The Very Good Agency

The Good, the Bad and the Queen

If you like cinematic violence and vengeance, then you may know that Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Western “Dollars” trilogy featured Clint Eastwood as the man with no name. The today’s informational update deals with a band with no name, a project that has become known as “The Good, the Bad and the Queen”, which is the title of the album they created. Some in the music business have called it a super group, which is a convenient way to describe a collective of people who have all been in other bands.

Each member has had previous success as part of another group, or in the case of Drummer Tony Allen as a hugely influential solo artist in his own right. Just to let you know the team I will quote from pitchfork, who summed the band up in their usual droll but pretentious style, as “On bass, Clash veteran Paul Simonon. On guitar, Simon Tong, late of the Verve. On drums, the unimpeachable Afrobeat master Tony Allen. Behind the boards, somewhere, the ubiquitous, beloved Danger Mouse. And Albarn himself on top, his ego and voice the would-be X-factor that ties these disparate kindred souls together.” So yes I is a slightly odd mish-mash of talent, but their collective creativity has created a great sound.

To explain, the project began around the time of the demise of Damon Albarn’s previous band Blur, when he connected with Nigerian drummer Tony Allen. Guitarist Simon Tong got on board and they went to Mali, Africa to collaborate in 2004. The result was not completely productive and did not produce any released recordings, but after getting back to London Albarn got former Clash bassist Paul Simonon into the mix, and things went from there. By 2006 the group released the single “Herculean” and performed live for crowds around London. On April 4, 2007, “The Good, The Bad & The Queen“ became the first EMI album to be made available for download in the new DRM-free, high quality MP3 format.

So what’s it all about? No stranger to side-projects and oddities, Albarn has worked with some legends (including Dan The Automator) since his time in blur, not only as one of the masterminds behind animated band The Gorillaz. It’s definitely an intriguing sound, which is a bit of a mixture of other styles, that can be quite haunting and paints an atmospheric picture of modern life in London, or any chaotic urban area. As with most culture it is based in it’s on time and space, but also looks at the broader picture of society, in a dirty, brooding post-911 “War on Terror” world. I enjoy dark, claustrophobic and cryptic lyrics like these from the song Herculean:

“And the medicine man is here 24/7
You can get it fast in Armageddon
Everyone is on the way to heaven
Slowly”

Each individual member brings their own skills to the mix, Albarn’s song writing and lyrical abilities are honed and at the forefront. The drumming and general beats are brilliant. Allen’s skills turn, what could otherwise be thought of as simplistic songs, into something to keep you guessing, so good you’d think he was a drum machine. While most tracks can stand on their own two feet, it is the sort of album created to be listen to, as one collective output, on your headphones while you wait for public transport whisk you away to another place.

-Video: Nature Springs-

By the way: If you are keen to hear about Damon Albarn’s next project with Tank girl creator Jamie Hewlett, look out for Monkey: Journey To The West!

To find out more about “The Good, the Bad and the Queen” album, check out these sites:

Official Site

Offical Fan Site

Myspace Site

“Drink all day coz the country’s at war
You’ll be falling on the palace walls
I can’t be any more than I say
In the flood you’ll get washed away
When the sunset world begins”

(The Kingdom of Doom -TG TB & TQ)

By the good/Bad…Yossarian

Tags: Collaborations, Dub, Jazz, Soul

YaHeard? Paris Wells interview

If you haven’t heard the name Paris Wells yet, then prepare to be blown away. Having just released her brilliant debut album, Keep it, as well as already building a strong following for her powerful live shows, this hugely talented Melbourne local is getting ready to take the world by storm. The album is a fantastic array of infectious pop anthems laced with everything from jazz, funk, disco and soul, highlighting her sublime versatility. We here at Very Good were lucky enough to have Paris lend us some of her time to answer a few questions, check it out.

Hi Paris, thanks for taking the time to do this for us. First things first, tell us a little about your background; who is Paris Wells and what influences her?
Well I’m actually half mermaid and half human. My childhood was in Maroubra NSW and my teens in Melbourne Bayside. Aside from my continuing emotional journey with relationships both romantic and platonic, my influences are 60 folk, 70’s disco, 90’s hip hop and great rock bands like Razorlight, Zombies etc.

The new album is sensational, how has the response been so far?
Why thankyou! Critically I am greatful for the reviews, Dan from Rolling Stone gave it a real honest review an I agreed with everything he said. Fans have picked up on it on all different levels which is great. To have girls approach me with what each song meant to them and how it helps them is an amazingly rewarding feeling! The whole response gives me so much encouragement to back this record up with an even better second album!!!

The album is really dynamic mix of genre’s; from the disco-inspired “Firetruck Man” to the soulful and jazzy “Tender”, is there any style that you particularly prefer? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Sonically we were aiming for a modern/vintage fusion of sounds. Ryan and I choose my musicians carefully along with microphones and synths etc. We both have a strong relationship with beat culture and I wanted to keep that consistent in the songs. Lyrically it speaks for itself and for myself, my heart is on that album for the world to see.

The versatility on Keep it indicates that you would be likely to gel with a wide range of artists across a handful of different genres; are there any artists or groups in particular that you would like to work with?
Dream Collaborations 101:

Damon Albarn
Jamie Lidell
Cassius
Mike Patton
Goyte

Recently your live shows have gained quite a reputation, what do fans get when you’re on stage?

All of me with clothes on but sometimes no shoes. And a huge sound!

Any plans for more shows soon? Coming into summertime, you’d be looking at a festival or two perhaps?

Shhhhhh you will have to wait my friend…..

Your sound has been compared to the likes of Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and Alice Russell, how does this sit with you? Are these artists that you respect musically?

They are three of the most amazingly gifted vocalists in contemporary popular music, just to buy them a coffee would make my day let alone be compared to the likes of them. Amazing!

RHyNo of True Live has obviously been a factor in your success, what does he bring to your sound? Does he produce the whole album?

Yes Ryan and I are a team. My sound that the public now know is a hybrid of our tastes combined. I think he expressed himself in KEEP IT just as much as I did, he is super proud.

How was the experience of supporting Justin Timberlake on his Australian and New Zealand tour? Did he teach you how to bring sexy back?

No we were already dead sexy excuse me….Justin is the greatest, there is no stopping him.

Any final thoughts?

Fat kids are really hard to kidnapp and crabs shouldn’t be tied up in restaurants, tasty but they should at least get to swim before hand.

Thanks for your time Paris

“I’d step out of the rush for you”- Fat Freddy!
Peace. x

Paris Wells – Dat Du Dat
Keep it is out now, support local talent and pick it up from your local music store. And keep an eye out for Paris live somewhere near you over summer, we’ll do our best to keep you informed, you do not want to miss out.

You can check out more of Paris Wells at:

www.myspace.com/pariswells

…cracked

Tags: Australian Artists, Funk, Gospel, hip hop, Soul

Soul Brothers – Martin Luther & Cody Chesnutt

There isn’t an enormous amount of soul musicians around these days, thankfully though, if you dig around for a while you will find artists like Martin Luther, and Cody Chesnutt.

Martin Luther of Rebel Soul Records plays a sweet mix-up of soul, rock, blues and funk, also often collaborating with underground hip hop artists like The Roots & Questlove. He explains of himself “My music is just soul music, but I attach “rebel” to it because my music is revolutionary. I want you to evolve from your day to day thinking that most music being played on the radio doesn’t encourage or inspire you to do. Therefore my music has some sort of rebellious attitude about it”

Martin Luther – Daily Bread

Cody Chesnutt first came to recognition with suitably titled debut album “The Headphone Masterpiece”. Probably the most refreshing element of his music is his ability to cross so many styles, era’s, and topics , from sweet gospel to modern pop, and everything in between including his alter ego; the voice of male bravado. With at times deliberately simplistic music, Cody’s poetry always manages to carry any tune he creates solidly. Speaking on where he is today “Cody has been living life in its momentary expression as a husband, a father, and a student of God. Life has been his muse, his wife; his child, the earth, wind, and the sun are his text book”.

King of the Game
Cody Chesnutt – Directed by Michel Gondry

You can check out more of Martin Luther at:

www.rebelsoulmusic.com

and Cody Chesnutt at:

www.myspace.com/codychesnuttmusic

Tags: Gospel, hip hop, Soul

Hope Shorter

With so many American artists trying to get their break onto the world scene, we don’t get to see many of the better artists that are coming out of the USA. With an abundance of options for countries to tour with far greater populations and therefore audiences, Australia and New Zealand are often overlooked in the touring circuit also, especially for artists who do not fall into a main stream category. Hope Shorter is one of these amazing artists who we can only hope to see playing on our shores at some stage.

Playing mainly accoustic originals, Hope (the name she often goes by) brings a style of simplicity to the table that would leave you wanting if it weren’t for the fullness of expression she delivers vocally so effortlessly. The simplest collaboration of a person and their guitar bringing silence to a hall for just three and a half minutes in one of the pieces that brought her to the worlds attention “Rain don’t last”.

Residing in Los Angeles, Califonia, Hope is a far cry from the masses of hyped up trash that typically is generated under the guise of Hip Hop, Soul and R&B there, Thankfully it appears that the major record labels got it right this time with her debut album entitled “Hope”  being picked up by Atlantis Records and recently released .

You can check out some more from Hope Shorter at:

www.myspace.com/hearhope

www.hope-music.com

…bs

Tags: Soul

Paris Wells

Thursday nights in Melbourne just got interesting thanks to Jam Packed Entertainment and Paris Wells.

In a city filled with artists and musicians it is unusual to stumble across one that stands out in the way Paris does, it seems however, that this kind of discovery is nothing new to her. Plucked from obscurity while working full time, Paris was chosen by Justin Timberlake in a public audition for his FutureSex/LoveSounds tour of Australasia towards the end of 2007, having previously played underground clubs in Melbourne to hundreds rather than thousands.

Paris Wells Dat Du Dat

Mashing up such an array of genres makes pigeon holing an artist like Paris Wells extremely difficult, especially when you consider the explanations of 1st single Dat Du Dat thus far “It’s very raw, an infectious collision of funk, soul and primal pop. It’s the musical equivalent of walking into a late night party just firing up for a second wind – sly funk grooves with clanging percussion and a squelching, ferocious bassline with Paris’ voice dragging through the seedy scenario.”

Paris plays at Roxanne in July on Thursdays with alternating special guests, integrating styles as if she were a walking, breathing best of compilation. If your lucky enough to be around in July it is sure to be an enjoyable evening, if your not, go to www.virginblue.com.au

You can check out more of Paris at:

www.myspace.com/pariswells

“Roxannes” 2 Coverlid Place, Melbourne Thursday nights in July.

…bs

Tags: Australian Artists, Funk, Jazz, Soul