2015-01-22

Single Review: St Vincent – Bad Believer

Not content with giving us the standout album of 2014, St Vincent has treated us to a new single in the first month of the new year.

Often described as avant garde (a term I don’t like as it suggests ‘art for art’s sake’) I would describe St Vincent’s music more as a sort of ‘warped pop’ and I think that description fits Bad Believer more than most.

An exhilarating mix of frantic beats and trademark fuzzy guitar and synth, the song wastes no time in getting straight into the chorus. And it’s all over in 3 minutes. There’s still time for a breakdown though, containing a sound I can only describe as a Wurlitzer organ that strangely doesn’t sound out of place.

Maybe a leftover from last year’s album which didn’t quite fit, but a welcome one all the same.

2015-01-18

Single Review: John Grant and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – GMF

I’m generally not a fan of collaborations; they usually mean at least one person has run out of ideas, but I do like an orchestral collaboration and this is one of the best.

Not a new song as such, but a new live version, performed with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Taken from an album released at the end of last year, this track has recently been released as a single, if the concept of a single still exists. As this is my first attempt at a review I’ve gone for a single, rather than a whole album – I don’t want to run before I can walk.

To the song then – it opens with a short intro from the singer, telling us of his propensity for swearing, more of which shortly. Starting off with a solo piano and quickly joined by smooth bass and beautiful strings, it has a big ballad feel. Which probably makes it the only ballad to contain the word “motherf***er”. If not, then it is most definitely the only ballad to contain the line “I wonder who they’ll get to play me, maybe they could dig up Richard Burton’s corpse.” An immediately funny (to me at least) but thought provoking line.

So obviously not a ballad, unless ballads are meant to be cynical and arrogant. To be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of the studio version of this song; the music sort of matched the arrogance and cynicism, but I think it actually comes across better against the orchestral production. John Grant has a great voice which is well suited to an orchestral backing, and I hope he continues down this road in future, as it works incredibly well.

2015-01-15

Hello from Kenny

by Kenny / Who We Are •

Hello, just a quick note to introduce myself for two reasons – 1. Most people reading this will not know me, 2. To set low expectations for my input to this blog. I’ve never been asked to write anything since I was at school, which is a wee while ago now. I’m honoured to be asked to contribute and I’ll do my very best.

I’m not a writer, never mind a music writer, but I’m a music fan and that’s why I’m here. I’m also not a musician by any stretch of the imagination. So my lack of musical and journalistic talent means you will be reading phrases like ‘great tune’, ‘beautiful lyrics’ and ‘nice voice’. I might occasionally get above myself and use the odd metaphor, for example ‘thundering drums’ or ‘bagpipe guitars’.

I listen to lots of local artists, so expect to read about what’s happening on the Scottish music scene; but I’ll try to keep it international as much as I can.

I hope people will enjoy what I write, but more importantly I hope it makes them appreciate and support new (and old) music and musicians, because it’s a very difficult way of making a living these days and most of them probably need all the support they can get.

My first ‘thing’ will be coming soon – watch this space and prepare to be underwhelmed!