#Making minimal movements throughout the first verse and chorus

[bloodied-dagger]

after dancing around my room for the past 10 minutes or so with a staff and imaginary blindfold, I have concluded that I would want to play Tiresias in EPIC if given the chance to play any character

[rkpjy]

⭐️MGA 5 EPISODE 3 ↪ perfoming romanticism by leo with @rkjeonghxn outfit inspiration: x  x line distribution & times: x 

it’s always easier to move on to the next round when there are a lot of contestant. the fewer they become and the harder the choices will be for the five ceos. there’s undoubtedly a lot of raw talent in this room, some maybe more polished than others, some mostly relying on their popularity and star factor. the latter can’t be downplayed of course, as there’s no reason to have skill in the first place if people aren’t interested in you or want to follow you. still, it’s always a little annoying to see such people get by with minimal talent.

soon after jinyoung returned to his seat following his interview, the entire set falls silent. everyone’s eyes are glued to the judging panel, waiting for the dreaded moment when they will announce the results. his newly found acquaintance changbin is nominated as the top rapper, which comes to no surprise to jinyoung, but it’s choi minho who takes the win. unlike a lot of people here, jinyoung doesn’t feel any type of way for that guy. despite his best friend being in convex, he knows very little about the group and what kind of drama happened that led to the rapper’s departure. he’s not a hater nor is he a fan, and although he didn’t dislike his performance, he wouldn’t have gave him the win either.

he keeps a straight face throughout the eliminations, just quietly wishing not to be on that list when the singer’s turn comes. the top 3 dancers are called to the stage, and he recognizes hwang yeji from that one day at the hospital. they haven’t spoken since and he wishes her well. she’s a pretty good dancer despite her young age, but so is lee chaeryeong. as for suwoong, well, it’s not a question of talent really, but more his personality that jinyoung can’t quite figure out. he’s satisfied with yeji’s win, just as he is satisfied with heejin’s win later on. there was a slight disappointment about not making the top 3 but then again, he still believes he performed the best he could. for someone as obsessed with perfect as he is, it’s hard to accept average results, but he’s a good sport. heejin, as he’s noted multiple times already, is a very good singer. he wonders if she can dance well too, because if she does then she’s almost guaranteed to go to the end. her looks are very idol-like, not to mention she’s young.

joohyun was probably the most surprising elimination for jinyoung. he knew she made a mistake, they all did, and it’s unexpectedly fair that they wouldn’t favor her due to her past participations and already established level of popularity. she’s one of the known contestants here that everyone talks about to the point where jinyoung also knows about it, and even if don’t want to show bias, maybe he thought they would show more leniency towards someone they know, and he now stands corrected. there is no second chance in this competition, and no room for weakness.

he applauds heejin’s win with a proud smile, and it’s probably the first time anyone will have caught him looking so pleased since the very first audition. he’s also happy for sihyeon who’s finally been recognized for her talent. it’s kind of funny how some of those who changed categories managed to survive unlike those who truly wanted to show their best skill. in hindsight, it was pretty clever of them to do so and jinyoung wonders if this was calculated on their part. he doubts so for daniel, who probably just innocently wanted to show another side of himself. but that’s if he’s still the same person he knew all those years ago in busan. maybe he’s changed, like jinyoung did.

he doesn’t care much for the following eliminations, as nobody he knows has been sent home. instead, he pays close attention to what is said next. they are to be paired off in duos and present a neat performance showing not only talent but also teamwork. and it’s probably what he dreads most as of now. it’s not as easy for him to get along with people as much as he’d like, and depending on who he ends up with, this assignment might be his first real challenge. he doesn’t necessarily want to be with a friend, however, because it doesn’t always mean it will lead to a good performance. he ends up with yoon jeonghan.

they’re not friends per say, but they do know of each other and have worked together in the past on musical productions. jinyoung is very enthusiastic at the idea of performing with someone who has talents and tastes similar to his, but it can also be an obstacle in the end. they can’t put up something too expected. it’ll be boring to watch for everyone.

that’s the subject they talk about when they first meet up for practice. “since they know we’re both passionate about musicals, i don’t think we should choose that type of song. what do you think?” he asks jeonghan who promptly agrees. they’re both aware they need to showcase something different, more creative and challenging. something that will throw the judges off, hopefully in a good way. they spend a while just searching online, or scrolling down their playlists in order to find the perfect fit. and after going through several choices, they finally decide on romanticism by leo. the key is to make all the right changes to the choreography and harmonies so it looks and sounds as if it was meant for two people instead of just one. they need to be in complete unison, and not just seem like two individuals performing the same song at the same time.

their first practice consists of making these arrangements and going through them a couple times to see if they fit well, and deciding on the parts they’ll each sing. they both agree to practice on their own whenever they have free time, then meet together every day for several hours so they can put it all together. it just won’t work if they both work separately.

while jinyoung criticizes a lot, he’s also very open to criticism himself. as long as it’s nothing insulting, he believes this is the only way one will grow, and not with fake praises. if he sucked, he wants to know. if he does one movement wrong, he wants to know so he can fix it. if jeonghan feels it would be better if they switched one part because it sounds off, he’ll be open to the idea. what he finds exhausting is those who are too scared to make any kind of negative comment, or who take everything too personal. they’re impossible to work it, not to mention annoying. it’s all meant to enhance the performance. the judges won’t chose the best out of the two of them. so either they win together, or fail together. it doesn’t matter if one sings five seconds more, as long as it makes the whole thing better.

it’s surprisingly easy to work with jeonghan, and jinyoung comes home at night almost with a spring in his step, telling mina about how practice is going with a lot more details than usual. he’s optimistic, hopeful. if it were to suddenly come crashing down....

the two men sit next to each other, and jinyoung can’t help but notice there’s so few of them compared to the first episode. sixty chairs have disappeared since then. he remains exactly like the second episode, face stoic as he watched the first few duos perform on stage. the only moments he stops being a statue is in-between performances, as he leans over to jeonghan and whispers things inaudible to cameras, about what he liked and didn’t like.

yugyeom goes before with him, with a contestant called do kyungsoo, and he honestly has no idea what to expect when they first start. it seems like they managed to use each other’s strength and make up for the other’s weakness quite well, and jinyoung hopes it’s enough for them to make it through. some of the duos make unexpected yet good pairs, and some match so well it’s almost boring. he wonders if this will be the case for jeonghan and him, although they didn’t go for a musical number. are their skills too similar? but it’s not like they can suddenly pretend one of them can rap either, so there’s nothing they can do about it if they were put together.

they go near the end, with only three duos left after them. they both bring a chair to the center of the stage and sit on them after introducing themselves. the original artist has a very specific way of dancing, that makes every movement look smooth but not sloppy, and sensual but not sexual. there’s a fine line they can’t cross, and jinyoung does feel like they got in down after hours and hours of practice. jeonghan starts off the song with his first lines.

In my mind you’re my lord, the reality is not close enough You’re my one You’re my one

jinyoung parts his legs in a swift motion as the dance obliges, and because there are no backdancers, instead of gesturing to his empty side, he briefly cups jeonghan’s chin instead, making it one of a several modifications to the original choreography. it’s not hard to imagine he’s singing to his girlfriend right now, and wishing she was the one dancing with him. jeonghan and him aren’t exactly flirting together, their actions more inclined to the audience, but there still needs to be a connection between them, a sensuality that can be felt all the way to the very back of the studio. I see through your body, The sign that gets my sensitivity wet Your eyes are chasing after my movement As if saying come after you

in the middle of this verse they both stand up, leaving their chairs behind for the time being. the way they arranged this part suits the lyrics well. it’s as if they’re also chasing each other, delivering their lines back and forth like one echoes the other, and as jeonghan finishes it, jinyoung prepares for the chorus. two minutes isn’t long at all, and after this they’re jumping straight to the bridge so the transition isn’t too cut and dry. Dive-in for me at this moment, make me shiver one time Romanticism in our world together now Let’s feel it romantically, together now

the dance gets more intense and demanding, but they’ve arranged for them to sing half of it together, harmonizing each other. jinyoung’s gaze is piercing, and he has fun flirting with the crowd. there are a lot of parts in this song where they rub their chest, their face or roll their hips, and there’s a risk to make it look cheap and very cringe-worthy if they’re not careful, so they made sure to tell the other whenever it was too much, or not enough. they want to mesmerize the audience, not turn it off.  Piece of you for just one moment Feel me from now on

Let’s feel it sensually, together now Girl you know I’m watching you together now

they had to cut the last chorus in half to fit in the time requirement, but in the end it doesn’t really matter since they jump next into the other half which is kind of a nice follow-up and uses the same lyrics. they sing most of it together, dancing in sync.

together now.

[dustedmagazine]

“1, 2, 3, 4!”: Jennifer Kelly’s 2018 review

Jennifer Kelly is a frantic romantic.

Rock and roll forever, sure, but it’s hard to avoid the fact that the guitar/bass/drum idiom has been pushed way off to the side in the cultural conversation. Mainstream sites list “best rock records” as a weird, subcultural genre, with a slightly bigger audience, perhaps, than best cumbia records or top Hawaiian slack key recordings (but not much). Worse, to come up with a reasonable size list they include all kinds of things that don’t belong. I mean, really, is Mount Eerie rock by any definition?

Rock isn’t dead, but it’s been made to sit in the corner. The only time in 2018 when everybody thought at once about a guitar band was when Pitchfork’s Jeremy Larson dropped his scathing, hilarious review of the Greta Van Fleet. For a moment, we all snickered as one.

Big rock was terrible in 2018. It almost always is. Yet there’s something disingenuous about the genre of year-end write-ups that laser in on the absolute worst and most bloated of rock bands to make a point about the art-form as a whole. Sure, Imagine Dragons suck. Yes, “Africa” is a soul-destroyingly awful song no matter who sings it. No, I’m not wading into the whole 1975 thing. Who has time? Who has the heart for it?  

Because this year, against a tide of commercially viable horse shit, against a backdrop of monolithic indifference, rock bands of all configurations, from all countries (but really especially Australia), continued to make great punk and rock records. And, I, for whatever reason, heard more of them than usual, and it made me happy. And maybe that’s the secret to being happy in music, in any year…find your niche, listen to the best in it, forget about what the mega-corporations are trying to sell.

Also see it live. My big highlight this year was seeing the Scientists in October (with Negative Approach, too!), but it was a pretty great 12 months for live music. It started with a fantastic show comprised of Mike Donovan, the Long Hots, J. Mascis and his Stooges cover band and Purling Hiss (with J on board for one song) at the Root Cellar, a venue I’d never heard of before that show, and that ended up putting on a string of great events. I saw Marisa Anderson, Paul Metzger, Speedy Ortiz, Howling Rain, Trad Gras Och Stenar with Endless Boogie, that Scientists show and Gary Higgins at the Root Cellar this year, and I missed a lot of shows I would have liked to see. Other great shows happened outside the Root Cellar – The Thing in the Spring in Peterborough with William Parker, Bonnie Prince Billy and others, Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric at the Parlour Room, Messthetics at the Flywheel. Western Massachusetts has been in a commercial chokehold for years, with one organization controlling most of the venues, but there were a lot of options this year.

So, here’s to the drummers with their sticks in the air, counting off the four. Here’s to the guitar player wrecking his knees jumping up and down as he/she furiously slashes away. Here’s to the sweat and muck and black humor of $10 shows with four bands on them, two of them still in high school. And here’s to the people (me at least and possibly you) who like these things. Eddie Argos of Art Brut, who used to top these lists and now merits a footnote, spoke for this tiny, beleaguered sub-cult when he urged “Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s rock out.”

Indeed. Let’s.

Amy Rigby—The Old Guys (Southern Domestic)

The Old Guys by Amy Rigby

Let’s just set aside the fact that the first and best song on this album is an imagined email exchange between Philip Roth and Bob Dylan on the eve of the Nobel ceremony or that Rigby namechecks three of my favorite ever TV characters in “New Sheriff.” Let’s forget, too, how rare it is for a woman of roughly my age to be making her own music and controlling her own destiny even now in 2018. No, let’s focus on the songs which are sharp, smart and full of hooks, the clean, romantic chime of Rigby’s electric 12-string, the viscous pleasure of the arrangements. This is the very best kind of rock record, one that doesn’t attempt to remake the genre but somehow makes it bigger, brighter and more necessary. The songs sounded great, live, too, with the great Wreckless Eric in tow, and the two of them bickering like old married couples do, and Rigby glowing with triumph by the end of the show.

 Shopping—The Official Body (Fat Cat)

The Official Body by Shopping

Bubbly in a hard way, strict and minimal in a manner requires body movement, this album arrived early and stayed on my go-to list all year. For Dusted, I wrote, “You could bounce a quarter off the bass lines in this third Shopping full-length. They’re pulled hard and tight against minimalist syncopated drums, the leaning, waiting, anticipating space between the thwacks as important a character as the beats themselves. The London-based trio harks back to the funky, stripped down post-punk of bands like ESG and Delta 5, with hints of the boy-girl bubble and pop of the B-52s and Pylon.

 Salad Boys—This Is Glue (Trouble in Mind)

This Is Glue by Salad Boys

Always weak for NZ lo-fi and equally a fan of the early R.E.M., so of course I fell for this buzzy daydream of a record. “Psych Slasher” bursts with immoderate, glorious joy in the chorus, then cuts back to uncertainty in the verse, the ideal blend of rambunctious rock and wistful pop. “Exaltation” is a gentler sort of classic, just as radiant but moodier, its murmur-y vocals disappearing into cloud banks of fuzzed guitar tone. The whole record sits on the knife edge of rock and indie pop, leaning one way and the other, but never falling over.

 Patois Counselors—Proper Release (Ever/Never)

Proper Release by Patois Counselors

I went all in for “So Many Digits” in my Dusted review this year, but the two great punk songs on Proper Release are “The Modern Station” and, especially, “Target Not a Comrade.” This latter song chugs and lurches on guitar and bass, trembles with wheedly keyboards and crests in a massive, hummable refrain. It’s a catchy, twitchy punk tune that’ll hit you in the part of your brain where you keep Wire and the Buzzcocks, hooky as hell in a weird, distorted way.

 Bodega—Endless Scroll (What’s Your Rupture)

Endless Scroll by BODEGA

Flipping the gender cliché, Bodega is an all-woman band with a male singer. Its tight, nervy, jangles wrap around themes of internet-age dislocation and movie references. Smart, sarcastic, ironic, sharp, Bodega bristles with what you want from a garage punk band but reveals a surprisingly soft heart uncovered round about “Charlie,” a wistful song about a boy who died too soon.

 Bardo Pond—Volume 8 (Three-Lobed)

Volume 8 by Bardo Pond

The eighth in a series of improvised albums, this year’s Bardo Pond record towers and surges with monumental heaviness. I wrote at Dusted that, “The sound, vast and muscularly monolithic as ever, seems more like a demon summoned periodically from a ring of fire, than the product of any sort of linear development.”

 Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore—Ghost Forests (Three Lobed)

Ghost Forests by Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore

This year’s most beautiful album, Ghost Forests undergirds lyric folk melodies and angelic pizzicato harp plucks with roiling, violent darkness. My Dusted review observed “The best and most interesting [tracks] juxtapose the muted violence of electric guitar with a harp’s serenity. A guitar howls from a distance throughout “In Cedars,” pushing a simmering turbulence up under sun-dappled lattices of harp picking. Later “Painter of Tygers” does the same trick of joining muscle to fairy dust, the electric guitar raging from far away, while harp and voice spread delicate magic over the tumult.”

 Seun Kuti & Egypt 80—Black Times (Strut)

Black Times by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

Fela Kuti’s youngest son inherited his dad’s fierce political commitment, his rhythmically unstoppable Afrobeat style and a few of his band members, but this wonderful album is more alive and present than a tribute. “Struggle Sounds, “ with its hard-bounce of a beat, its blurting sax, its ecstatic backing chorus, its swagger of horns and fever-dreamed keyboards dances through history right up to the modern day. “Last Revolutionary” enumerates past African heroes and connects them to the now. I wrote, “Kuti extends his father’s legacy, its tight rhythmic interplay, its fervent political engagement, its relentless exhilarating uplift, while bringing it a bit further into the present.”

Ovlov—Tru (Exploding in Sound)

TRU by Ovlov

I first noticed Ovlov at the Thing in the Spring Festival, on an eclectic Thursday night in a book store, where the sweet surge of guitar sound felt solid enough to body surf on. Later, for Dusted, I said of Tru that “Ovlov churns a monumental fuzz, a wave of surging, undulating, feedback-altered sound …. You can almost poke it with your finger, this onslaught is so palpable. It stirs your hair like an oncoming breeze.”

Speedy Ortiz—Twerp Verse (Carpark) 

Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz

There’s something so bendy and unpredictable about Sadie Dupuis tunes. They hare off in unexpected ways. They stop and start. They interpose weird little intervals of pop and noise. They refuse to behave, and end up exactly as they should be, though never what you’d expect. Twerp Verse takes more pop turns than other Speedy joints, but in the tipsiest, most eccentric way, with acerbic asides in the lyrics that catch like fishhooks and stay with you. “Speedy Ortiz offers a serrated sort of pop pleasure, full of rhythmic complexity and gender confrontation,” I observed in my Dusted review.

 Had enough rock? Me neither

Here are some more punk rock and garage records that I couldn’t squeeze into the top ten overall, mostly in the order that I thought of them, but Constant Mongrel and Richard Papiercuts are pretty great and that’s probably why I thought of them first.

Constant Mongrel—Living in Excellence (La Vida Es Un Mus)

Richard Papiercuts— Twisting the Night (Ever/Never)

GOGGs—Prestrike Sweep (In the Red)

Hank Wood & the Hammerheads—S-T (Toxic State)

Obnox—Bang Messiah (Smog Veil)

Zerodent—Landscapes of Merriment (Alien Snatch!)

Sleaford Mods—Stick in a Five and Go (Domino)

Ethers—S-T (Trouble in Mind)

IDLES—Joy as an Act of Resistance (Partisan)

Bad Sports—Constant Stimulation (Dirtnap)

Lithics—Mating Surfaces (Kill Rock Stars)

Art Brut—Wham! Bang! Pow! (Alcopop)

 Whoa, slow down!

Also a shout to the musicians who made more than one really excellent album this year. Ty Segall made five, I think, but I didn’t love all of them as much as Freedom Goblin and Prestrike Sweep.

Obnox—Sonido del Templo/Bang Messiah (Astral Spirits)/(Smog Veil)

Mount Eerie—Now Only/(After) (Elverum & Sons)

Ty Segall—Freedom Goblin (Drag City)/GOGGs—Prestrike Sweep (In the Red)

Ryley Walker—Deafman Glance/The Lillywhite Sessions (Dead Oceans)

  Nevertheless, they persisted

And finally, hats off to the bands and artists that have been going forever and continued this year to produce great music.

Kinski—Accustomed to Your Face (Kill Rock Stars)

Low—Double Negative (Sub Pop)

Loma—S-T (Sub Pop) (Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg plus Cross Record)

Oneida—Romance (Joyful Noise)

Wreckless Eric—Construction Time and Demolition (Southern Domestic)

Messthetics—S-T (Discord) (The great Fugazi rhythm section plus a young guitar ripper—one of the best live shows of the year for me.)

Charnel Ground—S-T (12XU) (This is Kid Millions from Oneida, Chris Brokaw and James McNew from Yo La Tengo, and as you’d expect, it’s really good.)

[grimelords]

I realised I finished writing up my January playlist and then forgot to post it, so I’m doing it here and now at the tail end of February. It’s 3 hours of good music, complete from A$AP Ferg to ZZ Top. Please enjoy.

​Dream House - Deafheaven: I started the year off with extreme mental anguish at the realisation that Sunbather is five years old this year and that I am thusly one million years old and have wasted my youth. That aside, Dream House is still an incredible song. It does what the best songs do and speaks directly to the teenaged part of your brain that thinks nobody will ever understand you like this song does right now. It is an overwhelming experience, the whole album is, and very good for having an embarrassing amount of emotions while you're driving alone and it's very loud.

Hold My Liquor - Kanye West: When this song came out I remember someone said the best musical moment of 2013 was when you couldn't tell the difference between Chief Keef and Justin Vernon on this song and I'm inclined to agree.

Melody 4 - Tera Melos: I've talked about this album at length in these playlists and probably featured almost every song at this point but I'll just say, what I like so much about this song is how it moves so effortlessly between a very melodic almost pop-punk type chorus before disintegrating into stop start mathematics and back again before you even notice.

B Boy (feat Big Sean & A$AP Ferg) - Meek Mill: I don't know how the fuck he did it, but somehow Meek Mill got a bunch of rappers who are normally nothing amazing (Meek included) to operate at the absolute top of their game for whole verse each. Highlights especially are 'I got commas on commas on commas, and I ain't talkin about a run on sentence!' 'put my P up on her head like that bitch is reppin Philly, and I wheelie in the pussy like my n**** meek milly' and the immediate about turn of A$Ap Ferg saying 'You thinkin' Khloe don't know me, I'm in the car dashin' haters/I'm in the Kardashian, get it? I'm lyin', can't I pretend?/They say fake it 'til you make it, well let the fakin' begin!'

Shabba REMIX - A$AP Ferg, Shabba Ranks, Busta Rhymes, Migos: This song's a good example of how many different flows you can get to work over one beat, and how much it improves the song. Ferg is so fast and so varied, then Migos even it out with straight triplets for most of their verse before Busta kills it by just doing absolutely everything. Great job everyone.

Attak (feat. Danny Brown) - Rustie: I normally can't stand Danny Brown but he kills this song. I still have a lot of feelings about Rustie, who showed so much promise for being the weirdo that dance music needed before presumably watching HudMo make a million producing for Kanye and friends and deciding to remove every interesting element from his music to make it palatable for rappers. That is, at least, my theory. This song is great, but every other song on this album is an example of this approach not working and instead producing boring, half assed songs where nobody's at their full potential.

Ultra Thizz - Rustie: Compare it to this, the busiest song in the world. The way the melody of the bassline that sounds like it's about to swallow you whole contends with the synth melody AND the pitched up vocal melody for your attention, they all come it at once and trade barbs before being superseded by a fuzzy, inscrutable guitar solo which fades out and leaves us back at the start. What I love about this song is the absolute maximalism and hypercolour sounds, combined with the only simple melody being the big chord stabs that centre the piece combine into a total sensory experience. Not to mention the rhythms, where absolutely every part of it seems to be slightly stranger than you expect, constantly dropping one beat before or after you expect - your first clue is the snare build at the start suddenly splitting into triplets.

If I Were A Carpenter - Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash: My girlfriend showed me this song and it unlocked a third of the triangle in my brain where this song, Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell and The Engine Driver by The Decemberists make a sort of trinity of songs about having a job and thinking about Wife. They're all very very good too.

12 Bricks - OG Maco: Outside of the famous video, which is very good, this song is also incredible. Another in the pantheon of songs with extremely minimal instrumentation where the vocal performance is so good it doesn't need anything. The slight delay makes all the screaming and wooing toward the end just pile on top of each other in waves building the texture up until it finally levels out.

Requiem Para Um Amor - Toquinho: I really cannot get enough of the organ in this song. I don't think I've ever heard a classical guitar/electric organ duet before and now I'm hungry for more.

You Can Be A Robot, Too - Shintaro Sakamoto: This song appeared on my Discover Weekly playlist and I'm not really sure why but it's very good. I can't tell if it's actually a children's song or just playful like one but I appreciate it either way. When it started playing from the playlist the album cover was a cartoon of a kid surrounded by robots, but when I tried to add it to a playlist the art changed to a green picture of a skeleton playing a lap steel guitar with an explosion in the background, which felt very cursed to me.

Raver - Burial: This song has always stood out to me on Untrue because of how straightforward the beat is. Under anyone else's control this would be a normal song but instead it's this incredibly detailed, messy piece of work that feels like looking at a house song through a dirty window. I also have no proof at all to back this up but in my mind the xylophone line is sampled from Donkey Kong 64 or possibly Banjo Kazooie.

Cavalettas - The Mars Volta: I remember reading a bad review of this album when it came out that was mad because it pulled 'the most egregious studio trick in recent memory' by having the whole mix except for one guitar get sucked down into a wormhole multiple times, including the bass getting physically detuned until you can hear the strings slack before resuming as normal a second later. In my opinion it's incredibly funny and it sounds good so more bands should do it. Also the other day I saw the drummer Thomas Pridgen comment on Omar Rodriguez's instagram 'check ur dms bro'. Imagine being in a band with someone for a decade and not having their number, insane.

Flash Back - Rustie: Honestly I cannot get enough of this bassline. This song is another good example of what I was talking about with Rustie dumbing his melodies down after this album, the main line in this winds around and around itself in this loping confused rhythm and against the bass that's also syncopated it just ends up sounding like hypercolour, which is a feat for a song that's basically just those two melodies against each other for the bulk of it with some plastic choir stabs throughout.

Heaven - DJ Sammy: What an absolute perennial banger. Can you believe this AND Boys Of Summer were on the same album? Incredible stuff DJ Sammy. I've been meaning to make a playlist of all the 90s/2000s lame rave songs that are secretly very emotional and have definitely inspired absolute emotional turmoil in ravers the world over like this Better Off Alone and Heaven Is A Place On Earth, but for now just enjoy the Bryan Adams classic as reimagined by DJ Sammy.

Stalking To A Stranger (Planets Collide Remix) - The Avalanches: I owe this song a lot because it not only for me into Hunters And Collectors, who it turns out have far better and angrier songs than Holy Grail, but it also turned me onto Vertigo/Relight My Fire by Dan Hartman which is sampled at the start. When this song came out it was the first new Avalanches song in a decade or so and nobody knew what to make of it because suddenly Avalanches songs just have screaming men in them, which was very good.

Miracle - Kimbra: I think that very soon everyone is going to figure out that Kimbra has been the pop genius the world needs and she's been here all along.

Wayfaring Stranger (Burial Remix) - Jamie Woon: Jamie Woon got a raw deal in my opinion. He had a song remixed by Burial, and then Burial co-produced Night Air for him and he was the king of dark and mysterious British dubstep wave, but then James Blake and everyone else came along and sort of overshadowed him totally. Now that whole movement is sort of clouded because of how quickly 'dubstep' came to mean 'skrillex', and for some reason the only place this song is on Spotify is a compilation called The World's Heaviest Dubstep, Grime & Bass.

Chanbara - At The Drive-In: A lot of writing about At The Drive-In focuses on how they never really captured the ferocity of their live shows on record until Relationship Of Command but the absolutely big screams on this working against the salsa bongo rhythms is an amazing thing. I also kind of prefer the weedy half-clean guitar sounds on this and their first album especially to Relationship of Command's crunchier sound, it feels like it gives a lot more space to the weird noodling melodies that come and go.

All Medicated Geniuses - Pretty Girls Make Graves: The intro of this song absolutely blew my 15 year old math rock mind with how simply it transitions from the snare on the beat to the snare off the beat. It is endlessly fascinating to me because I am a dummy. Every part of this song is amazing to me, from the big swing band bassline behind the guitar that's sort of just screaming through the verses and absolutely on its own journey through the chorus to the drums for the reasons I already mentioned but also the way they keep everything straight and absolutely refuse to indulge the guitar's worst math impulses.

Dangerous - The xx: I really love the horns in this song, and the big air raid sirens toward the end. It is still shocking to me that The xx transitioning to making upbeat bangers worked out for them but I'm so glad that they did.

Running - Bully: I was listening to a podcast about water management policy and infrastructure called Water You Talking About because I am young and cool and for some reason they were using the chorus of this song where she goes 'I'LL ADMIT IT! I GET ANXIOUS TOO!' as their theme song in an episode which is I suppose appropriate but also really made me laugh.

Simultaneous Contrasts - Warehouse: The singer in this band has my new favourite voice, it's amazing. She sounds like she's eaten a belt sander or something. I love the way the guitar line follows her vocals up in the chorus and also just how extremely busy the whole band is around her. They remind me of some kind of alternate universe Life Without Buildings where she's pissed off instead of just beguiling.

Light Up The Night - The Protomen: There's no reason this band should be good. They wrote a rock opera based on the story of Megaman inspired by Queen and Bruce Springsteen and it actually turned out incredible somehow. Unfortunately since this album came out almost a decade ago all they've done is a couple of live albums and covers albums, so I may never get the resolution I crave on the story of Thomas Light and Joe and whoever.

Tonto - Battles: Here's what's so good about this song: it spends 2 and a half minutes winding up to a huge centrepiece that's over way too soon and then the next 4 minutes slowly slowly slowly winding down to absolute zero. It's like the opposite of how to write a good song but it's absolutely enthralling.

Wall Street - Battles: Around a minute into this, there's two snare hits where it sounds like it's part of a roll that got digitally muted that I am obsessed with. Every part of this song is incredible, but the drums throughout alternate between sounding like he's desperately trying to keep up and sounding like pure power and total command. I especially love the big brassy snare sound that comes up from underneath occasionally to pull the brakes. The performance of this song that Battles did for La Blogoteque is one of my favourite videos on youtube.

Every Single Line Means Something - Marnie Stern: For about a week this month I developed a quiet mania about John Stanier from Battles filling in on drums in the Late Night With Seth Myers Band (for some reason), and then I found out that Marnie Stern is apparently in that band as well and it really threw me for a loop. I don't really know why this was such an incredible thing or why I focused on it so much, maybe something I need to figure out, but it reminded me of this great song so that's a positive. This is some of my favourite work Zach Hill has ever done because he's being forced to play pretty much a normal backbeat for a lot of this song and it feels like he's been cursed by a witch. The amount of power he's putting out for such a straightforward idea is incredible. Of course because it's Zach Hill he's also doing the absolute most in every other part of the song. I haven't even mentioned how much I love Marnie on her own song! Anyway, listen to this whole album.

Hacker - Death Grips: I never got into the hype around Death Grips when they were the thing, and haven't really investigated their discography past this album, but this song is an absolute masterpiece and probably everything you ever need to know about them. Lyrically between this and 'I've Seen Footage' there's a pretty neat summation of their worldview, paranoid because your existence is inextricably linked to the internet and everything that entails, 'having conversations with your car alarm'. 'make your water break at the apple store,'

Pass The Word (Love's The Word) - The Mad Lads: I was looking up where the sample's from in Hilltop Hoods' Chase That Feeling and it turns out it's this song. Try to listen to this whole intro. He's trying to give a sermon but his dumbshit friends simply will not shut the fuck up for fully three whole minutes. Other than the intro the song is very, very good.

Monkey Time '69 - The Mad Lads: I also found this other song by the Mad Lads called 'Monkey Time '69', which to me is the definition of comedy.

She's Got Guns - The Go! Team: New Go Team album! Unfortunately nothing on it sort of lived up to the promise of the first two singles Mayday and Semicircle song, but this song is still a hit. The way this is mixed is so good, the brass behind the massive bass and spacious drums and the vocals sort of backgrounded within it all, very appealing.

Coast To Coast - Tune-Yards:It feels weird that a Tune-Yards song can be this smooth. A sort of apocalyptic, politics is ruined, new york is sinking, funky smooth jam.

Cattle And The Creeping Things - The Hold Steady: I've never listened to much of The Hold Steady outside of this album because I don't feel like I really need to, it's got everything I'd ever need. Sorry to always to talk about drums but the amount of reverb on them in this song makes them sound absolutely huge and I really love it, especially in the last verse they just become massive. Also I went through a long period of being obsessed with the lyrics of this song, it's a good distillation of this whole album's christian cult/drugs in middle america story and it is completely my shit.

Losing All Sense - Grizzly Bear: There's something about Painted Ruins that's impenetrable to me. I keep listening to it and only absorbing about one song at a time, totally loving that song and then ignoring the rest of the album. Now it's Losing All Sense.

Blue Cheese - Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile: This song is like Kurt Vile in his purest form, just sort of strumming and talking about whatever the fuck. The best part of this song is when they go 'woo hoo!!!' then he whistles a little bit and then says 'here come the lone ranger!' in an elvis voice and plays a solo that sounds like he's tuning his guitar. Also right at the end you can hear someone's phone message tone going off.

Catch Me If You Can Theme - John Williams: John Williams didn't have to go as hard as he did with the Catch Me If You Can theme. I have this in my head all the time. I love the rapid shifts in this recording, because I guess it's functioning as the overture so he's just cycling through every different variation he's got in his aresenal.

I've Seen Footage - Death Grips: It's good that Death Grips' most popular song is about how the internet melts your brain There's a good quote from Zach Hill about where the title came from: 'The line “I’ve Seen Footage” was from a conversation I had with this street-person dude in Sacramento named Snake Eyes. A friend of ours recorded him on the porch in a conversation– he didn’t know he was being recorded. He was all fucked up on drugs and shit, just rattling off all this crazy information. He was talking about structures on the moon. I mean, I talk about those things, too. So we were talking about moon structures, and Snake Eyes says, “I’ve seen footage! I’ve seen footage of it!” And I was like, “That’s good!”

The Bucket - Kings Of Leon:It seems impossible that Kings Of Leon were a really good band at one point but here's the proof.

Standing Next To Me - The Last Shadow Puppets: I'm a truther for Muse ripping off Knights Of Cydonia from The Age Of The Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets but that's a post for another time. This is a perfect song in my opinion. The absolute pace of it, the minimal drums that are just sort of accenting the strumming, the huge sweeping strings elevating the whole thing, the fact that it's over in just over two minutes. Incredible.

Jesus Just Left Chicago (live) - ZZ Top: Nobody believes me when I tell them but ZZ Top are very good. I have a fantasy about this song that ZZ Top were ringleaders of a sort of revival blues cult and this song is gospel to them. Jesus did really leave Chicago and he's heading towards California and we will be here waiting for him. You may not see him, but he sees you and he loves you. This and the La Grange recording are absolutely furious for live recordings, I love how much crowd noise there is in it throughout, they are truly fucking loving it.

La Grange (live) - ZZ Top: Especially here, my god they love it. La Grange is a good song because it's just a good riff and one verse of nonsense lyrics that are just an excuse to go the fuck off for the remainder. The huge drum fill and the 'have mercy everybody!!' is massive, the solos are ferocious, and somehow this song that feels like it could jam out for 15 minutes is reined in and tightly structured and has somewhat abrupt end.

Barracuda - Heart: Hey remember Guitar Hero? Cause I had ptsd flashbacks when this song came on during I, Tonya.

Bloodmeat - Protest The Hero: I don't know how exactly Protest The Hero pivoted from a concept album about a goddess(?) being executed(?) and bringing about a new genderless utopian age(?) to their second album opening with this very bicep emoji classic metal song about the mongol hordes slaughtering all who oppose them, but good for them I suppose.

Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise - Black Moth Super Rainbow: The drums in this song have no place being that huge. Black Moth Super Rainbow are good and I can't believe I hadn't listened to them in years until I woke up with this song in my head one morning, like an omen.

Been Drinkin' Water Out Of A Hollow Log - Mississippi Fred McDowell: Literalyl every Mississippi Fred McDowell song sounds exactly the same which is good because if it works why change it. In my understanding this song seems to be about a man dying of hunger and thirst on purpose to meet god, which is very good to me.

Listen here.

[asiatic-fashion-blog]

A Guide to Microphones and Good Microphone Strategy for the Novice Vocalist

If you are seeking to create the step up from a bedroom vocalist to singing in front of an audience you can at some stage must use a microphone. The objective of a microphone is always to choose up sound and convert it into an electrical signal. This really is then channelled via various audio gear ahead of eventually being emitted as a louder sound from a set of loudspeakers. Vocal microphones are often held in the hand or supported on a microphone stand but specific kinds are mounted on a head strap, that is ideal for vocalists who prefer to move or dance throughout their functionality. Vocal microphones are also accessible in wireless formats which once again enable the user to move about with no getting restricted by a wire.

Employing a microphone might seem pretty self explanatory, you sing into the prime plus the sound comes out of your speakers a little louder, but you will find particular microphone strategies that you must practise to ensure your voice is picked up and relayed in the ideal achievable way. To hold or not to hold - As mentioned above, most vocal microphones is going to be positioned on stage secured on a microphone stand. The benefit of a microphone stand is that it holds the microphone so you're able to use your hands for other activities which include playing instruments or dancing. The microphone clip that holds the microphone for the top rated on the stand also acts as a shock absorber guarding against unwanted movement and vibration emanating in the stage. So in case you choose you can leave the microphone secured on the stand and not must be concerned about holding it. Having said that many well-known vocalists such as Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury utilized the microphone as a prop with which to improve their performances so that is most likely to be some thing to attempt but only although bearing the following approaches in thoughts. Only ever hold the physique of the microphone and never around the grille which can muffle or distort your voice and may perhaps choose up the sounds generated by your hands. Also under no circumstances hold the microphone more than the best of the grille or point it directly at the speakers or stage monitors as this could result in feedback - the high pitched squealing sound on a regular basis heard at live music events Which component to sing into? - Most vocal microphones are what is identified as cardoid or unidirectional microphones which signifies their optimum pick up zone is around the front and to a lesser extent towards the side on the grille. The objective of this can be to minimize ambient sound being picked up, but should you do not sing into this optimum location, the volume of one's vocal will likely be reduced. As such constantly make an effort to sing straight into the major of your microphone as this can be by far the most sensitive and receptive aspect. Distance from mouth? - As you sing the volume and emphasis of your vocal will alter according to which element in the song you happen to be at, for instance you are probably to sing out far more throughout the chorus in comparison to the verse. You would like your audience to feel and have an understanding of the narrative and emotion from the song but ideally you do not wish to have significant differences in vocal volume from a single instant for the next as this will require the sound engineer (that tired looking guy sat behind a complicated hunting desk at the other end of your room - see the 'who's that tired hunting guy section beneath) to regularly adjust it. What you should do is understand to move your mouth slightly additional away from the microphone during the louder sections of one's song. The emotion and adjust in emphasis will nonetheless encounter towards the audience but as you enhance your microphone method there might be less of a contrast amongst the louder and quieter sections. Watch videos of one's favourite singer utilizing a microphone and try and emulate how they move the microphone based on the volume in the song. Who's that tired hunting guy sat behind the mixing desk? - When you are performing at a venue with an in-house PA method it truly is probably that that guy would be the sound engineer who will likely be mixing the sound and generating you vocally ideal. As such it is actually worthwhile getting good to this chap as he holds the crucial for your functionality. Go over your act and needs with all the sound engineer such as what you'd like to hear via your stage monitors, what effects you'd like applying for your voice and also the length of one's set. For those who have any queries concerning how best to use the microphone always strategy the sound engineer as they would rather you ask to iron out any troubles just before the gig starts.

Should I get my own microphone? - Once you first start singing to audiences it is probably you might do so at open mic nights or pub gigs. Such venues may have a PA technique currently in location for you to make use of which includes microphones, but bearing in mind that over the years there could have already been lots of other people today spraying the microphone in saliva, from a hygiene point of view you might want to take into consideration acquiring and utilizing your very own microphone. Supplying your own microphone also suggests you can be sure that it is actually outstanding condition and fully operational, even so should you do use your individual make sure that you simply do not forget it or let other performers use it unless you could make certain that it won't be damaged. By far probably the most common vocal microphone over time has been the Shure SM58 which is an market common piece of kit and supplies excellent sound excellent, is rugged, reliable and somewhat inexpensive. You will find on the other hand numerous varieties of top quality vocal microphone readily available out there by suppliers like Sennheiser, AKG and Audio-Technica. Discuss your requirements having a neighborhood music shop or PA employ copany and let them advise you on the finest microphone to match your budget and singing style. Find out more info microphone skype

[priyankafemaleadda-blog]

A Guide to Microphones and Good Microphone Approach for the Novice Vocalist

In the event you are looking to create the step up from a bedroom vocalist to singing in front of an audience you might at some stage have to use a microphone. The objective of a microphone should be to choose up sound and convert it into an electrical signal. This is then channelled by means of many different audio gear before ultimately getting emitted as a louder sound from a set of loudspeakers. Vocal microphones are usually held in the hand or supported on a microphone stand but specific varieties are mounted on a head strap, that is perfect for vocalists who like to move or dance in the course of their functionality. Vocal microphones are also readily available in wireless formats which again allow the user to move about without the need of becoming restricted by a wire.

Using a microphone may well appear relatively self explanatory, you sing in to the top along with the sound comes out in the speakers a bit louder, but you will find specific microphone procedures which you should really practise to make sure your voice is picked up and relayed inside the best doable way. To hold or not to hold - As pointed out above, most vocal microphones are going to be positioned on stage secured on a microphone stand. The advantage of a microphone stand is that it holds the microphone so that you are able to make use of your hands for other activities which include playing instruments or dancing. The microphone clip that holds the microphone to the leading in the stand also acts as a shock absorber safeguarding against unwanted movement and vibration emanating from the stage. So in case you prefer you can leave the microphone secured around the stand and not must be concerned about holding it. On the other hand many well-known vocalists which includes Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury utilised the microphone as a prop with which to enhance their performances so this really is most likely to be something to attempt but only while bearing the following techniques in mind. Only ever hold the body of your microphone and never ever about the grille which can muffle or distort your voice and may well choose up the sounds generated by your hands. Also under no circumstances hold the microphone over the top rated from the grille or point it straight at the speakers or stage monitors as this can lead to feedback - the higher pitched squealing sound frequently heard at live music events Which element to sing into? - Most vocal microphones are what's recognized as cardoid or unidirectional microphones which indicates their optimum pick up zone is about the front and to a lesser extent for the side on the grille. The purpose of that is to minimize ambient sound becoming picked up, but if you never sing into this optimum region, the volume of the vocal is going to be reduced. As such generally attempt to sing directly into the major from the microphone as this can be the most sensitive and receptive portion. Distance from mouth? - As you sing the volume and emphasis of your vocal will transform according to which element in the song you're at, for instance you will be most likely to sing out more throughout the chorus when compared with the verse. You need your audience to feel and realize the narrative and emotion with the song but ideally you don't wish to have substantial differences in vocal volume from one particular immediate to the next as this can require the sound engineer (that tired looking guy sat behind a difficult hunting desk at the other end of your room - see the 'who's that tired searching guy section beneath) to continually adjust it. What you must do is find out to move your mouth slightly further away in the microphone throughout the louder sections of the song. The emotion and transform in emphasis will nevertheless come across to the audience but as you enhance your microphone approach there is going to be significantly less of a contrast between the louder and quieter sections. Watch videos of one's favourite singer making use of a microphone and attempt to emulate how they move the microphone based on the volume of the song. Who's that tired searching guy sat behind the mixing desk? - In case you are performing at a venue with an in-house PA technique it's probably that that guy will be the sound engineer who will probably be mixing the sound and producing you vocally best. As such it truly is worthwhile being nice to this chap as he holds the key to your performance. Talk about your act and requirements with the sound engineer such as what you would like to hear through your stage monitors, what effects you would like applying for your voice and the length of your set. For those who have any concerns relating to how most effective to make use of the microphone always method the sound engineer as they would rather you ask to iron out any problems prior to the gig starts.

Must I get my personal microphone? - When you first get started singing to audiences it's likely you are going to do so at open mic nights or pub gigs. Such venues will have a PA technique currently in location for you to use like microphones, but bearing in mind that over the years there may well happen to be a lot of other people spraying the microphone in saliva, from a hygiene point of view you could possibly want to take into consideration buying and using your own personal microphone. Supplying your very own microphone also indicates it is possible to be sure that it can be outstanding condition and completely operational, nonetheless in case you do use your own make certain that you just never neglect it or let other performers use it unless you'll be able to make sure that it will not be damaged. By far one of the most well known vocal microphone over time has been the Shure SM58 which is an business typical piece of kit and provides superb sound high-quality, is rugged, trustworthy and comparatively low-cost. There are on the other hand many varieties of high quality vocal microphone offered in the marketplace by companies such as Sennheiser, AKG and Audio-Technica. Go over your requirements having a neighborhood music shop or PA hire copany and let them advise you around the best microphone to fit your price range and singing style. Uncover out far more info Microphone Professionel

[stationzer0-blog]

A Guide to Microphones and Good Microphone Strategy for the Novice Vocalist

If you are looking to make the step up from a bedroom vocalist to singing in front of an audience you may at some stage have to use a microphone. The goal of a microphone should be to pick up sound and convert it into an electrical signal. This really is then channelled via a range of audio equipment prior to ultimately getting emitted as a louder sound from a set of loudspeakers. Vocal microphones are usually held within the hand or supported on a microphone stand but certain forms are mounted on a head strap, which can be best for vocalists who prefer to move or dance through their overall performance. Vocal microphones are also out there in wireless formats which again allow the user to move around with out becoming restricted by a wire.

Utilizing a microphone may possibly appear relatively self explanatory, you sing in to the prime plus the sound comes out of the speakers a little louder, but you will find specific microphone methods which you should really practise to ensure your voice is picked up and relayed inside the very best feasible way. To hold or to not hold - As mentioned above, most vocal microphones are going to be positioned on stage secured on a microphone stand. The benefit of a microphone stand is the fact that it holds the microphone so you're able to use your hands for other activities including playing instruments or dancing. The microphone clip that holds the microphone towards the best of your stand also acts as a shock absorber safeguarding against undesirable movement and vibration emanating in the stage. So in case you favor you'll be able to leave the microphone secured on the stand and not need to be concerned about holding it. However lots of well-known vocalists such as Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury utilised the microphone as a prop with which to enhance their performances so this really is most likely to be anything to try but only even though bearing the following tactics in thoughts. Only ever hold the body of your microphone and under no circumstances about the grille which can muffle or distort your voice and could pick up the sounds generated by your hands. Also under no circumstances hold the microphone over the best on the grille or point it straight in the speakers or stage monitors as this can trigger feedback - the high pitched squealing sound on a regular basis heard at reside music events Which part to sing into? - Most vocal microphones are what is known as cardoid or unidirectional microphones which indicates their optimum pick up zone is around the front and to a lesser extent for the side of your grille. The goal of this really is to minimize ambient sound being picked up, but if you don't sing into this optimum region, the volume of the vocal are going to be reduced. As such usually attempt to sing directly in to the top rated with the microphone as this really is one of the most sensitive and receptive aspect. Distance from mouth? - As you sing the volume and emphasis of one's vocal will adjust according to which component with the song you might be at, for example you are probably to sing out additional through the chorus when compared with the verse. You need your audience to feel and understand the narrative and emotion with the song but ideally you don't wish to have substantial differences in vocal volume from one immediate towards the next as this can call for the sound engineer (that tired looking guy sat behind a complex searching desk in the other end of your area - see the 'who's that tired hunting guy section below) to continually adjust it. What you should do is understand to move your mouth slightly additional away from the microphone throughout the louder sections of one's song. The emotion and change in emphasis will nevertheless encounter to the audience but as you enhance your microphone strategy there will probably be less of a contrast between the louder and quieter sections. Watch videos of one's favourite singer employing a microphone and make an effort to emulate how they move the microphone according to the volume in the song. Who's that tired searching guy sat behind the mixing desk? - If you are performing at a venue with an in-house PA technique it can be likely that that guy is the sound engineer who is going to be mixing the sound and producing you vocally perfect. As such it can be worthwhile being good to this chap as he holds the important for your efficiency. Go over your act and requirements together with the sound engineer like what you'd prefer to hear via your stage monitors, what effects you'd like applying to your voice as well as the length of your set. Should you have any questions relating to how ideal to utilize the microphone normally strategy the sound engineer as they would rather you ask to iron out any concerns just before the gig begins.

Ought to I get my own microphone? - If you first start off singing to audiences it is most likely you are going to do so at open mic nights or pub gigs. Such venues may have a PA method currently in location for you to work with such as microphones, but bearing in thoughts that over time there may well have been quite a few other folks spraying the microphone in saliva, from a hygiene point of view you might wish to take into consideration getting and using your very own microphone. Supplying your personal microphone also suggests you'll be able to be certain that it is fantastic condition and fully operational, even so in the event you do use your very own be sure that you don't overlook it or let other performers use it unless it is possible to make sure that it will not be damaged. By far the most well-liked vocal microphone over time has been the Shure SM58 which is an sector regular piece of kit and supplies superb sound high quality, is rugged, reputable and fairly low-priced. There are actually however numerous varieties of premium quality vocal microphone available on the market by suppliers including Sennheiser, AKG and Audio-Technica. Talk about your requirements using a neighborhood music shop or PA hire copany and let them advise you around the greatest microphone to match your budget and singing style. Obtain out more info Micro Condensateur

[trevorbailey61]

Susanne Sundfør

Glee Club, Birmingham

Wednesday 14th March 2018

The stage had been erected along one side of the main square in the northern Spanish city of A Coruna. It was still early afternoon but clouds obscured the summer sun and a light drizzle filled the air. A barrier sealed off the area around the stage but neither this, nor the weather, deterred a group of about fifty who had gathered as close as they could to secure the best place for the show that they would still have to wait several hours to see. Their patience was soon rewarded, however, as various members of the band started to saunter out onto the stage, pick up their instruments and begin their soundcheck. Every bang of a drum, strummed chord or snatch of a melody was greeted with loud cheers from this dedicated group, carried over the gap from where they were held so that the musicians smiled and waved in response. A group of backing singers sang into hand held mics but the star himself did not appear, a stand-in took his place so that his entrance later would retain its spectacle. And spectacle it was, as darkness descended, the crowd had grown to fill the square and bright lights picked out the figures as those backing singers now added their voices in tightly choreographed moves always close to the main man. Even though we couldn’t even begin to guess what his songs were about, there was no doubting his stage presence as he reached out to the furthest parts of the vast crowd. They responded to every verse, every chorus, every movement with wild cheers; sang along to every song and took selfies to remind themselves and others that they were there. Whoever this guy was, in one Spanish city at least, he was huge.

Who he was: before wandering into the square that afternoon, I wouldn’t have had a clue and despite being carried along by the enthusiasm of those around me and the show itself, seven months later I can no longer recall his name. The few parts of his biography that remain tell me that although based in Spain, he was originally from Argentina and that his long career had occasionally brought him into contact with artists I have some familiarity with. Outside of that, however, he had written songs, recorded albums and toured without making the slightest ripple outside of those who share the same first language. With a huge potential global audience of Spanish speakers, it may appear that this would be enough but periodic albums where he sings in English suggest that he has tried to broaden this appeal. That these have been met with indifference is a sign of how difficult it is to translate success from one audience to another and as an artist well into his forties, it seems as if he will have to remain content with the passionate Spanish fans who filled the square in A Coruna.

Susan Sundfør is very popular in Norway. Classically trained, she has a keen ear for a range of musical styles that she puts together to produce a sound that is very much her own. Her albums show shifts in form and style to produce wonderfully varied music with just her extraordinary voice to show that they all originated from the same source. Despite continually wrong footing her audience, she has had four number 1 albums in her homeland and has a loyal and devoted following. Like many from the northernmost parts of Europe, she writes and records in English which means that, unlike our Spanish friend, she doesn’t have to balance interesting native speakers with broadening her appeal. Her previous album, “Ten Love Songs” looked as if it would provide the breakthrough; an unexpected leap from her folksy routes, it was her disco album; electronic beats, layers of synths and joyous uplifting melodies that helped to disguise the failed relationships and emotional turmoil found in the words. It was certainly interesting and at times exhilarating but possibly a little knowing in its adoption of the bittersweet norms of Scandi pop. In writing all the songs, playing most of the music and producing the album, Sundfør piled the pressure on herself and at a time she should have been taking the music out to the audience she sought, suffered a nervous breakdown. Whilst this could be seen as a missed opportunity, she could at least draw on the depths into which she fell to make another musical leap to produce the stark and brooding “Music for People in Trouble”, most of which she will perform tonight.

As she tells us, this is her first visit to Birmingham which means that I am probably alone amongst those at the Glee Club in that I have seen her before. This was about three years ago at Latitude, one of the few UK shows she did to promote “Ten Love Songs” and dressed in bright colours and with glitter on her cheeks, she was very much the glam pop princess. In contrast, tonight sees her all in black, an oversize pinstripe jacket covers her dress and she will occasionally wrap herself up by folding her arms and pulling the lapels across her chest; a little insecurity perhaps finding its way into the confidence with which she presents herself. So assured is her English, there is just the slightest hint of an accent, it is a surprise when she slips into her first language to explain some slight adjustments she wants in the sound. She feels the songs can speak for themselves and rather than explain their origin, between them she lightens the mood by reflecting on their recent travels and asking for advice on what to do during the morning they are to spend in Birmingham. When no one in the audience can come up with anything she chides us that we should show more pride in where we live. She does, however, pick up a little Brummie and repeats the words “alroight bab” after they were suggested as an example of the local dialect. Well into her tour now, the atmosphere is relaxed and easy going drawing us in to the sparse and sometimes harrowing songs she is here to perform.

The tone is set with the opener, “Mantra”. Seated, Sundfør accompanies herself on an acoustic guitar, often picking out just single note rather than putting them together to form a chord. Alongside the fearsome power and startling range of her voice, this minimal setting works to such a haunting effect that there is a moment of silence as the last few notes reverberate around the room where the audience take a moment to fully process what they have just heard. Throughout this, the two musicians with whom she shares the stage stare at the keyboards in front of them before adding a few embellishments towards the end. The set rarely strays from this understated sound and as Sundfør seems more than capable of adding the guitar or piano accompaniments, it is tempting to wonder whether she really needed anyone on the stage with her. They do, however, allow her to occasionally add her vocals without also having to accompany herself and provide strings or solos on the flute or bass clarinet as a counter to the devastating vocals. “Mantra” slowly reveals itself, sounding almost optimistic at the start where it is possible to bask in a bright summer’s evening as she sings; “I’m as lucky as the moon: On a starry night in June”. The shift in attention from the imposing disk of the moon to the heavens beyond, however, releases the self doubt that is the main feature of her recent work; “I’m as empty as the Earth; An insignificant birth”.

Whilst gorgeous melodies and lush orchestrations of “Ten Love Songs” helped to disguise the pain in the words, and also invited comparisons with Abba, now, with a greater prominence given to her voice, there is little to sugar coat the message. This painful soul searching is reminiscent of John Grant, a comparison given greater sway as he adds his vocals to the final track on “Music for People in Trouble”. Like Grant, much of Sundfor’s self worth is determined by the actions of others towards her and when they let her down, as inevitably they will, she directs the pain inwards and towards her own frailties. “Undercover” takes a cynical view of the motives of the other; “Don’t trust the ones who love you; Cause if you love them back; They’ll always disappoint you; It’s just a matter of fact” into a fantasy where; “We could live our dreams; we'd sail on golden wings”; the piano accompaniment moving from the minor chords of the reality to the uplifting melody of the fantasy. In just three verses, the slow and haunting “Good Luck, Bad Luck” brutally dissects the superficiality of a former lover; “Freeloader wisdom from the books he never read”. Coming from her excursions into the world’s trouble spots, during her recent sabbatical she visited North Korea and the Amazon rainforest, “The Sound of War” is a stirring description of the bleak landscape left after the killing has finished. Similar in tone to PJ Harvey’s “The Hope Demolition Project”, Sundfør’s clear and ghostly voice perfectly captures the horror of the scene. Possibly the starkest expression of the place in which she finds herself is the crushing “No One Believes in Love Anymore”, performed as the first of two encores. Against the backdrop of a delightful melody, played to stunning effect on the flute, Sundfør finally confronts her inner demons which, in turn, by the end of the song allows her to find some hope as she returns to the moonlit scene of the opening song; “Looking up at the Moon, up at the Moon; We’ll all get there soon, looking up at the Moon”. The theme is developed further in the up tempo “Reincarnation” where she finds the sprit within herself to move on.

“Ten Love Songs” is not ignored completely but the two songs that she draws on, “Silencer” and the final encore “Trust Me”, are those that can be stripped back to the same stark setting. “Trust Me” in particular emerges all the better without the waves of synthesised strings in the background. Her earlier work, however, is a better fit and “Can You Feel the Thunder” and “White Foxes” need little reimagining to find a home. It is one of her earliest songs, however, in “Walls” that has been rearranged most brutally. Accompanying herself at the piano, she has stripped away the rather predictable chords changes and flourishes she originally used to create something far more interesting.

Sometimes musicians need a sudden shift to help define their career and Sundfør has already been through many. The synthesised Abba pop of “Ten Love Songs” was fun but she possibly felt that the spectacle was a distraction fro the songwriting and in taking it all back to its basics, the focus is very much on the songs. They are more than capable of holding the interest without all the embellishments and show a raw emotional heart that can be quite painful. Despite the dark nature of much of the music, the uplifting melodies and her own humour helped to make for an inspiring evening. Tweeting after the concert, one person noted that the music would not seem out of place at Symphony Hall and whilst it is possible to see what he is getting at, it would then have lost much of both its intensity and intimacy, something that helped to make the evening so special. The breakthrough to play a venue that size is probably still some way off although the nearly full Glee Club showed that, unlike our Spanish friend, she is developing a large audience outside her homeland. It will be interesting to see whether her next step will be back to easily accessible pop or something as raw and emotional as where she currently finds herself.

[londontheatre]

Lucian Msamati as Antonio Salieri and Adam Gillen as Wolfang Mozart in Amadeus at the National Theatre – Photo by Marc Brenner

Musicians these days, eh? High quality, ultra-talented exponents of their art can no longer – on the National Theatre’s Olivier stage anyway – be content with sitting comfortably on chairs in classic orchestral formation with nothing but a wayward sheet of music to disturb their concentration and composure.

Here though, in the guise of the Southbank Sinfonia in this wonderful production of Amadeus, they are a major part of the action throughout the show. Director Michael Longhurst demands that they stand and deliver, squat and crouch, stretch and sway, move and freeze, creep and crawl and scramble and wave their instruments around like demented orchestral banshees. If you’re a violinist you may well have to lie on your back and fiddle for Vienna; if you’re a percussionist then your timps are likely to float around the stage like whimsical wheelie-drums whilst you follow with your sticks.

Thus a magically sumptuous soundscape is created, a neutral black backdrop to all the frenetic and colourful action and the delineation of the demonic, shadowy, musical figures that leap around the tortured recesses of the mind of Antonio Salieri.

In the cavernous Olivier auditorium, it takes a special talent – in my experience – to get all the sound – dialogue, music and effects – just right. Here we have speech over live music with the economical use of radio mikes, we have crescendo-enhanced punctuation marks at important moments in the narrative and we have the pure diamond-encrusted resonance of Mozart’s music permeating the space and enthralling the audience. In Sound Designer Paul Arditti therefore, Longhurst is fortunate enough to have been able to unleash his own jewel on the proceedings.

Arditti gets the acoustics, feels the rhythm and identifies the vibe. The show depends on natural, balanced sound and Arditti delivers: Amadeus is a beautiful play, Longhurst’s is a consummate production and Arditti’s input elevates it to greatness.

Amadeus at the National Theatre – Photo by Marc Brenner

With all this in place, Longhurst can allow his actors to explore the text in depth and push writer Peter Shaffer’s ideas to the limits. The play is about jealousy, artistic jealousy, and like all tales of jealousy it doesn’t end well. Salieri knows that there is not one single note of Mozart’s music that he, Salieri, could aspire to compose. It eats at him. It eats at his art, his creativity, his mind and, ultimately, his soul. It destroys him, inwardly, far more effectively than his own pathetic attempts to destroy Mozart. Yes, so he can obstruct Mozart’s preferment in court, he can ensure that his operas don’t get the recognition they deserve and he can manipulate the minimal patronage that Mozart enjoys so that his money dries up. He can do all this but he cannot vitiate genius and thus he dies an embittered and broken man. Shaffer, the master craftsman of epic theatre (The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964) and Equus (1973) also premiered, like Amadeus (1979), at the National) came to his subject via Puskin’s verse play (1830) and Rimsy-Korsakov’s opera Mozart and Salieri (1897) but it’s his exploration of the soul, of Salieri’s deep-seated loathing of himself and his strident anger with God that marks this play as a work of theatrical genius. It grips us, it moves us, it demands that we question our own motives and it asks us to pay homage to a tortured genius whilst reviling Salieri’s tortured mediocrity.

Longhurst is aided and abetted in his quest for theatrical perfection by extraordinary performances from the cast. Shaffer’s Venticelli, the mini-chorus-cum-narrators of the piece lurch from strident authority to whispering gossip – a delicious counterpoint-duet by Sarah Amankwah and Ekow Quartey. Edgy and down-to-earth Constanze – Mozart’s wife – is astutely played by Adelle Leonce whilst Fleur de Bray dazzles with her trills and mesmerises with her arpeggios as soprano Katherina Cavalieri. There is an array of Court caricatures with Alexandra Mathie, Hugh Sachs, Christopher Godwin and Andrew Macbean leading the way with deadpan throwaways and exaggerated disapprobation. And these are led by slightly dopey, slightly dotty, slightly disingenuous Joseph II – played with succulent sparkle by Matthew Spencer.

But, of course, it’s the rivalry, the tension, the sheer unvarnished venom of Salieri’s relationship with Mozart that takes the show to the rarified heights of perfect drama. Adam Gillen, as Mozart, is a Saint Vitus dance of a personality: a snot-nosed, potty-mouthed, offence-prone, devil-may-care aficionado of the inappropriate remark and awkward wisecrack. His tourette’s-littered speech is matched by his knee-jerk physicality and when conducting his music he displays all the frantically frenetic movement one might see in the death throes of an octopus. Gillen is outstanding and he repels us and gets us in equal measure: a pathological genius tinged with pathos – an extraordinary performance.

His nemesis, Salieri, is played with passion and unscrupulous cunning and no little humour by Lucian Msamati. Gripped by the green-eyed monster he can’t get the monkey off his back so he follows the instincts of the predator, the underhand, Janus-faced malefactor, wreaking his own personal variety of ruination. On first hearing, he loves Mozart’s music but is angry that he’s not the genius; he praises God but is angry that God hasn’t chosen him; he has wealth and fame but is angry that he is unable to enjoy it. Msamati is in his element here and he gets the audience in the palm of his treacherous and unsavoury hand; his skill, though, is to come across as vaguely lovable without us ever warming to him, let alone loving him.

Shaffer crafted a masterpiece (a term I do not use lightly) and this company not only brings it to illuminating life but finds in it elements that heretofore have not been exposed to the light. Shaffer passed on in 2016 and I have a celestial vision of him bumping into a grateful Mozart in the Harmony bar above the clouds: they chat and joke and discuss and dissect and compare notes enjoying each other’s agreeable company. Occasionally though, they look up and shoot pitying glances across the room to a silent Salieri, sitting alone, simmering, seething and shunned by all. It’s a kind of poetic justice, the kind of poetic justice that sees the genius of Mozart revered whilst Salieri is the forgotten man. Except, that is, when Amadeus is performed.

Review by Peter Yates

Vienna: the music capital of the world. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy, arrives determined to make a splash. Awestruck by his genius, court composer Antonio Salieri has the power to promote his talent or destroy it. Seized by obsessive jealousy he begins a war with Mozart, with music and, ultimately, with God.

Amadeus features live orchestral accompaniment by Southbank Sinfonia with Adam Gillen and Lucian Msamati reprising their roles of Mozart and Salieri. Cast also includes Sarah Amankwah, Fleur de Bray, Wendy Dawn Thompson, Carleen Ebbs, Nicholas Gerard-Martin, Christopher Godwin, Matthew Hargreaves, Carla Harrison-Hodge, Adelle Leonce, Michael Lyle, Andrew Macbean, Alexandra Mathie, Eamonn Mulhall, Ekow Quartey, Hugh Sachs, Matthew Spencer, Everal A Walsh and Peter Willcock.

Amadeus is directed by Michael Longhurst with design by Chloe Lamford, music direction and additional music by Simon Slater, choreography by Imogen Knight, lighting design by Jon Clark and sound design by Paul Arditti.

Amadeus is produced in association with Southbank Sinfonia, and supported by the Amadeus production syndicate.

Review of Mozart & Salieri at The Phoenix Artists Club

Amadeus by Peter Shaffer Running Time: 3 hours including interval https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/

http://ift.tt/2EXaBoi London Theatre 1

[kashforgold]

My Top Tracks of 2016

So after months of struggle and conflict, I have conceded that I need to just settle on a list of tracks that I thought banged. This is it:

(visuals courtesy of my fly photoshopping skills)

Before I elaborate on this list, you need to know I have tried to limit this list. Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes talking to me will know that I am obsessed with Our Lord and Saviour, Yeezus. If you’ve managed to guide the convo away from Kanye, I probably will mention that I am an ardent follower of Lord West’s disciple, The Rapper of Chance. And if you’ve gotten to know me really very well… Frank Ocean will have definitely popped up on the playlist.

In this list, I have imposed rules:

1. No Kanye West

2. No Chance The Rapper

3. No Frank Ocean

4. Avoid the glaringly obvious…

This final rule means I have had to take out a few tracks that have defined 2016 (Work, Black Beatles…), but I have included a few big hits I feel aren’t given the critical acclaim they deserve. Now I’m cutting the crap and starting from the bottom…

Level 5

James Blake - Noise Above Our Heads

I will happily tell you that I don’t know what James is singing about. The lyrics confuse me and parts are distorted to the point of being indistinguishable from noise… but good lord it is a powerful noise. I don’t need to know what James is singing because I feel it in his voice, I feel it in his instruments, I feel it in the layers and the distortions. This track creates longing, a melancholy hope, an unsatisfying acceptance. James Blake creates environments around his songs that push you not just to listen, but to feel, and this track is loaded with them feels.

Disclosure - Boss

I’m thinking back to Electronic music before Disclosure and I don’t remember it being this clinical and precise. Disclosure are clinical and precise, but they got just enough Funky for this Beat Junky. Firstly, that bassline rolling over throughout the track has some direct link to my arse. My movements once it starts are involuntary. I can try my hardest, but there will always be a little grind in my waistline when this drops.

Kodak Black & French Montana - Lockjaw

So who knew that excessive MDMA usage can cause your jaw to lock? What if I told you that in various ‘hoods’ pants aren’t worn low for style, they simply sagging under the weight of weaponry… Kodak Black and French Montana are depicting these 2nd World Problems in relatable scenarios, and with one of the smoothest flows I’ve heard all year. Kodak has had a solid year with killer flows, and on this track he flows in and out, around, inside, outside and all through Montana’s bars. They blend together the way you wish your Stir-Fry Noodles and Vegetables would.

Katy B x Chris Lorenzo - I Wanna Be

Apparently, this beat has been floating about in Lorenzo’s sets for a while. I can understand why. It hovers in that period just before dawn. You don’t want the night to end, but this would be the perfect conclusion. You don’t want the comedown, but this is the soft pillow you want cushioning you as you float back: sleepy and uplifting. There aren’t many scenarios where this song would feel right to me, but when it does, I know it will be magical.

Mist - Karlas Back

I saw a tweet that summarised this dude’s situation perfectly. It was something along the lines of “The only person from Birmingham allowed to speak is Mist”. All Brummies struggle in life with their misfortune of an accent, but this guy BANGS. Grime is dominated by Roadmen from LDN, so its refreshing to hear an exotic accent (yes, I did just call the Brummie accent exotic).

Danny Brown - When It Rain

Danny Brown sounds over the top and completely bonkers, so it makes sense for him to rap “When it rain, it pours”. Brown’s showing how extreme the world he knows is. Bullets are not raining, they’re pouring… This isn’t another rapper glorifying the violence he grew up in, nor is he looking back at it having escaped. Danny Brown shows you how this life be straight from the hectic streets! He ain’t slowing or dumbing it down for you. Danny’s out of his mind, and this shit is real.

Level 4

MØ - Final Song

This ain't as funky as Kamikaze, or as cool a song as Kamikaze. But it still gives me an energetic joy. It’s gotta be MØ’s quirky voice, or the odd emphasis she puts in at unorthodox points in words. but whatever it is, this song is trash and awesome.

Kungs vs Some guy and some other Bollocks - This Girl

The more you analyse it, you find a number of elements plucked straight from the catchiest tracks of recent years: a guitar riff lifted out of Get Lucky, trumpets that wouldn’t sound out place with Omi, a chopped up and screwed vocal in the bridge/chorus. There are probably more, but this is too vibey to even care. If a track makes you feel too glorious to analyse, its doing something right.

PARTYNEXTDOOR - Come And See Me

A song about one-sided casual relationships. PND gets some sassy lines in (”talkin lot about ‘we’, Oh you speak French now”), but this light bravado depicts him more as the antagonist. This whole song makes us empathise with his ‘victim’. PND and Drake make weak arguments for their case, but their ‘cold’ front is made weak and brittle. This track is a soft light on the fragile facade of heterosexual masculinity. 

Solange ft Lil Wayne - Mad

The Angry Black Woman is being asked why she always gotta be so mad. This song isn’t complex at all. It’s as though, not only is Solange explaining that there is a lot for her to be mad about, but she’s dumbing it down for us sheep. The double standards and discrimination are clear in society if you know where to look, and Lil Wayne offers some examples. But Solange keeps this track very maternal, and it gets more comforting with every listen. It’s a protest song that is aware that anger and proactivity achieve nada. The revolution is gonna be patient and will delicately empower us to pick apart the lies.

Giggs ft Donaeo - Lock Doh

Giggs is barely even rapping here. A few carefully selected words, couple tings name-checked, a raw minimal beat, and Donaeo on the hook: somebody make some mash cos this looks like the recipe for a Banger!

Level 3

D.R.A.M. & Lil Yachty - Broccoli

Back in 2015, D.R.A.M gained a cult following. Hotline Bling was one of the best tracks of 2015, but I feel Cha Cha set the tone that Drake polished off. Many other artists have fallen away having gained an initial boost with a Drizzy connection. D.R.A.M looked like he was to follow this path. He was too weird, his great musical ideas to few and far between, and just seemed a bit too off-centre… *In walks Lil Yachty*. The kids love him and I appreciate the boyish immaturity he raps with. The Broccoli beat perfectly complements this boyish immaturity. Lil Yachty stole this track and looks set to get bigger, but hopefully not better.

Lil Uzi Vert & Future - Too Much Sauce

Lil Uzi Vert is another artist riding this new wave in Hip Hop with Yachty, and the aforementioned Kodak. His voice is a little whinier (in a good way) than your average rapper, and this track again is the springboard shooting Lil Uzi and his style up the wave. Despite Lil Uzi’s efforts, Future is the star of the track. Future is the blueprint of contemporary Hip Hop! His sound is all over this. Every other big track this year can be classed ‘Inspired by Future’. Every other rapper in this new wave is Future’s child. And my favourite word of 2016, is #Sauce.

Mura Masa - What If I Go

I love Mura Mama’s production and on this track he smashes it. It’s twinkly and swirly in the verses and the instrumental after the drop has just enough weight of bass. There’s an enduring sweetness that carries through the whole track. It’s like a Vienesse Whirl.

Alicia Keys - In Common

In Common keeps the rasp and Polish I expect from Keys’ brand of polished R'n'B, but mixes the flavours a little. Some genius in a studio polished off some slightly tribal drum beats which have no right to sound this smooth. This isn’t a normal beat, and this Alicia isn’t singing a conventional song. She is embodying the wooing process of today. She’s breathlessly nervous during the flirtatious part, then she sounds strained and stuck between options when she tells me that we have way too much in common. And then she’s announcing with certainty that I’m messed up too. And still I have no idea whether I’m in or not…

Level 2

Skream - You Know Right

I was on the M3 stuck in the 50mph zone when I caught this, mid-track, on Radio 1. It intrigued me, so I stayed. It was building up to something and it felt like forever. Still in the 50 zone, and still the track was building. The end of the limit was ahead, and the track switched up. It had to be turnt up. I was getting turnt up. I was at the end... I'd made it... but what do I do now? The song silenced to offer me a moment to think. Man, machine, and music were in a magical moment of synchronisation. BOOM! 

This track is everything great in British Electronic music. Elements of house, trance, dnb, two-step, garage. To fully appreciate these, you need to listen to the full-length version. It's a prime example of escalation. It's a demonstration of how the same beat, with the right escalation can switch from hard, to melt your face gassy

Yuna ft Usher - Crush

Instead of the awkward, terrifying, uncomfortable trainwreck I went through, I wish my first crush was more like this. Pure, innocent, untroubled. A little coy, with destiny guiding you where you needed to be. This track feels like its been touched by destiny. Every stage of the song seamlessly flows and blends. Usher and Yuna seem to be able to feel each other’s vocals and glide through this 4 mins making you wish it would never end.

Drake - Fake Love

Drake is the zeitgeist of 2016. He was on your radio, your phone, your fake news, your memes. But people still don’t understand that Views is probably his weakest album! The only track Drake dropped in 2016 that would make it onto his greatest hits (due 2018), is Fake Love. Some of Drizzy’s best work comes from his throwaways: Club Paradise, We Made It, Ransom, Draft Day, Hotline Bling, Dreams Money Can’t Buy, 9am in Dallas, 5am in Toronto... I could go on. IYRTITL was a mixtape of experiments that became one of his most critically acclaimed bodies of work. 

Drake is at his best when he’s experimenting, switching things up, venting. Fake Love is just this. He sliced up the tropical dancehall vibe he popularised w/ Rihanna, switched his style to mimic young Tory Lanez, and sprinkled a little of Hotline Bling’s Cha Cha magic. It shouldn’t work as well as it does, but there’s no point complaining because Drizzy is gonna keep dropping the catchiest bangers.

Level 1

Flume - Never Be Like You

I’ve not liked Flume for a while. It stemmed from an early disliking of some his remixes. Not my cup of tea. And I’ve swerved around this teacup since, but then I heard Never Be Like You. Turns out this Flume kid can create audio magic.

Contrary to all the OTT maximalist stuff I associate with Flume, this sounds like its being forcibly restrained. There's an angst being held back, with twinkly hope popping through in sweet bursts. It's disjointed with silent patches specifically placed to enhance the overarching rise and fall. This wave is coursing throughout the whole track, constantly gathering momentum until the end when your ears yearn for it to crash, that never comes. This is an exhilarating, breathtaking journey that exhausts you, but never truly ends, no matter how many times you try to find one.

Beyonce - Hold Up

The reason I had to allow Beyonce in this list is because everyone else would have you believe Formation should be up here. They are mistaken.

Look at the origins of this track. Ezra Koenig tweeted “hold up... they dont love you like i love you”. This already sounds like it could’ve been Vampire Weekend’s most profound song ever. Then Diplo, the most influential producer this decade, gets Ezra into a studio and they create a demo converting this tweet into the shell of a masterpiece. *In walks Queen B*

Ezra probably repeated the ‘They don’t love you like I love you” for rhythmic purposes. Beyonce, with the torturous relationship of Lemonade, flipped the spine of the song. First, its ‘Hold Up, please don't hurt me like this’ and then its ‘Slow Down, you ain’t never gonna get better than me’. Each line has its own angle on the revelation of this infidelity. There’s a feminist strength in this song and Bey’s delivery adds an independent defiance. The beat carries a bumptious swagger to gloss over the delicious rage Bey is ready to ‘fuck her up a bitch’ with.

The reason this tops the list is unexplainable. The instrumental is on sitcom level of comical. On any other beat, this song would be nothing special. But they combine gloriously. Beyonce’s sweet, sharp Jam is so much more fulfilling with Diplo’s salty, gloopy Peanut Butter. It's another one of this universe’s mysteries as to why this piece combines so well together, but Diplo has a knack for this, and Bey’s gonna slay regardless.