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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James Blake often excites listeners by the shape and textures of his music, which often bare a classical tonality despite being predominantly electronic. He also has one of the best, and most unique voices in modern music. Combining those two, as we've seen all across his discography, is a match made in heaven. However, Blake has also proven capable of focusing on each half with memorability too, like the two-part of 'Lindisfarne.' However, 'Vincent' finds Blake stripping himself bare, guided by a piano and nothing more. There's no electronics, no palpitated structuring, no unusual patterns. It's a ballad by the books, and that's because it's a word-for-word cover of Don McLean's song of the same name. Beautiful as it is, I question why Blake found it necessary to create such a work. The best covers are those which put effort in giving themselves an identity, not those, like any number of pointless YouTube creations, that mime the original artist's intent. Blake knows better. As a one-off track, it's fine. But if you want something more powerful, entertain McLean's original work.
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Azealia Banks is an artist who's mostly in the music industry's consciousness for her shock and awe. And while that's not surprising given the myriad of controversies she's introduced, one would be remiss for ignoring the on again/off again talents of Banks. 2014's Broke With Expensive Taste, still her only album despite promises left and right, came at a time when Hip-Hop and Electronic just began its merger into the sleek Alternative R&B we see everywhere now, forming the Hip House that predominantly guided that LP. 'Icy Colors Change' is just that, although there's a fair bit of theatrics that many a A-list stars would currently shy away from. That's seen in the first minute where a loose beat builds steam through Banks' low tenor, something that continues in-between her lavish rap-fueled breakouts. And while these moments are 'Icy Colors Changes's' best, the comparisons she's often had to Nicki Minaj come with force this time around. Her flows, rhyming style, unyielding confidence all pay direct homage to Minaj's work, seen especially in the second verse. Take that for what you will, the song overall is still a nice work, even if it's not the freshest thing you hear this week.
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As many are now accustomed to, Brockhampton's roster runs deep. It has to for the sheer mass of material they release. Of course, with a dozen-plus artists, ranging from producers to rappers to singers to all-in-ones, there's bound to be excess left off the Saturation tapes. 'QUIVER' is one of those tracks, a loosie from Saturation III given the six-lettered title. While under the Brockhampton moniker, 'QUIVER' is actually, by and large, a bear//face solo track. You've likely heard his autotuned cries on tracks like 'WASTE,' 'SUMMER,' and 'TEAM,' aka all subdued closers to each respective Saturation. The British singer has talent, there's no discrediting that. Considering his bare style though, there really isn't much substance to be had. That applies to 'QUIVER,' a mostly guitar-led ballad that finds bear//face singing somewhere in the vast valley between James Blake and Post Malone. If it wasn't for the distorted crunch that enters midway through, 'QUIVER' would be a harmless, and largely forgettable loosie. That moment provides substance, depth, and tension, but not much.
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It's quite interesting how time plays with perception. Around the peak of Lil Wayne's dominance, in the era known as ringtone Rap, his slurred autotune almost always rubbed me the wrong way. Apart from a few successes, like 'A Milli' or 'Let The Beat Build,' his music never felt enjoyable to the ears. And yet, here we are, in the era of Mumble Rap, with Wayne not looking so bad after all. 'Family Feud' proves that. Taking the beat for Jay-Z's song of the same name, 'Family Feud,' the third single off Dedication 6, aims to tell a similar narrative from a new perspective. On it, Wayne, rapping alongside Drake, the two splitting duties with lengthy verses, discuss various quarrels, both at home and abroad. Even though the lyrics abide by Jay-Z's original idea, it's their ability to ride the flow effortlessly that makes up for the bulk of 'Family Feud's' enjoyability. Dissecting Wayne's verse, for instance, won't really entice any lyrical fanatics. Sure, there's clever bars here and there, but most are simple and nothing more than the hundreds he's done similarly before. But really, with two finessing flows over a fantastic No I.D. beat, 'Family Feud' the lack of material is a small price to pay for the pleasures of listening to this collaboration.
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Classic case of the title matching any number of listeners' reactions. Some, whose standards of Trap have fallen so far, will react with a hoot, a holler, and a what the fuck. Others, who still expect a degree of comprehension in their music, will say the same thing for an entirely different reason. This upcoming comparison, while obviously more a joke than accurate, represents my general thoughts towards Ski Mask The Slump God's latest single. Ever heard of Three Beat Slide? Well, if you haven't, prepare to be amazed. I'll wait. Notice how utterly tone-deaf the music is, despite the influences drawing quite the curiosity? Well, that's what 'WTF!?' sounds like to me. It's borderline Experimental Trap, and only for the reason that neither Ski Mask, or the two producers who crafted the single, cared for the standards set beforehand. The chorus is cheesy and cheap, the verses brought on like a spur of the moment, the production totally expressionless. It's entirely tasteless, made worse so by the fact that it was clearly crafted for that purpose. If Ski Mask spent anymore than 15 minutes creating 'WTF!?,' we really need to reconsider his talents as a Trap up-and-comer.
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A few weeks back Mellowhype, the Odd Future-affiliated collaborative effort between Hodgy Beats and Left Brain, returned with 'Tisk.' Like much of their earlier material, 'Tisk' was rough around the edges, even with Hodgy's heightened sense of dexterous flow. The same could be said for 'Klickaty,' their latest single which came alongside an album announcement for 2018. Continuing off their edgy origins, whereas 'Tisk' featured feces on the cover, 'Klickaty' shines its focus on rancid vomit. These visual vulgarities wouldn't be so corny if not for the rather basic music contained within. On 'Klickaty,' Hodgy fires off one elongated verse over a hollow, chopped n' screwed beat akin to any number of Lil Wayne singles. Rather than slurring his way to prominence, Hodgy tightens the grip on his flow, promptly switching between speeds even when the beat stays consistent. It's basically a mix of his two biggest influences; Lil Wayne and Eminem. With how far Hip-Hop's come, it's really nothing to admire.
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