L to R clockwise: Nick Drake photographed by Julian Lloyd, MF DOOM MM…FOOD album cover designed by Jeff Jank, Alex G photographed by Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times
Hi,
This week I’ll be discussing my favourite musical artists at the moment as dictated by my spotify wrapped. These include but are not limited to Nick Drake, Alex G and MF DOOM.
When reading this post please keep in mind I am by no means a music journalist or musician. So my technical knowledge is not very extensive. I want this to be about what I like about these artists specifically and why I appreciate them.
- Nick Drake
Nick Drake is and always has been one of my favourite artists and after researching this article I’ve come to grow a deeper appreciation for his melancholic sound. Drake only made three albums: Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter and Pink Moon. He met his fate at the age of 26 when he overdosed on anti-depressants. His work was appreciated mostly posthumously except for an encounter with The Rolling Stones in Marrakech where Mick Jagger was impressed by his guitar skills.[1]
Despite many people claiming his music to be indicative of Drake’s struggles with depression most of his work was written in periods of relative happiness. This speaks to me most; his oeuvre feels like the clearing of storm clouds but also a nostalgia for the rain. It is a retrospective on periods of mental turmoil, and drake covers it in a way I think many of us struggle to articulate as beautiful. I’ve always found these incredibly profound, existential, dark moments beguiling. However, I’ve struggled to express how incredibly human it feels to experience it. But when listening to Drake I feel like we have a mutual understanding and appreciation of these moments. Hence, my favourite album of his is his last: Pink Moon. It’s said to have been his most depressing, but I find it quietly optimistic. All of this whilst failing to mention his ability to curate such an intense atmosphere with just an acoustic guitar and basic instruments.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/27/nick-drake-the-life-richard-morton-jack-biography-extracts
2. MF DOOM
Peter Kramer, 2005, Getty Images
MF Doom is the quintessential entrance to experimental hip-hop. I came about him as any 20-year-old woman develops her music taste… through a crush. A guy I briefly liked loved MF Doom. So naturally, I loved MF Doom. Whilst my admiration of the mysterious rapper outgrew the crush, I am eternally grateful to this guy who introduced me. Doom was my gateway drug to old school hip hop. My obsession grew as I learnt more about his multiple identities and career leading to him being one of the most influential rappers of the past 40 years, if not of all time.
Throughout his career Daniel Dumile aka MF Doom has discussed racism, girls and growing up as a black man in Long Island. But the real beauty of doom is how he covers these topics with a touch of often quite dark humour. His elusive identity and multiple stage names such as King Geedorah allow him to explore themes from different angles. His comic book supervillain persona is an homage to old cartoons and comic books and indicated his experimental style.
3. Alex G
Alex g photographed by Sinna Nasseri for the New York Times
Alex G aka Alex Giannascoli started distributing his music on Myspace, email, mediafire and burned CD’s.[1]The characters he creates such as Sandy, Mary, Sarah, and Adam are a means for Giannascoli to explore the angst-ridden internal monologues of young adults. You could imagine a teen in a Y2K movie like ‘thirteen’ soliloquising through one of Alex G’s songs. Sandy, for example whose brother’s says Satan is his master. Or Sarah whose boyfriend makes promises that plague her heart. Each character echoes a facet of life distinct to our teenage years: ugliness, lunch-stealing bullies, insecurity, longing for a mary-type girl, and satan-worshipping siblings.
Giannascoli shape shifts between narratives but also aesthetics. He changes the pitch of his voice and melodies arbitrarily making him one of the smartest artists in the Indie Rock genre right now. I like how he explores all of these angst-ridden teen experiences in such a creative and interesting way.
[1] https://pitchfork.com/features/profile/alex-g-god-save-the-animals-interview/
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