Artist Profile: Kate Nash
I’m still rockin’ it in the UK and with some found time this weekend I managed to pound out a few posts for your enjoyment, so hopefully this week will see things returning to business as usual around these parts. Here’s an especially long one:
Singer-songwriters aren’t really my thing. Maybe it’s because I’m not so into the folk/acoustic scene these days. Maybe it’s because it seems like anyone who’s even the slightest bit musically inclined fancies themselves one. Maybe it’s because – as a result of that last fact – they come a dime-a-dozen and, without the input of other band members to keep it real and let them know what’s up, they’re generally shit. But motherfuck, I love me some Kate Nash. Then again, Nash isn’t your typical singer-songwriter.
Sure, she’s got a proficiency for the acoustic ballad that’s yet to be topped in ’07 and a voice to carry even the most ambitious arrangement, but unlike the bulk of her breed, she’s no one-trick pony. Look no further than debut single “Caroline’s A Victim”. It’s quite the polarizing track, likely to split listeners’ opinions right down the middle, but if there’s one thing everyone can agree on it’s that the track – for better or worse – is… different. It’s spoken word. There’s barely a full verse. There’s a massive synth-based beat in the stead of any acoustic musicianship. In a word, it’s bold. That said, I’m not in love with it, by any means. Far from it in fact; I think it’s a very interesting choice for a debut single for an artist of Nash’s nature, and I find sometime Bjork-collaborator Valgeir Sigurrosson’s production to be of the highest caliber, but it spends most of its time collecting dust on the ‘pod outside of the occasional spin here and there.
Yet it’s still one of the most impressive debuts of the year and one of my favorite records of 2007. Why? Flip it over and take the B-side for a walk. Yeah. “Birds”, while at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from “Caroline’s A Victim” – all heartfelt acoustic balladry and whatnot – is easily one of the year’s best tracks to this point. Showcasing Nash’s wonderfully emotive vocals and her distinctive mastery of conversational songwriting, “Birds” is one of the finest singer-songwriter accomplishments in recent history and even manages to out-cute and out-quirk her closest peer, Regina Spektor; no small feat by any means.
Oh, “Birds” isn’t enough to get you sufficiently excited enough to get your hands on everything and anything Nash touches? How about the small fact that PAUL MOTHERFUCKING EPWORTH (as in, the one and only) is manning the boards on her debut album? It seems that lately Epworth’s been occupying himself with his Epic Man and Phones projects more than anything and it’s certainly been a minute since we’ve heard him making any waves as a producer, but lest you forget: dude played a significant role in more era-defining records in one 18 month period from 2004 to 2006 than most people do in an entire lifetime. Pumped for this Nash record yet? Thought so.
So, let’s keep it moving then, onto her hotly anticipated follow up single, “Foundations”, due out June 8th. No official word yet on whether or not Epworth’s formally involved with this one, but even though none of his typical tricks, bells or whistles are in play here I can’t imagine he’s not behind the boards on this, considering they must be at least knee-deep in the production of the album at this point (Nash has already had her major label deal inked with Polydor/Fiction for nearly six months now). And the verdict? Brilliant! Finding the perfect compromise between the production-fest that is “Caroline’s A Victim” and the acoustic genius of “Birds”, there’s wonderful (albeit subtle) production work at play here and if it’s really Mr. Epworth whose in charge here then I’m immensely excited to see that he’s chosen to test his boundaries and step away from the dancefloor for a bit to explore new horizons. But Nash’s as-yet-untitled debut still promises to bring its fair share of dancefloor heat, as the demo of “Like Maybe” can attest. It’s a bit rough at this point, but you better believe I’m salivating at the thought of how the track will sound once Epworth’s had his way with it and the final mix finds its way into my hands. It could end up being my favorite Nash track once all is said and done (but shit, “Birds” is damn hard to beat), and it’s more than enough to bump Nash’s album up to the top of my Most Anticipated Debuts of ‘07 list. Cheers to that then, and here’s to Kate Nash as the best new artist in Britain.
Oh, and before people start talking shit in the comments - Nash owns Lily Allen. I don’t even want to hear it.
MP3s:
“Birds” – Kate Nash ((highly recommended))
“Foundations” – Kate Nash
“Like Maybe” (Demo) - Kate Nash ((highly recommended))
STREAM: “Caroline’s A Victim” – Kate Nash
Also available for your enjoyment below is Nash’s new video for “Foundations”, which is like way adorable and totally worth your time. Director Kinga Burza employs the simple technique of using solitary shots of individual images to reflect the greater theme of the song and it works really well and just suits the song perfectly.
Video: “Foundations” - Kate Nash
Director: Kinga Burza
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [Quicktime • 31 MB]
Burza also directed the just-released clip for the Teenagers unexpected anthem, “Homecoming”, another near-perfect clip that scores again thanks to what one can only assume is a collaboration with a top-notch Director of Photography. Just another simple, low-budget clip that just happens to succeed on every level. I caught the Teenagers last week at Electrowerkz and, uh, they were decent. Nothing super special or anything, but “Homecoming” and “Starlett Johansson” sounded really really great. So did the rumor that apparently Johansson has agreed to provide the female vocal on a track called “Homecoming 2″. No word yet on whether it’s a sequel to the original track or just an updated version of the original, but either way that’s pretty awesome. Enjoy these mp3s and then the video below while you ruminate on the matter. As the Teenagers first wrote to me in their first correspondence with me back in September of last year (which came with an mp3 of “Homecoming” attached), “maybe you will love this”.
MP3s:
“Homecoming” - The Teenagers ((highly recommended))
“Starlett Johansson” - The Teenagers
Video: “Homecoming” - The Teenagers
Director: Kinga Burza
Watch: [YouTube]
Download: [Quicktime • 21 MB]
MIKE SKINNER REMIXES THE TWANG
I’m not terribly fond of the Twang. At all. I don’t care what the NME says, they just don’t do it for me, which I guess is a bit strange because bands really don’t come much more quintessentially British then the Twang. But hey, throw Rya’s beloved Mike Skinner into the mix and I’m all about it. On their new single, “Either Way”, the Twang have done just that, and Skinner makes his triumphant return to the microphone with two excellent verses and his signature synthesized strings. The verses from the Twang have been minimized and chopped up into far more tolerable portions and even Skinner-protege Professor Green spits a moderately enjoyable verse that’s far less grating than his usual fare. Long story short: The Streets remix is infinitely better than its original counterpart. Enjoy.
MP3: “Either Way” (Remixed by The Streets ft. Professor Green) - The Twang
VICE RECORDS GOES INDIE; GOD SMILES
Speaking of Vice Records’ hallmark artist, word on the street is that Vice has parted ways with parent-company Atlantic Records and will officially become an indie label later this summer. It never seemed right to think that the records division of Vice, a brand predicated on controversy and throwing up a middle finger to authority, was technically a major label. If the rumors are to be believed, then something tells me we’re going to be hearing a lot more noise (and a lot less Annie) from the Brooklyn heavyweights from now on. Not sure where this leaves Bloc Party though….
GHOSTHUSTLIN’
In a week attempt to create some semblance of a segue here, does anything sound “more Vice” than Ghosthustler? Sexy synths, dirty basslines, don’t-give-a-fuck vocals, all under the incredibly bad-ass banner of “Ghosthustler”. And the best part? These dudes are from America. Texas, even! Which in turn makes them the best electronic act to emerge from these shores since Ratatat first threw “Seventeen Years” up on the Audiodregs site a couple years back. They’ve been getting mad blog love as of late and they barely had one show under their belt and a scant two tracks up on their ‘Space before Pitchfork was on their shit too, so the future’s bright for the Denton, Texas quartet. The first two tracks had me well on my way to jumping on the bandwagon, but their latest output, “Busy Busy Busy”, is all kinds of ill and I’m now a card-carrying member of the Ghosthustler hype parade. Featuring spooky synths and a downright dangerous bassline, “Busy Busy Busy” is reason enough alone to tout Ghosthustler as the next great hope for American electro. And with the genre looking more and more like the “it” sound in 2007 and major labels scrambling to get in on the game (see: Does It Offend You, Yeah signing straight to Virgin in the UK; Simian Mobile Disco’s rumored signing with Interscope in the US), I reckon you’ll be hearing a lot more out of Ghosthustler in the coming months.
MP3s:
“Busy Busy Busy” - Ghosthustler
“Parking Lot Nights” - Ghosthustler