#like the lyrics the vocals the instrumentals the sax solo?

[dustedmagazine]

Dusted Mid-Year 2024, Part II (Lumpeks to Z-Ro)

Rosali

Part two of our mid-year round-up provides a second perspective on albums that at least one Dusted writer loved.  Here we cover the second half, alphabetically by artist, with entries from Lumpeks to Z-Ro. 

If you missed Part I, check it out here. 

Lumpeks — Polonez (Umlaut)

Who nominated it? Bill Meyer

Did we review it? No

Ian Mathers’ take:

I’m honestly not familiar enough with either jazz or traditional Polish dance music to be able to spot or articular exactly where this intriguing and very enjoyable fusion of the two has joined them. There’s a similar feel to other acts I’ve heard that both clearly deeply respect the traditional music they draw on and are unafraid to put their own spin on that source material (both Xylouris White and Black Ox Orkestar came to mind), and as with those other cases the results on Polonez could equally be ancient or brand new. That the quartet’s main instrumentation (which also includes Louis Laurain on cornet, Pierre Borel on alto sax, and Sébastien Belief on double bass) includes steady, deep frame drumming (using a local variation called a bębenek obręczowy) from Olga Koziel (who also sings) gives it plenty of distinct character. And the mostly French group cares enough about actually understanding and respecting that traditional Polish music they made a short documentary about the field research that went into making Polonez. There’s an energetic, joyous swing to both the jazz and folk sides of Lumpeks’ music that makes the result much more than just an academic curiosity.

Mdou Moctar — Funeral for Justice (Matador)

Who nominated it? Jennifer Kelly

Did we review it? No, but we did a Listening Post. In the intro, Jennifer Kelly wrote, “The new record is as sharp and impassioned as any Moctar and his band have done so far, and it is inflamed with political energy.”

Andrew Forell’s take:

Mdou Moctar is an extraordinary guitarist and must be incredible in a live setting. The rhythms, the vocal back and forth and the moments Mochtar sprays power chords and shards of riffs that explode like bombs are all great. You feel his rage and frustration even when you don’t understand the lyrics. But the super intricate, high-speed soloing, whilst impressive, had the same effect on me as listening to electric blues-rock. I’m caught between the passion of the band, the eloquence of their anti-colonialist, pro-African politics, and the technically brilliant guitar noodling. The title track is a fantastic meld and it’s hard not be carried along but I really prefer the slower tracks, particularly “Takoba” and “Imajighen”, which lope along behind the drums while the bass darts around between entwined guitar lines and call and response vocals. Funeral for Justice is an album I admired and enjoyed hearing but, for me, the pyrotechnics get in the way.

Jessica Moss – For UNRWA (self-released)

Who picked it?  Ian Mathers

Did we review it?  Yes, Ian said, “sorrow and elegy and rage and strength all course throughout the piece.”

Bryon’s take:

This is a beautiful album born from an ugly situation.  Violinist Jessica Moss released this Bandcamp-only album to raise money for the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) after nation states halted funding when it was erroneously thought a few of its members were aligned with Hamas.  It’s a 42-minute suite of violin, electronics, and vocals that Moss captured at a live set in Berlin.  As someone who hasn’t had the pleasure of investigating her solo work but is enamored with her contributions to Silver Mt. Zion and other bands, I find this album to be an effective port of entry.  It swells with all the emotions that Ian describes in his review, unfurling with a beauty and grace that at times evokes stillness and at others exudes passionate fervor.  Based on this piece alone, I’ve decided that I need more of Moss’ music in my life.    

NYSSA — Shake Me Where I’m Foolish (Six Shooter)

Who nominated it? Alex Johnson

Did we review it? No.

Jennifer Kelly’s take:

NYSSA gets its kick from the charisma of the eponymous front woman, a wailing, belting, crooning dynamo, whose delivery is part punk, part roots rock, part blues and part adrenalized, corruscating confession. NYSSA’s first album, Girls Like Me, was long-listed for the 2021 Polaris Prize. This follow-up is less synthy and more rock, fleshed out by a ripping band. It’s larger in every way, from the stomping, vibrato-laced rager, “Werewolf,” to the torchy, piano-bar introspection of “Blessed Turn.” “I’m good for nothing but the hell I raise,” NYSSA intimates on the rollicking “Hell I Raise,” but she’s wrong. She’s good at lots of things.

Rosali – Bite Down (Merge)

Who picked it? Jennifer Kelly

Did we review it? Yes. Christian Carey wrote: “Rocking out is on the menu” and “the connections between pleasure and pain seem to coalesce in Rosali’s work.”

Alex Johnson’s take:

It’s a ferocious album, but intimate too. I hear a lot of Christine McVie in Rosali’s vocal. The way her delivery of “I want to feel right at the end of the day/I’m letting things come as they may” on “Rewind” contains warmth and sadness and joy and a sense of power in powerlessness that’s somewhere between cynicism and hope. It’s right out of Rumors. There’s some Fleetwood Mac in the groove of the title track too. But the spaciousness and spontaneity that Rosali and Mowed Sound capture remind me more often of the Oldham family — Will, Ned, et al. — from the raucous and inviting Viva Last Blues of “My Kind” to the clanging Anomoanon-ish country rock of “Hopeless.” 

This is music that not only lets you in but keeps you there. Like how the primordial bass drum in “May It Always Be on Offer” both grounds the rhythm and carves out a space you can practically sit in. The charismatic draw of Bite Down, though, is the guitar work. There’s so much texture and dimension in, say, the fraught duet that rips through “Change is in the Form” or the gravelly solo patched under the strings of “Slow Pain,” echoing the toughness of “maybe I’m just used to it/maybe I don’t give a shit.” With their various yelps and rumbles, the guitar tones that run through “Hills on Fire” don’t so much create the atmosphere as define it, adding a palpable, tectonic heat to the song’s otherwise easy daze.

Bite Down is a big, organic album, full of sensations — heard, articulated, and felt. Someone yells “act natural” as “My Kind” gets revved up — I’m surprised the band needed a reminder.

Thou — Umbilical (Sacred Bones)

Who nominated it? Jonathan Shaw

Did we review it? Yes, Jonathan wrote, “If we set aside Umbilical’s thorny thematics, we still have a superlative metal record, loud, as aggressive as it is palpably aggravated.”

Andrew Forell’s take:

At the end of his typically on point review of Umbilical, Dusted’s Jonathan Shaw pondered whether Thou singer Brian Funck might agree with his assertion that “pleasure isn’t what we need most from culture right now” and asked, “Should we listen to him?”. On the first point, there’s not much pleasure evident on Thou’s new album, which perversely or not appears to be this half year’s metal album de jour with even The Guardian unguarded in its praise. And yes, there are so many reasons right now when pleasure seems futile in the face of No Future. To the second point, a definite yes! Once you acclimatize to Funck’s voice, a dyspeptic shredder of a thing which renders his lyrics nigh indecipherable, the wall of sound coming at you is a caustic bath for the ears. The drums and bass a thumping foundry shaking and burning whilst the guitars surround you like a swarm of rusting chainsaws. Amidst this maelstrom, Funck screams as if his spleen is about to join his word splatter. Now, that’s a t-shirt I’d wear again without washing. Umbilical is a nasty, irate fury that I will be revisiting.

Uranium Club — Infants Under the Bulb (Static Shock)

Who picked it? Alex Johnson

Did we review it? Yes. Alex wrote, “these enigmatic Minneapolitans fling their conceptual heft in a new direction and expand their musical objectives without ceding much, if any, of their signature, careening tension.”

Patrick Masterson’s take:

When I first heard Infants Under the Bulb in the spring, it was with only a cursory commitment; I understood its tinny, furiously strummed contours, but the full thrust of its oddball conceptual heft passed me by. A second, much closer listen for this midyear exchange has proven far more rewarding, and while Alex pretty well nails what makes this record so interesting in his review, what I keep coming back to are the myriad voices across this record. I think core members Brendan Wells, Harry Wohl, Ian Stemper and Matt Stagner all take a turn behind the mic, though liner notes prove frustratingly (appropriately?) limited, and Molly Raben drives the four-part “Wall” sequence. A few points of order unite the Club and its associates — namely, all of them take pointed barbs at contemporary society in different ways, all of them play with noticeable tightness (even Raben in the New Age-y “Wall” songs), and none of them can sing. Musically, “Small Grey Man” might be an obvious single to that effect, but it’s the guitar licks in “Game Show,” “2-600-LULLABY” and “Abandoned by the Narrator” to which I keep returning. More than anything else in Alex’s review, what hits home hardest is very succinctly tucked away in its middle (my emphasis): Chorus of voices aside, Uranium Club has been and remains a great guitar band.

Waxahatchee — Tigers Blood (Anti-)

Who picked it? Christian Carey

Did we review it? Yes, Christian said, “Tigers Blood doesn’t have a weak cut on it. One imagines it will be in heavy rotation for many long after its release.”

Tim Clarke’s take:

Tigers Blood starts out promisingly enough. On opening track “3 Sisters” it’s immediately evident that Katie Crutchfield has an intensely expressive voice, plus the skill to wield it with nuance. There’s plenty of space for her to emote, then when the song takes off, it feels well earned. From there, things start to feel too rote to fully engage. The band is clearly playing in the country-rock pocket, but there are no surprises to be found in the songwriting to capitalize on the promise of that opening song. Ultimately, it mostly ends up sounding a little hokey. A genuine shame, as I had high hopes coming into this one.

Whitelands — Night-bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day (Sonic Cathedral)

Did we review it? Yes, Ian said, “Right from the start, there’s a clarity and focus in the songs here that belies their sometimes diaphanous settings.”

Tim Clarke’s take:

Right from the opening blare of guitars, British quartet Whitelands nail a particular shoegaze aesthetic: Ride’s Going Blank Again. The six-strings are loud, but with enough delay and reverb to create a blurry wall of sound, while the rhythm section keeps things punchy to give the songs plenty of momentum. Can’t say there’s anything here that quite rivals the first wave of shoegazers who combined hallucinatory sonics with catchy songwriting, but Whitelands are clearly tapping into some inspiring sounds, which will hopefully mean their next release will have its own distinct personality. 

Winged Wheel — Big Hotel (12XU)

Who nominated it? Bryon Hayes

Did we review it? Yes, Bryon wrote, “No Island hinted at Winged Wheel’s ability to craft such a sonic space, but that record was merely an appetizer for the hefty dose of momentum that Big Hotel provides.”

Christian Carey’s take:

A collection of artists who also belong to other bands, Winged Wheel coheres far more fluidly than most “supergroups.” On their second recording, Big Hotel, the band recorded in the studio together rather than remotely collaborating as they did on 2022’s Big Island. The difference is palpable, particularly in the power and execution of the rhythm section, which now includes Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley. At the beginning of the recording, the one-two combo of the spacy and clangorous “Demonstrably False” and “Sleep Training,” on which Whitney Johnson supplies beguiling singing amid a raft of guitar textures. The songs tend to move directly into one another, underscoring their interconnectivity. Most of them stretch out a bit, clocking in at around the six-minute mark, but “Aren’t They All” and the album-closer “From Here Out Nothing Changes” are both under three minutes. The former is a bustling instrumental featuring oscillating riffs and urgently rendered and foregrounded percussion. The latter begins with a brief, disjunct, nasal wind solo and a discordant guitar duo, that rhythm section punching away. Johnson shares a brief, delicately delivered vocal, which then disappears into a concluding maelstrom.

Z-Ro—The Ghetto Gospel (One Deep Entertainment)

Who nominated it? Ray Garraty

Did we review it? No

Jonathan Shaw’s take: Much contemporary hip hop is lost on me, and The Ghetto Gospel doesn’t do much to convince me that I should be paying more attention. That judgment has little to do with the record’s sonic qualities, which I am in no competent position to evaluate closely; but I like the mix of late-1970s hard funk, R&B swooniness and occasional flashes of (yep) gospel’s dramatics. And Z-Ro’s flow and vocals are pretty great to groove on. His seamless, artful shifts into more conventional singing, especially at some tracks’ refrains, are deft and pleasurable. But the constant focus on money—having it is unassailable proof of virility, craft, power, self-worth; when one’s antagonist doesn’t have it, or doesn’t have as much of it, that confirms he’s a fool and a loser—is by turns tedious and sort of depressing. The just as constant self-aggrandizement, endemic in the genre, is so ever-present that it’s completely unconvincing. When I can tune out the lyrics’ content, The Ghetto Gospel is just fine. Patient, cool, smooth. When, inevitably, I begin paying attention to Z-Ro’s rhymes and their themes and figures, the record irritates me. If I had the savvy to place his performances of black masculinity in hip hop’s regionally or generically specific modalities, I might find them more engaging. But that would require plowing through a lot more music, much of it singing the praises of cash as an end in itself and celebrating “pimpin” as a variety of socially compelling activity. It ain’t for me.

[girlreviews]

Review #172: Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel have always been hilarious to me. They are such massive goobers. Goobers with huge egos that dated/married/divorced beautiful women. Both insufferable in their individual specific ways. But also they make the most precious and beautiful music together. They know how good they are but lack self-awareness about literally anything else (like that they’re goobers). Everyone likes it though. You want to not like it because your Mom likes it, but you cannot deny its pull. You like it. It’s good. Have you met anyone that hates Simon & Garfunkel? I haven’t.

It really is good. It opens with the title track, which is a big, gorgeous vocal performance that keeps getting bigger. The accompanying music gets bigger too, without drowning out the vocals. The sentiment of the song is just so lovely too: I’m here for you, you’re my friend. It’s nice not to have an entire album of love songs.

Cecilia could be a love song, I suppose, but it’s really about a man who is desperate to reconcile with a cheating partner who sounds pretty toxic. I’d love to hear Cecilia’s side of the story. I really would. I think about this all the time. Especially because they are both such GOOBERS. It’s a really fun song though. When they do upbeat, they really go for it. See also: Keep The Customer Satisfied, Baby Driver (it has a sax solo, c��mon!).

These Goobers know how to put together a damn fine arrangement that makes some of their songs feel deeper: El Condor Pasa has a really Spanish feel to it with the guitar (duh) and some flutes. It’s a whole vibe, that matches the lyrics. Would I rather be a sparrow or a snail? A forest or a street? A hammer or a nail? These are the big unanswered questions in life, right? No, but it feels like it in this song because it’s mysterious and philosophical. This whole vibe thing is also successful in The Only Living Boy in New York. It sounds like what it’s about, and it’s so beautiful. But totally different to Bridge Over Troubled Water and El Condor Pasa. The slower more ballad-y songs on this album sound like a damn Bob Ross painting.

The Boxer is maybe (???) the most well-known song on this album, but that’s based in absolutely no fact whatsoever on my part. I have no idea. It just seems like most people know that one. Like it got more radio play or something. I like it a lot, but there’s low registering repetitive sound running through it that has always just sort of bugged me. Possibly because I just cannot identify what the instrument is? What is that sound? It could be a cello/double-bass, or some kind of horn, or honestly even a percussion type thing. But I don’t know what it is. Honestly it kind of sounds like a duck to me. I’ve even wondered if it’s a kazoo. I haven’t looked it up, but I could. But will I? I’ll just forget about it until the next time I hear it: Sometimes (often) the duck kazoo is all I can focus on instead of the rest of the song which is pretty fucking pretty.

For a really soft, folky, gentle record made by two goobers, I would also definitively state that it’s somehow full of straight bangers. I could elaborate further on that but I’d suggest you listen to it yourself and you’ll see what I mean.

ETA: it’s a damn BASS HARMONICA. I honestly wasn’t that far off with the kazoo. Also, The Boxer took over 100 hours to record. This blew my mind.

[blarrghe]

First actual full length album in my collection: Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd. I know, I know, I really don't have to review this one. I mean, we all know this is a good album.

(It is really good).

I got this one from my parents' collection, which they gave to my older brother first so he got most of the good things out of it and then I picked through the rest. I guess he already had Dark Side of the Moon though, and he probably bought it for $65 or whatever it sells for now, like a sucker. Anyway, the jacket is a bit frayed and there's some nice vintagey pops on it when it plays and that's cool, that's authentic. I'm not a big classic rock guy but man, Pink Floyd really had nothing but bangers. Is it overplayed? Maybe, but like can you ever actually get sick of this one? Dark Side of the Moon is a very fun blend of elements, from funky baselines and sax solos to slow moody riffs that hit on those eerie minor keys, with ethereal and gospel vocals on top. Don't quote me on this but I'm pretty sure they invented new looping and synthesizer techniques for this thing. That's what we call experimental psychedelic rock, babes! But it's also catchier than some other Floyd, while every track does go off on a funky instrumental interlude or three (sax, guitar, and synths), it's jammy enough to be, you know, the one Pink Floyd album literally everyone knows.

I don't know what kids these days think Dark Side of the Moon is about, but they probably think it's about drugs. And I mean, kinda! But mostly the songwriting isn't really that trippy despite the rep, and the lyrics are nice and forthright. More forthright than your conservative dad (not mine, my dad is cool) has any right listing as faves. Still, it has mainstream appeal in that it's super soft and funky, which makes for great background music (if you've heard it before, please just sit and listen to it the first time. Wizard of Oz optional), while also turning your head even on the millionth listen to something new each time.

So! We like Pink Floyd in this house. My only complaint is that I don't have more Pink Floyd records. Someone buy me The Wall.

Favourite track: Money. That jammy solo, the funky baseline, the cash register sounds. Come on.

Least favourite track: Literally none this album has great flow.

[heartsoulrocknroll]

Piano Man Ranked

This was so hard for me, because I love every song on this album. These rankings are based primarily on the album versions, but if I was unsure, the position was ultimately determined by my favorite live version. I firmly believe that you can't truly appreciate how great the songs on this album are without hearing them played live by the 1976-1982 Billy Joel band.

1) The Ballad of Billy the Kid

I am so obsessed with this song. I think it's one of the greatest songs Billy has ever written, from the excellent instrumentation and arrangement to the fanastic storytelling lyrics. I love the album recording. The clip-clop of the horse hooves. The campfire harmonica. But the back and forth between the band (especially when the strings come in) and those ICONIC piano riffs does something to my brain. I freak out every time I hear it even though I've heard it repeatedly for 12 years. And the piano work throughout the entire song is just phenomenal. The live versions obviously don't have the strings, but the post-1975 live versions with the core Billy Joel band have a whole different energy that make the strings unnecessary. I have to mention the 1976 University of Connecticut live performance of this song, because that particular combination of Billy's vocals, Billy's kickass piano playing, and the band's pure energy literally makes me the audibly-yellin', hand-wavin', object-throwin' kind of insane.

2) Somewhere Along the Line

This song reminds me a bit of James Taylor in parts, but then those big backing vocals and piano riffs come in and take the song in another direction. The melody is great, the lyrics are some of the best on the album, and Billy just goes nuts on the piano, especially on the break after the third verse, during the fourth verse, and on the break that closes the song. I love the album recording, but this is another song that really comes to life in the live setting with the slightly higher tempo, the more prominent guitar riffs, Liberty on the drums, and Billy singing and playing like the world-class singer and piano player that he is.

3) Worse Comes to Worst

This song rocks so hard and blends so many musical styles. The signature guitar riff is super funky. The pedal steel guitar makes another appearance for more country undertones. The background vocals provide a gospel flavor, while the steel drums come in later on for a bit of a Caribbean feel. But even still, this remains distinctly a rock 'n' roll song. The album version is great for the aforementioned reasons, but the live versions rock so much harder. I love the 1977 CW Post live version more than life itself. I know I never shut up about it, but my god, Liberty's drumming adds so much drive to these early songs, and Billy sings the hell out of this song live.

4) Travelin' Prayer

I love absolutely everything about this song. The brushes on the drums, the bass, the opening piano, the banjo, the fiddle, the lyrics, Billy's vocal, the psychotic tempo. This is just a fantastic country/bluegrass song that takes what is great about those genres and improves it with the incorporation of Billy's brilliant piano breaks, especially the piano solo during the first instrumental break, which just rocks. This song doesn't have as strong of a country feel without the banjo and fiddle, but the live performances with Liberty's energetic drums, Richie's sax additions, Doug's driving bass, and Billy's piano improvs are incredible in an entirely different way.

5) Ain't No Crime

The soulful, gospelly vibes of this song really do it for me. I LOVE the use of the organ, and the piano riffs slap so hard it ain't funny. This is another song that needs to be heard live to be truly appreciated, with Liberty on the drums and Richie adding some sax. Billy goes crazy on the piano and does such a fantastic, soulful vocal on this song live.

6) Captain Jack

This is just an epic song. Billy's piano parts in the intro and the verses are beautifully done. The combination of Billy's organ and that legendary guitar riff in the chorus is so dramatic and really gives the song its epic feel. The lyrics are a great commentary on how people can have everything and still be overcome by the aimlessness and hopelessness of life. I like the album version, but this is another song that really takes on a whole new life in the live setting with Billy improvising on the piano and singing so incredibly well, while Liberty adds the dramatic opening cymbals and the ridiculous driving drum transitions from the third and fourth verses into the third and fourth choruses. 😭😭

7) Piano Man

No matter how many times I hear this song, I will never stop loving it. It's popular for a reason: it's great. That iconic opening piano riff gets me every time. The harmonica parts are great. The piano break after the third verse rocks on the album, and rocks even harder live. These are some of the best lyrics on the album. They are excellent, immersive, storytelling lyrics with a great rhyme scheme.

8) If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)

This is a gorgeous melody with a distinctly beautiful opening piano riff, more beautiful piano work throughout the song, and some nice strings toward the end. This is also one of those songs that really makes me go, "Damn, that guy can sing." I am a freak about singing, and there is a live version of this (supposedly from Carnegie Hall in 1974) in which Billy gives a vocal performance that brings me to tears if I focus on it too hard. Billy may not like the sound of his own voice, but I'd give anything to sing like that.

9) You're My Home

This is a great, country-sounding song. It's one of those classic, beautiful Billy Joel melodies. The album version isn't very piano-heavy, but there are a few nice piano bits in there. And the instrumentation is great nonethless, from the finger picking on the acoustic guitar to the pedal steel guitar. Billy's vocal here is really beautiful as well.

10) Stop in Nevada

This is a beautiful song with a great melody and a great build from the quiet piano and pedal steel in the verses to the big, full choruses with the backing choir and the strings

[anyways-wonderwall]

Album of the Week #55

M&J

(1987)

by Vanessa Paradis

Overall Rating: 6/10 TL;DR: Very sexy (derogatory).

(This is a child. This album cover makes me uncomfortable. 0/10)

Sorry everyone, its finals season :(.

Overall Thoughts I feel like me not knowing who Vanessa Paradis is is one of the things that put my young American ass in place. I knew “Joe le Taxi,” and that she was young, but I didn’t know who she was. Muse of Lenny Kravitz, partner of Johnny Depp, and mother of Lily Rose Depp, and can be defined by much more than her relationships with different men. She was a young child star and model, something that is very very important to keep in mind when listening to this album. This whole album exudes sex appeal in that mysterious French way that can hook anyone. Sexy 80s sax solos fill every song with messages about love (with various levels of sensuality) and relaxing instrumentals meant to seduce. This is a pretty good album vibes-wise and is pretty good to put on the background when you just want to relax. But remember how I said she was a child star? They made her sing these songs when she was just FOURTEEN. Each of these songs was written by industry professionals, every short black dress she performed in was picked out for a reason, and the strange sexy dance she does in each performance is on purpose. Going through the comments of each video is so disgusting, seeing what the world has to say about a fourteen-year-old girl almost 40 years later. I didn’t really know about this until halfway through listening to the album and that changed how I felt about each song. It just left me feeling so sorry for this girl who was treated this way. If I’m to talk about the songs themselves there aren’t many that are memorable. “Joe le Taxi” is the standout star with an incredible bari sax part, a great showcase for her voice, and it is all around a chill song. I also really liked “Mosquito,” which is much more upbeat and catchy and felt like something a 14-year-old would actually enjoy singing. This one is 80s in a good way. I loved “Scarabée” but my god there is no reason for it to be six and a half minutes. It's ethereal and unique with backing vocals to die for. My choice for the silliest song of the album has to go to “Chat Ananas” which even wins silliest title. I looked at it and thought “Look I know my French has deteriorated but I know that says ‘Cat Pineapple’”. And yes it does, because the idea of the song is that those are two things you see on a tropical vacation. It's an attempt at something Latin America inspired complete with a cumbia beat and a boom whacker sounding instrument. Nomination for second silliest is the English version of the title track, with the first line “Marilyn [Monroe] was Russian” because she just wasn’t. (I think she’s actually saying “wishin’” but all the lyrics I can find say “Russian” which is hilarious).

Final Thoughts Ignoring the context around this album, it's pretty good. I don’t think I’d ever listen to the whole thing again, I’m fine with chilling with my favorites since all the other songs on the album just sound like 80s chill background music, but I would not say this album is bad. “Joe le Taxi” still rules my heart, but I’m glad I got to hear about Marilyn Monroe’s tough life as a Russian immigrant.

[musicarenagh]

Groove and Nostalgia: Manu Chevalier’s Disco Revival Manu Chevalier is back with a bang! His new single, If You Could Hear What I Say, is a disco-funk masterpiece that's sure to get you grooving. It's got that classic 80s and 90s vibe, but with a modern twist that makes it feel fresh and exciting. Chevalier, who's from Marseille, has been influenced by legends like the Brand New Heavies. He's created a sound that's both nostalgic and totally current. And let's not forget the amazing vocals from Deran Day. His voice is like a throwback to Craig David, and it's the perfect match for the track's infectious rhythm. In this interview, we chat with Chevalier about the making of If You Could Hear What I Say, his inspirations, and what's next for him." Listen to If You Could Hear What I Say https://open.spotify.com/track/5IqRCX8a6ZA8nkIRDvdP60?si=8GDBoK7DQcCAf0iTQh01-w Follow Manu Chevalier on Facebook Spotify Youtube Instagram Tiktok Soundcloud   What inspired the title "If you could hear what I say"? Is there a story behind it? It's a common story talking about the difficulties for a boy or a man (especially young) to seduce a girl which seems to be unreachable . It happens often at the especially during teenagebut I mean we all experience that right?... Shyness is not very helpful in that situation, but unfortunately that was my case and the case of many people. Are there any unique instruments or production techniques you used in this track? I'm not a great piano player but i can play a bit and i started with the keyboard with the chords to set the mood. Then I set the whole instrumentation by arranging the keyboard, guitars, bass and drums playing (i also play a little bit drums), then music theory and technical knowledges help a lot too. Then as a sax player, I performed all the sax parts and sax solo. I also hired Deran to perform the lead vocals, i can sing but my voice doesn't fit that kind of music, and i prefer hiring the right singer in that case. But I did some of the vocals on the background. Were there any challenges you faced while creating this piece? How did you overcome them? The difficulty was with the lyrics that i rewrote 3 times. I had some hitmakers who were my mentors and they gave me some advices and suggestions to improve the lyrics which were already nice but awkward in some parts. As a non-native English speaker this was not an easy task but i could overcome them by following their tips and using some lyrical technics that i learnt . [caption id="attachment_57399" align="alignnone" width="1080"] The difficulty was with the lyrics that i rewrote 3 times. I had some hit makers who were my mentors and they gave me some advices[/caption] Is there a specific lyric or musical moment in the song that you're particularly proud of? Yes I'm quite proud of the chords and the melody which are strong, and i made a lot of key changes between each section. And i'm very proud of the bridge which is unexpected and the sax solo that i imagined, i still don't know how i found it, it was pure instinct . Who are some of your musical influences, and did any of them inspire elements of this new release? Wow....It's very large, it goes from Stevie Wonder to Michael McDonald, Jamiroquai, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, George Michael, Al Jarreau, Justin Timberlake and many more.....I could spend the whole night naming some artists. For that song i think that the chorus is inspired by "Spend some Time" from the Brand New Heavies. And maybe "i m outta love" from Anastacia was the other part of the inspiration/mood for the intro and the verses . the rest is a mix of everything What do you hope listeners will take away from "If you could hear what I say"? The chorus hook , or maybe the sax solo, the vocal performance which is amazing...but it's hard to say, everybody has got his own perception/opinion. Are you planning to release a music video for this song? If so, can you give us a sneak peek into the concept?

The video is already made and online It's here https://open.spotify.com/track/5IqRCX8a6ZA8nkIRDvdP60?si=8GDBoK7DQcCAf0iTQh01-w I gave a tribute to girls (we would be nothing without them) with some short cuts of me, dancing, playing sax, and special highlight.... my wife is in it. The static image at the end it's her and she is also in some short cuts at different times in the clip. How does this single relate to your upcoming projects or albums, if any? This is my third single, all 3 are Disco/funk style, with some nice reviews, and a lot of radio airplays (especially the first one "Get on the dance floor") . "if you could hear what i say" has got interesting results like the first place at the Top 50 RedLine Radio in Switzerland. A new single "Back to my dream" is coming on October 25th. This one is a bit different, it keeps the funky vibe but i brought a Californian Pop modern touch like Hall and Oates or Michael McDonald. An album is not scheduled for the moment, it will depend on the results with the singles and if the listeners want to hear more. Everything is possible. Lastly, where can fans listen to the new track, and what's the best way for them to stay updated on your music? my spotify account : open.spotify.com...cOD3ns My youtube Channel : www.youtube.com/...er7925 FaceBook : www.facebook.com...ier.15 Instagram : www.instagram.co...lier15 All infos on my site www.manuchevalie...er.com

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 27th March

Good golly, we're properly into spring, now - that happened quickly! And this week, we've got two songs you almost certainly know, two songs that are bringing wildly different energies to the table, really representing two of the maybe three strands of pop music that we've seen in 1958 so far.

Good Golly, Miss Molly - Little Richard (peaked at Number 8)

First up, representing the drive towards ever faster and more raucous rock and roll, we've got Little Richard with an absolutely wild rock and roll standard. In hindsight, it's bizarre to me that this only reached Number 8, but that's the charts for you - it's not always the songs at the top that end up sticking and having an impact in years to come.

In any case, the song comes in swinging, all hammering piano and guitar chords. It's recognisably rock and roll - we even have a sax - but the guitar is a bit more straight rock, and there's a hammering piano, almost like Richard's been cribbing off Jerry Lee Lewis' homework. And it works, it's immediately a full, exciting sound!

And Richard matches the track's energy, throwing himself into his lyrics with an enthusiasm and volume that can't be matched, and punctuating the song with this signature screams and yelps as he introduces us to Miss Molly, who sure like to ball. As such, she goes to the mysterious House of Blue Light and dances all night, blissfully ignorant of her parents' concern: When you're rockin' and a-rollin' / Can't hear your mama call.

It's not played for horror, or really taken seriously at all, but this is bouncing off the idea of rock and roll as a sort of corrupting influence on kids, right? We've got this new, rowdy, sometimes sexually-charged music, all about partying and having a good time, often performed by black artists, at least originally, and it's picking up legions of young fans all over America. We've got race and gender all mixing, and it's feeding a growing moral panic among white parents - which, of course, is a slant that artists like Little Richard are leaning into, making songs like this that are lowkey about how cool it is to rebel against your stuffy old parents. We're not inventing teenaged rebellion, here - teens have rebelled since forever - but the late 1950s are maybe formulating it for the first time as something cool, something marketable. There's a danger to this music, and it's the danger that's the whole point, the main attraction.

Also, it's just a banger of a song. Listen for a while and see if you don't get it stuck in your head after a while, or start bopping around. Between Richard's vocal squawks, the drum sections as the rest of the instruments fall back, and the sax solo near the middle, it keeps things exciting enough that you can very easily listen on loop without getting tired of it. The lyrics are a bonus, this is a song that's absolutely about attitude and feel.

Catch a Falling Star - Perry Como (9)

And so, in contrast, this, representing the other camp, the camp that's a bit softer, a bit nicer, a bit more flowery and lyric-driven. If Little Richard's making music for teens to shock their parents with, Perry's making music for the parents themselves, and as such it's a much more backward-looking affair, from the softer vocal style, to the smoother electric guitar and the heavy use of choral backing singers. It's not that electric guitars and backing singers have gone out of style - quite the opposite! - but the way that Perry's using them feels particularly safe. You could have released this song in 1954 and it would have done fine. Even the slightly Latin rhythms underneath the chorus feel a bit like a throwback - it's not gone out of style, but it's been around for a while, you know? There's a swing feel to it all that you can't ignore.

Whereas with Little Richard, lyrics took a back seat, the lyrics here are really the point. They're repeated and sentimental, and just a bit nonsensical, all about how you should Catch a falling star and put in your pocket / Save it for a rainy day, but they're undeniably memorable, with a few more metaphorical twists that are genuinely really cool. I genuinely like the line explaining that the whole point of doing this is because love may come and tap you on the shoulder / Some starless night. I'm imagining Perry like "oops, I guess I'm in love, how did that happen?" and then while he's still feeling all mushy and pining over his love, he gets his little glowing star out and holds it to cheer him up about it all. It's sweet, in a slightly fairy tale way.

That said, you can't deny that it has a lot less to say about real life, especially real teen life, than any of Little Richard's stuff. I mean, what am I supposed to practically take from this? I can't actually catch a falling star, I really don't think it's relatable advice. And the vibe of it is all a bit too nursery rhyme, a bit too cute for me. It's safe, but personally, I don't find it half as interesting or as fun. I'm not out there choosing to listen to this, you know?

So yeah, I definitely know what camp I fall into, here. Traditional, sentimental, swing-driven pop is still holding its own, but the new, grittier, more dangerous rock and roll is just so much more exciting to me! That said, the teens who are the target audience for artists like Little Richard and the like are not the only - or even the primary - drivers of chart success, and so we get these holdouts, proof that the charts aren't linear. And of course, we've not mentioned that third strand of rock and roll music, with more clean-cut (usually white) high school rock and rollers like the Crickets and the Everlys, who are deliberately trying to be just as exuberant as the proper rockers, but doing with an exaggerated sort of youthful innocence, often without the trappings of the rock and rollers, ditching the sax for tight harmonies, lots of guitars and more romantic lyrics not about wild nights out, but about sock hops at the high school gym and dates at the cinema. And yeah, I enjoy those plenty. But sometimes you just need a song about ditching your parents to go to the club.

Favourite song of the bunch: Good Golly Miss Molly

[daggerzine]

Blind Terry- The Beautiful Youth and Everything That Follows (cloudberry)

(cover art- Matilda Flodmark)

It’s been a long time coming for these Blind Terry tracks to be released. I loved their first EP:

I searched for more songs, but only a few live songs turned up on YouTube (great songs eventually released on this new release). So, I contacted Roque Ruiz of the fine cloudberry records label about them after hearing the first EP. He said they had more music and was hoping for a full length, but little did I know it would take fifteen years to release some more. These “new” tracks were recorded in Stockholm, Sweden’s Panic Room Studio back between 2008-2010. The band consists of Kristina Bergström on vocals, piano; Henrik Burman on vocals, guitar; Isak Ekblom on bass; Björn Andersson on drums; and Josefin Carlén on trumpet. Numerous additional musicians add guitar, choir, saxophone, flute, trumpet, including Jon Bergström, who produced and mixed the tracks. All of the songs are written by Kristina Bergström and arranged by her and Henrik. The bouncy piano ballads from the first EP take a slight backseat, but the songs are still catchy indie pop. “Hundred Years Too Old,” kicks off side A with jangly guitars upfront, but Kristina’s vocals and piano add to the beauty. The addition of the angelic backing vocals, the soaring brass, and the gorgeous flute truly add to the emotion of the lyrics, “Everything, I wanted it to be a symphony that would sound like solitariness, of a fair, after closing time, no single moments, just noise, all noise to surround me, perfectly. I sit in silence and think of the matchbox trick, the beauty and perfection almost makes me sick. I must be a hundred years too old.” Next up is “I Dream of Contracts.” Another beautiful, somber song that has punches of guitars, until the rest of the band joins in. Kristina’s piano technique and heartfelt vocals are in tip-top shape here. It’s a great one to sing along to (if only I could figure out all of the lyrics). I got a taste of this song from this live version from 2010, but the studio version absolutely soars:

The last track on side A is “Train.” It’s back to Kristina and her detailed piano skills up front. “I am broke, and I’ve been on the train all day.” Throw in some subtle touches of horns, cymbals, and beats that eventually build with the band rocking in full throttle. In trickles sax, bass, flute, and guitar. The mix of instruments here is unbelievable, great production by Jon. Here’s another live version from 2010:

The B-side starts with “How Love is Fast,” a jangled guitar assault that’s another beauty with a beat and horns. The drums enter center stage in the middle for a nice segue back to the beginning melody filled with a beautiful vocal arrangement. Next up, “Close, Closer, Closer” starts with a pounding drum attack until Kristina’s beautiful piano enters front and center. A slower, softer tune that shares the emotional vocals the melody emits. A throbbing bass guitar over piano and background vocals leads to razor-sharp guitar solos. The album ends with “Headspins and Bad Dreams,” a “hidden” track that is possibly my favorite in this batch. Amazing piano, jangly guitars, blasting horns; it’s everything you could ask for in an indie pop song. “Readymade, it's all in your head, grieve the discomfort you've had. It somehow makes you proud though if no one will ever see. You just begun to imagine how you would feel.” It’s another beautiful song from the heart that builds and builds with the additional sounds from the rest of the band. It’s one of those tracks you just don’t want to end. And that’s a perfect way to close this album. If you’re quick enough, you're going to want to snag the limited pressing of the 10” on the cloudberry website. (I can't stop playing it. Excellent production!) Just so you know, everything sells out quickly there so don’t wait too long. ERIC EGGLESON

(photo: Viktor Sjödin)

https://www.cloudberryrecords.com/

[thepermanentrainpress]

BABY JEY: CROP CIRCLES

Crop Circles – Baby Jey Release Date: November 24th, 2023

Track Listing:

1. Intro 2. Little Trouble 3. What's The Point of Saying Sorry 4. Good & Bad News 5. Swing Like This 6. You're In Yr Mind 7. Interlude I 8. Crop Circle 9. I Can't Just Stop 10. …1 More Day …1 More Night 11. Bad Routine 12. Why U Asking Now 13. Happy For Me 14. Interlude II 15. I'll Wait

This is the second full-length album release from Baby Jey, an indie-pop group based in Edmonton. This is an album to zone out to, with sounds that are ambient, complex, and fittingly to the themes, otherworldly. It is almost dream-like in the melody; an ethereal and hazy mix. It’s somehow mellow yet also upbeat – you can hear this as chill background noise, or really get into the production and careful assembly. The mixing and time measures are considered with care and far more complicated than many albums, leading to an interesting and unique result.

Crop Circles is almost a concept album that echoes an unlikely combination. There are Alberta tropes – cowboys and farms – alongside aliens and UFOs. It’s a fun concept, also fusing in emotions and personal experiences that speak from the heart. Many of the themes are less about extraterrestrials and more about winter, memories, lost love, and dwelling on the past. But the space influence can’t be denied in the music and in the radio clips sampled. 

Several interludes are sprinkled through — a feature I enjoyed and would love to see on more albums of this genre. These are actual radio broadcasts alluding to UFO investigations and the titular crop circles found in Alberta back in the 80s. It adds to the old-timey element: many of these songs, especially the instrumental parts, sound timeless. It has a modern sound echoing Tame Impala or MGMT, but some of these riffs echo songs from the 80s, or even back to the 50s. The era and style is ambiguous. I don’t know if that was intentional, but it adds to the distinct and ambitious vibe here. 

Despite the cosmic, futuristic blend, there’s a lot of earthiness and old-fashioned sounds in this record. It mixes country and folk music with synthesizers and drum machines. Overall it is loud – every song is booming with prominent rhythms and beats that really pop.

“Swing Like This” is very catchy and will be in your head long after it finishes. Every song here is fun and dance-worthy, but this one stands out. Even the lyrics are all about dancing — twisting your hips, “swing so mesmerizing, left foot to right.” This is perhaps the most traditional 'rock' song here – a little less cosmic than the others. It’s just a merry good time. 

“I Can’t Just Stop” is a highlight of the album. It is a song full of anguish, clearly expressed in the vocals of singer Jeremy Witten. It tells the story of a dark and cold weather and the aftermath of a relationship. More intimately, the namesake refers to how the singer can’t just move on (“my love is not a switch that I can just turn off”). It’s a heartbreaking track, with the backing riffs featuring minor chord sounds that beep in sadness. Paradoxically, it’s also very upbeat for most of its runtime. The great saxophone solo that it finishes on is jolly – as the sax tends to be – yet still captures that lingering emotion of regret. 

Crop Circles is a ride through space, time, and the inner mind. I’ve not heard something like this in a long time, and found myself immersed in this strange yet captivating fusion. This is an impressive and heartfelt release. It was my intro to Baby Jey – but you can definitely consider me a fan now!

Written by: Cazzy Lewchuk

[danhobden]

The 10 Greatest Moments in Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"

The new Sofia Coppola film PRISCILLA is out this month (great film btw) and playing over its final scene and closing credits is Dolly Parton's original version of "I Will Always Love You" (IWALY from here on out). I've never really paid much attention to Dolly's version before; it's a softly sung, sometimes spoken, heartbroken country ballad, a million miles away from the Whitney Houston juggernaut cover that followed. The Whitney version is unquestionably more popular and more ingrained in the public consciousness than the original at this point and also, to my ears at least, a flat-out better song.

I've been listening to Whitney's IWALY a lot this past month since I learned of the PRISCILLA nod to the original (Spotify has now wrapped so it won't be showing up on any end-of-year list), and it's interesting hearing a song that has been so ubiquitous throughout the majority of my lifetime with fresh ears, discovering subtleties I hadn't previously. And whilst it's still very easy to get caught up in the drama of it all as a whole - Whitney's voice does most of the leg work on that front - I've come to find IWALY to be a song made up of beautiful individual moments, both big and small. My 10 favourites are listed below.

Vocals (0:00) Smart choice to open for the first 40 seconds or so with no instrumentation, just Whitney's voice, one of the greatest of modern popular music.

The real kicker here, the thing that stops you dead in your tracks, is how calm and controlled she sounds; it's unrecognisable compared to the power of her voice on display in later parts of the song or throughout most of her career, feeling like an intake of breath before the real drama begins.

I, Not Always (0:45 and every other chorus) One of the most notable differences between Whitney's IWALY and Dolly's original is the choice made in the chorus: Whitney elongates the "I" in the "I will always love you" whereas Dolly puts more emphasis on the "always".

For Whitney, the "always" almost feels like an afterthought. She loves this person but will it last forever? Probably not. For the most part Dolly's lyrics suggest a higher road taken, but there are hints of acrimony running alongside this. What's important, Whitney seems to be saying, is whatever else happens from this moment is on her terms.

My Darling You (1:12) A lovely ad-lib at the end of the seemingly complete first chorus. Overcome with emotion the words carry on tumbling out.

Strings (1:14) A short but beautiful swell of strings that sweeps us into the second verse. It feels like a cap on the relative calm that has come before - things start to ramp up from here.

~Please~ Don't Cry (1:36) The way she delivers the "please" in the "...goodbye, please don't cry" lyric with such care and kindness, and the way it serves as a correction to the tossed-off, almost callous nature of the "goodbye" preceding it.

Sax Solo (2:08) You don't really hear many saxophone solos in music these days which is a great shame because this one absolutely rips. It allows Whitney and us as the audience to bask in its luxury for a while and take a much-needed beat before the big, final act.

Kirk Whalum is the musician behind it, a man with a fascinating and varied career who, according to Wikipedia, converted to Catholicism in 2022 and now works as a volunteer barber at a Catholic Worker house in Memphis, so that's nice.

JOY! (2:52) Whoever it is on the other side of this breakup Whitney is very keen for them to know that she has no hard feelings - and this moment in the song underlines the point more than any other. She very graciously wishes them joy and happiness, but the "joy" is delivered with such force, almost spat out, that I think she might be protesting a little too much. Either way, it gives me a thrill every time I hear it.

But Above All This (2:58) Not a life-changer by any means but I really love it when a singer squeezes as many syllables into a line as they can without missing a beat as happens here. There are also dozens of great examples of this in R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)" but, ahem, the less said about R. Kelly these days the better. It's out there if you want a listen!

Drum - Key Change - Vocal Run - Another Key Change (3:10) The big one. The most famous, recognisable moment in IWALY and arguably 20th century pop music. A real moment in the video, too: camera zooms in on Whitney's closed eyes, dramatic drumbeat, eyes open wide, camera zooms out. Simple but very effective.

The vocal range here is pretty insane. I'm assuming she breathes at some point but I'm not entirely sure when. Her ability to hit the gigantic "YOU" at the end of the run at an even higher note than before feels like it shouldn't be possible, but there it is, sustained and pitch-perfect. A real show-stopper.

The End Is Not The End (4:05) But it doesn't quite end there. Another reminder in case the listener had forgotten: "I will always love you." That final "you" hangs around for an eternity until Whitney finally has nothing else left to say and it fades out to silence.

[dustedmagazine]

Ginger Root — SHINBANGUMI (Ghostly International)

Photo by Cameron Lew

The latest Ginger Root record has multi-instrumentalist Cameron Lew diving deep into retro sounds, drawing inspiration from Paul McCartney, Yellow Magic Orchestra and other pre-internet vibes. It’s a well-constructed LP and one with the flow and pace of a concept record, but it’s also one that sticks to a formula.

Things kick off with “No Problems,” a slice of McCartney-esque pop with warm keyboards, touches of strings, and a thin guitar tone that twangs like a rubber band. Lew builds an emphasis on the McCartney II, early 1980s ambience: the analog synths, the way everything sounds like it’s been built by overdubbing one instrument at a time, or how it feels like it’s old without actually being old. This sort of not-quite-nostalgia is all over SHINBANGUMI, and “No Problems” does a great job of setting the scene for listeners.

Lew’s a musician who wears his influences on his sleeve, and throughout the first half of the record you can almost make a checklist of what he likes by the way each song sounds: “Better Than Monday” has a slinky, almost mechanical funk groove that recalls Yellow Magic Orchestra, while “All Night” has a driving, bass-led groove straight out of a vintage city pop record by Tatsuro Yamashita. And “Giddy Up” throws in a vaguely tense sort of energy that lands somewhere between solo McCartney and Todd Rundgren. When Lew’s at his best on songs like these, he makes music that’s engaging and fun.

But when he errs, it grinds the album to a halt. “Kaze” is a curveball that sounds like an odd, almost-listing sort of lounge music. Tonally it doesn’t really match what else is happening here: there’s little rolls of percussion and it builds into an uneventful climax. It feels like it’s from a completely different record and it disrupts the flow he’s been building up.

Throughout SHINBANGUMI, Lew hides his voice behind filters and it’s occasionally hard to make out his lyrics when he’s shoved to the back of the mix. He isn’t a strong singer or especially a wordsmith, but his singing almost feels incidental to the music here. This is a record that’s big on pop hooks and funky basslines. And perhaps a plot of some kind, too. Lew’s released a series of connected videos for this that suggest it’s a concept record following a TV executive in 1980s Japan making his own network. The plot feels loose and sort of incidental to the lyrics, but the way this album flows does have a feeling of a storyline, right down to a climax on “Show 10” and a coda on “Take Me Back.” Those two close the album out with more lush city pop grooves, touches of sax and strings, and carefully placed splashes of keyboards.

The thing about a record like this is that you almost know the game plan from the album’s lead single. Lew sets the template early: lots of old sounding keyboards, basslines that move all over the rhythm, and a vocal template that keeps his voice almost buried. Aside from a couple of curveballs and a few short interludes, he never really strays from that model. It’s an album that if it catches you right away, it’s probably one you’ll enjoy all the way through. But if you’re expecting it to build into something or for him to explore a wide palette of sounds you’ll be left wanting. As they say on TV: viewer discretion is advised.

Roz Milner 

[vitaminwaterreviews]

S.E.S. A Letter From Greenland

I just wanna start off by saying that I was quite impressed by this album. I didn’t expect to get so much jazz instrumentation out of S.E.S., their vocals totally won me over, and I even started to enjoy the slow jams. That’s like, as high of praise as we can hope for from a 1st gen girl group. The “default sound” of the album was really nice, chill but also still kind of interesting, which meant that even in the filler songs I was still vibing. Loved the horns, loved the sax, I enjoyed Mr. Unnamed Male Rapper’s reappearance too. It was still way more monotonous than 2nd, 3rd, 4th gen SM, but this is probably my favorite of the 1st gen albums so far. Average of 7.0 which feels like, exactly correct. Solid album, no big complaints, but nothing super special either.

Be Natural

Apparently this will later be re-recorded by Red Velvet

I love how jazzy this is, particularly the vocals

Very r&b instrumentation, percussion and bass at least

The horns and the vocals though are Super jazz, I like that

It’s not very catchy but I really don’t care, it’s fun to listen to

The muted trumpet in the background though!

Who produced this?

Yoo Young-jin, I’ve 100% seen that name here before, didn’t make a note of it though

This actually sounds So much more mature than–

Oh my god ITS MISTER UNNAMED MALE RAPPER HES BACK

8/10, that was Cool

Slip Away

Kind of jazzy, feels a bit latin actually

Wikipedia lists this as r&b and jazz-pop, that’s fair enough from the two songs we’ve had so far

The slightly muted English lyric section is really neat

Love the chanting

This song does have a rap bridge

8/10, barely, but if my ults released this I’d be all over it

I Will…

Oh no, is it slow jam time already??

The electric piano is scaring me

Yep, there it is, there’s the bass and that stupid stupid snare sample

(I’m browsing Reddit because of how bored I am and apparently WJSN are releasing Season’s Greetings, and honestly I’m amazed they still exist, when’s the last time they came out with music?)

Okay this guitar solo is actually pretty cool

(July 5, 2022, a year and a half ago. I guess that’s not that long ago, and I remember one of them was on Queendom Puzzle, but still!)

6/10, great background music for researching WJSN

Show Me Your Love

Title track time!

Super artsy MV actually, this is cool

Woahhh we really r&b out here with that wailing

Nice shuffle feel

The bass feels a bit too techno for me, I think something a bit more classic would serve this song better

Yeah, jazz-pop is accurate. It’s not jazz, but it’s definitely jazz inspired

I hear that piano in the chorus

Genuinely impressed by the MV, I suggest watching it if you haven’t

This vocalist loves to growl

Heyyyy a sax solo!

Ending on some vocal / sax interplay, this is really cute, the scatting is great

8/10, surprisingly strong and innovative title track

Goog-Bye To My Love

Mmmm that clean guitar, we love to hear it

Not sure where this song is going yet but more unnamed male samples

Super strong synth line in the intro

A more r&b chorus

I really really want to hear this rap break though, I’m certain it’s coming

Pretty vocals in the opening of the second verse

I KNEW IT OMG

ITS MISTER UNNAMED MALE RAPPER I KNEW HED MAKE AN APPEARANCE I LITERALLY CALLED IT

Awww his rap was so short though

7/10, creative but a tad too monotonous and slow for me

Long Long Time

Hahahahaha

Cute intro

Horns

More horns, nice sax over there

Post-chorus is really fun

Kind of an uptempo pop jazz track with cute vocals

7/10, very solid, nothing too special though

Beautiful Life

Uh oh

Hey, the muted trumpet at least is creative I guess?

That “oooooh” in the background was cool

Hahaha that tiny little muted trumpet carries this album so hard

Woah a subdued / muted rap section, really low both in terms of her range and the mix, this is neat

How is this only halfway through the songggg

8/10, believe it or not. It won me over, I think I might be starting to appreciate slow jams?

Joy

More horns, cute scatting

Ohhh some aggressive autotune, that’s a first on this album

I don’t really get “joy” from this, one of the weaker tracks so far

Ugh but I am such a sucker for the horns

I don’t really know what genre this is. It’s like, r&b pop with hints of jazz I guess?

7/10, barely

Story

Hahaha

Pretty harp in the intro

I also love talking in music

Not totally sure what’s going on here actually, it’s very stripped-down

Yeah, very very little background music. I hear a bass, percussion, and a single synth line dancing around

I actually think I like it, it’s incredibly simple but that’s not totally bad

Lyrics by Bada, that’s cool

6/10, I got bored by the end

Chance

Pop background, those chimes, or are they strings? Whatever that synth is up there

Mr Unnamed Male Rapper reappears

And the song feels 100% different here too

This feels like (‘Cause) I’m Your Girl for some reason, like the pre-chorus into chorus

6/10

Melody

Love that piano intro

And now it’s upbeat with horns and a techno bass? Alright I guess

This song is incredibly forgettable, but it’s enjoyable to listen to

7/10 barely

Wish

Wow that intro was a trip

But now we’re back here

Most albums have kind of a “default sound,” you know? Like, Perfect Velvet does, Savage does, Stamp On It does (I’ve listened to all four of these in the same day) and so does this one. And this song is very much that default sound

I wish it had stayed in that intro space

I like the female raps on this album – but we actually have a bit of male vocalist in the background here too

6/10

Tiny Little Things

By the Law of Album Structure, it is slow jam time

Is it?

Hmm… I can’t actually tell yet whether this is slow jam or not

I’m actually leaning more towards not, this is kinda fun

And now we’re kind of back to the default sound I was just talking about

Nice, pausing the instrumentals to accent her vocals, clever

I have such mixed feelings about whoever their main vocalist is. On one hand her voice is kind of annoying, on the other hand it’s kind of charming, and I think she’s quite a good singer

Winter moment haha

It’s unnamed male rapper time! Except he’s in English??

Oh my god, not the fadeout haha

7/10

Rain

Woah this is a super pretty intro

Slow jam with extra steps? This percussion is doing way more than a usual slow jam but the rest feels slow jammy

There we go, now we’ve settled back into slow jam land

That drum sample still going off here and there though lol

Yeah, I’m actually very convinced by their vocalist, I like what she’s doing

This is a nice variation on the slow jam formula

Woahhh the modulation, we sure didn’t expect that!

(I totally expected that)

7/10, not bad tbh

Ghetto Style (Hidden Track)

I mean it’s not on Spotify so yeah I’d say that’s hidden

Nice r&b humming going on

Yeah there’s nothing Special about this song so far, it’s kind of just a vibe

And it’s unnamed male rapper time!

Also I just realized the implications of the title “Ghetto Style,” I guess that’s probably why it’s a hidden track

7/10, vibey

[lemonade-sky]

my thoguhts on. alkaloid trip album

BLACK OUT SEE SAW: 11/10 it's beautiful it's glorious. when i listened to the preview for the very first time i thought it sounded kind of off but the more i listened to the preview on loop the more i absolutely loved it and the full version does NOT disappoint. it';s very different from everything else alkaloid has done but they KILLED it. absolutely slayed. i loveee the higher register and the instrumental fucks and it's just sooo fucking catchy another alkaloid day another alkaloid slay excited for the mv soon... i hope they do something cool with it i cant imagine this just having like. a normal mv

UNDYING HOLY LOVE: i actually already heard the full version of this like a week ago b/c it dropped on youtube early and then was takne down but i had the foresight to download it so. hehe :3 it's really good obviously i like the full version esp the glitch effect on hiiro at that one part... i already think i posted my thoguhts on it when the event dropped but i can reiterate. somehow, they managed to make "disco halloween" work PERFECTLY. i will say for a climax song it's disappointing since they definitely shafted the climax aspects of it to make it the holiday song and alkaloid deserved a climax as amazing as crazy anthem but like. i absolutely loveeee undying holy love as a holiday song

SOLID SOUL: hooollyyyy shit hoyl fucking hell holy fucking shit. as the world's number one hiiro-p i had high hopes and holy FUCKKKK this blew everything out of the WATER the SAX have you guys heard the SAXXXX. i never saw the sax coming until the preview and even then i did not expect it to be such a huge element. i love the sax. my beautiful son i am so fucking proud of him. the lyrics too i only read a google translated version of them so far but all 4 of the alka solos have lyrics perfectly suiting the character and their character arcs and goddd i love alkaloid so much man. once actual translations drop i'm going to analyze the fuck out of them. anyway i love gakuto kajiwara's vocals so much. my prediction for hiiro's solo was essentially "just another alkaloid song (positive)" but hiiro's solo definitely has its own distinct identity and i am a HUGE fan of it. in conclusion, OH YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I LOVE "LOVE": yep, this is an aira solo alright (POSTIVE). there is nothing else this could have been titled. there is nothing else this could have sounded like. it is exactly what i expected and this is a good thing. it's absolutely adorable and so so sweet and it's just, perfectly aira. it's cute but not OVERLY cutesy, you know? it still comes off as super sincere. my man just loves idols so much and i am so so so so proud of him for coming this far... sniffles...... he really thought he could never be as good of an idol as everyone else..... yet here he is now with a solo that blows every over unit out of the water.... my lovely rabu-han....

RAISE THE VELVET: holy fuck holy fuck holy fuck my beautiful wonderful wife mayoi ayase holy shit...... real int he flesh.... an entire song with JUST mayoi vocals..... seriously Chiharu Shigematsu is SO talented like he can do this voice SO WELL for someone who's normal voice does not sound anything like this. anyway mayoi absolutely kills it as always. the song goes SO hard before the previews i wasn't sure what to expect from mayoi's solo at all but goddd it's so good. it's so good. and the lyricssss... mayoi is so scared but she will do it scared. (yes i she/her mayoi this is because i am a genius) step into the light... a stage just for her... overall COULD use more than 0 phantom of the opera references but the theater references with you know. velvet curtains and "my stage" and all are plenty thank god. i am sooo fucking proud of mayoi ayase my beautiful wife. raise that velvet girl.

STARLIGHT OF FAITH: in the wise words of both himerus, "kazehaya tatsumi kazehaya tatsumi kazehaya tatsumi kazehaya tatsumi kazehaya tatsumi kaze-" you get the gist. this song is absolutely perfect for him it's amazing. his vocals are gorgeous but that's to be expected same as the others. the lyricsss again i only have a google translated version right now im sure it's missing a lot but it's about love. IT'S ABOUT LOVEEE. and being a falling star..... and being "hurt by weakness" hmm reimei reference much? anyway this song is so so catchy and gorgeous and it's very tatsumi and hngng..,,,.,, alkaloid.,,

CLOSING THOUGHTS: alkaloid best unit nobody does it like them. cannot WAIT to have real translated versions of the lyrics because i will explode forever into viscera. these are the only songs i will be listening to for at least a week. second solos when

alka solos 11/10 perfect no notes life changing amazing nobody does it like alkaloid i heard they're not making any more music after this because music has peaked

[echoes-of-realities]

13 on the kids prompts if your still doing them? Love ur writing btw

Thank you!!

Anonymous asked: 13. Kiss on the Ear

It’s not that Santana’s scared or anything. It’s just that the Cheerios camp the last week of summer starts in a couple days, which means Santana’s quickly realizing that she’s going to have to extract herself from the bubble of summertime happiness to face the real world. But she’s not scared; her and Brittany have been able to hide the fact that they’ve been more than friends since sophomore year so far, and she doesn’t see how that will change in the coming year.

(Of course, that was before. Before Santana accepted herself, before all the pain of junior year, before Brittany broke her heart, before she broke Brittany’s, before they admitted that this thing between them means something.)

(In reality, she’s actually terrified of going back to school, but she’d never admit that to anyone; not even to Brittany, which is mostly because the possibility of being with Brittany openly is part of the reason she’s so terrified.)

But Santana’s not scared, she just has a couple reservations about their senior year, like how they’re going to act, or if they’re going to come out, or what they even are to each other, exactly. Just a couple small itty-bitty concerns about what they’re going to do and what this all means.

Of course, Brittany already knows about the reservations (and about the truth of Santana’s fear), because she knows Santana better than Santana knows herself half the time, which would be a little weird if it wasn’t so comforting. So Santana really shouldn’t be surprised when Brittany turns wise, knowing eyes on her while they’re busy doing dishes, alone in the Lopez house.

“What?” Santana mutters a little defensively, scrubbing a little harder than necessary at the casserole dish from the leftover lasagna that her mom made for supper.

“You’re nervous,” Brittany observes, drying one of their plates. “Or anxious. Or scared. Or something that’s making you all jumpy and snappy.”

“I’m not scared,” Santana says in a voice so certain that she almost believes herself.

Brittany smiles softly, meeting Santana’s gaze in the kitchen window’s reflection. “You don’t have to lie to me,” she murmurs, “You know I’m not going to, like, make fun of you or tell anyone or anything.”

Santana takes a deep breath because she’s trying to get better at this whole communication thing since it’s important to relationships—or whatever it is that they have now. Santana doesn’t want to make any assumptions because that hasn’t gotten her anywhere in the past, so she keeps quiet even if she suspects that they might, kind of be in a relationship or something, like, at least a little bit. “I’m not scared,” she insists even though she knows that Brittany knows she’s lying, “I’m just— Concerned. About, like, school.”

Brittany bumps their hips together after a quiet moment of washing and drying. “What exactly are you concerned about?”

Santana swallows and pauses in scrubbing a particularly stubborn piece of cheese on the dish. Brittany just waits patiently, both for the dish so she can dry it and for Santana’s answer. “I don’t really know how to, like, act around you,” Santana finally explains, “You know, when we’re in public or at camp or school or whatever.” Santana swallows thickly again as panic starts to choke her at the thought of the coming year. “I don’t want to go back to last year ever again but I also can’t— I’m not ready to— Because people will talk and I can’t handle— I mean—”

“Shh,” Brittany soothes, quickly drying her hands before tossing the towel to the side and snaking her arms around Santana’s stomach, molding herself to Santana’s back and gently rocking them back and forth.

Santana’s chest continues to close up, the lump in her throat growing even bigger. “I can’t— Britt, I can’t— Not yet— Not when—”

Brittany suddenly starts humming, low and sweet and familiar, and the sound of it is so unexpected that Santana sucks in a surprised breath, all her tangled thoughts slowing down until the lump in her throat starts to ease and she can breathe again. Brittany just keeps humming until Santana forces her muscles to relax a little bit, focusing on the vibration of Brittany’s soft voice in her ear.

“Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true,” Brittany starts singing quietly, “But you and I know what this world can do. So let’s make our steps clear so the other may see.” Santana is smiling before she even realizes it, tipping her head back to rest on Brittany’s shoulder as she resumes humming in Santana’s ear. A lingering kiss is placed to the soft ridge of cartilage and Santana sighs, the panic already ebbed out of her body. “And I’ll wait for you. Should I fall behind. Wait for me.”

“My mom was listening to Bruce Springsteen the other day,” Brittany explains after a quiet moment of simply breathing together, waiting until Santana’s chest loosens and she relaxes fully into Brittany’s arms.

Santana smiles and turns her head a little to catch Brittany’s lips for a soft, sweet kiss. “Thank you,” she whispers.

Brittany just smiles and kisses her again before resting her chin on Santana’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out,” she promises, kissing Santana’s ear again since it’s the closest to her lips, “Together.”

Santana nods and sinks further into Brittany’s embrace. She’s still a little nervous about the coming year—and more than a little terrified about the prospects of coming out in the coming year—but as long as Brittany’s there to hold her and help her through this part, she figures they’ll be just fine.

[blackmidiarchive]

“BLACK MIDI, NEW ROAD” CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA! AT THE WINDMILL, BRIXTON (19/12/19) – LIVE REVIEW - Jimmy McCormac

‘SOLD OUT. Please don’t even ask’ is pasted on the ramshackle door of The Windmill. It is packed. Innumerable print outs of christmas songs litter the stage. Every ‘BM’ chord is written in bold. A nod to Black Midi’s ‘BmBmBm’. There is a real homeliness to the venue. Not at every gig do you see a man and his dog sitting at the bar.

Opening up, Wood plays a low key solo set. He’s sat on a bar stool with his guitar playing slowed down doo wop. He delivers lyrics about how he “stripped out his insides” telling someone “he loved them in front of Black Midi”. His legs are trembling along to his nervous shudder of a voice that goes in and out of a yodelling type falsetto. Although brief it was an intimate, theatrical moment of brilliance. The guest live.

Following a short break, an insane, progressive jazz jam is formed. The only few absences come from Ellery and Kelvin. A real shame. Especially when Kelvin was in the audience (only making a very brief appearance). Nevertheless the group still deliver. Sounding a bit like Miles Davis electric period mixed with King Crimson. Evans sax playing is in free form ‘Bitches Brew’ and ‘On The Corner’ style. To the point where he had to stop for a coughing fit. While Kershaw’s keys are very reminiscent to its predecessor, ‘In A Silent Way’. The other members play in tones not unalike John Mclaughlin, Johnny Sharrock and Greg Lake. The members jumped off each others energy. Wayne and Simpson play mind altering rush hour traffic drums. Both fighting bits of the streamer backdrop off their bodies. At one point Wood throws his guitar down to become a conductor. He raises his arms convulsively up and down. In response Simpson and Wayne deliver dynamic shifts in tempo.

The members interchange with some dangerous leaps from stage monitors to get their pint fix. One streamline jump from Simpson made me question if he trained for the olympics. The substituting members somehow carry the jam forward seamlessly. Their devoured bottles of becks are now smashed, lining the front row of the audience. The pint glasses from band members and audience alike are piled up shrinelike on the speakers.

Mid way through the set Greep leaps behind the drum kit while Wayne gets a pint. He grabs the mic and shouts “For one night and one night only. Geordie Greep on drums!” as if he is some kind of circus announcer. Wood makes a secondary announcement for those at the back. Greep delivers a collected drum solo alongside Simpson. This soon turns into a wild solo. While he does this he never removes his winter coat. Nuts.

In a third set the group play some festivities. A few eyebrow raisers in the mix. The band deliver their own version of Fontaines DC ‘Boys In The Better Land’. They replace ‘the better land’ with ‘the christmas hats’. I suppose this gives them an excuse to cover it. Vocals are switched between Wood and Greep as they commemorate their label mates. Speedy Wundergrounds Dan Carey stands next to me open mouthed. He quotes it as “fucking amazing”. Greep delivers bluesy licks teasing his later ‘Christmas Blues’. A piece where he puts on his best Robert Johnson impression. Another set highlight.

They play BCNR’s ‘Sunglasses’ and Black Midi’s ‘Ducter’, replacing the lyrics with ridiculous festive ones. ‘I am invincible in this christmas hat!” for example. Between a beer flying moshpit, a monitor convulses violently half way from the stage into the front row. It is saved milliseconds before a deafening floor smash by good samaritan audience members.

Covers of ‘Last Christmas’, ‘Mary’s Boy Child’, ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ and other festive classics are performed to finish the set. Picton takes the lead on many of these, ending up in a humorous falsetto on ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’. Hereby Morgan struggles to keep his composure. He’s in a fit of laughter. Greep starts an alienistic ramble. “Christmas, christmas. Geordie! It’s been said many times, many ways! Merry Christmas oo-ee. Black Midi. Black Country New Road. Sponsored by The Windmill”.

Following the set everyone converges for drinks. The band members and fans discuss everything from business deals to Scott Walker. A fan goes round with his polaroid camera taking pictures with everyone he meets, and many leave the venue in festive spirit.

3 pints later Picton sets up a drum machine and macbook, Greep a microphone. They introduce themselves as ‘DJ Dairy and MC Spritz’. The most bonkers freestyle is performed over popular instrumentals. “Lets go lets go! Change the beat yo” Greep shrieks. He goes on to ask the audience questions. “Who would win, Tyson Fury or Mahammid Ali?”. Without a chance to respond he answers ‘Mahammid Ali’. He takes fast shots of straight whiskey.

This is followed by inviting fans up to ‘freestyle’. Over these ‘freestyles’ remarks are made from the pair. Somewhat alike to DJs over dodgy bootleg records. ‘Lets Go Motherfucker. Lucas from Manchester’ , ‘Anthony Joshua! Anthony Joshua’. Picton is waving his hands in the air rollercoaster style and they both sing fragmented versions of Kanye West songs.

Later Wayne staggers on stage and him, Greep and Picton form a trio of out of tune drunk singing. The song is ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ by Elton John. Greep and Wayne share a microphone. They have their arms around each other and swing backwards and forwards. Following suit are May and Kershaw (now in the audience), their pints clutched between their hands.

In the early hours of the morning a fan has collapsed on a sofa in the back room needing his friends to lift him up. Another fan lights a cigarette inside the venue, getting in an argument with a woman at the bar. Then there’s me. I missed the last tube and ended up in an abandoned old bank. No further questions. I present to you a normal night at The Windmill.

Web archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20210819205610/https://newsoundsmag.co.uk/2019/12/23/black-midi-new-road-christmas-extravaganza-at-the-windmill-brixton-19-12-19-review/