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.
__________________________________________________________
In short order, IDLES have become my preeminent entry into Post-Hardcore brutalism. Not, mind you, for traditional reasons. In fact, quite the opposite. With 'Colossus,' 'Danny Nedelko,' and now especially 'Samaritans,' IDLES are unmasking the masculine toxicity of Rock music by circumventing said tradition, positioning themselves brilliantly for a new generation. Whereas 'Colossus' showed their musical prowess, 'Danny Nedelko' their knack for delightful bar hopping, 'Samaritans' unearths the strong cultural progressivism lead singer Joe Talbot revels in. Concerning homegrown, engrained masculinity, Talbot decries the regressive tendencies having a strict, no-nonsense father holds. All the while his voice, aged and weathered, rasps with fire over pummeling drums and strident guitars. The contradiction is frankly brilliant, and comparable to other artists like Kendrick Lamar or SOPHIE who've thwarted stereotypes by utilizing relational means. 'Samaritans' reaches its pinnacle following a finger-twiddling bridge wherein Talbot, in a moment of pure release, screams "I kissed a boy and I liked it!" References Katy Perry while pushing against agro-Rock norms. Doesn't get any better than that.
__________________________________________________________
Whether it's Freetown Sound or, more recently, Blood Orange's two-track black history month release 'JUNE 12th' and 'Christopher & 6th,' there always seems to be something missing from Dev Hynes' music. He tends to lack a momentous punch, by design in most cases, as Blood Orange's Alternative R&B wallows in the fragility of discrimination. Considering the rise in various equality movements across the world, it's a better time than ever for Hynes - a gay black man - to lament his place as a musical activist. Negro Swan, by the title and cover, seems to imply that direction. 'Jewelry' and 'Charcoal Baby' drive it home. Excluding the wonderful synth and horn Sophisti-Pop fracturing at the tail end of 'Charcoal Baby,' Blood Orange's punch is still amiss. However, Hynes' power as a tenuous poet capitalizing on his surrounding injustice blossoms on both tracks. While 'Charcoal Baby' sports the more classic, single-ready facade - adhering to the passionate Synth Funk Blood Orange calls home, adorned by more uncredited female vocalists (which I'm not a fan of) - 'Jewelry's' where the promise of a passion project lies. Decisively Ambient Pop, maneuvering through unsteady structuring, 'Jewelry' expands Blood Orange's expertise to include emotion within the fabric of the production and not just Hynes' voice.
__________________________________________________________
Three weeks have passed with three singles from Brockhampton's camp, all leading to the eventual release of The Best Days Of Our Lives. While no single, be it '1999 Wildfire' or '1998 Truman,' exceeded expectations or found the group reaching another evolutionary level, they did adhere to the suburban juvenile experience they flaunt. '1997 Diana' might be the most extreme case yet, if only for the bookended children countdown and pre-prom "ayy, ooh" backing beat. What starts as unavoidably corny, and certainly still is, '1997 Diana' works thanks to Brockhampton's adolescent energy and careless demeanor. Here, Matt Champion takes the lead with two verses, while Don McLennon and Kevin Abstract back up his confidence like game time cheerleaders. Despite their hackneyed wherewithal, Brockhampton is still making due with their total lack of provocative lyrical content thanks to easily-excitable production and glitzy hooks. '1997 Diana' sounds like an audible personification of Fortnite, or at least the stereotypes I've conjured in my head having not played it.
__________________________________________________________
The Paul Institute. A mysterious record label, only for the fact that its limited selection of music is overseen by cult fascination Jai Paul and his brother A.K. Paul. While neither brother has released any material through the project since announcing it in March of 2016, Fabiana Palladino and Ruthven now have two under their belt. Palladino, a strikingly-confident SynthPop vocalist, soars on 'Shimmer,' a multi-layered expedition that begins with humble, Cyndi Lauper-inspired Pop before charting uncharted territory with grandiose new New Wave. Each listen of 'Shimmer' reveals a new entity, whether it's the janky guitars that wholly embrace 80's kitsch or the rumbling drums that create uneasiness like The Knife. There's power in Palladino's vocals, making the most out of lyrics that are otherwise unexceptional and quite commonplace for SynthPop. If only the Paul Institute weren't such perfectionists - or contrarians - and released more from this goldmine they've curated.
__________________________________________________________
Another inconspicuous name arising from the Paul Institute, Ruthven, like Fabiana Palladino, grovels in the confines of amorous SynthPop. The two newly-released singles, 'Shimmer' and 'Hypothalamus,' make it clear they're from the same camp as that overarching, hyper-realistic beatsmithing appears in Palladino's New Wave as it does Ruthven's Alternative R&B. While the wave of that genre's slowly dying out - to the contentment of myself who felt nearly every release was a replication of past ones - 'Hypothalamus' assures listeners of a more advanced proof of concept that isn't so one-directional. Unlike 'Shimmer' however, where Palladino matched the exceptional production with courageous vocals, Ruthven struggles to keep up and devise an identity he can call his own. His fragile quiver finds comparisons in Blood Orange, Gallant, JMSN, and others. Paul Institute's pleading divergence comes through in the production, which is magnificent, both in terms of fluidity and ingenuity. There's passages on 'Hypothalamus' that feel like foundational set pieces for any of those previously mentioned artists, yet are restrained and quilted to last no more than 30 seconds. It's a wild ride even if the vocal stitching could use some work.
__________________________________________________________
Trevor Powers, what are you doing? Since departing his Youth Lagoon moniker - a name synonymous with Year Of Hibernation, one of my favorite albums ever - and entering solitude, the Art Pop nonconformist has now released seven singles for his ten-track album Mulberry Violence. Seven. 'Clad In Skin' and 'Squelch' are the third duo, following 'Ache / Plaster Saint' and 'XTQ Idol / Dicegame.' Each single, while falling under the delirious umbrella of Industrial-leaning Art Pop (think Oneohtrix Point Never's recent Age Of), collectively leaves Mulberry Violence in an precarious state. This, all the more apparent with 'Clad In Skin' and especially the volatile 'Squelch.' The former, like a handful of these singles, fail to excite. Not trapped behind ethereal Lo-Fi Indie or expansive Psychedelic Pop and Powers' shrill vocals just grate in the airy expanse. The myriad of random distortions doesn't help 'Clad In Skin,' but interestingly enough do wonders for 'Squelch.' This is due, in large part, to its Ambient undertones, abstaining from formalities with ephemeral sections of Electronic incongruity. Almost bearing a similarity, especially in the first half, to Radiohead's Amnesiac.
__________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment