Categories
Creators Monthly Indie/Indie Rock New Wave Pop/Indie Pop Punk/Rock Why We Love

Why We Love: The Cleaners from Venus (aka Martin Newell)

Martin Newell, the man behind The Cleaners from Venus

Martin Newell is a fascinating character.

In 1980, Newell formed The Cleaners from Venus with Lawrence “Lol” Elliot, though since then, he has remained the only consistent member. Under this moniker, Newell has released a multitude of albums, and this isn’t even taking into consideration his wealth of material under his own name. Starting with Blow Away Your Troubles, Newell showed the world what to expect from The Cleaners from Venus: wonderful, jangly music that was staunchly lo-fi.

While Newell certainly has impressive melodic sensibilities, showcased particularly on the 1982 album (well, one of them, anyway) Midnight Cleaners, he also refused to let his songs get to the point of being “pop.” The closest The Cleaners from Venus came to this disgusting term was the song “Only a Shadow,” a tune with an earworm of a guitar melody and an anthemic chorus. However, everything is coated with a lo-fi hiss that behaves almost like the needles of a cactus. By this, I mean that it will scare off any surface level listener. However, for others, the almost demo quality of the recordings makes them more endearing.

Newell and Elliot, upon starting out, used hardly any equipment to record their music, sometimes even using homemade instruments. Eventually, a four track recorder was brought into the mix, which became Newell’s preferred method of recording. Rather than upgrade to a professional studio environment, he stuck to his D.I.Y. guns and continued letting the substance of the music speak instead of the style. And what an amount of substance there was!

The lyrics to each Cleaners from Venus song are woven together like the finest wicker basket. Whether they are painting gorgeously detailed pictures of life in England (“Wivenhoe Bells (II)”), highlighting working class angst (“Summer in a Small Town”), or outright damning the state of the world (“The Jangling Man”), each word is fascinating to listen to. Newell’s gift for writing is one that is truly overlooked, with each song packed with enough meaning to make the most stubborn folk music enthusiast blush. The sparsely recorded (and sparsely produced) instrumentation acts as the perfect canvas for these poetic yet direct verbal drawings.

During The Cleaners from Venus’ initial decade-long run, they largely avoided record labels and did not tour often. Newell has been quoted as saying that the music business and media “tend to ruin everything.” This only added to the mystique of the enigmatic band, and early cassettes of their work became highly prized collectors’ items. The sheer amount of support for the band’s works actually inspired Newell, who had largely decided to back away from music, to start recording under the Cleaners from Venus moniker again in 2010. Since then, he’s been prolific as ever, and he continues to record music even to this day, with his newest single “Lo-Fi London” coming out last month.

Outside of The Cleaners from Venus, Newell has lived an extraordinary life. He has been a successful poet and writer, even touring as a spoken word artist. In 1989, he teamed up with a fellow cleaner from Venus, Nelson Nice, to form The Brotherhood of Lizards, an acoustic duo that gained much attention for completing a tour by bicycle, riding their bikes to every show. Newell has also released six solo albums, with his first, 1993’s The Greatest Living Englishman, being his most successful release to date.

To this day, Newell embodies the idea of D.I.Y. done right. He does whatever he wants, and because of this, he has many dedicated fans. The Cleaners from Venus proved that, in the decade of excess and beyond, true heart and creativity will always stand the test of time. In a time where mainstream music has lost even more of its nutrients, Newell’s work past and present remains an organic field. All you have to do is take a bite.

Trailer for a documentary detailing the life and times of Martin Newell
Categories
Pop/Indie Pop Soul/R&B Why We Love

Why We Love: Biig Piig

Meet Jessica Smyth, better known as Biig Piig. Born in Ireland, brought up in Spain and now based in good ol’ London town, the neo-soul/hip hop singer has been gaining traction over the last couple of years with her silky smooth tracks and emotionally in-depth lyrics, taking inspiration from classical folk Irish music, Latin Jazz to modern indie and hip hop. But with that all in mind, you can’t hold Smyth’s music to just one style, I mean how could you with that diverse a range of inspiration? But her vibe is complete chill, as if you’ve stumbled into a run-down bar with the local jazz band pulling you in.

Smyth grew up in Spain and spent a lot of time in the Irish pub her parents owned there. Growing up around a pub setting definitely shapes you differently, as stated by Smyth before “I think you learn a lot about people when you’re surrounded by adults a lot of the time, they don’t treat you like a kid. Maybe that’s where the writing came from when I was younger.” And from living in Spain for so long, you start to learn the language which is where Biig Piig’s music gets interesting. Not only does deep classical Spanish music flourish throughout her work, but also slipping into the Spanish tongue giving her music this double-sided feel that’s irresistible. 

Biig Piig’s first single was dropped back in 2017 on Soundcloud, but that caught the attention of COLORS, who gave her a spotlight at their Berlin studios, helping her soon-to-be-fans find her sensual songs. Fast forward a year, and she released her debut EP ‘Big Fan of the Sesh, Vol. 1’ Further answering to the deserved hype and solidifying her fanbase. Tracks such as ‘Dinner’s Getting Cold Ft. Mac Wetha’, ‘Perdida’ and Flirt’ really demonstrated the talent Smyth has; lo-fi beats with velvet-like vocals to shatter dimensions.

Upon meeting Mac Wetha at sixth form after moving to London, the two have become good friends and regular collaborators within her own music and with their DIY Art Collective NiNE8. ‘A World Without Snooze, Vol. 2’ was released in 2019 and whisks you away to that special place in your mind where you can breathe easy and relax.

The track ‘Vete’ caught a lot of attention from the expansion of the smooth sound incorporating a cheeky bit of Sax to really hone in that chill Jazzy vibe. And thus Smyth signed to RCA Records, then immediately starting work on the final instalment to the trilogy. In November that year, she dropped ‘No Place For Patience, Vol. 3’. 

Really perfecting her sound here, it feels as if the journey had really taken you somewhere. The production of the song ties every little nook and cranny together into this ear-melting sound. Roses and Gold kicks off the EP, introducing some funky slap bass to shake things up whilst staying inside the proverbial box. Smyth does new things here but nothing feels out of place. ‘Lie to Me’ closes the EP and shows off some of the complexity to her lyrics; “I don’t wanna go, but this heart ain’t a home / Peace of mind, my peace is fucked. lucking out when he won’t listen / Risking trust to prove a point”. Smyth somehow just has this immense control of singing (in both English and Spanish) with such depth and on the flick of a switch completely nails these free flow rap verses which blend with her sound so perfectly.

Earlier this year, Biig Piig treated us to her political commentary of the 2019 snap election; ‘Switch’ which is a fitting title. This is a Biig switch indeed from her earlier work, fast-paced, angrier and with more drum ‘n’ bass inspiration. Smyth has said “I thought when I was writing it that it was about a relationship, but then I was like ​actually nah, it definitely isn’t. It’s that same hate but just for something else.” Switch is the kind of left turn an artist needs to take after solidifying their sound from 3 EPs worth of material. The track goes out of bounds but still suits Smyth’s voice, like something was suddenly realised inside her mind. The content of the song definitely needed a more prominent sound, so it all compliments each other ridiculously well really.

‘Don’t Turn Around’ was dropped in July this year and samples Love for the Sake of Love by Claudia Barry, more commonly known from being sampled in Montell Jordan’s Get It On Tonite. You may also recognize the directing style in the music video and you’d be onto something, frequent Beabadoobee video collaborator ‘Bedroom’ directed the song’s video, complimenting the sound of the track with a rich visual paradigm. Once again showing off her flow with some insanely catchy rap verses, bookended by delightful vocal hooks in the chorus. Lyrically being quite a jam-packed song as you’d expect with rap verses, but really shoving that emotion into the listener in a really exciting way. Smyth spoke about the song, saying it’s “my post-breakup, pre glow up tune. Finally getting to confidence through self-love and letting go of toxic relationships”. All we can take from it is that it’s such a good song and Biig Piig’s artistry really shaped it into something new and refreshing, leaving us with open arms for whatever her next outing may be.

Biig Piig is someone who needs no real introduction, just an open mind and a good pair of ears because no matter what the Irish-Espanol singer dishes out, it’s no doubt to be something that gets you hooked. In fact, Clairo and Billie Eilish have proudly announced themselves as fans, so why not join them? For once I can safely say that it’s right to believe the hype.

Like what you hear? Check out Biig Piig’s latest release and double single ‘Oh No / Liarh’ on Spotify.

Categories
Indie/Indie Rock Soul/R&B Why We Love

Why We Love: Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy man, straight out of Compton and what a talent. Not only being just 22, but starting his career when he was just 15. Absolutely ridiculous. Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer and producer. This man has produced music for ‘Denzel Curry’, ‘Mac Miller’, ‘J Cole’ and ‘Kendrick Lamar’. (Just to name a few), as well as being the guitarist for the band The Internet, he’s collaborated and guest appeared on tracks with ‘Kali Uchis’, ‘Vampire Weekend’, ‘Thundercat’ and ‘Tyler, The Creator’ (Again, just to name a few). He writes his own solo music and oh, he records everything on his iPhone. Yeah, I’ll give you a moment.

Lacy started young, making beats using Garageband using an iRig cable and his phone, and today is a highly respected professional producer and musician. Steve uses a technique he calls ‘The Bare Maximum’ which explains how you can create brilliant content, even with only the most basic set up. He cites ‘Thundercat’, ‘Black Moth Super Rainbow’, ‘Erykah Badu’, ‘Pharrell WIlliams’ and ‘The Neptunes’ as his major influences, and crediting ‘Mac DeMarco’ as one of his biggest influences in terms of production, all of which is evident throughout his work. He also describes his sound as ‘Plaid’ like the material due to him seeing a plaid shirt and stating it ‘looks’ like his music ‘sounds’, with there being ‘loads going on’ but ‘none of it clashes’. 

Back in 2017, Steve released his first solo work, a project referred to as a song series, ‘Steve Lacy’s Demo’, an EP compiled of songs written and produced since 2015. The year before his solo debut he released the single ‘Some’, which was an immediate hit, showcasing indie, soul and lo-fi elements. ‘Some’ showcased his work through minimalism production  and simplistic craft, but in a way that stands out and makes a big impact especially upon your initial listen, all recorded and produced on his iPhone, really showed and proved his theory of the bare maximum. Later the following year we were treated to ‘Dark Red’ which was his most notable work of his solo material. Darker sounds, tight drum loops, a groovy bassline and killer vocals. Upon the release of the EP, Lacy dropped the music video for ‘RYD / Dark Red’. 

The same year he co-wrote and produced Ravyn Lenae’s EP ‘Crush’, and with the drop of Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy winning album DAMN., the song ‘Pride’ was produced by him, where you can really hear the styles of Lacy’s work, from the swirling guitar to the programmed drums, Lacy’s presence is practically in the room with you. 

It’s with all the work Lacy has been a part of where you really get to experience his ‘Plaid’ style, and understand just how much his influences have had on him. But after releasing more music with the Internet and working with many more artists, in 2019 he dropped his first solo LP, Apollo XXI, released a day after his own 21st birthday. The album flaunts off a subtle expansion of the sounds from his earlier solo work, but with the sheer amount of songs he’s been a part of, dedicated followers will have been able to see and hear his sound develop as he integrates such revolutionary elements such as a second phone, or Ableton drum patches, all the while staying true to his plaid practice. The album received quite obviously well deserved acclaim, being nominated for a Grammy award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. 

Apollo XXI is a whirlpool of funk, RnB, indie and soul, as it talks about Lacy’s life after the release of his first EP, topics of break-ups, success, his evolving style and image of himself, as well as views on the world. The track ‘Like Me’ featuring DAISY is a notable one, split into a three part journey that explores and talks about Lacy’s sexuality, something DAISY and himself connected with during the writing and recording process. Lacy has openly announced that he is bisexual, and the struggles of coming to terms with that being raised as a Christian. All of which is evident in the song with lyrics such as “This is about me and what I am – I didn’t wanna make it a big deal – But I did wanna make a song, I’ll admit – Uh, I just wanna, just see who can relate” and “How many scared to lose their friends like me?”. Something that fans part of the LGBTQ+ community can definitely relate to. 

The single ‘Playground’ from the album shows off some real dirty funk that really makes you wanna dance, matched with a music video heavily influenced by music video’s and effects from the ’70s, all while staying modern and crisp. 

Over the last five years we’ve seen a surge in bedroom pop artists, the indie scene has never seen so much creativity and it’s a wonderful thing to see, hundreds of young musicians who would once never attempt to complete their dreams of being a creative due to the lack of resources, but Steve Lacy proves that in the ocean that is the next generation of young homemade artists, you can make beats, produce and make your own songs from absolutely nothing, you can make it big with some basic free software on your smart phone, Lacy doesn’t just make music, but he inspires so many people, to follow his footsteps and do the same, figure out their sounds, discover new artists and create. I cannot wait for the next project Lacy works on because the man has the Midas touch, there’s a thrilling part about discovering Steve because of the pure magnitude of work he’s been a part of, you discover so much more than one artist, you get the whole Argos catalogue. Do yourself a favour and start listening to the biggest record producer and musician we’ve seen in way over a decade. Get in early, experience plaid, experience Lacy and get comfortable for the ride that will be his evolution. 

Comparisons to icons such as Brian Eno, Dr Dre, Mark Ronson and Calvin Harris do get mentioned when talking about the likes of Lacy, but between you and me, I have a pretty strong feeling Steve Lacy will be a bigger household name in the years to come. We’ve only had Lacy’s prowess for five years, and he’s already done so much. The sheer thought of what’s possible in the next 5, 10 or even 20 years gives me shivers. This is somebody you do not want to sleep on. Lacy’s top tracks will be right down below, check out just a small taster of his work on the ‘This Is Steve Lacy’ playlist on Spotify, and get ready for the future.