On the same day that You Tube star Poppy (who has become a cult semi-famous You Tube personna herself partly through posting satirical videos on the nature of celebrity) released a video called Fame Is Funny (which you can watch by clicking here) and a new series of Celebrity Big Brother started in the UK, odd-pop band Superorganism return with a most appropriately in-time song; Everybody Wants To Be Famous. It is undoubtedly the first earworm of 2018, but I suspect will be one that continues to infiltrate brains for many months to come. Over weird squelchy bass sounds, cash machine register bells, bird song and twangy guitar licks lead vocalist Orono drawls: “Feeling like a boss, and staring at the stars, it doesn’t matter the cost, ‘cos everybody wants to be famous,” and a suddenly pop music sounds like its discovered what it’s like to be a little bit distinct again. From David Bowie to Irene Cara to er....Bros, there have always been pop songs about fame through the ages. Now here's another one and it's rather great. Superorganism featured on a lot of end of year tip lists for 2018 (including mine). This song justifies those choices. Everybody Wants To Be Famous is released through Domino. Edit / Update: 20:50 The band have now confirmed their album will be released on the 2nd March and have also uploaded the accompanying video to the song, the visuals of which are suitably trippy. Everybody Wants To Be Famous
With the 2018 Breaking More Waves Ones to Watch posts now complete, I’m wrapping things up with the full list of 10 artists selected and an accompanying spotify playlist which you can find by clicking here or stream below. It has one song from each of the acts selected. Whilst posting about these artists I’ve had a couple of comments made from readers about balance and how the selections were all mainly female and I’d just like to address this. First, so what? It’s the music that I'm concerned about not the artists sex. Secondly that statement is actually incorrect. Yes, 9 of the 10 artists I have selected have a female vocalist (when I introduced the posts here I noted that because of my tastes, the list wouldn’t be balanced in that way) but there were 31 musicians of which 16 were male and 15 were female. So in terms of that demographic the list was pretty much balanced - although this was more from luck than any judgement. Thank you to everyone who engaged with these posts this year. Whilst Breaking More Waves is written mainly for my own entertainment, the Ones to Watch posts are very much for others. Amongst my (real life) friend group some of my friends, who know I'm obsessed with music will often ask me ‘what are the latest new acts we should be listening out for then?’ My Ones to Watch list is essentially my online response to that real-life question. Here’s a summary of the 10 artists chosen and a playlist featuring 1 song by each act. 1.Sigrid 2.Jade Bird 3.Superorganism 4.The Blinders 5.Pale Waves 6.Grace Carter 7.Off Bloom 8.Confidence Man 9.Pink Kink 10.Maisie Peters I'll be updating the Breaking More Waves monthly playlist at the end of this month as per usual, but it won't include the Ones to Watch posts only the other new music that I have uploaded in November. If you want to follow the monthly Breaking More Waves playlist you can find that by clicking on this link.
Over the last few years there’s been a noticeable shift in the music industry insofar as the vast majority of commercially successful artists seem to be solo ones. From a certain perspective you could argue that bands are on the way out. Which is what makes Superorganism such an intriguing prospect - as they fully buck the trend. They’re almost a supergroup. An eight piece from around the world Superorganism initially formed through online forums before they started making music by sharing tracks via email. Then they finally came together to live in the UK in East London. They make askew oddball pop music with equally left of centre videos. Earlier this year I described buzz single Something For Your M.I.N.D as ‘simple, inventive, hooky and lackadaisically cool,’ and that description seems to fit well with much of their quirky cartoonish sound. Since first arriving on the scene a deal with Domino Records has been signed and without further ado the band sold out their debut show at London’s 600 capacity Village Underground. There was no messing around slogging round the regional toilet circuit here. The reviews back from the London gig were 100% positive – not just because of the music, but because of the band’s stage presentation. Superorganism had a clear vision of how to present themselves – something that even now a lot of bands don’t particularly think of. At Village Underground they all dressed in colourful raincoats in front of psychedelic visuals, creating that same sense of occasion that bands like The Flaming Lips, Jungle and The Polyphonic Spree have managed to create in the past. Gorillaz meets The Moldy Peaches is possibly the best approximation of their sound. During 2017 Superorganism have created a unique space in the universe of pop. It’s why as they continue to expand that space in 2018 they have to be regarded as Ones to Watch. Superorganism - Something For Your M.I.N.D
Streaming services are a music fan’s dream. Imagine 20 years ago being told that with just a couple of clicks and presses you’d be able to access more music than you could possibly imagine. Not only the latest new sounds but those from the past as well. They are an affordable and beautifully simple route to a huge journey of musical discovery. But there’s a problem as well. Spotify and the others are helping kill pop music’s originality and creativity. Never before has mainstream pop sounded so identical, so lazy and so uninspiring. Pop music has always been about formulas that get hits, but now the formula has been over simplified to get on as many of the all important playlists as possible. Want to get on the Spotify New Music Friday list? Sure, just copy and paste the formula, add a new vocalist and away you go. It seems like the wonkier stuff is getting pushed further and further to the fringes. In fact it's in danger of being pushed off the edge completely. Of course, there’s an argument that mainstream pop has always been bland and unoriginal. But there were always kinks, rough edges and quirks to be found even in the music for the masses. Which is why we need songs like Superorganism’sSomething For Your M.I.N.D. Originally released near the start of the year and picking up lots of love online, it’s getting a well-deserved re-release and a trippy new video. Something For Your M.I.N.D is simple, inventive, hooky and lackadaisically cool. If you didn’t hear it first time round, it’s time to get acquainted with it now. It's like The Moldy Peaches mixing it up with Gorillaz. It's not like The Chainsmokers. I'm sure you will agree this is a good thing. If you don't, you're in the wrong place. Add in the fact that the band aren’t just your regular bunch of faceless and boring producers but an eight piece from around the globe who all live together in a big house in London and are fronted by a Japanese teenager called Orono and you’ve got yourself an interesting pop proposition. Put this one at the top of your playlist and maybe Spotify will take note. Superorganism - Something For Your M.I.N.D
