Welcome to yet another Loosies Of The Week, a wrap-up of this weeks singles, throwaways, leaks, and any other loose tracks I find. A slow week release-wise does not mean a slow week for loosies. Tons of material to sparse through.
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Ever since Depression Cherry, Beach House has been doing everything to keep up with Hip-Hop and Pop's unpredictability through their Indie avenue. First was the unexpected Shoegaze, then the even more so follow-up LP Thank Your Lucky Stars. And now, with no warning, we get word of a beefy B-Side collection; aptly titled B-Sides & Rarities. With the announcement came 'Chariot,' and as has always been the case, Beach House can never do wrong. This is because Victoria Legrand, who may be my favorite vocalist currently making music, can never do wrong, with her sultry vocals, longing heart, and tenuous bravado. 'Chariot' won't convince naysayers of Beach House's prowess, as it's certainly filled with their Dream Pop aesthetic, but the warmth and clarity of Alex Scally's guitars, LeGrand's keyboard, and the mesmerizing synths helps to create a heartwarming experience that mimics the Bloom/Teen Dream era. With the quality these two enforce, a B-Sides is welcomed.
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To me, Vince Staples is about as close as you can get to straddling the line between ingenious and redundant. You see, he lives and breathes inside the West Coast G-Funk, making his music incredibly perceptible to repeating past mistakes. However, what he's done with the genre and his roots, taking a critical look towards it as he did on Summertime '06, is more than enough to send praises his way. And while Prima Donna took a decisive step back to embodying his roots rather than leaping over them, I was hopeful for his future given that Prima Donna was nothing more than a interim EP. 'Big Fish' has me worried though. It'll be all about context when Big Fish Theory arrives in June, but as a standalone single 'Big Fish' is more than a disappointment. Little of that has to do with Staples though, as his flows are as enticing as ever. He does reuse past lines though, failing to say anything new, but the problems truly lie in the hook and production. Take Staples away from 'Big Fish' and the single suddenly turns into a YG joint, with dead-eyed G-Funk mixing with a repetitive hook that's all bark and no bite. Not a good look for Staples, but the official verdict will come late June.
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Hug Of Thunder, which is set to be Broken Social Scene's first album in seven years, could have greater importance than the band even realizes. You see, Indie Rock is dying. There's a couple names upholding the genre till its dying breath, and one noticeable artist whose emerged as a promising prodigy (Car Seat Headrest), but the prominence of Indie Rock has faded substantially since its heyday in the early to mid 2000's. Broken Social Scene played a large role in that, and with Hug Of Thunder, based on the two lead singles, it doesn't seem like they're intent on switching up what always worked. While lead single 'Halfway Home' was inspired, but largely unmemorable to me, 'Hug Of Thunder' recorrects that course, with an excellent vocal performance by Feist. She almost singlehandedly makes this track, switching up styles and tones at a whim, as the production attempts to keep up. It makes for an exciting five minutes, and one that keeps you on your toes, even if the hazy, almost-Dream Pop like strings and synths soothe you into submission.
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Everyone's favorite mediocre Trap artist released three singles this past week. While Travis Scott's popularity continues to perplex me, there's no denying the seemingly constant hype surrounding him and everything he does. 'Green & Purple' and 'Butterfly Effect,' as decried by this very article, feel like loosies, throwaways that feel right only on the Souncloud profile where they currently live. I don't suspect they'll be on Astroworld, but after the failure that was Birds In The Trap, an album overloaded with filler, I can't really put it past Scott. They just feel so empty, redundant, and useless. I've never heard Trap production so faceless before, like it's trying to recede into the walls to never be remembered again. Only aspect of either that warrants an extra listen is Playboi Carti's appearance on 'Green & Purple,' and that's only for flow purposes. However, there is 'A Man,' which has substantially more promise than the other two. Scott's rapping versatility comes through here, and is reminiscent of Rodeo's more mature side. Along with the production, which actually diversifies itself here, 'A Man' is the clear grab-it-and-go track.
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A few weeks back Grizzly Bear confounded all expectations I had set upon them by releasing 'Three Rings,' a track that was far more psychedelic and experimental than I had imagined them being. See, while the name Grizzly Bear has been known to me for years, 'Three Rings' was the first time listening to them. I had just imagined the group being your basic, run-of-the-mill Indie Rock. While 'Three Rings' revealed my ignorance, 'Mourning Sound' proves that some assessments were accurate. From the get-go, 'Mourning Sound' is far more conventional, with a pummeling percussion driving the bulk of the track. There's even your tacky, thrown in vocal crescendo to end the single, as if repeating "we woke with the mourning sound, it's the sound of distant shots and passing trucks" is necessary. That being said, quibbles aside, I do enjoy the single. The production is rich, textured, and beefy, and while 'Mourning Sound' certainly gallantly strides down a beaten path, it does so with meaning.
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I know nothing about Baby Driver, the movie where 'Chase Me' can be found, and based on that title I have no intention on learning more. Nevertheless, a combination of Danger Mouse, Run The Jewels, and Big Boi is more than enough to get my appetite salivating. Theoretically, 'Chase Me' is a product of the former with the latter two acting as features, but the pulsing, high-paced production actually feels like the least important aspect of the song. In many ways, it's a diluted version of any of the Run The Jewels bangers El-P puts together. It fits with the vibe though, and maybe the lyrics do as well, I have no idea. Everything seems conspicuously well-crafted, and reminds me of Danny Brown's 'Kool Aid' from last week, a single that was released off the Silicon Valley soundtrack. Both 'Kool Aid' and 'Chase Me' are meticulously created stereotypes of the artists at hand, or the perception many has of them. The only aspect of 'Chase Me' that's a bit off-kilter is Big Boi and Danger Mouse's beat-shifting bridge that slows the groove and finds scratching and an echoing Big Boi calibrating with one another. It's intriguing, albeit fleeting. Big Boi's verse is the best too, despite returning to the land of stereotypes.
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Well 'X Men' just confirmed my suspicions; Teenage Emotions is going to be all over the place. Maybe it's apt, even intentional, given the title. First there was 'Harley' and 'Peek A Boo,' two awful singles that are still going to be hard to move past once the album comes. Then there was 'Bring It Back,' immediately laughable but profusely addicting, failing to include any Hip-Hop whatsoever. And now 'X Men' reveals Yachty's rough and rugged side, upping the tempo as he did on standouts like 'Mase In 97' and 'Up Next 3.' While not as good as the former, 'X Men' may compete with the latter, even without a ruthless Lil Herb feature. The entirety of 'X Men,' apart from Evander Griiim's hook, is one-liners, finding Yachty looking down upon his enemies, poking fun at them in the process. It's braggadocios to the max, coming equip with a mix of great and subpar lines. In other words, the Yachty way. "I get that brain like a Harvard scholar" comes in the same verse as "you sticky and dirty like farts." On some level his inconsistency is as charming as his personality, one that reminds me of prime Tyler, The Creator immaturity on Goblin.
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