Gwenno – Y Dydd Olaf

So I’ve found myself catching up with Gwenno (Gwenno Saunders) for the first time since seeing her as a member of The Pipettes during an early Saturday afternoon slot on the Pyramid Stage at a particularly muddy Glastonbury 2007. As I attempted to recover from the previous three days of festival frolics with one of the site’s refreshing smoothie options, the playful and pastiche girl group pop of the band was the perfect tonic. Naturally I was more than chuffed to be faced with the prospect of reviewing one of their solo efforts – even more so when it turned out to be something quite special.

Y Dydd Olaf (The Last Day) takes its name from Welsh author Owain Owain’s 1976 sci-fi novel about a dystopian future in which robots have taken over and cloned the human race. This entirely captures both the themes and lyrics of the album perfectly as it is, with the exception of one track in Cornish (Amser), sung entirely in her native Welsh tongue, and functions subtly as a science fiction concept album that can effortlessly be applied to the landscape of modern society.

From the opening track ‘Chwyldro’ (Revolution), any reservations you might have about listening to an album sung almost entirely in Welsh are immediately washed away by Saunders’ delicate and enchanting delivery, which showcases the language rightfully as the thing of beauty that it is, managing even to spellbind the sorts of fools who normally try to ridicule it. Swapping the haunting sounds and looming piano refrain of the opener for ‘Patriarchaeth’ (Patriarchy) provides Saunders with an equally effective platform for her gorgeous, playful melodies, this time with an offbeat trudging synth during the verses, which ascends majestically into a swirling euphoria during the choruses.

Songs like ‘Calon Peiriant’ (Heart Machine), title track ‘Y Dydd Olaf, and ‘Fratolish Hiang Perpeshki’ further the albums purpose of creating a sonic counterpart to Owain’s novel, with the perfect tandem of her music and lyrics giving you the uneasy feeling of having your conciousness distorted, as you find yourself jettisoned down into this eerie dystopian else-world they have both now had a part in creating. The latter track is “a song to dance to at the end of the world”, before the people in Owain’s novel finally turn into machines, which Gwenno cleverly manages to liken to her observation of the emptiness she sees in contemporary pop music. She calls out in the chorus: “Come and dance in the sunset to songs which are trivial and alarming” over the distinctly Italo-disco-esque sound of ‘Fratolish’, with the heavy reverb on her already haunting vocals managing to evoke the uncomfortable sensation (or lack of) that might well be experienced if a soulless vacuum was slowly swallowing up all your thoughts and passions.

This is simply an album that succeeds in everything it has tried to be, whether it be as a political album, a science fiction concept album, or just a great synth pop album. There is so much to be gained from repeated listens, and even more from just letting it steal away your imagination and taking it for a ride. One of the most refreshing, unique and fantastic musical experiences I’ve had in recent memory – quite literally out of this world!

Published on Whisperin’ & Hollerin’ 6/7/15

 

 

 

WWE: Viva La Divas Revolution

For some time now I have been, or at least attempted to be, a champion of women’s wrestling. Ever since I was young – and this will probably come as little surprise – I have found the females involved in the business to be both extremely exciting and entertaining. I can remember back as far as Miss Elizabeth and Sensational Sherri, who both managed the Macho Man Randy Savage, and the latter Shawn Michaels as well. Then came my Sunny days as a young teenager in the mid 90s – which were also lit up by the likes of Sable and Marlena – until the arrival of Chyna as the bodyguard of Triple H would change the way I perceived women in the sport forever. Since then I’ve been entertained in one way or another by the likes of Stephanie McMahon, Lita, Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler, Beth Phoenix, Natalya and AJ Lee. Yes, most of these women are usually some combination of sexy, gorgeous, intelligent and athletic, but over the years its been the former two qualities which WWE has always pushed to be the main focus.

When Stephanie McMahon introduced viewers of Monday Night Raw to NXT champion Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch, it finally felt like a turning point for the division. The “Billion Dollar Princess” pointed to the rising popularity of women’s sport in general, referencing the likes of Ronda Rousey, Serena Williams and the US women’s football (sorry “soccer”) team in the process, and claimed that the WWE would not be left behind. In truth it is another example of the company just jumping on a bandwagon instead of being the innovators they were in the 80s and 90s, but, nonetheless, it is one to be extremely pleased they are now getting onboard with. Maybe its the more modern day thinking of Triple H and Stephanie which has finally prevailed over the prehistoric fancies of Vince McMahon. Maybe its the trail blazed by someone like Rousey, who has managed to carve out a reputation and status above even the male counterparts in her sport. Or maybe its the excitement that has been generated from this current crop of talent – particularly from the last year or so of NXT – which has now forced the issue and propelled these ladies through that glass ceiling.

UFC Champion Ronda Rousey makes her way to the ring for 35 seconds with Beth Correia

It is more than likely a combination of all these factors – but what does the future hold for this newly rejuvenated Divas division? Only once in the history of Monday Night Raw has a divas match been given the honour of main eventing a show when Lita and Trish had their historic encounter for the women’s title in 2004, and the idea of two women ever headlining a WWE PPV has long been laughed off by wrestling fans – that is until now. On NXT, however, women headlining shows is becoming almost commonplace, largely due to the overwhelming support from the always vocal crowd at the Full Sail University in Florida, and the sheer quality of the matches being put on by the talent. Bonafide classics like Natalya vs Charlotte in the finals of the NXT championship tournament at the first NXT Takeover, the fatal four way between Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch at Takeover: Rival, and the latter two’s more recent and unforgettable clash for the title at Unstoppable, have all helped to pave the way for what is happening right now. The NXT title re-rematch between Sasha and Charlotte on NXT a few weeks ago was not only another great match in itself (and the main event no less) but it also served as a celebration of how far the pair have helped to push the envelope for their profession, and a touching moment was duly shared between the two stars as the show reached its conclusion.

I really hope we are now going to see these Divas competing in real feuds with one another; feuds that might escalate to gimmick matches outside of the usual evening gown/bra and panties affairs we’ve been accustomed to since the Attitude Era. There is some completely uncharted territory in terms of what WWE fans have already seen and what they have yet to see when it comes to women, and the company has a great opportunity to showcase their talents in matches slightly more imaginative than another Divas battle royal. I’m talking about seeing them in ladder matches, cage matches, tables matches, iron man matches, last man standing matches, I quit matches, Hell in a Cell matches – the possibilities feel almost endless. And the likes of Charlotte, Sasha, Becky, Paige, Bayley, Emma, Nikki (etc etc) have a huge chance to make their mark on the business, and make history like their predecessors never had a chance to. It is only a matter of time, I believe, before WWE starts testing the waters with some of these ideas – and who’s to say they can’t steal the show at a PPV like they do on NXT?

Becky Lynch, Bayley, Charlotte and Sasha Banks: The Four Horsewomen of NXT

One thing I’ve learned from watching wrestling over the last twenty odd years – and particularly in the last decade or so – is you should never get your hopes up. WWE is more than capable of ruining all this good work at a moments notice and then, suddenly, before you know it, we’re back to the bra and panties matches again. Somehow, though, I’m still optimistic that won’t be happening this time. These NXT Divas are something special, and I believe they have all the desire and the in-ring ability they are going to need in order to take their division to even greater heights over the coming years.