You may have heard "Fr-end?” the first track to be released by Kate
Nash from her upcoming third album Girl Talk. It doesn’t seem that long
ago since Kate Nash released her sparkling single "Pumpkin Soup" in
the summer of 2007, along with Mutya Buena's "Real Girl". The female
vocals / singer-songwriter was heightened by Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Lily
Allen that eventually gave way to Adele, and she's dominated since. Nash became
known for her pop diva antics and rebellious attitude that wasn't quite feminism.
Made of Bricks was a splendid album, and I quite enjoyed listening to it
instead of the clusterfuck of British indie rock artists like The Fratellis,
The Pigeon Detective, The Kooks, The Rifles and every other 'The' between 05
and 08. Nash can play piano well, and her first two albums showcased this,
from "Foundations" to "Mouthwash". Like "Fr-end",
"3am" is a direction Nash fans might not have expected. I'm here to
tell you that Girl Talk is a rock album, and "Part Heart", the
first track on her third album is no different to the other pre-release tracks.
Nash, who went to BRIT school, is a multi-instrumentalist. She can play bass, guitar, piano, drums and even sing with character. Even more surprising, Nash studied performing arts at BRIT school. She appeared briefly in the Jeff Buckley biopic Greetings from Tim Buckley. Is there anything she can't do? Nash's upcoming album is a breakthrough for British female artists. Rock music is something the British ladies have never tapped into, well now they can. "Part Heart" is the beautifully constructed first track on Girl Talk. If the album's title isn't enough to tell you Nash has punk aesthetics and beliefs at her heart, then I’m not sure what will.
The video above shows Nash performing this song live, and she's playing bass, the most important instrument on "Part Heart". The studio version features three minutes of guitar heavy and britpop-esque instrumentation. It's a slow track with emphasis on the vocals read by Nash. Of course it picks up, with several layers of distorted guitars coming together for the final third. Nash is good friends with Billy Bragg. Her politics are also similar, building a personality worthy of Bragg's approval. Girl Talk will be released in a week, time to get excited (if you're a fan of Nash's heavier material.)
~Eddie
