Lorde is a new artist you want know about, like right now. She is a
super-talented 16 year old from Auckland, who signed a development deal
with Universal when she was just 13, and is on the cusp of releasing her
debut full-length album here in the UK next month. She has experienced a
wealth of interest across the globe over the past year, especially in
the US and in her native New Zealand, which seems only set to grow
further.
Lorde’s work is interesting, developed, current and
complete. She draws from a wide range of influences (always a good
sign), including Etta James, SBTRKT, Burial and Nicki Minaj. These
elements are all clearly present in Lorde’s music, but her stripped
back, sparse, minimalist sound is most clearly influenced by James
Blake, perhaps her closest musical contemporary. Like Blake, vocals are
often the focus, with gorgeous harmonies filling each soundscape,
professing a curious mixture of teenage subjects and universal issues,
delivered with subtly, aplomb, and a charismatic lack of
self-absorption.
This music is dark, deep, and with a vague degree of the
macabre, and interestingly seems to perfectly capture the current
zeitgeist. The world it seems has latched on to Lorde and her way of
representing and encapsulating everything exciting and new in music
2013.
This is music that is dynamic and exiting, with foundations full of coherence and intelligence. Lorde’s debut album Pure Heroine is released here in the UK on 28th October, or if you just cannot wait, you can download her debut EP The Love Club now.
See this at MTTM at: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/new-music-lorde/
Saturday, 28 September 2013
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
MORE THAN THE MUSIC REVIEW: Au Revoir Simone - Move In Spectrums
Move In Spectrums is Au Revoir Simone’s fourth album, and their first
release in over fours years. The girls have followed a variety of
personal paths during the group’s hiatus, including finishing biology
degrees, solo albums and various exciting musical collaborations. They
have also spent time developing a new collection of vintage keyboards in
preparation for their work on this highly anticipated new record.
The new release follows on from the critical and commercial success that was Still Night, Still Light, and indeed, Move In Spectrums does feel like a natural follow-up to that previous body of work. It is perhaps closest in feel, approach and instrumentation to 2009’s work than any of the trio’s other albums, although it must be said that the classic Au Revoir Simone vibe is apparent from track one.
There is however a fair degree of music progression and experimentation on the new record, with the girls trying out some new timbres, as well as revisiting some Au Revoir Simone classics. These ladies love a saw-tooth wave and faux-accordion sounds, but they have also thrown exciting new instruments into the mix, adding intrigue with phasers, eerie pads and fat synth bass lines. Boiling Point in particular exhibits these exciting experimentations nicely, rich as it is with swirls of dark, pressurised synth.
Like previous works, this album is filled with tales of love and loss, personal self-exploration, metaphors and natural themes. These are expressed through the same vocal style the girls are famous for – clipped, crisp enunciation that is steady and measured, lifting to ethereal chorus vocals comprising of three collected harmonies in complete synchronisation. Each track on Move In Spectrumsalso maintains subtly catchy vocal hooks, which fill choruses and heads for days.
This classic Au Revoir Simone vocal style, combined with the girl’s dreamiest of dream-pop music create an auditory tapestry of perfect femininity – beautiful, soft, other-worldly yet earthly and organic. The girls themselves of course represent this, but what is most interesting is that the music is the best representation of this ideal offering a complete and pure representation of that type of feminine.
This new release is a strong album – all the tracks are interesting, dynamic and enjoyable. Some tracks are more instrument heavy than others, offering washes of sonic colour, and the single tracks Crazy and Somebody Who are perhaps the most commercial on the album, but these differences are nuanced and subtle. Essentially, through this album these girls have once again proven themselves consummate, consistent performers and creators, and this is another fine body of work to enjoy.
See this at MTTM at: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/au-revoir-simone-move-spectrums/
The new release follows on from the critical and commercial success that was Still Night, Still Light, and indeed, Move In Spectrums does feel like a natural follow-up to that previous body of work. It is perhaps closest in feel, approach and instrumentation to 2009’s work than any of the trio’s other albums, although it must be said that the classic Au Revoir Simone vibe is apparent from track one.
There is however a fair degree of music progression and experimentation on the new record, with the girls trying out some new timbres, as well as revisiting some Au Revoir Simone classics. These ladies love a saw-tooth wave and faux-accordion sounds, but they have also thrown exciting new instruments into the mix, adding intrigue with phasers, eerie pads and fat synth bass lines. Boiling Point in particular exhibits these exciting experimentations nicely, rich as it is with swirls of dark, pressurised synth.
Like previous works, this album is filled with tales of love and loss, personal self-exploration, metaphors and natural themes. These are expressed through the same vocal style the girls are famous for – clipped, crisp enunciation that is steady and measured, lifting to ethereal chorus vocals comprising of three collected harmonies in complete synchronisation. Each track on Move In Spectrumsalso maintains subtly catchy vocal hooks, which fill choruses and heads for days.
This classic Au Revoir Simone vocal style, combined with the girl’s dreamiest of dream-pop music create an auditory tapestry of perfect femininity – beautiful, soft, other-worldly yet earthly and organic. The girls themselves of course represent this, but what is most interesting is that the music is the best representation of this ideal offering a complete and pure representation of that type of feminine.
This new release is a strong album – all the tracks are interesting, dynamic and enjoyable. Some tracks are more instrument heavy than others, offering washes of sonic colour, and the single tracks Crazy and Somebody Who are perhaps the most commercial on the album, but these differences are nuanced and subtle. Essentially, through this album these girls have once again proven themselves consummate, consistent performers and creators, and this is another fine body of work to enjoy.
See this at MTTM at: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/au-revoir-simone-move-spectrums/
Saturday, 7 September 2013
MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: In The Woods 2013
Now in its eighth year, the taciturn and notable In The Woods is
back, housed once again in a secret location known only to festival
goers, completely hidden away from the outside world.
We enter the festival via an intriguing path that leads us into the woods, lit subtly by evocative strings of lights. Every now and then art installations reveal themselves from the trees, including ready-made flower gardens, multi-coloured glades filled with string art, and a giant chalk and board. The reverberating natural amphitheatre that is the quarry stage emerges to the left, with the smaller Laurel Lounge a little way off. Further on, through more interactive artworks and flowers is a clearing, complete with cinema tent, silent disco, and an array of food, including sumptuous hog roast, freshly blended alci-smoothies and locally produced cider.
Getting stuck right into the music, nu-soul artist Kwabs offered some intriguing melodies and vocal styles under a canopy of leaves, while Drenge provide solid garage-punk, inciting a teenage boy riot in the mosh pit. Sivu made his second In The Woods appearance, this time on the main-stage, offering a consummate, confident and intriguing performance, and special surprise guest Ghostpoet gave a dynamic headline show. The act that really stole the entire festival however were Young Fathers – an amazing Scottish trio who provided In The Woods with a composed yet frantic, stoic, compelling and above all utterly engrossing performance, full of charisma that was almost too good for words. Their music was very interesting too – a fusion of hip-hop and grime with hints of 2-tone, soul and punk – thundering, heavy and unstoppable, with fat basslines and fast rhymes.
In The Woods 2013 has continued with their true small festival ethos, with a complete lack of commerciality or bureaucracy typical in larger music festival. There are no shops or merch stands – the only thing you have to pay for is food and drink. Camping and parking is free, and if you want to bring your own booze, that’s OK. This approach by the organisers is reflected by the punters and the artists alike, to the point where there is a decidedly mellow, happy vibe to the place. There are plenty of teenagers and students, yes, but there are also families with babies, retired couples, and even a few dogs dotted about.
One element that has altered from previous years however is the head count, going up from 750 to 1000 tickets in 2013. While this is still a fairly small number, in actual fact the number of punters has effectively gone up by a third, and that is not including artists, press, plus ones et al. This additional 300 has notably changed the vibe of the festival. It is busier, with longer queues, more disorganisation, and less of a feeling of calm and solitude than previous years. There is also far too much chatting and selfie taking going on directly around the performance areas which is selfish and disrespectful to both the artist and the people who want to listen to them. It is not necessarily the festival organiser’s fault that this occurred regularly throughout the day, however, when the headcount has been lower, a vibe of mutual respect between artist and audience was definitely more apparent than now.
That said however, once again, In The Woods have provided a beautiful, considered, and mellow festival, and they have offered their audience with a host of well curated, quality artists that are clearly destined for great things. Indeed, every act we witnessed offered consummate, talented performances throughout. An even wider range of styles than last year have been offered to us, but the key thread tying each performance together is that every act here is creating clever, interesting, dynamic and accomplished music.
See this at MTTM at: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/review-woods-2013/
We enter the festival via an intriguing path that leads us into the woods, lit subtly by evocative strings of lights. Every now and then art installations reveal themselves from the trees, including ready-made flower gardens, multi-coloured glades filled with string art, and a giant chalk and board. The reverberating natural amphitheatre that is the quarry stage emerges to the left, with the smaller Laurel Lounge a little way off. Further on, through more interactive artworks and flowers is a clearing, complete with cinema tent, silent disco, and an array of food, including sumptuous hog roast, freshly blended alci-smoothies and locally produced cider.
Getting stuck right into the music, nu-soul artist Kwabs offered some intriguing melodies and vocal styles under a canopy of leaves, while Drenge provide solid garage-punk, inciting a teenage boy riot in the mosh pit. Sivu made his second In The Woods appearance, this time on the main-stage, offering a consummate, confident and intriguing performance, and special surprise guest Ghostpoet gave a dynamic headline show. The act that really stole the entire festival however were Young Fathers – an amazing Scottish trio who provided In The Woods with a composed yet frantic, stoic, compelling and above all utterly engrossing performance, full of charisma that was almost too good for words. Their music was very interesting too – a fusion of hip-hop and grime with hints of 2-tone, soul and punk – thundering, heavy and unstoppable, with fat basslines and fast rhymes.
In The Woods 2013 has continued with their true small festival ethos, with a complete lack of commerciality or bureaucracy typical in larger music festival. There are no shops or merch stands – the only thing you have to pay for is food and drink. Camping and parking is free, and if you want to bring your own booze, that’s OK. This approach by the organisers is reflected by the punters and the artists alike, to the point where there is a decidedly mellow, happy vibe to the place. There are plenty of teenagers and students, yes, but there are also families with babies, retired couples, and even a few dogs dotted about.
One element that has altered from previous years however is the head count, going up from 750 to 1000 tickets in 2013. While this is still a fairly small number, in actual fact the number of punters has effectively gone up by a third, and that is not including artists, press, plus ones et al. This additional 300 has notably changed the vibe of the festival. It is busier, with longer queues, more disorganisation, and less of a feeling of calm and solitude than previous years. There is also far too much chatting and selfie taking going on directly around the performance areas which is selfish and disrespectful to both the artist and the people who want to listen to them. It is not necessarily the festival organiser’s fault that this occurred regularly throughout the day, however, when the headcount has been lower, a vibe of mutual respect between artist and audience was definitely more apparent than now.
That said however, once again, In The Woods have provided a beautiful, considered, and mellow festival, and they have offered their audience with a host of well curated, quality artists that are clearly destined for great things. Indeed, every act we witnessed offered consummate, talented performances throughout. An even wider range of styles than last year have been offered to us, but the key thread tying each performance together is that every act here is creating clever, interesting, dynamic and accomplished music.
See this at MTTM at: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/review-woods-2013/
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