The early death of Amy Winehouse saw the loss of one of the most interesting and unique voices within the music industry at the time. The talented artist’s life was cut short in 2011 when she passed away due to alcohol poisoning. The Amy Winehouse Foundation was subsequently established by Winehouse’s family to help spread awareness of the impact of drug and alcohol addiction and to help disadvantaged youth see all the wonderful things they are capable of.

On August 22nd, the Foundation will open a home for women struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. The home, called ‘Amy’s Place’, will be a safe place for women to work through their addiction problems and any “physical, mental and psychological” issues they are also dealing with, as the Amy Winehouse Foundation’s special project director Dominic Ruffy told The Guardian.

“There are about six women-only rehabs, and beyond that, there’s an even greater paucity of women-specific recovery housing beds. There is only one other women-only recovery house in London and it’s only a four-bed with a six-month waiting list,” he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojdbDYahiCQ

The home allows residents to engage in a number of activities, including yoga classes and employability based workshops. Ruffy explains the way in which this is different to an every day rehab centre in terms of the help and support they provide to recovering addicts.

“Picture a person who is 14 years old, has come from a broken home, hasn’t engaged at school, ends on a path of addiction and winds up at 25-26 years old going to rehab, learning how to get clean, and then leaving rehab and being told to get on with it. It can be as simple as not knowing how to go about getting your benefits or engaging in college,” he said.

Jane Winehouse, Amy’s stepmother and Managing Trustee at the Foundation, agreed that the home will make a difference in the lives of many women, providing them with the safety and support they need to get their lives back on track.“Fresh starts are difficult to make, full of challenges, but at Amy’s Place, we will give young women the tools and support to help make this a reality,” she said.

Amy’s Place will open in East London on August 22nd.

Image: Billboard

“I’m happy to see that people will want to listen and I’m proud of it.”

NAO buzzes excitedly (and nervously) about her upcoming album, which is finally upon us come July 29. I’ve been lucky enough to hear it early, and I reassure her that I’m certain fans will absolutely love the smooth melodies bursting with gorgeous little details and flowing around the beautiful words sung by her interesting sounding voice. I was given the opportunity to chat to her about For All We Know, as well as her musical journey so far.

Earlier in her life, she studied jazz and classical piano, and while this background provided her technical knowledge, it hasn’t specifically guided her sound. “I suppose jazz influenced it, but not so directly.”

She continues to explain: “I kind of left it behind after a while because I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to say musically. With my own music, jazz creeps in there in beautiful ways. I like improvising a lot before I write a song. I spend a couple of hours just jamming around on the piano […] and scatting.” She described her improvisation technique as “freedom in its purest form”.

She was also involved with a beat-boxing group, which adds another element to her back story. She described the experience as a lot of fun.

“When I was studying jazz, one of my good friends now is actually a wicked beat boxer, and being a vocalist I was astounded by what she could do beyond singing with her vocals, she could make really flat bass lines, do really wicked percussion and she just taught me a little bit,” she recalled.

I found this to be an interesting combination and took it as a reminder that it’s important to use the things we love to wind down and step away from our structured side of our work to keep our spirits high and the waterfalls of our passion flowing. Unlike jazz, she said she does use the skills she learned as a beat-boxer in her music. “In some of the tracks, I do a little bit of percussion with my vocals.”

While researching for this interview, I found that one of the most remarkable things about NAO was her determination and drive to be a musician. She didn’t try to push it aside and try other things to earn a bit of cash, she just went for it and decided to use music in her career. She didn’t, however, dive into the music industry to try her luck as a recording artist straight after school. “I just sort of floated around as a singer, as a teacher, as a backing singer.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O07VR9Twdt8

She said that she met a lot of people on the way who gave her a lot of great advice; many of them were busy creating their own music, which echoes her current life. Among all the pieces of advice she received, she found something that has stuck with her as she worked on this album. “I think that the best piece of advice I was given was ‘never put out a song unless you’re happy with it yourself.'”

The most perfect piece of advice for anyone looking to pursue their dream of creating something wonderful. “You might fail,” she continues, “but at least you love it yourself.”

Her hard work and ability to learn as she worked obviously paid off because we see her as she is now, playing shows around the world for her adoring fans with her debut album on the way. “I really appreciated that journey, that I was able to do that and make a living from singing.”

I acknowledged how passionate she seems across her whole album, which she agreed was an important part of her that she needed to convey. “I feel like that’s who I am as a singer and musician. I can be quite passionate and quite intense,” she said with a laugh. “I feel like sometimes it should be more dance-y and more fun, but that is just who I am.”

Although she said jazz didn’t influence her sound, it still has an important role in the album’s story. I discovered this from learning the meaning of its title. “For All We Know is actually my favourite jazz standard. So perhaps jazz did influence me in some way.”

She mentioned the song was quite old, and has been sung by many artists over the years including Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. “But there was one singer who I loved most of all, that’s called Donny Hathaway,” she said. “I just think he has one of the most beautiful voices on earth.”

I hadn’t heard this song before, so I told her I’d check it out. I kept my promise, turning to Spotify the next day where I found so many of the versions she spoke about, including my favourite sung by Billie Holiday. Needless to say, there were a couple of tears shed while I sat at my desk listening to the beautiful music pouring through my headphones. I understood exactly why she loved it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEHRrMYqmI4

“The sentiment of the song is what I love. I love that it says ‘so love me// love me tonight// tomorrow was made for some// tomorrow may never come for all we know’. It’s that idea that tomorrow’s not guaranteed so what we should do is live for today and I feel like that’s what this album is about,” NAO explained.

In the production of her music, she goes by the simple mantra of ‘first thought, best thought’. It seems like a great idea for creatives, who tend to be perfectionists, spending long periods of time chopping and changing parts that might not feel good enough, often forgetting about the importance of rawness and allowing the natural processes of creating art that falls freely.

“When I’m improvising a song and just jamming along, it just kind of falls out and I just kind of think ‘oh it’s too cheesy I’ll change it later’, but soon you kind of realise that was always the right thing to say, it was always the right feeling in that word and that moment so usually I just keep it,” she said.

“One thing I did do for that record is little nods to other people. So [the] song We Don’t Give A, there’s a line in it that says ‘we’ve all got jungle fever’ which is a line from a Stevie Wonder, or in a song called Girlfriend, I have a line in it ‘when I’m your lady’, which is a little melody from D’angelo.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wer1i3CZ74

When you look at the album’s track list, one interesting thing that you’ll notice is that it is listed as having 18 tracks. That’s not exactly the case. “It’s actually 14 songs. I separate them with interludes and stuff.”

She says she didn’t want jam sessions and improvisations at the beginning of each song, which is why it comes across as having 18 tracks. Everything she put onto the album is there for a reason. It’s part of the story the album tells. “I just kind of put on the album what was right, flowed together well as a setlist and what told a good musical story.”

Aside from the album, it sounded like the rest of her year is fully booked with tours across the world. “I go to America in September and then I do the UK and Europe in October and November. So that’s pretty much the rest of the year.”

NAO also reveals that she’ll be in Australia for Laneway Festival 2017. As to whether or not some headline sideshows are on the cards? “Hopefully.”

For All We Know is out now.

Image: Pitchfork

Read our review of For All We Know

In our recent interview, NAO mentioned the meaning of the title of her debut album, For All We Know. The sentimental touch gave me a huge insight into the person that she is and the story she wanted to tell through these tracks. After learning about her inspirational journey during my preparation for the interview, I was excited to hear exactly what she had in store for listeners.

She did not disappoint.

The first thing I noticed was the sheer size of the track list, with a huge 18 of them rounding out the final cut. It was immediately apparent that we were in for a treat.

Beginning with Intro (Like Velvet), a track that sounded exactly as you’d assume: soft and smooth. As you listen, you can imagine running your fingers along some high-quality fabric and feeling the tingling sensation with every touch. The uniqueness of her voice commands you to listen and fully appreciate the fact that you haven’t heard anything like this before.

It’s the very definition of unconventional beauty.

The groovy sounds of Inhale Exhale gave us a little something to dance to. Seriously, check it out and try to stop yourself from getting on your feet. It’s fun and easy on the ears, with a structured melody that has just enough going on to be interesting, but not too much to prevent overwhelming the listener. Her soulful voice twirled around the clapping sounds of the percussion, allowing us to sing along and the words quickly get themselves stuck in our heads.

I quickly understood what some of the shorter tracks among the 18 were after listening to Voice Memo 161, NAO having mentioned that she had included little bursts of her jam sessions in the recording studio. It was really nice to hear something so raw that allowed you to imagine you were right there in the studio with her. It was a great personal touch to the album.

The soft and mysterious intro to Adore You set us up for the beautiful love song we were about to hear. Lyrics like “you’re making my heart sing” and “you’re making me weak” gave us butterflies as we remember what it’s like to care about someone. The feeling seems to be mutual as we hear a man’s voice sing the other side of the relationship. It’s a streamy track that allowed room for honesty as they told the sweet story of two lovers appreciating one another.

After such a sweet love song, it was a surprise to hear In The Morning straight away. It opens with a dark and sinister sound along with the heartbreaking lines of “he came there to leave me/in the morning”. As the song continued, we heard another passionate story about a love that has been lost with the hazy sounds of the melody symbolic of the confusion of the situation and we reflect on the times we have been hurt by someone we loved without a proper explanation for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuocmqLRgOM

We Don’t Give A gave me an insight into her ability to convey a confident attitude while maintaining a certain level of class. The smoothness of the track was brought to life by a melody filled with the sounds of the piano and percussion as NAO croons about ignoring what others think of her relationship. It’s a great confidence-boosting song with a lot of swagger and perfect for anyone struggling with the inevitable rumours that flow through the grapevine.

Girlfriend was the first song I ever heard from NAO and the reason why I asked to review this album. Within the first few seconds of the song, I was hooked. I loved her voice and the beautiful melody that came with it. The incredible harmonies of the chorus pumped through my headphones, embedding the words into my memory. It still makes me smile when I hear it.

As we finish the album with Feels Like (Perfume), we have our final chance to breathe in the amazing compositions she has given us. Although we are sad that this wonderful album is now over, we can’t wait to replay this musical journey once again.

For All We Know is available now.

Image: Evening Standard 

Drake has held number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 list for 10 weeks now with One Dance. Not bad for his first number one, huh?

Well, his reign is over – although it may be brief – as another track has taken the coveted spot, despite being released several months ago. Sia‘s Cheap Thrills marks her first time leading the Hot 100 with her own single (she wrote Rihanna’s Diamonds, which was also number one in 2012) and the first female to do so since Madonna in 2000. The song has spent 23 weeks in the charts overall.

Cheap Thrills is from her latest album This Is Acting, which was released in January this year. Other singles from the album including Alive and Bird Set Free had a good amount of radio play, but never reached the peak spot on the Billboard charts.

During an interview with Rolling Stone last year, she revealed that she had originally written the song for Rihanna, however, it was turned down:

“Her manager said “We want Diamonds. We need soul. We want some music that has feeling. I went to Greg [Kurstin], and that’s what we came up with. I realised just as soon as I was cutting it that it sounded a little bit too Brit-pop for her. It’s more Icona Pop. We did actually send it to her, but they passed on it, and then I just couldn’t stop listening to it in the car,” she recalled.

“There’s something really uplifting about it that put me in a good mood, and I would just pretend it wasn’t me singing,” she described the song with a laugh. “It felt very summer and fun, and I was like, ‘I’ll put that on there.'”

I’m sure she’s grateful that she kept it. Watch the video for Cheap Thrills below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31crA53Dgu0

Image: Billboard

Jack White is taking things above and beyond, quite literally.

In his latest attempt to make history, White is planning to play a phonographic gold record in space. His record label’s website reveals that the record is a “gold-plated 12” master of Carl Sagan’s A Glorious Dawn”. They will carry out their space mission using The iCarus Craft, a high-altitude balloon. The spacecraft was designed by Kevin Carrico who will be working with the label to get it off the ground with the assistance of SAINTS (Students and Teachers in Near Space).

We weren’t sure what the plan was in the beginning. It began with this cryptic video, posted by his record label Third Man Records last week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-42PjkYZ-E

Now that we know, the excitement of whether he can actually do this is slowly creeping up.

There will be launch parties in Detroit and Nashville and a live stream, so the historic event can be viewed. There will also be live performances at each location, as well as Q&A with Carrico in Detroit and a display of the record in question in Nashville.

Apparently White has spoken about his dreams about combining music with the wide world above before. Time recalls a conversation recorded by Interview Magazine that occurred about four years ago between White and legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin about this little idea:

“We want to launch a balloon that carries a vinyl record player, and possibly that Carl Sagan record, and figure out a way to drop the needle with all that turbulence up there and ensure that it will still play.”

Keeping his dream firmly close to his heart, here we are.

Let’s hope it works! Stay tuned.

Image: Pages Digital

Seth Troxler has inspired us all with his recent act of charity.

The producer has climbed to the top of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a group of ten, who set out with the objective to raise $100 000 each to create a total of $1 million. All of the money raised from this ambitious act is to go to Cure Brain Cancer Foundation’s Million$Mission, a charity that accumulates funding for brain cancer research.

Posting the picture below on Facebook of the group successfully making it to the top, he wrote “wow we made it to the top – this has been the best july for me yet. the buzz of this is incredible, life changing. To do it for brain cancer is even more rewarding”.

https://www.facebook.com/sethtroxlerofficial/photos/a.478513043573.269797.282275573573/10155046919718574/?type=3&theater

Troxler is obviously passionate about this cause, because that’s not the only thing he has done to help. To add more funds, he is auctioning off a number of his own vinyl records.

“You’re bidding on around two dozen of Seth Troxler’s favourite vinyl records from his personal collection,” the description reads. “Seth will personally pick out a selection of records, from a variety of genres at the end of the month for the winning bidder.”

This auction ends in only a few hours, so get in quick!

The trek began on the 21st, with a group consisting of Troxler and neurosurgeon Dr. Charlie Teo, among other inspiring people who wish to make a difference.

https://www.facebook.com/sethtroxlerofficial/photos/a.478513043573.269797.282275573573/10155035310508574/?type=3&theater

Although the climb is over, there is still time to keep the donations pouring in. According to Stoney Roads, Troxler alone only has about to raise another $3000 to reach $100 000. You have 35 days to contribute to this amazing cause, which can be done via their website.

Image: Valhalla Festival

Glass Animals have released their second new track from forthcoming album How To Be  A Human Being, with the release of new track and video, Youth. The band previously released Life Itself, the clip of which starred a young boy who escapes after being kept hostage. In their video for Youth, the little boy is back as the story continues to unfold.

This video focuses on helping us piece together the relationship between the boy and the waitress at the diner. As she works, we continuously sees the boy either dancing to the upbeat track or simply watching her. She follows him when he runs out of the diner, going to the room from where he escaped and searching about the area. The band make a cameo in the video as patrons sitting in a booth, completely oblivious to what’s going on. We assume this means the visions of the boy are simply inside the waitress’s head, which tells us that the video must be viewed with an open mind and a bit of imagination.

According to NPR, the band’s frontman Dave Bayley agrees, allowing the viewer to leave it to themselves to figure out their own meaning. “I always try to leave enough space for people to make their own interpretations,” he says. “For me, that’s more interesting than having a definitive ‘correct’ explanation.”

Although, he also gave a little explanation about the heartbreaking story about a woman and her son that inspired the song. “It was one of the saddest things I’d ever heard, and she was on the verge of crying,” he says, “but she also had a sense of optimism and calm. Something in her face said she’d found a way to be happy again.”

Considering the album is said to be composed of songs largely written from the perspectives of unique individual characters, to have an ongoing storyline introducing us to each visually is remarkably interesting. Bayley has explained that while many of the stories stemmed from conversations he’s had with people met on Glass Animals’ extensive world tours, many of the details are fictitious.

“People tell you some incredible things — some totally deep, dark secrets — with a sort of cheekiness to it. They’re laughing as they’re telling you these dark, or sad, or really gross things. And even if they’re telling you a happy story, you can sense the emotion underneath that,” he said.

How To Be A Human Being will be available on August 26. Watch the video for Youth below.

Read our recent review of Glass Animals live, and check out our photo gallery here.

Image: Danielle Hansen / Howl & Echoes

After the upsetting news of Alan Vega’s suicide broke over the weekend, electro-rock veterans MGMT have decided to pay tribute to the fallen frontman of duo Suicide in their own way. They have released a cover of Goodbye Darling from Vega’s Saturn Strip, his third solo album which was released in 1983.

Despite the terrible sadness sparked by the news, the cover has a decidedly cheery tone which is embodied in its upbeat electro melody. The track positively twinkles with a slightly vintage feel that echoes the sound of the 80’s. It stands as more of a celebration of a life and a legacy rather than the mourning of a death, which seems like the perfect way for such an influential person to be remembered. You can listen to MGMT’s sweet tribute below.

https://soundcloud.com/watermelonsugar-1/goodbye-darling

There have been many other touching tributes to Vega made over the past few days since his passing, including an emotional Facebook post from Bruce Springsteen.

“The bravery and passion he showed throughout his career was deeply influential to me. I was lucky enough to get to know Alan slightly and he was always a generous and sweet spirit. The blunt force power of his greatest music both with Suicide and on his solo records can still shock and inspire today. There was simply no one else remotely like him,” he wrote.

In a year where so many similar tributes have had to be made to so many artists taken too soon, we can only hope that these will be some of the last.

Image: DIY Magazine

This time last year we were filled to the brim with excitement over the release of Tame Impala’s highly-anticipated Currents, a record that stunned listeners on impact and was replayed over and over again as fans engulfed themselves in the magic that was embodied in its 13 tracks.

Now, Tame Impala are finally ready to release the deluxe edition of the album, along with an added B-side. In celebration of the one year anniversary of Currents, the band posted a picture of the album’s cover art with the following caption:

Just how much unheard music from Tame Impala will be included in the deluxe edition remains to be seen, but with the quality of the finished product of Currents at such a high level, you can probably be sure that even the off-cuts and B-sides that didn’t end up making the original record will still be some outstanding music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFptt7Cargc

Following the release of Currents, Tame Impala absolutely rocketed to the top spot on the Australian charts and cleaned up at the ARIA awards as a result. They took out five awards in total including Album of the Year, Best Rock Album, Engineer of the Year, Producer of the Year and Best Group as well as Let It Happen being nominated for Best Pop Release.

It was recorded in Kevin Parker’s home studio and was the first Tame Impala album to be mixed by Parker himself, who had also written, recorded and produced their previous two albums along with Currents. We’ll keep you updated on any further details, including a release date, as they emerge.

Image: Pagesdigital

With all the devastation and tragedy happening every single day across the world, we need to share as much love and kindness as possible to remind those touched by these events that they will not be ignored.

As she closed her Saturday night show in Amsterdam, Beyoncé gave her own tribute to the victims of the failed Turkish coup where 200 people were killed and another 1400 have been injured. She sang her emotional 2009 single Halo to the packed-out stadium, as shown in the video below.

“This song is about love,” she said before the song began. “I want to dedicate it to all the lives lost in Turkey. Y’all help me sing tonight.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMj-OdKGon0

Beyoncé has previously spoken about the #BlackLivesMatter movement following the spate of recent incidences of police brutality that led to the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. In response to the tragedy, she shared a note entitled ‘Freedom’ on her website. In the note, she portrays the anger and hopelessness that many people feel toward the issue and encourages others to join the fight by asking politicians and legislators to make some necessary changes to the justice system.

“This is a human fight. No matter your race, gender or sexual orientation. This is a fight for anyone who feels marginalised, who is struggling for freedom and human rights,” the note says.

According to The Fader, she also “held a moment of silence” and performed an a capella version of Freedom as a tribute to them.  An emotional and stirring moment in honour of the lives both lost and shattered by more senseless violence.

Image: NME