Nana Adjoa, an Amsterdam-born singer-songwriter, has today released her latest ear-pleasing single No Room. The song comes after the release of her mellifluous song Throw Stones.
Adjoa became more prominently known after the releases of her song No Sleep and Honestly, which both took off in 2018 as part of her Down At The Root, part one and part two releases. No Sleep and Honestly, collectively have reached over three million streams via Spotify alone.
Talking about No Room Adjoa said: “I wrote No Room about the feeling of having a conversation with someone which gets stuck in habitual small talk. Trying to control the moment, but leaving no room to discover the moment, each other or something new and unexpected.”
Ohmme, the Chicago-based duo comprised of Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham, have made a name for themselves for making experimental rock music that challenges the boundaries even that term entails. In addition to being active in Chicago’s improvized jazz scene, they’ve collaborated with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, performed with Vic Mensa in high school, and even contributed vocals on Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book. The band’s second LP, Fantasize Your Ghost, serves as a microcosm of their diverse musical palette, while also offering their most immediate collection of songs yet. From start to finish, Stewart and Cunningham showcase their unique dynamism as a duo: opener ‘Fantasize Your Ghosts’ summons the magnetic energy of a live show while boasting one of the album’s most captivating psych-rock hooks, while the propulsive ‘Selling Candy’ cascades into a chaotic whirlwind of guitars that sends the track soaring. The steady rhythm and angular guitar work on ‘Ghost’ are straight off the Sleater-Kinney playbook, while tracks like ‘Spell it Out’ and ‘Twitch’ introduce string arrangements to evoke a more composed but equally entrancing atmosphere. Each of the album’s three final tracks – the contemplative ‘Some Kind of Calm’, the noisy ‘Surgeon Moon’, and the pop-inspired ‘After All’ – might make you question whether you’re still listening to the same album, but it feels so natural and intuitive that it’s impossible not to let yourself get lost in the journey.
We caught up with Ohmme’s Macie Stewart for this edition of our Artist Spotlight series, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk a bit about their music.
How did you form Ohmme?
Ohmme began as an idea for a singular project. Sima and I had been orbiting around each other for a while, and felt excited about combining our songwriting and desire for experimentation with the electric guitar. We had been singing backup vocals with each other for a few years and felt like there was already a connection between the two of us, so the next logical step was to create something with just the two of us.
What have you learned from playing with each other?
Collaboration is a beautiful thing. We’ve learned a lot – we come from similar backgrounds, but our methods were vastly different and often challenge each other in new and exciting ways. I’ve learned a lot about fearlessness from playing with Sima, and learn so much about songwriting from her every day we play together. It’s so creatively stimulating to see how we grow towards and away from each other simultaneously while we move forward as a band.
You’ve both been active in Chicago’s improvised jazz scene – how has that influenced your music?
The improvised jazz scene in Chicago has a long and beautiful history, notably to groups like the AACM which have drawn so many people to the city over the years. There are some amazing venues here like Constelllation and The Hungry Brain and ESS which allow this music to thrive – and are what brought us to the realization that this music exists and is such an incredible art form. I don’t think I can say enough to how the scene has influenced our music; it has empowered us to create and compose in ways that feel intuitive to ourselves and not to anyone else but ourselves. Some of the people in this scene have been our biggest champions, and to them we are forever grateful for supporting us early on and still today.
How has your approach to songwriting changed since your debut album, Parts?
Fantasize Your Ghost feels more direct than Parts. It came at a time where we were in constant motion, and the only consistent thing in life was each other and our own brains. Life often felt like a movie or out of body experience- watching ourselves move and not knowing exactly where we were going, but knowing that we would end up somewhere. I think letting ourselves give in to this sort of powerlessness and aimlessness actually ended up giving us a lot of power to make choices and decisions that we would not have otherwise made.
What are some of the ideas that went into the making of Fantasize Your Ghost?
Lyrically, a main theme of this record is the idea of change. Not only accepting it, but actively making it happen when you need it and encouraging yourself to follow that path. As far as recording goes – we were fascinated by the idea of space and how that plays into a recording. We decided to record the record in a barn to capture the sounds around us: bugs, birds, faint wind, because all of that contributes to how the listener takes it all in. To me a record feels like a marker in time – it captures the place you were in emotionally and physically. Going into recording and knowing that whatever happens at the end of 3 weeks is “the thing” is both terrifying and exhilarating, but absolutely necessary as our parameter for creativity. There’s always wiggle room around it, but the sentiment rings true.
Is there anything you’re looking forward to in the next few months?
Camping, and spending lots of time outside. Biking. Reading.
Future Islands are back with a new single titled ‘For Sure’, accompanied by a post-apocalyptic visual directed by Sam Mason. It’s the indie rock band’s first new material since their 2018 Adult Swim single ‘Calliope’ and features Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak on backing vocals. Check it out below.
The last album Future Islands released was 2017’s The Far Field, after which many of the band’s members went on to pursue solo projects. As NME notes, the band previewed seven new tracks during a show at the Pearl Street Nightclub in Northampton, Massachusetts in September of last year. The songs were called ‘The Painter’, ‘Hit The Coast’, ‘Born In A War’, ‘Thrill’, ‘B.Ham’, ‘Plastic Beach’, and ‘Moonlight’, according to a fan who was there.
NOS Alive has announced the first list of names to play at the Lisbon festival’s 2021 edition, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alt-J, Moses Sumney, Angel Olsen, and more. Fontaines D.C., Caribou, Two Door Cinema Club, and others are also set to perform. Check out the full list of names announced so far below.
Like many other summer festivals, NOS Alive was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is set to return next year July 7-10 at Lisbon’s Passeio Marítimo de Algés. Today (July 8) marks what would have been the first day of the festival, to be headlined by Taylor Swift, The Strokes, Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar.
“This will be the first July without NOS Alive,” the festival’s organisers said in a statement at the time of postponement. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce that NOS Alive 2020 is postponed until July 2021.”
Tickets are currently on sale here. Those who hold tickets for the 2020 event can exchange them for new tickets or a voucher of the same value. Refunds can also be requested starting July 25.
Following the success of ‘MOTH’, hip-hop collective Jacquard Looms have shared a new single titled ‘BITE’, alongside an atmospheric music video self-directed by the group. Recorded under the nocturnal skies of London, the track combines an ethereal, ominous instrumental alongside hard-hitting flows from all three members, whose chemistry is reminiscent of acts like BROCKHAMPTON and 404 Guild.
“On ‘Bite’, they reach into the darkest part of the night for inspiration and come out the other side with a track that expresses the fitful thoughts of the restless,” a press release explains. Though as dreamy as ‘MOTH’, the new single evokes a notably darker atmosphere, while also featuring a Spanish hook atop a fittingly disorienting beat.
Sharon Van Etten and Bill Callahan are among the artists to perform at the second edition of Folk Medicine, a livestream concert benefiting Amazon Basin residents affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Check out the full lineup below.
The livestream is set to take place on Facebook Live and Zoom on Friday July 17 at 1am BST. The concert will be available to stream for free, but fans are encouraged to donate by buying a Zoom ticket, which can be purchased here. All proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to Folk Medicine, “an umbrella fundraising initiative that supports direct pandemic relief throughout the Amazon” by “raising funds to be distributed to aid efforts underway throughout the Amazon Basin.”
In a statement, Folk Medicine wrote: “The situation throughout the Amazon Basin is dire as indigenous peoples, already facing centuries of systemic oppression, suffer from illness, lack of food, medical supplies and income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” They added: “Medical infrastructure has completely collapsed in many regions and jungle communities are left largely to fend for themselves. Without access to direct aid, people are already dying at alarming rates. We must act now.”
The organizers have set an initial fundraising goal of $150,000, which will help “support indigenous Amazonians who need money for food, medications, oxygen, and economic relief now and in the coming months.”
The first livestreamed concert, which took place in June, raised $32,000 with 10 thousand viewers between Zoom and Facebook Live and included performances from Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Devendra Banhart, Avey Tare, Mariee Sioux and more.
Earlier this week, it was announced that former Kasabian singer Tom Meighan had left the Leicester band due to “personal issues”. Now, Meighan has pled guilty to assaulting his former fiancée, Vikki Ager.
As the BBC reports, Meighan appeared at Leicester Magistrates Court yesterday (July 7) to face charges of domestic assault. The singer admitted to assaulting Vikki Ager on the night of April 9, leaving her with with bruises on her knees, elbow, ankle as well as “a reddening around her neck”. The assault was reported by a child who witnessed the incident and called the emergency services to say a “domestic incident was taking place”. Officers who responded to the scene noted that Meighan “smelt heavily of intoxicants” and was “uncooperative and aggressive”.
After pleading guilty, Meighan was sentenced to 18 months of probation and 200 hours of unpaid work, in addition to having to complete five days of rehabilitation and paying £175 in legal fees.
Michelle Healey, Meighan’s attorney, told the court that the singer felt “deep remorse” and “personal humiliation”. Commenting on Meighan’s departure from the band, she noted: “To lose the opportunity to perform with the band he loves and people he loves is a huge personal loss.”
Following the court hearing, the band posted a statement on Twitter addressing the charges: “Now that the legal proceedings have been concluded, we can comment on the departure of Tom Meighan from the band,” they wrote. “No one in the band wanted this to happen. We have all worked so hard for the past twenty three years and had big plans for our future together. We’re completely heartbroken.”
Now that the legal proceedings have been concluded, we can comment on the departure of Tom Meighan from the band. Full statement below. Kasabian x pic.twitter.com/vP7Y61sxQA
They added: “But we were left with no choice but to ask Tom to leave the band. There is absolutely no way we can condone his assault conviction. Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is totally unacceptable. As soon as we found out about the charges made against Tom, we as a band made the decision that we could no longer work with him. Unfortunately we had to hold back this information until he was found guilty in court.”
Meighan then posted a statement on his personal Twitter account thanking his fans for all the “love and support” and letting them know he is “in a really good place” and will be “seeing you all very soon.”
Following today's announcement I just wanted to let you all know that I am doing well. I'm in a really good place now. Thanks for all your love and support. I'll be seeing you all very soon. TM x #TomMeighan#Kasabian
Shortly after, Kasabian responded to Meighan’s post (via NME): “We were led to believe that Tom would hold his hands up in his statement and tell everyone what he’d done but he chose not to, misleading a lot of fans.”
“Ultimately, as much as Tom has hurt us all, we’re not the victim in all of this. Domestic violence is something that can never be excused.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by domestic abuse, we encourage you to reach out:
Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247
Showtime Documentary Films announced yesterday (July 7) that Martin Scorsese will be directing a new feature on New York Dolls frontman David Johansen.
The film, co-directed by David Tedeschi, will take an intimate look at Johansen’s life and career, from his upbringing in Staten Island and his time in NYC’s East Village neighborhood as a teenager, to fronting the legendary glam rock band New York Dolls. The doc will also explore Johansen’s post-Dolls years, including the lounge music he made under the moniker Buster Poindexter in the 80s and his blues output with the Harry Smiths in the 90s. The film will also include clips from Johansen’s performances at New York’s Café Carlyle earlier this year.
“I’ve known David Johansen for decades, and his music has been a touchstone ever since I listened to the Dolls when I was making Mean Streets,” Scorsese said in a statement. “Then and now, David’s music captures the energy and excitement of New York City. I often see him perform, and over the years I’ve gotten to know the depth of his musical inspirations. After seeing his show last year at the Café Carlyle, I knew I had to film it because it was so extraordinary to see the evolution of his life and his musical talent in such an intimate setting. For me, the show captured the true emotional potential of a live musical experience.”
Scorsese is no stranger to music documentaries; he explored the ’70s rock scene in the HBO series Vinyl as well as The Band’s career in 1978’s The Last Waltz. More recently, he directed Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story, which was released by Netflix.
My Morning Jacket have announced their first new album in five years called The Waterfall II. The follow-up to 2015’s The Waterfall comes out this Friday, July 10, via ATO. Physical copies will be available from August 28. Check out the full tracklist and cover art below.
Tomorrow, July 9, the band will also host a listening party for the new album on both YouTube and Facebook. They’ll also play some of the new material on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon today (July 15).
The Waterfall II was recorded during the same sessions that brought us The Waterfall, at what became known as Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, California. The band originally considered putting out a triple album, but decided to split the tracks into distinct projects instead. During a walk in the early days of lockdown, frontman Jim James rediscovered one of the songs, ‘Spinning My Wheels’, which he felt was particularly relevant to the current situation due to evoking a feeling of being “hypnotized from doing the same old thing” .
According to a statement, the album “conjures an indelible pain but never drifts into despair.” James continues: “So many of us feel out of tune and long for the world to be a better place, we have to look to nature and the animals and learn from them: learn to love, accept, move on, and respect each other. We gotta work for it and change our ways before it’s too late, and get in harmony with love and equality for all of humanity and for nature too.”
In the years between The Waterfall and The Waterfall II, James has put out two solo albums, 2016’s Eternally Even and 2018’s Uniform Distortion, as well as the covers collection Tribute To 2, and a collaborative orchestral album called The Order of Nature.
My Morning Jacket Cover Artwork:
The Waterfall II Tracklist: 1. Spinning My Wheels
2. Still Thinkin
3. Climbing The Ladder
4. Feel You
5. Beautiful Love (Wasn’t Enough)
6. Magic Bullet
7. Run It
8. Wasted
9. Welcome Home
10. The First Time
Fast fashion has caused a massive disruption over the years in how consumers evaluate clothes and the cost of making clothes. Fast fashion seems to have only got worse with the presence of e-commerce, especially with new fast fashion labels popping up every minute, advertising their cheap garments via social media to potential unaware consumers.
In this short piece, we discuss fast fashion; it’s impact and the alternative — slow fashion.
Fast Fashion
Fast fashion has gained quite the momentum over the years. The best way to describe it would be trendy and cheap clothing that takes ideas from designer clothing and catwalks and puts it out for the masses for cheap.
What is it and where do you find fast fashion?
The goal of fast fashion is to be quick and cheap in manufacturing, making them ready and available to customers that are looking for affordable and trendy clothing. These stores are straightforward to find as they are the majority of the shops you see in the high street and online. An easy giveaway is the general cost of the items; if something is sold for a couple of pounds, it will likely be part of fast fashion. This set pricing means an item is made for a meagre cost, indicating that workers are underpaid and the quality of the garments are poor.
How does fast fashion impact you and the world?
This way of producing clothing has some positives, but in the long term, do not outweigh the negatives that it provides. The good is the affordability which makes new clothes accessible for the working class.
From a store point of view as soon as an item is out of stock, it is replaced by another new item, which means you can stay on-trend. It is a vicious cycle as fast fashion labels utilise deals with celebrities as catalysts to bring in more money by attracting young, trendy customers to their stores.
On a bigger scale, there are numerous points on how fast fashion negatively impacts the world. Fast fashion has a detrimental effect on the environment and animals. The way fast fashion approaches production destroys ecosystems from the usage of toxic chemicals, which creates toxic waste and severe pollution. Moreover, the fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water which can cause droughts in areas. Also, with more usage of synthetic materials, more microplastics are being released into the ocean after washes. The worst is that 85% of all textiles go to landfill. Those are just a few examples of how fast fashion is terrible for the environment and us.
It should be added, factories that produce the clothing are known for terrible conditions and lack of care for their workers, consistently breaching health and safety guidelines. Recently, factories in the U.K. have been accused of paying illegal wages and forcing workers to work during the lockdown.
Slow Fashion
Kate Fletcher coined the term slow fashion. She compares the fast fashion movement to the slow food movement; with the comparison, there is a need to slow down the pace of the industry.
What does slow fashion mean, and how can you find it?
Before the industrial revolution, the fashion industry was once slow fashion; it has a similar meaning but is more progressive in approach. The developed concept is that now slow fashion is about sustainability and the ethical values of a brand. Looking for slow fashion brands can be hard to come to by on the high street as they are usually smaller and less known unless you research for sustainable brands via a search engine. Slow fashion labels tend to have garments that are made from high quality, eco-friendly materials that are not just long-lasting but also better for the environment, such as a pair of women’s sustainable shoes that use high quality, regenerative materials that last long, and have timeless looks that match with most pieces. Brands that support slow fashion are typically transparent about their values, and how their items are made; they may also talk about the welfare of the workers involved. They tend to have fewer collection releases in the year and with that, may only have a limited amount of stocks for an item, so once it is gone, it is gone.
How does slow fashion impact you and the world?
The perks of buying from sustainable brands are that many will be transparent about their practices. You know that you are paying for quality and money will likely be re-investing into supporting local farmers and workers. A few may say that they aren’t in the trend, but their purpose is to design something stylish that you will wear and keep for a very long time, something that saves you money long term and doesn’t cause as much pollution. Slow fashion brands thoroughly look into sourcing eco-friendly materials but also sourcing local farmers and manufacturers to support local growth but also to lessen the pollution caused by travel. Slow fashion brands are mindful of all the processes, including the welfare of all their employees. They also think about their consumers, helping them reuse the product multiple times, extending the longevity of the product.
With the current crisis and still many people at home, it is easy to browse the internet and get stuck looking at a sale. Be mindful in what you buy and whether you think you’ll wear it more than once, garbage it the next week, or not wear it at all. So before you shop, research the brands you are buying from and understand the terrible risks of buying from a fast fashion label.
