Review Saturday: Zak Abel - "Soul Child"

Zak Abel

Soul Child

One Hand on the Future

Atlantic

Zak Abel is probably known as a feature artist in Gorgon City's "Unmissable" last year, but it was "These Are The Days" that makes me notice him more. Abel's unique and distinctive voice sounds really mature beyond his age, and it really fits R&B/soul genre that he chooses. When I discovered that Abel just released his latest EP yesterday, I have such a high expectation and anticipation. I am extremely elated that this 19-year-old young man can fulfill my expectation. 

One of the most standout tracks from One Hand on the Future is "Soul Child". It is an incredible soulful song which surprisingly really catchy. Started by Abel's guitar-picking--the result of his self-learning in playing guitar and piano--"Soul Child" breathes a different kind of soul that I've never listened from any other soul songs before. Abel's voice and Joker's production complete each other in this song. The most standout part of the track, though, is when Abel swirls his voice on chorus as he sings, "And all I wanna do is give you my everything, give everything to you". Abel injects modernity on his songs that makes "Soul Child" a flowing and a neoteric song. 

Review Wednesday: FKA twigs - "in time"

FKA twigs

in time

M3LL155X

Young Turks

This week is really interesteng. It makes all hipster rejoice as several "hipster-darling" gives several pleasant surprises, like Deerhunter's new song "Snakeskin" from their latest album, Fading Frontier, Deafhaven's new song, and of course FKA twigs' surprise EP release. As much as I love "Snakeskin", FKA twigs took the gold medal away this week.

Tahliah Barnett seems to be on fire these past three (or four?) years. After releasing an amazing album, LP1, last year, Barnett decides to surprise her fans by dropping such an expected EP. She actually has teased several songs on music festival before, like "Glass & Patron" or "in time" before, but this sudden EP is somehow still shocking.

Just like most of FKA twigs' previous songs, "in time" still talks about shaky relationship imbued with sensual lyrics and whispers. She starts the song with "In time, you'll learn to say sorry", like another proof that women are always right--while of course, they are always right. She continues, "And I will play tender with you". She exactly knew what her man wants. In "in time" she and her lover are in torturous relationship. She longs for his "hands on my body will resonate through me" and that's what will make their relationship "better" and "stronger"

"in time" is also unique musically. twigs imbued this song with trip-electronic just like what she did in LP1. However, I don't find this song belongs to the album. "in time" is just like a whole new entity and it is another perfect song by her.

You can listen to "in time" starting from minute 7:10.

*Review Wednesday is a song article which will be posted every Wednesdays (hiopefully) regularly. It talks about the stand-out songs that I listen this week*

Review Wednesday: The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - "January 10th, 2014"

The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die 

January 10th, 2014

Harmlessness

Epitaph Records

I am a big sucker for anything related to myth. Give me a rip-off of Greek and Roman mythology (yes, Mr. Riordan, that is you) and I will swallow it like an Aspirin. That's probably why this song coming from one of bands with the longest name in the world (48 characters, excluding spaces--the record holder is The Rock and Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Co. of Philadelphia - 19141 with 58 characters) can be digested easily. I am not fan of emo song, but well, "January 10th, 2014" is really unique and magically it gives me some kind of random tranquility. 

Inspired by a true story in Ciudad Juarez about a female Mexican vigilante who hunted the male bus drivers who killed and abused the sole female passenger, she is depicted as Diana in this song. This is, of course, with a particular reason. On her letters to justify her killings, she regards herself as "Diana, the hunter of drivers". Which is remarkably amazing and creepy and badass at the same time. Well, if Diana--the Apollo's sister--used to hunt for animals and protect the moon whatsoever, this modern Diana is like a female Robin Hood. But, much much more dangerous. 

"January 10th, 2014" tries to capture the retaliation of modern Diana in this song as shown in the video. But what I like the most about the song is the "conversation" between Bello and Shanholtzer-Dvorak. As Shanholtzer-Dvorak portrays Diana and Bello as the man who is being hunted, I feel their conversation and interaction is really intriguing. It's like you are being chased by fierce female hunters, and yet you still manage to have a casual talk with your killer. "Are you afraid of me now?" Shanholtzer-Dvorak sings, and Bello replies, "Well, yeah. Shouldn't I be?" I find this is cool and awesome. 

"January 10th, 2014" is the lead single from The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die's sophomore album, Harmlessness.

*Review Wednesday is a song article which will be posted every Wednesdays (hopefully) regularly. It talks about the stand-out songs that I listen this week. Hope you enjoy it.*