What's a Listening Log? Well, the idea is quite simple. It's a weekly segment that consolidates all the mini-reviews Dozens Of Donuts has given on RateYourMusic over the past week, split between the Past and Present. A straightforward grading scale has been put in place, ranging from A+ to F-, with C acting as the baseline average. There is no set amount of reviews per week, just however many I get around to reviewing. And don't expect week-of reviews. I wait one month - with at least three listens under my belt - before I rate and review an album. Enjoy!
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When it comes to Arca, nothing bears more cruciality than aesthetic. It's why the transgender producer turned sentimental dramatist has always been on music's cutting edge, setting the tone for a future dominated by amalgamations of all things: Gender, race, musical inspiration. However, there's something about the incoherency of early albums like Xen and Mutant, along with the sudden transformation on Arca, that rubbed me the wrong way. KiCk i seems dedicated to merging Arca's two halves, as one half fissures a dance floor with cybernetic cleavers ('KLK,' 'Rip The Slit'), while the other polishes regret off with a glass of tears ('Afterwards,' 'No Queda Nada'). It's likely her most consummate project yet - excluding the methodical 'single' @@@@@ - representing the ideals Arca puts forth in regards to identity, expression, and tenderness. Though one could argue, with focus primed on the fused, non-human album cover, that Arca has sought to fetishize gender fluidity. That offensive, "I choose to identify as an __insert inanimate object__" joke? Yeah. Surely that wasn't Arca's intent, however that doesn't negate the glassy-eyed tone coming across.
KiCk i never reaches the immaculate highs it so seemingly strives for. Much of the album, ironically, plays it safe within Arca's aesthetic. This is no Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides, and speaking of which: SOPHIE's feature here, on 'La Chíqui,' is nothing short of a harum-scarum mess, competing with 'Riquiquí' for the album's worst cut. It starts nowhere and ends there too. After working with Arca on numerous occasions (Vulnicura, Utopia), Björk's long-awaited appearance on the other side of the coin also comes up empty, as 'Afterwards' feels like little more than an outtake from that latter album's drifting Ambient Pop. Only Shygirl makes her presence felt as the torchbearer of Deconstructed Club's transition to Hip-Hop (see: Cruel Practice) on 'Watch,' a filthy and gritty take on the future for club bangers. 'KLK' with ROSALÍA is a fine take on Latin Electronic, though it's replacement of experimental intrusion for radio-friendly rhythms curtails any memorability. Qualms aside, KiCk i is still a decent, rather enjoyable Glitch Hop LP with loads of energy and versatility. There's just something missing, like Arca's incapable of making greatness.
C
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2020 | Dance-Pop | Listen
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT, TINSEL DRAPED ON 80'S NIGHT
Critically-acclaimed Pop. When it comes to music meant for radio play, that's the only selling point one needs to manifest for my curiosity to rise, since the two rarely correlate. It's the exact reason I listened to Carly Rae Jepsen's Dedicated and Charli XCX's How I'm Feeling Now despite having no experience in their backlog, emerging out of both with a greater understanding of the empowering female aura. By and large, Jessie Ware's What's Your Pleasure? strives for that exact distinction. Even the cover finds the singer striking a pose, much akin to her largest inspiration; Madonna. It's no surprise that Ware's an 80's child, for her overbearing nostalgia essentially revitalizes Disco, House, Dance, Boogie, and Soul in one fell swoop. Really the only thing connecting What's Your Pleasure? to the year 2020 - apart from her contemporary competition in Jepsen, Robyn, Janelle Monáe, etc - is the production value, which is dazzling and pristine.
That being said, it's all a tad bland and timeworn for my tastes. Despite the distancing from the source, one still can't deny the lack of originality present on What's Your Pleasure?. From the rhythmic tempo of Electropop found on 'Save A Kiss,' to the glittering Synth Funk panache of 'Soul Control,' to the plodding, prosaic run of drab Contemporary R&B on the second half ('In Your Eyes,' 'Read My Lips,' 'Mirage'), nothing Ware constructs will be seen as revolutionary. Just rebranded. At the same time it's difficult to dislike pristine Pop made for the purpose of entertaining, which is where we find the fetching and unwavering first half. 'Spotlight' is a great opener, which builds with the promise of self liberation, while 'What's Your Pleasure?' and 'Ooh La La' follow up matters with fierce determination, be it in Ware's vocals or the production spunk. Nothing tops the closer 'Remember Where You Are' though, which seems to amalgamate every What's Your Pleasure? sub-genre into a stew that sends steam to the rafters. It's uplifting, delicate, and features one hell of a finishing coda. It screams grand finale, effectively purging one's apathy towards the forgettable second half.
C+
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