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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And just like that they're back. One year removed from the disappointing and feature-filled Humanz and Damon Albarn's announced the Gorillaz' next project; The Now Now. Similarities can and have been drawn to 2010's The Fall, a minor, tour-crafting follow-up to Plastic Beach. However, expectations are stabilizing given the lack of guest spots, a primary criticism of Humanz from fans who felt the distancing from its four cartoon curators. That distinction can be felt immediately on 'Humility' and 'Lake Zurich.' While the former does feature George Benson, it's entirely vocal-driven by a shimmering Albarn. Matching the summer synth vibes, his work is refreshing and genial, even if its status as lead single isn't as commanding as previous Gorillaz affairs. However, 'Humility' is humbling. It's not as bombastic and consumer-driven as Humanz, which should satisfy some even if the music's expansiveness is lacking.
As for 'Lake Zurich,' to question its appearance as secondary single would be an understatement. Much like 'Humility,' there's little fanfare attached to 'Lake Zurich.' This time even less considering there's no endearing music video to boot. Beyond that though, it's virtually an instrumental. Guided by spacious, dance floor grooves not at all unlike Todd Terje's work, the vibrant and sometimes-cluttered Electro-Disco wrangles with purpose. Given the limited amount of instrumental tracks Gorillaz have released dating back to Demon Days, it's difficult to see 'Lake Zurich' as anything but a placeholder. Hopefully it is. The track itself is even on a loop, a massive no-no for instrumentals that don't have the beneficial excuse of donning the label Instrumental Hip-Hop.
As for 'Lake Zurich,' to question its appearance as secondary single would be an understatement. Much like 'Humility,' there's little fanfare attached to 'Lake Zurich.' This time even less considering there's no endearing music video to boot. Beyond that though, it's virtually an instrumental. Guided by spacious, dance floor grooves not at all unlike Todd Terje's work, the vibrant and sometimes-cluttered Electro-Disco wrangles with purpose. Given the limited amount of instrumental tracks Gorillaz have released dating back to Demon Days, it's difficult to see 'Lake Zurich' as anything but a placeholder. Hopefully it is. The track itself is even on a loop, a massive no-no for instrumentals that don't have the beneficial excuse of donning the label Instrumental Hip-Hop.
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To say Busdriver's career took a strange turn come 2014 with Perfect Hair would be an understatement. After a decade and a half as prominent, lyric-spooling staple of the underground, Perfect Hair became, strangely, his most popular album to date, thanks to modernized song structures, the rise of successors like Milo and Open Mike Eagle, and lead single 'Ego Death' which featured Aesop Rock and Danny Brown. Since 2005's Fear Of A Black Tangent, each respective Busdriver album (three in total) had been substantially less noteworthy than the last. Even the under-discussed series of outtakes from the 2015 Thumbs mixtape garnered both attention and acclaim. And then he went silent, appearing on but a few projects since then, most notably P.O.S.' Chill, Dummy, and Milo's Who Told You To Think??!!?!?!?!.
It all led up to this, 2018's Electricity Is On Our Side. Donning the innocent face of a young Driver, featuring 23 scattershot track names totaling a whopping 82 minutes, and finding itself situated as Busdriver's 10th album to date, the pieces are in place for an opus. Lead single 'Right Before The Miracle' adds yet another conundrum to the fold; Jazz. Lots and lots of Jazz. Unlike previous 2018 singles that won't be appearing on Electricity, 'GUSH' and 'The Imperfect Cinema,' 'Right Before The Miracle' finds Busdriver in a truly abstract landscape, dottily rapping over, under, and through Free Improvisational Jazz. Think Herbie Hancock's more psychedelic works like Head Hunters or even Sun Ra's down to earth Jazz Fusion like Lanquidity or Strange Celestial Road. It basically borrows the Jazz proponent on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, with Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Terrace Martin, and Kamasi Washington, sending it into the sporadic, windswept fantasy land of Busdriver's origin. Curiously optimistic for next week's release.
It all led up to this, 2018's Electricity Is On Our Side. Donning the innocent face of a young Driver, featuring 23 scattershot track names totaling a whopping 82 minutes, and finding itself situated as Busdriver's 10th album to date, the pieces are in place for an opus. Lead single 'Right Before The Miracle' adds yet another conundrum to the fold; Jazz. Lots and lots of Jazz. Unlike previous 2018 singles that won't be appearing on Electricity, 'GUSH' and 'The Imperfect Cinema,' 'Right Before The Miracle' finds Busdriver in a truly abstract landscape, dottily rapping over, under, and through Free Improvisational Jazz. Think Herbie Hancock's more psychedelic works like Head Hunters or even Sun Ra's down to earth Jazz Fusion like Lanquidity or Strange Celestial Road. It basically borrows the Jazz proponent on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, with Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Terrace Martin, and Kamasi Washington, sending it into the sporadic, windswept fantasy land of Busdriver's origin. Curiously optimistic for next week's release.
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Fucking relentless. Ever since I witnessed Idles' lead singer Joe Talbot smash antique dolls onto the ground in the music video for 'Mother,' an inkling of my being has begged for the song to conceive my interest. 'Colossus' is that song. Matched with an equally-captivating, and alluringly-minimalistic, music video, the high energy Post-Punk embodies the genre's knack for enjoyable dread and heart-stopping claustrophobia. Talbot's lyrics are both enigmatic and satisfying, culminating in the emotion-filled chorus "it goes and it goes and it goes." His deranged personality bears resemblance to MC Ride of Death Grips, while Idles' riotous progression draws comparisons to Swans' third generation. A show-stealing breakdown at the end of 'Colossus' caps the six-minute fever dream with crunchy Garage Rock that feels like a sweaty, manic-induced version of Parquet Courts.
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Since The Divine Feminine, Mac Miller's been quite the recluse. Unlike his 2013-2016 run where multiple projects, including Watching Movies, Faces, and GO:OD AM, matched an equally active feature line-up, the 2016-2018 era has been marked by dormancy as Hip-Hop moves without him. Unfortunately, Miller's return with 'Small Worlds,' 'Buttons,' and 'Programs' comes at a time when G.O.O.D. Music and Drake control the headlines. Given the blasé release, with limited promotional push or marketing niceties, these three singles that showcase Miller's summertime appeal may quickly be forgotten.
Lyrical problems aside, The Divine Feminine found an emcee conflicted over the crossroads of stardom. With each of these tracks - potential exemption to the tacky and melodramatic 'Small Worlds' - Miller has definitively chosen his path towards maintaining integrity. Basically every prominent emcee from the 2010's is utilizing Trap to stay relevant, and while the high-energy 'Programs' emphasizes an over-reliance on ad-libs, it wouldn't have sounded out of place alongside 'Watching Movies' or 'Matches' back in 2013. That's both a compliment to Miller's commitment to his craft, and a criticism to his lack of evolvement. Much like 'Programs,' 'Buttons' also bears resemblance towards the past, this time evoking the scented Jazz Rap of Faces. It's the best and most well-rounded of the singles, with a knockout horn arrangement at the conclusion, but still doesn't provide listeners with a true urgency to regain hope.
Lyrical problems aside, The Divine Feminine found an emcee conflicted over the crossroads of stardom. With each of these tracks - potential exemption to the tacky and melodramatic 'Small Worlds' - Miller has definitively chosen his path towards maintaining integrity. Basically every prominent emcee from the 2010's is utilizing Trap to stay relevant, and while the high-energy 'Programs' emphasizes an over-reliance on ad-libs, it wouldn't have sounded out of place alongside 'Watching Movies' or 'Matches' back in 2013. That's both a compliment to Miller's commitment to his craft, and a criticism to his lack of evolvement. Much like 'Programs,' 'Buttons' also bears resemblance towards the past, this time evoking the scented Jazz Rap of Faces. It's the best and most well-rounded of the singles, with a knockout horn arrangement at the conclusion, but still doesn't provide listeners with a true urgency to regain hope.
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Last month, Trevor Powers emerged from the woodwork with 'Playwright,' his first single since dropping his tantalizing Indie namesake Youth Lagoon. That decision marked a change for the lone musician, or, in retrospect, it should have. See, each of Youth Lagoon's three albums sported a distinct and visual aesthetic. Year Of Hibernation was Lo-Fi Dream Pop. Wondrous Bughouse engulfing Neo-Psychedelia. Savage Hills Ballroom whimsical Art Pop. However, as we learned with 'Playwright,' and confirmed with 'Ache' and 'Plaster Saint' - the first three singles to Mulberry Violence - the three-year gap and emotional name change didn't alter much. These are whimsical Art Pop endeavors, a strange self-imposed stipulation given Youth Lagoon's previous reign of artistry.
Even worse, with 'Ache' and 'Plaster Saint,' that Art Pop doesn't feel forward-thinking or original. Comparisons of the sleek, industrial, and often precise instrumentation land squarely on Son Lux's shoulders. And not their recent efforts like Brighter Wounds or Bones, but Lott's old structure-fluid Electro-Classical constructions with 2011's We Are Rising. Progressive Electronic influence from Oneohtrix Point Never or Arca can be seen on 'Plaster Saint,' a song that paints with abnormal brushes in directionless strokes. It's pretty, sure, but ultimately lacks an identity to separate itself from the flock. Even Bon Iver's exploration into the art with 22, A Million evoked stronger sentiments thanks to his Folk background.
Even worse, with 'Ache' and 'Plaster Saint,' that Art Pop doesn't feel forward-thinking or original. Comparisons of the sleek, industrial, and often precise instrumentation land squarely on Son Lux's shoulders. And not their recent efforts like Brighter Wounds or Bones, but Lott's old structure-fluid Electro-Classical constructions with 2011's We Are Rising. Progressive Electronic influence from Oneohtrix Point Never or Arca can be seen on 'Plaster Saint,' a song that paints with abnormal brushes in directionless strokes. It's pretty, sure, but ultimately lacks an identity to separate itself from the flock. Even Bon Iver's exploration into the art with 22, A Million evoked stronger sentiments thanks to his Folk background.
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With a re-established Syd and the potential prodigy Steve Lacy in tow, The Internet's upcoming LP Hive Mind promises to be a make or break affair. Not so much for the two aforementioned stars, but the group that they'd likely leave behind if their smooth Neo-Soul / Alternative R&B crossover falters. Lead single 'Roll' found The Internet in new, retrofitted waters, using Steve Lacy as a reincarnated George Clinton (he's not dead but his talent is). This successful transition set the bar high for 'Come Over,' which was Syd's sultry time to shine. Unfortunately, the weighty and overtly pedestrian affair struggles to convince listeners of its single status. Here, the velvety groove and mellow pacing retract into Ego Death's sluggish affairs, as Syd traces word steps using textbook romanticism. Nothing here is bad per say, just properly forecasted. That's excluding the final, Lacy-led minute, a fluffy interlude that's all hook and no excess.
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Sigh. Based on the three singles for Kamasi Washington's Heaven & Earth, the double album is reeking of copycat capitalization over his 2015 breakout The Epic. Jazz aficionados will defend the decision despite the obvious similarities and lack of formal advancement. 'Street Fighter Mas' proves to be the most egregious of the three, entertaining a trove of similar concepts, including your various assortment of Spiritual Jazz instrumentation, the genre's stereotypical structure, and the humming of an overfilled Gospel choir. It's achingly by the books, with the one period of potential creativity (a couple saxophone solo) finding itself awkwardly surrounded by a lazy and lethargic chorus. Of course, Washington's sounds are pretty and divine. For some that's enough. For others, like myself, I appreciate stepping outside of the box. With 'Street Fighter Mas,' Washington feels comfortable inside it.
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