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.
__________________________________________________________
The Black Panther soundtrack went from compelling to disconcerting to tremendous in one week's time. First there was the announcement that Kendrick Lamar was curating it. Then there was the lead single featuring the aforementioned artist, and SZA, entitled 'All The Stars,' which was bland and rather uneventful given the TDE king's position a top it. And now we get 'King's Dead,' a Jay Rock single featuring Lamar, again, and Future, that doubles as the lead single to the TDE stalwart's upcoming LP. And let me tell you, this thing slaps. Virtually everything, production-wise, that append's Lamar and Jay Rock to the West Coast is stripped in favor of a gritty Trap sound that embraces the current era, and the past one. It is a thunderous banger that evokes some of Schoolboy Q's grimiest material, like 'THat Part' and 'Collard Greens.' 'King's Dead' has a tantalizing pace throughout, and that's only partly due to the beat. Every time Lamar or Jay Rock appear they crush their verses, the former exceptional in the final minute, the latter providing a level of speed, ferocity, and charisma that we haven't seen from him before. Then there's Future, who almost single-handedly ruins the track in the middle, despite providing his most unique flow yet. His unusual squealing might work elsewhere, but doesn't match the hardened tone of 'King's Dead.' TDE upholds this great single once again.
__________________________________________________________
For 'After The Storm,' I'm going to be taking the low road. Simply put, it sounds like an outtake from Flower Boy. This, likely coming from a place of ignorance on my behalf as I have not heard a Kali Uchis solo track before, but the similarities are certainly palpable. Not, mind you, for Tyler, The Creator's featured appearance either, as his dark and shielded verse actually resembles his pitch-shifting days on Cherry Bomb or WOLF more so than Flower Boy. Problem being, it's clear Tyler produced the track given the buttery synths and West Coast percussion shimmering about. And given his hesitancy towards lending beats to others, his trademark sound is virtually inescapable here. Couple that with the tandem pairing on tracks like 'Fucking Young' or 'See You Again,' and allowing Uchis a spotlight of her own proves difficult. In fact, it's actually Bootsy Collins, who appears infrequently dotting his noted vocals, who skews 'After The Storm' away from Flower Boy, if only for a moment. On the surface, nothing about the single is bad or of low quality, and listeners who hadn't yet experienced Tyler's 2017 LP will likely fall in love, but Uchis to make a daring rise in the Pop/R&B world, she needs to make a landscape of her own.
__________________________________________________________
In recent years, even with the mildly successful Bones, Son Lux has lost sight of the originality and fearlessness that governed Ryan Lott's early career. The culmination was 2013's Lanterns, still one of the best modern Art Pop albums you'll find. Don't discredit Sisyphus either, his valiant collaboration with Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti. But recently, Son Lux's sleek Electronic edge has begun to show signs of wear and tear. With EP's like Stranger Forms and Remedy, the now-trio faces an uphill battle to retain relevance before fading into obscurity with only a cult-like fanbase keeping them afloat. Brighter Wounds' lead single 'Dream State' did not discredit woes, succumbing to redundancies without much in the way of enjoyability. 'Slowly,' however, is much more promising. It carries a beautiful, beating pulse, one that stutters, stammers, and stumbles around ill-oiled synths, collapsing into itself only to emerge, at the most pressing of moments, to provide glorious crescendos of sound. On top of that, Lott's dialogue finds a purpose in the intimate, wishing for lies to be intruded as fact as a way to ease the pain. While 'Slowly's' not the best single material, it's tracks like these that'll potentially breathe invigorated life into Brighter Wounds.
__________________________________________________________
Isn't it refreshing to see an artist who was defined early on by his weirdness stay weird? Typically with aging musicians, they tend to gravitate towards the center, losing what unique identity they had in the process. But not David Byrne, if 'Everybody's Coming To My House' is evidence enough. Released in conjunction with the announcement of American Utopia, his first solo album in 14 years, the New Wave dance floor uniter returns Byrne to his comfortable home after venturing away with Brian Eno (Everything That Happens), Fatboy Slim (Here Lies Love), and St. Vincent (Love This Giant). Unfortunately, while the premise of 'Everybody's Coming To My House' is sound, borrowing the frantic pacing and delusion of LCD Soundsystem's 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House,' a group led by James Murphy who, mind you, borrowed everything from Talking Heads, Byrne's high-pitched vocals dissuade any sort of peaceful listen. It's borderline shrill. The best parts of American Utopia's lead single come when Byrne either lowers his voice to provide emotional dissonance, or gets swallowed by a flurry of horns and percussion. Promise is still abound though, especially with names like Eno and Oneohtrix Point Never on board.
__________________________________________________________
artistic Indie music is currently in a precarious state of flux. The Art Pop bulge that dominated the early 2010's has begun to dissipate, not to a lack of artists, but a lack of original ideas. You can see it across the board, as musicians like tUnE-yArDs have received less attention with each ensuing project despite the brand of Art Pop remaining relatively similar. With Merrill Garbus, the problem isn't in the music, it's in the concepts. W H O K I L L was flush with progressive ideals, like police brutality, racial gentrification, and cultural appropriation, topics that would dominate the next few years. However, Nikki Nack failed to say much at all, and the first three singles off I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life have traveled down that same path. Unlike 'ABC 123' and 'Look At Your Hands' though, 'Heart Attack' provides the basis for something larger whilst boasting one of tUnE-yArDs' most cerebral beats in recent memory. The styling's of Nikki Nack can be found all throughout 'Heart Attack,' despite a formal evolution underlying the progression visible as well. It's here that 'Heart Attack' succeeds mildly so. While Garbus' skittish percussion rambles about, comforting piano chords play harmoniously underneath, giving a wonderfully offset tone to 'Heart Attack.' Plus, Garbus' charisma flies off the rails, and that's when she's at her best.
__________________________________________________________
'GUSH' may not be indicative of a new project from Busdriver, although it has been nearly two and a half years, believe it or not, since his last one; Thumbs. Over three years since 2014's Perfect Hair put him back on the frontline's of Art Rap. However, with 'GUSH,' Busdriver returns to the stereotypes and cliches that dominated his early career. His eccentric, off-kilter, and breakneck flow is on full display, matched neatly with his literary mumbo jumbo. What's clear, parsing through the difficult language, is that Busdriver's conflicted with his race and how it's viewed in the context of society. "Itemize the criminal element of the African-American identity polemic" begins the rap, while "I'm at the abortion clinic with an Aryan yuppie, killing off their offspring because they declare me very ugly" ends it. Staunch verbiage that's tossed in a stew and spit out over an elaborate Art Rap beat, ripe with a synth barrage and keyboard crescendos. For many, this is boundary-pushing. For Busdriver though, this is another day at the office, lacking the necessary intrigue to set 'GUSH' apart.
__________________________________________________________
There's a fair bit of bias on my behalf lent towards U.S. Girls, the ongoing project of Meghan Remy, due to my recent, and passionate, interest in her music. Unlike her contemporaries, like Julia Holter or Jenny Hval, Remy's transition from curious Experimental oddity to full-blown Pop mastermind hasn't gathered a newfound fanbase. Which is a shame because the clear and consistent improvements she's had since embracing her Pop tilt on 2012's Gem has been nothing short of amazing. Half Free being an exceptional showcase of her daring prospects. And now, with In A Poem Unlimited on the horizon, U.S. Girls continues to prove why attention should be at full staff. Out of the three singles released thus far, 'Pearly Gates' is the least impressive. Which, after hearing the track centered around a post-life Remy conversing with Saint Peter outside heaven, is telling of the quality we've received from her. Whereas 'Mad As Hell' unraveled one of the more intoxicating Disco tracks since Disco was a thing, 'Velvet 4 Sale' tantalizing through Remy's pierced Exotica, 'Pearly Gates' awkwardly meanders in the middle. It's not bad, nor has any U.S. Girls song been since before 2011's U.S. Girls On Kraak. It's just consistently good, not magnificently great.
__________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment