No Idolz - MC Blance Review
No Idolz - MC Blance Review
The 'No Idolz' EP from Dunfermline hip-hop artist and producer MC Blance (real name Matthew Blance) follows the release of his single 'The Book Of Matthew'. Released on the 2nd August, No Idolz takes us on an insightful musical journey into the workings of the rappers mind and displays the wide musical palette of the artist.
I have collaborated with MC Blance before and he is a very musically versatile multi-instrumentalist, producer and rapper. When performing live, MC Blance is energetic yet conscientious on stage, typically accompanied by an exhilarating band of talented musicians to make his ideas come to life. Every performance I have seen so far has been highly entertaining and I would recommend any readers to keep their eyes peeled for his upcoming performances.
No Idolz EP Review - Released 2nd August 2024
At the time of writing this review, it has been endless grey skies and rain. As per usual, Scottish summer has been gloomy and dissapointing. Locking myself away in my bedroom and listening to 'No Idolz' in its entirety on repeat has been the perfect thought fuel distraction that encouraged my mind to drift away. This EP - like many acclaimed hip-hop collections - has a great continuity and flow as an album, which is why I would recommend listening to it in full and chronologically, to appreciate - and enjoy - every musical nuance.
'You Alone' is a strong opening track, which I find both musically and thematically engaging: containing strong production and performances from all involved. Since first-hearing the piece, I have found myself with constant ear worm to the chorus that features the hauntingly smooth vocals of frequent collaborator Anna Cooper - who often performs backing vocals and keys in MC's live band - in addition to the backing vocals of Misty-Jo, who previously provided vocals on MC's 2021 track 'Entropy'. The lyric of "it's you alone that has to face it all' is a refreshing reminder to take responsibility for what life throws your way. Blance considers his progression as an artist from his previous work as he vulnerably shares with the listeners his doubts and challenges he has faced on his artistic journey. Towards the end the subject matter resolves to become more upbeat, satisfyingly accompanying the dreamy outro keys that was also performed by Cooper.
The following melancholic number of 'Swimming With The Sharks' is a relatable track for wallowing in your sorrow to, touching on relevant and relatable themes of life in the digital age - social media addiction and comparison. The track is built upon the catchy hook - another one that I simply can't get out of my head - and has a nostalgic early 2000s rap feel with a melancholic subject matter yet laid back alternative rock guitar sound that is in some respects post-punky. Perhaps 'Swimming With The Sharks' is the 'poppiest' out of all the tracks in the collection though it is still experimental and it gives me a sense of alternative pop hip-hop acts such as Twenty-One Pilots or MF Doom.
In some ways, I overlooked 'Seven' upon first listen, but since it has grown on me to become one of my favourites. Like Swimming With The Sharks, I feel this track has a strong early 2000s hip-hop sound, with a driving gloomy yet emotive guitar riff that showcases the rapper's adoration for heavier genres such as metal and alternative rock. This track features an interesting and creative use of sampling in both the beginning and outro, where to me it sounds like the scratching of a record player, and could perhaps be a reference to old school hip-hop. It would not surprise me, as although MC Blance is experimental in his approach, he pays respects to hip-hop hallmarks through his production techniques.
'Mr Fake' reminds us of the duality within us - the barrier between "the things we say" Vs "the Things we mean". Perhaps the Mr Fake inside us can work in our favour at times, blocking us from negative and potentially hurtful intrusive thoughts. On the other hand, "it's comforting a little being vacant', as the rapper points out, and the barrier that exists within us of "saying yes and thinking no", may at times protect us from embarrassment. Like 'You Alone', this track features a dramatic outro - which seems to be a trademark of the artist - followed by the chorus melody shredded as an electric guitar solo, in a 'Nirvana-esque' fashion.
MC Blance's lyrical subject matter and flow is strong throughout on 'Something, Anything'. This track features the emotive vocals of Erin Mckenzie, and strongly conveys the theme of human connection and communication that is apparent throughout, with Mckenzie as the troubled character who struggles with addiction and mental health issues, and Blance as the friend who is trying to find the right words to tell the truth to the vocalist, as she explains her POV. Both Blance's and Mckenzie's performances are filled with passion and energy, and there is great artistic chemistry between them. One of my favourite musical moments in the EP may be the simple yet effective electric guitar call-and-respone outro of 'Something, Anything'.
The theme of 'No Idolz' is one that MC's idol - Eminem - brought attention to us back in 2000 with his hit Stan (for those who are not familiar Stan narrates the story of a mentally ill fan whose unhealthy obsession with Marshall Mathers lead to him killing both himself and his pregnant girlfriend in a car accident). Nevertheless, MC adds a multi-faceted perspective on the topic of celebrity idolisation and obsession, a phenomenon that is perhaps more relevant now than ever, when it is all too easy to criticise people we don't know from the comfort of our bed: scrolling through Instagram reels. Though Blance appears to be criticising celebrities such as Eminem - for his use of homophobic slurs - and Elon Musk and other billionaires, the artist conveys a general message how it is absurd to place our heroes far up on a pedestal until we become disappointed by their slip-ups and thinks "Fuck it, No Idolz". This insightful track feels like the perfect closing number for this thought-provoking EP.
Words From the Artist:
Q1: Who are your biggest musical influences?
MC Blance:
My influences come from across the board. When it comes to my own music I can separate it from the hip-hop influences and the non hip-hop influences. In terms of hip-hop, I've always been attracted to the greats: the Eminems and Kendrick Lamars, Andre 3000, MF Doom. I like the lyricists. I also like artists like Playboi Carti where it's more about energy, but I relate to the wordsmiths. In terms of hip-hop that's what inspires me. In my music you get hip-hop, but you also get rock and other types of music. I love metal acts like Metallica and Slayer. I also love pop music, like Justice and Daft Punk. I've been heavily influenced by Y2K pop like Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue. I find it hard to trace where everything comes from.
Q2: Was there a track that you enjoyed making the most?
MC Blance:
I sort of want to be cheeky and say I didn't enjoy making any of them. Songwriting for me is quite tedious to be honest with you - certainly with hip-hop it is. I bash my head against the wall until something I like comes out. It is compelling; it's not fun necessarily, though sometimes it is. If there's a song that I really enjoyed making maybe 'Something Anything'. That one was me in a room with Erin and we were figuring what the song was about and it was co-write, which none of the others were. It was born out of a previous song that I wrote. Erin [Mckenzie] is a character who has a problem, something mentally is not right with her. I am the accuser, who is coming in and trying to take them to task with their problem. I had a vague idea of what the song was going to be and Erin really fleshed it out. I also really enjoyed 'You Alone', working with Misty-Jo and Anna [Cooper]. We recorded it in the Napier music studios (where MC Blance and the featured vocalists recently graduated from a music degree). Anna also played keys, and she did three different improvised takes. Me and Ewan McAtier - who engineered it - were sat laughing our heads off because what she was playing was so good. Those are the tracks where I had fun: the collaborations. When I'm working by myself with nobody else in the room, I will hammer at it until I like it.
Q3: Is there a track that you're most proud of?
MC Blance:
No Idolz. Musically, I think You Alone is the best song. In terms of the way it comes together, No Idolz is one of the songs where I had a strong concept. I had the title, and I knew I wanted it to be about Stan culture. I am happy with the way the samples have come together, like the sample of the guy going 'I would die for Drake'. I wrote the majority of the song in 2022, and it has become more prescient. I recorded No Idolz in my old flat, and the following year I re-recorded some more lines to add new scandals, to make it feel more up-to-date. The second verse is about me: what I would do if I met my idols.
Q4: What do you want people to take away from No Idolz [the track]?
MC Blance:
My point is that we're all fallible humans. If you got famous, you would fuck up eventually too. There would be hoards of people on Twitter who would try to destroy your career. It is an illustration of how we think about artists and famous people, as people who are not expected to make a single mistake. We only think that because we don't think of these people as humans. I mention in the song, people who are torn down for the slightest mistake. I mention Kendrick Lamar - who I call Kenny in the song. Kendrick never posted anything during the George Floyd movement and people complained because he wasn't posting. He was spotted at some of the protests and he is a guy who has spent his entire career talking about these issues and you're getting at him for not making a Twitter post. What I mainly want people to take away is that we should not put these people on pedestals and we should not tear them down for their slightest mistakes. There is also now this expectation that people should talk about every issue under the sun.
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Written by Niamh Maclennan
25th August 2024
Central Belt Indie
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