Netsayi "Queen of Afrofolk"

I don't know what to say - I love it and I want to share it with you all... But where to start?!

I'll start from the top of what I know about Netsayi.  Netsayi is a singer songwriter who was born in London but grew up in Zimbabwe.  Sho creates (now along with her band Black Pressure) a kind of music I can't find a 'box' for, apart from to steal someone elses - Afrofolk.  But frankly, if someone told me to listen to Afrofolk music I probably wouldn't bother.

I would say that her sound is more Africa than strictly London, but that could be contested.  Regardless of songs occasionally being sung in a language that I don't understand (this doesn't really matter to me), it's the strong and sometimes complicated rhythms that I just can't seem to replicate that for me hold the key to it's African influences.  The subject matter, though it may be approached in a different way than a strictly UK artist, still covers life, love and friendship among other things.  Netsayi's vocal melodies are strong, assertive, playful, unpredictable... there are a whole raft of things that make Netsayi unique.

I first came across Netsayi in 2009 when I was asked to review her second album Monkey's Wedding.  At the time I was reviewing a lot of music I wasn't particularly interested in, but when I started playing Monkey's Wedding it was, for lack of a better phrase, a breath of fresh air - immediately something worth listening to rather than just churning out words.  For me Monkey's Wedding was an album that bridged two cultures and made each accessible to the other.  Let's face it - unless I go looking for it, I'm unlikely to just come across African music but I love listening to Ishe Komberera, which I've since found out was the Zimbabwean anthem after gaining independence.  The a cappella  harmonies hold what I consider to be the sound of African music, where it's not uncommon for there to be three or four melodies intermingling; harmonising and coming together at different points throughout a song.

Aside from this there are favourites aplenty throughout the album.  Both in terms of lyrical and musical content Money Drum will probably be relatable to most people.  "Working all the hours that God sends me, Working nine to five just to make ends meet, Everybody must pay their liberty, But what a price to pay" and "I gave up struggling for the crazy rent, Sold my sorry soul to the devil instead, I was showing my teeth and dancing around, To the beat of the money drum".  We've all been there...

Top Cop is an fantastic example of story telling through music and I defy you not to dance in your seat to the music.  The upbeat sound that makes this album to easy to move around to is one of it's biggest draws.  Weaves And Magazines, with it's laid back bass line and hand claps should be a song about lazy afternoons on a beach somewhere but it soon makes way for it's true subject matter "The bitchy apple, It don't fall far from the tree, So I don't know why I was surprised, To hear you talking s*** about me".  We later find out that the subjects mother was, in fact, a f****** b****, so I suppose that all makes sense then!

More recently, in June 2014, Netsayi & Black Pressure released the track Sara Regina.  If anything, I like this even more than anything of Monkey's Wedding.  I'd love to know what it's really about, but in the meantime you can download it from iTunes for a mere 79p or head over to netsayi.com where you can watch a recording of the track.  

Music: It's the iTunes remix...

Something I haven't done in a while - I'm going to hit random on my iTunes and tell you all about the first ten songs it picks for me.  No shame here - if it comes up with the garage remix of Britney's Toxic I'll tell you all... I just might not be particularly complimentary about it.  

Crystal Fighters - At Home

From the album Star of Love, for those of you who have never come across them Crystal Fighters combine traditional Basque influences with dance music.  This is a track that I don't often listen to, favouring Follow or Plage, but it's a euphoric and melodic track that deserves a little more recognition.  Thank you, randomiser, for reminding me it exists.

India Arie - Brown Skin

What I'm listening to is an acoustic version of the track but I love it.  It's slow and smooth, and India Arie's voice is rich and velvety smooth.

Rihanna - S&M

Yeah, and so what?  I'm never sure if I like Rihanna because it's good or because I think I can sing the songs.  Either way, she makes good, honest pop music - she should be everything I hate because it sort of sounds like everything else but she seems like a beautiful rebel, and what could be wrong with that?

The Who - The Kids Are Alright

Phew - thank goodness, getting the credentials back after my Rihanna blip.  I don't need to say much about this track - no one needs me to tell them it should be heard.

Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains The Same

Probably not my favourite Led Zeppelin song but still, thumbs up (of course).  I prefer Good Times Bad Times, Dazed and Confused, Black Dog... But still, I don't get to choose.

The Libertines - The Man Who Would Be King

The Libertines...  Well they were good, but I've never been overly interested.  A couple of tracks I'll listen to on repeat (Campaign of Hate) but that's about it.  Bring on the outrage telling me I'm missing something or other blah blah blah...!!  

New Cassettes - Heart Don't Beat Right

Great example of indie dance music from the noughties.  I can't say that I ever listened to another track by the New Cassettes, but I imagine now it would be like meeting your hero - always a disappointment.  I don't want to ruin them for myself if everything else is rubbish.  Advice from anyone who has listened to them more is welcome!

Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night (MTV Unplugged)

An American traditional folk song now most associated with blues musician Lead Belly.  I love Nirvana's version because Kurt Cobain applies such emotion to the track.  It starts as a quiet questioning but towards the end strangled cries of lyrics are completely compelling (as they ever are) and complimented by that haunting backing track.

Ladyhawk - Dusk Till Dawn (The Shoes Remix)

Never listened to this before - came with the single.  Ruined a good song.  Listen to the original.  End.

Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line

End on a high.  One of my favourite Johnny Cash tracks - I love all the different pitches he manages.  A good starter a Johnny Cash newbie who's only ever heard Ring of Fire. 

Music: Lorde - Pure Heroine

Don't you think that it's boring how people talk - making smart with their words again well I'm bored.  That's how Lorde begins her debut album Pure Heroine with opening track Tennis Court, and with the recent online hate campaign I hope it's a line she really believes in.  Lorde is a talented 17 year old with an obvious interest in poetry and little (it seems) interest in most icons of popular culture - thank goodness!

She's had a couple of instances of honesty - including describing Nicki Minaj and Lana del Ray's musical content as irrelevant and, reportedly, called One Direction ugly.  This in mind, the only negative thing Lorde does is apologise and back track.  Not used to someone who has an opinion on their favourite stars that isn't entirely positive, the 'Internet' retaliated by posting photos of Lorde with her boyfriend, complete with abuse.

There are two things to learn from this - firstly, the Internet doesn't like it when someone has an honest opinion, and secondly One Direction fans are aggressive.  Don't mess with the One Direction fans.

Talking of an honest opinion, let's get back to mine!  Lorde's album is a great example of pop music that doesn't have to conform the rest of the dross you find in the charts today.  The variety of styles that have clearly influenced the album, along with mostly (not all) meaningful lyrics make it stand out through originality and innovation.

The most well known track, Royals, which reached number 1 in the UK singles charts (look at me listening to chart music without even knowing it....), does hold far more relevance to me that anything Nicki Minaj et al has released.  It's being a normal person in a normal town, but being bombarded by images and songs about money and bling: "But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece, jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash - we don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair".  Much more relatable than someone telling me to pound the alarm (what? what alarm? I completely don't understand).

Buzzcut Season is another must listen.  It manages to be both upbeat and melancholic completely simultaneously and without being mismatched.  Lorde explained buzzcut season previously as being the summer when the boys all get too hot and get buzzcuts.  And while this is nice, I interpret the song as having much more depth than just a haircut.  "Explosions on TV and all the girls with heads inside their dreams, so now we live beside the pool where everything is good" or "The men upon the news they try to tell us all that we will lose, but it's so easy in this blue where everything is good".  To me, it's about ignoring harsh realities and living in a dreamland where the world's problems don't exist - but equally it's not judging people living that way.  

In a recent interview Lorde said: "I don't play any instruments, so my voice needs to have the focus.  My vocal-scape is really important".  Buzzcut Season really is the track where this holds most truth - the chorus, the melody and rhythm of Lorde's voice makes it a powerful section, complimented by how the rhythm of the music kicks in almost out of nowhere.  It's uncomplicated but striking.

Glory and Gore is a dark and intimidating track, that paints it's picture as well as a film.  "There's a humming in the restless summer air, and we're slipping off the course that we prepared" and "Now we're in the ring and we're coming for blood - you can try and take us, but we're the gladiators... but secretly they're saviors".  The talent for strong imagery is repeated in White Teeth Teens where it becomes easy to imagine that particular kind of teen (it isn't restricted to teens...) where Lorde is their top lady - their Regina George (can't believe I just referenced Mean Girls) - and again, the laid back verse gives way just at the right second to a 60s inspired beat, all very simple but clearly and precisely planned that way.

So with a spattering of dark and eerie, a beat on Team that could be for Dizzee Rascal and a number 1 hit what could you lose by listening to Lorde?  Better than One Direction (bring it on Directioners).

You can find all of Lorde's numerous social networking profiles via her her website.

Music That Makes You Feel #2: The Distillers

If anyone wanted punk rebellion somewhere long past pop-punk but before the point where you feel obliged to adopt a mohican style haircut, The Distillers are for you.  They may have long split, but that doesn't mean you can't have a listen.

To 15 year old me, singer Brody Dalle was the coolest woman in the world.  I loved - and still love - her gravelly voice and don't-give-a-f*** attitude.  Everything about her was rebellion and that's a strong draw when you're 15.  

Brody Dalle (or Armstrong, or Homme, or any of the other seven surnames she's reportedly had for various reasons) often receives comparison with Courtney Love - I'll dispute that probably due to my dislike of Courtney Love!  Brody Dalle gives a far more genuine impression than Love ever has on me.  

I've heard The Distillers described before as hard-core punk, but there's certainly a melodic quality to the music that I don't tend to associate with that particular genre.  You certainly shouldn't let it put you off!

In terms of tracks to listen to, and off of the subject of my apparent girl crush, you can't go wrong if you listen to any part of the album Coral Fang as an introduction.  The title track is deserving of a mention; drums and discordant bass and guitar are rhythmic but give way easily to a more tuneful chorus. 

Drain The Blood (cheerful I know) has an excitable feel and will leave you wanting nothing more than a good mosh, if you're into that kind of thing.  The Hunger shows a softer side to Brody Dalle's voice, only occasionally interspersed by screams and a pounding beat.  Overall, it's a more laid back track in the context of a punk album.

Outside of Coral Fang, the track that really got me hooked was City Of Angels from album Sing Sing Death House.  I love the frantic punk nature of it but it remains structured and I'm drawn to the vocal harmonies against the aggressive backing.  Lordy Lordy from the same album is intriguing in that I would describe it as punk with a bluegrass influence.

So, in terms of music making me feel something, The Distillers give you a sense of rebellion and the urge to fight back.  They make me want to wear slashed jeans with fishnet tights, double up on eyeliner (which is almost impossible, as anyone who knows me will agree) and not give a... hoot.  And it makes me want to not be the kind of person to have to write hoot, but somewhere along the line I ticked a box to say this was suitable for under 18s.

But, anyway... DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM!! Or something...

Music That Makes You Feel #1: Woodkid

I've written about Woodkid a couple of times now, but it's only because you must - yes, MUST - listen to him.  There's certainly no one else at the moment that deserves to be top of the list of music with feeling, for me.

There are two things that will stand out when you listen to Woodkid - strong, orchestral music and a good story.  Strings, pianos and brass all make regular appearances and the music matches the tone and direction of the story every time.  The album seems to be a mixture of genres - modern, popular music played by the London Symphony Orchestra for example.

There are some tracks that feel like absolute musical epics and some that tell a tale.  The opening to Stabat Maker is slow, strong and haunting, and Woodkids voice is equal to the music - another instrument complimenting the music rather than an overshadowing presence.  Shadows, on the other hand, is a completely musical piece but certainly not inferior.

Outside of Woodkid's album, The Golden Age, a favourite track has to be Wasteland, which was released on the Iron EP.  To me, rightly or wrongly, it's a man expressing his gratitude for being rescued by love (it's all far more emotional than I would ever admit to feeling) - "How did you get to save me from this desolate wasteland" and "All the things you're trying to do make me a better man".  He then goes on to reflect on all of the good things that he had forgotten in misery that are coming back to him - "Most of what I used to be had vanished in the waste, the memories of the boy I've been were drowning and you saved them".

As what is essentially a love song (not the genre I'd usually go for) I find the track completely refreshing.  Rather than mourning a love lost the track celebrates the goodness of love found which, despite my heart of stone, is touching and enough to bring back the best memories.  A simple musical accompaniment of an off-beat piano, joined by a lone violin and a brass section compliments the nature of the track.  A demonstration of effective simplicity - no drum loops or synths required for impact here.

If you're after a more 'pop' song to gain your interest, you'll find it in album track I Love You.  Almost exactly opposite to Wasteland, it's upbeat and punchy describing the desperation of a love not returned, not sad in its delivery but certainly honest and with a hint of injustice - "Whatever I feel for you, you only seem to care about you, is there any chance you could see me too, cause I love you".  Equally, while it is more rhythm led there is still, what I think is, a church organ and a climactic string section towards the end.  

The talent for a good lyric is a theme throughout all of Woodkid's music and his ability to tell a story is beautiful, using metaphors without sounding like a pratt is difficult to get the hang of (I should know - I manage to sound like a pratt all the time using metaphors, I'm sure).  The Boat Song - "We tied a knot and raised a sail... The sea was rough and felt unknown... Can we keep our bearing straight, or will we be blown off course".

Deserving of a mention (they all are really but I want to leave you some mystery) is The Great Escape with its orchestral beginnings but then the fast, racing horse percussion and victory trumpets, plus "This road is finally standing up to this sky, boy we're free so what is fate to say how things are gonna turn out now".  The track Conquest starting with fairy flutes, which are soon brought down a notch by big drums and slightly sinister brass, but again so catchy and with another great line "I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces expanding between you and me".

Finally, two tracks you might recognise from the Assassin's Creed adverts.  Firstly, Iron, which I've raved about before, but it was my first Woodkid track and I loved it for being different, with its stirring and vivid imagery.

Secondly, Run Boy Run, which is urgent in its music and lyrics of escape and desperation.  I should mention the string section at the end that inspired this 'music to make you feel' series.  It was great to listen to something that made me excited to be listening to it, and happy to enjoy music so much again.  I must have listened to that a hundred times or more.

So, it doesn't matter why you listen to him - my ranting and raving, his involvement with some of the most popular modern music videos (Lana del Ray, Mystery Jets, Katy Perry to name a few), it could even be his French accent if that's what it takes - but I hope that when you do he brings you as much joy as he has to me.

http://www.woodkid.com/

Music That Makes You Feel...

Just in case you weren't already in the loop, my 25 year old body houses the mind of someone much older.  I like staying in over going out on a bender; I fall asleep with a blanket at 9pm; I take my blanket camping rather than a five litre bottle of cider.  I'm sure you get the idea.

So, now you know I'm completely qualified when I say "chart music today... it all sounds that same".  I'm sure that statement is entirely incorrect, but I genuinely struggle to distinguish one 'artist' (I use the word artist as loosely as I might if someone tried to potato print the Mona Lisa) from the next.

Fine, pop music is exactly what it says on the tin - it's popular, so clearly my opinion is in the minority.  It's designed to be catchy and easy to listen to (which some might translate as repetitive and challenging).  If I said there were no chart songs that I enjoyed or that got into my head like a little ear worm, I'd be lying, but it's certainly a minority.

But, before you all go away knowing nothing more about me than I'm the youngest OAP you've ever come across and I appear to have some kind of music superiority complex, let me just explain myself.  The problem with music nowadays (yes I did just say that) is that it doesn't make me feel anything.  Except disappointment - which as anyone with a parent willing to use emotional blackmail will know, is much worse than feeling angry.

Perhaps it's the monotonous backing tracks or perhaps it's a lack of meaning in the lyrics.  For example, consider the Black Eyed Peas track I Gotta Feeling - "Fill up my cup, Mazel tov".  More effort making the words rhyme than worrying about what they're actually saying.

And that's why, to me, finding music that really makes me feel something is a joy.  The song doesn't need to make me feel happy, just feel something... anything!! There are songs that remind me of friends I miss, tracks that I love to listen to when I feel sad or angry, and sometimes it's as simple as giving me a bit of a shiver if I love it.

So, I'd like to officially launch a short series of music that makes me feel something.... my aim was two weeks of posts but the list changes every time I review it, so let's just play it by ear shall we...?

Music: Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

New album: Modern Vampires of the City

So, while everyone else is talking about Reading & Leeds lineups (Biffy, Foals, etc) I'm going to have a jolly good rant about Vampire Weekend.  Obviously, that's entirely because Vampire Weekend are great and in no way related to being bitter about not going to Reading OR Leeds... again.

First - the news.  Today Vampire Weekend, rather cryptically, announced that their new album will be called Modern Vampires of the City and released on May 7th 2013.

After tweeting mysteriously for several days 'VW', '#MVOTC', 'LPIII' and 'MMXIII' i.e. 'Vampire Weekend', '#Modern Vampires Of The City', 'Album 3' and '2013', it was clear that they were on the brink of the announcement.  This morning the tweet read just 'NYT classifieds'.  Fortunately, I can rely on a couple of trustworthy music journalists (and a photo...) that lo and behold in the lost & found: 'Modern Vampires Of The City May 7, 2013'

As seen on Pitchfork http://pitchfork.com

Two hours later and it was official.  Now, I can spend the next four months hoping that the new album will match up to their previous efforts.

I first heard Vampire Weekend when they released their single A-Punk and was immediately drawn to the sheer madness of it all.  The whole track hangs together on what seems like a thread - as though any second it could all descend into chaos.  I don't think that my 19 (ish) year old self had really heard anything like them in new music - I suspect it was the last time I really loved anything in the chart.  Next came Oxford Comma - the whole track is so simple when you break it down to it's component parts, but it manages to maintain it's unpredictability, a theme that ran through the whole first album and into the second.

I have two memories that stand out about Vampire Weekend.  Many years ago (four years ago) I worked in a well known high street music retailer (HMV).  A man approached the counter - not unusual as you might imagine - but when he opened his mouth I realised I was dealing with a first class w*****.  "Excuse me my dear, please could you tell me which of these two Vampire Weekend albums, might be considered more Afro-pop? I'd like to listen to some Afro-pop".  Oh Lord...

The second is seeing Vampire Weekend live when I DID make it to Leeds Festival.  Singer Ezra Koenig strolled onto the stage in some khaki shorts, a plain t-shirt and his loafers.  I glanced to the person next to me - we'd only heard the first album at this stage and we weren't quite sure how they were going to match up to the energy it had - especially not in loafers.  Completely unassuming, the crowd watching with an air of expectation.. "I see a mansard roof through the trees... I see a salty message written in the eaves... The ground beneath my feet, the hot garbage and concrete... And now the tops of buildings, I can see them too" and the whole tent (it was a festival remember) erupted with the music.

As well as a new album, tour dates have also been announced.  Though it mostly covers the US, they do have one London date, at The Troxy on May 8th.

www.vampireweekend.com

Vampire Weekend Twitter