Well after weeks of highly intense discussions and revelations, it has come to this. I have been resorted to blogging to help enhance my own point, but in the spirit of the game we call ‘fair play’, I will be sporting and highlighting the pros and even the cons of one my opponent’s current musical idols. I’ve called it the “The Big Carsenger Debate” in what 2nd year Journalism students would class as ‘The Clash of the Titans’. Now when it comes to music I am quite renowned for being a lover of some big hits. Whether it be dance hits, electro-pop or even a mixture of soul mo-town rap, I have a varied taste and henceforth an interesting and unusually unbiased view on other people’s musical interests.
My very close friend Cara Laithwaite has decided to choose Kate Nash in our debate, claiming she is “awesome”. I, myself have chosen to go for something a little closer to my hometown. I have chosen the highly rated, and the always improving Eliot Gleave, more famously known as Example.
Now it’s very hard to distinguish an obvious comparison between the two as they are both very different artists, however both bring something fresh and unique about their music which is loved by their fans nationwide. People may look at my previous blogs and see Example has been mentioned and often praised. Yes my bias in this debate may become questionable however I feel I have the necessary information and tools to back up my argument. Miss Laithwaite believes Kate Nash is “very good to sing along to, and that her songs are simple yet effective”. Straight away I take an early lead in this debate. Example’s songs are a mixture of electro-pop, rap and dance which highlights his potential as an extremely talented musician, whereas Nash sticks to the simplistic route of quite repetitive and basic lyrics however performing it in a talented way using backing tracks to represent her mood.
Nash’s most significant release which effectively introduced her into the world of mainstream music was “Foundations”. Released in June 2007 and reaching the number 2 spot in the UK Singles Chart. It was a huge hit and to be honest I was a fan of the song. I often played it on the music channels and on my computer, but after this Nash never produced anything that really ever matched the impact “Foundations” had and I believe my interest in Kate Nash quickly became obvious but even more quickly dissolved into just another ‘one-hit wonder’. Example released his original album “What We Made” in 2007 but however never really made it mainstream as he was a virtual unknown struggling to make a name in the industry. Yet, his more recent release of his second album “Won’t Go Quietly” this year has hit the charts with intense fashion, an album produced by big names such as Chase & Status, Sub Focus and even the self-proclaimed ‘King of Electro-Pop’, Calvin Harris. Example’s first single release from his new album was “Watch the Sun Come Up” never quite created the impact Gleave expected and only reached 19th in the UK Singles Chart, however made a huge impression upon the world of dance tracks, reaching 3rd in the UK Dance Chart.
The 23-year-old Nash, born in London released her first album in the same year as Example, in 2007. It was called “Made of Bricks”. It was released five weeks prematurely due to the popularity of her number 2 hit, and it became a commercial success reaching the top of the UK Album Chart. Nash was not far from a number 1 spot with “Foundations”, missing out by less than 200 copies, beaten by Rihanna’s huge hit “Umbrella”. The next single she released from her album was performed at T4 on the Beach, and received mixed reviews. It reached 23 in the charts and was called “Mouthwash” however became a practical unknown just weeks later, and was just a shadow of her previous single. Back to Example, now in 2010 he has gone from good to brilliant in the space of 12 months. His next single release this year was the single “Won’t Go Quietly”. Yes, it has the same name as the album but there is a message between both. Example revealed after the album’s release that the song is a message to an ex-girlfriend who would not leave him alone, where the album was aimed at his comeback as a musician after a 3-year gap between albums. The single is without a shadow of a doubt my favourite song from his album and it constantly played on my iPod and always requested everywhere I go. It reached his highest chart position, number 3 in the singles chart and was number 1 on the UK Dance Chart. The song was an instant success.
Nash on the other hand had released “Pumpkin Soup” in October 2007 however again was a fail in her eyes, reaching only 23rd in the charts and even worse, 40th in Ireland. However, the first single from her new album “My Best Friend Is You”, released this year, is called “Do-Wah-Doo” was an improvement on the late releases of her last album. “Do-Wah-Doo” made number 15 in the charts and Nash on her blog claimed that filming the video was “so so much fun!”
Example on the other hand had just got even better. He released what was his most successful single to date. Released on June 13 2010, “Kickstarts” had become one of the tracks of the year already. It reached number 3 in the singles chart, and mirrored that of “Won’t Go Quietly” in the dance charts, hitting top spot yet again. With help in producing from dubstep genius artist Sub Focus, “Kickstarts” became a hugely popular chart anthem and really signaled Example’s burst onto the music scene. Ironically, this song was played at my mum’s wedding (at my own request of course). A wedding where I believe my opponent in this case, a certain Cara Laithwaite, was attending and dancing along to and enjoying his track. The tune really did ‘Kickstart’ his album into full flow.
Nash released two more songs in 2010. “Kiss That Grrrl” was next up and received very mixed reviews from fans, and critics were very negative toward her video. This song really was a disappointment. It followed the 60s girl band theme her previous singles had, and reached what can be said as a dire chart position outside the top 200. Her third single to be released just 3 days ago, “Later On” is actually pretty good. Cara’s played it to me on several occasions already, and after going to see Kate Nash live in Shepherds Bush on Monday, she returned home with a “Later On” t-shirt as a souvenir of her time in the capital. The single is yet to receive a chart position although one is expected this Sunday coming.
Example has two more songs as well. One has been recently released and one is due to come out with the aim of obtaining the Christmas Number One, however with the release date of November 15th, even as a huge fan of the man, it looks very unlikely he would be able to withstand pressure from the X-Factor contestants plus other mainstream performers for other a month in order to gain the prestigious annual title. His fourth single from his album, “Last Ones Standing” really hit me like a brick wall. I thought it was stunning. It was just amazing, and the action-packed video just convinced me even more at how good Example can be. However in recent weeks it has died down, within myself and across the nation and surprisingly only reached 27 in the singles chart but did gain another top 10 finish in the dance charts, peaking at number 7. Now even Cara cannot disagree with this. She has said (and I quote!), “You know I don’t like Example, but I do like Last Ones Standing. I think it’s very very good”. I rest my case. His fifth single to be released in just under a month’s time will be “Two Lives”. Compared to his previous track releases, this song is very different. He slows down the pace a lot in his next release and I do worry for its chart position. Do not get me wrong the song is very good, however I’m sure if it has the strength to put himself where his previous big-hitters did, however who knows? Maybe a change in the song may make him a big-seller. In my honest opinion, it’s a gamble, but I do like the song. If I had to choose a song to replace “Two Lives” for his next release then I would have probably chosen “Time Machine” (produced by Calvin Harris) or “Sick Note” (produced by Chase & Status) simply because they offer a similar kind of momentum as the other four released singles from this album. Let’s hope his ‘gamble’ will pay off for him.
As I previously mentioned, Cara went to see Kate Nash in London on Monday and said she had a brilliant time. I’m glad she had a good time, because just two weeks ago I was in Bournemouth at the O2 Academy raving to Example, a set of 1 hour 30 minutes in which the crowd were buzzing and creating an atmosphere I had ever only experienced after Gillingham beat Shrewsbury Town 1-0 after a 90th minute winner in the League Two play-off final at Wembley just two years ago. Example was superb. Kate Nash started really well, but her latest form sees her getting worse and worse performance wise in the charts. By all means she’s a talented performer, but her time in the top 10 may be well and truly over, probably heading back to just her third release on her 2007 album. Example however has gone from a virtual nobody in his 2007 album “What We Made” to a chart topping, single competing lyrical genius. His game is getting better and better. Kate Nash is just getting worse and worse.
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