Judy Dyble, the singer-songwriter known for her work with British folk-rock band Fairport Convention, has died at the age of 71. She passed away yesterday (July 12) after suffering from a long-term illness, her publicist confirmed.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that English singer-songwriter Judy Dyble passed away on 12th July 2020 following a long illness borne with great courage,” a press release reads. “We wish to express our deepest sympathies to Judy’s family, friends and many associates from her musical career at this time. Judy’s family would like to thank her fans for their messages and good wishes on social media over the last few weeks, but at this time ask that they avoid contacting them for now as they would just like some quiet time.”
Born in London, Dyble first started playing with her band, Judy and the Folkmen, in 1964. She joined the newly formed Fairport Convention in 1967, and left shortly after recording their debut self-titled album in 1968. She went on to become a vocalist for the cult band Trader Home and later sang in Robert Fripp’s early band Giles, Giles and Fripp, in addition to launching her own solo career. The singer largely withdrew from the music business in the 1970s to concentrate on her family, but appeared in several of Fairport Convention’s reunion shows, up until 2017 for the 50th anniversary reunion show at Cropredy.
Dyble released a number of solo albums in the 2000s, including 2004’s Enchanted Garden and 2009’s Talking with Strangers. After appearing as a guest singer on Big Big Train’s ‘The Ivy Gate’, taken from the prog rock band’s 10th studio album Grimspound, she formed a close working relationship with frontman David Longdon. Together they had been recording a new album, called Between A Breath And A Breath, to be released in September.
“Judy and I became friends during the writing and making of this album,” Longdon said in a statement. “Along the way, there was much laughter and joy – but also challenging moments. She was a woman of a certain age and she wrote articulately and unflinchingly about the autumn phase of her life.”
He continued: “She dealt with her illness with incredible courage and fortitude. She suspected this album was her swan song and she gave it her all. Judy reassured me that she’d had a great life. Which indeed she did. And I will miss her greatly.”
In this series, we take a deep dive into a significant song from the past and get to the heart of what makes it so great. Today, we revisit Mazzy Star’s biggest single, a wistful anthem of unrequited love that pulls you into its ethereal world and lingers in your mind long after the fire has faded.
For a song whose haunting beauty and pensive languor captured the hearts of thousands of hopeless romantics around the world, there’s not much to say about Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade into You’. Not because everything’s already been said, necessarily, but because the dream pop group’s 1993 single is not really the kind of song you talk about. You just sink into its ethereal world, letting those reverb-drenched vocals and hypnotic slide guitar speak directly to your soul. “So much about music is overdetermined by television and what people write and say about it,” co-founder David Roback, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 61, told The Times back in 1993. “You have to leave something to people’s imagination, so they feel they can participate. Music is music. We don’t want to be part of that over-determination. We feel you should be able to shut your eyes and listen to it.”
This is a good rule of thumb for listening to any number of songs, but ‘Fade into You’ captures that depth of feeling so intimately that it becomes impossible not to just close your eyes and let the music wash over you. And while the irony of writing a piece about a song you’re not really supposed to write about doesn’t escape me, part of the magic of the song is what it makes people want to say; not the kind of people Roback was probably referring to – critics and the media in general – but fans whose own memories are inextricably tied to this song. Scrolling through the YouTube comments on the song’s official video, you’ll find people recounting stories of when they first heard it, or simply what it reminds them of: first loves, dusty afternoons, starry nights. People relating not just to the feeling of the song – to the way it somehow sounds both melancholic and hopeful, languid yet enchanting – but to each other. Which, in itself, is pretty strange – who knew that a song by and about introverts could foster such a meaningful sense of human connection?
‘Fade into You’ is often remembered as a song about falling in love – in fact, it might be one of the greatest songs about falling in love, or rather being consumed by it – but it can also be read as being about longing for that deeper kind of human connection, only to realize others simply don’t experience emotions in the same way. The lines “I look to you and I see nothing/ I look to you to see the truth” might just be about unrequited love, about not seeing those romantic feelings reflected in the other person’s eyes; but coming after the iconic opening couplet “I want to hold the hand inside you/ I want to take a breath that’s true”, it’s possible that this emptiness stems from recognizing the impossibility of being part of someone else’s internal world, of having your own personal urges exist outside yourself. Rhyming “true” with “truth” might appear lazy, but in this case it serves to highlight the disparity between the truth that she yearns for and the truth the world hands her: truth as love, and truth as harsh reality.
And yet, she can’t help but marvel at the other person’s ignorance with a kind of youthful idealism: “I think it’s strange you never knew,” singer Hope Sandoval coos in the chorus. Strange that feelings so immense can go unnoticed. Rendered even stranger, perhaps, by the fact that the person that’s being addressed appears to be similarly reclusive: “You live your life/ You go in shadows”. Sandoval, too, has a reputation for being shy, preferring to perform in near-darkness and sometimes visibly uncomfortable when playing in broad daylight. “Once you’re onstage, you’re expected to perform,” Sandoval once said. “I don’t do that. I always feel awkward about just standing there and not speaking to the audience. It’s difficult for me.” But on ‘Fade into You’, the other person’s tendency to “go in shadows” is less about being reticent than it is about suffering from some form of depression, one that “colors your eyes with what’s not there.” The truth then becomes much less complicated, but just as bitter: she sees nothing when she looks at him because he’s haunted by a kind of emptiness that’s just as all-consuming as her love.
‘Fade into You’ will forever be seen as an achingly romantic song, but there’s a darkness to it that often goes unnoticed – the spiral of losing yourself completely to someone who’s lost in a whole different way. There’s no indication that the nature of the singer’s desire is purely romantic; her pain stems not just from the fact that her love isn’t – or can’t be – reciprocated, but from this inability to reach out to the other person and pull them out of that dark place. On the song’s cryptic second verse, she imagines herself from his perspective, seeing her love as “a stranger’s light” that “comes on slowly”, a “stranger’s heart without a home”. But she quickly realizes her love could never be enough – “You put your hands into your head/ And then its smiles cover your heart”. Much like “true” and “truth”, the “hands into your head” line links back to the first verse, where she sings that she wants to “hold the hand inside you”, to prevent him from further sinking into his depression – only for her to “fade into” some version of what she earlier describes as a “night into your darkness”.
None of that, of course, explains why a song so enigmatic has left a lasting impact on so many. And though, to this day, no one really knows exactly how ‘Fade into You’ became such an unlikely hit – it was the only song by Mazzy Star to make it make to the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 44 – for many, it boiled down to this: it was a great makeout song, perhaps one of the best of all time. One Capitol executive put it like this: “All those kids have boyfriends and girlfriends, and they like to neck, and I don’t think they listen to Barry White”. Plenty of films and television shows have capitalized on that, too. But it’s not so much because of the lyrics as the overall vibe of the track, which is ironic, considering it’s one of the few Mazzy Star songs that does more to capture a specific feeling than just a mood. It’s also one of their more polished compositions: compare it to something like ‘Be My Angel’ from 1990’s She Hangs Brightly, a track that uses a near identical chord progression and some of that bluesy slide guitar, but has a rougher, almost improvisational feel to it. Here, that chord progression provides a solid foundation for all the haziness enveloping it – of course, it helps that it’s also one of the most ubiquitous out there, bringing to mind Bob Dylan’s ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’.
Perhaps it’s that quality that makes the track so nostalgic – there’s a kind of familiarity to it, but it’s diluted just enough to let your mind wander, in the same way that the lyrics tell a specific story while also being vague enough for the listener to project their own experiences onto them. But as evocative as the song can be, it wasn’t nostalgia that the band was going for: “It was never intended to be a nostalgic song,” Roback once explained. “Unless you were meant to think about nostalgia for the present, because it really was about the present.” Which makes sense, when you think of it: it’s written in the present tense, for one thing, and the intensity of the emotion gives it a certain immediacy. But the production tells a different story – soaked in enough reverb to make it feel like the past is part of the present, unfolding right there in front of you.
And then there’s Sandoval’s singing. There’s a characteristic softness to it that makes it feel strikingly intimate, but what makes it so effective is that it externalises a whole internal world without underselling nor overdramatizing the passion that lies underneath. “Fade into you,” she sings, elongating each syllable, “Strange you never knew”. Unlike many of their contemporaries in the alternative rock scene, Mazzy Star were capable of expressing teenage emotions with a kind of quiet wistfulness that was completely foreign to genres like grunge. Even when Kurt Cobain tapped into a similar kind of introspection during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged concert, there was barely any sense of hope behind the pain – whereas ‘Fade into You’ offers consolation right from its very first lines, as if Sandoval is singing directly to you. There was a whole lot of music in the 90s that channelled teenage angst like never before, music you could identify with – but that song provides at least some comfort, whether you relate to one who goes in the shadows or the singer chasing down after him. Even if you’re not paying attention to lyrics, the track’s gorgeous instrumental, punctuated by gentle piano embellishments and hushed tambourine, is enough to make you feel like you’re wrapped in a warm embrace.
Despite all the mystique surrounding it, though, ‘Fade into You’ is really a simple song at its core. “We weren’t trying to write a hit song – we were just writing a song,” Roback said in a 2018 interview, explaining that it started as an acoustic song. “I think we had a melody and a feel and we just followed that feel.” Though naturally averse to any kind of mainstream success, Mazzy Star were not the kind of band who grew to hate their most famous single. And yet, they always seemed to highlight that simplicity when talking about their songwriting process, as if the song just came together naturally on its own. When asked about it in a 2013 interview, Sandoval simply said: “I think it’s a good song.” But despite their refusal to mythologize themselves or their craft, it was Roback who described it most eloquently: “We’re not so concerned about the outside world,” he told Uncut in 2013. “It’s a very internal process that we’re involved in. The outside world is really not on our minds, in so far as the music is concerned […] It is its own world unto itself.” When you listen to ‘Fade into You’, it’s impossible not to lose yourself in that world; a world, that, as Sandoval wrote in a poem posted a few days after Roback’s passing, is “filled with the comforting sadness that holds us together”.
Ralph Graef, a German photographer, has presented a superb surreal-like series in which explores an abandoned motel.
Writing about the series Graef stated: “Just by chance I recently discovered an abandoned motel. According to its condition the area has been unused for many years, but the houses are still in a decent condition. For the most part they are all the same ground-level duplex houses with two rooms and a bathroom each. There are also two large houses with many single rooms and common washrooms. The complex was built in the early seventies during the GDR era as a holiday camp and training centre. After the reunification it served as an accommodation for harvest workers for a while. After that it was supposed to become a cheap accommodation for backpackers, but this never happened. It seems that the area won’t awake from a deep sleep soon…”
Galen Tipton has had quite a busy year. In addition to dropping a number of one-off collaborations and remixes, the Ohio-based producer also released an EP under the recovery girl moniker back in January, which was then reissued by Orange Milk into a full-length record featuring songs from February’s gross/scratch as well as a handful of remixes. It was, to quote one of the songs’ title, ‘big loud & violent’; a dynamically abrasive collection of glitched-out hyperpop bangers that stitched together elements of experimental pop, hardcore, and electronic music. And with her latest EP, goddexx, Tipton shows no signs of stopping, expanding her already diverse musical palette to deliver her most focused and refined effort yet.
Goddexx is nowhere near as raucous or rough around the edges as recovery girl, nor is it purposefully disjointed like 2019’s fake meat. But while it features some of her most polished production yet, the new release certainly doesn’t compromise on Tipton’s bold artistic vision – it’s still as hyperactive as anything she’s ever produced, stacked with one insanely wonky beat after another and plenty of inventive ideas to get your blood pumping. Though it’s mostly an instrumental album, lacking the hooks and in-your-face vocals that made recovery girl so memorable, it more than makes up for it with its colourful sound design and meticulously crafted song structures.
It also marks Tipton’s most grandly cinematic effort to date, which makes sense when you consider it was intended as “battle music to crush oppressors and dance on their graves” (closer ‘That Was for Luck’ delivers just that, starting off like the soundtrack to a fighting game before morphing into a full-on rave). There’s definitely a sense of empowerment running through Goddexx, which stems from the fact that Tipton wrote it after emerging out of an abusive relationship while also coming into her own identity as a nonbinary trans girl. But where recovery girl had more of a subversive and at times aggressive edge to it, Goddexx feels even more triumphant and rapturous in its display of inner strength, like on the vibrant opener ‘Courageous Grieving’ or the infectiously raunchy ‘Girl Dick’, which has to be the fiercest highlight on the EP.
If you had to pin it down to one genre, Goddexx can probably be best described as deconstructed club music; but Tipton isn’t just taking on that approach simply because it’s becoming more popular, but because its propulsive and vibrant sounds perfectly encapsulate the themes that she’s trying to put forward. For anyone who’s never heard Tipton’s music before, comparisons to Iglooghost and the XYZcollective are inevitable – but as the artist acknowledged in a tweet, Goddexx pulls from a wide range of artists in the electronic music scene, including producers like Dasychira from the Unseelie collective, through which the EP was released. Those influences come through most prominently in the ominous textures that underlie tracks like the unrelenting ‘Butterfly Drinking Blood’ or the first half of ‘Cry Gold’, steering them towards uncanny valley territory.
But Tipton puts her own spin on whatever style she takes on, infusing it with elements you wouldn’t normally expect in a way that’s both surprisingly coherent and exciting. In the past, a lot of that genre-blending would come in the form of a collaboration, and that synergy was part of what gave Tipton’s previous output its appeal. But Goddexx benefits from being solely written, produced, mixed, and mastered by Tipton herself, thus setting out a singular vision more clearly than any of her other projects. It rightfully claims its own place in today’s flourishing experimental music scene, while also affording her the space to celebrate her own personal victories by showcasing her unique and versatile approach. This might be battle music, but if the abrupt ending of ‘That Was for Luck’ is any indication, the war is far from over – and if the soundtrack to the rest of it is as consistently exalting, that might not be such a bad thing.
Doom metal outfit Pallbearer have announced their follow-up to 2017’s Heartless. It’s called Forgotten Days and it’s set for release on October 23 via Nuclear Blast. The band have also shared a new video for the title track, directed by Ben Meredith. Watch ‘Forgotten Days’ below, and check out the album’s cover art and tracklist.
Speaking about the new track, singer/guitarist Brett Campbell said in a statement: “The video for ‘Forgotten Days’ tells the story of an unfortunate traveler who journeys too far, and becomes lost in the depths of both inner, and outer, space. What is real when you cannot trust your own mind?”
Discussing the themes of the new album, bassist Joseph Rowland added: “Forgotten Days is us exploring what is natural to us. The songs tell me where I need to go when I write. We wanted to focus on songs that were visceral and enjoyable to play live—that our audiences would enjoy experiencing. We’re also getting back to more of the groovier and heavier elements of Pallbearer. Heartless is fairly uptempo and technical. This one is a little more open, it hammers you.”
He continued by saying that the record is thematically connected to the band’s previous material. “When we were writing Sorrow and Extinction, my mother was terminally ill,” he said. “It’s been 10 years since she passed. It’s taken me all of this time to take a really good look at myself. While we were writing Forgotten Days, I knew, “Now is the time to sit down and begin to understand who I have become.”
Forgotten Days Tracklist:
1. Forgotten Days
2. Riverbed
3. Stasis
4. Silver Wings
5. The Quicksand of Existing
6. Vengeance & Ruination
7. Rite of Passage
8. Caledonia
Dua Lipa has shared a trippy animated video for her song ‘Hallucinate’, the latest single from her most recent studio album, Future Nostalgia. Check it out below.
Directed by the Mill’s Lisha Tan and inspired by 20th century cartoons, the visual sees the pop star turn into an animated character as she sings to a crowd of adoring fans. As is fitting for a song called ‘Hallucinate’, the clip quickly turns psychedelic, with Lipa riding a giant pink unicorn through colourful dreamscapes.
Released back in March, Future Nostalgia landed on our Best Albums of the Year So Far list. The album also includes the hit singles ‘Don’t Start Now’, ‘Physical’, and ‘Break My Heart’.
Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, and Elton John are among the celebrities who have signed an open letter to the UK government calling for a ban on “conversion therapy”. The letter was written by London-based advocacy group Ban Conversion Therapy and addressed to the Minister for Women And Equalities, urging her to “introduce a truly effective ban on ‘conversion therapy’” in the UK.
“The government has said recently that conversion therapy is complex, which it undoubtedly is, and although we acknowledge the issue is nuanced we strongly believe that effective legislation, supported by a programme of work to help tackle these practices in all their forms, is possible,” the letter read.
It continued: “Any form of counselling or persuading someone to change their sexual orientation or behaviour so as to conform with a heteronormative lifestyle, or their gender identity should be illegal, no matter the reason, religious or otherwise – whatever the person’s age.”
“Let’s end it now. Let’s finish what was pledged two years ago and ban ‘conversion therapy’ for all lesbian, gay, bi, trans, and gender diverse people, of all ages. Until you do, torture will continue to take place on British soil.”
In addition to Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, and Elton John, other signees included Rina Sawayama, Clairo, Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix, Sam Fender, Years & Years’ Olly Alexander, Katherine Ryan, Stephen Fry, Russell T. Davies, and more.
The Flaming Lips have shared a new song called ‘Dinosaurs on the Mountain’. It arrives with a music video shot in Oklahoma during lockdown and directed by George Salisbury and Wayne Coyne for delo creative. The visual shows the band performing inside giant bubbles, much like they did on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert back in June. Check it out below.
‘Dinosaurs on the Mountain’ marks the third single from the band’s upcoming album, American Head, following the Kacey Musgraves-featuring ‘Flowers of Neptune 6′ and ‘My Religion Is You’. The new record is scheduled for release on September 11 via Warner. Back in March, the band released Deap Lips, a collaborative effort with Deap Vally. Their last full-length album was 2019’s King’s Mouth.
Limón Limón, an exciting LA-based duo, have presented their newest single Frozen Lemonade, several days ago. The song follows on their memory-filled song Barcelona Night, this time taking a different approach to their production. Frozen Lemonade stands out with its rhythmic dance-like energy while still holding the quality we have come to love from Limón Limón in terms of structure and overall production. Yet, while Frozen Lemonade is very much a summer track, its overall mood is shaded with a feeling of melancholy, it’s a heartbreak song, in some ways reflecting the climate we are in at this moment.
The song features a superb visual video.
Big Black Delta Vessel
Entering with Vessel we have Big Black Delta, a solo project of Jonathan Bates who first came to notice as the frontman of Mellowdrone before entering M83’s live band. Bates has also notably remixed M83’s Midnight City and has respectively released three albums under the Big Black Delta moniker over the years. With his most current song which is part of his fourth album named 4, Big Black Delta dives into a reminiscent mood; it’s a marvellous song birthing the magnificent production that we know Big Black Delta has pocketed over the years through experimentation and growth. Compared to some of his earlier work, Vessel is more comfortable to absorb for the casual listener while remaining appealing and exciting for his hardcore fans.
Vessel also features an arthouse-like music video which was directed by Warren Kommers who has also worked with Twenty One Pilots and The Neighbourhood.
Juliet July, an Amsterdam-based singer-songwriter, today released her six-track EP Palm Trees in the Mist. The EP came after the releases of her two singles Blue Paradise and Easy which respectively feature on the EP.
Palm Trees in the Mist takes the listener on a reminiscent and reflective trip through various emotions and themes including love, longing, lust and heartbreak. It finally resolves with a positive note bringing a silver lining to the memory-filled journey.
Talking about the EP July stated “Palm trees represent happiness, joy, warmth, The Mist represents more heavy, sad and dark emotions. ‘Palm trees in the mist’ combined, creates a symbolism for me to keep seeing the ‘Silver Livings’ in whatever situation life throws at us.”
