This weekend just gone a minor twitter storm in a tea cup brewed. “What’s on your iPod?” Ellie Goulding was asked in an interview. “I really love the alternative music scene and people like Fleet Foxes and Wild Beasts, but I’ve also got Friendly Fires to Rihanna and Beyonce. I’ve even got Don’t Stop Believing,” Ellie answered.
It didn’t find favour with the controversial hormonal punk-pop London four-piece Pris who tweeted Ellie’s answer to their followers with the statement “Why Ellie Goulding is a massive wang.” Pris you may remember have previously (and somewhat hilariously) rubbished Guillemots, Adele, Jessie J (relating her to Mystic Meg) and Noah and the Whale.
Pris have been picking up support from the likes of Eddie Argos (Art Brut), Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preachers), Everett True (music critic) and a number of UK music blogs including Just Music That I Like, Sweeping The Nation, Von Pip Musical Express as well as ourselves over the last few months. It was one of these bloggers – Von Pip who re-tweeted the Pris tweet. Then the fun began.
Before you knew it the war of the wangs had broken out, with potential-pop-starlet-but-no-hits-yet Spark and her manager responding to Von Pip. “Fucking annoying people being nasty for no reason. I think it's fair to say that both Von Pip & Pris are huge fucking wangs. HUGE WANGS,” retorted Spark. Then her manager threw at Von Pip “Write about things you like then, eh? Otherwise, that makes YOU the wang.”
The irony in this miniscule wangate was that neither Pris, Spark or her manager were probably aware that Twitter has a new head of operations in Europe. His name? Mr Wang. We wonder what he would have thought of his name being used in this context.
The day that modern society loses the freedom of speech, in any form from twitter to protest, will be an incredibly depressing one. All we would be left with would be one sided sycophantic opinion – and that doesn’t help form any sort of wisdom, on-going intelligent debate about issues or give any context to form views about what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in the world. Von Pip’s politely restrained response to Spark’s manager sums it up neatly. “Actually I think I'll decide what I write about if that's ok with you. But thanks for the advice.”
So for Mr Wang here’s the debut single from Pris – The Better You Look The More You See - streaming courtesy of Von Pip on Soundcloud. He’s one of the most credible (and funniest) UK bloggers out there, wang or not. That’s not sycophancy from Breaking More Waves – just what we think. Likewise we love the music of Ellie Goulding. We enjoy a fair amount of Spark’s as well. We’re kind of hoping that Pris will call us wangs for doing so and even if they do, we’ll still love them as well.
Pris play a variety of shows in London in the next few weeks and have also been confirmed for Breaking More Waves hometown multi-gig multi-venue festival in September, Southseafest, alongside the likes of Johnny Foreigner, Die! Die! Die!, Trophy Wife, The Miserable Rich, Bleeding Heart Narrative, Dry The River and My First Tooth with plenty more to follow. Catch Pris live then and enjoy their sassy-pouting-splenetic-indie-punk-pop whilst you can.
So this is how some blogs work. Host a free download from a PR company (see below). Make sure it’s a remix. Post some words that make you sound cool. Hit publish. Total time spent 2 minutes. Simple.
Today for once we fancy doing that (but without the coolness), after all we’ve posted forty wordy blogs this month so far and that’s a hell of a lot for a ‘hobby’ blogger with a full time job, family and a life outside of a laptop. So let’s be kiss me quick today – we’ll leave the slow long tender stuff for another time. If you want to hear the original of the song and read more words, we suggest you click here.
This is a rather frantic everything-but-the-kitchen-sink foot-to-the-floor remix of the current Spark single Crave by 16 year old boy-wonder producer / singer / songwriter / remixer MNEK. As the man says himself “That's pronounced M-N-E-K. M-Neck – Incorrect. M-Neek – Incorrect". Got that ? Time’s up. We’re out of here.
Last week we brought you the first ‘major’ single by Spark – Crave. Now here’s the video.
Now this is how things work. Pop singer produces pop video. Music blogger watches several times. Music blogger writes comments on the video possibly diverting into other commentary that may or may not centre around the pop singer. Music blogger doesn’t feel the need to comment about the music, because that’s already been done in the previous post. If the pop singer doesn’t like the analysis of their pop video then really they shouldn’t have let the public watch it. We will all inevitably make our own judgements from bad to good to amazing.
For this video Spark sends us a visual message that she’s just a little gritty, a little self-assured, a little street (that’s as in streetwise street, not actually a little tarmac construction with pavement either side) and a little unaware that someone seems to have left the lights and lasers on from (we assume) some sort of house party that occurred earlier. This we think you will agree is not very good for Spark’s carbon footprint.
In terms of other commentary, in relation particularly to blogs, we’d like to add that despite Spark being initially marketed through ‘trendy’ boutique singles on Pure Groove and Neon Gold this major label single has not picked up much headwind yet with the types of blog who normally fawn over the releases from these labels, although Crave has received decent coverage so far from pure pop websites and blogs. But blogs aside (which may or may not have much influence), as we said before in our previous blog, the most important thing Spark needs with this single for pop success is probably strong radio playlisting. Time will tell if she gets that.
And our judgement on the video? Quite good, but not amazing. But you will of course make your own mind up. So in that respect this commentary is pointless.
There’s a certain irony that as many of the UK’s Councils make difficult choices about their reduced funding from central government and announce proposed closures of many libraries, that two regularly featured artists on this blog are about to go on a tour entitled Get It Loud In Libraries. We only hope that the two raven haired lasses involved – Spark and The Good Natured still have venues to play in by the time the tour gets underway in March. It’s also our hope that some of the artists who do these tours have the bravery to make some statements about what is happening to the UK’s libraries and on a wider scale our public services – the future doesn’t look particularly bright and it seems at the moment that there are very few pop stars who are prepared to make any sort of comment – too concerned for any backlash effect it could have on their careers perhaps, or maybe they don't think it's their role - but pop stars can influence people - there's proof through history.Political comment out of the way, here is the brand new single from one of those two artists we spoke of. It’s called Crave and it’s by Spark. Of Spark, Popjustice recently said. ‘We have a vision of the next nine months for Spark and it's going to be hard work, but the tough slog will be a little easier with more tunes like bombastic first proper single Crave.’ It seems a good assessment of both Spark, the world of pop right now and this song. With its traditional Indian influences, ‘Oh-way-oh’ vocal hook and epic chorus that isn’t that far removed from Rihanna this is a song that could certainly be a hit, but radio play will of course be essential. If we were on a radio show, we’d give it a spin. Oh hold on…. What’s this? Did someone shout The Guestlist? Yes that’s our involvement in a bit of radio magic. We’re on bi-weekly every Wednesday from 8-10pm and you can listen online here, the next show being 16 February.
This time last year Spark aka Jess Morgan was still at school. Just a few months later she was on tour with Marina & The Diamonds. By November she had released two low key buzz singles - Shut out the Moon through Pure Groove plus Revolving through Neon Gold and had played a handful of gigs to screaming Diana Vickers fans. Next year will see the release of further ‘proper’ singles and an album. Things are beginning to explode for Spark. They may even go ‘boom,’ as her own catchphrase says.
Spark is no stranger to Breaking More Waves, and we’ve had a slightly turbulent relationship with her so far. Having suggested back in June (here) that as her career blossomed she would have to get used to the idea of media critics, we then did just that and reviewed one of her London shows, suggesting that the gig didn’t grab us by the balls fully (here). It was probably some of the first online criticism she had received.
Yet the reality is that very few artists are 100% fully formed when they start their careers. Sometimes it takes time. Unfortunately today’s fast turn-over pop culture often doesn’t give artists more than an album or so to develop.
But Spark has a chance. She’s her own person, strongly denying that she’s not a fully packaged production line pop artist that some have tried to pigeon hole her as – partly because she went to BRIT school. “BRIT is not what people think. It’s not a fame school. It’s not training. It’s just schooling,” she explained in an interview with Pop Culture Monster a while back.
Being aware of potential criticism for being plucked from BRIT and thrown straight into touring and promoting with a label and manager on board so quickly she wrote a now infamous blog last year explaining the way she believed things to be and the fact that she wasn’t manufactured. "If people think I've been manipulated or changed or altered or constructed or any of that, ahem, bullshit, then they mustn't have really known me in the first place,” she wrote passionately.
“I’m very, very fortunate to have a manager that is incredible and works her arse off. And everything goes through me and we work on everything together and we get everything done together and it’s a very equal and fair relationship and it works perfectly. I wouldn’t change it for anything, I’m so happy with her. But then I also have a label that has been completely supportive and took me on with all my songs – I’d written everything before I was signed,” the interview continued.
It’s those songs that she has written give the strongest suggestion that Spark is likely to be successful. There’s diversity to her tunes to show she’s not a one trick pop-pony and she possesses enough hooks and theatrics to appeal to a wide (possibly young female) audience.
Spark is our last One to Watch for 2011. Let's see how all 10 do next year.
Tell anyone that you’ve been to a multi band event or festival and the inevitable question you will be asked is this. “Who was the best?” It’s a question we hate because, like a long term relationship, we prefer to consider the sum of the parts rather than individual moments. The overall consensus from those attending In The City seemed to be that after being out in the wastelands, the 2010 event was fresh, focussed, re-energised and had re-established itself on the map. However, in order to explain why In The City was very good, to get the sum of the parts, it is necessary to review the elements that make up the whole.
We recently suggested that Clock Opera are never likely to write another song as good as Once and For All. On the basis of their In The City show we were wrong. Their last two numbers, the cataclysmic Lesson Number 7 and another tune of unknown title that started as a gentle electronic hymn and then grew into a snarling tempestuous beast were incredible. Lead singer Guy Connelly, dressed in a t-shirt emblazoned with keyboards, sang with leg trembling passion. The rhythmic digits of Piece of String were punctuated with the whole band bashing cans, jugs and other random implements to create an exciting crashing rhythm - it was no surprise to find that they were greeted with a loud cheer by the Roadhouse crowd, who included producer and potential pop king Starsmith. On the basis of the set, when Clock Opera get an album out, it could be a contender for a Mercury prize nomination – intelligent, interesting and unique.
Worship may be less original – there’s an obvious Radiohead comparison to be made, but their clattering drums, moody soundscapes and haunting beats which are defined on Collateral and song Three Wolves are still worthy of attention. Despite the bands surly atmospheric dark technoid-indie-rock sound there was a moment of humour in the set. “How are you?” their lead singer questioned. “How are you?” replied a member of the audience. The singer replied that he was a bit tired – it was a long way from their hometown of Reading. “Stop moaning,” someone else shouted. “I’m not moaning, he asked,” was the response, which raised a small ripple of laughter.
Over in the Mint Lounge Bright Light Bright Light did their very musical best to get cool music industry types dancing. Everyone one of Rod Thomas’s songs was filled with 90’s influenced synth pop joy. He’d probably hate us for saying it but D:Ream sprang to mind. Disco Moment with its Moroder throb and anthemic chorus and the soaring dance floor friendly Cry At Films were screaming for a handbag to shimmy round, bottle of WKD in hand.
A quick run through a couple of rainy, boozy streets found a small crowd watching starlet in the making Spark. In a past review we criticised the lack of emotional impact of Sparks songs, but there’s no doubt that her super confident strutting and striding pop works. Like Marina and the Diamonds raised on a diet of Rhianna, Spark owned the stage, prowling like a caged tiger. “This is a masterpiece,” she belted out. Although masterpiece may be an over exaggeration, she certainly knows how to perform a good pop song.
We first wrote about Glasser back in February 2010 and since then have noticed gradually increasing coverage, particularly on the blogs, about this mystical U.S performer. Glasser was like the new Enya it’s OK to like, or Clannad on dance pills, ghoulishly prowling the dry ice filled stage like a witchdoctor conjuring a spell, as tribal drums and icy Fever Ray styled electronic rhythms floated and ebbed through the room, gradually drawing people in to her lair. There was no in between song banter, just a precise execution of vibey music. Expect her slow build rise to continue.
Our final act of the day was Manchester’s Dutch Uncles. Despite taking the stage to big cheers from a now (drunken?) up for it crowd, and blazing through a fast paced set that included opener Face In, Fragrant and The Ink, the band seemed to have little of the class of any of the other bands seen that evening. Seen it all before writhing indie math pop got the better of us and sent us home to bed, after what had, as a sum of the parts, been an excellent In The City.
“Pop is dead,” Radiohead once sang. In a commercial sense they couldn’t have been further from the truth. The BBC reported earlier this year that rock sales continue to decline, with only a handful of bands such as Kings of Leon making waves in the UK charts. Of course sales aren’t everything; creatively rock is still very much alive, finding new ways to explore itself in the underground. But for now pop rules the radio as well as the majority of hearts that buy records. The question “Where’s the rock music?” was asked earlier this year on this blog (here) and in a commercial sense the answer still isn’t clear.
So here’s another pop princess. One with a bit of street attitude, a bit of class and a bit of soul - her name is Spark. If you’ve been paying attention you’ll see that we’ve been featured her a number of times on the blog since June.
Revolving is the follow up to Spark’s debut single Shut Out The Moon through pop boutique label Neon Gold. With Revolving it seems that the Walthamstow lass is moving off the single lane carriageway and onto the motorway with her foot pressed firmly on accelerate. This is an immaculately produced, solid, yet slightly quirky piece of mid-tempo pop. With its nagging oh-oh’s and what sounds like a helicopter taking off buried within the mix, it seems that now is the time for proper lift off and flight for Spark.
The single is released on 15th November. Spark plays a number of gigs this autumn including an NME Radar gig at Manchester's In The City before she heads out on tour with X Factor girl Diana Vickers. As Spark would say herself, “boom.” Revolving streams below for your pleasure. Long live pop.
There’s a strong argument that pop music is cyclical. Stylistic change is inevitable in order for the products survival. Yes, we use the word product deliberately - forget the idea of music as a pure art form, once it’s offered up for sale it’s a product as much as cans of baked beans are.
The latest fashionable sound ‘goes out’ rather than ‘wears out.’ It’s why recently you may have noticed an opinion shift in the media and some blogs whom in the past have gurgled with dizzying excitement about the emerging waves of colourful female pop stars, but now offer a weary yawn for the next girl-wave hitting our headphones. After Florence, La Roux, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Ellie Goulding and Marina & The Diamonds, there’s a sense of ‘not another one,’ every time another new potential lady pop starlet is unleashed on the world – a sign of one stage of the cycle beginning to end perhaps? Of course female is a sex not a genre, but in a very male dominated industry, females are often marketed and treated as a genre, leading much of the non-thinking public to define these acts by the same generalisations.
So whilst the cynics huff and puff every time a new act – be it Florrie, Sunday Girl or MNDR – arrives on the scene, the music industry continues to push female pop girls from the perspective of what it sees as a ‘genre’, because just like the skinny jeaned boys with guitars a few years back, major labels can still have commercial success with these artists – even if there’s a distinct possibility that it’s a law of diminishing returns, creatively at least. Witness the transition from The Strokes, to The Libertines, to The Pigeon Detectives. Over saturation of the market and the requirement for change will find that at some point the tide turns for the pop girls, with only the most creative - those willing to embrace the change - able to survive.
Which brings us to Walthamstow’s Spark - real name Jess Morgan. She’s another brave pop wannabe who we’ve featured a number of times on Breaking More Waves since back in June. If pop music is cyclical then certainly Spark is evidence in point. With initial releases on small boutique pop labels (single Revolving is due on Neon Gold in November) before a major release on 679 records, her route to mainstream accessibility is taking the same strategy as label mate Marina & The Diamonds last year. It wouldn’t surprise us if we see a fair build up in publicity leading into 2011 for Spark – the BBC Sound of List could well be a target.
But for all of this talk of marketing strategies, product survival and lazy genre definitions, the most important thing – the one thing that matters above all else – is the answer to the questions - “Is the music any good? Does Spark engage with people? Does she have the talent and the songs?”
Stepping on to stage at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen dressed all in white Spark looks like a street-girl painter and decorator ready to answer our question. Yes she is talented, yes she can sing, and yes she’s got a bunch of songs that can deliver her some mainstream success if things go her way. What she doesn’t have yet though is any core emotional resonance. This is well drilled polished pop music, with a hint of soul and drama, but there’s no huge passion, nothing that fully pulls at the heartstrings. Of course the same could be said of much music in the charts. It doesn’t have to be life changing and deep, sometimes to entertain is good enough. From her innocent marionette jerky poses during the infectious schoolgirl Paloma Faithisms of Revolving, to the opening Blondie-esque pump of Shut Out The Moon, to the lovely melodies and quasi-operatic “Oo-oo-oo,” hook on Damage Done, there’s certainly enough here to give pleasure.
With these songs Spark is hardly likely to change the world, but she might just make someone’s day a little brighter. That will do for now.
One of the greatest things about Bestival (besides the Women’s Institute Tea Tent, Forum Campsite and Fancy Dress day on Saturday) is the music. With rain clouds and mud making an appearance it was the music more than anything that did its very best to blow the grey clouds away.
Berkshire 4 piece Worship was the first band to grace the poorly named Rock N Roll stage on Saturday (a stage that during the weekend would feature pop, dance and acoustic folk - hardly Rock N Roll). Worship were the embodiment of a modern rock band - laptops set to melancholy, guitars tuned to atmospheric, like Radiohead and Delphic twisted in a suffocating wrapper. Collateral is a grinding steel beast of a song and the closing In Our Blood has a ghostly throb that could quite easily darken arenas.
As a DJ played It’s Raining Men from the main stage (just after a mini dance off in the audience - see video below), the skies opened and Stornoway should have really considered changing their name to Storm-away. Stornoway’s songs sounded lovelier than they have ever sounded, simmering with banjo, acoustic guitar and occasional fiddle, lead singer Brian’s vocal full of sweet sweet earnestness. Brian chatted to the audience about ghosts and the zoological attractions of the Isle of Wight, bringing a unique serious factual charm to the stage that engaged in the same way that songs such as the thoughtful We Are the Battery Human and the delightful acoustic pop of Zorbing did. It may have poured throughout their set but the enthusiastic audience remained, happy to be soaked in the beauty of it all.
“Sorry I couldn’t come in fancy dress, our ideal fancy is a businessman,” joked Theo from Hurts in the Big Top. If you don’t know the Hurts sound / image by now, where have you been? Suits. Hands clasped in prayer. Opera singers. Head bowed with hand behind back poses. Big electronic passionate pop ballads. Hurts seem to divide opinion. Yet at Bestival there were very few critics in the large audience, which was bolstered by those taking shelter from the rain. Rain suits Hurts. With a lyrical stock of “Clouds go back and thunder rolls,” and “I see the lights through the rain,” Hurts take epic solemnity and push it higher. Yet although they’ve been criticised for taking themselves too seriously, there’s another side to Hurts which was displayed as Theo laughed at the man dressed as a Health and Safety inspector in the audience, who held up a clipboard with the words “Danger - Good music,” written on it. Better than Love and Blood Tears & Gold were received with hands in the air worship and Hurts won a surprising victory at Bestival. “Best festival of the summer,” Theo said with a big smile on his face - it seemed that Hurts had just stepped up a level.
Out at the smaller Bimble Inn three up and coming bands / acts all delivered excellent sets in different ways.
“Sorry about the delay, we were having costume change issues,” announced Lulu and the Lampshades. Flanked by two dancing girls with lampshades on their heads, the groups alt-folk harmonies, plucked violins and use of unusual objects such as clattering typewriters or overturned cups gave the group an enjoyable quirkiness that got the clowns, fairies, garden elves, Snow Whites, superheroes and parrots in the audience on their feet and dancing. “An hour ago I was sat feeling f*ckin’ miserable in a car, now I’m so happy,” one of the band gleefully announced.
Spark was an altogether different proposition. She may have played to the smallest audience of the whole weekend, but her confident stage manner and strong pop voice suggested that it may not be long before that all changes. Dressed in an animal print hoodie and backed by just bass, drums and a laptop, songs such as the energetic “Woah-oh-oh” call of Blow and the classy elegance of Revolving hinted that Spark is getting ready to light up the radio.
Next up in the Bimble Inn Visions of Trees created a vibey slo-mo electronic atmosphere awash with ambient gentleness and ethereal splendour. Carefully contained by rhythmic beats created from natural and electronic based instrumentation, this London based duo worked together perfectly in unison - Joni with his head lowered, layering soundscapes, Sara fixing her gaze on the audience with unnerving confidence. Transcendent and hypnotic, Visions of Trees produced dreamy perfection that got the welly shod crowd dancing.
Back over in the Rock N Roll tent Mount Kimbie displayed their credentials as pioneers of new-electronica. With an expansive post-dubstep sound, their down-tempo clicks, beats and loops created a mellow fragmented journey of faceless brilliance. As they left the stage shouts of “One more tune,” rang throughout the venue.
Dancing of a different type continued with Canada’s Think About Life. From the moment that their playful and edgy pop sound, typified by their funky party jam Havin’ My Baby, blasted out - a mix of TV on the Radio and Kele from Bloc Party - disco feet moved. The band seemed a little phased at the whole spectacle of the mud, fancy dress and groovy party people at Bestival, explaining that they only stepped off a plane a few hours ago, arrived at the festival and went “What the...?” Unfortunately their set was cut cruelly short due to a power cut three quarters of the way through, and despite shouts for “Drum solo,” and “Acoustic,” Think About Life left with the audience definitely wanting more.
Saturday’s headliners The Flaming Lips know how to put on a show. There were videos of hallucinogenic naked space ladies giving birth to the band, ticker tape explosions, glitter cannons, huge colourful balloons, Wayne Coyne singing a song atop the shoulders of a man dressed as a bear, tangerine coloured crowds bouncing either side of the stage, lasers and of course the now infamous zorbing ball with a stumbling Coyne inside rolling over the audience. A Flaming Lips show really is like no other. However sometimes the visual treatment distracted from the music, which ranged from the brilliant, such as the beautiful Do You Realize and the trippy Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Part 1), to the comedic, to turgid psychedelic prog-rock nonsense that should have remained in the recording studio locked in a double bolted cupboard. Coyne himself was the worlds greatest mad uncle, or the lord of freaks depending on your perspective, singing “I can be a lion,” and getting the audience to roar in unison. He then continued asking them to also impersonate monkeys, helicopters and sneezes. We can’t imagine many other headline acts having such fun. Praising the crowd for being “beautiful freaks,” it was clear that Coyne was enjoying Bestival immensely, and didn’t want to leave.
You know that moment when two lovers stand in front of each other for the first time ? They understand what’s about to happen. They can sense the electricity in the air. Before they may have seen a hint of each other, of what is promised - moments of exposed flesh perhaps. But tonight everything will be revealed.
Anticipation is sometimes as exciting as the eventual unclothing.
There’s a sense of that moment arriving for Spark, metaphorically speaking anyway. The hints have been the debut single Shut Out The Moon and her live shows supporting Marina and the Diamonds. Now with a record deal in place there’s that sense of anticipation. There will come the time when the disclosure will occur and in a blur of instrumentation and vocals Spark will consumate her relationship with music and the public. We’re not quite at that moment yet. The lovers are still guarded. But here comes some more. Recorded for the Mahogany blog, here is Spark singing Damage Done where her beautiful sweet and slightly soulful voice drips with honey against a simple synth backdrop. It will possibly make you go a little doe eyed. There’s also a piano version of Shut Out The Moon which you can access here .
If you're going to Bestival this weekend you can catch Spark playing a set in the Bimble Inn stage on Saturday. See you down the front.
If you’re a regular reader of Breaking More Waves you’ll know that we’ve been getting quite excited about Spark. The 18 year old London based singer with the red lipstick, strong pop voice and just a hint of soul appears to be sitting in the elevator having just pressed the up button. We’re looking forward to watching it rise.
Whilst we wait for her next release following the confident start that was Shut Out The Moon, there's a new video that she’s whacked up on the internet. Following the obligatory 'new artist does You Tube cover version' route, Spark performs a version of Love The Way You Lie by Eminem and Rihanna, which you can also grab as a free download from her new website in exchange for your email. The video is about as basic as they come - making Spark look like any typical urban hoodie wearing teenager sitting outside her house - we guess she’s 'keeping it real'.
It’s certainly not going to start the fire that the Eminem and Rihanna video did - there's no domestic violence on this one - the biggest controversy probably being that it isn't a live version, which typically these new artist covers are. So not quite as 'real' as maybe we suggested, which is a shame because a quick search of the internet shows that Spark can sing live very well indeed. However, we've not yet seen Spark play, so we can't judge fully until then, although we hope to bring you a review of one of her gigs come September.
Oh, and that picture above ? No jokes about extinguishers putting out the Spark please. We thought of that one, but it was just too damn obvious.
We’ve never made any secret about the fact that we love all the tips / ones to watch lists at the end of the year, including our own which we publish at the start of December. Yes, there's nothing like a bit of self loving now and then.
There will always be arguments about the worth of such lists (we’ve written a number of times about lists such as the BBC Sound Of Poll including here, here and here) but essentially we love playing musical pin the tail on the donkey and hoping that our taste represents the mainstream. Inevitably sometimes we get it bang on, and others times, well, does anybody remember Skint and Demoralised ? We tipped him in our 10 Ones to Watch for 2009 list. Nobody can be right all of the time.
We’ve already got a ‘Potential Ones to Watch for 2011’ list on the go. No doubt by December we’ll have 30 or 40 names on it before we whittle it down to 10.
Although it’s very early days, it wouldn’t surprise us if the name of Spark crops up somewhere. She can hold a tune, has the looks ( which like it or not is essential in pop music - nobody wants a munter of a pop star ) and seems to have just enough quirkiness to appeal to those who prefer their popstars not be semolina bland.We first wrote about her here. To demonstrate a little of why we think Spark is showing great potential, have a look at the live footage below of a song called American Girl. Just don't mention Skint and Demoralised.
The first time we heard Spark our immediate thoughts were similar to when we first heard Marina and the Diamonds - there was definitely something there, perhaps not fully realised yet, but her songs ooze with slightly left of centre pop potential. It therefore seems highly appropriate that Spark has just finished a series of support slots with Marina and is due to release her debut single Shut Out the Moon on July 12th.
Spark is not this 18 year old London based singers real name - that’s Jess Morgan, although apparently her stage name is derived from her middle name; Sparkle. Her parents dreamed that up following her water birth. Her father had gushed that she ‘sparkled in the water’. Now she hopes to sparkle on stage. Her savvy theatrical (Brit School ?) pop has hints of a hipper Paloma Faith on Revolving and on the celestial Damage Done - a song that you hear once and feel like you’ve known it forever - there’s just a tiny bit of a sweet and gentle Lily Allen or Jem (anyone remember her ?).
Our critique is that she has some pretty good songs. Which is a shame because Spark doesn’t particularly like the idea of critics as a job. “They search for the bad instead of the good - at least that’s what the job title suggests,” she rants on her blog. So that discounts us as a critic from the perspective of Spark then. Most blogs take roles of finding mainly good stuff, although sometimes an expression of disproval is required, if only to give a gauge of measurement of the great against the bad. She does however admit that “I have personal issues with other people forcing their opinions and beliefs on others.” We’re not quite sure if a critic forces their beliefs on others, more that they put them out there for others to consume if they want, but we understand her positive sentiment. We suspect however that she’s going to have to get used to dealing with those issues as her career gets underway.
The aforementioned Shut Out the Moon is the opening gambit in the world of music from Spark. A fertile piece of pop that could sit comfortably on daytime radio with its cascades of piano, mature sounding vocal and an over and over repeated title. It's a minor victory. You can pre-order it here. Just don’t confuse Spark with Sparks - this town is certainly big enough for both of them.
Here’s some live crowd footage of Spark on her recent Marina and the Diamonds support dates.
