Women & Music: A Round Up.

It’s Not Just Björk: Women Are Tired of Not Getting Credit for Their Own Music – Pitchfork.

It wasn’t just one journalist getting it wrong, everybody was getting it wrong. I’ve done music for, what, 30 years? I’ve been in the studio since I was 11; [Arca] had never done an album when I worked with him. He wanted to put something on his own Twitter, just to say it’s co-produced. I said, “No, we’re never going to win this battle. Let’s just leave it.” But he insisted.

10 women who ‘became men’ to get ahead. (Telegraph)

California-born Tatiana Alvarez had spent years trying to build a career as a DJ. She found herself repeatedly being booked for gigs on the strength of her music, before being rejected by venue owners upon learning she was a woman. Furious at the double standards in the industry, Alvarez decided to reinvent herself – as a male DJ named Matt Muset, aka Musikillz. Through email, she set up another alter ego – that of agent Maya Feder – and started touting Musikillz around to clubs in Los Angeles. Alvarez (as Musikillz) was immediately successful. She will serve as music supervisor in the movie of her life, the rights to which were purchased by Warner Brothers last year.

Punk, funk, grrrl riots and rebels: the sound of 2015. (Guardian)

While last year Honeyblood and Haim made up part of the measly proportion – 4% – of all-female groups performing at UK festivals, 2015’s offerings may help shift that statistic towards equality. Festival bookers should pay close attention toMadrid outfit Deers, real names Ana Garcia Perrote and Carlotta Cosials, whose scratchy, Velvety romance on record is shredded into ramshackle punk on stage. Another band injecting energy into the big venues of Britain are London’s Juce, whose sound, like ESG and TLC locked inside a karaoke booth, is singlehandedly bringing positivity, funk and fun back into music, so much so they’ve been picked up by Island Records for their forthcoming debut. Not so enjoyable are the sceptical comments left under their YouTube videos – a reminder that with female bands, there will always be one male snide who claims there’s a man pulling the strings.

How To Not Give A Shit: Making Art While Female. (Gawker)

When I was an editor of a music and culture website two years ago, I constantly felt like I was fighting against a current to feature women who played music or women who made art. I don’t doubt that in the process, I was careless about how I labeled these acts or quantified their talent because they were not just talented, they were women, and that point—that so many of them were also fighting against a current themselves—was something to be proud of and celebrate.

The idea at the time was to focus as intently on female artists as possible, to give them a spotlight that was shining so brightly that no one could negate the fact that there were women making fantastic music. The quantification was meant to boost female artists by highlighting them and drawing attention to their gender, their feminism, their battle to earn respect. But this system only failed by limiting women musicians to certain constraints that meant nothing. Did they play music? Yes. Was it good? Yes. That was all anyone really needed to know.

Review: A Skylit Drive – Rise: Ascension.

This acoustic album comes at a time for A Skylit Drive, when it’s going through flux, due to the members leaving recently, however Rise: Ascension was released on the 6th January through Tragic Hero Records – and a change from the typical sound of this band. You can hear the whole acoustic album on the Alternative Press website right now at this link.

You can tell an acoustic album isn’t the typical record from this band, but it does blend really well, with interesting vocals that sometimes feel like they really shouldn’t work, but they kinda do, this is clear from the start of the record on ‘Save Me Tragedy’ and ‘Crash Down’ which really are a great showing of the vocals of lead singer, Michael Jagmin – this record showing to an extent the versatility of his voice.

The melodies throughout are excellently thought through, and it is certainly really easy to listen to, the eponymous track, ‘Rise’ is excellently made into an acoustic track, the simplicity really reflecting the good writing going on throughout the record – I’ve always believed acoustic albums are alays a good display of a band’s talent and this band are no exception – being good at the basic acoustic sound is vital to a band, having a strong foundation to build a record is so important, and here is a good example.

It’s definitely a great record to begin with, however this acoustic interpretation of their record is really good with well thought through sound and some great melodies, this is shown in their opening track, and other songs like, ‘Just Stay’ which is a great example with violins and simple drum beats really enhancing the sound of this record. Worth giving a listen if you like A Skylit Drive and the acoustic work of bands such as Sleeping With Sirens, this would be definitely the record for you.

Maybe it’s not their typical sound and it might be a while before a new record with the changes of band members, but this is certainly able to tide fans over until they return, hopefully as good as this acoustic album sounds.

8/10.

Music & Women: Some Stories That Caught My Eye Recently.

Paramore’s Hayley Williams to Receive a Trailblazer Honour at Billboard Women In Music Award: 

I can remember a time when I would’ve been made fun of for doing things differently. Now I’m getting an award for it? This is too much. I’m so excited!” says Williams. “There are women in this industry who totally bulldozed walls down for the likes of me to come along and do what I believe in. I want to be that for even one girl in the future. I can’t wait for the event next month and to high-five some of my sisters in music.

Lana Del Rey Is Just The Latest Woman to be Attacked by Eminem: 

Eminem’s uber-misogynistic lyric toward Lana del Rey is neither shocking nor surprising. For 15 years, he has used our culture’s feigned anger toward acts of misogyny, and our obsession with celebrity, as a shortcut to staying relevant.

We pretend to be shocked by his words, and yet the world remains as misogynistic as ever. He causes temporary controversy until we move on to something else, forgetting why we were upset in the first place. As a method of inserting himself into the current cultural conversations surrounding women (and in particular, women in music), attacking women in his singles offers instant selling publicity.

The earliest example came in the The Real Slim Shady, the lead single from his second major label album. In the single, Eminem attacks Britney Spears and, particularly, Christina Aguilera: “Christina Aguilera, better switch me chairs / so I can sit next to Carson Daly and Fred Durst / and hear ‘em argue over who she gave head to first.”

Doing It For Themselves: The Generation Of Women Taking Over The Music Studios:

The domination doesn’t extend to production: most of the behind-scenes studio sorcery is generally the province of men.

This is slowly but surely changing. There have always been experimental-minded female musicians, from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s Delia Derbyshire, and Yoko Ono and Laurie Anderson to more recent American and Canadian laptop pop girls Laurel Halo, Julia Holter and Grimes. And over the last few years there has been the odd US female producer – notably, Missy Elliot, or Syd Tha Kyd – and, in the UK, a trickle of female DJs who have turned producers and artists, including Ikonika and Cooly G.

Kenny Chesney: Country Music Objectifies The Hell Out Of Women: 

Over the last several years, it seems like anytime anybody sings about a woman, she’s in cutoff jeans, drinking and on a tailgate — they objectify the hell out of them,” he tells Billboard magazine in a new interview. “Twenty years ago, I might have written a song like that — I probably did. But I’m at a point where I want to say something different about women.

Tumblr Tuesdays: Messenger Down.

I do have a lot of bands follow me on Tumblr, and I thought I would begin to give each band a listen, and the first being Messenger Down, who are a pop/rock band from North Carolina, and have a fast growing fan base after releasing two EP’s, ‘The Gentleman’s Guide To Keeping Away From People Like You’ and their most recent release, ‘What Should Have Been Said’ which was released by the band back in August just after playing the Ernie Ball stage at Warped.

‘What Should Have Been Said’ is a well produced EP with some great melodies which don’t make it too surprising that they are building in popularity – a band that sounds good together, on tracks like ‘Ghost Town’, it shows they are certainly a band who are trying to bring something unique to their scene, with a mix of different sounds that really do work perfectly well together, Foster’s vocals work really well with the guitars, and for a band on their second record, to do it this as well as they do is rare with highlights including, ‘Mona Lisa, Bite Your Tongue’ and ‘It’s Not The Time That Matters, It’s The Person’ and the first EP is a really good foundation to build from as well.

This band have the depth to their lyrics and melodies like bands such as Mayday Parade, with a rawness to their sound that really is reminiscent of bands such as The Story So Far, a band that is just difficult to slot neatly in a genre, they’re certainly a band to look out for on the East Coast of America. There’s a great amount of talent here and definitely a band that is at the beginning of something good.

You can find Messenger Down on Tumblr (they answer a lot of questions), Facebook and you can find their EP’s on Soundcloud here.

Review: Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways.

Sonic Highways, the new offering from legends of rocks really, Foo Fighters was released this week. The new record made in different cities across America hence the name is a much anticipated record after a couple of year passing since the last record, Wasting Light – and based on the taste we’ve had from songs we’ve heard already, this is a record that sounds good so far.

This band really have made something pretty exceptional here, ‘The Feast And The Famine’ has some amazing riffs and some great lyrical work, this album really unfolds into a great album even if it considered short by some with only eight tracks making the album, Damn this album is gonna be so good live when they tour it, it’s just made so well, each layer really working together to make each thing work – there’s some good choruses but there’s depth here that really Foo Fighters do really well.

Guitar work threaded through the record in songs such as ‘Outside’ and ‘Something Out Of Nothing’ are pretty intense, however this band have crafted throughout the record some amazing melodies, that is reminiscent in in some ways o the best of former records like ‘Echoes, Silence Patience and Grace’ and ‘In Your Honor’ for example and it certainly shows, this is a band who can make an album and certainly worth a listen if you’re a lifelong fan, but also if you’re just wanting to find a record to begin listening to this band as it’s a bringing together of their finest points.

Sometimes, it’s a little repetitive, just listen to ‘In The Clear’ you will never forget the name of that song, trust me, but there’s great music and songs here with really have a raw and brilliant vibe to them which really does work for this band, and they are consistent with the sound, each song works really well together, it’s not edgy or new, I guess it’s prodigious in that respect, but it’s pretty darn good and the band really play to their strengths, fans won’t be disappointed.

Songs that stand out for me are ‘The Feast And The Famine’, ‘Subterranean’ and ‘What Did I Do?/God As My Witness’ and certainly worth a listen. You can hear Sonic Highways completely over on Deezer.

9/10.

Review: Mallory Knox – Asymmetry.

After hearing glimpses of this record thanks to the release of their first single, ‘Ghost In The Mirror’ we knew this record would certain be pretty relentless sound-wise, with a great chorus to boot. Live this band are pretty good as well,  with a pace that can rival a tornado – Signals, the band debut record really made it’s mark for this band, let’s see how good the follow up is. You can hear the full stream on the Guardian website here.

Lyrically, this really is how choruses should be written with some catchy lyrics that will be stuck in your head for a good while, particularly on songs like ‘Shout At The Moon’ and ‘Dying To Survive’ songs that are near the beginning of the record but it’s so clear from the beginning how easy for it is for this band to make some infectious lyrics  – this was pretty clear on Signals on songs such as ‘Beggars’ and ‘Lighthouse’ but it’s good to see this continuation on the new record.

Songs like ‘Dare You’ have some great guitar work, this is also the case on ‘Lonely Hours’ really work on this record, there’s a tremendous amount of work gone into these songs and you can tell they have really wanted to push their talent, in the article on the Guardian, Mikey Chapman is quoted as saying ‘We just want to keep climbing. I fear for the day when we sit back on our laurels and say, ‘I’m OK with where we are now’ – That’s made abundantly clear here.

There’s some great work on this record, and even though many songs are catchy, this doesn’t bring down the quality of the album, and really shows a new direction, songs like ‘She Took Him To The Lake’ are really a great display of this on the record, clocking in at around seven minutes it is a great display of everything this band do really well – there’s some great drum work on display throughout the record as well, but it’s really the words and the guitars that will capture your attention on this album with some exemplary work going on here.

Keep making records like this they’ll be in arenas in no time. (I’m rooting for them being support for that All Time Low/You Me At Six tour, it would be perfect) – British rock at some of it’s best right here, Mallory Knox are on tour with Moose Blood, Frank Iero and Fort Hope next month.

9/10.

Review: The Big Cheese Tour: Allusondrugs, Lonely The Brave and Marmozets – Open, Norwich, 16/10/2014.

The last show of the Big Cheese Tour, arrived last night into Norwich, the show in what seemed the basement of the old Barclays Bank building, which is now Open, maybe the only venue where you can both rock climb and make a moshpit on the same day – this is my report from what turned out to be a pretty darn good show.

Allusondrugs opened the show, with some really interesting riffs, reckless drum beats and some amazing hairography that would make Willow Smith proud to be honest, full of energy last night this band I feel lacked chemistry with the audience and they didn’t move all that much however they did work bloody hard last night to make a connection with the crowd, with some great live work considering they are just beginning their lives on the road, one to look out for this band return to Norwich in December for a show at Epic Studios.

Lonely The Brave really haven’t changed much since I last reviewed them when they supported Mallory Knox at the Waterfront before they went to play Reading in August, however I do think the set worked so much better on this tour, working well the stylings of Marmozets who were coming up next. Some great drum work and still one of the best written albums that has been released the last year, I don’t think Lonely The Brave are going to be playing tiny venues like this forever.

But really, Marmozets, just kicked butt, there are not many bands who sound as good live as they do on record, but Marmozets really do, Becca Macintyre’s voice could lead a battle, leading some amazing sing alongs and creating a circle pit that was pretty much the size of the room. Marmozets have some amazing musicians as well, the guitars are pretty amazing live – this is a band worth seeing live, with songs like ‘Is It Horrible?’, ‘Particle’ and ‘Captivate You’ being highlights of a pretty epic set that really made this show worth it.

Marmozets are definitely a band to see live, and if you don’t own ‘The Day’s War‘ – one of the best british records of the last year, is certainly worth checking out if you haven’t already – a great selection of british talent, Big Cheese magazine did good.

7/10.

Review: Milk Teeth, Seahaven and Balance & Composure – Epic Studios, Norwich – 15/10/2014.

I had been looking forward to this show for months, as Balance and Composure, really know how to make a record and really wanted to know how they did a show, and finally they come to Norwich and play, a year after the release of their sophomore album, ‘The Things We Think We’re Missing’. Here’s my write up of last night’s events.

Milk Teeth, are a band that certainly interpret their influences into their sound but do make it their own, with a Nirvana-esque sound and the kind of vocals that would make the nineties proud (they even do cassette tapes!) and have a really good live show – with songs that really are a great foundation for something bigger, this band has some amazing  guitar work and the vocals are excellent, ‘Swear Jar’ stood out to me. The female and male vocals work really well together – and definitely a band worth seeing live again.

Seahaven are so good live and so natural at playing live, I actually forgot they weren’t the headliner last night for a bit, with some interesting drum work, which really suits them and some really great melodies, this band kick butt on stage and it feels like they have a really developed a live show which works for them but also works for the crowd. I was just glad to be honest they played ‘Flesh’ live in their set,  my favourite tracks on ‘..Reverie Lagoon’ – definitely the moment where the pace changed and switched the tempo of the gig-goers.

Balance and Composure, are certainly not a band to be messed with, they said themselves at the gig Norwich was the best show on tour, cos people were moving, the first of the stage divers on tour – songs that stood out live for me, were ‘Void’ the opening track on Separation, the album that got them recognition, ‘Burden’ a track they dedicated to people who knew them before Separation (which is just annoying, music isn’t for the few lucky ones who got their first), and ‘The Things We Thinking We’re Missing’ the eponymous track of their most recent record – some terrific riffs and a chemistry with the crowd last night, really made this show memorable.

A combination of great bands last night at different stages of their vocations, certainly worth seeing if you can.

8/10.

Review: Lower Than Atlantis – Self Titled.

Lower Than Atlantis, are one of the best rock bands we have in the UK today and live they are pretty damn good, as you can see from my review of the show here from the end of July – and finally their new album has been begun being streamed on the Q website – find the stream here.

Here We Go, a song that was originally going to be a B-Side on this record, is a great lead single on this album and really does open the album well, this band have definitely flourished with their writing technique and can write some amazing hooks and that’s certainly shown on the first two songs of their new self titled album.

Riffs abound on this record as well though, songs like ‘Criminal’ and ‘Emily’ for example have some really interesting guitar riffs going throughout the song, and this band certainly work so well together, everything works together really well on this record, and nothing competes to be heard but also nothing gets drowned out on this record which looking at records lately, is quite easily done.

‘Just What You Need’ and ‘Words Don’t Come So Easily’ are the more slow songs on this record, and sound awesome, but if you’re looking for old school LTA you probably aren’t going to find it here, this album is easy to listen to and definitely got some awesome choruses – giving it a more mainstream sound. There’s some great riffs on this record undoubtedly, and you notice the drums on songs like ‘Number One’ very clearly.

Not the first band to go in a completely different direction from before, and to be honest they do it well, there’s some great songs on this record and this band have always had the ability to make an awesome record – ‘Emily’ is a bit creepy to be honest but it’s a great song, ‘Here We Go’ is awesome, ‘Time’ also stands out – definitely worth a listen, but for me it lacks punch, there’s nothing that revolutionary (like Go On Strike for example) here.

7/10.

Review: Counting Crows – Somewhere Under Wonderland.

Counting Crows are one of the most influential bands in rock music, being an inspiraton to lots of bands (Perfect Blue Buildings by Counting Crows is name checked in Love & Drugs by The Maine for example). The album was made with complete creative control and when making the album they just recorded the songs they had written – the nine songs on the record are all they wrote – and giving this a listen, I don’t think it was a bad decision on their part at all.

Lead single on the album, Earthquake Driver is one of the catchier songs on this record, with a country rock vibe to the song and a catchy chorus, this album is very easy to listen to, and particularly this song – so it doesn’t surprise me they would pick this song to lead with, though songs like Dislocation are just as good, if not a little repetitive and Scarecrow sounds excellent with a country guitar riff going throughout the song. (I found this song at the beginning does remind me of Sweet Home Alabama). This album feels like it works together so well and considering this band have now been together twenty years, this doesn’t surprise me.

I think my favourite song on this record is ‘Elvis Went To Hollywood’ – more of a rock song and with a great hook, this song does stand out on Somewhere Under Wonderland, and this partnered with the country vibe of Cover Up The Sun, the music flows into one another and very few albums have that ability these days – this album is produced perfectly.

Easy to listen to and some great and effortless guitar work on this album – it’s not anything new but it is prodigious and does really push their sound to different areas – they certainly know how to write a song and get it stuck in your head.

You can find a stream of the album on Spotify here.

8/10.