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Grammys 2020: who will win the big categories and who should

February 2, 2020 – 10:12 am
Posted in Ep4Records Music
Tagged Ariana Grande, Awards and prizes, BeyoncÃ©, Billie Eilish, Bon Iver, Culture, Danger Mouse, Grammys, Hip-hop, Indie, Lady Gaga, lana del rey, Lewis Capaldi, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Music, Nipsey Hussle, Pop and rock, Post Malone, R&B, Rap, RosalÃa, Soul, Taylor Swift, Vampire Weekend, Willie Nelson
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Billie Eilish and Lizzo are competing for a string of the top prizes, but could the likes of Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey and Rosala cause upsets?

Noise threatens to drown out the music at the 2020 Grammy awards. A line had been drawn under the tone-deaf leadership of Neil Portnow, who had presided over the ceremony since 2002 between 2013 and 2018, Grammy winners were 91% male, but, after a 2018 ceremony where men swept the board again, Portnow said it was on women to step up and create opportunities for themselves.

A woman, Deborah Dugan, replaced him; a taskforce was appointed, and in December they published their report, calling for greater diversity in the Academy voters. Any hopes that they had moved on, though, were scotched last week by Dugan being suspended for alleged misconduct; Dugan countered by saying she had been sexually harassed, that the Academy had covered up an alleged rape by Portnow, and that the voting was corrupt.

So we go into this years ceremony more jaded than ever, but the irony is that, no matter how poisonous the Academy is and regardless of whether it is rigged or not, we ended up with a much more diverse range of nominees this year. Leading the pack are Lizzo with eight noms and Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X with six each a vibrantly youthful and non-conformist trio. But will the Academy members shake off the past and vote for the future?

Record of the year

Bon Iver Hey, Ma
Billie Eilish Bad Guy
Ariana Grande 7 Rings
HER Hard Place
Khalid Talk
Lil Nas X ft Billy Ray Cyrus Old Town Road
Lizzo Truth Hurts
Post Malone & Swae Lee Sunflower

Aside from the merely pleasant HER and Khalid tracks, this is a strong field. While lots of eyes are on Lizzo and Eilish, this could perhaps be Ariana Grandes year. Its her first time with nominations in the big four categories rather than being patronised in the pop awards and, with its My Favourite Things melody, doddering Academy voters might listen to 7 Rings and say: Hey, its one I know! Triumphant earworm Old Town Road is the longest-running No 1 in US history; Bad Guy is a showcase of the kind of fiendish genius usually employed by Hollywood horror movies to construct elaborate ways for teenagers to get killed. But an Academy eager to telegraph its modernity might go for Lizzo: Truth Hurts is a great underdog story, reaching No 1 two years after release, and her charisma is near universally infectious.

Will win: Lizzo Truth Hurts
Should win: Billie Eilish Bad Guy

Album of the year

Bon Iver i, i
Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell!
Billie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Ariana Grande Thank U, Next
HER I Used to Know Her
Lil Nas X 7
Lizzo Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)
Vampire Weekend Father of the Bride

This is Grandes best chance of a big win. Thank U, Next is a superbly realised almost-concept album about heartache, grief and moving on that can be witty, even caustic, but never cruel it sealed her as one of the three or four definitive pop stars of our time. Lizzo, HER and Lil Nas X are hampered with too much 6/10 material across their albums; Lana Del Rey was the critical hit of the year and will certainly beat out fellow Pitchfork darlings Bon Iver and Vampire Weekend, but may not cut through to the more august and mainstream Academy members. Eilish was the inescapable pop-cultural breakthrough of the year, and her album has such terrific range and invention. She will, hopefully, squeak this.

Will win: Billie Eilish
Should win: Billie Eilish

Song of the year

Lady Gaga Always Remember Us This Way
Billie Eilish Bad Guy
Tanya Tucker Bring My Flowers Now
HER Hard Place
Taylor Swift Lover
Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell
Lewis Capaldi Someone You Loved
Lizzo Truth Hurts

Piano-driven ballads dominate the songwriting category, including Taylor Swifts only big nomination. Lover is such classic American songcraft, though Lewis Capaldis powerful Someone Like You is the best of these ballads and it would be a British win to remember. Eilish is streets ahead in terms of songwriting innovation and should win for that Duh! alone. But, while Truth Hurts most famous lyric (I just took a DNA test, turns out Im 100% that bitch) may have been plagiarised and its British author later added to the credits, Lizzo has this sewn up. The lyrics are hilarious, and it is a massively successful example of that new school of songwriting where a single melody is repeated over and over until the brainwashed public is involuntarily chanting it and then clawing hopelessly at their faces.

Will win: Lizzo Truth Hurts
Should win: Billie Eilish Bad Guy

New artist

Black Pumas
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Maggie Rogers
Rosala
Tank and the Bangas
Yola

Nice to see some country-soul curveballs here in the excellent Black Pumas and Yola, though the less said the better about the tune-free Tank and the Bangas at any rate, theyre all making up the numbers. Maggie Rogers didnt really break beyond her fanbase with her underrated debut album, and Im sure the Academy will see Lil Nas X merely as a two-hit wonder. Lizzos debut album came out in 2013, whereas Eilish has only just turned 18 and feels like the rightful owner of this award. But you can bet than every Latinx voter is going to be going for the astoundingly talented Rosala, who won big at the Latin Grammys and could cause an upset here.

Will win: Billie Eilish
Should win: Billie Eilish

Pop solo performance

Beyonc Spirit
Billie Eilish Bad Guy
Ariana Grande 7 Rings
Lizzo Truth Hurts
Taylor Swift You Need to Calm Down

Just as performances where you cry, shout and climb inside the carcass of a bear win you Oscars, the leading pop award rather behoves you to give it some welly not for nothing has Adele won it three times. Eilish and Grandes variously murmured and chatted performances will appear to the Academy like weirdo arthouse choices here, and even Swift is in a relatively conversational mode. Beyoncs ponderous Spirit was the lame old wildebeest eaten by the younger jackals on the Lion King soundtrack, so this is Lizzos to lose.

Will win: Lizzo
Should win: Billie Eilish

Rock performance

Bones UK Pretty Waste
Gary Clark Jr This Land
Brittany Howard History Repeats
Karen O & Danger Mouse Woman
Rival Sons Too Bad

Anyone looking for evidence of backroom dealing in the Academy might well make Bones UK their exhibit A: Pretty Waste is the kind of creative vacuum beloved only of nihilistically cocaine-addicted LA music industry execs looking for something to soundtrack rock bottom. The rest is pretty good. Rival Sons riffs and hollering make them the most tangibly rock thing here Karen O essays 60s pop, and Brittany Howards History Repeats is a kind of bluesy funk tune, but with mainstream rock stranded out on a sandbar while rappers and pop stars taunt it on jetskis, they need to blur the genre lines. Gary Clark Jr could edge this with his politically charged This Land, half-rapped over a heavily skanking backing.

Will win: Gary Clark Jr
Should win: Rival Sons

Rap performance

J Cole Middle Child
DaBaby Suge
Dreamville feat JID, Bas, J Cole, Earthgang & Young Nudy Down Bad
Nipsey Hussle feat Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy Racks in the Middle
Offset feat Cardi B Clout

Many voters hearts will go with Nipsey Hussle, whose murder last year robbed the world of a skilful, soulful MC who united backpacker hip-hoppers and mainstream rap fans. Racks in the Middle also features Roddy Rich, who has broken through spectacularly over the last year. But the track pales next to two others here: DaBabys Suge is a slowly prowling piece of minimalism that makes Offset sound fussily overworked in comparison; its ridiculous that DaBaby isnt up for best new artist. He is rather damaged goods after a series of run-ins with the law, however. That could hand Middle Child the win, on which J Cole raps as if hes high-stepping across the surface of a lake, his triplet time full of balletic grace.

Will win: J Cole
Should win: DaBaby

Country solo performance

Tyler Childers All Yourn
Ashley McBryde Girl Goin Nowhere
Willie Nelson Ride Me Back Home
Blake Shelton Gods Country
Tanya Tucker Bring My Flowers Now

If you scoff at country, youll probably always scoff at country, but this spread of songs shows off the admirable breadth of the genre and may pique your interest yet. Willie Nelsons song is a bit something-and-nothing; Tanya Tuckers Bring My Flowers Now is nominated in the song of the year category, and its live-for-today message and simple piano backing will appeal across the Academy, but its rather workmanlike. Ashley McBryde outdoes her in the ballad stakes, but its Tyler Childers and Blake Shelton both strongly channelling the gospel and soul music that not so secretly underpins country who are the strongest here. Childers song would make for a classy first wedding dance, while Sheltons stirring ode to proud Christian labour, while deeply unfashionable, will have you gazing soulfully across a cornfield.

Will win: Tanya Tucker
Should win: Tyler Childers

Lana Del Rey: Norman Fucking Rockwell review stops you in your tracks

September 5, 2019 – 5:20 am
Posted in Ep4Records Music
Tagged Culture, lana del rey, Music, Pop and rock
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The Americans involving fifth album proves she can do more than merely conjure up a mood

It was probably inevitable that Lana Del Rey would one day write a song called California. Having often set her tunes in specific locales Brooklyn Baby, West Coast and Venice Bitch are just three previous stops on the open-top Del Rey bus tour it comes as little surprise that at the heart of Norman Fucking Rockwell, the fifth of her acknowledged studio albums, Del Rey should be throwing a party for some hot guy, if hes ever in California again. Crazy love, muses Del Rey, audibly shaking her head at the memory, yet nursing some unspecified guilt.

Whats odd, however, is that while California is technically one of the strongest songs (there are actual beats; its about something tangible) its also one of the least interesting tracks on this unorthodox, involving album, named after a devotee of lived American iconography, the 20th-century illustrator Norman Rockwell. Rarely has the offer of a party, with your favourite alcohol off the top shelf, seemed so unenticing, compared with everything else thats going on here.

First, there are the Rockwell parallels Del Rey is clearly angling for, despite the fact that the title track actually concerns a self-loving and resident Laurel Canyon know-it-all, rather than Rockwell himself.

Rockwell specialised in highly stylised scenes from American 20th-century life, reflecting myths back to an adoring public before later becoming more politically aware. Del Rey has drawn on old Hollywood, summer time and a half-debutante, half-gangsters moll alter ego. Suddenly, in 2017, she engaged with the world as it was, endorsing Wiccan moves to place a binding spell on the then new president. Most recently, she put out Looking for America, in response to this summers mass shootings a stark contrast to the high old time her solipsistic, dissolute songs were previously enjoying.

Ultimately, there are more intriguing things afoot on Norman Fucking Rockwell than mere parties: Del Reys taking off [her] bathing suit and going meta, writing the next best American record on The Next Best American Record, or buying a truck to enable an incognito midnight flit with a bartender. Most invested listeners will already have heard about Del Rey going 24/7 Sylvia Plath, and writing on the walls in blood on the previously released Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have But I Have It.

Watch the video for Venice Beach.

The six tracks drip-fed thus far over a period of 11 months include some of the very strongest work Del Rey has done since Video Games, her audacious breakout sensation of 2011 and its accompanying album, Born to Die. The remainder of Normal Fucking Rockwells unreleased tracks can, as a result, seem a little surplus and one-note strings and synth washes soundtrack multiple love songs, one of which is actually called Love Song but there are standouts. How to Disappear echoes Bartenders escape motif, but this waltz with Christmas bells has an unusually happy ending. No ones going anywhere, Del Rey assures her love interest.

The retro haze remains inescapable. Like Lust for Life, Norman Fucking Rockwells 2017 predecessor, this record is stuffed with classic rock references: Cinnamon Girl borrows its title, if little else, from Neil Young, while Crosby, Stills and Nash jostle for room with Led Zeppelins album Houses of the Holy and more subtle nods. I heard the war was over if you really choose, she purrs at one point, paraphrasing John Lennon and Yoko Onos War Is Over (If You Want It). Doin Time, a Sublime cover, is actually the songs most forthcoming bop.

In truth, the music barely bothers to present itself as pop quite a feat, since its produced by Jack Antonoff, who helmed last weeks Taylor Swift album. Most of Norman Fucking Rockwell exists in some timeless, catgut-strewn place where 3am bar pianos and washes of keyboards serve as the tear-stained mat under Del Reys glass slipper of a voice until, that is, a song such as Cinnamon Girl suddenly unspools an unexpectedly long, lyrical instrumental coda, in an electronic-tinged echo of Youngs famous meandering. Venice Bitch, the nine-minute epic that crowns Del Reys latterday output, wanders off into long-haired analogue synth territory.

Listen to Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have But I Have It.

There is nothing on the unheard eight tracks of Norman Fucking Rockwell that trumps Venice Bitch, or Hope or The Greatest, another previously released instance of high-calibre yearning. But increasingly, for an artist who has made a career out of cinematic mood-creation, Del Reys lyrics can stop you in your tracks.

In keeping with the F-bomb of the title, and the tweet Del Rey infamously sent to Azealia Banks in 2018 (I wont not fuck you the fuck up), the album opens pugnaciously. Goddamn man-child/ You fucked me so good that I almost said I love you, Del Rey declares, her unapologetic sexuality in sharp contrast to the songs chaste swirl of Disney strings and a retro piano line redolent of Carole King.

There is a danger here, too, that Del Reys songs could turn into a mere Easter egg hunt, given the tapestry of references she weaves, unstitched from their meanings. Sometimes girls just want to have fun, Del Rey muses at one point, The poetry inside of me is warm like a gun. But its hard for any artist on their fifth album to cause you to sit up and pay attention as much as Del Reys Norman Fucking Rockwell does, let alone for an artist who is such a past master of the disengaged, dissolute swoon.

Natalie Portman criticises ‘creepy’ Moby over ‘disturbing’ account of friendship

June 20, 2019 – 1:00 pm
Posted in Ep4Records Music
Tagged Autobiography and memoir, Books, celebrity, Culture, Dance music, Electronic music, Film, lana del rey, Moby, Music, Natalie Portman, Pop and rock, US news
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Musician says in memoir the pair dated, but Portman disputes account, saying my recollection is a much older man being creepy with me

Natalie Portman has criticised Moby for a very disturbing account of their friendship in his new memoir Then It Fell Apart, comments which he has since contested.

In the book, the musician, now 53, claims the pair dated when he was 33 and Portman was 20, after she met him backstage in Austin, Texas. He recounts going to parties in New York with her, and to see her at Harvard University, kissing under the centuries-old oak trees. At midnight she brought me to her dorm room and we lay down next to each other on her small bed. After she fell asleep I carefully extracted myself from her arms and took a taxi back to my hotel. He says that he then struggled with anxiety about their relationship: It wanted one thing: for me to be alone nothing triggered my panic attacks more than getting close to a woman I cared about. Later, he writes: For a few weeks I had tried to be Natalies boyfriend, but it hadnt worked out, writing that she called to tell him she had met someone else.

Portman disputes Mobys account. I was surprised to hear that he characterised the very short time that I knew him as dating because my recollection is a much older man being creepy with me when I just had graduated high school, she told Harpers Bazaar. He said I was 20; I definitely wasnt. I was a teenager. I had just turned 18. There was no fact-checking from him or his publisher it almost feels deliberate. The book has their first meeting dated as early September 1999, which would have made Portman who was born in June 1981 18.

She added: That he used this story to sell his book was very disturbing to me. It wasnt the case. There are many factual errors and inventions. I would have liked him or his publisher to reach out to fact-check.

She says Moby had told her lets be friends, and that they had hung out a handful of times.

Moby has responded to her comments, posting a picture of them together on Instagram, and saying that her account confused me, as we did, in fact, date. And after briefly dating in 1999 we remained friends for years. I like Natalie, and I respect her intelligence and activism. But, to be honest, I cant figure out why she would actively misrepresent the truth about our (albeit brief) involvement. He said the book account was accurate, with lots of corroborating photo evidence, etc.

View this post on Instagram

I recently read a gossip piece wherein Natalie Portman said that wed never dated. This confused me, as we did, in fact, date. And after briefly dating in 1999 we remained friends for years. I like Natalie, and I respect her intelligence and activism. But, to be honest, I cant figure out why she would actively misrepresent the truth about our(albeit brief)involvement. The story as laid out in my book Then It Fell Apart is accurate, with lots of corroborating photo evidence, etc. Thanks, Moby Ps I completely respect Natalies possible regret in dating me(to be fair, I would probably regret dating me, too), but it doesnt alter the actual facts of our brief romantic history

A post shared by moby xx (@moby) on May 22, 2019 at 3:23am PDT

He added: I completely respect Natalies possible regret in dating me (to be fair, I would probably regret dating me, too), but it doesnt alter the actual facts of our brief romantic history.

Then It Fell Apart is Mobys second memoir, following the account of his rise to fame in Porcelain. Alongside starry encounters with Bono, David Bowie, Russell Crowe, David Lynch and more, he recalls a time he touched his naked penis against Donald Trump as a bet at a party.

He also says that he worked with and tried dating Lizzy Grant (spelled in the book as Lizzie Grant), who went on to become the pop star Lana Del Rey. She had short, bleached hair and looked like a beautiful elf I sat next to her on the piano bench and started kissing her. She kissed me back but then stopped. Whats wrong? I asked. I like you. But I hear you do this with a lot of people. I wanted to lie, to tell her that I didnt, that I was chaste, sane, and ethical. But I said nothing.

Artist Creates New Faces By Merging Photos Of Different Celebrities (30 Pics)

April 20, 2019 – 4:36 pm
Posted in Ep4Records Music
Tagged Brad Pitt, celebrities, celebrities recreated, celebrity, celebrity recreation, combined, combined celebrities, Eminem, full-page, kendall jenner, Lady Gaga, lana del rey, leonardo di caprio, Megan Fox, mixing faces, morphy_me, Natalie Portman, Nina Dobrev, recreation, two celebrities in one
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Do you recognize these celebrities? Do you notice anything different? If not, we suggest that you take a closer look, because each photo features not one but two or even four celebrities masterfully mixed together! A 25-year-old French student has recently become an Instagram sensation after he shared his amazing creations – morphs of famous faces.

#1 Brad Pitt & Leonardo Dicaprio

Brad

#2 Billie Eilish & Cara Delevingne

Billie

The artist, who goes by the Instagram name of Morphy_me, has spent hours painstakingly morphing celebrity faces from different spheres such as music, film, sport, royalty and much more. These creations take a lot of time as he carefully studies each face to bring out the most beautiful features of it. Not to mention the whole creation process! With a lot of patience and attention to detail, he makes a new face of a ‘perfect’ celebrity.

#3 Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds

Blake

#4 Kristen Stewart & Megan Fox

Kristen

From the combination of probably two of the most beautiful and hottest Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Leonardo Di Caprio to the mesmerizing beauty of two classy iconic stars, actress and model Megan Fox and singer, songwriter Lana Del Rey, he has an eye for captivating beauty.

#5 Dua Lipa & Gal Gadot

Dua

#6 Chris Pratt & Michael Fassbender

Chris

Currently, Morphy_me has 55.1k followers on his Instagram and some of these followers are famous Hollywood celebrities themselves. He was noticed by Lily Collins, Gigi Hadid, Mark Hamill, Doutzen Kroes, Lily Aldridge and even followed by Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas. It’s just too crazy!

#7 Jason Momoa & Chris Hemsworth

Jason

#8 Nina Dobrev & Megan Fox

Nina

#9 Natalie Portman & Millie Bobby Brown

Natalie

#10 Lady Gaga & Scarlett Johansson

Lady

#11 Rami Malek & Bruno Mars

Rami

#12 Henry Cavill & Christopher Reeve

Henry

#13 Jason Momoa & Chris Hemsworth

Jason

#14 Chris Evans & Chris Pratt & Chris Hemsworth & Chris Pine

Chris

#15 Gal Gadot & Emma Watson

Gal

#16 Lana Del Rey & Megan Fox

Lana

#17 Zendaya & Zoe Kravitz

Zendaya

#18 Megan Fox & Bella Hadid

Megan

#19 Kendall Jenner & Taylor Hill

Kendall

#20 Eminem & Tom Hardy

Eminem

#21 Anne Hathaway & Audrey Hepburn

Anne

#22 Emilia Clarke & Carice Van Houten

Emilia

#23 Amber Heard & Barbara Palvin

Amber

#24 Antoine Griezmann & Leo Messi

Antoine

#25 Tom Holland & Tom Hardy & Tom Hiddleston

Tom

#26 Kiernan Shipka & Emma Watson

Kiernan

#27 Theo James & Ansel Elgort

Theo

#28 Margot Robbie & Elizabeth Olsen

Margot

#29 Emma Watson & Lily Collins

Emma

#30 Scarlett Johansson & Taylor Swift

Scarlett

50 great tracks for October from Noname, Julia Holter, Objekt and more

October 30, 2018 – 8:40 am
Posted in Ep4Records Music
Tagged Culture, Dance music, Electronic music, Experimental music, Hip-hop, Indie, Julia Holter, lana del rey, Metal, Music, Pop and rock, R&B, Rap, Robyn
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From Behemoths satanic metal to a triumphant return from Lana Del Rey, here are the tracks you need this month read about our ten favourites, and subscribe to all 50 in our playlists

player

Noname Ace

One of 2017s most sensual and heady albums has dropped in the form of Nonames Room 25. Imagine Erykah Badus cosmic knowledge exchange delivered in Chance the Rappers frank chatter and youre close, but Noname has an unruffled confidence and wry worldview that is all her own. The boom-bap backings may be pretty but they belie a savage edge, as the Chicago rapper goes in on Uncle Toms and beta males (The way I lullaby your brokenness, believe me Im Ripley). Its hard to pick a highlight but Ace is an absolute gem, and not just because it shouts out the UK. Two midwest MCs, Smino and Saba, drop by, with the latter almost stealing the show with a domino rally of a verse, words tipping over in an impressively unbroken stream.

Behemoth. — In a Norman Rockwell mood Lana Del Rey.

Lana Del Rey says Radiohead suing over song’s similarity to Creep

January 9, 2018 – 9:27 pm
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Culture, lana del rey, Music, Pop and rock, radiohead
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The singer-songwriter tweeted its true about the lawsuit, saying Radiohead are asking for 100% of the publishing royalties to her track Get Free

Radiohead are suing Lana Del Rey over her song Get Free, which they say bears similarity to their 1993 breakthrough hit Creep.

Del Rey tweeted: Its true about the lawsuit. Although I know my song wasnt inspired by Creep, Radiohead feel it was and want 100% of the publishing I offered up to 40 over the last few months but they will only accept 100. Their lawyers have been relentless, so we will deal with it in court.

As it stands only Del Rey, along with co-writers Kieron Menzies and Rick Nowels, are credited on the track, taken from her album Lust for Life which topped the charts in the US and UK on its release in July 2017. Radiohead have not yet commented on the lawsuit.

Radiohead were themselves previously sued over the song by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, who claimed it bore resemblance to their song for the Hollies, The Air That I Breathe the pair were added to the songs credits and share royalties with the band.

Del Rey is the latest in a string of high-profile artists to be accused of copying. Ed Sheeran settled out of court with a pair of songwriters after similarities were found between his song Photograph and the Matt Cardle song Amazing, and also retrospectively added the writers of TLCs No Scrubs to the credits of his enormous hit Shape of You. Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne were added to the credits for Sam Smiths Stay With Me in 2014, while in 2015 Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were successfully sued by Marvin Gayes estate for $7.4m, after it was found that their Blurred Lines plagiarised Gayes track Got to Give It Up.

Lana Del Rey joins coven of witches hexing Trump

February 25, 2017 – 9:57 pm
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged btw, Donald Trump, lana del rey, Music, spells, witch
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