R.I.P. Sly Stone

R.I.P. Sly Stone (previously here). You were a true pioneer. Thanks for the music and cultural evolution.

"Meguro" by BLOW

I am grooving on the retro-futurist funk of "Meguro" by French band BLOW. Filmed at the Palais de Tokyo, where Rick Owens shows all his collections (when not on the Lido in Venice)...and the styling here feels very fashion-forward like Rick!

https://www.instagram.com/blow_band_/

"Somethinggreater" by Parcels

Parcels (previously here) bring us more smooth jazzy funk with "Somethinggreater"--and they are all dressed in Gucci! From their new release "Day/Night" available November 5, 2021.

And Noah Hill with those earrings and that hair...*sigh*

https://www.parcelsmusic.com/

"Live Vol. 1" by Parcels

Parcels are my new favorite band. They've been around for a few years now, but they showed up on my radar when they released this fun, engaging video for "Live Vol. 1," a live performance they did at Hansa Studios in Berlin (merely the location where David Bowie recorded his legendary "Low" and "Heroes" albums, as well as where U2 recorded "Achtung Baby").

This charming Australian five-piece formed in Byron Bay in 2014 and are now based in Berlin, Germany. The band is composed of keyboardist Louie Swain, keyboardist/guitarist Patrick Hetherington, bassist Noah Hill, drummer Anatole "Toto" Serret, and guitarist Jules Crommelin. The band say they draw influence from Steely Dan, Marvin Gaye, The Whitest Boy Alive, and Toto, but they are often compared to musical icons from the 1960s and 70s such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys drawing upon both their look and sound. Their 1970s uniform aesthetic was made a staple after making the guise as a last-minute dress-up for their performance at the 2016 Lollapalooza afterparty, sticking with it ever since. I definitely hear a major blue-eyed soul/white funk sound and the blend of Gaye and Steely Dan works for me!

On 30 April 2020, Parcels released their live studio album, Live Vol. 1, an 18 track tape recording mixed on an analog console in the Hansa Studios in Berlin, mastered without any edits. Hansa Studios, located by the remnants of the Berlin Wall, has played hosts to 70s rock icons' sessions such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop.

The album was released amidst the Covid-19 global pandemic. Alongside the album, Parcels released instrumental tutorials for the song "IknowhowIfeel" to their Instagram account. Hill said that "it felt very insensitive and not aware to be releasing anything that wasn't in some way connected to the coronavirus ‘cause that was encapsulating everyone's thoughts".

"Live Vol. 1" was released with a video of the recording session. Director Carmen Crommelin, also responsible for directing the "Tape" film clip, said in a press release that she "wanted the camera to be both passive and intimate, so you could politely observe from a distance and walk through the room like a friend".

And they are simply a tight, kick-ass live band. Listen.

https://www.parcelsmusic.com/

"Superpower" by Adam Lambert

What a fun, effective mix of 70s rock and funk--via a 2019 filter--in this new song, "Superpower" by Adam Lambert.

http://www.adamofficial.com/

"Hello Happiness" by Chaka Khan

I never thought we would see a new Chaka Khan release and I am thrilled to see this new song, "Hello Happiness" by the lovely--and ageless--Khan. I adore the Chic-like bass line, the funk groove, and disco synth boops and swoops. But there is an unmistakable world-weary contemporary sound to it all, a touch of life experience...

And what can be said of the mini-film video except: that is one busy little motel!

https://chakakhan.com/

"Sylvia Says" by Charlotte Gainsbourg

Wow. I just can't get this new song "Sylvia Says" by Charlotte Gainsbourg out of my head. Taken from her new release "Rest", it was suffused and born from the grief of losing her half-sister, photographer Kate Barry to suicide. The song's title and chorus reference a 1953 poem by Sylvia Plath entitled "Mad Girl's Love Song." I think it is simply amazing that the sound is so funky and dance-able...albeit with some highly theatrical flourishes.

The video itself is oblique and subjective but we see people around Gainsbourg on the streets of Manhattan inexplicably losing consciousness and dropping to the ground, when in reality it is her that is losing consciousness, slipping away to some alternate place...an apt metaphor for grief and loss. When loved ones have been ripped from my life, I am left looking around, wondering how anyone can survive this catastrophic loss...why is everyone still going on like nothing has happened? Why are people still walking down the street, to work or the store, as if they do not know a great rift in the universe has just occurred? Life goes on they say, but the thing they cannot acknowledge is that life does not go on for the one who is gone--they no longer have that luxury. And how to reconcile those two distinct perspectives?

I sweep the cobwebs away
Rise from the slumber room
Kicking around come what may
Sell me a trick or two
The rising sky up above
Always au rendez-vous
Somewhere I've been dreaming of
Over the rainbow too

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead
Sylvia says
I lift my lids and all is born again
Sylvia says
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead
Sylvia says
I lift my lids and all is born again
Sylvia says

Picking my socks for the day
Quietly states my mood
Can shape the future with clay
Stars waltzing out in blue
All is beyond and above
Nothing like deja-vu
This time I let down the gloves
Awaking to bring me through

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead
Sylvia says
I lift my lids and all is born again
Sylvia says
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead
Sylvia says
I lift my lids and all is born again
Sylvia says

What does the book have to say?
I really don't have a clue
If by the end of the day
Happy fool I salute
For what I'm about to receive
May the lord make me true-
-ly thankful, then I'll believe
Any crap, any cue

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead
Sylvia says
I lift my lids and all is born again
Sylvia says
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead
Sylvia says
I lift my lids and all is born again
Sylvia says

And here is Plath's poem:

Mad Girl's Love Song

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)"

http://www.charlottegainsbourg.com/

"Dirty Mind" and "Mountains" by Prince

It's Diva Wednesday again. And our Diva this time is His Purple One.

In 1980, Prince released his third album, "Dirty Mind" which forged a new sound out of classic funk, a touch of punk, and the synthesizer sounds of New Wave. No one was making music like this at the time and both white and black audiences were initially puzzled by the sound and by Prince himself. How could they not be? Look at him in all his glory: punk haircut, trench coat with studs (and a "Rude Boy" button) and bandanna, little black g-string (!), thigh-high tights, and high heels! What was he thinking? What a head-spinning mix of male and female, but without parroting an actual woman. He was not emulating women or "doing drag," but what he was doing was something unique and singular. Indeed, he would later go on to write in the lyrics for his song "I Would Die 4 U," "I'm not a woman / I'm not a man / I am something that you'll never understand."

We all know his subsequent greatest success with the film and soundtrack album for "Purple Rain." But he followed that up with a not-as-successful film, "Under The Cherry Moon" starring Kristin Scott Thomas in her feature film debut (!). Despite the fact that the film was...um, let's see, how to say this...bad (and I'm a fan!), the accompanying soundtrack produced some more excellent, experimental pop songs. Recorded in France, the album was peppered with spoken French and a snippet of bal musette music. This song, "Mountains" comes from that album. The video also features Kristin Scott Thomas...and it is easy to see that Prince was still pushing boundaries of his style and appearance.

R.I.P.

"Proud" by Jam City

Jam City (the nom de musique of London DJ/producer and musician Jack Latham) has released a new record, "Dream A Garden," and its sound is quite different from what Latham has created in the past. I am liking the mash-up of styles in this track, "Proud." It's a bit ambient, a bit electronic, and a bit 80s funk (slow jam Prince?). The repetitive groove is lulling, soothing...

His manifesto for the new collection is quite inspiring. Latham  believes in a neoliberal perspective. He told Crack Magazine, “As part of an underground culture, even if it is global now, it’s important to realise the power in not being immediately monetised or having capital expectations of ourselves. We can honestly take things wherever we want. We have this huge opportunity to talk about these things, to open up conversations. I really want to contribute to that, to start a dialogue.”

“It comes from learning to love yourself, to love others, reclaiming your ability to dream. I don’t know how we can change this world systematically, but I do know that it’s possible. The first step is resisting, saying no to a lot of the awful ideologies of this world, selfishness, greed, money, to reclaim the dream. The society we live in tries to buy our bodies and sell them back to us in a strange form. It conspires to estrange us from our own bodies, our sexualities, our own capacities to love and genuinely respect one another. It’s important to begin a process of saying no to this. While I don’t have the direct solution to dismantle the apparatus, it’s a starting point to realise that as a world we’re allowed to dream, we’re allowed to create a space that hasn’t been colonised, been alienated from us yet. A dream is the first step, allowing love into your life in whatever capacity, and trying to live according to those principles in a way.”

http://www.jam-city.net/

R.I.P. Errol Brown

Errol Brown, former lead singer of Hot Chocolate has passed away at the age of 71 at his home in the Bahamas. He will most likely be remembered for singing "You Sexy Thing" but for me, his hit song will always be "Every 1's A Winner," a song that, despite it being released in 1978 and sounding like a disco song, was not really a disco song. It is a strange confluence of genres: disco with its chilly synth texture in the background, funk with its bass line and vocals by lead singer and songwriter Errol Brown, soul with its chorus of fantastic black back-up singers, and rock and roll with its blistering--and absolutely genius--guitar riff played by Hot Chocolate band member Harvey Hinsley using a Roland GR-500 which gives it that crispy, buzzing quality. Brown was awarded an MBE (a Member of the Order of the British Empire) by HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for "services to popular music," and he and his band played at Charles and Diana's pre-wedding reception at Buckingham Palace.

R.I.P. Mr. Brown.

http://www.errolbrown.com/

"StylO' The Times" Prince vs. Gorillaz by DJ Zebra

This mash up highlights one of the best songs Prince ever wrote or recorded. And yes, I am a Prince fan.

Fresh & Noble feature this track by DJ Zebra who hybridized the melody and words of "Sign O' The Times" with the rhythm and bass line section of "Stylo" by Gorillaz.

When Prince released this song in 1987 on his opus double album of the same name, it gave fans and non-fans alike a reason to pause. It was darker, heavier, and more relevant that anything he had previously created. The sparse instrumentation of the original song signaled its seriousness, and the addition here of the fragment from "Stylo" does not betray that. The particulars may have changed but the songs lyrics (viral pandemics, gang violence, natural disasters, poverty, drug abuse, and impending war) and sentiment are as relevant now as they were nearly thirty years ago. The most heartbreaking section of the song though is the last verse. The idea of a small family against the tide of disasters and ills just recited is the point of the entire piece.

Oh yeah!

In France a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name
By chance his girlfriend came across a needle and soon she did the same
At home there are seventeen-year-old boys and their idea of fun
Is being in a gang called The Disciples
High on crack, totin' a machine gun

Time, times

Hurricane Annie ripped the ceiling of a church and killed everyone inside
U turn on the telly and every other story is tellin' U somebody died
Sister killed her baby cuz she couldn't afford 2 feed it and we're sending people 2 the moon
In September my cousin tried reefer 4 the very first time
Now he's doing horse: it's June

Times, times

It's silly, no?
When a rocket ship explodes and everybody still wants 2 fly
Some say a man ain't happy unless a man truly dies
Oh why?
Time, time

Baby make a speech, Star Wars fly
Neighbors just shine it on
But if a night falls and a bomb falls
Will anybody see the dawn?

Time, times

It's silly, no?
When a rocket blows and everybody still wants 2 fly
Some say a man ain't happy, truly until a man truly dies
Oh why, oh why, Sign O the Times

Time, time

Sign O' the Times mess with your mind
Hurry before it's 2 late
Let's fall in love, get married, have a baby
We'll call him Nate... if it's a boy

Time, time
Time, time



https://soundcloud.com/fresh-8

And for reference, here is the original by The Master:

Currently listening to...

...the British act Hot Chocolate perform "Every 1's A Winner." Wow, this song really holds up after all these years. It came out in 1978 (I bought the 45 the day I heard it on the radio--oops, sorry, a "45" was a 7" vinyl record for those born too recently), and although it was played in discos, it was not really a disco song. It is a strange confluence of genres: disco with its chilly synth texture in the background, funk with its bass line and vocals by lead singer and songwriter Errol Brown, soul with its chorus of fantastic black back-up singers, and rock and roll with its blistering--and absolutely genius--guitar riff played by Harvey Hinsley using a Roland GR-500 which gives it that crispy, buzzing quality. Take a listen and get your groove on, kids...

Hot Chocolate broke up but reformed with a different lead singer.
http://www.hot-chocolate.co.uk/

Here is Errol Brown's site:
http://www.errolbrown.com/

"Back Home (Mermaids & Dragons)" by Jesse Boykins III

This warped, ambient, funk/soul sound is just amazing.

http://jbiiimusic.com/

"Platoon" by Jungle

London-based sound collective Jungle have released a debut single featuring a fascinating, murky hybrid of underground alternative dance music and old-school smooth funk.

http://www.junglejunglejungle.com/

Masterpeices of Pop: "Family Affair"

In a survey of Masterpieces of Pop, there are several masterpieces to examine when one looks at the phenomenon of Sly and the Family Stone and their remarkable catalog. Headed by Sly Stone (née Sylvester Stewart), this important, groundbreaking group helped to create the genres of soul, funk and psychedelic music from the mid 60s to the mid 70s. Sly and the Family Stone were the first successful American musical group to feature a truly integrated [black and white], multi-gender line-up which included many of Sly’s actual family members and friends. The pioneering sound they created was magical and captured the zeitgeist of the nation, and indeed the world at that time. One can cite so many Sly and the Family Stone songs as potential masterpieces such as “Dance To The Music,” “Life,” “Fun,” “Sing A Simple Song,” “Everyday People,” “Stand!” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” but none of these quite match the brilliance of a deceptively simple tune called “Family Affair.”


Whereas the other potential masterpieces are bright, cheery, energetic songs pulsing with optimism and the noise of life, “Family Affair” is a somber, gritty moment. The band was known for a certain style of rock-soul-funk that was and is still is highly influential (legendary bass player Larry Graham actually invented the now-common slap method of playing the bass guitar), but due to many shifting factors in the band—drug use, personality clashes (most likely resulting from the aforementioned drug use)—and the changing landscape of American culture, the sound became darker, reflecting Sly's paranoid haze and the disillusionment many young people were feeling after they realized the 60s didn’t change much and things were not going to get a whole lot better. Race riots, the Black Panthers, the escalating Vietnam War, the massacre at Kent State…“Family Affair” was born out of this milieu.

A large part of what makes this song a Masterpiece of Pop is its brevity. Coming in at just over three short minutes, the song is composed of a sparse musical arrangement featuring Bobby Womack on guitar, Billy Preston on the Rhodes piano, and Sly Stone on bass. Vocals are shared between Sly (who sing-speaks the lyrics in an off-rhythm, deliberately off-key, strung out, blues-y way) and his sister Rose. Notice that there is no drummer. Greg Errico, the percussionist for Sly and the Family Stone, left the group in early 1971 because of Sly’s increasingly unpredictable behavior. So for “Family Affair,” Sly programmed a drum machine, making the song the very first number-one hit to feature a programmed rhythm track. There is also a wonderful and highly ambient, atmospheric filtered sound to the instruments and vocals. Apparently during recording, Sly became obsessed with re-recording and overdubbing the material which leaves one to wonder whether or not this low-fi tape hiss was an inadvertent side-effect of the process or a deliberate artistic statement.

The song may be short, but like any good poet, Sly managed to pack a lot of meaning into such a small space. There is some speculation about Sly’s inspiration for the song, with one theory positing his increasingly troubled relationships with his own family members in the band as the impetus. Lyrically, the song—in only two verses—deals with two different family situations, whether related by blood or by marriage. But true to this restless, deep new sound, the lyrics are not really about the solidity of family but about the difficulties, doubts, and confusion that can arise in family relationships, testing the strength of the bonds of love. This tight song has no upbeat message, no real resolution, no bright spot to look forward to. Like any good piece of art, no matter what form it may take, we are given information and it is up to us to make something of it. We are left with the situation to deal with, both in the song and, considering the meaning of the lyrics, in our own lives as well. We are left with uncertainty.

The song was released on the band’s fifth album, “There’s A Riot Goin’ On.” “Family Affair” peaked at number one for three weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100. It is ranked #138 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the "500 Greatest [Pop] Songs of All Time."

“It's a family affair, it's a family affair
It's a family affair, it's a family affair

One child grows up to be
Somebody that just loves to learn
And another child grows up to be
Somebody you'd just love to burn
Mom loves the both of them
You see it's in the blood
Both kids are good to Mom
Blood's thicker than mud
It's a family affair, it's a family affair
What of it?
Newlywed a year ago
But you're still checking each other out
Nobody wants to blow
Nobody wants to be left out
You can't leave, 'cause your heart is there
But sure you can't stay, 'cause you been somewhere else
You can't cry, 'cause you'll look broke down
But you're cryin' anyway 'cause you're all broke down

It's a family affair
It's a family affair”

Synchronistically, Sly Stone has released a brand new album just today, August 16, 2011. Visit his website for details.

http://www.slystonemusic.com/

This is the sixth installment of my original, ongoing "Masterpieces of Pop" series. You can read the other essays here:

Masterpieces of Pop: "Ode To Billie Joe"
Masterpieces of Pop: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"
Masterpieces of Pop: "I Only Have Eyes For You"
Masterpieces of Pop: "I'm Not In Love"
Masterpieces of Pop: "Warm Leatherette" and "Cars"