the guardian – and so she thinks

Alex Niven – 33 1/3 – Definitely Maybe

admin — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 14:23:22 +0000

For so many people, Definitely Maybe was and continues to be a vital, visceral piece of art, the start of something new and exciting. Taking it as not just a collection of eleven songs but a cultural artefact, Alex Niven’s analysis of the album, in the 33 1/3 series, focuses upon the elements of earth, water wind and fire, both exploring it through the quartet as well as almost equating it with them. A truly great album, lyrically, sonically, socially, politically, and economically the debut from the Mancunian band was a game changer and a manifestation of games changing. Music reveals a lot.
Anger in songs like Supersonic comes from the Thatcher legacy, dizzy exploration in Columbia could be an example of the unknown and bewildering future many were faced with, the buzzing distortion of Bring It On Down speaking in the same frantic language of disarray that the punk movement had. The ‘utopian language of pop and the wild disparities of early 90s britain’ are connected on the album in a way that became symbolic for a destination.
Subversive and countercultural, as well as everyman, Oasis became the totem of the underdog, the rebel made good, the working class hero, soaring from ‘misery and hardship to a place of towering hope and potential.’. The positions of ‘us’ and ‘them’ were immortalised in chords and rhythms. Gallagher may have eventually sold out, but that doesn’t stop his musical output being something transformative, exciting, and ultimately, wonderful. Niven is wonderfully artful in his loquacious description and analysis of Definitely Maybe, the wording he uses being beautiful and intelligent. Their hymn to friendship and belief Live Forever is described thus: ‘the wash of the guitar sound begins to gather…movement culminates in a wonderfully expressive legato guitar solo at the climax of the track, which rises with considerable grace to a repeated high E before shimmying back down the fretboard to finish alongside the chiming central F major seventh riff. This discussion floats in nostalgia and reverie, but is critical and penetrating, rather than simply flooded with adoration for this ‘ambiguously beautiful’ album.
Niven finishes with the assertion that the real legacy of the period as a time filled with moments ‘when we almost broke through to a higher plane of collective existence.’ Reading this book leaves one without any doubt about the power of music.
Published by Bloomsbury Academic and out now.

Valentiine – Love Like

admin — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:15:20 +0000

Released 8th April on Integrity Records

The Guardian, Topshop, TNT magazine…smack of on the route to mainstream? Never mind, because Love Like by Aussie band Valentiine is a tune that deserves to be heard by the masses. A female three piece from Australia, this is scuzzy garage pop, brooding and deliberate with enough bite to rip the shreds from any romance in the name. Think The Breeders via sunshine, 90s grunge meets noughties garage, and f**ck of massive riffs.
Ladies, fancy playing London?

She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Popular Music

admin — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 20:28:51 +0000

byLucy O’Brien

Imagine changing just one word in the title. The Definitive History of Men in Popular Music. Sounds weird doesn’t it? Like so many areas of life, men are the norm, and it is only the fact that women in music are still seen as something of a rarity that makes the subject something to write about. Aware that ‘music is a politic issue’ Lucy O’Brien explores the relationship between the music business, the music consumer, and the female. A prolific writer on women and music, having written for The Guardian, Q, The Face and NME, O’Brien is authoritative and thorough in her knowledge.

The stories, anecdotes and evidence that the book is built upon come from over two hundred interviews conducted by O’Brien between 1984 and 1994, and voices of women across the industry are documented loud and clear, with quotes from Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, Madonna and Tahita Bulmer amongst others. There is no denying that this is not just a catalogue and record of women in music, and O’Brien’s feminist agenda comes across clearly, but rarely is oppressive. Although ‘Girl power’ in the hands of the Spice Girls is rightly vilified, and O’Brien warns of the cause being used to market and brand, risking the word feminism becoming ‘a meaningless bumper sticker’, as singer Ani DiFranco put it, there are no rallying calls to arms, just essays and explorations into the observations that O’Brien has made.
Structured thematically the book is an exploration of trends such as images and marketing, identity and androgyny, protest pop and navigating the music business. Clearly passionate about her subject, O’Brien starts her story with her own introduction to music, in the form of The Catholic Girls, her teenage band formed in response to the pervading culture of nothing that was in her home town of Southampton, in the idealistic day when ‘it wasn’t so much what we sounded like, but what we stood for.’
There are some surprising revelations, one liners and facts that really do accentuate the point that women have been treated as second class citizens in music. For example, Elvis Presley’s classic ‘Hound Dog’ was actually sung by female Big Mama Thornton in 1953, three years before the King got his hands on it. The relentless work ethic of women forced to work twice as hard as their male counterparts in order to be seen, often before they were heard, pervades the book.
O’Brien is not pessimistic. Obviously a huge chunk of the writing is devoted to the objectification of women, and the acceleration of the importance of image in the MTV and video age, but she sees hope in artists such as Lady Gaga, who challenge stereotypes. She believes that the internet and digital technology offers women an opportunity to create and navigate the business in a way never possible before, citing Lily Allen and Azaelia Banks’ dedicated use of social media as an example of the control and freedom available and the democratizing effect it can have. The growing popularity of female acts such as Warpaint, Best Coast and Big Deal over the last few years points to improvements and space for women’s voices to come through, but in the pop mainstream changes are still to be seen. Record companies recognising that women play an important part as consumer’s of music may be an important influence of change in this area, affecting their policy and signings.

This is an informative and interesting foray into the relationship between women as individuals and as a concept and music. It’s depth and breadth has earned it a place on many university reading lists, and whilst based on academic research and an encyclopedic trove of information, the style is irreverent and enjoyable. Easy to dip in and out of, and written from the perspective of a music fan and critic, it’s a great book for anyone interested in popular culture.