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 wide range of genres this week, with a well-rounded level of quality. There's sure to be something you enjoy.
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At this point, nothing surprises me with Xiu Xiu anymore. Jamie Stewart and company create artistic pieces that suit their interests at the time, unconcerned with how it fits into their typecast. For many other bands of similar descent, covering ZZ Top's 'Sharp Dressed Man' alongside an Italian band, (r), covering 'Gimme All Your Lovin' in wearisome Singer/Songwriter, would reach all-time weirdness. Xiu Xiu made Kling Klang though, so all bets are off. As for 'Sharp Dressed Man,' it doesn't really work. Neither does 'Gimme All Your Lovin' though, both ideas conjured up by A/V Club. ZZ Top's dirty recklessness doesn't associate well with Experimental Rock, as the filthiness is lost amongst Xiu Xiu's more refined grittiness. Stewart crunches his way along the track, flaunting his panicky vocals, which, again, don't really work well with this type of confident Rock. Much of the catchiness is thwarted as well, leaving a shell of an artistic piece that, for fans of Xiu Xiu, doesn't offer anything new, and I can presume, for fans of ZZ Top, ruins a classic.
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tUnE-yArDs has always been political. 2011's magnificent W H O K I L L made that evident, with topics ranging from Merrill Garbus' distrust over America ('My Country') to police carelessness ('Doorstep') to cultural appropriation ('Gangsta'). It was one of the best examples of politics in Indie music in recent memory, regardless of the shakiness of such commentary lately. 2014's Nikki Nack took a backseat to that ideology, focusing more on the music. But with I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life, and the album's two lead singles, 'Look At Your Hands' and 'ABC 123,' it's clear Garbus is returning to that mentality. Whereas 'Look At Your Hands' struggled musically, making a decent statement on ownership in the process, 'ABC 123' brings back tUnE-yArDs' quirky Art Pop with blunt language and offbeat instrumentation. The topic at hand, bipartisanship, and the concept of uniting in a common goal despite everything burning around you. The song always features an all-too prophetic line about the California wildfires ("Fan the fire or face the crowd, California's burning down").
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There's few better examples of an album I desperately wanted to like, or desperately wanted to be better, than Nicolas Jaar's Sirens. Going in, still on a high from Space Is Only Noise and Nymphs, last year's LP struggled to manifest itself into the new, exploratory directions I expect from Jaar. His style, defined by a deep knowledge of a multitude of Electronic-abiding genres, still one of the more unique in the modern era though, so the promise of three new tracks with Sirens' deluxe had me giddy. Sure enough, all three, 'Wildflowers,' 'Coin In Nine Hands,' and 'America! I'm For The Birds,' are all, at the very least, good. Each of the three vary wildly in terms of approach, as 'Wildflowers' finds Jaar in his Darkside wheelhouse, confronting lush Ambient House with an R&B twinge. 'America!,' however, virtually removes any Electronic aberrations, returning Jaar to his Chilean roots in a questionable look at America. Lastly, there's 'Coin In Nine Hands,' the immediate standout, if only for the fact that it's eight minutes and the most ambitious. Bearing similarities to Nymphs' best work, 'Coin In Nine Hands' weaves through more historical dialogue, this time finding Jaar recounting in spoken word over booming Microhouse.
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This is, well, something. After hearing 'Walk On Water' and seeing the tracklist for Eminem's Revival, it was fairly evident the LP would be nothing new for the rapper's struggling, second half career. 'Untouchable,' for completely different reasons, is added proof to that. First the good. Through thick and thin, I will always applaud Eminem for confronting his sketchy fanbase, one I've seen firsthand on Facebook, with contentious leftist beliefs. 'Untouchable' is heavy in this field, and likely wouldn't have received such harsh criticism had it not been for Joyner Lucas' 'I'm Not Racist,' which released to great notoriety a few weeks back. The two tracks are similar in both approach and craft. However, that's about where the compliments for 'Untouchable' end. Let it be known, this is one of the messiest songs I've ever heard. The sloppiness is bewildering, as it witnesses both the production and Eminem's constantly-shifting flows veering over one another every which way. After a fairly welcoming section that leans heavily on Rap Rock, an uncategorized beat switch occurs with four minutes remaining. It's here that Em is forced to fend for himself, irritating with every annunciation, failing to create lines any more insightful than your standard, reactionary Facebook comment.
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You really have to applaud Sufjan Stevens' total disregard for maintaining whatever cool points he had left. I mean really, the man has no inhibition whatsoever. This year alone, he's crafted a massive concept album centered strictly on our galaxy's celestial beasts, remixed his most somber and personal LP, Carrie & Lowell, with chintzy Art Pop, and released a single honoring the troubled life of Tonya Harding. Even though figure skating and Sufjan Stevens are quite detached from one another, the similarities are quite pronounced. Stevens' brand of weepy Singer/Songwriter helps to elevate the elegance and panache of the sport, as seen in 'Tonya Harding's' music video, which attaches the song to her famed 1991 routine, which included the first triple axel attempted by an American woman. As for Stevens' song, it works strictly as a biography of Harding's troubled life, one that goes hand in hand with the upcoming film I, Tonya. If you've come to understand Stevens' sound in recent years, 'Tonya Harding' will be of no surprise. It's nice, but not overtly creative. There's a gorgeous synth relay that happens mid-track though, one that really heightens the dazzling display of athleticism if you're watching Harden's performance in unison.
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Alongside 'Count To Five' came the formal announcement of Blood, set for release in February 2018. That is nearly five years since Rhye's lascivious debut Woman, a daunting delay to overcome, especially for a rather niche LP. Eleven songs are accounted for, with three having already been released. Both 'Please' and 'Taste' were delectable, the latter one of the duo's best efforts to date. However, 'Count To Five' doesn't achieve the same success, failing to materialize into anything meaningful in the three and a half minutes. That's a problem considering the five years to perfect your craft. Every song should be unique and audacious. 'Count To Five,' really, sounds like nothing more than a Rhye-abiding stereotyped track. Both Milosh's vocals and Robin Hannibal's instrumentation track the group's smooth R&B and Sophisti-Pop, with the former crooning alluringly over the progressive, high-fidelity production. There's a tad bit of Funk and Soul to the mix as well, with a bounce that keeps 'Count To Five' above the norm, but not remotely sensational.
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