New Music: Another Sky - Apple Tree

When I first featured Another Sky on Breaking More Waves in March 2018 there seemed to be a strange lack of excitement about the band – very few websites wrote about Forget Yourself, despite the song being bloody marvellous. However, 10 months on and the group is now deservedly picking up plenty of traction. I hope that this will continue with new song Apple Tree which has recently hit the world in all its glory with a superb stop motion video.

“This song is for the boy who talked to daffodils and found joy in being who he is,” state the band on their Facebook page – hinting at the group celebrating men who are perhaps a little more sensitive and have a gentler outlook on life than those who exhibit macho alpha male type characteristics. Yet despite this idea the instrumentation on the tune is far from placid. The guitars kick-hard and create a joyous sort of carnage that may well leave you bouncing and breathless. 

Of particular interest to me (OK maybe not to you, but this blog is personal – it’s hardly Pitchfork) is the fact that the song was recorded at Chale Abbey Studios in the Isle of Wight. This is partly because I was born on the Island with my parents living just 15 minutes drive from the studios location but more recently, and of more musical interest, because Breaking More Waves favourite Lauran Hibberd has also recorded there as well.

Another Sky are touring the UK (a big tour of relatively small spaces) this February. Having now seen them live twice I can confirm that they are pretty special and totally formed live band. Just don’t expect to be able to see much of them – they’re big fans of hiding themselves by backlighting. But even so, grab a ticket (here) before it’s too late. 

Another Sky - Apple Tree

Introducing: Black Country, New Road

In ‘serious’ music criticism, artists being pretentious is not often seen as an admirable quality. Pretentiousness is normally cast as the enemy of the authentic. That to be pretentious is to be fake. That the perceived exaggeration of greatness when considering such music and performance is ‘dishonest’ and that if music isn’t ‘honest’ and ‘real’ then somehow it isn’t heartfelt and capable of giving meaning to lives.

Thankfully I’m not a ‘serious’ music critic and I think this argument is bollocks. I really dislike the idea of certain types of music being more ‘real’ and ‘honest’ than others. The ‘real music’ argument is the sort of argument generally thrown around by boring middle-aged rock and folk dudes who don’t understand that pop, disco, dance, electronic, jazz or any other genre that doesn’t fit their blinkered narrow world view of ‘real music’ can be just as important, just as life changing, as some earnest bearded guy with a guitar. I'm all for pretentiousness.

Music and more generally speaking, art, needs to strive for greatness and that means creators need to believe that what they are doing is important, and therefore they will be perceived as pretentious, because if they aren't, how are they ever going to push boundaries and create something exciting and new? Otherwise all we’ll be left with is bland copies of what has already gone before.

David Bowie for example was arguably incredibly pretentious – just look at Ziggy Stardust, his strutting soul boy attitude of Young Americans or his later day jazz influence on Black Star – all completely pretentious, yet all completely brilliant. Pop was all the better for it.

However, what isn’t good for pop is pretentious rubbish. Whilst some of the best pop music comes from the leftfield there’s a lot of pretentious music that is total crap. Just because Bjork or Thom Yorke farts into a microphone and calls it a symphony doesn’t automatically make it brilliant.

It’s on that basis that I introduce to Breaking More Waves the UK six piece that go by the name of Black Country, New Road. It is very easy to describe what Black Country, New Road do as pretentious. After all, they’re not making regular mainstream pop music that you’ll find on daytime radio. I’ll be surprised if you hear their music on anything but the most progressive of radio stations. Their sound incorporates elements of jazz, improvisation, rock, some influences from Eastern Europe and North Africa, keyboards, violin, saxophone, spoken word and weird jerky rhythms. It’s not easy listening by any means and therefore unsurprising that they have already been supported by more alternative music websites such as The Quietus and have played with the likes of Omar Souleyman, Goat Girl and Duds.

The band formed from the ashes of the group Nervous Conditions, who split following allegations of sexual misconduct against their lead singer Connor Browne on social media. And whilst Black Country, New Road has yet to officially release any studio material the group has already picked up some music industry backing with the likes of a booking agent in place. This week they are playing as part of The Line of Best Fit’s 5 Day Forecast at The Lexington in London on the 18th January.

Whilst we wait to hear the band’s recordings, for now there’s a twenty-minute live video of one of their gigs at The Windmill in Brixton that’s doing the rounds and getting a favourable reaction. On this you’ll see the band work their way through their warped sonic journey that starts with a spoken word intro that dives into the algorithmic romance of the internet, skipping through You Tube: “I don’t have to search because the suggestions bar guides me – the suggestions bar knows me better than ever before and it almost like love,” and Instagram: “Tanned bikini bodies of girls that I knew from secondary school who exist now to me only as ornaments,” before exploding in a melee of heavy rock riffage and witchy jazz. That’s all just in the first four minutes. 

Pretentious?  Well, if you perceive it to be so, absolutely. But it's all the better for it.

Black Country, New Road - Live At The Windmill

What's The Point Of A Small Music Blog Like Breaking More Waves In 2019?

Anyone who has taken time in the sweaty, sexy, awkward, grasp of pop music, having their ears f*cked by the thousands of artists trying to cop-off with them, will know that there are really only 2 sorts of pop music; the good and the bad.

The art is to be able to discern which musical bedfellows to fall in love with, which are quick one-night stands and which just aren’t worth the effort, irrespective of what pleasures they may appear to tempt you with.

In 2019 this selection process should be easier than ever. Why? Technology! Spotify playlists! The internet! You Tube! More music than you can ever possibly spend time with for the cost of one physical album! All the choice! Just click, listen for a few seconds then, approve or delete! We can now listen to every song, playlist or album like viewing a Tinder profile. Swipe. Reject. Move on to the next. It’s all so simple.

Except it isn’t, is it?

The choice has become overwhelming. The grass is always greener. It happens in dating. It happens when you go shopping. And it happens when you listen to music.

It’s one of the reasons why music blogs have decreased in popularity (although there are many other reasons as well). Who needs blogs when the whole history of music right up to this very second is just a few taps away? And if you want brand new music that caters for your tastes then Spotify has that covered with its individually curated Discovery Weekly playlist.

So, what is the point of something like Breaking More Waves? Why on earth would you visit a music blog?

It’s question that I’ve been mulling over a little whilst I took a bit of time away from the blog recently. (That time away wasn’t by choice, but a faulty heart valve I’ve had since birth meant I ended up in hospital for 27 nights following a heart attack and had to undergo open heart surgery – so I think a close to death experience is a relatively valid excuse for a pause in proceedings!)

The answer I’ve come up with is very simple. I guess it’s the same answer that any musician who isn’t making money from their music comes up with when they begin to question why they are doing what they do. I write this blog for my pleasure. I write for the sheer joy of doing it and sharing my love of music with others. Not everything we do in life needs to be about making money. Especially if the ‘work’ hasn’t been commissioned by anyone.

But besides the pleasure this blog gives me there are two things I still hope it occasionally achieves.

First, I hope that Breaking More Waves can reduce the choice. If you agree that we live in an age where technology has made things so overwhelming that they become crushingly excessive, where there’s too much, too quickly, too often, I’m going to try and just pick the really good stuff to feature here. This year more than ever I’m going to focus on quality rather than quantity. Expect a maximum of about 10 posts a month. The posts will still be about new music and particularly new artists, but there may be the occasional diversion into older records as well.

Second, I hope that the words I write give some context. That’s something a Spotify Playlist can’t give you. It’s something once again in 2019 I’m going to try to do more of. To try and give some meaning, or make some sense to some of the great music out there and some of the issues surrounding that music.. This is a one author blog, so often that context will be personal and carry some opinion. Yes, some will be the dreaded 'think-piece' - but I'll try and keep them short and light-hearted.

This is why in 2019 as music blogs continue to die off or evolve into other forms I’m still continuing with Breaking More Waves. I firmly believe there’s still a place for sites that give a few recommendations every month, but that don’t over saturate or overwhelm you with too much. Most people don't want to visit the likes of Breaking More Waves, but some hardcore music fans do.

That's the point of Breaking More Waves in 2019. Finding the good stuff. The ones to fall in love with and (sometimes) the one night stands. Giving context and personal opinion. But not overwhelming. Trying to make the selection process easier.

New music recommendations will start shortly....

My Favourite Albums of 2018 ( And Why The Blog Is On A Temporary Break)

This is a post to let regular readers know that Breaking More Waves is on a short unplanned break. 

On November 27th I suffered a heart attack and have subsequently been in hospital, where I still am now. It was, to say the least, a complete shock to both myself and my family / friends. Since being in hospital it has been discovered that I was born with a heart defect, but nobody knew until the heart attack.

I will in due course have open heart surgery to fix me up and if everything is successful I hope to make a full recovery and return to normal life. However, until early 2019 the blog will be on hold. 

Until that time keep an eye out on my Twitter as I will do the occasional tweet there now and then. (@BMWavesBlog)

Finally, to keep things tidy, normally at the end of the year I would write numerous posts on my favourite albums of the year. I hope I have sufficient excuse not to do that amount of writing this time, but for the record, in no particular order except alphabetical, here is my top 10, which is unlikely to change between now and the end of the year as I won’t be listening to anything new.

Breaking More Waves Favourite Albums of 2018

Confidence Man - Confident Music For Confident People

Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain

Erland Cooper - Solan Goose

First Aid Kit - Ruins

Fröst - Matters

Let’s Eat Grandma - I’m All Ears

Nils Frahm - All Melody

Suede - The Blue Room

Superorganism - Superorganism

Whyte Horses - Empty Words

Edit 1st Jan 2019

After much deliberation I have managed to put my top 5 in order. They are

1. Erland Cooper - Solan Goose. 2. Let's Eat Grandma - I'm All Ears. 3. Confidence Man - Confident Music For Confident People. 4. Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain. 5. Fröst - Matters