Kate Nash's Made of Bricks
A Debut Album of Sassy Pop Concoctions Is Released in North America
She's been written off by some critics as a Lily Allen wannabe, and raved about by others. Kate Nash's debut album Made Of Bricks is released in North America this month.
New British "It" Girl Kate Nash writes pop songs that sparkle with perceptive observation and a sharp wit that bely her 20-some years.
A Broken Foot
According to many accounts, including AMG and The Independent, Nash was destined for a career in the arts almost from the start. She learned to play piano and guitar at a young age, did Irish dancing and played Irish instruments (Nash was born in Dublin to an Irish mother and English father) as a child and attended arts schools such as London's School for Performing Arts & Technology. Her focus was on drama until a fateful twist set her on a different path. The same day that she received a rejection letter from the Old Vic Theatre School, she fell down a flight of stairs and broke her foot.
Forced to stay in bed, she occupied her time with a guitar and a laptop with which she was able to work on old songs, write new ones and develop a distinct musical style. When she felt confident enough, she booked herself into a local pub for a showcase performance. After a good reception and a few more gigs, she posted her music on her own MySpace page.
Lily Allen and Caroline's a Victim
A second twist of fate happened when British pop singer Lily Allen took note of Nash's music and put her in the Top 8 on her MySpace page. Nash's popularity increased substantially with this new exposure, and soon she was well on her way to releasing her first single.
Independently released in February 2007, Nash's first single Caroline's a Victim was limited to 1000 copies. These sold out within a few days. The quirky song about Nash's friend Caroline features playful synth chords and scratchy beats and its miniscule lyrics include the refrain: "Caroline sits in her own playing killer killer killer killer beats". It takes more than one listen for the song's catchiness to take effect, and the combination of the cheeky lyrics and Nash's charismatic voice is a potent mix.
With the success of Caroline's aVictim, Nash was offered a record contract by Fiction Records and set to work putting together an album.
Foundations and Made of Bricks
In late June 2007, Nash's second single was released to rapid and surprising popularity. The effervescent Foundations is another song that grows on you the more you hear it. Its bittersweet lyrics tells the story of an unhealthily dissolving relationship in delightful details: "Then I'll use that voice that you find annoyin' and say something like/ yeah, intelligent input, darlin', why don't you just have another beer then?" and "You said I must eat so many lemons/'cause I am so bitter./I said I'd rather be with your friends mate 'cause they are much fitter."
Foundations was given heavy radio play and reached Number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Fiction Records decided to move up the release date on Nash's debut album to capitalize on the single's success.
Made of Bricks was released in August 2007 to mixed reviews. Many of the critics who responded unfavourably to her first 2 singles continued to do so with her full-length album. The Independent newspaper ranked Made of Bricks as one of the year's worst and a prevailing opinion was that manipulation in the studio was to blame for the album's weaknesses; it had all but erased the rough emotional edges that had made her songs so original and charming.
Despite the many negative reviews, however, Made Of Bricks would eventually go platinum in the UK and received mostly positive press in North America when it was released in early 2008.
Made of Bricks - Reviewed
The album is a unique, eccentric listen, as only a flighty 20-year-old could create. Fueled alternately by bopping beats, jaunty piano and lilting emotions, its twists and turns aren't for everyone but reveals more talent than bravado and luck.
Some of Made of Bricks' highlights include the exuberant pop of Pumpkin Soup and Skeleton Song but Nash's true charm comes out best on songs such as Foundations, the witty and pretty Birds and the bouncy Merry Happy. Nash's definitely got a gift for witty phrasings and vibrantly detailed storytelling.
Truth be told, the Lily Allen comparison is undeniable - both are young, speak-sing with an exaggerated Cockney accent (despite privileged upbringings) that has earned both the chav label, and write playfully genre-shuffled songs with genuine, straight-forward, cheeky lyrics. But Nash's music also invites comparisons to the theatrical, eccentric piano-driven pop of Nellie McKay and Regina Spektor.
