Weekend Guide: 04.09.2021

Facing the other way

I am intrigued by beautiful music. I have always wanted to make beautiful music. I tried for a bit, then succumbed to the fact that making beautiful music is a very hard thing to do. Mainly because it’s not something you can work really hard at to succeed. Beautiful music is not a meritocracy. One must:

• Already contain beautiful music. 🎵

• Have the key to unlock it. 🔐

• Possess the master code to be able to capture it on record. 💯

Over the past 40+ years the record label 4AD has been finding and releasing artists that create this mythical beautiful music. Doing anything for forty years is commendable. But staying relevant for forty years is something to be celebrated.

For obvious reasons, record labels don’t hold as much weight now. And that’s sad. It’s a lot harder to create an aura/mystique around a band or artist in the steaming age. And honestly, people could give a shit. The idea of a label seems ancient.

But somehow, 4AD soldiers on. 4AD’s stable of artists (current and former) reads like a who’s who of the tragically hip.

Cocteau Twins / Pixies / Stereolab / Deerhunter / Bauhaus / The The / Red House Painters / The Breeders / The Birthday Party / Bon Iver / SpaceGhostPurrp / The National / St. Vincent / Mojave 3 / Future Islands / Dead Can Dance / Grimes / etc..

The current incarnation of 4AD is great, but really doesn’t interest me much. I’m mainly into the ten year chunk from 1980-1990.¹ Like I said, it seems like labels don’t matter much anymore for the fan. But for a time, they did. The ones that mattered were always helmed by a fanatic. For 4AD, Ivo Watts-Russell was that madman. Not in the traditional rock and roll sense. But in the quiet, controlling, obsessive-nerd way. The shaved head, black turtleneck, Steve Jobs way. 📱

4AD label don, IVO!

Facing the other way: The Story of 4AD by Martin Aston is a comprehensive label history. It’s the story of Ivo, his obsession with a particular sound, and every self sabotaging move he made along the way to preserve his vision of artistic purity. It goes year by year and release by release. To say it’s detailed would be an understatement. But if you like to nerd out over this stuff - you will dig!

4AD moved quickly from from a fringe label releasing the first punches of goth, to stumbling over itself and falling head first into a world wide mega smash. Twice. More often than not, during the hay-day of the record label - it was those odd one-offs or throwaway tracks that funded the labels more artistic endeavors. See below.²

‘Facing the other way’ is long (650+). But its filled with juicy inter-band gossip that makes my music nerd heart skip a beat. If you want to know why Kim Deal left Pixies to form The Breeders, or the story of the only band to ever turn down a contract offer from 4AD (The Sundays), or about the cocaine fueled creation of Heaven or Las Vegas. This book is for you, baby!

If this is not your bag I get it. I know you won’t actually read it (peace and love)! So I made a playlist for you:

For me, it’s all about Cocteau Twins. In FTOW you learn the origin story of this notoriously protected group. How they came about their signature sound. The drugs. The sex. The rows (British for fight?). All the goods. I have had a long time to think on this, but I am pretty sure Cocteau Twins are the perfect rock band. No drummer! Live video dump below:

That’s going to do it for me folks. I hope you find some time this weekend to check in with yourself. Listen to something you love. Read something that’s been sitting on your bedside table - collecting dust. Text a friend. Ask them what’s going on in their life. Share a beautiful song with a loved one. As always, do it with peace and love.

What’s your favorite beautiful song?

1. I am also interested in all of the Red House Painters catalog (1992-2015)

2. This Mortal Coil was the 4AD house band, led by label head Ivo Watts-Russell. He would basically pick members of bands on 4AD to cover songs he loved. “Song to the Siren” is a Tim Buckley song.