Individuality in the Music Industry

As each of us travel the treacherous roads through schooling, adolescence and early adulthood we are naturally drawn towards particular interests and hobbies. Music fans have all felt that rush of adrenaline, clarity and uncanny familiarity when hearing a beloved record for the very first time. Many of these experiences lead to individuals creating their own pieces of music, hoping to inspire others in the same way they were inspired. But having idols and such significant inspirational figures in the music industry, how hard is it for a new musician or band to create and maintain an individual sound without mimicking said idols?

The music business is renowned for its relentlessness and ruthlessness and the pop industry is the culprit for keeping the competition as strong as ever. The pop industry is mainly filled with commercial acts, so the types you hear on Radio 1 and see on MTV and perched on the end of a sofa on chat shows and breakfast television. Although this industry occasionally picks up on true talent, it is also to blame for potentially diminishing individuality in the music industry by turning each individual into a manufactured puppet.

The ‘Alternative’ arena is where life can still be found. Many extremely active music blogs - the405, Pitchfork, HypeMachine -dedicate their time to trawling through thousands of Ramones, The Smiths and Joy Division rip-offs to find those musical gems; gems in the form of bands and solo artists who have really listened to music, and have a wonderfully natural gift of creating ambitious and forward-thinking music themselves.

A positive aspect to the evolving of a new band is citing other up-and-coming bands as their main influences. It’s very important that the music industry grows and is filled with exciting new prospects, or else it shall always be full of music fans who wish to sound just like Morrissey or David Bowie. In the vast majority of band interviews by music magazines or online blogs a main question is ‘who are your main musical influences?’ and though it is important to recognise true talent and individuality in successful musicians of the past generations, it should also be just as important to recognise those new and exciting bands who have arguably had it harder. These new bands have had to find that niche in the market and revolutionise the music industry; becoming the sound of the 21^st century.

Outstanding musicians of the past decade - Radiohead, Foals, The xx and Arctic Monkeys – have proven that it is still possible to tap into new sounds in the musical sphere. However sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between the fake and the truly passionate. It’s a possibility that many new musicians have convinced themselves of a true passion for creating their own deeply engaging lyrics or effortlessly complex guitar solos, but the real question is are these individuals aiming to benefit the music industry in producing and evolving it with new sounds and essentially new art, or are they just compassionate music fans clinging onto the visions of their heroes for dear life?

Future Islands - 'Seasons (Waiting On You)'

Future Islands’ performance of ‘Seasons (Waiting On You)’ on David Letterman was utterly mesmerising and a rare occasion for the usually dull and bland live performances on chat shows. Frontman Samuel T. Herring’s bizarre onstage demeanour was captivating and thoroughly engaging; his pleading eyes searched the audience for something, anything, as he swayed and jolted around to their new synth-pop track. Herring’s beautifully timeless vocals give the impression that you have been surrounded by Future Islands’ music all of your life.

 ‘Seasons (Waiting On You)’ is taken from the new album ‘Singles’ out 25^th March.

Kwabs - 'Wrong or Right' EP

Record of the Month - February 2014 

Kwabs gained a following after releasing ‘Spirit Fade’ (the last track on ‘Wrong or Right’ EP) in 2013. With its instantly likeable electronic feel and Kwabs’s deep, gospel-like vocals layered over many branded Kwabs as ‘one to watch for 2014’.

Kwabs is a London-based musician and former Jazz student at The Royal Academy of Music. He now lives in Camberwell and brands his music as ‘Soul’.

‘Wrong or Right’ EP was released on 4^th February 2014 and the 2^nd track ‘Last Stand’, produced by the talented musician SOHN, is a strong and beautifully melancholy piece of work that proves just how much Kwabs is capable of.

 

Kwabs is playing a sold out show at Village Underground on 10^th April, and is also playing Latitude Festival on 17^th July.

More information on Kwabs:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KwabsOfficial
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kwabsmusic
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kwabs
Website: http://kwabsmusic.com/

Thom Yorke performs stripped down version of ‘Ingenue’ on the Jonathon Ross Show

The original version of 'Ingenue', taken from Atom For Peace’s debut album ‘AMOK’, opens with a playful, completely digitally-based stance, which is why the piano version of this song at first seemed a strange choice. However Thom’s performance evoked a whole different insight into the song.

The lyrics to ‘Ingenue’ suddenly became more important, and the focus was on such lines as ‘You got me into this mess’, whilst also reminding us of Thom’s captivating and eerie vocal chords.

Yorke has been known to hold an audience’s attention in commercially-successful television settings, and this performance was up there with the best of them.

He also played a Radiohead classic ‘Karma Police’ and half-way through the song, after the line ‘This is what you get, if you mess with us’ Thom looked up at Jonathon across the stage and smirked “That’s probably enough, right?”, giving the wannabe anti-conformists inside of us all an external smirk also, and an internal “stick it to the man” feeling.

Here is Thom’s performance of ‘Ingenue’ on the Jonathon Ross Show:

The Rolling Stones debut "Emotional Rescue" on their 50 and Counting Tour

Mick’s finger-wagging takes centre stage where it belongs as the five-piece debut their 1980s classic “Emotional Rescue” at The Staples Centre, LA, for their “50 & Counting Tour”.

It requires no explanation as to why The Rolling Stones decided that the 3^rd May 2013 would be the first time they played “Emotional Rescue” live, hell, after 50 years in the business they can do whatever they like.

From the video below the song seemed the perfect celebration of the band’s undeniable stability in the profession they appear to have mastered.

The whole tour has appeared to be a way of reminding the industry and all who follow it that the Stones still have it in them. And although the ticket prices for the tour were extortionately high, the band are not swinging from ropes attached to the ceiling or rolling over the audience in transparent inflatable objects, but are quite comfortably and charismatically playing out to the faces of their loyal and appreciative fans.

Watch the song's live debut here:

ELECTRIC GUEST at Rough Trade East

"Wow, everyone in London is super attractive”, Asa grins at my brother and I, along with the crowd of patient faces waiting for a hug and an autograph from the rather short and very lovable lead singer of Electric Guest. If this flattery was just a way of getting us Londoners on-side it really wasn’t needed, after an impressive 7 song set at Rough Trade East on a freezing Monday evening.

Electric Guest is made up of the Los Angeles-based two-some Asa Taccore (lead singer) and Matthew Compton (drummer), along with (extremely serious) brothers Todd and Tory Dahldoff who tour with the band.

After, admittedly, only having discovered the electro-pop duo a couple of weeks prior to their in-store session I had no idea of the extent of their success and connections. Asa revealed Dangermouse produced their debut album ‘Mondo’ and is set to produce the follow-up too (hopefully hitting remaining music stores in April 2013) - “yeah, it was easy as Dangermouse is a friend of ours and he lives just up the road from us...so it was all super chilled.”He also explained that the hotly-tipped American sisters of HAIM had “done the graphics” for ‘Mondo’ and backing vocals on a couple of tracks.  The band have also toured with Metronomy and Darwin Deez.

After some infectious head bobbing along to the band's take on 60s Californian soul Asa announced on-stage that Dangermouse had told him he wasn’t “opening up enough” with his song writing and needed a break to clear his head and gain inspiration and experience, “so we went to San Fran, went to a bunch of parties, and after that the album just flowed out.”

Front-man Asa’s energy and absorption in each song seemed in no way forced and reminded me of a less sweaty and less leg-wiggly version of Ed Macfarlane (Friendly Fires).

Their presence is both relaxed but urges for some sort of recognition, an innocent eagerness for fun and fame. They don’t seem to be faking anything, and they were constantly thanking the East London crowd throughout the session for the positive reaction.

Electric Guest’s debut album as a whole is refreshing to listen to in a month of cold and grey. And the kick behind Asa’s impressive range is fantastic.

Let’s hope the follow-up will be progressive and equally as refreshing, as it doesn’t seem the two-some will agree to throw in the towel any time soon.

Rough Trade East in-store track listing:

The Bait

Amber

Awake

Holiday (from Holiday EP)

American Daydream

This Head I Hold

Holes

An unplanned resolution.

New Year’s Eve was upon us and my friends and I all promised ourselves not to put too much emphasis or meaning on the night. I think we were successful as, unbeknownst to us, when the clock struck 12, leaving 2012 well and truly in the past, my trousers were round my ankles as I squatted alongside my closest friends behind a car in the East end of London. Classy, I know. But I am almost glad I skipped the essentially meaningless smothering and desperation of the drunken majority leaning in for suffocating hugs and the occasional, much-anticipated, midnight-kiss. I know the culture of the New Year’s midnight-kiss has changed drastically over the past decades: transforming itself into an awkward fumble or an extremely passionate one-night romance, only to find that in the light of day you have zilch shared interests and strongly dislike the other’s morning coffee regimes. But some still pray this will be a ‘new year and a new start’ and therefore feel they have to try their hardest to get off on the right foot the second that big hand points to the sky.

 Should we not be able to accept and appreciate the strength of each of our friendships all year round - without having to fake a stronger form of love and affection to those whom we may only properly acknowledge once or twice annually? Admittedly, the excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs are rightly blamed for the formation of the newly-found love for one another. I suppose it is quite heart-warming and comforting to have one night, that may be different from all the others, in which you feel you have formed extremely strong bonds with 50+ people; 30 of which you may have only just met, yet feel you want to spend forever with, in a safe womb of love and fuzziness.

I’m losing direction. The question I have been worrying about is this: why are most of us unable, or fail to find the time, to show a more real display of affection to our closest and dearest human beings on a more regular basis? The New Year’s explosion of emotion is confusing, for one and all (if not one and all, then definitely myself). It would be a lot easier to let each other know where we stand with one another more regularly. You know if you don’t much enjoy hearing about the predictable downfall of Lisa’s 537^th failed relationship, do not pretend so. Or if you lost touch with your best friend after she’d got too wrapped up in her new love, tell her! Tell your brother you miss him. I do not mean to contradict myself, but do something stupid. Make that midnight-lunge yourself; if you have fancied this person for a while, have a new-found spurt of courage and know you want to follow it up into the New Year.

I had not planned this at all, but I think this will be my New Year’s resolution – present a more real appreciation for those around me on a regular basis.

Can we try and do that this year?