Fluxblog Weekly #215: Prince, L-Vis 1990, Radiohead, Katie Dey, Madonna
June 10th, 2019
In The Middle Of A Dream
Prince “Manic Monday”
The new Prince compilation Originals is another bit of wish-granting from the genies combing through the late songwriter’s vaults – a whole album full of his original recordings of songs he gave away to his various protégées and associates. It’s very exciting to hear him sing classics like “The Glamorous Life,” “Nothing Compares 2 U,” “Jungle Love,” and “Manic Monday,” but it’s immediately apparent upon hearing all of them why he decided to give them to other singers. You can hear him not feeling quite comfortable singing them, like he can tell he’s written something that’s not meant for his particular voice.
“Manic Monday” is a particularly good example of this. The song was originally slated to become a duet with Apollonia for an Apollonia 6 record, but he waited until 1986 to pass it along to The Bangles, who made it a hit. Prince selected The Bangles based on his love of their minor hit “Hero Takes A Fall” and offered the song to them, confident that they could do the song justice. Contrasting his original with their version shows that his instincts were correct. Their particular blend of glossy pop and neo-60s psychedelia matched the vibe of the instrumental, and Susanna Hoffs’ voice was just plaintive enough to convey wistfulness and ennui, but not an overbearing sadness. Prince sings this demo a bit too long to give himself much room to be very expressive, and the tempo is a bit plodding compared to the much zippier arrangement by The Bangles. The song itself is impeccable, but you can hear him be a little frustrated by it. I find this interesting just as a document of artistic humility – he probably did want to keep an obvious hit like this for himself, but was aware of his own limitations and wasn’t afraid to let someone else shine on it.
Buy it from Amazon.
June 11th, 2019
Nobody Forced Your Hand
L-Vis 1990 featuring Brook Bailli “Caught Up”
L-Vis 1990 is typically more of a garage/funky club producer, but on this track his aesthetic has shifted into a quasi-‘90s R&B space to great effect. “Caught Up” has a smooth, casual groove built around synth chords that cycle between a highly filtered loop and airy tones on the chorus. Brook Bailli manages to sound both frustrated and sweet in her vocal as she tries to work out whether or not she wants to hold on to a relationship, and basically lays out her terms for what she’d accept from her partner if they want to stay with her. There’s a lot of confidence and maturity in the song, but the pragmatism can’t hide the wounded feelings that carry through in her voice and in the general tone of the song. You really get the sense she’d rather do anything but try to be practical about this.
Buy it from Amazon.
June 12th, 2019
The Smell Of Recognition
Radiohead “Lift”
It probably wouldn’t be all that exciting to hear 18 hours of process recordings by most artists, but Radiohead in the late ‘90s is an exception. This is partly because they were willing to take big swings in terms of arrangements, and it’s just interesting to hear them, say, try “Karma Police” with a dub reggae groove and give up halfway through. But it’s mostly because this archive of material is a document of them denying a lot of their own instincts and impulses in the interest of pushing towards a bolder evolution.
This takes a few different forms in the archive. In some cases, you get recordings of Thom Yorke seemingly improvising songs off the top of his head and you can hear the sort of melodies and chords he reaches for when he’s not really thinking and acting on a sort of muscle memory. There’s also a lot of full-band improvisations and abandoned songs in which in retrospect it’s pretty obvious they’re just getting various influences out of their system, whether it’s yet another standard 80s-style alt-rock song, or them going into a funk jam for 11 minutes just to see if anything cool happens. Then there’s just a lot of rejected arrangements and approaches to songs – you really get a sense of how “Airbag” evolved in particular, and how they pushed it from a rote “High & Dry”-esque ballad into something that still sounds quite futuristic and progressive over 20 years later.
Then there’s “Lift.” It’s pretty clear they knew that “Lift” was a very commercial song, but one where if it was indeed successful would push them in a rather square direction that would ultimately become Coldplay’s entire lane as a band. It’s a beautiful song in any arrangement, and triggers big emotions even as Yorke seems to undermine his own song with odd lyrics when the melody seems to call out for something more sentimental and direct. There’s a few versions of “Lift” in the minidisc archive, including an unmastered studio recording that is batched along with the full unmastered OK Computer and most of its b-sides, suggesting that the song came awfully close to being included or released on one of the singles.
The recording of “Lift” I’ve posted here is the best of all the known versions; the one where they get out of their own way and just let the song be as big and emotional as it wants to be. They’re leaning into every musical impulse they’re trying to get away from in this period, and it’s beautiful and unguarded. Thom sings with earnest passion, and Jonny Greenwood is unashamed to pile on a ton of synthesized strings to tug at your heartstrings. Maybe this, like that funk jam, was just a way of getting some impulses out of their system. I get why they felt a need to discard this and move on, but I’m very glad we have this recording now. It’s absolutely wonderful on its own terms.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
June 13th, 2019
If We Abandoned Our Shells
Katie Dey “Stuck”
“Stuck” is a song that clearly states the anxieties and pains of body dysmorphia. Katie Dey’s lyrics are so direct that it’s sort of unnerving; I know that my empathy goes into overdrive just hearing a line like “I’m constantly scared that we will never speak again.” As plain as the lyrics are, Dey’s arrangement embraces abstraction and metaphor. The song sounds like something delicate and graceful that’s lost in odd ambient sounds, and contrasted with rather harsh percussion. The core of the song sounds like something lovely trying to emerge, and just pushing to the surface without getting free.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
June 14th, 2019
Finally, Enough Love
Madonna “I Don’t Search, I Find”
Madonna is the most Leo of all pop stars and this may be her most Leo song, a luxurious disco tune about finding a new lover who meets her very high standards, opening with the announcement: “Finally, enough love!” The song exudes confidence and power, but also a deep need to feel confident and powerful. It’s not a song about merely finding love – how ordinary – but selecting someone special and worthy of her desire, and able to give her the exact amount of love she requires.
“I Don’t Search, I Find” was written with the French producer Mirwais, who is best known for collaborating with her on most of Music. They still have a strong connection, but the sound doesn’t really call back to her early to mid ‘00s work so much as her vibe circa Erotica. Given her resistance to nostalgia for her back catalog, I’m sort of surprised this song even exists. But I’m glad it does – this sort of classy house aesthetic is one of her best modes, and as much as I appreciate her pushing herself creatively I’m more excited to hear her do something she can do better than anyone else.
Buy it from Amazon.