FIFTY3FRIDAYS: BE MY VALENTINE

12 hours ago
4 min read

So, before the local garage runs out of flowers, let me gently remind you that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. While you may think that the cheap jibe above should be rightly consigned to the 1970s, male panic buying of red roses from street vendors to supermarkets remains an annual event. The association between St Valentine and romance though goes back considerably further and it has also been suggested that the feast day’s true origins may be in the Roman festival of Lupercalia. I am also drawn to Geoffrey Chaucer’s dream vision of courtly love, The Parliament of Fowls, in which birds of all species gather to strut their stuff, debate the conventions of love and choose their mates. True romantics, all.

On that amorous note, it seems appropriate to start this edition of Fifty3Fridays with a song about love, though inspired by a reassessment of what love really means. British-Ghanaian singer and songwriter Ama Adem pioneers what she calls Redemptive Pop; ‘music defined by message and purpose rather than genre’ in her words. Drawing strands from pop, folk, Afro rhythms and soul, Ama reveals an unusual career path. Having given up the corporate life after six years in investment banking, music is now her full-time job. It is equally rooted in her Christian faith.

Ama takes a leaf out of the investor’s book with the title of her single, “Skin in the Game”, which is the first in a 3-song series which looks at love as an expression of faith. The risk and reward here though is not financial but rather investment in love. Taking inspiration from the Christian depiction of love as not self-seeking, the song invites openness without fear and acceptance of vulnerability as part of the ‘deal.’ Ama’s surrender to love is evidenced by the headiness in her vocals, her sweet topline over a joyfully ascending melody and the Gospel flavoured backing vocals. Keep an ear out too for the second instalment, “Walls”, arriving imminently.

Photo of Georgia Shackleton by Simon Boosey photography

East of England singer, musician and songwriter Georgia Shackleton is a distant relative of the Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton who set sail aboard ‘Discovery’ with Captain Scott, some 125 years ago. This personal connection has inspired Georgia to mark this notable event by creating an album, From the Floorboards, commemorating polar travels across forbidding seas and shaped by instruments including the Shackleton Violin, built by conservationist and luthier Steve Burnett from the original floorboards of Shackleton’s former Edinburgh home.

In the second single from the LP, "The Seahorse", Georgia celebrates the fascination and wonder of these tiny, perfectly formed ocean creatures, drawing further inspiration from Katherine Rundell’s book, The Golden Mole. Presenting a contemporary song with the feel of a traditional ballad that you might associate with the sea, Georgia's pure folk tone employs some delicious modulations and is set against an entirely complementary violin accompaniment. Her song beautifully captures the delicacy of the seahorse, its romance set against the unforgiving sea.

Striking a different chord next is Oxford five-piece alt-rock band, Wilderness States, made up of Shauna Reed on vocals and synth, David Freeman (guitars/keyboard), guitarist Szabolcs Máthé aka Matty, Kieran Spriggs on bass and Simon Talbot (drums/percussion). The band describes its formation as ‘an absolute mess’, yet with a degree of serendipity to it. The male members have paid their dues in several Oxford bands including Ideal Marriage, Ciphers and Lowws while, after relocating to Oxford from London, Shauna completed the line-up.

Wilderness States brings its bold, brash sound to bear on new single "Black White Red" while lyrically contemplating escape from what appears to be past generational trauma. This is not easy subject matter but it is handled in a reasoned and empathetic manner, pointing towards an end to a cycle of suffering. Fronted by Shauna Reed's expressively emotive vocal, the measured verses are nicely balanced instrumentally by rocky choruses and a full-on bridge. I get shades of The Duke Spirit about the band’s musical essence which is no bad thing either.

Wet met Copenhagen based singer, musician and composer Hannah Schneider last month and featured the title track from her new album, In This Room, which will be released on 27 February. I was particularly taken with how she shapes her brand of alternative pop, blending electronic sounds and disparate instruments into a cinematic arc. I mentioned Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes as some kind of benchmark for Hannah’s atmospheric compositions and her latest single ahead of the album provides further ammunition.

“Membrane” is a relatively short piece of music, minimal on the surface but creating further waves as you hear it again and again. The track is constructed around a pulsing bass clarinet motif, switching between experimental neoclassical textures and topline melodic forays. Hannah’s breathy vocals glide between the ominous clarinet and spidery, staccato strings, seemingly musing on the distance and barriers formed when understanding breaks down. So perhaps not one for your Valentine’s playlist but an emotive and expressive song nonetheless.

Photo of Clare Grogan, Altered Images: uncredited

To bring things back to the opening Valentine’s theme, here are two great things to end on this week. Firstly, the performance that France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Guillaume Cizeron put in to win ice dance gold at the Winter Olympics. Their routine was simply mesmerising in its beauty and graceful precision while also set to great music from Rob Simonsen’s soundtrack to The Whale. I’ll say nothing about the dreadful Scottish medley that the British hopes, Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson, had to put up with. No wonder there was a stumble in the twizzles.

The second thing is well worth a read: Clare Grogan from 80s new wave outfit, Altered Images, reminiscing in Thursday’s i-paper about music, acting and being the muse for Spandau Ballet’s “True”. Now that tune would make your archetypical Valentine’s playlist but I’d rather close with one of Clare’s. I still have the 12” single of “Love To Stay” from Altered Images’ third album, Bite. I found it on YouTube too but you will have to put up with a single image. Unaltered.