and rich colliding sounds. There is always something to reminisce when listening to these songs, “Loomer” has this darkness to it, but it’s a type of darkness which is provided by the deep and dense sound of the guitar which makes it a ‘romantic’ type of ‘darkness’. “When You Sleep” has that riff at the beginning that sounds very upbeat yet the distortion in the song is kept authentic and levelled off very well. “Only Shallow” has this rowdy sound to it, it’s like a mix of distorted darkness with a fluffiness to it. Each song on the album is able to create its own personality, “Come In Alone” has this ‘mixed emotions’ feel to it which truly explain the title and it expresses in depth the feelings behind it. “Blown A Wish” has a certain sweetness that simply cannot be missed with its vocals and simple drumming, but then again it is overcome by the chorus and its heaviness.
The whole album can be described as an original work of art with its creative and innovative sound, making My Bloody Valentine the kings of Shoegaze. It’s true that on most of the songs the lyrics cannot be understood so in theory it makes it tough for an audience to sing along to. Although this is the case, this album continues to be legendary, because at the end of the day the sound of it is something else, pretty much out of this world. Even though not much is understood of what is sang, one can make their own interpretations, thus this is not only just an album, but a work of art! It makes the album in a sense appear personal to the listener, even the vocals which aren’t understood are an instrument in expressing to the listener the song and its emotion.
Mac DeMarco’s 4th album has recently surfaced the internet, in a manner to benefit his fans and share the joy of his music. By doing so he has given out a lot of his songs for free, or simply just posted them straight up. His new album is called “Some Other Ones”, and it features songs such as “Onion Man”, “Don Juan”, and “Little Pepper”, all of which show the funky and chill side of Mac that is always portrayed through his tunes. All of the songs on this new album don’t contain any vocals, but they all follow that signature snazzy style that Mac is known for. Recently Mac has been giving his home address out and openly meeting fans, something that everyone has been hyping about, and this new album is a part of it.
There is a certain simpleness to this album that makes it worth a listen, after all DeMarco has been considered by the press to be the ‘king’ of slacker rock. It may be true that the majority of his songs are rather short, however it’s the snazziness and warmness that is created within the songs that makes his music so great. One can always find a certain comfort in Mac’s music, even in this new album, despite the lack of lyrics. This is what makes his music so memorable. Mac said that he recorded a lot of the songs on this new album in a week off between tours, this just shows how ‘DIY’ this album appears.
You can listen to the album on his BandCamp site. It’s got some really chilled vibes, it’s very jizz-jazz.
It’s been quite a wait ever since Mac’s latest 2014 release “Salad Days”, but the wait is now over! The Canadian singer/songwriter has said to be releasing his new ‘mini LP’ called “Another One”. It features eight songs and it will be released via Captured Track on August 7th.
The first song released from this new album is titled “The Way You’d Love Her” featuring a snazzy guitar solo and Mac’s signature ‘drawling’ vocals. Nothing’s changed, Mac is still cool and his guitar riffs are still irresistibly narcotic.
Recently this April for the first time ever the Official Vinyl Charts were launched in the UK. This was largely due to the increased interest on vinyl records in the past three years or so. According to the Official Vinyl Charts website, last year there were 1.3m vinyls sold, apparently this was the highest number in 20 years. Of course vinyls are going to be trendy now, everyone is nostalgic now a days, and a lot of the younger generations want to experience something that makes them stand out or makes them appear unique. Other people, such as myself, enjoy the ritualistic feel it has to it rather than the simpleness of tapping onto a new song and pausing it with just a carless tap. Vinyls do make a difference if you’re a fan of music. It’s strange to think that a lot of people are actually buying vinyl players and listening to records. The media has been portraying all of this as some kind of revolutionary movement that today’s pop culture has turned to, when in all honesty vinyl records aren’t as drastically making a comeback as the media says so. It’s just people have grown curious and interested about them, but with the fabulous technology we have now a days where music can be streamed in less than one minute, do you think everyone would start buying records all of a sudden?
According to The Guardian this whole ‘come back of vinyls’ portrayal is only a marketing technique seen as vinyls are only 2% of the recording music industry’s market. You could easily gather up from that, that vinyls may be popularly making a comeback, but that’s only the media’s side of the story. In other words, we speak of vinyls being cool and everything, but it is typical of us to forget about literally buying them.
We may be interested to ‘go back in time’ and try these beautiful formats of music, because let’s admit it, sometimes having such easy access to music can make it feel meaningless. The recent hype has been all about this kind of stuff, and we can’t help but give ourselves in, although it seems way easier to youtube “vinyl version” and listen to whatever song you want to listen to on vinyl right from the comfort of youtube. It sounds pretty sad to think that some of us actually do that, but we’re only curious and want to be a part of something. Thing is we want to feel history just by the comfort of our fingertips, but we have all this great stuff that shows we don’t have to go through such great lengths to achieve a good listen to a song, but when it’s something so ritualistic, we can’t deny we’d love to try it.
This all-girl punk rock band from England, Hastings have recently released their self-titled debut album, and it is worth a listen, or maybe two. With great riffs, vocals, and catchy drum beats, these girls are making a name for themselves and impressing us with their powerful, energetic songs. Their sound is somewhat a fusion of L7 and The Runaways and maybe a bit of Hole, so basically all the classics. They sure do know how to impress us with their well-structured songs, and they know how to have a good time when performing, and so I’ve heard. What else can be said? They’re talented girls, good music, they know all their stuff, they’re beautiful, and they know how to have a good time. We have the whole package over here.
One song in their debut album that is extremely catchy is “Dickhead”, the ‘girl power’ is positively evident in this one. “Bone Deth” is an absolute must-listen to. This one in particular is musically powerful, and it totally makes you wanna dance all crazy and sing on top of your lungs. The music video is a job well done as well, the girls are seen doing BMX tricks (even though they have doubles doing the tricks) and it is quite impressive. The rest of the album is filled with other amusing songs which are worth listening to and having a good time with. “Dirty Girl” is another golden tune with astounding vocals, the energy in this one is worth a celebration. All in all, they are pretty great and cool.
Watch out for these girls, we look forward to hearing more of their stuff in the future. For now the debut album is there to have a blast listening to. You can visit their website and check out their debut album and maybe buy some merch too, or whatever suits ya.
This past weekend as part of Morrissey’s 2015 UK tour he went to Birmingham where he finished his tour. It was an astounding night filled with great performances by him and his opening act Buffy Sainte-Marie. He didn’t fail to wow the audience with his band and ringing incandescent vocals. When he first walked up on stage in modesty he managed to capture all the attention there was to capture. There was even a bit of Spain in his performance with the casual ‘gracias’ and the beautifully pronounced ‘paz mundial’ when he performed the song “World Peace is None of Your Business”. Despite him not talking too much between his songs, he truly had an individual presence on stage which is admirable.
The opening act was flawless with Buffy Sainte-Marie’s authentic and raw vocals. Her songs were very much down to earth and organic with sounds that could take you right to the Native Indians in some beautiful manner. She also had an enormous stage presence as she continued to inspire the audience with motivational and extremely sincere remarks in between the songs. This was one of the few opening acts that I’ve witnessed where I did not get bored at all, in fact I was quite bummed when it was over because I had hoped for her opening act to be longer.
Morrissey had some really great moments during “World Peace is None of Your Business”, the song was top notch with the perfect lighting and passion. Morrissey did not disappoint throughout the concert, even when considering his recent health scares, the man was still kicking at it as if he had not aged. “Meat is Murder” was a positively traumatising experience, some people may not have liked it, but then again why go if you won’t? Morrissey is an extreme vegetarian and you can see all that passion and dedication in this performance which is truly moving. Morrissey opened up with the song “The Queen is Dead” which was quite a good laugh and very entertaining as he completely went against the English monarchy with his witty and cheeky remarks. Even if you are a fan of the English monarchy it is still quite entertaining to watch as the song was catchy and Morrissey was still singing it like he did back in the day.
The concert was a great experience both moving and very entertaining. Morrissey is without a doubt an extremely intelligent artist, and seeing him on stage is a must! For being in his 50s he has not aged and hopefully we’ll be hearing more from him for a long way to come.
Groovy Music 