A weekly update on all things music, advertising, and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM
ARTIST OF THE WEEK: WAXAHATCHEE
What compels an artist to turn down the noise and allow the voice to take center stage? Courage? Maturity? In the case of singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, who performs under the band name Waxahatchee, it seems to be a mixture of both. In 2017 you could barely hear her vocals underneath a barrage of distorted guitars. Now Crutchfield, with her new album Saint Cloud, has transitioned from indie-rock to folk-Americana, creating an instant classic of US songwriting and delivering a powerful message of personal growth. The transition has worked. The Guardian gave it a “best album of the year” review and in the US, Saint Cloud, arrived at No. 1 on Heatseekers Albums. The band is named after Waxahatchee Creek, Alabama, where Crutchfield grew up.
AD OF THE WEEK: SAINSBURY’S “THANK YOU”
Sometimes the music makes the ad. This latest effort by Wieden & Kennedy features a scene-stealing version of Flight of the Bumblebee sung at impossible speed to the rapid edits of Sainsbury’s employees working during the coronavirus pandemic. The TV spot shows supermarket staff as they work through the bustle of shops, ending with a message of thanks for “making us safer” as the lockdown continues. Can anyone find a standalone version of the music?
WU-TANG CLAN RELEASES A HAND SANITIZER TO BENEFIT CHARITY — ‘PROTECT YA HANDS’
The name of the hand sanitiser is a play on the group’s 1993 track, “Protect Ya Neck.” It’s available through the group’s lifestyle brand, 36 Chambers. A share of the profits will benefit the Ottawa Mission Foundation – while 36 Chambers will donate another bottle to homeless shelters.
‘Protect Ya Hands’ is available for $20 and is an “all-natural, plant-based, vegan hand sanitiser with a spicy citrus scent.” On April 2nd, Wu-Tang Clan tweeted a donation link for the Ottawa Food Bank. “Within 48 hours, that action helped spur an additional $280,000 in contributions,” 36 Chambers said.
82% OF FESTIVAL-GOERS ‘FEEL CONFIDENT’ TO RETURN TO LIVE EVENTS AFTER COVID-19 LOCKDOWN IS LIFTED
Around 82% of music fans “would feel confident” attending a festival within one to six months after the COVID-19 lockdown ends.
Furthermore, within that group, 66% would feel confident enough to attend within one to three months, while 30% would happily do so immediately after lockdown is lifted.
That’s according to a report published by UK-born festival ticket and travel booking platform Festicket, which surveyed over 110,000 festival-goers from countries such as the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Day festivals topped the list of events respondents indicated that they are happy to return to first once lockdown is lifted but around 70% said they’d also happily go to a weekend festival.
Meanwhile, 59.5% of people said they would feel confident attending music events in their own country and globally in 2021.
BBC ANNOUNCES PLANS TO BROADCAST CLASSIC GLASTONBURY HIGHLIGHTS
The coverage will take place across the weekend the festival was due to host its 50th-anniversary event
Unfortunately Glastonbury festival’s planned 50th anniversary edition this summer has been cancelled due to the coronavirus, but the BBC is still planning a broadcast schedule celebrating the event.
BBC Two and BBC Four will show classic highlights from Glastonbury’s illustrious history, including the first ever full television broadcast of David Bowie’s 2000 performance. Headline slots by the likes of Adele, Beyoncé and Jay-Z will also be featured. The coverage will take place across Thursday, June 25, to Monday, June 29, when the Glastonbury festival was due to take place this year.
NUMARK ANNOUNCES TWO NEW BUDGET CONTROLLERS: MIXTRACK PLATINUM FX AND PRO FX
Numark has announced two new entry-level controllers, the two-channel ProFX and the four-channel Platinum FX.
The Platinum FX features the ability to switch control to deck three and four, as well as controlling decks one and two. It also features six-inch jogs with on-jog displays that tell you time remaining, bpm, platter position and potch adjustment. There are eight performance pads per channel with four modes including Cue, AutoLoop, Sample and FaderCuts, which mimics scratching crossfader techniques.
Both controllers also feature dual FX paddles for dialling in different levels of the six FX, with dedicated filter knob per channel as well as a three-band EQ.
Pro FX is the same as the Platinum FX but without the screens on the jogs and is restricted to controller two channels instead of four. Round back there’s a single USB port, a quarter-inch mic input and an RCA master output. Each controller comes with Serato Lite which features TiDAL streaming, including a three-month free trial.
The Platinum FX costs $249 while the Pro FX comes in at $199. Browse here
Written by Anthony Vanger
Additional reporting by Adam “Badger” Woolf
Artwork by Gustav Balderdash
To join This Week In Music please send me an email: anthonyvanger@gmail.com