It’s hard to believe, but it has been 15 years since the Gorillaz first captured people’s attention and imagination with their self-titled debut album. They provided a timely antidote to the banal pop factory that was taking over the charts everywhere – the UK Top 20 at the time was dominated by the likes of Five, Westlife, Atomic Kitten, S Club 7 and Hear’Say, to give you an idea. But despite their first success with single Clint Eastwood, no one really knew what to make of Gorillaz upon first seeing and hearing the band. Were they a gimmick? Were they too just another pop idea to generate sales? Or were they actively mocking the audience’s conceptions and obsessions with celebrity and popular culture?
With the recent news that the Gorillaz will return next year, we take a look back at the genesis of the band and examine just how they came to reshape the musical landscape during the beginning of the new millennium, while remaining a constant mystery.
The Gorillaz were formed when friends Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett devised an idea for an animated band. Both had enjoyed successes throughout their respective careers, but these experiences had left them somewhat disillusioned.
“Look at all the manufactured bands in the world. Even those that claim not to be, are, in some way. Gorillaz is about trying to destroy that and take it further. It’s about trying to manufacture something with real integrity. It requires a leap of faith,” Damon Albarn explained in the Metro about their premise.
The former flatmates devised a strategy for a new band that would address the manufacturing of pop, while proving that it could be done well, with actual artistic integrity. Albarn would provide the music, while Hewlett would create the images. All of the extras (musicians, singers, rappers etc.) would be added in wherever necessary.
The devised characters, with their own unique personalities, added extra value and new dimensions to the music. There was Murdoc who was centred on Keith Richards, Noodle the “mysterious one”, Russel the “hip-hop hard man… who hates Murdoc”, and the “fall guy” vocalist 2D. Their inner dynamics immediately offered something different to their contemporaries (Here’s Brian McFadden from Westlife calling a talk show host a “flowery ponce” and then burping).
Albarn presented himself behind 2D, and in doing so made a new musical identity for himself in the process. Known in his native England as the frontman for the phenomenally successful Blur, over in America he was relatively unknown besides being the “woo-hoo” guy.
Whereas Blur seemed somewhat limited to the Britpop tag- the inherent British-ness of the band meant that the American audience often overlooked them, Gorillaz were not locked into any kind of context or geographical boundaries. They were a band that seemed to have no obvious nationality. This was probably due in part to the constant collaborating with a broad range of artists that went on. Gone were the kitchen sink dramas and in their place were references to Hollywood royalty like Clint Eastwood.
The idea of a virtual band wasn’t entirely new to the music industry. The Monkees were one of the first real examples of this during the 1960’s. Don Kirshner, the man behind the band, was the first to realise the possibilities of an animated band. He devised The Archies when the Monkees refused to sing the saccharine chart hit Sugar Sugar. It then subsequently went on to become a number one in both England and America in 1969. Music journalist David Nolan remembers in his piece “Re-animators: Giving Birth to Gorillaz“, “The true voice of Sugar Sugar—session singer Ron Dante — remained hidden. No one needed to see or even know the names. That would have been distracting.”
The Gorillaz took part of the idea behind this but then expanded upon it to allow greater creative freedom for themselves. The project essentially allowing Albarn to escape from the confines of Blur. While it gave Hewlett, the creator of cult comic strip Tank Girl, an opportunity to fully immerse himself in a multi-faceted form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq7Ovshz1UI
The band hit the stage when their debut was released to the public in March of 2001. They stood behind the scenes and played while a giant projector displayed the animated band. It wasn’t exactly seamless though, and early on there was understandable scepticism and doubts about it all. The Daily Telegraph wrote that while impressed, “much of the animation was not far removed from the elaborate backdrops seen previously at gigs by the Chemical Brothers or Orbital. Gorillaz raised good questions about what we expect from a concert though. Who wants to look at ugly blokes playing guitars?”
While the concept of the animated band seemed to capture imaginations and draw many admiring glances from the critics, the album didn’t necessarily receive glowing reviews from all media outlets. “It’s what you might expect from a bunch of musos playing with Cubase or Pro Tools,” the Village Voice wrote. The knives were already out for Albarn, with Pitchfork being particularly harsh on the band; yet despite getting many of their facts wrong, it still received a decent score.
“The novelty group finds Albarn assuming the role of 2-D, the animated lead singer of a pack of four misfits. The Dan the Automator-produced ‘act’ is a smarmy, promotional gimmick. It has a short-lasting, faddish appeal. Gorillaz is the definitive side-project. Even at its best, it’s never more than a divergent one-off stint.”
This initial struggle was only heightened when the band were sued by Doppelgangerz, who claimed that they had come up with the idea first. “He claimed he’d ‘invented’ Gorillaz. Then he was demanding rights over my music, brain, image and face, which obviously made my blood boil. It felt like we were under attack from a hail of bullets,” Hewlett stated.
This didn’t make the duo retreat though and they were rewarded later with a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Prize. They remain the first and only band to ever turn down a nomination. In true Murdoc style, he responded: “Mercury award? Sounds a bit heavy, man! You know sort of like carrying a dead albatross around your neck for eternity. No thanks, man! Why don’t you nominate some other poor muppet?” This stance summed up their approach to the music industry perfectly. They played along with the game just enough to be part of it, but did so while remaining far enough away to take a step back whenever necessary and mock it.
However, they wouldn’t be so quick to have a blasé attitude towards recognition when they were nominated for multiple MTV awards the same year. In fact they went to considerable efforts to make pre-recorded winning speeches, only to lose out in all categories. As Jake Whitely wrote in his piece “Are the Gorillaz a postmodern artistic statement?” “They are a band that branded themselves with the slogan ‘Reject False Idols’. They had a focus on deconstructing image as an identifier with its audience. But yet the Gorillaz have presented multiple contradictions in their ethos.”
Regardless of whether or not you believed they were just another manufactured outfit of the pop industry or were actively seeking to deconstruct those mechanisms, the debut provided a fine example of a band that would go on to redefine the boundaries of what it meant to actually be a band. Named in the Guiness Book of Records as the most successful virtual band ever, they rose to become a preeminent force over the next decade and a half. What was to follow was an even more impressive sophomore album jam packed with features. There were headline festival slots around the world. An album made on an iPad, and the all-encompassing Plastic Beach. But what Gorillaz produced with their first effort was a deeply satirical and fiercely creative response to the music industry that it would go on to dominate for years to come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UclCCFNG9q4
You can read our feature on their sophomore album Demon Days here.
Image: Pitchfork
In 1981, MTV was launched in the USA, allowing for a new marriage between music and video. Previously, live concert performances or actual films promoted with an album (see The Beatles – Hard Day’s Night) were a main source of visual music, but MTV now gave artists a platform to create and distribute short videos to the masses. Immediately, the music video became a new for of media and a new marketing tool. It helped to sell an artist or a band to viewers in an exciting new way, becoming an incredibly powerful platform from which to reach an audience.
The MTV generation has now become the Internet generation, with platforms like Youtube obviously having become the most important tools to spread videos across the globe. Extending beyond even single videos, the concept of a “visual album” has steadily risen in frequency and popularity risen, applying the importance of a visual component to music on a far wider scale. It is a result, in part, of the digitalisation of music. It provides a new means to reach an audience in an increasingly overcrowded marketplace. Simultaneously, it gives the audience something extra – another reason to listen to this album, a crucial factor in a world overflowing with artists and new releases.
Today we’re taking a look at exactly what the visual album is, and why has it suddenly become a major talking point within the industry, most notably ignited by Beyonce’s self titled release in 2013, and more recently, Lemonade.
In a paper titled The Visual Album As A Hybrid Art Form by Cara Harrison, the visual album is technically defined as “an audio-visual product. It must have a direct relationship with the music from a corresponding audio album by the same artist. Its album length is more than the standard music video length, and strong visual and textual relations are present to form continuity throughout the whole album.”
One of the first times the term was used was in 2010, when Animal Collective described ODDSAC as such. However, it was Beyonce’s self-titled release in 2013 that first brought major, widespread attention to the art form. The release is particularly notable for not only championing the visual album, but being among the first major mainstream albums to drop with no advance notice or singles whatsoever. She spoke of a unified vision when outlining the intentions of the album, saying, “I wanted people to hear things differently and have a different first impression. Not just listen to a 10 second clip, but actually be able to see the whole vision of the album. It was important that we made this a movie. We made this an experience.”
As a whole, a visual album is way to gain the audience’s attention through an all-encompassing single piece of media. Instead of a mass of unrelated videos, or the need to switch between audio and visual formatting, a visual album – especially one which incorporates skits and additional footage atypical to a recorded album, offers a narrative to connect with. As Landon Palmer pointed out in his article How Visual Albums Are Changing the Way We Think of Movies and Music Videos, “In the past few years a new music/video form has become increasingly prevalent. The visual album continues to emerge as a means of creative visual expression… It is promising a synesthetic expression of musical creativity.”
Meanwhile, the loss of the physical element in music nowadays has actually contributed to the rise of visual albums. Most listeners don’t spin an entire album start to finish; they’ll cherry pick their favourites, add them to a playlist, and be on their way. To essentially provide a listener with an entire movie, can engage them in a new and different way – a way that hopes to shift attention back to the album as a whole.
In the last five years or so some artists already appeared to be moving away from the conventional music video. What they were doing seemed more suited to a visual album. Musicologist Fabian Holt labelled them as “cinematic song-videos”. They tended to shift from the standard running time and incorporated film-like techniques, such as dialogue and long introductions featuring no music, in order to establish a scene, like Lady Gaga’s 2010 video for Telephone, which clocked in at over nine minutes long. The visual album is pushes those boundaries even further, as more and more film techniques are incorporated along with the usual music video standards. Much like musi crosses genres at all turns, so too does the musical output itself – it has become a hybrid, far more than just the audio output.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U
In Harrison’s paper, she explains that, “the visual album does promote the audio album. But because of its hybridity and its function as an artwork, it does not always behave like a music video… It creates a blurred line between film and music video. Thus a separate art form emerged; the visual album.”
In terms of album sales, the music industry has been in decline. This is no secret. The rise of single-song purchases and then the introduction of streaming sites has meant a significant reduction in physical record sales. Similar to when the major labels finally reacted to the punk movement and used marketing tools to entice fans to buy their products, the industry is now using a range of new methods to sell their music. When Beyonce premiered her new album on premium cable channel HBO, she effectively released a film, not an album. A dramatic, continuous offering with a beginning, middle and end, not to mention stunning production values, it could well have aired in cinemas across the world. Like you’d watch a film on Netflix, the full length film premiered on Jay Z’s streaming service Tidal.
But beyond marketing and creative expression, why has the visual album suddenly become so favoured? In “Seeing Music Performance: Visual Influences on Perception and Experience” by William Thompson, Phil Graham and Frank Russo, they said that, “an absence of visual information leaves an impression that the performance is a solitary act, in which the listener’s role is primarily that of a voyeur. That is, visual aspects of music personalise the music, drawing performers and listeners closer together in a shared experience.” Music has always been a great connecter between people, and tin 2016, that is immensely heightened by adding visuals. Like a film, it allows for a collective and shared experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrCHz1gwzTo&list=PL-E79MQ72MqVQWkmv0BEYOwXMc-hCTqHg
The success of Lemonade is far from standalone, and even artists like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have announced intention to unveil an entire new album as a film, set to air in cinemas this September. Hers is the strongest example this year, and much like how the rise of surprise album drops dramatically increased after her 2013 self-titled, so too is she leading the way for the visual album. It’ll be really interesting to see where this format goes next, and the ways this will change and evolve the music industry.
Read our review of Lemonade here.
Image: The Guardian.
Punk is often portrayed as an aggressive movement started by a small group of people who were disenfranchised with the world in which they grew up in. They were unimpressed and unmoved by the music, fashion and ideals of the day. So they forged ahead with their own culture that reflected and voiced these issues, and subsequently prospered in a climate that rewarded creativity and productivity above all else.
In reality, it is not that simple. Marketing strategies and major record companies undeniably helped push the scene forward, as it grew into a worldwide commodity from the mid 1970s onwards. It was capitalised on, having come from a place in many circumstances that was ill-fitting of the backstory that was generated around the punk scene at the time. As critic Patrick West stated, “Government and corporations have always controlled art, and it’s naïve to think that this was a new phenomenon. One of the best things that punk did was to draw our attention to this historical norm so starkly.”
All of this is not to dismiss punk rock’s importance in the history of music though. It may have been short-lived and manufactured at times, but it remains a fluid genre to this day, a key influencer on the music that was created for decades to come – music that brought about the rise of the independent music maker and the independent youth. It broke the status quo within the music industry that had dictated the taste of the youth for too long, and opened up a new set of rules that generations in the future would come to live by…
“Bill Grundy was yesterday suspended by Thames Television for two weeks after being accused of ‘sloppy journalism’. Mr Grundy later responded, ‘all I was trying to do was prove that these louts were a foul-mouthed set of yobs.”
This extract from the Guardian in 1976 refers to the now infamous appearance of the Sex Pistols on the Today Show, which was hosted by Grundy himself. It was a first taste for many of the upcoming onslaught that ‘punk’ would bring to England, and indeed worldwide. In it, the host exchanged barbs with guitarist Steve Jones where he dared him to say something “outrageous.” Jones replied by ranting at Grundy and showering him with expletives. Before the incident, punk existed on the margins, safely kept underground and away from the masses. It was still a year before the Pistols’ released their debut, but they were now firmly in the public consciousness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtHPhVhJ7Rs
If any band has become a poster for the punks, it is the Sex Pistols. They arrived with an image of bad behaviour, intolerance for the government, a leering hatred for the so called establishment, and a severe case of injustice. A great example of this is from their TV appearance where they utilised the reputation they had in the underground and strengthened their image as non-conformists live on the BBC for the whole nation to see.
To understand why this appearance had such a profound impact on the public though, is to first recognise the merits of the “shock effect.” Neil Eriksen in his case study entitled “Popular Culture and Revolutionary Theory: Understanding Punk Rock” wrote,
“A song serves to generate leisure effects by creating an avenue for escape into apathy and fantasy. But a song can also have another effect; it can serve to orient the listener to a ‘critical response … in the sense that he or she will be provoked into thinking and questioning by it.’ One way that such critical orientation can be affected is through the shock effect of jolting the audience out of the more passive habitual response.”
This is primarily what punk rock sought to do both through its actual music and its image. The Sex Pistols (also see GG Allin for a more explicit case) played on it constantly to antagonise their audiences, all the while building up a cult following. The band, however, were not exactly as they seemed. As has now been very well documented, they were an extension of manager Malcolm McLaren’s vision, whose day job was selling “fetishistic clothing daubed with slogans” from his London store SEX, along with legendary designer Vivienne Westwood. In a way, the band were a vehicle for this as they captured the imagination of the disaffected youth, ready for something new and wild. Sid Vicious, the bassist who couldn’t actually play bass, was the most obvious component of it all. He was purely in the band due to his aesthetic and attitude, helping to propel and sell the image of the ‘punk’ to everyone else.
Barely two years later, the band came to a screeching halt after just one album. Frontman Johnny Rotten famously addressed the crowd during their final gig in San Francisco. “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” he asked wearily. It was perhaps a pondering of his own fate as well as that of his audience’s.
Punk rock is generally considered to have arrived sometime around the mid 1970s. Earlier bands like MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges had elements of punk in them, but it wasn’t until the likes of the Ramones and Sex Pistols emerged that the scene really began to take off. As observed by an article from CNN, “while ’70s rock gods like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd filled their songs with ever expanding guitar solos, The Ramones packed 14 songs in under 30 minutes.” And it was this immediacy that proved to be so enticing for some as short and sharp blasts of music became preferred.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K56soYl0U1w
There are varying beliefs on what punk rock and its surrounding scene actually was and what it brought to the people who listened to it. According to Stuart Home in his piece “Cranked Up Really High“, “What punk did do was tap into a reservoir of social discontent and create an explosion of anger and energy. Punk wasn’t offering a solution… It was pure sensation, it had nothing to offer beyond a sense of escape from the taboo of speaking about the slimy reality of life as the social fabric came apart.” Meanwhile, Tim Patterson was quick to dismiss it in his 1977 article entitled “Punk Rock Reflects Cultural Decay” where he described it as a “social disease… It is a part of the manipulation business and… the crudest cultural hoax in decades.” Regardless of its term though it unquestionably ignited a certain part of youth culture and drove them to find their own voices within society.
Time Magazine touched on this when it stated that, “Punk began with a feeling of frustration and rage and turned it into an idea that could be acted upon. Employing deconstruction and self-starter empowerment — the DIY ethic — it liberated a generation to create its own culture.”
The arrival of punk both in the UK and in America took the music industry by surprise as it quickly imposed its will. The number of small record labels that started up during the early stages of punk’s rise was impressive, but was in part due to major record companies not being able to adapt in the face of change. Punk capitalised on this and took advantage of large record companies being blind sighted as they shovelled their money into new recording technologies, while believing they still controlled the popular and youth cultures. Kevin Dunn points out that this “meant that older studio equipment and studios suddenly became available for independent music producers and companies to either buy or rent at affordable costs.”
The Buzzcocks became the makers of the first British homemade record directly as a result of this. Their Spiral Scratch EP was made after the band borrowed $1,000 from their families to record and release it. As a result of this newfound opportunity, many small labels began to distribute their own albums through independent retailers. An expanding business was quickly established as fans came to rely on these lesser known labels to get them onto the up and coming punk bands from around their area. Punk music essentially creating a separate branch of recording, pressing and distributing away from the major music companies. It wasn’t only in the UK that this was occurring though, as around the world people involved in punk music saw the opportunities that were suddenly available in the music industry. “Often grounded by local DIY record labels that had been inspired by the initial outpouring of U.K. punk labels- the Los Angeles punk scene from 1977–79 embraced the DIY ethos too.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPG6Ak5FASk
In order to initially attract customers to their products, small labels devised marketing strategies that allowed them to operate with a profit. Fan newsletters were drafted up that people could subscribe to in advance and they were then sent a number of limited edition records that were marked as ‘exclusives’. “The do-it-yourself aspect of the production and packaging spoke for itself. We created ideas for affordable products which set the pace for imitators, like the clear plastic-bag 45 sleeves and the multi-colour silkscreened picture disc,” small label owner David Brown recalled.
However, what started out as a small community soon grew into an untapped commodity. The small labels were thriving in the punk rock scene and major labels finally cottoned on to its marketability and earning potential. A new market was available to them that was almost entirely related to the youth of the decade. Major labels began to sign up every punk band they thought they could make money from. The Sex Pistols were the first signed in the UK, contracting with EMI in 1976.
As Dunn noted, “by 1978, most of the best known U.K. punk bands had been signed by major record labels. Generation X and Stiff Little Fingers went to Chrysalis, the Vibrators signed with CBS, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Sham 69 signed to Polydor, the Undertones and the Rezillos went to WEA. While the flag-bearer of the DIY record label movement, the Buzzcocks, signed to United Artists.”
Major labels then took the initial marketing tools devised by small labels to attract buyers and multiplied it by 1,000. Gimmicks suddenly became the new norm on how to release and sell punk rock records. “Limited editions, coloured vinyl, picture bags, 6 inch singles, 12 inch singles, 10 inch albums, 45 rpm ‘albums’, scratch ‘n’ sniff sleeves etc. etc. was the sign of punk rock,” according to Home. “It proved of supreme importance to the corporate entertainment industry as an exercise in marketing research and development.” And in many ways this compromised the integrity of not only the band but also the music which they were making. What had started out as a small-time thing became just another cog in the music industry machine.
“They said we’d be artistically free, when we signed that bit of paper. They meant, let’s make a lot of money, and worry about it later.”–The Clash Complete Control lyrics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeTw_p_WglY
The punk rock movement displaced heavy rock that had begun to sink into indulgence by the midway point of the decade. It was an adrenaline shot that aimed to destroy everything in sight. A dirty and aggressive reaction by a group of youths who were sick of all that had become before them. The bands played on the societal pressures and problems of the time after they had initially captured the public’s imagination. In the case of most English bands, it was a working class response to oppression and unemployment.
But from the start it had conflictions within its main framework. In most cases, by the end of the decade major labels controlled bands and had them signed to lucrative contracts, which took them out of the situations that they seemed to draw on at their inceptions. Some bands were simply a product of ulterior motives, while others jumped on the popularity of the scene just in order to make money. Until,in the end, it seemed to be a manufactured movement that was controlled with a vice-like grip by major companies just like all that had gone before them.
Despite this though, punk rock is still responsible for a number of high points in music history. It spawned historic places like CBGB’s in New York where the punk scene first exploded with bands like Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers and the Ramones making it their home. While it also influenced the next wave of musicians in the post punk genre that spawned bands like Joy Division and The Cure. Most importantly though, punk rock made it seem like just about anybody was capable of being in a band. It brought in the first batch of independent music makers and distributors that broke the monopoly of major labels. With the effects of which are still being felt three decades later.
Image: CBC/AP
As titles for third albums go, one that references a detention centre at the notorious Guantanamo Bay is an interesting choice, whatever way you choose to look at it. Norway’s Highasakite have established confliction within their work straight away, as they move away from their universally adored Silent Treatment record, to Camp Echo which is a significantly darker, electronic detour.
“The theme of the album is war and terrorism,” singer Ingrid Helene Havik admitted in a recent interview. “Not the war at home, like on our last album, but what is going on in the world right now.” It’s all pretty heavy stuff for a band that became indie darlings in Australia thanks to their 2014 hit Since Last Wednesday, which subsequently found its way into Triple J’s Hottest 100 list. The spacious folk stylings have been traded in, like an old and overused car for a faster, more dangerous model. Yet despite all the perceived political leanings, it seems appearances can still be deceiving.
The record begins with My Name Is Liar as a scattering of electronics trickle away before Havik’s distinctive vocals take over. “I am at one with what I am” she repeats, as the beat morphs into a slow jam momentarily, before a shuffle ushers in a bouncy chorus. Samurai Sword then follows but it always feels like it is working to get to the chorus each time, while once it gets there it just trades in the usual fare of soaring vocals and cascading synths.
The first single to be released from the record, Someone Who’ll Get It begins in menacing fashion due to its paired down production. “Send somebody to me alive, send somebody to me tonight, send somebody who’s not likely to break, send a soldier,” Havik sings evocatively and somewhat ambiguously. The song practically palpitates with tension as the spiralling synths and the ominous clatter of drums warn you of what may be ahead. Then, the quick-fire force of gunshots cut through the mix and the tension all slips away as a huge chorus enters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFTNeTwzEkQ
The anxiety soaked electro-pop of My Mind Is A Bad Neighbourhood comes next. The erratic pulse of the beat perfectly mirrors Havik’s lyrics as she declares, “either you are with us or you’re with the terrorists.” The battle cry then picks up momentum as the beat begins to become comfortable and settles into a propulsive groove. Meanwhile, on God Don’t Leave Me Now Havik battles with perceptions of not only the self but her faith too. Within the sparse arrangement she questions her place during a time where everything appears to be so utterly bleak and hopeless. “Creator of my mind, you crossed the line this time,” she sings in one of the best lines on the record. The downcast reflection showcasing the band in perfect sync as they mix their previous sound with a new found love for electronics.
“I think Camp Echo is very different: it’s more electronic and more up-tempo, and maybe more aggressive… I’ve been listening to a lot of The Prodigy, Fever Ray, The Knife and Die Antwoord,” Havik revealed recently.
The aggression can be found in the beats themselves but also within the lyrics that jump from one target to the next. On Golden Ticket Havik brutally dissects the world around her with the assertion that, “God if you’re watching, there are no more happy days.” All the destruction, tragedy and loss has worn Havik down and despite the upbeat music that surrounds it all, she seems to be having a hard time making sense of any of it. The euphoric push and pull of the 1980’s style synths and the club ready chorus contrasting against the despairing and toned down verses.
That technique is perhaps also indicative of the record as a whole. It appears nice on the outside, through the use of bright synths and pulsing rhythms, but something sinister festers the deeper you get inside of them. On Deep Sea Diver for example, it is easy to get lost within the warped synths as they weave around an upbeat drum pattern. The line, “I am not one to slash my wrists because you’re leaving,” may initially pass by without any real comprehension. But beyond the first listen that is when these lyrics become clearer.
“It’s not a political album in the sense that I want people to side with a specific party or mindset, but it has been central in my life. There are not many love songs on the album, because I haven’t been in that state of mind for a long time. Global warming and war have been my main concern,” Havik said. Album closer Chernobyl confronts this mentality with suitably dark overtures to bring an end to an abrasive, yet also colourful, album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2NopIx3sTg
Check out Highasakite’s ‘Thee Albums’ feature here
Image: Culture Glaze
The Sydney-based musician known as Mossy (Jamie Timony) has released his self-titled debut EP which is packed full of dreamy obsessions and dense rhythms. Over the course of a year it was created in a windowless studio in New York City’s Lower East Side. In many ways, that environment can be heard on the record, as it has an immersive yet claustrophobic feel to it at times. The expansive element of the synths and Mossy’s echo-laden vocals craft a world of summery beauty, but beneath it all also lies a bleak undercurrent.
Electric Chair, the first single to be taken from the project, kicks off proceedings. There are industrial drums and a deep bass line, before sparkling synths make their first appearance. It all swirls around in a heady state, as a gorgeous guitar solo and Mossy’s vocals then collide towards the end. The whole concept of the opener centring on “self-destruction by means of self-obsession,” according to the man himself.
That obsession he spoke about is also evident in a song like Waterfall that soars into the upper echelons of the dream pop category. The focus on melody is absorbing, but is often wrapped up in a blanket of syrupy instrumentals. You can clearly hear though, a significant amount of time and detail has gone into crafting the many pristine melodies that inhabit the EP. Sure, you may not always be able to hear or understand what is being said, but that doesn’t take anything away from the feelings that Mossy is trying to evoke here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIyq1HFrclo
There is a late-night groove to Shipping Yard which sees it sliding happily into a dreamy reverie. While Mossy takes the opportunity to sing about a “fighter plane” that is “flying overhead.” There’s a disconnection present in not only the bluesy guitar work but also threaded into the lyrics, as a sense of dissatisfaction becomes clearer and clearer. “I’ve got to find a new scene, can you show me where to look?” he proclaims as it sombrely winds down. Meanwhile, Spa (Interlude) offers a short but meditative instrumental that trickles by enticingly.
The final track on the record is the Beat poet referencing Ginsberg, which has also just been given a video. For the first time Mossy’s vocal effects are stripped away and that only serves to heighten the sense of vulnerability that runs through it. The slow burner takes in images of a “moon hanging low” and “shooting stars”, before he declares it is safe if he wants to “scream something obscene.”
At times romantic and at times abrasive; at times expansive and at times claustrophobic- Mossy’s debut record is an impressive slice of dreamy reflection and marks him out as one to watch for the foreseeable future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H10z83zcE4
Read our interview with Mossy here.
Mossy is out now via I Oh You.
Image: Stereogum
What were you doing when you were 21 years old? Most people would probably answer aimlessly, searching around for answers to life that we were all told existed. There would be the inevitable gap year, the dead end job and the faltering love life. For Bibi Bourelly, it is rubbing shoulders with the musical elite and releasing her first solo EP entitled Free the Real Part 1. Bourelly first came into the spotlight having written Rihanna‘s mega-hit Bitch Better Have My Money, and has already been credited for her work with other artists like Usher and Lil Wayne.
We were lucky enough to have a chat with the upcoming artist, who, in spite of rubbing shoulders with such musical heavyweights, is far from overwhelmed – she’s far from her peak just yet – nor has it got to her head. Bourelly is a rising star, undeterred by the glare of the spotlight. Behind all the hype and chart success, she is just a normal twenty something that’s still trying to get it all together.
We spoke to Bourelly about where she talked about the need for conflict in her music, living and dying for her art, and how she’d love to just be a fly on the wall around the late Janis Joplin.
Listening to your Free the Real Part 1 EP it’s clear that it comes from a place of vulnerability. And you’ve also said it was from a time where you felt misunderstood. Is it a cathartic process for you to put your feelings into songs or does it sometimes only heighten those issues that you’re trying to deal with?
It could be either way really, it’s so powerful. It depends on what you allow yourself to come up with and how you decide to express it.
You said the place where your music comes from is “immortal”- does that mean that you look at it like the filmmaker David Lynch does, where he believes that the idea already exists on another mental plane and you just receive it?
That could be it, I’m a very spiritual person. It’s definitely not me. I myself, Bibi, can be dishonest. I make mistakes, I say things the wrong way, but I want to be accepted by people. I think my soul, my spirit, my purpose is not to be that way though. So it could be that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnugCpTmJE8
You’re obsessed with your art but are you obsessive over it. Do you spend like one week going over a melody or are you from the other way of thinking where you believe if you stay on one thing for too long it loses its magic along the way?
100%- the music is definitely lost immediately when you sit with a track too long. What a song is, is a moment. It’s capturing the moment. When you record a song it is about capturing that moment. It isn’t supposed to be able to be repeated in that same way. It’s supposed to just be caught. Capturing it becomes the challenge. It’s no longer the purest form of self-expression if you sit on it for too long, it becomes self-expression that is polished.
In your songs there are a lot of references to haters and all that negative energy around you. Do you feel like you need some sort of conflict in order to create?
Definitely. That is what I have been learning about myself recently. It’s either that, where conflict is necessary for me to make my art, or it’s just that I’m really bad at ignoring conflict. Either way it’s not very positive *laughs*.
So you prefer to say things out loud and if people don’t like what you have to say that is their problem?
That’s how I feel. But obviously I feel bad after what I say sometimes. But I say it anyway because I believe in that you say what you feel.
Do you believe that you have to suffer for your art?
I mean I suffered for my art. I can’t speak in general terms or for other people. Other people call themselves artists that I would never call artists. But who am I to say that someone is not one? That in itself defeats the whole purpose. I can only speak for myself and I definitely suffered for my art.
Talking about artists, what’s your relationship to the word and concept of it now that you have gained some recognition? Has it changed in any way or does it still mean the same to you?
You have to live for your art to be an artist. You have to be ready to die for your art. It has to be the reason why you breathe. The dying part is dramatic, but I truly believe that you have to live for your art. It has to be the reason why you’re alive – it’s your engine, your motor.
Beyond just your art, it is bigger than that too. It is people, the world, the environment. In my opinion, and at least from my experience, the way I create is through taking in and letting the world marinate inside of me. It’s being receptive of things other people just aren’t receptive of. It’s allowing yourself to feel things that other people don’t allow themselves to feel. So it’s bigger than just my art, it’s people too. I believe that I am meant to create and move people forward. It’s not like, ‘I just want to make shit because I’m bored’ *laughs*. I’ve been making things since before I could talk and I don’t know how and I don’t know why. But this is why I’m alive. I don’t think there is a lot of people who think and feel like that.
I read that you said humans need to, “strive for truth and push each other higher instead of going around in circles.” Where and why do you think we, as people, have stagnated?
Because we are all so fucking judgemental. I’m not excluding myself from this but we’re all so judgemental and waste time doing it. We love to point out each other’s flaws instead of focusing on our own desires and truths and insecurities. Instead of fixing ourselves from within we waste our time fucking ridiculing others. We need to decide to live our lives how we want to live them.
We are distracted instead of investing our time into ourselves. We need to learn how to become the best people that we can be. I don’t want to say it’s not hard to do, but if everyone just focused on making sure they were living honestly and doing what was making them happy, the world would be a lot better of a place. We wouldn’t just keep on fucking hurting each other all the time.
You seem confident in yourself, but obviously you have your insecurities and anxieties. How do you deal with being so young and being thrust into the spotlight and having to deal with this judgement on a personal level?
You know, I don’t know how I deal with it – I just wing it. Honestly, it’s like fucking asking someone to work four jobs or something. I work three jobs! I’m getting through it and it’s just a survival mechanism. I’m trying to figure out how to stay normal. It’s so fucking crazy though.
You try to reach out to people because you want to connect with them. But the moment you do that some exclude you. Or they think that you’re superior. I think that if you think that you’re superior, that’s a way of excluding people. So I don’t want to do that.
How do I deal with my insecurities? I’m learning how to not be insecure. I’m learning how to understand that no matter what I say, somebody is going to say something about me. But also I’m learning that it’s fucking okay to change my mind. It’s okay to say something today and go back on it tomorrow. It’s okay to be a human being. It’s okay to be a regular ass person *laughs*. As long as you’re conscious and aware of your insecurities it’s okay. You’re never going to be perfect, but I’m going to aim to be better all the time. And that’s what I’m trying to say.
Do you see your music as a sort of activism then in a way? Do you use it to try and provoke reactions in your listeners and to get them to think about the sort of things you think about, or do you try and stay away from all that?
My overall goal is to make people feel something that will elevate them and move them to the next level. So whether that is consciously or not- they don’t even have to fucking know. I want to create something that evokes thought in you. It’s that simple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1REwtjUc4mY
You’ve said creating songs sometimes is a burden because you can’t stop it. Have you tried to take a break away from it or have you become used to the constant cycle of creating?
I can’t help it. It’s not really a matter of trying to take a break away from it. You know what, it’s weird though. I’m in a place now where I’ve been feeling kind of musically uninspired. But every now and then I do meet people who move me.
Is it almost like the fact that you were thrust into the industry and you’ve lost a bit of the spark, because you have to deal with so much other stuff- like interviews for example?
Exactly! One, I appreciate this interview and I don’t say that often. Two, the music industry… You think your whole life you’re going to get something. I’m going to work really, really hard and one day I’m going to get into the room with the best people in the world! There’s going to be this big treasure box and I’m going to discover something amazing. But then you open up this big red curtain and there is nothing there.
You learn so much about life in that moment. Part of life is learning that lesson, and becoming uninspired by that. But then the other part is figuring out how to find the inspiration in truth. That’s the truth and that’s just the way things are.
We’re so hard on ourselves. We think that the grass is greener on the other side. We think that there are keys to life and fucking treasure chests. You think that you’re going to open them up and you’re going to flourish. People write books about all that shit! But really it all comes down to just being yourself – that’s the key. Do what the fuck you are good at.
I read you were a big fan of Jeff Buckley and his version of Hallelujah. So it got me thinking about which three artists you would hypothetically like to meet, dead or alive, that you think would give you some of that inspiration you desire?
[Jean- Michel] Basquiat. I’d just love to kick it with him because he seemed cool. Janis Joplin.
Great choice.
Yeah, but I would just want to be a fly on the wall with Janis Joplin.
Yeah, she seemed like a bit of a wild one.
Man, she was epic. When you look at her- I would just like to absorb everything. Just watch her, because I feel like I would take in a lot more that way. And Stevie Wonder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KsWoiqTX4A
Free The Real Part 1 is available now via Def Jam.
Image: Sam Balaban/ Fader
Homeboy Sandman has returned with his sixth full length album, and his third on Stones Throw Records, entitled Kindness For Weakness. Angel Del Villar II aka Sandman has been flying under the radar now for close to a decade as his prolific output has shown no signs of slowing down. His last full length came two years ago, but in between that time he has released a slew of EP’s, including an Aesop Rock collaboration entitled Lice, which dropped at the very end of 2015. On his latest, he loosens the reigns of his control to work with a wide array of producers, who craft beats for him that he eats up with seeming ease. They aren’t the usual though and nor is his rapping as he takes enjoyment in getting lyrical in front of Latin drums, flutes, trumpets, and Spanish birthday wishes.
The record begins with Hearts Sings, as a slinking beat dances away behind cinematic humming. Sandman comes in and immediately confesses he’s “got flaws and don’t care about who knows them” with his stoned delivery fitting perfectly with the syrupy production. Eyes then follows which sees him declaring, “You can leave me out of your loop, black, brown, poor, I’m not trying to be part of your group.” It’s a memo for his style and method in general as he revels in rapping in a voice that is uniquely his own. Beyond the wordplay though there is a funky bassline and a hypnotic chorus that will stick in your mind like a bad idea at 3am.
The rapid fire Real New York blasts into attention on the first beat and stands as one of the highlights of the album. Within it Sandman showcases his amazing flow as he rips off verse after verse, in a manner that’s genuinely funny. He goes from talking about “broads” not being able to handle him to teasing someone who he thinks can’t handle the right kind of drugs. “Go and take Tylenol, you not got the balls, you don’t know how to ball, not at all, You might need Ritalin, Adderall, You might be better off sitting in your pad playing paddle ball.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAtbYlq9OHQ
The pace is then slowed down significantly on Seam By Seam, as he gets personal on a love song. “I’m all for bringing order to the water, while I’m giving you the sky, And if you were ever lost, I promise I would die, I love you you’re my lover and my pal, here’s the palace of Versailles.” The dreamy chorus floats in amongst the hazy production with choir hums, sombre piano and vinyl crackles creating an introspective atmosphere. It outlines his vision in crystal clarity, while the production obscures it slightly, as Sandman focuses on personal growth and the object of his affection.
“I’m making art for people who love art. I’m making art that I want to last for a billion, trillion years. I want my songs to be regarded, studied, like, ‘This is complexity, you can learn from this.’ I would love for everybody in the world to know my music, know my name, and know who I am. But I’m an artist, and great art is my success,” Sandman said in a recent interview.
However, on It’s Cold his social and political messages in his art are lost somewhat due to Steve Arrington’s admittedly dreadful chorus. If you can look past it though, there is plenty to soak in as Sandman outlines his bleak view of the city which he lives in. Nothing escapes from his vision as he declares the “city is a short putt into a clown’s mouth” before stating that there are “crack houses that need a crackdown” everywhere.
Talking (Beep) has a jazzy feel to it, with abstract squalls and a distinctly off-beat drum pattern. It sees Sandman getting angrier and angrier as the track develops, with hilarity ensuing when he dresses down troublesome women and Instagram rappers- “shut up dick you sound like this.” You can almost picture him standing on stage in some midnight jazz club, where the lights are turned down low and people sit sipping expensive single malts while trying to look unimpressed. “I met a rapper that sucks and is way more famous than I am, can you believe sucker tried to kick some knowledge to the boy Sand, telling me that I was a brand,” he riffs on top of all the mayhem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgsossmuDXA
Gumshoe then follows which is a funky two minute instrumental. It could seamlessly soundtrack a TV show about a mustachioed police chief on the beat, as he cruised around in the 1970’s looking for some small time drug dealers to bust. There is a crisp snare, roaming bass and enough funk within it to make you reach for the Aviators by the time the first drum roll comes in. The only problem is that it’s not nearly long enough.
Keep it Real features a down and dirty beat that burrows away in the background behind some regal trumpets, while Earth, Wind, Fire is an assault on the senses. There are trickles of piano, hi-hat flourishes, and a wild cacophony of rhymes that seem to stumble all over the bass drum that threatens to jump ahead of the beat at any moment. Then Funhouse and Sly Fox continue with the momentum as elusive women and bouncy rhythms take over.
God sees him getting philosophical, as he reveals his version of God. He may not “be a he” but he sounds content with the fact that he “loves” him. That is enough for Sandman as he goes on to say that, “there is nothing in this world that God owes me.” It’s a mellow reverie that drifts along with a sort of joyful acceptance and sense of place and satisfaction. The beautiful backing provided by a flute and a deep drum roll.
“I feel happier,” he revealed later in the same interview.
“I would find myself really frustrated at different times. I’ve been rhyming now nine years, and different times over the nine years, I would really feel frustrated about one aspect of society, one aspect of my career. And lot of it really came from feeling like something was supposed to be different. If I would only take the time and pay attention to how things are I would recognise that everything was fruitful and blessed,” he said.
It is this comfort and acceptance that flows through his latest album. Sure, at times he is abrasive and seems unimpressed with his lot in life; he bemoans rappers that don’t have skills yet are “way more famous” than him, and women that continually slip away from his affections appears to be a sore point. But that is all overcome by his dedication to his art and his strong sense of self. The new record an amalgamation of everything he has done so far. It features rapid fire rhyming, eclectic beats and a large dash of humour. And now, as he says on the records final track, Speak Truth– he has the confidence to “speak truth when you don’t know if it’s the right move.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dNtT93Ts18
Read our feature about which three records changed Homeboy Sandman’s life here.
Image: TONE
James Blake has returned with his third full length album entitled The Colour In Anything, which trades in abstract sonic soundscapes while impressively progressing the Londoner’s songwriting skills. Originally scheduled for release two weeks ago, Blake dragged the release date back after everyone started going crazy for Lemonade. Whether it was to avoid the competition with Beyonce, or if it was a purposeful business move to try and capitalise on the attention he would get from his work on the album, is unclear. But that’s hardly surprising when it comes to the 27-year old who seems to enjoy shrouding himself in opaque sounds and clouded meanings.
At 17 songs and 76 minutes long, the album stands as something that requires your patience as well as your full attention. In today’s day and age where the album is no longer revered and appreciated as it once was, it is a bold gamble by Blake. In a time when instant gratification is sought in the form of social media snippets and an endless grab bag of singles, how will a complex and immersive 17-tracker grab one’s attention and most importantly, hold it throughout?
It begins with Radio Silence, the album’s rumoured title since early last year. It may no longer carry the pressure of being the title track, but that doesn’t diminish its importance. It features trademark Blake keys alongside sombre hums and electronic swathes. Points then follows as his vocals bounce around in unsettling silence before a throbbing bass kicks in. “It’s sad that you’re no longer her,” he repeats over and over again while almost reaching the thresholds of psychosis as a lost love is pined over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTglDb7qjvQ
“It’s bigger in scope and a by-product of a lot of change and growing up, really, a lot of self-improvement and reflection,” Blake said of his new album in a recent interview with Pitchfork.
“My relationship was a catalyst for those kinds of changes; the person I’ve been with for the past year or so really brilliantly held up a mirror to me. I feel now as if I can identify with more empathy and relate to people.”
This new found sense of empathy and ability to relate to others is felt greatly in Love Me In Whatever Way, which is a piano ballad punctuated by electro squabbles and Blake’s rich gospel vocals. Meanwhile, Timeless features an ominous patter of drums while again his vocals are placed front and centre when he sings mournfully, “You know you slide out when you slide in with graceful shadow.”
Blake emerged from an off-shoot of the dubstep movement in 2009, but he was always a musician that enjoyed the comedown as much as the climax. His bleary eyed soul-revealing music had hints of just about everything within it. There was the stylised flourishes of R&B, gospel infused vocals and his trademark electronic beats. This made him tricky to pin down- while along the way he became a critical darling scooping up awards such as the prestigious Mercury Prize in England.
The gorgeous f.o.r.e.v.e.r perhaps showcases what Blake has become best known for then since he first broke onto the scene as a 21-year old. It is an emotionally engaging piece which sees him hiding behind nothing but a piano. “There’s a mirror in my room that I’ve never used, while you were away I started loving you” he painfully declares. The loneliness of a separation laid bare in two simplistic lines.
Put That Away And Talk To Me then shows the other side of the Brit which sees him using auto tuned vocals, sparse electronic beats, and lyrics that Drake himself would be proud of. “You know you are just fuel, afraid to die and nothing to do, do you like it when your heroes lose?” Before he then questions to himself, “Where is my beautiful life? I’m not living here anymore.” The track proves that even a much loved and respected musician is susceptible to the pitfalls that we all fall into. Blake is resigned to the disconnection of the age but isn’t afraid to voice his thorough dissatisfaction with the state of all things during the meantime.
“When you’re living an unstructured life, you can quickly develop self-doubt. You haven’t learned the same mechanisms for keeping yourself busy or active. I needed to improve my headspace, so I spent a year trying to improve my mental state,” he later revealed in the same interview.
“I hope I’m right when I’m speaking my mind, I hope my life isn’t a sign of the times,” he sings in I Hope My Life- 1800 Mix. The swirling synths and faded beat tries to support Blake but the self-doubt he talked about is unable to be hidden here. It spills out of him in an anxious mess as he is unsure about both himself and the world he lives in. Self-doubt has always been a major theme in his work, but it sounds like he is trying to escape away from it in some form without fully realising how deeply it is engrained into both his personality and his music.
There is a tangible element of progression though – a desire to move away from the past while using it as a catalyst for the future. The melodies twist and squirm back on each other as the familiar cut of Blake’s lonesome one-liners take on even greater resonance. Perhaps he was previously guilty of allowing his production to take precedence over the actual songwriting, but that isn’t something he is guilty of often here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7goEUHog0Z8
My Willing Heart, co-written by Frank Ocean, features a beautiful piano line and electronic swirls. It has the feel of being locked up inside a secret that still needs to be kept. It’s fragile, it’s dark, but it is also redemptive. There may not be any answers to be found but the mere questions in themselves supply some sort of comfort. And this is again repeated on Choose Me which sees pained vocals and looped electronics co-exist compellingly. The music slips into a chasm of alienation, but Blake’s vocals cling to the edge, just barely remaining ahead of the beat and the inevitable fall.
I Need A Forest Fire features Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on vocal duties as the two combine together seamlessly. Indeed, it almost feels like a lost cut for a Bon Iver track from their last self-titled release in 2011. The forest fire destroys everything in sight, but it also brings with it rejuvenation. Consequently, it stands as a perfect metaphor in many ways for the record. The desire to start again is prevalent but the pain of leaving the past behind, along with all the hurt that existed within it, is a hard thing to do.
Meanwhile, Noise Above Our Heads is a bleak lullaby that unsettles you with unease rather than confirms your safety and place in the world. Modern Soul, the first single to be released from the album, features sparse percussion, the faint sound of sirens in the background, and the endlessly repeated refrain of “I want it to be over.” While the title track is a compelling but forlorn piano ballad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT_GfzTjNkk
Listening to The Colour In Anything is like looking through a frosted pane of glass. You can see the movement and the instigations of thought behind it, but it still somehow remains a mystery. It is impressive that such a mystery exists of course, after having spent 76 minutes with Blake, you still feel like you don’t really know him and there is much to learn in what was left unsaid. There are certainly secrets revealed throughout, but they arrive to you through Chinese Whispers so you can never be sure as to their real truth.
It is broken soul music from a man that seems lost in a world where identity means everything to everyone else but him. There is a lot left to the imagination, but that’s what makes this introspection so beautiful. It gives pieces of its creator out but not enough so that you can craft a fully formed picture in the mind. Sure, there are preconceptions of what the man himself and his music are, however as he has shown here, you can’t ever be sure of the exact colour in everything.
James Blake will be in town to perform at Splendour in the Grass this July. In conjunction, he will be performing headline shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth:
James Blake Tour Dates
Tues, 26 Jul: Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Wed, 27 Jul: Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
Thurs, 28 Jul: Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
Sat, 30 Jul: HBF Stadium, Perth
Click here to see all Splendour in the Grass sideshows
Image: NME
In a new feature we shine a light on the best rappers to ever pick up a mic, running a fine toothed comb through some of their lines and verses to access what makes them stand out amongst their peers. First up is Black Thought, of The Roots.
Tariq Luqmaan Trotter aka Black Thought is the co-founder of the legendary hip-hop group The Roots. Along with his best friend Ahmir Thompson aka Questlove, the Philadelphia locals joined forces in 1987 to create a group which is still going strong nearly three decades later. Consistently cited as the most underrated rapper in the industry, Black Thought combines complex rhyme schemes with political statements like no one else. Along with his gritty delivery, constant wordplay and use of metaphors, he has become one of the most recognisable and respected rappers around.
The Roots released their first record in 1993 but it was their release three years later, which featured a social commentary from Black Thought on the city where he grew up, that showcased the band’s true potential.
“I’m livin’ life within a labyrinth of nonsense/ this is a consequence of being Philly residents/ trying to get it on/ the rhythm getting shitted on/ the exquisite I exhibit to shine.”
Still yet to achieve any real success, these lines reflected a disenfranchised outlook on the struggling streets of Philadelphia. These initial rough sketches of reflection would then later be expanded upon with amazing eye to detail as Black Thought began to find his voice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhxDN1BW9PY
The later success of 1999’s Things Fall Apart, and more specifically the hit single You Got Me brought The Roots into mainstream attention. They won a Grammy, and the hype surrounding them subsequently built to fever pitch. When it eventually arrived, the much-delayed Phrenology didn’t achieve the same kind of success as its predecessor, but nonetheless featured some classic Black Thought verses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBHF7XriPFI
Key lyrics: “What a movement, the rap solution/ it thumps so hard we got ’em worldwide using them/ tracks from Black for satisfaction/ the role of captain played by Samuel L. Jackson/ ill insanity that’s cold and morbid/ but when I’m in your orbit your soul absorb it.”
The track saw Black Thought reflecting on just how far his group had come in a relatively short period of time, the last couplet in particular showcasing what was to come from the rapper, when it came to making boasts about how good his skills were.
However, his attention wasn’t solely placed on his own band and around the time of Phrenology he also began to feature on a number of tracks for other artists. Famously, he recorded a guest verse on the legendary Big Pun’s Capital Punishment album.
Key lyrics: “Stressing to emcees how they don’t really want this/ electrifying shit his excellency Thought spit/ these cats they sentimental such with a gentle touch/ dancing double Dutch and all saying nothing much/ my sound wave lifting your chin up like uppercuts.”
Rumour has it that Big Pun would only invite rappers he respected into the booth and then try to out rap them. Black Thought made this close to impossible on Super Lyrical though, as he traded verses with seeming ease. The classic boasts of his abilities here are some of the best lines he has produced in relation to his lyrical skills over his fellow MCs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pPim_ocJxk
Around the time of The Tipping Point a number of original members from The Roots had already left the band or were about to. Fellow rapper Malik B left first, then Ben Kenney left and strangely went on to join rock band Incubus. The disharmony didn’t stop Black Thought’s productivity though as he now found himself on top form.
Key lyrics: “Talk sharp like a razor blade under the tongue/ clear my path and come get your captain hung/ trying to breath like Black will collapse your lungs/ young chump you could choke off the web I spun/ I done cleared ’em out from the threat I brung.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9eKBMp6xnA
2004’s The Tipping Point was the result of numerous jam sessions over a few years which allowed the rapper to riff over an endless array of live instrumentals. However, as was now fitting with the band they didn’t stick with the same sound and moved away from the jam session feel with their follow up.
Game Theory arrived amongst a time of political upheaval in America and that dark and foreboding atmosphere leaked not only into the music but also into Black Thought’s lyrics in the form of rich personal introspection from the rapper.
Key lyrics: “Sitting in the staircase, holding back tears/ Looking over mad years’ worth of photographs/ Pictures of some places I ain’t never going back/ Some people I used to love, why I ain’t show them that?/ The skies was overcast, when I was sober last/ My head is spinning, couldn’t tell you if it’s slow or fast/ It’s starting to get too clear, I got to go and grass/ To y’all it’s a shame but life is what we know it as/ Waiting, navigating the plot, without plans/ In the car, it’s hard to read as a clock with no hands.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ7QcYvwrnk
This was followed by 2008’s Rising Down a dark indictment on the entire world. It saw Black Thought briefly stepping away from his own inner turmoil to address the issues of climate change.
Key lyrics: “Between the greenhouse gases and earth spinnin off its axis/ got mother nature doin back flips/ the natural disasters/ It’s like 80 degrees in Alaska/ you in trouble if you not an Onassis/ It ain’t hard to tell that the conditions is drastic/ just turn on the telly check for the news flashin/ How you want it bagged, paper or plastic? / lost in translation or just lost in traffic?”
The album’s title was taken from William T. Vollmann’s book Rising Up and Rising Down: Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means. It showcased the rapper in a new light, where suddenly world issues were given his full focus. However, the fears of the earth’s condition only brought out greater issues within Black Thought’s own psyche.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sujzmW5EpGY
He addressed the need for change, not only in the world as a whole but also with himself on How I Got Over track Now or Never. Once again, this showed that nobody does existential struggles better than himself.
Key lyrics: “I’m sick, sick of waiting in vain, tired of playing the game/ Thinking of making a change, finally breaking the chains/ Every phase, every happening craze/ When it’s said and done, my head is right back in a haze/ I’m ready for the next chapter and page to start acting my age/ And part ways with Black Thought from back in the days.”
Within How I Got Over and its follow up Undun’s gritty depictions, he painted a world that was ravaged by problems geographically, politically and socially. There were statements on climate change and police brutality, but it was all done while he refused to take the heat off himself personally. The track exposed both a politically aware and socially responsible rapper that still grappled with perceptions of the self.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWhIayQL8YY
Fellow Philly local Freeway talked of Black Thought in glowing terms when asked who he thought was the most underrated rapper of all time.
“As far as other people, definitely Black Thought. He’s a monster. Everything that he’s put out is quality… definitely slept-on. He’s got a lot of positive messages and lyrics and flow patterns in his music.”
“Black Thought is the most underrated emcee ever in the history of music,” Royce 5’9 agreed in an interview with HipHopDX.
“Yes he’s successful, but that has nothing to do with what I’m speaking about. You go to the barbershop, people talk about their top five lyricists. Because he’s such a good technical rapper, because a lot of what he do doesn’t necessarily represent for the popular climate would be sometimes, kind of like myself, it’s almost like if you don’t rap like you’re trying to get into the night club, then you automatically get pushed to the left of certain conversations.”
Royce would know all about his skills after he featured alongside him on Statik Selektah’s The Imperial. Himself a vastly underrated and under-appreciated rapper, Black Thought’s verse was one of the greatest features by a rapper ever and blew away the competition, which also included Action Bronson. The track saw him addressing everything from exuberant T-shirt prices in New York City to where he placed in the greatest rappers list. Here’s just a collection of some of his key lines from it:
“And you say New York City/ my cheapest T-shirts cost me $450.”
“Listen my calling card ball hard like armadillos/ rappers too thin to win, like cigarillos/ Shaking their hair back and forth like Willow/ but need to save the soft ass talking for the pillows.”
“My responses, a stepping razor like I’m Father Tosh/ exotic fabrics on my blazer like the Maharaja/ Sick whips in my garage, roll with no entourage/ but I roll with heat like I’m Dwayne Wade, Lebron and Bosh.”
“Killer colloquium, kush rolled with opium/ making my associates act so inappropriate.”
“Yo who your top 5? Jay, Biggie, Pac, Nas/ I ain’t trying to hear another name if it’s not mine.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc-efkXk27w
“I don’t feel overlooked, underappreciated, or none of that because it’s a short list of artists, past and present, that I kind of have respect for,” the man himself said on the topic of being considered as one of the greatest to have ever done it.
“The people who I feel are the best to do it consider me one of the best as well. I’m in great company and some may say that the underexposure has added to my allure and the staying power of me as a MC and The Roots as a band… it kind of adds to the intrigue.”
Enjoy arguably Black Thought’s greatest lyrical show below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pcu6dbTb00
Image: Fly Magazine
It may not be amongst the awards he’s usually after, or even interrupting speeches for, but it is an award nonetheless. Kanye West will be honoured at the 2016 Webby Awards, after being named their “Artist of the Year.” The award, funnily enough, is centred on West’s contributions to internet culture. Namely, which saw the release of his album The Life of Pablo earlier this year.
The frequently renamed and much reworked album broke records left and right upon its release onto streaming services. Initially, Kanye’s seventh album was only available on Tidal. But it was reportedly streamed 250 million times within its first two weeks of release. Despite Kanye’s assertions that it would be the only platform which his record would appear on, it was later made available on rival streaming sites as well.
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699376240709402624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It then became the first album ever to become number one in the Billboard 200 charts due to streaming numbers, while it was also allegedly downloaded illegally over half a million times within the first week.
In the album’s lead up Kanye frequently courted controversy due to his numerous Twitter feuds. The most infamous being his exchange with fellow rapper Wiz Khalifa. Then after calling it the “album of life,” he launched it at an extravagant listening party held at New York’s Madison Square Garden. But all of this seemed to only heighten expectation and excitement for the record which was released onto Jay Z‘s Tidal as a worldwide exclusive.
“Kanye West… is a standout who has successfully leveraged the immense influence and addictive elements of streaming media to drive innovation on the Internet,” Webby Awards’ Executive Director David Michel Davies said.
The ceremony will be held at Cipriani Wall Street on May 16th. It will also see actress Kristen Ritter being honoured alongside the rapper, voted as the Webby Awards’ Best Actress for her work in the Netflix original series Marvel’s Jessica Jones. The show became the most watched series of the year on the popular streaming site.
The event will be available to be streamed on the official site the next morning.
Image: Dimitrios Kambouris/ Getty.