Who hasn't heard 'Alaska'? There was a time, a couple of years ago, where it seemed to be everywhere you went and, while familiarity often breeds contempt, in this case regularly encountering this unusual slice of electro-folk pop just made me love it all the more. It is ageing well too, and still sounds uplifting and fresh. Just the thing for a cold spring morning in March.
Showing posts with label Maggie Rogers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maggie Rogers. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 March 2021
Thursday, 3 September 2020
Maggie Rogers - Light On (La Blogothèque – Live in Paris)
This live take on 'Light On' is filmed in a very atmospheric way, and is a very compelling watch. By pure coincidence, I now realise that I've gone for the same song that Maggie performed with Florence Welch at her Brixton Academy show in 2019. There was a video of this on YouTube, but it's since been taken down. You can watch Maggie's full live session for The Bridge 909 in Studio here.
Sunday, 30 August 2020
Fantasy Festival number 16: The Lineup
Patricia Lalor: Fourteen year old Patricia Lalor is a singer/songwriter from Wexford, Ireland. She first came to the public's attention as a pre teen when her YouTube cover of Hozier's 'Cherry Wine' was praised by the singer as one of the best covers he'd ever heard. Since then, she's begun writing her own material and her work as been likened to SOAK and Billie Eilish. You can read an interview with Patricia here and her YouTube channel is here.
Mallrat: Grace Shaw is a musician, rapper, singer and producer from Brisbane, Australia. She released my favourite single of last year ('Charlie'), has toured with Maggie Rogers, and is on course to be a massive star. You can find out more here.
Arlo Parks: Arlo Parks is an 18 year old poet and singer/songwriter from London. She has been much championed by the BBC, particularly 6Music over the past year, especially for her single 'Black Dog' and her understated and elegant cover of Radiohead's 'Creep'. You can find out more here
Greentea Peng: Neo-Soul and self described 'psychedelic R&B' (thank you Wiki) singer Aria Wells is from South East London. Her most recent single, the uncharacteristically political 'Ghost Town', spoke out against gentrification and social cleansing in London, but she's more known for her mellow soul flavoured EP's. A debut album is awaited with considerable interest. You can find her on Soundcloud.
Self Esteem: Sheffield's Rebecca Lucy Taylor, formerly of Slow Club, has been having a lot of fun with her new slyly subversive pop and R&B orientated project, Self Esteem. You really haven't lived until you've been on the dance floor at a gig full of women screaming 'YOU DON'T OWE THEM ANYTHING!' back at her during 'Girl Crush', as my review of her set last year at Band on the Wall in Manchester will attest. Rebecca has supported Florence + The Machine in real life, specifically last year in Scotland, and Rebecca and Florence were, memorably, the stars of the first YourShelf podcast, which you can hear here. You can find Rebecca on Insta.
Kelsey Lu: US singer and cellist Kelsey Lu first came to my attention when she opened the Florence + The Machine headlined British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park, back in 2016. I was struck by the power and beauty of her voice, as well as the way her songs felt as much like soundscapes as regular songs. At that point she'd just toured the US with Florence and Grimes, had released a couple of EP's, and had been taken under the wing of Blood Orange's Dev Hynes. Her debut album Blood was released last year and included the beautiful single 'Due West' as well as an atmospheric and understated take on 10cc's 'I'm Not In Love'. You can find out more here.
Maggie Rogers: Even if you don't think you know the music of Maggie Rogers, you will know her song 'Alaska', and probably its story of how Pharrell Williams came to hear it, and love it, back in 2016. A prodigious songwriter, she released her first album in 2012 and, while her career up until 'Alaska' could be considered a bit of a slow burner, her most recent album, last year's Heard it in a past life, a fabulously catchy dance pop album fuelled by sophisticated songwriting and irresistible hooks, was something of a breakthrough. You can find out more here.
Florence + The Machine: South Londoner and BBC Introducing alumni Florence Welch has been making complex, idiosyncratic baroque flavoured pop and indie rock as Florence + The Machine since 2007. She has risen from playing the tea tent at Glastonbury as an unsigned artist in 2007 to headlining the Pyramid stage in 2015, and now sells out stadiums and headlines festival bills around the world. Since 2007, Florence + The Machine have expanded from being simply Florence and whoever she could get to play guitar for her to a full band, and most of the main nucleus of musicians from the 2008 period remain. The lineup currently stands at about eight people. You can find out more here.
Mallrat: Grace Shaw is a musician, rapper, singer and producer from Brisbane, Australia. She released my favourite single of last year ('Charlie'), has toured with Maggie Rogers, and is on course to be a massive star. You can find out more here.
Arlo Parks: Arlo Parks is an 18 year old poet and singer/songwriter from London. She has been much championed by the BBC, particularly 6Music over the past year, especially for her single 'Black Dog' and her understated and elegant cover of Radiohead's 'Creep'. You can find out more here
Greentea Peng: Neo-Soul and self described 'psychedelic R&B' (thank you Wiki) singer Aria Wells is from South East London. Her most recent single, the uncharacteristically political 'Ghost Town', spoke out against gentrification and social cleansing in London, but she's more known for her mellow soul flavoured EP's. A debut album is awaited with considerable interest. You can find her on Soundcloud.
Self Esteem: Sheffield's Rebecca Lucy Taylor, formerly of Slow Club, has been having a lot of fun with her new slyly subversive pop and R&B orientated project, Self Esteem. You really haven't lived until you've been on the dance floor at a gig full of women screaming 'YOU DON'T OWE THEM ANYTHING!' back at her during 'Girl Crush', as my review of her set last year at Band on the Wall in Manchester will attest. Rebecca has supported Florence + The Machine in real life, specifically last year in Scotland, and Rebecca and Florence were, memorably, the stars of the first YourShelf podcast, which you can hear here. You can find Rebecca on Insta.
Kelsey Lu: US singer and cellist Kelsey Lu first came to my attention when she opened the Florence + The Machine headlined British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park, back in 2016. I was struck by the power and beauty of her voice, as well as the way her songs felt as much like soundscapes as regular songs. At that point she'd just toured the US with Florence and Grimes, had released a couple of EP's, and had been taken under the wing of Blood Orange's Dev Hynes. Her debut album Blood was released last year and included the beautiful single 'Due West' as well as an atmospheric and understated take on 10cc's 'I'm Not In Love'. You can find out more here.
Maggie Rogers: Even if you don't think you know the music of Maggie Rogers, you will know her song 'Alaska', and probably its story of how Pharrell Williams came to hear it, and love it, back in 2016. A prodigious songwriter, she released her first album in 2012 and, while her career up until 'Alaska' could be considered a bit of a slow burner, her most recent album, last year's Heard it in a past life, a fabulously catchy dance pop album fuelled by sophisticated songwriting and irresistible hooks, was something of a breakthrough. You can find out more here.
Florence + The Machine: South Londoner and BBC Introducing alumni Florence Welch has been making complex, idiosyncratic baroque flavoured pop and indie rock as Florence + The Machine since 2007. She has risen from playing the tea tent at Glastonbury as an unsigned artist in 2007 to headlining the Pyramid stage in 2015, and now sells out stadiums and headlines festival bills around the world. Since 2007, Florence + The Machine have expanded from being simply Florence and whoever she could get to play guitar for her to a full band, and most of the main nucleus of musicians from the 2008 period remain. The lineup currently stands at about eight people. You can find out more here.
Friday, 20 March 2020
Maggie Rogers - The Knife (Live On Austin City Limits)
Maggie Rogers Heard it in a past life album feels almost ubiquitous these days, thanks to the success of 'Alaska', but it's a ubiquity that's well deserved given its sonic palette of sophisticated pop. 'The Knife' has more in common with the upbeat 'Give a little' than with the brooding but hypnotic understated electro of 'Alaska', but it's a complex piece of pop that holds up well to repeated listening. And you can dance to it.
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