New Band Alert: Modern Ways

In a dreary provincial pub, I had the pleasure of meeting lead singer of the band Modern Ways Spencer Withey.

It’s hard not to pick him out of a crowd, sat in double denim in the corner idly gazing at his phone. He looks like he’s just stepped out of a time machine that was positioned slap bang in the middle of Denmark Street in the sixties. 

His band Modern Ways are a three piece rock outfit that formed from networking on a University Facebook page. Withey confesses “There is no rock and roll tale about how we met, we met at shitty music college”. 

Essential Info

  • Label: Cosmic Records
  • Management: Joe Parker
  • Next Show: Purple Turtle, Reading
  • Next Release: Superman, 2020.

The bands style is messy. Or has no real continuity. Withey reassures me that this is how it’s supposed to be.  “To be fair, our style as a band is yet to form. I have a very different style to the rest of the band. I personally hate the concept of bands all dressing the same”. 

“We care so much about how our music is arranged. Like some wanky orchestra, with synths and guitars”. Says Spencer whilst tapping relentlessly on the table. Spencer has the energy of a mad scientist, crazy by nature, always testing and iterating different sounds and styles until he finds the right mix. The music is completely different to the bands style. It’s well arranged and sounds like it knows where it’s heading. However that’s not always the case argues Withey “When the band are writing we always try new things and want to reject the safe and ancient structures of pop music“.

After chatting for some time I had the pleasure of listening to a snippet of the bands new single “Superman” that is set to be released in 2020. Withey pondered reflectively before playing the track “I used to write all the songs my self in the old bands and just treat it like a solo project, Modern Ways is’nt that: we write all of our songs together”. Whilst writing the track the band have been heavily influenced by none other than the David Bowie Record: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. “From start to finish that album takes you on a journey and that’s exactly what Modern ways are trying to do”. 

Signed to their own music label cosmic records. Modern ways are succeeding thanks in no small part to the fact that they’re in control of their trajectory. They write & produce the songs, book the shows, manage themselves and also have recently set their own label up Cosmic Records. “We play a huge role in organising our shows, and plan to play & organise a whole lot more next year. Were rehearsing 9 hours a week. This is serious business for us”. 

Modern ways are creating a tribal base of supporters in their adopted home of Guildford and with more shows, music and content scheduled for next year. 2020 looks set to be a big year for the band.

Cancel Culture in 2019: Do Gen Z’s rule the roost?

What is cancel culture? Lately I’ve been seeing it everywhere on my timeline like an itch that won’t go away. Articles, memes, discussions, the lot. It had me thinking I have to dig deeper.

Simply put, cancel culture is a variation of the term “call out culture”. Previously when a music artist stepped out of line, they would have been shamed, ridiculed, and held accountable for their actions. But, and it’s an important but: they still had a chance to recover.

Now, with Gen Z’s fans ruling culture in the digital age there’s no hope for artists. If you step out of line, you are gone forever. Never to be seen again. Flushed into the endless abyss of public consciousness. Capiche.

Believe it or not, cancel culture is an age old phenomenon and has existed for thousands of years. Dating back to the stone age where people had tomatoes angrily lobbed at them. This is essentially Gen Z’s way of carrying on that tradition. Except it’s not tomatoes being thrown, its rocks, or well I guess whatever it would take to kill them off. 

A month ago at the annual Camp Flog Gnaw festival held by none other than Tyler the Creator, I saw the true power of cancel culture, in full blown real life. Fans gathered around the main stage in anticipation all day in the hope that Frank Ocean would be the special guest for the evening. Who were they met with? Drake. Did they like it? Nope. They booed him. The obnoxious and entitled Gen Z generation kicked and screamed and pulled a communal hissy fit until he gave up and walked off the stage. It really showed the true power young people have, even if sometimes they don’t realise it. 

Now for the serious part. Is cancel culture healthy for music artists and celebs in the public domain? Should we demand it be stopped? Yes and No. In my opinion, It ultimately depends on the severity of the perceived wrong actions. There are definitely some moral guideposts that need to be addressed. 

Let’s start with R Kelly. A once loved and adored singer. Now ruined by endless allegations and court battles relating to sex abuse of minors. Is his cancellation from culture rightfully deserved? I would argue it is. Should his careers work now become void and invalidated? I would argue again that it should be. Although it’s hard to disassociate an artist from their art, I believe cancelling artists or at least not engaging with them is acceptable at the genuinely serious end of the spectrum. 

Cancelling artists can have serious implications on careers. Artists who have worked hard at their craft and dedicated their existence to music should not be cancelled for trivial and senseless reasons just because it’s the cultural buzz phrase. 

Like Uncle Ben said in Spiderman. “With great power comes great responsibility”. I think Gen Z’s should be careful how they use their power to erase people from the public domain and only cancel people who truly deserve to be cancelled.

Live Review: Lizzo at Glasto 2019

My addiction to Lizzo began in the peak of summer in a dusty somerset field. The West holts stage to be specific. 

Lizzo’s energy could turbo-charge a small city, bolstered by the help of her right hand lady DJ Sophia Eris and her fantastic dance partners she delivers a show like no other. The show begins with the 31 year old American strutting nonchalantly  on stage with her dancers behind her wearing bridal veils and holding bunches of flowers.

Out of context the veils may seem completely random but there’s a reason. Normally for shows on her ‘Cuz I Love You’  tour the stage is designed like a church. However for Glasto she switched it up and emblazoned her album cover on the back of the stage for the world to see. One of the standout moments of the show was the performance of “Good as hell” before the song Lizzo demanded the crowd repeat a three part mantra of hers.

“I love you. 

You are beautiful.

And you can do anything” 

There was a tangible communal spirit in the air, like one big open air body confidence ted talk. Men and women of all ages were belting their hearts out to empowering pop. Some crying, others laughing, some twerking to their heart’s content. Lizzo real name Melissa Jefferson has been the golden girl of 2019. Cutting through the smoke and mirrors of major label pop, Lizzo’s ethos and message is a breath of fresh air.







 

Rex Orange County – “Pony” Review

Okay I said it. Rex Orange County is officially the master of creating simplistic, smooth yet anxious, gooey love songs. “PONY” is his first full length record with his new label Sony and it certainly hits you right in the feels.

The record is short and sweet with only 10 songs. Although it’s short in length it still leaves you with a healthy dose of melody and jaunty pianos. “10/10” starts the record. An up tempo tune about getting your shit together. Rex’s vocals on the track have cleverly been processed through a robotic vocoder which suits the nature of the tune down to a tee. 

My only issue with the album is that Rex uses his two trump cards straight out the gate. The first two tracks are the strongest by a long stretch. “Always” is a perfect example of his unique nasally sounding voice sitting perfectly on top of a melody and plush grand instrumentation fit for any disney film.

Although the blueprint is still the same, this album feels like a step ahead from his previous releases lyrically and sonically. Lyrically, he addresses his personal battles with depression and introspectively discussing his relationships. Whilst sonically, he experiments with nearly every song on this record, the instrumentation and structures are worlds away from his lo-fi bedroom pop days. 

Overall, Pony is resilient and inspiring in it’s nature. And full proof evidence that you can evolve as an artist musically whilst also figuring out your personal problems. So Kudos for that Rex.