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.
__________________________________________________________
Here we find a classic case of hype and intrigue deciding a loosies choice. Superorganism, who are they? Previous to today I hadn't a clue. Now their colorful existence has me more excited than ever. An eight-person Pop outfit living in London, composed of New Zealand talents and a Japanese exchange student from Maine. After hearing 'Everybody Wants To Be Famous,' and tasting trickled down teasers of their other singles, one giddy comparison can be drawn; The Go! Team. Their brimming Psychedelic Pop already feels effortless, and for a band who hadn't yet dropped an album, that's impressive. 'Everybody Wants To Be Famous' is likely their most Pop-centric release yet, utilizing a handful of cliches (both musically and lyrically) to great effect. The star of the show has to be Orono, the lead vocalist at just 17 years old. Her age, and the band's Internet-based origin, make the content of 'Everybody Wants To Be Famous' all the more appealing, as it takes a simple and decisive look at the desperation of adolescents on their quest to be famous through social media. Above all else though, Superorganism has crafted an indelibly sound that, because of its sheer catchiness, can appeal to anyone.
__________________________________________________________
JT's marketing campaign for Man Of The Woods slipped my grasp somehow. It wasn't until 'Filthy' dropped, when I went to go find a picture of his, that I saw all these screen grabs from a tongue-in-cheek trailer of the Pop sensational exiling himself out to the wilderness. Considering how absorbed with commercialism Timberlake has been his entire career, this move was equal parts perplexing and intriguing. But 'Filthy' reels it all back in, thwarting expectations with something, to Timberlake and Timbaland, that's more natural. Even though the single itself doesn't impress or awe, being that it's the opener to Man Of The Woods, I'm more curious than ever how JT pulls back the curtain to a more reclusive work. If he does at all. The final 30-second outro hints at something ominous, something that combines the duo's sleek Industrial bounce with more organic elements. As for 'Filthy' though, it goes all in on the former. Driving Synth Funk scrapes and plows against Timberlake's mucky croon, as the singer matches the obscenity with dopey lyrics that degrade dance floors, smoke sessions, and house parties. If Timberlake's going artsy with Man Of The Woods, there's a chance 'Filthy's' a red herring, much like Kanye's modern Gospel on 'Ultralight Beam' or Frank Ocean's shrill autotune on 'Nikes.' One can hope.
__________________________________________________________
In recent months, seemingly out of the blue, a growing interest in comic books has emerged for me. With the vast wealth of material there is, typically with DC and Image, my two favorite publishers, I haven't had any time to venture into Marvel territory. Besides, they're becoming known for their AAA movies anyway. One of those will soon be Black Panther, based, of course, on the comic book character of the same name. Announced this week, the film set to drop in February will have a soundtrack entirely produced and managed by Kendrick Lamar. You heard that right. Immediately, like many artist-curated soundtracks before (Arcade Fire for Her, M83 for Oblivion, etc), the selection carries a certain style with it. Comparisons can and will be drawn to the Hip-Hop-driven Luke Cage. For the soundtrack's first single, a collaboration between Lamar and SZA, that seems apt. It skitters away from Hip-Hop slightly though, taking a more Electropop edge, something that favors SZA more so than Lamar. However, Kendrick being King means he still finds a way to work through the banality of the genre. Unfortunately, end of the day, 'All The Stars' is a track designed to appeal to the masses. Comparisons to Drake's OVO clique sounds apt, as does names like Big Sean and even, dare I say, Eminem's Pop Rap. 'All The Stars' is tasteful though, not some corny melodrama curated for a nameless crowd.
__________________________________________________________
Since their inception, Titus Andronicus has always been in a land of their own. They combine their primary influences, Punk and Irish Folk, in ways no modern artist does. Mainly because no modern artist does period. For their next LP, and first since 2015's 94-minute Rock Opera The Most Lamentable Tragedy, main man Patrick Stickles recruited a new batch of musicians to back him. That much can be seen on the eight-minute lead single 'Number One (In New York),' a hefty return that's as dense as it is evocative. Excluding musical distinctions, the structuring and constant build Stickles emphasizes here draws comparisons to James Murphy's best work with LCD Soundsystem. The beginning harbors nothing more than Stickles, a piano, and a faint, faint horn arrangement. By the end, a massive choir, guitars, bass, drums, and Stickles' thunderous yelp merge to form a glorified Sea Shanty, albeit with far more rigidness and emotion. I wasn't the biggest fan of The Most Lamentable Tragedy, despite the three-disc epic having its moments. 'Number One' soundly combs that album's influence, trimming the massive fat, and releasing something that's awash with Stickles' tricky storybook lyrics. Only criticism is the production, which relies on overly-simplistic tropes to capture a moment in time.
__________________________________________________________
2013 was the last time we heard MGMT, and it was with their forgettable self-titled, an album that's best song was merely but a cover ('Introspection'). By all accounts, the purveyors of Synthpop to the masses were dead in the water, especially with Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser's disinterest in returning to what many once loved. However, three singles have now released for Little Dark Age and, through talent, quality, and artistry alone, MGMT's revival seems imminent. 'Hand It Over,' the most recent of the three, also doubles as its least impressive. That's not necessarily a negative, as 'Little Dark Age' and 'When You Die' were fantastic. Perhaps the qualms come from its neutrality. In that, 'Hand It Over' doesn't feel single worthy. As a Little Dark Age deep cut, the lush psychedelia that drips across the track would work swimmingly. Comparisons can, will, and have been drawn to Tame Impala, and that's apt considering the synth-driven fabric and VanWyngarden's drawling vocals. While 'Hand It Over' is a slow burn, the addition of some backing vocals near the end help to give the track an identity of its own. Call it another success.
__________________________________________________________
Ever since experiencing relative Electronic success with the beautiful Downtempo turned Witch House Wander/Wonder, the ever-elusive Balam Acab has struggled to provide something interesting since. Can't knock him for trying though, whether it was the pure Noise of Rituals, the skewed Vaporwave of Slopped & Wetted Vol. 2, or the test in brutalism of Watertree Edits' Tape Music. All those, for the record, released in 2017 alone. He's a wayward composer, but one that struggles to relate to his fans. While just a one-off loosie, 'Acid In The Trap House' attempts to bridge the gap. No, it doesn't feature the lush soundscapes of his best work, relying more on basic chopped n' screwed Instrumental Hip-Hop, but sweet strings and aquatic synths flutter beneath the vocal samples and Drum N' Bass pacing. If you've noticed, a ton of unusual stylistic combinations have been thrown out, both for Balam Acab himself and 'Acid In The Trap House.' It's this unpredictability that has me comparing him to Lil Ugly Mane's instrumental sound collages on his 'Tape works. Unfortunately, 'Acid In The Trap House' isn't part of a greater, overarching work, and for that reason, the lone loosie won't greatly be remembered.
__________________________________________________________
In some respects I feel bad for The Go! Team. From the get-go, way back in 2004 with Thunder, Lightning, Strike, they poised themselves as the lovable losers, the supreme underdogs, the purveyors of happiness in a sea of gloom. Yet you knew, from the stereotype that they dug themselves in, that variety over the course of their career would be limited. Each successive album had bright spots mixed with moments utterly undefined. 'All The Way Live,' along with 'Mayday,' will unfortunately fall into the latter. Two of the three lead singles to Semicircle have struggled for creative control, with 'All The Way Live' pulling out all the cliched stops. The Go! Team's marching band bombast, their happy-go-lucky lyrics, Ninja's earnest rapping turned flower power singing, all of it on full display. Overall, the track's well-equipped to join their catalogue, but it'll be one that struggles immensely for identity. I feel as if I've already heard it before, and that's never a good sign. Especially with the impending takeover of Superorganism, a band that takes pride in borrowing The Go! Team's style, it seems as if the group's light will dim with Semicircle. Hopefully diehard fans keep them afloat because there's few bands I want to succeed more.
__________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment