Category: Other

And here we go again. Each week, I take the name of a musician I don’t know enough about from a jar and listen to them, learning more as I go.
This week was the turn of experimental hip-hop outfit, clipping. (yes, it’s stylised like that).

What I Knew Before:
Absolutely nothing. They were a recommendation from my friend, Palmar.
What I Know Now:
clipping. are a collaboration between three friends who met in school/college born of a remix project for their own amusement. They have since gone on to release a mixtape and three albums on Subpop.
Interestingly, this was the first time that, despite a few interesting tracks, I simply could not get along with a musical artist. I really enjoyed the flow of the raps but the static and white noise used throughout made me feel anxious. And that’s fine. clipping. may not be for me and I’m okay with that. There’s plenty of noise I can get behind.
Favourite song(s): Nothing is Safe, Story 2 and Work Work.
Favourite album: midcity

Inspired by Larson House, I am listening to artists I have never indulged in before. Each week, I take an artist suggested to me by friends, from the jar and listen to them for the week.
This week was the turn of Norwegian alt-rock band, Madrugada.

What I Knew Before: This is one of the few artists that I knew absolutely nothing about. I was on lunch at work, discussing the project with my friend Sarah, who is doing the same as we speak. We were both recommended Madrugada by the wonderful Lefteris. When I told him that they had been pulled this week, he told me they were more of a winter band. There’s nothing I can do about that. The name was out of the jar and the rules must be obeyed. I’m not Dominic Cummings.
What I Know Now: Madrugada are a Norwegian rock band, formed by Sivert Høyem, Robert Burås and Frode Jacobsen. The band’s name comes from the Spanish word for the blue hour before dawn. Allmusic describe them as “bareboned blues-inspired alt-rock, which is 100% my bag.
After Burås passed away in 2007, the others decided to finish what would be their final, and self-titled, album.
Favourite songs: Majesty, The Kids Are On High Street and Blood Shot Adult Commitment.
Favourite album: Grit.

Spotify my favourite songs from this project.

Every week, I listen to an artist that I’ve never taken the time with before. This week was the turn of Gloucestershire’s own FKA twigs.

What I Knew Before: I was aware of FKA twigs (and yes, that’s lowercase on purpose) more for her amazing performance in Honey Boy and her relationship with Robert Pattinson, where from what I can tell, she helped make him a lot cooler. As a result of her performance in Honey Boy, I mistakenly assumed she was American.
What I Know Now: twigs is a bit of a powerhouse. She’s one of those incredible people who seems capable of turning her hand to anything and to do it on her own terms. She put her own EP out on Bandcamp and then made videos for each of the tracks. She’s trained as a dancer. She can act.
Her musical style is a combination of electronica, R&B and hip-hop. Her vocals reminded me slightly of Bat For Lashes, but that’s because my understanding of the genre is so limited.
Favourite song(s): cellophane, mary magdalene, Hours.
Favourite album: It’s a tough call between LP1 and MAGDALENE but I think the former takes it.

At the start of the year, I put the names of 52 artists into a jar. Each week, I take one out and focus on that musician, singer or band. This week I had the absolute pleasure of listening to Memphis’s own, soul sen-goddamn-sation, Aretha Franklin!

What I Knew Before: It’s pretty hard not to at least be familiar with Aretha. The woman was (I’ve found out this week that she’s dead) a powerhouse performer with a legacy of songs that are a force to be reckoned with. I knew her best for her performance of Think in Blues Brothers and unfortunately from the version of Respect in Blues Brothers 2000.
What I Know Now: There are a lot more Aretha songs that I knew and didn’t necessarily associate with her. Her version of Son of a Preacher Man is something else.
I also watched Amazing Grace, the 2018 documentary show of her 1972 show at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

Favourite song(s): All the big hitters I suppose; I Say A Little Prayer, Respect, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Think, Preacher Man, Chain of Fools, You Send Me.
Favourite album(s): Everything from The Electrifying Aretha Franklin through to Runnin’ Out of Fools is damn near perfect.

This is unprecedented in the fourteen weeks I’ve been posting my music jar listens, but please, watch this. Everything about it is incredible. What a woman.

It’s been a strange week and I’ve not really taken the opportunity to really delve into the music on offer from this week’s artist. As my wonderful friend Elisa put it, Jessie Ware probably isn’t my bag anyway.

What I Knew Before: Jessie is short for Jessica.
What I Know Now: Jessie Ware has three albums.
Favourite song(s): Spotify recommends Say You Love Me, Spotlight, Selfish Love and Alone. I’ll go with those.
Favourite album: Glasshouse.

Names go into jar. Hand goes into jar. One winner appears (each week).
This week was the turn of the real (Canadian) People’s Princess, Alanis Morissette.

What I Knew Before: I knew Jagged Little Pill very well. I could shout a lot of the lyrics at you when drunk. I also knew that people like to pick Ironic apart like they know better
What I Know Now: There is a lot more to Alanis than the album that I knew and loved. I’d never dipped in any further and it just so happens that her new single, Smiling came out at the start of the week. It’s her live performances that really take the biscuit though – Live At Montreux 2012 and Unplugged are another level entirely.
Favourite song(s): Front Row, All I Really Want, Hand In My Pocket, You Learn, 21 Things I Want in a Lover,
Favourite album: JLP, every time.

Oh, I’ve also learnt to spell Morissette.

Inspired by The Larson House, I put 52 bands/artists in a pickle jar. Each week I take a name out and focus on listening to them.
This week was the turn of empirical sad girl, Lana Del Rey.

What I Knew Before: Lana Del Rey is a mystical and beautiful beast who has a significant number of albums I hadn’t heard. I associated her music with a girl I was seeing for a while. There are memories around her first album, but they aren’t necessarily negative.
What I Know Now: I’m in the same mind but aware I have been missing out on everything Lana has done since I was into Born To Die.
Favourite song(s): Video Games will always have a special place in my heart but I also really like Venice Bitch, Summertime Sadness, Shades Of Cool and Fuck it I love you.
Favourite album: Born To Die but with a special commendation to Norman Fucking Rockwell.

After reading about a project by The Larson House, I put the names of 52 bands/artists in a pickle jar. Each week I listen to one in the hope of finding new favourites and eventually, the leap home.
This week was the turn of the thinking woman’s crumpet, Guy Garvey, and his sticky wicket band, Elbow.

What I Knew Before: I have seen Elbow. I’ve been in their presence. At a Muse show in 2002 (approx), they were the support group. In a review I wrote for my student paper, I described the lead singer as “Samwise Gamgee with a capo”. That certainly hasn’t changed. I also think they played at Glastonbury for one of the years I was there. I don’t know if I saw them, which says a lot.
I knew all the big songs. The ones that get played at festivals stuck in a perpetual sunset. The big choruses that everyone sings and that bit that goes BAAUUU BAAAU BUM BUM BAAA BAAAU BUM.
I also remembered that they did an M&S version of Golden Slumbers that people got really mad about but which I quite enjoyed.
What I Know Now: In the words of Talking Heads, I suppose it’s the same as it ever was. I enjoyed the earlier stuff more, almost found it to be diminishing returns as far as albums go. Saying that, Giants Of All Sizes (2019) sees something wonderful back in the fray.
Favourite song(s): Anyone who says their favourite Elbow song isn’t Grounds For Divorce needs their head examined.
Favourite album: I hate to say, I was into this band before they were cool but Asleep In The Back is probably the most interesting album they’ve put out. My opinion isn’t going to diminish the astounding career that they’ve had, it’s just not 100% my cup of grease.

Every week, I open up a pickle jar, take out a slip of paper and listen to that artist.
This week it was the turn of Brighton Rock rockers, Black Honey.

What I Knew Before: I knew the two words separately, but I don’t believe I had seem them working together.
What I Know Now: Black Honey are a four-piece rock group from Brighton, England. The band is composed of lead singer and guitarist Izzy Baxter Phillips, guitarist Chris Ostler, bassist Tommy Taylor, and drummer Tom Dewhurst (thanks Wikipedia, here’s $5).
Favourite Song(s): Corrine, I Only Hurt The Ones I Love and Midnight.
Favourite Album: Black Honey were a recommendation from my friend Sarah at work. A lot of the other artists I have gone for are legacy and have a wealthy discography. Black Honey have one album, just one, it’s self-titled and it’s available as a (Deluxe) edition of 21 songs. That, my friend, is my favourite.