From New Wave to the 'NOW', experience the thrill of NEW WAVE from it's beginnings in the late '70s to the modern bands so obviously influenced by it! So, if you grew up in the '80s and still enjoy discovering new sounds as well as rediscovering old favorites, then read on!
PUNK! POWER POP! SYNTH POP! NEW WAVE! POST-PUNK!
Showing posts with label singer/songwriter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label singer/songwriter. Show all posts
"Without question, Harry Nilsson’s Son of Schmilsson was the right album for the right time. When it was released in 1972, I was 17 and had my sights set on college. I was especially open to new ideas. Enter into my record collection this completely unhinged set of songs that perfectly summed up the artist’s newfound penchant for baiting the listener with a love song and, in the next heartbeat, pulling out the rug from under you and dialing up an in-your-face rocker preceded by a healthy belch.
Despite all that, this was a pretty typical Nilsson album. He hadn’t abandoned his gifts for melody or whimsy; he just dressed them in funkier clothes. For every lowbrow joke on the record—the aforementioned belch preceding the wild and wooly rock ‘n’ roll oldie, “At My Front Door”—there was a straight-ahead, old –fashioned, sweet little number like “The Lottery Song,” in which a couple flirts with winning the big prize amidst hopes of growing its value in Las Vegas. Well, sort of sweet, anyway. And there was “Turn On Your Radio,” a beautifully-arranged, pretty song about hope and being at peace with the one you love, even if that person is far away.
There were other, more sanguine numbers that threatened to eclipse the less dainty ones. “Remember (Christmas)” was one, a beautiful, wistful look back at a life lived to the fullest. There were a few, emotionally-invested rockers, too: the bluesy, horn-infused “Spaceman,” the equally bluesy, late-night jazz club vibe of “Ambush,” and “Take 54,” a take-the-chick-and-run song of the highest order. And—oh yeah, that was about it.
That leaves the jokes, and they were plentiful. Low and even lower still, but plentiful. And melodic, too, wonderful compositions that showed that Nilsson hadn’t abandoned the things that got him here, wherever that was. There was the faux country song “Joy,” delivered in a mock country crooner tone and actually—somewhat suspiciously, some might say—released as a country single by RCA. And let’s not forget the jokey-on-the-surface “I’d Rather Be Dead,” sung with gusto by Harry and a group of senior citizens. Believe me, even at 17, the sentiment was not lost on me. Who wants to wet their bed?
Of course, the song on everybody’s lips was the infamous “You’re Breaking My Heart,” which proudly flaunted the f-word and sent parents around the world running towards their kids’ stereos with a hammer. Such language!
That leaves this album’s centerpiece, the anthemic love song “The Most Beautiful World in the World,” a two-part number that eschewed the obvious frat boy jokes for a more sentimental approach. The song’s first section, adopting a catchy, pop construction colored with a faux island beat, finds Harry professing his love for the whole, entire world. The second section is an altogether loftier proposition. Here, Harry gets down to business, calling out the world’s various attributes (“Your mountains when you’re mad/Your rivers when you’re sad/And those deep blue seas/I love you for your snow/Your deserts down below/I love the way you wear your trees”) and declaring that he “just couldn’t stay here without you.”
But Harry’s not fooling anyone. The punch line is right around the corner. “So when you get older/And over your shoulder/You look back to see if it’s real/Tell her she’s beautiful/Roll the world over,” he sings, and, bingo, the payoff!: “And give her a kiss/And a feel,” as the orchestra and Hollywood blockbuster chorus swell behind him. A beautiful setup followed by a tiny, smutty joke. Really a song about a girl? Who knows. Pure Harry.
Surely, Son of Schmilsson was not the work of the man who made Pandemonium Shadow Show. Or Harry, even. This was the work of an artist bent on market self-destruction, a man who began making the recorded left turn his raison d’etre. But it’s the album that I always come back to because it synthesizes the various colors of the artist’s writing and performing gifts. The songs make you laugh, cry, laugh again, and shut the door and put a towel at the bottom to keep your parents from hearing the smutty jokes.
Son of Schmilsson is the most beautiful album in the world, to put it mildly, and an astounding 41 years after its initial release, it remains my favorite Nilsson platter. Plus it’s got Richie Snare, George Harrysong, Nicky Hopkins, Peter Frampton and Klaus Voorman making the songs come alive. Who could ask for anything more?"
I have a pretty fool-proof routine that I use when I get a new CD (or CDs) to listen to, blog about or add to my collection...
First off, I will grab whatever new titles I have and skip through them on the way home from work. It's usually a 45 minute drive so that gives me time to ingest a few titles and put them in the 'take back to work' pile or the 'load into iTunes for further listening' pile.
Next, when I get home, I load the more interesting titles into iTunes, add them to a folder called NEW. Then I spend the next few days hitting 'shuffle' in that folder and hearing bits and pieces of all these new releases and really getting an interesting taste of the album by hearing various tracks in a different context than what the artist intended. But when I hear a gem and then check to see who does that song, it is then I will listen to that album from start to finish. Sounds like a lot of thought goes into this process, but, to be honest, I do it cuz it's easier and I like the mystery of finding out who does this song or that song...
So, over the course of the last week, I keep hearing these amazing little gems that combine gorgeous melodies with a twist of both modern and retro production touches. While there are many artists out these days who mix Beach Boys-like arrangements with hints of Psychedelia and Indie Rock, there was something unique and captivating about these songs. And each time I looked at my iPod to see who the artist was, it always turned out to be JACCO GARDNER!
Who?
Well, it turns out that Jacco is a Dutch singer, songwriter, musician and producer who has been releasing some pretty amazing singles over the last year or so. Now, he's just released his debut album, Cabinet Of Curiosities (on Trouble In Mind Records) and it is a corker! From beginning to end, this is an album that is certain to be one of the best full-length releases of the year. There's no pretension here - just a great batch of songs.
I'd normally spend the next few paragraphs talking about those songs, but I thought I'd let you have a listen/look and judge for yourself. I am mesmerized by the album and it will appeal to anyone with an affection for a fine tune. Hell, even the hipsters will like it (I've seen quotes from Pitchfork, which is considered the hipsters' online bible...).
So, do yourself a favor and get to know Jacco. I may be behind the times as I offer up much praise for this album, but better late than never, right?
First things first: Eliza Doolittle’s self-titled debut album is about as enchanting as an album can get. Filled with charm, wit, intelligence and hooks galore, it’s no surprise that this platter has taken the UK by storm. It’s the most uplifting album you’ll hear all year, but it’s not lightweight. And if things go as they should, by the end of 2011, Eliza should have many other countries under her spell.
This young British singer/songwriter has been one of the hottest musical properties in the UK since her single “Skinny Genes” was released in April of 2010. By July of that year, the album was making it’s way up the charts and by the end of the year, she had her biggest hit single (so far) with the magical “Pack Up”.
Now, after a long wait, Eliza has just released that very same self-titled album here in the States and it’s already causing quite the stir. It’s nearly impossible to ignore the album’s confidence and charm. There’s enough great tunes on this album to attract Pop fans’ interest, yet she also has enough street cred to keep the Alt-Rock/Pop crowd satisfied. She’s nothing like the artists she’s commonly compared to (Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Amy Winehouse, Duffy), yet if you enjoy those artists, you’ll love Eliza. Even if you don’t care for those artists, you’ll love Eliza.
A day before her 23rd birthday and her debut appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Eliza dropped by the office to play a couple of tunes and, most importantly, to have a chat with our very own Stephen SPAZ Schnee, the man who knows too much yet so very little…
SPAZ: Now that the album is ready to drop in the U.S., how are you feeling about your musical journey up to this point?
ELIZA DOOLITTLE: Amazing! I mean, obviously, I know I’ve got a lot of hard work to do and I’ve got to try and spread the word… I know it’s a difficult one (the U.S. market) because of how big it is, but so far, things have been going amazing. I can’t believe we’re doing Jay Leno, we’ve just done Austin and South By Southwest, and we’re going to do Coachella… I’m really happy to be getting the opportunity. It’s been really nice so far but I know that there’s a lot more work to do.
SPAZ: The album is filled with intelligently written and arranged pop songs that show a lot of depth and soul. Are you happy that they’ve connected with so many people? You’ve already got a few hits under your belt and there’s plenty more to come…
ELIZA: Obviously I’m happy. I’m not complaining (laughs). I’m loving it! I didn’t know for sure whether it would connect… obviously, you have NO way of telling. But the minute that the album came out, it did so well in the chart… I didn’t even know that people knew who I was, to be honest. It’s such a nice surprise. It was definitely a bit of a shocker. I didn’t really think it would do as well as it’s done in the UK and a couple of other countries.
SPAZ: It’s been a year since the album’s first single, “Skinny Genes”, was released. Have things changed much for you since then?
ELIZA: Things obviously got much busier. I think around that time is when it started getting really busy and it’s been non-stop since then. I had some time off at Christmas, but it’s been busy every day, basically. I had a day off the other day, which is nice, but that’s really rare. At the same time, I like working and while I’ve got this opportunity to get my music heard, I’m going to do everything I can to get it out there.
SPAZ: With such a great selection of tunes, how difficult has it been to pick and choose the singles? When I first heard “Pack Up”, I knew it was magic, but the whole album sounds like wall to wall hit singles…. And usually, an album has the big hit as the first cut, but “Pack Up” is buried deep in the album!
ELIZA: (laughing): The only reason why it’s so far back is that I didn’t even think it was a single! I was so close to the songs, I have no idea which ones are the best, so I just thought I’m going to pass this one over to the label. I don’t know what is the best or the most “radio friendly” or the “big hit”. I just love them all and, to me, it’s just an album. I’ve never been about the singles. I’ve always been about making a great record, a whole album. I thought it doesn’t matter which one comes out. I’m gonna let them do what they do best and pick which one. And by that time, it was already track 11 on the album. I’ve got no perspective on what the big hit would be at all.
SPAZ: You’ve got an amazing selection of collaborators on the album including Greg Kurstin, Craigie Dodds, Jonny $ and many others. With these collaborations, where do the songs usually start? Do you bring the initial ideas and they flesh them out…. Or is it different with each song and collaborator?
ELIZA: It’s always different. I wrote with Craigie first… and Johnny $, who passed away, unfortunately, while we were still making the record. Craigie and Johnny, we wrote “Rollerblades” together, the first song where I really felt like I’d found my sound. And then there’s a song called “So High” on the record, too, that I wrote with Jimmy Napes, who I’ve written with since I was 12 and I’m still writing with him, that one was written before “Rollerblades”, but that just managed to fit in because it fits into the album quite well. But “Rollerblades” was the one that I really thought was something new and I hadn’t heard it before and this is ME. I’d been experimenting with music for years and I was so happy to find that with Craigie and Johnny. So I carried on working with Craigie a lot, and Johnny, sometimes, when he was feeling good enough to work, and, basically, we’d written a few songs, probably about 6 or 7 songs we really loved. So when I would work with anyone else, it was easy because I would just tell them what kind of thing I wanted to do. They had their songs; they could see the project as a whole and see the vision with me. After that, it was really easy. Sometimes, they’d make a little beat or track and I’d write to it, or sometimes, I’d come with an idea and we’d build from scratch. Something could start with a guitar or piano… we’d build it from anything, really.
SPAZ: There’s a plethora of influences on this album, especially classic Soul music. Were you exposed to a lot of different kinds of genres growing up?
ELIZA: My mum and dad both didn’t have much influence on me musically, because my dad just listened to classical music. My mum kind of listens to whatever’s in the charts or musical theater… I wasn’t into what they were into as much. I kind of found my own music that I was into, whether it be friends talking about things in school… or whether it was my big brother, who used to play me UK Garage a lot, and I was really into that growing up. I loved Pop/R&B records like Destiny’s Child and Janet Jackson… that was when I was like 10 or 11, 12 years old. Before that, my mum said I was obsessed with Michael Jackson. I used to play this one video, I think it was a live video from his Bad album, over and over again. As I grew up, I got into loads of different music. I went to a new school and everyone was into Rock music there. I was hearing it all the time. I got into Radiohead, Ben Harper, Jeff Buckley… and I remember hearing Prince for the first time at that school as well, who I now love to bits. I used to listen to a lot of old songs as well: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Carole King... I love Joni Mitchell. Anything with ‘soul’ and great songs. People just being honest and spilling their heart out… I just love it.
SPAZ: Do you remember the exact moment when you realized that you wanted to make music for a living?
ELIZA: I don’t remember a specific day, but I remember it being on my mind a lot. I used to do a bit of drama: I love performing and entertaining people. I was singing all the time… and I remember it being on my mind, thinking that I could do acting because I liked acting but I LOVED singing. I kind of gave up the acting to properly focus on singing. My mum said “Start writing if you want to be a singer because that’s where the money is!” I obviously took her advice, but I’m glad I took it. I love to write and be involved in my music rather than just singing other people’s songs. As much as I love singing them, I just don’t feel the connection as much. I love the songs we can all relate to, but I love writing just as much as singing now.
SPAZ: At this stage, what’s the most rewarding part for you: writing, performing, recording…? I’ve heard making videos isn’t much fun…
ELIZA: I love making videos! I quite like performing that way and getting a great visual across. Nowadays, it’s so important with YouTube and everything… The visuals are just as important as the songs…. and sometimes even better the songs with some videos I watch! (laughs). But for me, it’s still not as good as performing live. That’s like the ultimate buzz. That’s what I live for, definitely. I also get an amazing feeling from finishing a song that I’m really excited about. That feeling is nothing like performing but its something else as well…
SPAZ: Because you are from the UK and you are female, do you think it’s lazy for journalists to just sort of lump you in with Amy Winehouse, Kate Nash, Amy McDonald, Lily Allen and the like?
ELIZA: It depends how they do it because, if someone goes, “if you like this, then you might like Eliza,” I think that’s an easy way of doing it. But this is why I like your interview so much, because I can tell that you’ve listened to my music and so you know exactly the influences and samples like the Fleetwoods and everything… and I love that because I think that’s really important. If someone’s gonna be critical of something, I think they need to know the ins and outs, ya know what I mean?
SPAZ: Are there any contemporary artists that either you enjoy or you might align yourself with?
ELIZA: Yeah, I mean, I don’t think I’m like anyone, definitely. Obviously, there will always be comparisons. I got this accent, so I do sound like some of the other British artists out there! (laughs). There are tons of artists I admire and love. I’m loving Adele. I love Plan B. They are artists that I really love, and I’ve been listening to a lot recently.
SPAZ: Now, your album is a year old. Does it feel strange that you’re still out there promoting it when, by this time, you should already be planning your second album?
ELIZA: Yeah, I’m always looking to write more and always thinking about what’s gonna come next. I am yearning to get back into the studio, but at the same time, I haven’t got that “I’m sick of my songs” feeling yet, which is great because I’ve got a lot more touring to do. Right now, I’m still content to keep touring and playing my songs, and we try to change it up a little bit for the live show and keep it fresh
SPAZ: Have you played any of the festivals in the UK yet? What are the festivals like over there?
ELIZA: You always think it’s gonna be scary big crowds, and you’re gonna be stuck and stuff… it’s actually not really like that. I kind of didn’t know what to expect the first time I went to a festival, but actually, you can always get into a space where nobody is.
SPAZ: This album has been attracting a wide array of listeners of all ages, from grade school kids to hardcore music fans in their 50s and 60s. What was your mindset going into the studio? Who were you recording the album for?
ELIZA: I think I must have done it for myself; because I didn’t think about who it was gonna get out to. I do what I like to do. (laughs) I hope it’s just good and then, if it’s good, people will like it, no matter what age group. But, it’s something I hadn’t really thought about.
SPAZ: What is next for Eliza?
ELIZA: Getting it heard out here, more. Getting heard in Asia: I’m gonna try to get to Japan and Singapore, and as many places as I can. Australia a bit more, I’m still kind of, I’ve only been there once, it would be good to get out there again. I think I’m gonna spend a lot this year kind of really reaching out to as many places as I can. And then, whilst I’m out and about, I’m gonna record. I’m really up for just jamming things out and you know, just having fun with it while I’m on the road. Otherwise, I’ll get to the end of my tour and my promotion and be like “oh my God, where’s my second record? I need my second record!” I want to keep the momentum rolling, and I don’t want it to kind of come to a halt
SPAZ: I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times: you’ve got a lifetime to write your first album, and you’ve got six months to write your second.
ELIZA: Yeah, well, that’s kinda what I’m gonna do. I’ve got some songs I wrote when I was younger that are definitely good songs for a record?
SPAZ: What’s currently spinning in your CD/DVD player?
ELIZA: I just bought Chet Baker, his greatest hits. Someone was playing “My Funny Valentine” and I was like “Whoa, who is that amazing voice?” Then I got his picture and I was like, “Wow! How could someone be that gorgeous and also sing like that? And play the trumpet too?” At the same time, as a complete coincidence, I also bought Anita Baker, because I heard her voice is amazing, but I haven’t heard it yet. It’s literally in my hotel room now, about to be uploaded onto my iTunes, but the Chet Baker one I left it to upload when I came here….. I’m gonna get into that this trip!
Thanks to Eliza Doolittle
Special thanks to Jacki Feldstein, John Bowen, Charlie Morton, George Roberts-Bascombe, and Dana House
For nearly 30 years, Tim Finn has been my second favorite vocalist of all time...just a few notches down from Elvis Presley. Hell, I skipped my high school senior prom in '82 just to go see Tim's old band, Split Enz, perform at the Hollywood Palladium (ah, the memories!). So, for me, a new Tim Finn album is always a call for celebration. While I've loved most of his solo work, it's really hard to compare it to the collaborative essence of Split Enz, so I never do. I don't even bother judging it against his other projects like Crowded House, the Finn Brothers or ALT. I look at each album as it's own entity and accept it for what it is: a Tim Finn solo album.
So, with that being said, I was floored by his 2006 effort, Imaginary Kingdom. I felt that IK was even better than his solo debut, Escapade, which I didn't think he'd ever top. This is not to say that his other solo releases haven't been good. I think that a listener attaches themselves to a certain record like an old barnacle and hangs on for dear life. When I heard Imaginary Kingdom, I felt that he had released his best solo work to date and I had found a new home to lay my weary head.
The Conversation, his 2008 release, has found me packing my bags and moving to a new resting spot: Finn has taken the best elements of his songwriting skills, scaled back the production and presented an album so rich with melody that no economic crisis could penetrate this wealthy platter of song. This is by far the best album of the year...and that's no easy feat since 2008 has had some really great releases. It's also the best album in his 25 year solo journey.
The album is warm, comforting and personal but while Tim sings of HIS life, it can often mirror the feelings and thoughts of the listener, creating a virtual 'conversation' between the performer and the audience. While the album's title refers to the interaction of the different musicians playing together, it becomes much more than that when experienced in the comfort of your own home. Former Enz members Miles Golding (violin) and Eddie Rayner (piano) join Tim on this journey and their familiarity with Tim's music allows them to add a personal flavor to this rich stew of haunting melodies. Tim's voice is superb throughout, sounding like a man who has found peace in who he is and is comfortable in his own skin. While 'Out Of This World' is the lead single, there are many other inviting moments that will reach out to anyone looking for a singer/songwriter who offers more than just a new face in an overcrowded market: 'Rear View Mirror', 'The Saw And The Tree', 'Forever Thursday' (which could be a distant cousin of his classic 'Through The Years'), 'Straw To Gold' and more. On the first spin of the album, you'll find some magical moments but the album truly reveals itself with each additional listen and you'll soon find yourself joining in on this Conversation.
So, after 30 years, I'm still a dedicated fan with much respect for the man and his abilities. Tim Finn may be an ordinary man but he has extraordinary talents.
