L&Q Weekly
Tylers Ballgame and The Creator, Cassandra Jenkins' instrumental album, do enough people actually care about music?, PinkPantheress becomes a doctor
Supported by RALLY festival
Track of the Week
Tyler Ballgame’s new track is inspired by philosopher Alan Watts, the man whose voice made going on a cruise sound like not an awful idea. “Watts said ‘The ego is an obsolete vehicle for human consciousness,’” recalls the LA-based singer originally from Rhode Island, “so I wondered, what if I bought a new car? It’s about my spiritual awakening. Realizing I’m not this set of stories. I don’t need to attach to stuff around expectations, which is 90% of human suffering.” ‘Got A New Car’ is as spiritual as you want it to be, which includes treating it simply like a beautiful 1970s Lauren Canyon sigh, the day Roy Orbison passed by Brian Wilson’s place. It’s an undeniable melody, and you can hear producer Jonathan Rado in its bones.
Do enough people actually care about music?
The question ‘Do enough people actually care about music?’ really is, ‘Do enough people actually care about music for it to survive as it previously has?’. It feels like a question that has been kept at bay by others related to a broken music industry, about the effects of Spotify and AI, the cost of touring and a grassroots live music scene in dire need of support. These aren’t separate to a bigger question of meaningful engagement; they’re intrinsically linked, a cause of an effect (or perhaps vice versa) that no one wants to consider: that music is no longer most people’s jam. Continue reading
Fire and ants: a night at Kendrick Lamar’s and SZA’s Grand National tour
One hundred miles away in Birmingham Drake is on a night off from his $ome $pecial $ongs 4 UK EU tour, hopefully not sat in silence, otherwise he might have heard the Tottenham Stadium calling him a paedophile and sing-songing “A minooooor!” like it’s no big thing and everything. I imagine he hears it even when he doesn’t, so perhaps it’s ok that I went two footed in on ‘Not Like Us’ along with everyone else. What can I say, the story is old and increasingly merciless, but what a bop that tune will forever be, and when you get to see the master perform it (as we all will before Kendrick is done) there’s a glee in the mass condescension that’s unstoppable, and very fun to be a part of. Continue reading
Albums for your diary announced this week
Cassandra Jenkins – My Light, My Massage Parlor (14 August, Dead Oceans): A companion piece to last year’s faultless My Light, My Destroyer (the Loud And Quiet AOTY), MLMMP is an instrumental record largely performed on piano with a little of Jenkins’ trademark field recordings and woozy sax. 14 August for the digital release, 5 September for a limited vinyl pressing. A taster here in the music box of ‘Delphinium Bliss’.
Daniel Avery – Tremor (31 October, Domino): DJ and electronic producer Daniel Avery has signed to Domino for an album that, seemingly from lead single ‘Rapture In Blue’, featuring Cecil Believe and Andy Bell on guitar, has more or a band feel. Other guests on the record include Alison Mosshart, yeule, yunè pink, and bdrmm.
Joanne Robertson – Blurrr (19 Sept, AD 93): The Glasgow-based musician, painter and poet – a collaborator of Dean Blunt and Elias Rønnenfelt – returns for her fourth album of detached, anti-guitar hero dream pop for the underground, starting with Oliver Coates collaboration ‘Gown’.
Rakel – a place to be (17 October, OPIA Community): The latest signing to Ólafur Arnalds' OPIA Community label, Icelandic artist Rakel’s debut album takes a soft-touch approach to field recordings, layered brass and subtle strings, as on lead single ‘rescue remedy’, if you need to slow things down.
Rumour of the Week: Coldplay refuse to share inspiration behind new song ‘Sorry Naughty Tech Boss’
With the smile of a seven-year-old on his 48-year-old face, Chris Martin allegedly batted away questions surrounding Coldplay’s new song, ‘Sorry Naughty Tech Boss’. “Songs are like magic, I often don’t know how they come to me,” smirked the ‘Fixed You!’ singer in response to an off duty BBC reporter asking him where the idea for the band’s new ballad had come from, say onlookers at The King’s Head pub, Hampstead, North London. Martin insisted that the song “can be about anything and anyone” as its lyrics were put to him: “Does your wife know you’re here? / Shall we give the audience a cheer? / Put you on the big screen for a big loss / Sorry naughty tech boss.” The empty seats at recent Coldplay shows clearly hasn’t got the pilates black belt down, following reports that more and more boaty-looking garbage men have been scared off attending the band’s gigs in case it lands them in hot water at home, with one annoymous company head taking to Twitter to say: “Coldplay gigs used to be a safe space for hard working guys to spoon their colleagues while telling them ‘you’re my sky full of stars’. And then hopefully have sex. V sad that I now trust the band less than myself!”
Wrap this up
The week’s music news was dominated by the death of Ozzy Osbourne, who died on Tuesday after a yearslong battle with Parkinson, at the age of 76. His death came just 17 days after performing with Black Sabbath at their farewell show at Villa Park.
PinkPantheress has been awarded an honorary PHD in music from the University of Kent (she dropped out when her pop career blew up) “in recognition of her contribution to, and achievements in music in the digital age.”
Tyler, The Creator surprise released a new album called Don’t Tap The Glass, two days after announcing it at the final night of his Chromakopia tour. It’s a short affair by any rap record standards – just 10 tracks long, with only a few features, including Pharrell and Baby Keem.
Royal Albert Hall has become the first arena to commit to supporting grassroots venues by pledging £1 of each of its ticket sales to the LIVE trust. It will take affect from 1 October and apply to rock and pop shows held at the venue. The estimated funds raised per year by the venue is £300K.
