Look After Yourself

It is summer and possibly today was the first, of what I imagine will be many, in which I felt genuinely bored. I have had a free house for a few days and various people have passed through the door, it has been nice. But today was a day in which I felt like not seeing people. I don’t know if this is a feeling that many people have. It is a feeling that human contact would make you retch. The complexity of navigating your way through a conversation is too draining for a day like today. So I decided to swim.

I used to swim to a very high standard, competing every weekend and dedicating well over 10 hours to the sport each week. It was a challenge to remain motivated, waking up at stupid o’clock and sustaining shoulder injuries regularly. I gave up swimming at college, the strain of A-Levels was far too much and something had to go. College does that to people, makes them give up on things they love. I wish I realised before it all finished that what I needed to do was look after myself and not just my grades. 

The swim reminded me of the beauty of concentration. My mind was focused on the stroke, how my hand was entering the water, my breathing pattern and the pace of each turn I completed. The swimming coaches I had encountered in my life seemed to still be glaring at me from poolside, expecting my technique to be spot on and ultimately going to berate me. My body was free from the confinements of dry land, there was no external pressure on me, just myself and the water. As I focused on the stroke, I realised this was another form of looking after myself. Not just body, but my mind.

There are hundreds of ways to ‘look after yourself’ and not all are going to work for you. I’ve recently been using the ‘Headspace’ app, a simple and well designed meditation tool for anyone. It isn’t too bad, friendly graphics and calming voices. However my mind struggles to slow down enough to have a blank mind, something pretty key to meditation. I can’t count my breathes when my imagination runs amuck. 

Something else, that I can recommend is talking- especially for men. For centuries the male emotional spectrum has been discouraged and limited. I know that I am three times more likely to kill myself than my girlfriend is, purely down to my gender. So to avoid becoming part of that sobering statistic, I talk. I talk all the time about what I am feeling, whether that be happy or sad. When I talk, my problems seem far smaller than what they are in the theatre of my mind. Sometimes it isn’t easy to find that one person who will listen and respect your privacy, but there is someone out there who will listen without judgement and will care.

So if you are bored this summer, look after yourself. Your body and mind are the only things you were born with and the only things you’ll die with.

99.9%, Kaytranada Review

Although 99.9% being Canadian born Kaytranda’s (real name Louis Kevin Celestin) first full length endeavour. He is in no way a newcomer to the Dance/R&B scene. He started posting on Soundcloud in the early 10s, gaining notoriety especially with his reworking of Janet Jackson’s ‘If’. In 2016, he is one of the most desirable producers around, with credits on Chance’s and Azealia Bank’s most recent efforts. On 99.9% Kaytranda pushes the groove and cool to the max for possibly the best album for this Summer. 

Kaytranada has managed to transfer the energy of the club and his live shows directly onto record with 99.9%. Songs such as ‘TRACK UNO’ and ‘ONE TOO MANY’ are explosive and meaty in production, the latter having more layers than a feud between Taylor Swift and the Kardashains. ‘VIVID DREAMS’, ‘DRIVE ME CRAZY’ and ‘LEAVE ME ALONE’ rely in part on their heavy bass- reminiscent of some Celestin’s earlier work such as ‘Holy Hole Inna Donut’, these tracks excite and are perfect for any late night drive. 99.9% isn’t necessarily a party or BBQ album as the exquisite detail of his samples and drum fills make it difficult background music. However, songs such as ‘BUS RIDE’ and ‘LITE SPOTS’ are fantastic for solitary listening in the sweltering heat. Kaytranada’s off kilter style is pleasing and undoubtably enjoyable in the sunshine.

A major crime of this album is its amount of filler. Admittedly each song has its own merit, yet many are too stagnated. ‘DESPITE THE WEATHER’ is pretty uninteresting until the final vocal sample of Sway talking about Kaytranada, a swaggering moment for the often low key producer. The strongest moment of 99.9% is ‘GLOWED UP’ featuring the impressive Anderson .Paak, his mix of interesting bars and a glowing chorus stands out right in the middle of the album. Apart from a far too glossy feature by Craig David, Kaytranada has chosen some of the coolest artists to be on his LP. Most notably, The Internet’s Syd on ‘YOU’RE THE ONE’ further proving she is one of the strongest voices in modern Neo-Soul.

It is fitting that Kaytranada has named his album 99.9%. An undoubtably brilliant body of work with some exceptional production, yet missing something that would make the music world call it one of the top LPs of the year. 9.9/10.

Massive Attack, British Summer Time

In a post-Brexit UK, people are angry. Especially in the capital in which a vast majority voted to remain in the European Union. Upon seeing Massive Attack in February I knew their live sets were politically charged to the max. Whether it be the refugee crisis or the vapidity of celebrity gossip, the Bristol trip-hoppers have a political voice that cannot be quenched. 

The music at British Summer Time was fantastic during the day. Support sets by Ghostpoet, Shura and Warpaint stood out as haunting and professional- aware that people didn’t pay for them so stuck to the blindingly good hits. Patti Smith disappointed with bland calls to arms for “fuck the system and big corporations”, the irony of there being a huge Barclaycard logo behind was lost to the punk veteran. Although impossible to escape big brand marketing and £8 pulled pork burgers, the festival is certainly all about the music and especially the headliners Massive Attack.

Opening with a chilling reproduction of ‘United Snakes’ I was silenced. The visible band (I’m certain many more were behind the scenes) were so professional and sombre, it was like watching an orchestra. To an extent, the entire show was formal. With such a wild stage design with a huge LED panel with complex and shocking imagery it is difficult to stray from what is rehearsed. Some moments lacked emotion, with songs such as ‘Inertia Creeps’ leaving me wanting to curl up and cry at the prospect of Article 50. My Brexit anxiety hit its peak at ‘Eurochild’, last performed in 1998, Robert Del Naja begged us not to give into “the bigots and the racism” before flooding the stage with an EU blue.

Massive Attack are known for their collaborators, this being one of their biggest shows of the year, the band pulled out all the stops. Young Fathers (whom Massive Attack called “future headliners”) launched onto stage to perform four songs; ‘Voodoo Blood’, ‘Old Rock n Roll’ ‘Shame’ and ‘He Needs Me’. Their passionate performance style injected life into Massive Attack’s storming set but helped upkeep the fear and anxiety. A surprise for many was the guest spot of contemporary Tricky as the band had shared a mutual disharmony with him for many years. In comparison to the professionalism of 3D and Del Naja, Tricky was a bull in a china shop and difficult to love or get into due to his low pulled cap. A single song and then off, the beef is yet to be quashed. The standout guest was the inimitable Horace Andy (leg broken from a motorcycle accident) who sang Angel as the stage shone a bright white, the crowds were silent and arms just raised. 

The encore, pre tempted by an honest display of Syrian refugees- highlighting our own privilege, was certainly the standout of the night. As a string section entered slowly it was clear that Unfinished Symphony would be played. The audience, hearing one of the most iconic 90s songs, was silently joyful. A few hugs and a few smiles at strangers, but nothing more. Perhaps Massive Attack are not curing, but their burgeoning live presence certainly serves as catharsis. 

Drug Store Romeos, Interview

The state of the UK is unwell, a gap of young and old has appeared. Even in the local Morrisons that Drug Store Romeos’ guitarist Charlie Henderson works at part time “the cashiers hate old people, they’ve fucked us over”. It is true that there is a divide both in age and ideology surrounding the UK’s independence within the EU, but the trio from Fleet feel that may be stepping into Indie Rock as a genre too. 

Although in no ways disappointed with the scene and its growing newcomers such as Rat Boy, The Magic Gang and Spring King they all feel a bit let down. Jonny (their drummer) claims that the constantly touring bands don’t have anything to get into and they’re lacking any “story”. This is undeniably true, Spring King are almost straight edge, The Magic Gang aren’t anything to obsess over and “everyone hates Rat Boy”. It’s clear as day to Drug Store Romeos, they are the band that everyone has been waiting for. A mixture of good songs, image and just enough weird to make young Indie kids froth at their mouths.

Originally Jonny and Charlie were seriously into Punk, more specifically 80s Hardcore. The boys loved it so much that they tried to re-enact it well over thirty years later. With others, they recorded a “really bad” album and played a hoard of old school pubs and clubs full of “old bald men”. Although the band were gaining some success, the image of a life of playing to old men was not appealing. At this point a Facebook post was written, and Sarah Downie was pulled in for lead vocals and bass guitar.

It is still unclear as to what Drug Store Romeos are in terms of sound. Citing influences from Echochamp, Joy Division, Sunflower Bean and FIDLAR there seems to be no honest genre that the band want to fit into just yet. One name keeps popping up over and over again however, Foxygen. “Their songs are all conceptual, we wanna have those moments [of creativity]. Like moments when Sarah will sing French interludes”. Another key influence is Kate Bush, especially in Sarah’s delivery and lyricism. The band’s desire to shy away from labels and just make experimental Indie Rock is what Charlie thinks will find them their place in the industry; “a committed band, that are cool, and psychedelic”.

Sarah’s place as frontman has a few annoying moments, usually in the form of two words; Wolf Alice. Townie admits “I really love Wolf Alice, but I don’t want to sound like them at all. If you love someone too much you begin to reproduce them”. Early in the band’s demos, people have already started trying to make comparisons to the London four piece on account of their dreamy female vocal lead. On listening to their songs live in rehearsals, the comparisons end past the instruments they both use. Drug Store Romeos are far more hypnotic and Shoegaze.

The future seems clear for the young Fleet band. They have a few small shows, and a few support slots . The band are also recording two songs to try and gain some radio airplay and attention. Who knows what will happen when they find their feet in the industry.