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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Suffice to say, if you're looking for meaningful insight on Black Metal prepare to be disappointed. Deafheaven's primary genre is not my forte, yet, like most who became attracted to the band thanks to their deceptive Sunbather, their pseudo-inclusion into the Indie scene drew my attention. 'Honeycomb' proves why that intrigue was founded. If one ignores the vocals that sound like garbled cries from Hell, there's little differentiating 'Honeycomb' from the grounds of Post-Rock, Shoegaze, or even something as simple as Alternative Rock, as we see in the final section of the eleven-minute epic. Deafheaven's return pleases the patient, as the first section is of minimal note, the second a slight-of-hand twist with melodious riffs, the three a fruitful payoff.
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With Dirty Computer, it's clear Janelle Monae's attempting to retain her artistry while expanding into the superstar Pop realm. Like 'Django Jane' and 'Make Me Feel,' 'I Like That' has moxie. It's blunt, committed, and in your face. While not as immediately appealing as 'Make Me Feel,' Monae's latest effort works as a lovely palate cleanser for the upcoming summer. The Doo-Wop-like background vocals provide buoyancy to the hook, while Monae's sung verses find her expressing in similar capacity to Beyonce. The Rap verse is a nice touch of personal detail, an extra layer to explain Monae's motives.
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'Rose Tinted Cheeks,' yet another single released by Tyler, The Creator in the wake of Flower Boy, isn't exactly finished. Labeled by Tyler himself as a "2016 rough draft," the unpolished edges can be seen throughout, especially in the chorus. Looking past the lack of mastering though, one will find that 'Rose Tinted Cheeks' would've made quite the addition to Flower Boy's aureate ensemble. As per usual, Tyler's evocative flows are on full display, pit-stopping their way through romantic quandaries and questionable braggadocio. 'Rose Tinted Cheeks' borrows its quirky femininity from Tyler's strongest idol; The Neptunes, a parallel that's greatly drawn on Flower Boy. Interesting enough, the empty pieces lingering in the song's second half, where Tyler mumbles unconfident spoken word, is perhaps the most disparate when compared to other Flower Boy tracks. At times he even sounds like Will Toledo when Car Seat Headrest breaks for him to find himself, like on 'Famous Prophets (Minds)' or 'The Ballad Of The Costa Concordia.'
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Even Pinkshinyultrablast, one of the few prominent Shoegaze artists of the modern era, are transitioning away from the genre. At least if 'Dance AM,' an upbeat Synthpop-infused effort, is anything to go by. Of course, their Shoegaze backbone can still be felt, but a swath of synths, percussion, and structural divots pulls the Russian group away from their wall-of-sound origins. This might be a promising transition though as the psychedelic Dream Pop of 'Dance AM' might be their catchiest affair yet, especially when the dazzling synths crescendo over scaly guitars and Lyubov's sleepy vocals. As an intro to their upcoming LP Miserable Miracles, it's sure to get a vigorous head start out of the gates.
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Here's a question; would you prefer music that's bad or bland? At first glance, the answer is obvious. However, within the artistic realm I urge you to reconsider. Father John Misty's notorious Pure Comedy was not seen favorably in my eyes. None of that had to do with his level of ambition, nonchalance, and commitment, three things I applaud him for. The music contained within, mixed with the insufferably haughty content, reeked of inferiority. It was bad not bland. The two lead singles to God's Favorite Customer, 'Just Dumb Enough To Try' and 'Disappointing Diamonds Are The Rarest Of Them All,' are the opposite. The songwriting shelves the crass lyrics for rudimentary lingo, whereas the production livens up the centerfold akin to I Love You, Honeybear. However, each track struggles to identify itself, succumbing to the tropes of dozens of Piano Rock ballads that came before. The wistful energy of 'Disappointing Diamonds,' borrowing from Bowie's Glam Rock era, feels more refined and enjoyable.
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I struggle to determine whether I'm impressed with legendary Ambient artist Brian Eno's ability to create entire songs out of minute, synthetic changes, or peeved that with each prosaic composition he feels as if he's changing the world. Like on last year's Reflection, where Eno charged a whopping $31 for an app version of his free-flowing 65-minute piece. At least this time around, with 'Kazakhstan' and Music For Installations, Eno crafted a box set of unreleased material, something that devout fans of his can find worth out of. As an appetizer, Eno dropped a condensed version of the 20-minute 'Kazakhstan.' As you've noticed, mention of the musical merits of 'Kazakhstan' has been null. That's because critical insight to the track is limited. Synths wave, sway, and undulate in unison. It's like background music to a video game cutscene where two talking heads are the primary draw.
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