Megazine

POLARIS

DECRUZ“I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I couldn’t .”

it’s his world - you just live in itwIth: the day he broke the MusIc Industry

With

a t l a n t I sda n n y B R O W n

overtonesoutkast

SPLATVisuals + MORE

a r c a d e F I r enew album reviewed

d a F t P u n k Z ak l abIad

How to be a

YouTUBE HIT

Finding tomorrow today

did they just get lucky? wa t c h t h i s s p a c e

POLARIS - november 2013 subscribe or get the digital copy at www.polaris.com @Polaris November 2013 - POLARIS 4.

november 2013issue 1

coverstories

contentsArtist Finder

the musicians inside this issue

5.

40. DECRUZ Cover Star talks Fame, Fortune and Family

23. HOW TO BE A YOUTUBE HIT

Breaking big on the Internet

54. DAFT PUNK REVIEW The Review that kept us up all night - revisited.

32. THE ONE TO WATCH Zak Labiad.

news14. DOWNLOAD LINEUP

Unmissable?15. THE LEGO MOVIE

Bricking it.16. LILLY ALLEN FOR GLASTON-BURY

As it happens.17. SAINSBURY’S TO GO CD-LESS

Store to stop selling CD’s online.18. BLUR GONE FROM A BIG DAY

Band drop out from headling Festival

edd's note

Features

40.

30. STREET ARTIs busking the way forwards?

34. THE LIVES AND TIMES OF SPLAT

We celebrate the twenty years of their album debut with this retrospec-tive.

30.

regulars57. THE ONE YOU MISSED

Taking a look at some of the tracks that may have flown under your radar.

60. REVISITATIONSTime to give another listen to “The Areoplane over the sea”

61. TOP 10...Artists that made it big through the internet.

53.

38. RISE OF ATLANTISThe reunion of a band thought long lost

48. ACTORS TURNED SINGERSWe look at the best (and the worst) of the actors who took a mic and started singing.

50. BACK IN MY DAYA look at independant music making before the Web.

53. MUSIC MUNCHIESOur Favourite Musicians favourite snacks!

55. ANNUAL RETROSPECTIVEAs the year draws to a close, we take a look at some of the highs and lows of this year.

63. LIST OF 50...Fifty of the best albums to buy any mu-sic fan for Christmas.

Old and new Albums reviewed66. Lady Gaga - ArtPop

So... Where’s the art?68. Darla - “Knock Knock”

Who’s there?70. The Flaming Lips - Peace Sword

Long awaited72. Radiohead - OK Computer

Still the best album ever?76. Thirty Seconds to Mars - This is War

What are the chances?77. Jake Bugg - Shangri La

Is he Bob Dylan yet?78. Robert Downey Jr - The Futurist

Tony Stark Sings?80. Bastille - Bad Blood

Good Stuff.

reviews

It’s quite odd typing what I know will soon be printed. These words are going to be on physical paper so my final draft is... final. I won’t be correcting any typos after publica-tion! (Apart for the digital edition. To digital readers: I hop your heving great tines)This is the first issue of Polaris in print after migrating from an online blog. We still have the original blog which has upgraded into a swanky new website (it’s got flash and everything!) but this issue one means a new start. So hello readers, new and old, digital and print. We’re about to start a new journey so kick back, relax and read about Nick Decruz, the favourite foods of artists and a retrospective of the year that just went. If you have a Smart (or above average intel-ligence) phone then you can download our new app which offers multi-media experi-ences, including exclusive videos and extra features. So yeah, get on that.

See you in Two Weeks!

- Edd SlaneyThis week’s recomended listening: Fireworks - Gospel

x.

40: DECRUZ 34: Splat 48: Overtones 38: Atlantis 10: Danny Brown 49: OutKast 11: Visuals 29: Zak Labiad 63. Arcade Fire 54. Daft Punk 77. Jake Bugg 53. Minor Alps 63. WoodKid 60. Neutral Milk Hotel 63. The Prodigy 63. Waves 53. Beck 50. Plumtree 63. Two Door Cinema Club 63. David Bowie 55. Rolling Stones 61. Fireworks 55. Old 97’s 64. SoundGarden 55. Icona Pop 63. Bruce Springsteen 30. The Mountain Goats 53. Azealia Banks

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POLARIS - november 2013 subscribe or get the digital copy at www.polaris.com @Polaris November 2013 - POLARIS

to InFInItyIt’s not every day when you get to interview one of the greatest breakthrough acts in re-cent years – unless you work for a music magazine. we’ve opted to pass the reins to one of you to speak to the uprising revolution that is nicholas decruZ as he talks cliches,

coolness and train sets.


nick DECRUz - the interview

The first time my path crosses with DeCruz is in Brighton. He had arranged a meet up

on the beach through Twitter, and I, like many of his followers took this opportunity to meet him. This was when I realised what appeal he had. People of dif-ferent genders with an age range from eleven (with their parents nearby) to early twenties had turned up, some bringing their own instruments.This was never going to be a prophet and his disci-ples, before long DeCruz was play-ing instruments with everyone there – he and I did a wonderful rendi-tion of The Rolling Stones’ Street Fighting Man with him managing to find an accompanying harmonica melody while I played his guitar.It’s a Testament, then, that seven months later, soon after his album’s release on ITunes and subsequent rise in the charts (almost unheard of from someone who’s previous primary output a year ago were just acoustic covers of Imagine Dragons) that the first thing he asks after I enter the coffee shop we arranged to meet – ten minutes late – was if I was “The Rolling Stones guy from Brighton”. “Why wouldn’t I remember people from that day?” He says. “It was fantastic being with everyone on that beach. I remember loads of people.” Nick smiles, remembering. “I had never done anything like that before. I was worried no one was going to turn up.” Unlikely to happen now, since his sudden rise in fame. Nick nods in bewildered agreement, as if he isn’t quite able to believe it himself.“All I did was start posting videos on YouTube. I had a guitar, I was practising with it and when I heard songs I liked I played them myself and put them on YouTube. I just wanted to see if anyone would listen.”And they did. So what caused the

jump from covers to writing your own songs? I asked him.“I had never found it easy to write songs,” Nick admits. “I just felt I was trying to force them to be something they weren’t. Then… I didn’t. I just decided to write, play

and sing and I never looked back. I just devised them naturally. From the…” He stops himself with a grin before he unleashes a cliché.“Sorry, I’m pretty new to this inter-view thing.” I remind him that I am too. I have to steer the conversa-tion back to him as he attempts to ask me how I got to write this interview, reminding who people want to read about.“That is unbelievable too.” He adds. “It’s gone from listening to my music to wanting to know things about me! I’ve never been in that position before.” On his first album release, The Light at The End, Nick has this to say: “Well, some friends bought me a ses-sion in a recording studio for my birthday. They all pitched in together and it was one of the best things I’d ever got. This was when I start-ed writing songs so I spent the rest of the holidays working on producing the best songs possible that I could record. It was intense, but great fun. With the digital copies it was just the matter of pressing a few buttons to release some of my songs as free podcasts before the reception offered me the possibility of selling an album.

In this time, it is so incredibly easy for musicians to put out music. Un-fortunately it means that the Small Fish in a Big Pond finds himself in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you know? And it’s just the hope that people will fish you out and

serve you with chips.”

So why did people take to the music so much? Nick pauses, consid-

er-ing this.“I already had people who would listen to my music.” He notes, “I was re-leasing my cov-

ers on SoundCloud and YouTube. I suppose word of mouth had something to do with it.” He sug-gests. “And, I guess it is just proper

old-fashioned music. I

love Pop Music; Lady Gaga is a god amongst us, but you don’t get get as much music with people just… playing.”It’s refreshing to see a musician rapidly breaking into the charts so cheerful about music. Is there a stigma against pop music today?

“I’m not sure. I sup-pose there is,

but that’s only because people enjoy it so much. And these other

people, the ones

who think the noises going into their ears are better than the noises going into other peoples ears, don’t like that because their noises are objectively good. It’s all music! It’s

fun! Pop music isn’t what I can see myself creating

anytime soon; it’s not my thing but its music. Someone’s gone and created music they feel passionate about and I know how hard it can be to

do that so I have respect for anyone

who makes music.”Which bands and art-

ists influenced you?“Loads. The Rolling

Stones, as you know, are amazing but I

don’t know if they inspired me in the sense that

“I just wanted to see if anyone would listen.”


nick DECRUz - the interview

“What would my life be

without music?”

the one to watchaugust 2012

Before we were print, we were a blog. Here is an extract from an article from a year ago where we (quite rightly) point-ed to Nick Decruz as an artist to watch before he took over

the world.

We love Pink. An amazing voice and an amazing song writer, so when we were sub-mitted this link to an accoustic cover of Raise your Glass - one of our favourite songs - we were hesitant to embrace it.That was before we pressed play. (On the blog we had a link to the video here. Scan this page with the POLARIS MAG APP for a link or search “Raise your Glass cover Decruz” - Edd)

Nick Decruz managed to defy our expectations and offer something completely differ-ent. While we didn’t think the song’s melody would transfer to an accoustic version, Nick seems to take us by the hand and lead us through this famil-iar-yet-different song.Predictions? We say in around a year he will be writing his own songs, putting them on YouTube. Suddenly his views will explode and then everyone will know his name.Will we see an album in the next couple of years?

All I know is that we’re hoping.

Article by Tobey Garfield - 2012

I want to copy their style… may-be more like I wanted to have as much fun as making music as they seemed to. I guess my style is a bit like Bob Dylan’s… letting the instruments do as much talking as the lyrics but comparing myself to him on any level just feels like blas-phemy.” He laughs. “There are some more modern things too. Radiohead – if you can call them modern – are amazing. I was saying with my friends that with the development of digital mu-sic, while I’m certainly reaping the rewards of it, one thing that seems to have been lost is the whole… product of an album. OK Comput-er tells a story through the album and they spent months debating where to put which song and with the focus being placed on singles it seems to have been lost.That was something that maybe subconsciously I sort to rectify in Light at the End. While I hope every song is something special in its own right, the album was written to be an album.Yeah. I like albums.I could list of thousands of artists that have inspired me.”There’s a pause when suddenly…“Bowie!” he exclaims. “I’m fair-ly certain that Bowie inspires everything if you look hard enough.”What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t as successful as a musician?“I wouldn’t want to do anything esle. I couldn’t, to be honest. I’d be making music anyway – I’m just lucky in the respect that I have people listening. If I couldn’t produce music at all, maybe I’d act. Something with an audience. But it is music that is my passion. I’m always song writing. I’ll just be walking down the street, and I’ll hear something funny – I heard someone asking for the time-check the other day, I mean what’s that about? What’s wrong with just saying time? So as I was walking I was just composing a song about

time and the desire to standout in the long run, all in my head. It was weird. Will I ever finish it? Maybe. I quite liked it.You’re making me think now. What would my life be without music? I guess Maths is another option. I like the finality in the answer is quite nice – you’re either right or you’re not. Which is basically the complete opposite of my life right now! I’d go in the complete oppo-site if I couldn’t make music. What does that say?”And how are your friends and fami-ly taking in your new found fame?“They’re loving it. As I mentioned, it was my friends who booked me the recording studio that one time. I probably wouldn’t be here without them. I’m always skypeing them. There are times when it’s really, really difficult to find time to talk to them but whenever I can it’s like picking up where we left off. I don’t think being successful has changed me in respect to my friends. I’ll ad-mit, when I was younger and fan-tasising about being a super hero, I always had a fantasy that when they all realised how cool I was the cool kids would all come up to me and grovel to be my friend but I’d be far too superior to talk to them. Now the “cool kids” have noticed me and do talk to me and I just like talking to people too much to tell them to get stuffed. I get invited to more parties which is awesome, but I’m never leaving my original friends. Someone once suggested that you can count your true friends on one hand. I can definitely do that.And family? There was always a worry from my dad that while I was doing Music for A-Level, with the intention of going to uni and doing something music based there, that I’d be left homeless and jobless but holding a guitar. And he was always very insistent that I finish my A2 before I started properly fo-cusing on music – my studying had to come first and I’m very grateful for that. Now, with where I am, I haven’t ruled out Uni which he

POLARIS - november 2013 subscribe or get the digital copy at www.polaris.com

nick DECRUz - the interviewwas happy with. I might go in a few years but what I’m doing now, mak-ing music and travelling – there’s even talk of a tour – I’m loving it. I’m happy here.What about in ten years?“Ten years? God. I’d be twenty-nine. Good God. I’m going to be twen-ty-nine! And when I’m twenty-nine? I have no clue. Honestly. In my dream world where everyone is happy and noth-ing hurts I’ll still be making music and I’ll still have people listening. I’d have a house. In my house – don’t tell anyone this but –“I cut him off, reminding him this is an interview.“Right, sod that then and tell everyone. But I’ve always want-ed to dedicate a whole room to a massive model railway. I can’t think of anything better than having little engines whizzing about. I used to have those wooden Thomas the Tank trains and they were amazing. I still do, actually. They’re in a loft somewhere. One day my kids will get them and love them as much as I did. So in ten years? I just want a

train set.”Simple wants. Now for the ques-tion of sins… where do your ideas come from?Nick gestures in a vague direction. “I have no clue. The Ideas store

in Soho. Sometimes online. Re-ally though? They turn up out of nowhere. Like what I was saying about the Time-Check. I’m walk-ing and I hear that and suddenly there’s a song. I’ve definitely put more thought into what that guy said than he ever will. And there’s life, I suppose. There’s that brilliant bit in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night where the clown asks what sort of song they want him to play and they say Love as they don’t care about life. That bit made me smile. But I’m the opposite. I care about life and through my life I love. Or something. My songs are based off my experiences and my misad-ventures. There’s not one song I’ve

written that isn’t from my experienc-es. If I’m not putting myself into it then what’s the point? Each song means something to me. Some-times people forget how long it takes to write music… you wouldn’t

commit so much time and effort

to something you were only half into, would you? I make music that means some-thing to me. I’m very lucky in the

respect that it means something to other people. And I don’t think I’ll ever stop, really. Even when I’m old in bed, I’m going to be humming through my gums and tapping a rhythm until I get arthritis. Until I’m dead. Now there’s a note to end on.”

Nick Decruz was talking to Gwen Wat-son. For your chance to write for Polaris see below.

“In ten years? I just want a train set.”

Do you want to write

for PolAris?One of Polaris’ earliest mission

statements was to find the newest and uprising talent.

During our blogging days we would accept submissions for

articles from readers - a tradition we intent to continue.

If you’re interested in writing an article for Polaris, please submit a previously written article (this can be anything, from a school newspaper to a blogpost - no more than

800 words though please) to [email protected] and if we like your style,

we might be in touch. For full terms and conditions, please visit www.polaris.com/

articleyou for FAQ and guidelines.

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