A hip-hop rescue - how indie labels are giving the genre a fresh start
Recent years have been tough for rap music, with plummeting record sales and the rise of indie rock. But as the majors abandon all but the biggest artists, independent labels are providing a sanctuary
The ice maiden: Why Björk continues to court controversy
On the eve of her UK tour, and fresh from upsetting China by singing her support for Tibet, Björk tells James McNair why she still likes getting into trouble - and lives on a boat
Inside Music Magazine
Ones to watch: Five of the best new acts
CRYSTALCASTLESNamed after She-Ra’s pad in He- Man, this boy-girl Toronto duo state their influences, via their Myspace page, as murder, blank looks on girls and knives. However true that may be, it’s possibly more helpful to say that their sound is an amalgam of Suicide, Kid 606 and Klaxons, while their employment of Atari soundchips in their keyboards also allies them with the currently voguish chiptunes movement.
Ones to watch: the best five up-and-coming acts
Bon Iver The schtick about being conceived while “hibernating” in a North Wisconsin log cabin may repel some as much as it attracts others, but it becomes rather irrelevant once you hear the resulting album. Justin Vernon, who goes under the bastardised French moniker of Bon Iver, has crafted a collection of first-rate, down-tempo Americana, sung not with the usual gravelly, bourbon sodden bass but more often than not in an unearthly falsetto. Fans of Grizzly Bear or Iron And Wine would do well to take note. The live show impresses too: the band’s triumphant struggle against a ludicrously loud punk rock band was a highlight of this year’s SXSW festival.The album ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ is out on 4AD on 12 May. Bon Iver is on UK tour until 20 May.
Album: Various Artists, Up Jumped The Devil (Viper)
Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised at the fundamentalist Christian cast of American society. As this anthology of American “Devil” songs from the Twenties to the Fifties demonstrates, Old Nick was both a literal and metaphorical presence in virtually every genre, from Byron Parker’s breakneck bluegrass number that furnishes the album title to the rock’n’roll of Gene Vincent, who in “Race With The Devil” outstrips Beelzebub in a hotrod race.
April Gig Guide
José González, On tour until 13 April González, a Swede of Argentine descent, gave up a career in biochemistry for spare, Latin-tinged folk. This jaunt sees him step out in support of his second album, In Our Nature. At times, his music packs a quietly commanding intimacy reminiscent of Pink Moon era Nick Drake, but his liking for Cuban guitarist Silvio Rodriguez adds a unique twist. Idiosyncratic cover-versions of songs by artists such as Joy Division and Bruce Springsteen are also a speciality.
Dance: 'It's like a complex equation turned into sound'
Taking TV-advertised dance compilations as a reference point, women’s major contribution to club culture would appear to be writhing on podiums in shiny bikinis. Of course, many women DJs and producers have emerged since the late-Eighties dance boom. But it’s also true that the best known – and most highly paid – club DJs working today are men. Most of the artists listed on shejay.net, a website founded in 2001 “out of the notion that female artists in electronic music were overlooked and underexposed”, are still virtual unknowns.
Label Profile: Cherry Red
“When we started in 1978, what Cherry Red prided itself on was its diversity,” says Iain McNay, Cherry Red’s founder and chairman. “Labels such as Factory Records and Rough Trade had a certain image, but you couldn’t pin us down musically – we were a bit all over the place.” As Cherry Red (named after a track from the Groundhogs’ album, Split) celebrates its 30th birthday this year, it’s a philosophy that has served it well. Not only has its music covered many a genre, but the business model has adapted over time. The Cherry Red empire now spans 12 sub-labels putting out a variety of music – and McNay is always open to more.
Bloggers need to take some responsibility
The independent music sector represented by this magazine, in partnership with The Independent, is alive and kicking, but not that you would think so, judging by the continuing bad press for the music industry.
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Music magazine at a glance
Your latest favourites
1 A hip-hop rescue - how indie labels are giving the genre a fresh start
3 Ones to watch: Five of the best new acts
4 The ice maiden: entering her fourties hasn't stopped Bjork continuing to court controversy
5 Album: Various Artists, The Jerry Ragovoy Story: Time Is On My Side (Ace)
6 Music & Me: Gareth of Los Campesinos
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