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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Funny story. Hours before Chvrches announced Love Is Dead, releasing 'Get Out' in the process, I pondered that the Lauren Mayberry-headed group had to be releasing something soon. Seems like they heard my wishes, then promptly dismantled them by releasing a pure, Teen Bop anthem in 'Get Out.' Obviously, Mayberry's vocals have always teetered the line between Indie darling and child-at-heart, but Chvrches' production work typically masked that with advanced Synthpop work that rarely felt cheap. Here it most certainly does. If you reset expectations, reverting Chvrches to a no-name band, and they released 'Get Out,' most would ignore the sorry attempt at 2000's revisionist Pop. When Mayberry's yelling "get out," with the cliched stutter, names like Selena Gomez, JoJo, and Katy Perry come to mind. That's how Pop Chvrches gets here, which begs the question, which crowd are they pandering to? Those that acclimated to The Bones Of What You Believe, braving Every Open Eye, won't take kindly to 'Get Out.' The only ounce of hope is that the lead single's a misdirection, which is unlikely given that Every Open Eye's two lead singles, 'Leave A Trace' and 'Clearest Blue,' were both Pop-oriented, but were also very, very good.
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This soundtrack alone might be enough to drag me to a movie theater and see Black Panther, a feat considering I deplore the uninspired superhero genre. Still, a soundtrack entirely curated by Kendrick Lamar, with numerous appearances by Hip-Hop's highest figure himself? That's great incentive to see what tracks like 'Pray For Me,' or the audacious 'King's Dead,' have to offer visually. Not to mention, this soundtrack is essentially a who's who of relevant Hip-Hop, with features including every Black Hippy member, Vince Staples, 2 Chains, Travis Scott, and The Weeknd, who appears alongside Lamar here. 'Pray For Me' isn't as good as 'King's Dead,' but it far surpasses the yawn-inducing, surface level R&B of 'All The Stars.' Both The Weeknd and Lamar play their roles, the former working his pipes over Industrial drums that's reminiscent of his work with Daft Punk, the latter waxing political rebellion on a vicious verse. Lamar's insistence on quality, despite dropping dozens of verses over the past year, is astounding to say the least. Only questionable aspect of 'Pray For Me' is the tongue-flicking chants of The Weeknd that feel a tad tasteless.
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Yet another single from the Secret Circle project that may or may not exist. Promises have come and gone, as the mystery difficulties of Travis Miller's personal life have likely taken hold. It has been eight months since 'Keep It Low' first appeared from the three-man collective of Lil Ugly Mane, ANTWON, and Wiki, with 'Ounce Of It' being now the seventh single to drop. All of which adhere to a single visual aesthetic and sonic style, as 'Ounce Of It' continues the Hardcore Hip-Hop angle that finds ANTWON at home, Miller rapping for rapping's sake, and Wiki reimagining his former Ratking home. Under his Shawn Kemp pseudonym, Miller crafts a filthy Memphis Rap banger here, as an abrasive bass enters mid-verse as each of the emcees rifle through cold nastiness. As per usual, Wiki's flow and vocals take some getting used to. Interestingly enough, Wiki uses this to his advantage, starting his verse off slow and sloppy, only to coalesce into something filthy. That being said, the hook could use some work, i.e. being redone entirely. Not only is it achingly generic, Miller sounds uncomfortable maintaining that edge whilst repeating the same phrase over and over.
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One of Experimental Pop's most impressive performers, Julia Holter has laid the foundation for her career in ways few are capable. Beginning in the field of Musical Concrete and Spoken Word, her pieces didn't gain traction until 2011's Tragedy, a wonderful LP that disguised configured Art Pop as offsetting Experimental. With each record since then he oddities have minimized as her talents in the broad scope of Pop expanded. Her last project, 2015's Have You In My Wilderness, the most popular and well-revered of her career, and a great comparison point to 'So Humble The Afternoon,' an Adult Swim single that sounds plucked from the outtakes of those sessions. Like Holter's best works, her graceful voice dances bewitchingly over atmospheric synths that merely exist, like a breeze in the air. 'So Humble The Afternoon' rarely escapes this plateau, gliding through the five serene minutes. A late-track switch-up would've been welcomed, as we all know she's capable of providing dissonance, but the fantastic vocal performance Holter provides and the hazy, Eno-inspired synth drone finishes this single out with grace.
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This really put into perspective just how fast our consumerism is moving nowadays. Two years ago I was cautiously praising Lil Yachty before his come-up for his now-iconic mixtape Lil Boat. You could tell he was terrible at, well, everything, but it was that exact charm that made his Bubblegum Trap standout. Then last year that charm went away in the form of Teenage Emotions, a bloated attempt at becoming someone he wasn't. Instantly, Yachty fell off my radar, only to reemerge this week with 'Revenge,' a Digital Nas single for his LP Oldies But Goodies. A smile came on my face for two reasons. One, hearing Yachty's childish tenor rapping over an unusual beat. Two, said beat candidly sampling The Who's 'Baba O'Riley.' It brought back fond memories of 2016, in which Yachty caused me to grin like an idiot while appreciating cutesy toddler Trap. His unorthodox flow, simple hooks, and adolescent vocals all cause 'Revenge' to be a nostalgia anthem for a time not far removed. Lyrically he's still inept, not a surprise given his Trap background. But occasionally, like on the line "whoever said I would flop, go suck a cock," a smirk arises because of the sheer absurdity.
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In the wake of Justin Timberlake turning away from what made him famous, returning to his southern roots by hopping onto two trends (Pop Country and Trap) at once, JMSN's voice acts as reassurance for those starved from Contemporary R&B singers. As for me, it's still not my type of music, and thus 'So Badly' won't stay in my rotation, but it's clear the quality those adored from Timberlake's older, soulful sessions lives on through JMSN. A surprise to no one, 'So Badly' concerns itself with a devastating romance that's so pristine it eats away at the heart when the lover's not around. There are numerous points in 'So Badly' where the production takes a backseat, becoming even more Soul-oriented in the process, as Berishaj verges on the brink of spoken word. This represents the worst of what 'So Badly' offers, as not only do I not care what phony sentimentality Berishaj weeps over, he brings the otherwise lovely arrangement of percussion, horns, and strings down with him too. That being said, the chorus hits the R&B echelon that was rarely present on his 2016 LP It Is.
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