Katy B - On A Mission (4 April 2011) - hype, anticipation &c

Was just thinking about starting this thread a couple of days ago. I'm ancitipating this more than pretty much any release this year. Glad to see Perfect Stranger is on there as well.

I'm kind of looking forward to it. I've always loved her voice As I and Tell me are still all time funky vocal faves of mine so if anything even vaugly sounds that good on this or is at least kinda fun like the singles it'll be worth a listen I'm sure.

Can't remember who did it, but there's a d'n'b remix of On A Mission which I prefer to the OG.

Zinc as co-producer is a good move as well, he's great at doing updated twists on 90s house, which is kinda the vibe I expect from the album.

In terms of artists I’d say Adele, she was in my class at school and she has an amazing voice so I can’t wait to hear her album. James Blake was in my class as well so I’m excited to hear what he’s made, i haven’t heard it either yet.

Is there some secret UK music school I don't know about?

Yes. 95% of all UK pop music now comes from the same school:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRIT_School

She went to BRIT school with Adele and Goldsmiths with James Blake - it's the double.

the triple - she was at RBMA with jackmaster, lunice, braiden and illum sphere too...

It's like the Bullingdon Club - everyone knows everyone else.

Wouldn't mind hearing a Katy B & P Money collab. On a beat like Airmiles by Swindle or DOK's remix of Terror Danjah's Sidechain. Something grimy and ravey with loads of colour. It could work well.

I would prob just end up being on something Sweetshop by Doctor P though lol

Is there some secret UK music school I don't know about?

you know Four Tet, Hot Chip, Burial and the XX all went to the same (as each other) school too?

Surely not at the same time? Four Tet feels like he's been around so much longer than the others.

This album's as exciting for the possible effect on British dance-pop as it is as a record in its own right. If it's both good and a success it might help kill off the shonky electro collaboration for good.

not in the same year of course, no. let's think of it as a relay.

kinda amazed that the album is only happening now! when I was in London last year, approximately every single wall in the city had 4 KATY ON A MISSION posters plastered on it, surprising to now realise that promo spend was only for the single

That school sounds a bit like an episode of Skins, all the older famous ones you vaguely recognise are the teachers/parents and the younger ones get up to high-jinx and try and bother the charts. No one ever leaves, they all live there.

since its not on youtube, fave katy b track (since 'as i' at least)

http://soundcloud.com/dominorecordco/the-count-sinden-feat-katy-b-hold-me

It makes me really happy that all of the singles have been so successful so far, despite (squillions of posters aside, and in Glasgow I've not seen any) what I would perceive to be relatively minimal hype. It would be wonderful if the sound Katy B works in - distinctly UK urban pop - were to become a new template for pop in general. I could get behind Radio One if they were playing "As I" clones all afternoon instead of sexless r&b-tinged electropop.

Definitely. There's something intensely likable about her stuff - the raver next door. I'm not surprised she's a big Neneh Cherry fan.

http://www.realwestdorset.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Eype-centre-for-arts-church-st-peter-chris-downer-licensed-reuse-creative-commons-licence.jpg

Reassuringly creepy looking.

Is that Katy B's house?

haha trying to imagine katy b recording her album in a church

it could work! that church in dalston that's been renovated as a rave venue

Hah, that was meant to go on the PJ Harvey thread, in case you hadn't guessed.

Katy B - In A Mission

I am laying the word-of-mouth groundwork in the U.S. (I got one person I work with to listen and she liked Katy B. I doubt she has her on her iPod yet though.)

Broken Record is good. Not sure if it's going to be an official single?

i think i heard broken record was going to be next single, in which case i approve. so excited for this album!

<3 Katy B. Mucho excited for this.

very much looking forward to this.

Count me among the super-excited. Katy B is one of my favorite discoveries from the EOY polls. What was the name of "Mission"'s B-side? I wz kinda bummed that that had been left off the album's tracklist...

do you mean "louder"? yeah, i didn't even notice it isn't on the tracklist until you mentioned it :\

^Why no "Louder"? That song is too good to be categorized as a buzz single.

Also, I'm glad people are anticipating her album on here. I've been wanting to listen to this more than Lady Gaga or Britney. I loved all the singles so far. I kinda like the idea she learned music in school too.

That song is too good to be categorized as a buzz single.

it's not categorised as a "buzz single," it's a b-side

odd for b-sides to get videos, esp given that she can't have a huge budget (not that it looks like it cost much to shoot)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUumJcrnwbs

This is a really nice album!

Really nice as in... cheese pop with a load of dance signifiers that manages to not quite sound like shit? Cos that’s something I can get on board with!

Not feeling "Broken Record".

Me either worst of the lot yet by far.

Lights On might be my fave so far and I wasn't that keen on it at first. It seems to have the most legs out of all the singles. On A Mission isn't really working for me anymore and Louder was a bit, well not there...

Really nice as in... cheese pop with a load of dance signifiers that manages to not quite sound like shit? Cos that’s something I can get on board with!

― jimitheexploder, Thursday, 3 March 2011 23:34 (Yesterday) Bookmark

Yes, exactly.

Has this leaked?

i am feeling "broken record"

I don't like it and I suddenly am expecting this album to disappoint me. (But if I expect it to disappoint me, can I still be disappointed?)

"Broken Record" is very much an album track rather than single. I'm still expecting this album to be great.

Lots of remixes up of Broken Record on Rinse's youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWbduBTmcf0

Jacques Greene is my pick of the bunch so far and it isn't to hot, Todd Edwards is ok, Geeneus' funky remix doesn't really sound like funky... all a bit weak really. hmm...

Love Broken Record. The remixes don't sound too hot, though.

Quite like the JG. It's opened up the original for me a bit. Haven't heard the Geeneus mix yet but curious where he goes with it.

broken records not bad. sounds like something from the late 90s. im imagining the album will be like recent skream/magnetic man, just with songs.

Yes, although it is less horrible than those two albums.

It is very much in the spirit of girl-next-door 90s pop-dance, but I like that.

brit school house

i have heard this album and would rather discuss longneck's gardening. tired of picking the bones out of more ifs buts and maybes

it'll prob grow on me a bit tho... credit to katy that it's a lot more coherent than it rly ought to have been

kinda surprised ppl are big on the back half. if it isn't credited already i bet a fiver that kelis 'get along with you' was listened to sometime around the writing & recording of 'dreamerz'

I'm not sure she's particularly good at the Radio 1 Big Weekend bangers, or at least not when it feels like she's explicitly writing with that in mind.

J-Hus's verse isn't technically remotely impressive but he certainly has presence, whereas I'm pretty sure you could pull a string in D Double's back that makes him go 'b-d-buk-buk, mui mui, urrr urrr' by this point.

'honey', 'chase me', 'i wanna be', 'calm down'... i think katy has the maturity, stride, swag now to pull more confidently towards teedra and this album feels at its best when it reflects or even just suggests that growth

just stunned every time by the foul meandering career-low-for-everyone-involved dirge that is 'who am i'. advise to replace with its (okayish) wookie remix if u can find it

I find it very unlikely that this it represents a career low for Diplo but yeah that one was an obvious dud. Everything about Craig David's vocal just underlines how great Katy is at phrasing and it isn't even a good song.

yes u heard right. it's worse than "bitch i'm madonna"

Given the way Rinse is going the next one will be full of bewildering collaborations with yuppie minimal grime nerds and assorted PC Music bellends so enjoy this one while you can.

Since you asked (lol) I filled a medium sized container with twigs and sacks of old leaves and then put up a large trampoline. And while I didn't listen to this all the time, after I reached a certain point of exhaustion it was all I could listen to. However I suspect that the album's palatable blandness rather than its soaring excellence was the main reason why it worked so well. Katy can be incredibly relatable once she has the right material to work with but if the material is just below par her music is just there.

Given that Katy is the principal songwriter, anything below par is primarily her fault, even if she is attempting a forced rictus grin with Diplo twatting around behind her or whatever.

Sometimes the lyrics are there but the production just lacks the drama to make it happen, though I guess it speaks to her limitations as a singer too. I do love her singing so it breaks my heart to even type that. However, there is a chance that this album could be a grower. It's just that there's so little on it to pull me back in.

the next one will be full of bewildering collaborations with yuppie minimal grime nerds and assorted PC Music bellends

i filled a medium sized container with twigs and sacks of old leaves and then put up a large trampoline

congrats ur hired

"who am i" was originally katy solo (and better, not so much to really rep for) and the craig david verse feels v patched in at the last minute. the real crime is cutting the other craig david collab which is properly great (hoping it'll pop up on his album)

congrats ur hired

― r|t|c, Sunday, May 1, 2016 5:55 AM (11 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Thanks. I must admit that I was blackmailed by my neighbours and mother in law into doing it though.

love this remix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1f0yuFU-WY

was listening to her music recently + wondering what she's up to, apparently there's a whole album of hers i missed out on?

"Crying for No Reason" sounds better than it did in 2014.

sounded great then too

I'm on a plane at 36,000 feet so

featured on remix of Moses Boyd's "2 Far Gone" - so nice to hear her voice again! it's been far too long

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOYNV7asf74

ah that's fantastic

when I saw this on my Release Radar my heart skipped a beat, and it’s everything I hoped it could be. she sounds fantastic on this.

It's great! I love the original but this makes a whole new song out of it.

new music finally coming next week. i’m still chasing the feeling.

oh yeah

The debut (a decade old!) is still one of my favorites.

wow has it really been five years since her last album

it's called "Under My Skin". i'm so excited!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-ZMMpWzkLo

wonderful song, co-written and produced by P2J!

real nice

delightful

beautiful (no surprise)

mmm

so good

8 song project 10/29 come thru

the new single which isn't on youtube so i can't link it is kind of a jazzy R&B number, kinda cool

I think I consciously leaned into my R&B side more on this project. With the clubs being closed, it reflects what I’d be listening to and vibing to at home. My top 10 songs are classic R&B songs, I’m a nostalgia head and I wanted to bring that throwback feel to the music.

This isn’t a project necessarily made for the clubs, I’d say it’s a soundtrack to a pre-drinks soirée with your girls. That may surprise some people. These songs are a taste of what’s to come, I’m dropping Easter eggs all over this project. I want people to find an escape in these songs, I want them to feel hope but also the power within themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH7xtKbcBuY

fantastic stuff

wait the EP just came out last week & no one at all noticed? it got zero coverage anywhere i had no idea

oh no it got delayed to today, that makes much more sense

it's absolutely gorgeous, lovely chill vibes but i kinda wish she'd been able to come up with another track or two to make it a proper album though

did no one else listen to this at all? still really enjoying it

i'm enjoying it too! i'd still prefer her to be making less low-key songs but it's accomplished

its very good

it's pretty good

I'm less patient when the beats slow

going to check this out today

it's okay, although there's nothing quite as thrilling as on her first album. might be too much to ask her to repeat the more dancey styles of "on a mission", but this more grown-up pop-soul thing isn't particularly exciting for me and i think there's stuff out there that's simil;ar but better.

I still need to listen to her newest one, but in the meantime, On A Mission is still one of my favourites of the last decade, Movement is pretty close to a perfect song to me.

Was I always like this?
Or did I have some kind of fun?