Björk’s latest video for Black Lake, is a ten-minute-long film in which we find the Icelandic musician in a bleak landscape. It first debuted earlier this year, as the short was commissioned by New York City’s Museum of Modern Art for their Björk retrospective.
“I guess its time for Stonemilker and Black Lake to get out there into the world after a three month stint in a museum,” stated Björk. “We tried to make it in a way it was both at home there and also as a no nonsense music video (still my fav format) and I hope you don’t mind the wait.”
Created by award winning director Andrew Thomas Huang, along with choreographer Erna Ómarsdóttir, cinematographer Lasse Frank, and art directors Thorgeir Odinsson and Iris van Herpen, the video carries themes of pain, perishing, and rebirth.
Black Lake is the latest taken from Björk’s ninth studio album Vulnicura, which you can purchase here.
Native New Yorkers Heather Boo and Emma Rose, otherwise known as BEAU, make the kind of harmonised blissfully soaked folk-pop with a modern new wave vibe, that sends you into a state of mellow melancholy, rooted in a fragile musical journey that wallows through their mindset and experiences – at times it’s a bumpy ride, with emotionally charged lyrics that underscore all those tear-inducing woes – “Is there such a thing as Karma? Falling in your life at the wrong time, when you’re sitting alone, an empty pistol with a glass of the wrong wine.”
Who knows what kind of wine is in their glass, but it suits BEAU to let loose. A little drama never hurt anyone did it?
Having worked with photographer Ryan McGinley, French cult magazine Purple and Gia Coppola for an Opening Ceremony campaign, BEAU have now released their self-titled debut EP via tastemaker Parisian label Kitsuné.
Ahead of their upcoming headline London show, we spoke to the multifaceted duo about their New York state of mind, personal heroes and good karma.
How did you both come together to form BEAU? We started making music when we were 13 years old. From the moment we learned to play guitar, songwriting then followed. By 18 we had written so many songs that we didn’t know what to do with them. Beau was the answer.
What were each of you doing before that? Emma: I was studying in school to become an ecologist. I’m very passionate about sustainability.
Heather: I was trying to get through High school and all of the drama that came with it. I was always affected by little things.
Your soundscape has been described as ‘70s folk Americana meets the West Coast’ – how would you define it? Children of New York.
And your musical break came through cult Paris-based label Kitsuné – how did they discover you? We met the co-founder Gildas Loaëc in Paris through our mutual friend André Saraiva. André told Gildas about our iPhone recordings of our songs and Gildas was all ears. The next thing we knew our relationship became deeply involved with Kitsunè. They are like family now.
So you hail from NYC and ‘New Wave New York’ is a hot topic right now – how do you think the mindset of young creatives there like yourselves, is adapting to the city’s changing cultural identity? The mindset for us at least is that the city’s cultural identity changed a long time ago so all we can do to preserve whatever is left is to continue to be ourselves.
The city obviously influences your vision – what else motivates you to write? Anything from an empty room to the most beautiful view can inspire us to write. It really only takes our imagination. You can write about anything and nothing at the same time, and then of course there’s the whole wide world at our creative disposal… it goes on and on.
And lyrically, where do you draw your inspiration from? We are really inspired by Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen for their impeccable writing skills. They always manage to penetrate the psyche with the least amount and most simple of words. It’s about getting a feeling on paper and making sure that whatever you are trying to say is clear. When an emotion enters our minds we use lyrics as a release, it helps express and relieve.
Music is a universal language – do you think a lot about the way other cultures are working when writingsongs? We try to make sure that our lyrics aren’t rude or offensive in any way, but also make a statement and touch people. If we don’t speak about things that matter and affect the people of this earth nobody is going to vibe with the music.
Talking of vibes – one of the tracks on your debut EP is called ‘Karma’ – do you believe in it? It’s funny you ask because both our Mother’s study Buddhism and believe in its power, but as for us.. we kind of just think of it in a simplified way. Bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people.
But you’re obviously both quite spiritually minded? Yes we are very spiritual. It’s all about energy.
And with the energy your music gives off, how would you like people to connect with it – what do you want them to take away? A feeling, any feeling, at the least.
You describe your EP as a mix of songs about ‘love, friendship and never giving up’ – what’s your life motto? Be true and you will live a true life.
And do you have personal heroes? Our Mum, Dad, Einstein, and all the doctors and nurses out there volunteering and saving lives.
So let’s talk about women in music and the latest conversation surrounding the lack of female performers at festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury, in comparison to the guys – what’s your take on it? We think it should be changed and that there should be just as many women performing as men. It should be that way for everything.
And what can female artists like yourselves continue to do to ensure a balanced and positive representation of women in music, so future generations have inspirational role models like we’ve grown up with? Stand up for our natural born rights, for freedom, for equality and live by these words: LOVE, SUPPORT, GIVE, BE THANKFUL, CARE, BE STRONG.
Now your own profile and fanbase is growing, what about the recognition side – are you ready to be stared at in the street? It already happens because we’re such weirdos so hey, yeah, why not!
What about social media – you seem to have embraced it and enjoy a good selfie? An occasional selfie never does any harm. Neither does the occasional post. We probably will never be fully enwrapped in the cyber world but we welcome it.
And your look is a real mix of girlie vintage meets street casual tomboy – tell us about the BEAU wardrobe? 501 Jeans and a faded T-shirt with some suede shoes. Perhaps a leather jacket or a jean jacket and the occasional terracotta silk dress. Trench coats are good too. If we feel eccentric we go super vintage. But it’s all hand-me downs. When a designer gives us a piece we really cherish it and only wear it on special occasions.
So you’re about to play a showcase in London – on a scale of excited to very excited, how excited are you? We are falling off our chairs, that’s how excited we are!
BEAU the EP is out now via Kitsuné and to win one of 5 pairs of tickets to see the duo play in London on June 8th at The Social, just send your name and email address to adam.guest@purplepr.com. The 5 winners will be selected at random and notified.
London photographer Sanna Charles has been shooting those who worship at the alter of Slayer for over ten years. Her recently published book, God Listens to Slayer, documents the ritualistic devotion of fans around the world to their musical deities. Flicking through its pages is to be transported to a hot, dusty metal festival, to feel the feverish anticipation before the band shows, the crush of uncoiled bodies in the mosh pit, and the calmer moments afterwards when the communion of fandom lingers. We caught up with Charles to find out how her striking book came about.
When did you first get into photography? My Dad was a photographer, we always had cameras around and he got me one when I was quite young. I started learning about it while I was at school, then I went to University in Brighton to study it there. Initially I was doing a lot of architectural stuff—I would come back into London and take photos of urban landscapes that were quite stark and bleak. But I was always into music, so after I moved back to London I started photographing the rock and roll and punk scene. Then I got picked up by NME, so I kind of fell into music photography.
And it was while you were working for NME that you started shooting Slayer fans? Yeah, it happened while I was on assignment at Download festival for them.
How did the project start, did you set out to shoot Slayer fans or did it evolve more naturally over time? It definitely happened more naturally. It’s funny, when you’re on a job shooting a festival like that, you’ve got your list of bands, there is always a lot of running around to do, but in the quiet moments you’ve still got shooting in your head. I think I took about four of five pictures of Slayer fans at that festival. There was a group of guys running to get to the tent where they were playing, and I asked them to stop. I just really liked the excitement that they had at that moment in time, and I was trying to capture their energy. NME didn’t want to use those pictures; they weren’t really into documentary style at that time. But I kept hold of them and I felt like it could be the start of something. I was living with a filmmaker friend at the time, she had a car and we decided to just take off and follow Slayer on tour. We spent loads of money that took years to pay back.
Why do you think Slayer elicits such intense dedication among fans? I think there is a mixture of reasons. When Slayer first started there was really an appreciation among their fans of being given a way to release aggression just by listening to the music—and watching them if they could. And the band hasn’t really changed, they have a formula that people love and they stick to it, they don’t alter according to fashions or tastes. Also, they created this genre, the speed metal, thrash style—it wasn’t really around anywhere else at the time, and people really appreciate that. It’s like an artist who starts a movement, or a film director who creates a certain style. Slayer took a real risk making music like that, and they were lucky that they exploded.
What was it like for you as a female photographer in the still very male-dominated world of metal? You know, you get slimy comments sometimes, but I think generally as a female you get used to that in any environment and you build up a tolerance and know how to respond. In a festival environment most of the time you’re going to laugh it off, because it’s not worth it, and I was trying to get a picture.
A couple of photographs in the book are of girls. How do they fit into the world of Slayer fandom? Sometimes girls who are into metal can be a bit harder than guys, they have their guard up because there’s not many of them. But once you start having a conversation then there’s a really nice mutual respect, you’re there for the same reason. There’s an unspoken thing that you get it.
God Listens to Slayer by Sanna Charles is published by Ditto Press and is available to buy now.
Lianne La Havas’s soulful tone was the soundtrack to 2012. The half Jamaican, half Greek singer/songwriter is back with news of a sophmore album, Blood, and its lead single. Her debut LP, Is Your Love Big Enough?, earned her a numerous awards (a Mercury Prize nomination being one), and caught the attention of fans Stevie Wonder and Prince.
La Havas’s latest, Unstoppable is a sweet song, with a dream-like sensitivity. Like previous tracks by this young artist, her voice and rhythmic guitar captivates; her lyrics, romantic. We can’t wait to hear more.
He may appear to have all the Yeehaw sensibilities you would associate with someone hailing from Louisiana’s deep south (he’s not preachy but he’s definitely fond of a cowboy hat or two), yet Devan Dubois’ Southern cool reveals a shadowy dark decadence and cultish aesthetic, seductively drawing you into his world.
His soundscape explores influences of country and western music through a modern lens, seamlessly blending stomping rock elements with evocative lyrics and swirling moody instrumental beats. It’s a sound which defies genre and is constantly evolving, as can be heard in the track People Are People – premiered here exclusively for y’all on Twin – a new teaser for what’s musically to come from DuBois, his first release since the 2014 debut album Le Fou.
We caught up with the singer to talk hats, love and riding mechanical bulls.
Describe your Instagram #currentmood? Pineapples, street crawling, and lighting bolts.
Interesting mix! So talking of moods, you’re part Philipino and part Indian which are vibrantly colourful cultures – so with that dual heritage, why is your signature aesthetic so dark? Hmm. It is all seasonal I think. Some variety in colour and mood is coming with my new music and art. We shall see.
And obviously we have to talk about your hats. You’re quite the connoisseur – do you have them all bespoke made and how many do you own? I have approximately 20 hats and most are custom made yes. Some people like nice watches – I like nice hats! Lately bracelets and head-wraps have also been a hobby.
I interviewed another singer who told me his hats were not about self-expression or identity, but because he had too many bad hair days! What do yours say about you? I went about 2 years where I wore a hat almost every day. But in the last 4 months I wear a hat just 2 or 3 times per week. Not sure why. It’s just that time I guess. I have good hair I’ve been told so it’s not that – although a hat can give you some extra days to not wash your hair when you are busy, haha!
And hats are very common place in your native Louisiana – there is definitely a Southern gothic spirit about you, do you think there’s something brooding in the atmosphere down in the deep South? Oh yes it is there. Louisiana is a world of its own. So much history has happened there.
Former major trade port city, slavery, birth place of blues and jazz, natural disasters, oh and the food is unparalleled.
But you’re now based in LA – was it quite a culture shock moving to the anything-goes culture and open attitudes of California, from growing up somewhere not quite so forward-thinking and traditionally associated with the bible-belt?
No not really. I had the internet and other media growing up and I really utilised that. As a teenager I was really fascinated by various cultures and time periods. I had a real hunger for it.
And talking of everything associated with Southern Americana – obviously I’m going to ask if you’ve ever ridden a mechanical bull or gone to a rodeo? Haha! Yes to both. The mechanical bull experience is really dependant upon the operator – I got banged up real nice by a mechanical bull down in New Orleans one Mardi Gras years ago. And I’ve been to plenty of rodeos, race tracks and circuses – they all feel similar to me.
So let’s talk about the music – when did you start writing / recording and can you define your sound? Playing guitar at 15. Started recording for fun around 16. And my soundscape is all about function, perspective, and the use of juxtaposition.
When I listen to your last album I hear elements of Lou Reed, Beck and Jack White – who are the artists or creative visionaries who have inspired you personally? Yeah they are great. A few other artists include – Dylan, Petty, the Stones, Picasso, Beatles, Warhol, Kanye, Brando, Joni, MJ, KOL, the list goes on…
Romance and heartbreak seem to be running themes in your music, is everyone just crying over their achey breaky hearts (and Bourbon’s) in the Deep South? Haha! I’m not sure. At first glance it is heartbreak but there is more there. I’m sure of that. But even romance in general is a multi-layered thing.
So what’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for someone? Hmm I would say.. last year I brought my ex-girlfriend to London, Paris, and Nice. It was a pretty romantic trip. Plus those cities lend themselves to that.
And all three cities are also associated with iconic literary luminaries (Virginia Woolf, Voltaire, Jean Cocteau). You’re very lyrically poetic – who are your favourite poets and authors?
TS Eliot, Truman Capote, Jack Kerouac. I also really enjoy autobiographies. I just re-read Keith Richards ‘Life’ – so good!
And in your life, is there an inspirational quote or motto you live by? Lately it has been ‘Keep afloat, keep moving, focus on the next 2-3 steps’.
So what’s coming up next for you project-wise? I am working on a new set of songs. I have created a new sound with my current producer and collaborator Kennedy (Jack Kennedy).
I am also incorporating many forms of art into my music, because for me it is more than just the music. It is experiential, experimental, graphic, subtle, motivational, frustrated, architectural, visual and about commentary, questions, and proclamations – it is me becoming one with my breath, with my art. My life and those around me.
We’re premiering an unreleased new teaser track from you, ‘People Are People’ – it sounds very different to your previous stuff, tell us more? This song is about you and this song is about me. ‘People Are People’ is a clue to the new music that I have been creating. It is reflective duration feel good subliminal protest.
My producer Kennedy and I have created a really special body of songs and I can’t wait to share them all in due time. Get ready for the great pineapple!
Florence + The Machine Release Ship To Wreck Video
Florence Welch and her machine are back in a big way. While performing at Coachella over the weekend, the British musician revealed the video to her latest track Ship To Wreck to the festival crowd. And now it’s available for all to see.
“I was thinking about my own self destructive side,” states Welch. “And how you can make something only to tear it down, enjoy/destroy, create/devastate etc. When you’re in that whirlwind, you often end up breaking the thing you love the most.” In the video, shot in partnership with director Vincent Haycock and choreographed by Ryan Heffington, we find the enigmatic singer in her own home, causing quite the stir.
The track is taken off the upcoming album How Big How Blue How Beautiful, produced by Markus Dravs (Björk, Arcade Fire, Coldplay) and with contributions from Paul Epworth, Kid Harpoon and John Hill.
This week, during the YouTube Music Awards, FKA twigs released her latest video for Glass & Patron. Directed by the British musician herself, we see her giving birth to many dancers who then go on to take part in the most epic vogue battle of all time. We’ve come to expect a certain visual aesthetic from the young Video Girl, and this is as mesmerising and intriguing as its predecessors. Maybe even more.
The song itself was co-written and co-produced by Boots, and will feature on the new FKA twigs EP, set to be released later this year.
Grab your bikini and don your snazziest shades as Miami Music Week kicks off on Tuesday 24 March. With temperatures already hitting 30, where better to chill out in the sun with amazing beats than The Miami Beach EDITION, hotel mogul Ian Schrager’s latest concept.
The 6-day festival aims to showcase today’s most relevant DJs, with a line up curated by Basement Miami and media produced by THUMP. Just a very brief selection from the stellar list includes Jamie Jones, Hector Romero and Dennis Ferrer.
Blackburn native Charlotte OC launches her latest single, If My House Was Burning, today. Twin last covered her gig back in September, blown away by her soaring vocals and, to be frank, her perfect fringe.
Since then, Charlotte’s talent has been lauded far and wide by music critics, and this latest track is yet another hit to add to her stable of catchy tunes that are characterised by the slightly sinister undercurrent, cutting straight through the electro-pop beats.
Last week, Charlotte also announced her New Faces tour, with live dates starting in April of this year.
It’s been almost a year since Grimes aka Claire Boucher released a new video, and her latest REALiTi, was salvaged from the cutting room floor. Recorded in 2013, the track was to be released on a follow up album to 2012’s Visions, but as that is no longer the case, she decided to release it on the 2nd anniversary of her Asian tour as a thank you to everyone that made it possible. The video was directed by the Canadian musician herself and is made up of live concerts and general tour fun.
Boucher is said to be working on another album at the moment, with more tracks to be released over the summer, however REALiTi is not a slice of what’s to come; new album, new vibes. Saying that, it’s certainly an intriguing track with lots of emotion. One that leaves us wanting more.
The music scene has been quietly abuzz with news of singer-songwriter Andreya Triana for some time now – her debut album was released in 2010 – but her sounds have yet to filter down to the masses. Collaborations with various prestigious artists including Bonobo (who produced said debut), Flying Lotus and Mr Scruff serve as true commendations in the music world, so, interest piqued, Twin headed down to favourite venue The Lexington to see her showcase tracks from her new album, Giants.
A combination of velvety-smooth vocals, catchy lyrics and beats peppered with brass melodies made for mesmerising listening, complimented by her wonderfully friendly, down-to-earth stage presence. Unsurprisingly, the set was sold out.
Favourite tracks include Gold, which is written about the simple love of music, as well as Giants, not to mention A Town Called Obsolete from her previous album.
The Southbank Centre is well known for its slightly off-piste yet very cool summer festivals: Udderbelly, the Festival of Love, London Wonderground to name but a few. It has also long embraced the burgeoning trend for feminism, with this year being its fifth annual Women of the World festival.
WOW, as it is better known, will be taking place from Sunday 1 to Sunday 8 March this year to mark International Women’s Day. The festival is designed to present, recognise and celebrate women, and this year’s line up is no exception.
With acts including electro-pop from tUnE-yArDs, afro-funk from Ibibio Sound Machine and jazz and soul from Bunmi Thomas, amongst others, the all-female event firmly cements ladies at the front of popular culture. The flagship event, Mirth Control, will fuse comedy and music in one night, starring Sarah Millican, Sharon D. Clarke, soprano Angel Blue, Southbank Centre’s vocal initiative Voicelab and an all-female orchestra conducted by Sian Edwards and Alice Farnham.
South London songstress Jessie Ware is back with another visual instalment from her latest album, Tough Love. Directed by Chris Sweeney, the video for Champagne Kisses shows Ware trapped in a waiting room within a television set, circa 1960, and features plenty of images of pills, golden telephones, and Rubik’s cubes. Psychedelic, indeed.
Dee Dee Penny (aka Kristin Gundred), is an artistic statement all on her own – like a visually potent mix of Pat Benatar, Chrissie Hynde, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Blondie all rolled into one – she’s the hypnotic front woman for all-female guitar four-piece Dum Dum Girls. With their all-black clad femme fatale aesthetic, Dee Dee is the striking founding force behind the band, an inky-haired, red-lipped stage siren who mystically oozes an aura of sexiness and danger, enticing you into her world.
With their heart-wrecking girl group melodies – think the dreamy, guitar-heavy surf-rock of The Bangles and The Go-Go’s, but with a more seductive and polished sensibility – the Dum Dum Girl’s rise to fame is a product of Dee Dee’s visceral songwriting, seamlessly blending into a sonically charged soundscape, laced with echoes of post-punk through a fuzzy-pop filter. From their hyper-real video for the sweetly addictive “Rimbaud Eyes” (inspired by 19th-century French poet Arthur Rimbaud), to the Bret Easton Ellis-written psych-thriller for “Are You Okay” – the Dum Dum Girls continue to expand and colour our musical horizons.
Twin caught up with Dee Dee to talk female icons, poetry and tattoo symbolism.
You first introduced your music as a solo artist via MySpace – how did it then evolve into the band and being signed by indie powerhouse Sub Pop? I guess contrary to appearances, the project still is at its core a solo one. The writing and recording processes are extremely personal for me, so it’s more a phase one – phase two thing: creating behind closed doors and then bringing it to the band to try on and fill out. Sub Pop signed me after a few songs online, no live show history and no true intentions to tour. They remain my dedicated cheerleaders. It was and continues to be a surreal partnership.
So with that in mind, obviously the music speaks for itself, but as front woman for the band, what do you want people to interpret about you – for example, most people could define Patti Smith or Blondie in one sentence. Who is Dee Dee, and is public acceptance important to you? You’re right; the Patti’s and Debbie’s are larger than life, iconic. My path to owning my spot has been slower than I’d like. I started the project anonymously and was adamant the music should speak for itself. But with the last record (the third album Too True), and even more so now, I get it. I get that I am a person not just a voice, that fans want someone to look to, that my band needs a leader. I feel ready now. I’ve always given off a stoic vibe, an ice queen sort of thing, but I think that’s melted a bit. Maybe my vulnerability is more potent. I am pretty human.
What about forming an all-girl band – was it easy to find other women with the same vision and energy as you who wanted to be taken seriously as musicians? My original intention was as much sonically motivated as politically. It was the classic girl group harmony thing I heard in my head – I needed to recreate that. I also had only ever played music with boys and was very much interested in experiencing for myself the female dynamic and energy that had inspired me when I was younger. I’m a few years past that now though; my drive is purely the music. I saw Sleater-Kinney (US rock band) touch on this last week – how it’s a badge you find yourself wanting to reject (have you ever seen an “all-boy band” descriptor?) but also knowing it’s a minority you want to support and promote.
And you play guitars too, so you must get asked all the usual questions about the role of women in rock music vs. feminism. So let’s take a different angle – Chrissie Hynde said last year that being a woman in a band was great because “guys will carry my guitars and stuff –who’s going to say no? Guys always tune my guitars, too.”
Please say you tune all your own guitars and carry your own cases?! Yes to both! Though we do tour with a roadie. I generally carry it on flights, in a soft case. But I’ve stepped away from playing it for the most part. I don’t think I’ll be bringing it on tour for the next run.
Talking of Chrissie, which other female pioneers and visionaries have inspired you personally? So many, and so many I know personally. I’ve never been part of any scene but I do feel a general camaraderie that’s very empowering. Musicians like Tamaryn, Zohra Atash (Azar Swan), FKA Twigs, Hether Fortune (Wax Idols), Liza Thorn (Starred), Hollie Cook, Neneh Cherry, my stylist Raquel Medina-Cleghorn, the poet Ariana Reines. The post-drag art collective Chez Deep has maybe been the most singularly inspiring. They are fearless.
Many of those artists are similar to you in making songs which let your mind run wild into this hazy, emotional place, it’s provocatively poetic – do you read/write a lot of poetry yourself?
Both, though most written stuff ends up in songs. If it can stand alone though, that’s the high bar.
I imagine then that Patti Smith’s revolutionary mergence of poetry and rock has inspired some of your creative output too? Yeah she is the Queen. I go to her for a lot, like Christians might reference the Bible or something!
And she’s a mesmerising force to see live. You’ve previously described yourself as a bit of a ‘wallflower’, yet you blossom on stage. How do you reach that transcendent moment when you crossover into a glamour puss and woo the audience? Oddly enough, I love performing. It’s like a safe place where nothing can touch me. Nothing can interfere. I did the whole last tour sober and that was maybe the most important discovery I’ve made recently. If you can touch that transcendent moment in a chemically unaltered state, well that’s power.
Stylistically on stage, you also fit that ‘Riot-Grrrl’mould with your impressive mix of tattoos – can you tell me more about the symbolism behind them? My tattoos are mostly commemorative in nature; I’ve lost a lot of people and they are tiny ways to keep their spirit alive. My support of other female artists, and more recently my relationship to my body and its incorporation into my music, are the most Riot Grrrl-influenced things about me.
And what about the band’s visual aesthetic, do you deliberately co-ordinate that gothic, femme-fatale-like uniform, or is it just how you all rock out? It’s a lead-by-example sort of thing.
So you were obviously the perfect fit for fashion label AllSaints ‘Biker Portrait Series’– tell me more about that collaboration on the video for Under These Hands? Their Creative Director is a fan and offered us a video session. It turned into a bigger thing than usual – they normally do live performances and we got to make a live music video while passing through London on our tour. I liked showcasing a live version of a song, abandoning my guitar and pulling in fans.
Do you make more of a mental note now to think about what you wear in terms of self-expression, because it tells the audience a story about you? I hope that the independent spirit is contagious.
I think it is! So what’s your personal motto in life? Sing Your Life by Morrissey.
The Dum Dum Girls will be performing live at Liverpool Sound City in the UK on May 24th.
Image one: Dee Dee Penny by James Orlando | Image two: Dum Dum Girls by Lauren Dukoff
TLC Are Back
TLC ruled the 90s, and still hold the spot as highest-selling girl group of all time (in the US). Their hits Unpretty and No Scrubs still fill us with teenage nostalgia. When Lisa ‘Left-Eye’ Lopes died in 2002, TLC fans around the world morned as if it was a personal tragedy.
Today, Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas are calling their fans back into action. The two of them have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their fifth and final album, offering a host of rewards in exchange; everything from a handwritten list of their top 15 favourite songs of all time to a movie date with one of them.
Chilli and T-Boz stated that “We are recording our last and final album and we want to do it with YOU, our FANS”.
2015 looks to be an exciting year for our favourite Icelandic oddball export, Björk. Today saw her release Vulnicura, her eighth studio album, on iTunes, while fans wait with bated breath for her hugely significant MoMA retrospective.
The rush-release comes almost two months ahead of its scheduled release date, as the singer becomes the latest artist to have music leaked online. The CD and vinyl are being held back for the original March launch.
Björk will be putting on a series of intimate shows at Carnegie Hall and City Center to celebrate the launch, finishing with a performance at the NY Governor’s Ball music festival in June.
Lorde has released a brand new, mesmerising video for her latest track Yellow Flicker Beat, which sees the young singer/songwriter dancing the whole way through. The song is taken from the The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack, which the 18-year-old New Zealander curated herself. It features collaborations from artists such as Haim, CHVRCHES, Tove Lo, Charli XCX feat. Simon Le Bon, Grace Jones, and a special Kanye West rework of Lorde’s latest single and more.
Having grown up listening to contemporary American R&B and soul, inspired by artists such as Destinys Child and Erykah Badu, newcomer Viv fuses these influences with contmporary electronic sounds creating melodic, forward-thinking pop structures. Come A Little Closer is the 20-year-old singer, songwriter from London’s first track. It showcases her talent for songwriting and as a vocalist through it’s futuristic progressive trip hop beats and mesmerizing sounds. We can’t wait to hear more from this young artist.
I first met Brianna Lance when I went into Reformation to buy a skirt almost five years ago. At the time, every piece was one-of-a-kind and the girls sewed them in the back. The skirt was too big at the waist and Brianna – this beautiful creature – came out to fit the skirt to my exact measurements. Eventually, I was hired at The Reformation (as one of just two girls who worked in the shop) and I worked with them for a year and a half before the company grew into the amazing brand it is now.
Brianna serves as Head Designer and somehow manages to find time to perform with her band Bad Girlfriend. I sat down with her to ask her a few questions about her impressive work in both fashion and music.
Let’s start with the beginning: Where are you from? How did you end up in New York? I grew up in Dallas, Texas. I moved to New York to go to Parsons for Fashion Design. I just stayed after that. I can’t imagine living anywhere else right now. I’m too spoiled by living here.
Was fashion design always a part of your life? How did you begin? I was really interested from clothes as a kid, and my parents really encouraged it. They wanted me to do something I was passionate about so from the time I was 14, I think it was pretty set that I was going to go into fashion.
How did your relationship with Reformation start out? I was friends with the founder Yael before. The company had been around about 6 months before I started. I was doing styling at the time and feeling a little burnt out on it, so she suggested I come work for her. I’ve been with the company five years now. Most of it as Head Designer and very recently as Creative at Large.
Do you feel the brand has changed a lot over time? It has grown a lot and also become more what we want. It’s a clearer message now. The more we stay true to our interests, design ideas and message, it seems the more people respond to it.
Does it feel like a reflection of whatever you’re inspired by aesthetically at the time? It feels most like a reflection of a particular message we have. We want women to feel beautiful and like the best version of themselves. We want them to feel like our clothes highlight the best parts of them. That is mostly what we design for: sexy, cool, chic, free spirited women.
If you had to choose one uniform to wear every day for the rest of time, what would it be? Oh, that’s easy: jeans and a good blouse. Obviously there are a lot of temperature fluctuations that would make that less than ideal. But style-wise, I feel like that is always in fashion. That, or a really good jumpsuit.
Can you tell me a little bit about your band, Bad Girlfriend? It’s an all-girl four piece that really likes making guitar-heavy music. It is the thing I do in life that gives me the most pleasure: singing and playing guitar.
Did you always play music? I played piano when I was young. Then when I moved to New York, I was a tambourine girl in a psych band. I learned to play guitar though about 5 years ago.
If you had to listen to five songs-and five songs only-every day for the rest of time, what would they be? Tezeta- Mulatu Astatke, Numer One- Bill Moss, Cool Waves- Spiritualized, Sull’aria- Marriage of Figaro, Suzanne- Nina Simone
Is music and fashion a major balancing act for you or is it just life as it should be? I can’t do just one thing. I have to do a lot of different creative projects to interest myself. Otherwise my brain gets bored. I’m always happiest when I have many different projects going on; it makes me feel the most alive.
Jessie Ware is set to release her second album Tough Love next month. She’s given us a couple of tracks to tie us over and has just released her latest video for Say You Love Me. The British singer is full of emotion while she gives a stunning performance of her most heart-felt song to date.
“When I found out Tell No One were interested in directing Say You Love Me, I was so confident they would deliver something visually beautiful and provocative,” said Jessie. “They are such talents and I have been a fan of their work for a while. I was an absolute pleasure to work with them on this. It was probably the most technically challenging thing I have worked on, but for them, it looked like a walk in the park. They have such confidence in what they do, it was inspiring to watch.”
Tough Love is released on the 13th October. Pre-order from itunes.com
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