your-earwormblog-blog

[your-earwormblog-blog]

ALBUM REVIEW: FONTAINES D.C - DOGREL

“Dublin in the rain is mine,” chants Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten as their Mercury Prize nominated album ‘Dogrel’ erupts into play with punk rock drums and their song, ‘Big’. “My childhood was small, but I’m gonna be big,” he continues in the chorus. The Irish singer’s delivery makes it hard not to believe him. A combustion of in-your-face shouty vocals and spoken word, the latter probably stemming from the group’s shared love for poetry. In fact, the majority of this brilliant collection of songs is delivered in such vocal style, with minimal melodic elements. It’s clear that they really want you to hear what they have to say, just like any punk band.

With that being said, it’s hard to always grasp the meaning of Grian’s lines. However, this is often really, really enjoyable.

The listeners march, foot-tap and head-bob along with Sha Sha Sha, Too Real and Television Screens, which nostalgically pulsate through the listener’s body, reminiscing of times past (particularly 80’s post-punk). 

However, when the time comes for Hurricane Laughter, this album is elevated to the next level. Angry, driving, punky, regimented mess. There is method to the madness of this music. Confused and baffled but totally impressed by the lyrical content. A series of interestingly placed, rhythmically surprising vocals and lyrics. 

After the hard-hitting; ‘Roy’s Tune’, the second half of the album brightens the mood a little, with Liberty Belle having the potential to be a rock’n’roll classic. The band end their magnificent piece of work with the somber, should-be Irish anthem, that is ‘Dublin City Sky’.

I highly recommend this work.

[your-earwormblog-blog]

MEDIA PLAN & STRATEGY: MY GAME PLAN

In times of current, as a musician and artist, I’ve become increasingly aware of the importance of journalism in my industry. 

What became apparent the more I learnt about music and specifically music promotion, is the high regard that consumers hold for third party opinions on artistry or material. In other words, if someone, anyone, wrote a piece about my band, I think it would be 75% more effective than if readers were to consume this information from myself. Perhaps, particularly in the UK, this stems from the general disapproval of self-praise and ego inflation. We’re a humble nation. 

Listeners and audiences internally beg the question why a non-related outsider goes to efforts to put in good words for a band or artist, particularly if they are still unknown. They must be pretty good if the author has gone to such inconveniences, right? Furthermore, due to the human need to relate with one another, if an opinion comes from a person held in high regard, we’re inclined to trust them and our psyche is likely to indicate that there’s no reason why we can’t obtain the same opinion and follow this trend. 

This is a classic example of trend generation. Once journalists grasp the skill of starting trends, they obtain great power in the music industry. This isn’t easy though - the actual content and subject of promotion has to be of great level. So finding the next big artist is striking gold in the world of a music journalist.  

MEDIA PLAN

Name of blog, description, interests:

EARWORM - infectious, moorish novelist music journalism. Interested in creating a platform specifically for unconventional upcoming music artists, sharing riveting musical experiences and challenging flaws in the current industry through subjective and objective commentary. 

Target audience:

For everyone. However, ‘alternative’ 16 - 26 year old music folk may be unable to resist. 

Content relation to target audience:

It’s clear that I’ve put thought into presentation and a colour theme in my blog in relation to my target audience, because one of my main objectives is to make my content easily consumable. Especially for those between the ages of 16 and 26. I tried to put myself in the shoes of the reader. What aspects of a post would make me more likely to read it? Photos or graphics is a big one, visuals on social media are key in grabbing someone’s attention, so I added good quality photos. I made it personal by making my page my favourite colour - pink, which is one that stands out. People love authenticity and character. I separated my paragraphs to fool the reader into thinking there’s less text and to lead them into believing they would read it quicker - young people are lazy readers. Everything is clear and bold.

Conclusion:

Being highly particular in my artist and topic selection is the most important rule of my strategy to become a successful music journalist. In the music world, there is huge significance in reputation, so being carefully selective of what and who I write about is paramount. This will create a level of exclusivity for my content, which is appealing to publishers. 

[your-earwormblog-blog]

THINK PIECE - LIZZO: TRUTH HURTS

As a child, I was overweight. 

I particularly struggled between the ages of 7 and 13, and for those six years I was bullied for being bigger than most of my peers. I’m a healthy weight now but I occasionally feel like those childhood experiences still burden me. I often struggle with body image and suffer unnecessary self-consciousness regarding my weight. And although I wouldn’t change a single thing about my life, because it’s made me who I am today, what I’m saying is - I know what it’s like to be ‘fat’. 

“The woke have spoken: fat is fab” calls Daniella Davis in her article for Spectator USA. Similarly to her, I disagree that obesity is a lifestyle worth preaching, but as much as I try to convince myself otherwise, I find inescapable nuances of obesity normalisation in everything that is Lizzo as an artist. 

I’m sorry to say this, I really am. I’m the first to shake my booty and wave my finger in the air singing:

“I just took a DNA test, 

    turns out, 

I’m a hundred per cent, 

that bitch.”

Her music slaps, there’s no doubt about it. Moreover, her likeness is unavoidable and that’s precisely where grave danger lies. Lizzo raps and sings never-ending messages of self-love and confidence boosting lyrics. Characteristics, which we can all agree are something ever-decreasing in modern society. And I praise her for this. But her rapid ascension of the fame ladder means that she now has many adoring fans who look up to her as an idol. I can’t help but imagine how those people live in a world where being obese is something which is not only a normality, but actually promoted! Just read these lines and weep: 

‘Slow songs, they for skinny hoes.’  ‘Look at my ass it’s fitty-fitty fat.’  ‘Come eat some of this cake, he look like he could gain a little weight / lick the icing off, put the rest in your face.’ ‘Thank god, thank god, I’m gettin’ thicker.’

Those aren’t just lines that promote obesity. In fact, even worse. I can’t help but feel that they target those who are a healthy weight, or perhaps even the opposite end of the spectrum to Lizzo; underweight. 

Before you jump to assumptions, I have nothing against people that are overweight. I don’t even think there’s anything wrong if Lizzo or anyone else likes or wants to be a bigger female, male or non-binary. To be frank, I think she’s beautiful. 

However, considering the unprecedented pool of knowledge that the contemporary medical world has equipped us with regarding unhealthy eating and its consequent damage on physical and mental health, there’s absolutely no excuse for its promotion to the masses. Furthermore, in my native UK, the problem of obesity puts avertable strain on our beloved NHS. 

Maybe someone should educate Melissa on the fatal dangers that obesity poses regarding heart disease, strokes, diabetes, arthritis and cancer.

[your-earwormblog-blog]

LIVE REVIEW - MURA MASA, READING FESTIVAL 2019

The tent is almost empty. I make my way to the dispersed crowd. Seems like a hundred or two devoted fans. Perfect. I fit right in. 

From the ground, ruthlessly scorched by the 30+ degree temperatures, a thin cloud of dust is picked up in the evening breeze and carried right above the heads of those stood where a mosh pit would open up shortly. 

Central stage facing position assumed, I’m ready to consume every ounce of creativity Mura Masa has to offer. He is a musical beast, one that has innovated electronic music. That being said, I had never seen the producer before, purposefully leaving his show a surprise by banning my watching of his live videos.

Half-hour later, the tent is full. Post Malone, still only halfway through his headline set elsewhere in the festival.

He enters stage left, drum sticks in hand - I’m immediately amazed. The 21 year old lunges onto his riser, topped with all kinds of keyboards, drums and guitars. He’s completely alone.

The music - a jumping extravaganza. The sound - incredible. I’ve been to many shows, but I felt this bass in places I didn’t know was possible. 

Mesmerised by his gliding around on stage and playing numerous instruments, I was suddenly shocked out of bliss, when he began bringing out featured artists. Bonzai, Nao, Slowthai. I had never seen someone gel with another collaborating performer like this. The chemistry he had with his singers was nothing less than tantalising. His song ‘Complicated’, a life-long imprint on my brain as one of my happiest memories.

Mura Masa was like an ecstasy pill. He left me euphoric and wanting more.

[your-earwormblog-blog]

NEW ARTIST FEATURE - OUR TRIBE

It’s 16:00, Sunday and I’m walking into Cafe Nero, on Guildford high-street. I have a coffee date with two intriguing gentlemen. A low murmur is lingering around Guildford about this duo. Deservedly so. The pair sent me some demos of their forthcoming EP. Very good.

As I stroll in I’m met with two warm, smiling faces, sitting in the far corner of the cafe. Immediately I feel like I’ve known these boys for a while.. “I’ve always thought we’d be on the cover of NME, just didn’t think it would happen so quickly,” says a grinning Ollie as we shake hands and sit down giggling. I wasn’t an NME journalist, but I did have an intuition this joke could become reality one day.

A special bond between the two was clear from the off. “We just understand each other on a level I’ve never experienced before. It’s an unspoken chemistry. Our brainwaves are constantly running parallel,” explains Tom. Although the duo have completely different physical features, this chemistry was evident in their image; dungarees, white band T’s and beanies. 

I’m quick to ask about the dungarees. The pair smile at each other, “We wear them with one strap off, when we perform. I’m stage left and Tom is stage right, so I leave the right strap undone and Tom, his left” explains Ollie proudly, but his band mate is quick to finish his sentence, “So when put together, we hold each other up! Something we do all the time in real life!”. 

The freedom of expression the two have, as males, is extremely refreshing. The problem of toxic masculinity is a prominent topic in their music and it seems they have no problem implementing what they preach. When asked to describe their music the band don’t hesitate for a moment.

            “Punk-Hop”       they say in unison.

Seeing how proud they were of inventing their own genre I think to myself ‘who would pass on checking out a bit of Punk-Hop’? It’s intriguing like everything else about them.

I realise how serious these two guys are. This isn’t some half-asked uni band project and the more I listen to them passionately explain everything they’re doing, the more I realise how every aspect of their artistry so far has a meaning and has been carefully curated and put together to relate to itself but also to be related to. It has layers. Lots of them. It’s consumable as fuck.

They list the artists that inspire them. “The Streets, Slaves, The 1975, IDLES, Fontaines DC, twenty one pilots, Mura Masa to name a few” they say collaboratively, but I can’t help but think how their music is completely authentic and these comparisons, if relating, do so minorly.

Before I realise, we’ve run out of time and I’ve got carried away conversing about social, political and environmental issues with this superbly self-aware, intelligent pair who jokingly describe themselves as ‘woke’.  I quickly ask about future releases. “We’ll be releasing a single, one week before the general election, called ‘Slave to the Rich Man’, which has important political commentary we’d like Britain to hear” explains Ollie. “Then another one on January 8th - ‘Big Guys’, which tackles issues of toxic masculinity and British bigotry” Tom finishes. “Then finally our debut EP ‘Beautiful But Tragic’, on February 1st,” Ollie proudly concludes. 

I’m genuinely excited for you to unfold all that is Our Tribe. This band is capable of entangling you in a spider’s web of poetic, novelist artistry. Like a good book, I find myself unable to put them down. And frankly, unable to give away the story line in fear of ‘ruining it’.