In his limited spare time, he is the author of “Don’t You Remember” (available on Amazon) and a member of Euphoria Show Choir. Twitter: @DoorMattzInk
- Calvin Harris has got it Under Control - 27 November, 2013
- Paramore Tour 2013 - 28 September, 2013
- Samson and Delilah – VV Brown - 21 September, 2013
I wrote an article a few weeks ago about the explosion of new music on Vevo and YouTube and, to follow up from that article, I simply have to boast about the new album from ‘hit-and-miss’ popstar VV Brown; Samson and Delilah.
VV has certainly had quite a varied, vibrant and eclectic career which, surprisingly, spans almost 10 years. She first exploded onto the mainstream music scene with her 2009 minor summer hit ‘Shark in the Water’ which, unlike its predecessors, managed to chart in the UK at number 34. Although it was not a high climber, the track made enough of an impact on the Great British public to stick in the memory. Her debut album Travelling Like the Light charted at number 30. Yet again it made an impact particularly with critics who praised it’s doo-wop-cum-indie pop style. A sort of new retro 60s throwback. It was unique, memorable and, for me, something which I couldn’t help but love. Clearly, though, not everyone did.
Following this debut, she dabbled around for a while and went away ferociously, writing and claiming new music was ‘in development’, which for many artists means they are, slowly but surely, falling off the side of the planet. She released a follow-up single ‘Children’ from the supposedly upcoming album Politics and Lollipops, which was then shelved. The future didn’t look bright for Brown and having been dropped from several record labels in the intervening years, she seemed to disappear altogether, with just cryptic tweets appearing on the internet from time to time and appearing as the latest model in a string of M&S adverts. However, they seemed to disappear as quickly as they came.
Then, all of a sudden in July in this year, ‘Samson’ appeared on her YouTube channel. It was weird. It was dark and almost ethereal. It was a far cry from the doo-wop musings of Travelling Like the Light. Had you heard it without being told it was Brown, you would have asked who the hell it was. Despite this, however, it’s nothing if not interesting. Creatively I think it was a very wise choice for the lead single of the self-made album Samson and Delilah. It sparked interest which, to a cynic like me, is probably just what it was designed to do. Standing alone, the single made little sense, but put it together with the rest of the album and it’s something truly magical.
From the opening track, the album is creative, fresh, unusual and frankly quite dark – with lyrics such as “I’ll be your drug, I’ll be your heroin, push me inside your veins and let me in” you can’t help but notice this has certainly come a long way from the catchy ‘Crying Blood’. There isn’t really anything catchy about Samson and Delilah and yet this isn’t a weakness. The whole album is an electronic work of art that you take something new away from every time. For an album nobody was expecting, it pushes boundaries, pushes the depth of field and… it’s just a brilliant album.
It might not be an instant hit (although it’s currently number 5 in the UK electronic chart), but it will no doubt be something that stays with you and stays on people’s lips for weeks, if not months to come. Make sure you check it out for yourself.
Samson and Delilah by VV Brown is available now for £9.99.
