Welcome to yet another Loosies Of The Week, a wrap-up of this weeks singles, throwaways, leaks, and any other loose tracks I find. An interesting week of loosies from a hodgepodge of odd genres.
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In retrospect, my general apathy towards Denzel Curry's Imperial might've been a little misguided. At the time, the aggression, fire, and passion was mostly lost on me; a case of forced extremism to fit into a niche. And while I still find that to be true, there's no denying, with the poor quality of upcoming talent, that Curry may have more to offer than others with their careers ahead of them. Plus he works with Travis Miller, aka Lil Ugly Mane, one of my favorite musical mysteries who appears here. 'Zeltron 6 Billion,' as its namesake and outrageous cover imply, sets Curry in a future world where he's free to be as creative and daring as possible. The futuristic similarities stop and end at Deltron 3030 though, but nonetheless, the rhyming work of both emcees here makes 'Zeltron 6 Billion' more than just a heavy-handed demo, as the addendum states. That being said, the hook is weak and trivial, failing to add any substance to the track. The verses are where the meat resides. Lyrics still need work though, although that can be forgiven for being an outtake. Disappointing to know that in Curry's future world, braggadocios is still a thing.
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Well now. It's official. If 'Everything Now,' the lead single to the album of the same name, appeased fans of Reflektor and The Suburbs, 'Creature Comfort,' the quick follow-up, throws everything out the window and leaps into uncharted waters. We say it each and every album, but Arcade Fire really aren't the modest, generational, doomsday-sayers they were in 2004. Alternative Dance is the name of the game here, with numerous synths playing second fiddle to Win Butler and Regine Chassagne's ballsy singing. LCD Soundsystem can be found all over this record, from Butler's low-key depictions of societal problems (this time around body image issues), to the fidgety production. And that's not surprising given James Murphy's work with the group on Reflektor. What do I actually think of 'Creature Comfort' though? I've got no idea. The creativity is there, the risks are too. Traditional fans of the group will hate this, and honestly, it doesn't seem like many more are coming in. The assaulting vocals can be admired just for their sheer brazen attitude, especially Chassagne's yelping which I can picture causing blood to boil, but the production doesn't feel all that impressive. 'Everything Now' was the same, very straightforward for a group that has endless amounts of talent. No qualms about the topics though, Everything Now should be exemplary in that regard, as has always been the case with Arcade Fire.
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Chelsea Wolfe's an artist who created a sound that will work for her for her whole career. There's numerous musicians like her that inhabit a niche, provide an aesthetic people were itching for, and cave in and cover the opening so no other artist can try to enter. There's a reason Wolfe's the one Doom and Gothic Rock artist the Indie scene gives any attention. Pretending like I'm not apart of that crowd would be ignorant. Nonetheless, this is all to say that '16 Psyche' could be another notch in an endless chain of similarly-sounding gloom anthems and it'll still be appreciated. And guess what? That's the case. But guess what else? It's still good. Her voice, and more specifically her gender, which can't be discounted for attributing to a great deal of her idiosyncrasy, always helps to offset the drudging guitars, thunderous drums, and screeching riffs. Just imagine a male voice over '16 Psyche' and all the sudden it becomes nothing special. Wolfe's mastery over her vocals, and how they intertwine with the anarchy, is what makes her special. And while '16 Psyche' isn't a crowning achievement, it's another bullet point on why she owns the scene she entertains.
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It's been a while since Action Bronson released some music, and 'Let It Breathe's' title, I believe, gives credence to how Bronson feels about that. Pressure's likely been accumulating, all the while the man stays busy with numerous spin-off television shows, including Traveling The Stars which is hysterical. That's why his recent music work, namely 2015's Mr. Wonderful and 2016's 'Durag Vs. Headband' can be forgiven for being quite bad. For some reason, the quiet time between releases gave me hope that Bronson could create something worthwhile. Instead he releases 'Let Me Breathe,' which is about as bland a welcome back single as one can conjure up. The production, which features that minimal Houston sound Bronson, Riff Raff, and others have been making their own, is nice and simple, albeit a bit hollow. However, as with any Bronson track, the lyrics are where he stumbles off a cliff. Beginning to end, nothing new or interesting is said, as if for the past few years Bronson's been in la la land, mind gone, consuming the pointlessness of ancient alien theories. Whatever hope I had is gone. Really, I don't know why I had it at all.
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A few weeks back Cornelius released 'If You're Here,' a fantastic Alternative Rock track that drew numerous comparisons to Radiohead with the nimble orchestral arrangements and general atmosphere. That carries over with 'Sometime / Someplace,' Mellow Waves' second single. Unfortunately, the impact has diminished quite a bit with a track that feels like nothing more than mid-album filler. A repetitive acoustic arrangement guides the foundation, with numerous other musical quirks giving life to the track. That's not where 'Sometime / Someplace' feels lackluster though. The answer lies in Cornelius' singing this time around, which doesn't fit the tone of the track. Now, of course, knowing the lyrics would help, but as it stands his vocals feel unusually out of step with the rhythms overall. All that being said, there's a chance this could grow on me, as the chorus is quite pleasurable with all the pieces coming together. We'll wait and see how it fits into Mellow Waves, an album that's ripe with promise.
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From the get-go, Daphni's upcoming compilation Fabriclive 93 has been marketed as just that; a collection of songs from a bygone era. And with the two lead singles, 'Face To Face' and 'Tin' in tow, that much is painfully evident. For those unaware, Daphni is Dan Snaith's secondary moniker, right behind the more famous Caribou. The differences in their sound are evident, despite falling under House quite nicely. These two singles are far more single than what Snaith's capable of today, which means their quality lessens thanks to the knowledge of the present. Unlike 'Face To Face,' which felt dead inside, 'Tin' brings some light to the forefront with a nice, plodding female vocal sample that feels home to the House and Techno scene. However, compared to 'Face To Face,' 'Tin' features much of the same, boring, repetitive instrumentation, something that was certainly all the rage in the early 2000's, but beyond stale now-a-days. Even taken in the context of a rave scene, 'Tin' falters due to lack of atmosphere, something many Electronic artists, including Snaith himself, would improve on astronomically in the coming years.
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