The first time I listened to Maxwell is seven years ago, when he released "Pretty Wings". I was still in middle school back then. "Pretty Wings" infuses gamelan chimes in it, and I have high pride with my local culture back then, and this song definitely awed me and my heart is suddenly is filled with incessant pride. I was instantly captivated by the song, pondering how a modest and simple song can be so resonant and extravagant at the same time. But, after listening to his other songs, that's Maxwell's best trademarks, aside from his gorgeous and beautiful falsetto.
"1990x", the second single from his long-anticipated album, blackSUMMERS'night, is a sleek R&B song, adding another nod to the revival of R&B songs this year. Still, Maxwell flaunts his falsetto voice, talking about love, the universal theme of all song in this world.“There’s no song that defines it/ There’s no music behind it/ There’s no lyric to read from/ It’s just you and the moment," Maxwell flirts in the chorus part--somehow it feels ironic, especially his "1990x" can be the song that defines the perfect condition of love. "1990x" is an evocative song that turns people, and this is why we miss Maxwell at the first place. The wait for blackSUMMERS'night is over, and it is indeed worth the wait.
When is the last time we hear something good from Craig David? David pretty much goes inconspicuous after his 2008's greatest hits album which features "Insomnia", and he's never heard since then. So, when Canadian producer Louis Celestin, or KAYTRANADA, invites back David to the relevancy, their collaboration should be something we should look forward to. After all, KAYTRANADA is known by his knack for bringing the best of his collaborator, as proven in his single, "Glowed Up", which features his fidus Achates, Anderson. Paak. And that's what David needs: a prodigy. Unsurprisingly, their collaboration works. When I first hear KAYTRANADA's debut album, 99.9%, "GOT IT GOOD" instantly grabs my attention.
One of the reasons is because of David's evocative and distinctive voice that mellifluously suits KAYTRANADA's composition, that is heavily infused with drum beat and synthesizers. Without spending any time, KAYTRANADA blasts the chorus at the beginning of the song, celebrating wealthiness and consumerism as David sings, "Don’t worry ‘bout the tag/ Go and throw it in the bag/ Cause I got it good." When most of other songs explicitly state that money is not everything, "GOT IT GOOD" becomes the anti-"Price Tag", contradicting everything Jessie J has tried to establish six years ago. But, in "GOT IT GOOD", David provides ground why money matters, because she is "worth it" and "she held me down when I had nothing". David may pompously flaunt his opulence, max credit card, rare Nike shoes, and "Buckingham Palace", but it is justifiable. It's Craig David, dude!
It was just a tranquil Sunday morning in the eastern hemisphere when Beyoncé premieres her short film in HBO and drops her sixth album out of nowhere like a bomb and that tranquil Sunday morning becomes a rambunctiousness. This isn't the first time Queen Bey pulls such stunt, though. Back in 2013, she decides to release her self-titled album without any prior announcement. But, this time fans have anticipated Beyoncé's comeback after she dropped aesthetically-written "Formation" last February.
It's hard to pick the best song from Beyoncé's latest effort, especially because she explores different sound this time and all songs work out. It's a departure from darker R&B sound that she imbues in Beyonce, or pop-approach in I Am... Sasha Fierce. This time, she broadens her genre by collaborating with Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, Jack White, The Weeknd, James Blake, and many more, while sampling from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Soulja Boy, Led Zeppelin, and Animal Collective. "Hold Up", the song with the longest credited artists, is the highlight of the album, produced by the queen herself and Diplo.
In "Hold Up", Beyoncé arguably declares her love with her husband, Jay-Z, an ode but also a warning for him to state where his loyalties are. "Hold up/ they don't love you like I love you", she begins the song with a reference from Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Maps", presumptuously stating that her love is different and bigger and the rest of "them". Beyoncé whirls her vocal between Diplo's laid-back tempo--something that Diplo rarely does. She feels worthless in verse when "I smell your secret, and I'm not too perfect/ To ever feel this worthless". But after all, Beyoncé is a woman who has a right to be "jealous and crazy". Listening to "Hold Up" is honestly an uncomfortable experience because it's like peeping Beyoncé and Jay-Z's private lives where each of them ping-pongs their feeling in song that they make. But, this is not uncommon thing in a relationship, and Beyoncé who's brave enough to speak up and sings what she feels is the voice of what some women must go through out there.
As the release date of The Hotelier's third album, Goodness, is getting closer, this Massachusetts band guns another taste from their album. After we hear "Piano Player" last March, a fiery punk song that showcases The Hotelier's musical virtuosity, I think The Hotelier can't get any better than this. But they decide to fuck me and bestow "Soft Animal" upon their listeners.
The dynamics of "Soft Animal" is remarkably well-structured. Holden sings softly at the beginning of the song, "We were cloaked in the awning of night or early morning", perfectly using matching figurative speech about nature and greenness. You still can notice Holden's experience as a camp counselor in this song as he references, "Sophie's on the bunk overhead reading Mary Oliver/ while I lay still in my bed." As the tempo scampers and the drum grows louder, the song hits a boisterous chorus, bolstered by gang's vocal on chorus which accompanies Holden's wail, "Make me feel alive/ make me believe that all my selves align." They use deer as a metaphor of caprice that comes and goes, but eventually it goes no matter how much we hold on to it ("In attempting to keep you to stay/ I am raising no alarm) and the show must go on.
Compared to "Piano Player", "Soft Animal" is sprinkled with more grandeur and complexity, proving once again that they are one of the best punk bands now. This is one of The Hotelier's finest moments.
The prolific Canadian multi-instrumentalist, Nicholas Krgovich, has released tons of materials in his Bandcamp account, yet there is not any single Wikipedia page for him. So, when I heard his latest song, "The Place Goes Quiet" and looked his name up on the internet, I can't gather enough information about him. I grew frustrated because "The Place Goes Quiet" is really fun.
It's absolutely not a song for winter, but since his latest album, The Hills, will be released on March, I think he means "The Place Goes Quiet" to be a song to prepare for a spring. "The Place Goes Quiet" starts by cheery drum thump and beat, which kinda reminds me of Jonathan Boulet's songs. It's so gay--I mean the cheerful one. Krgovich's falsetto voice blends with his own rhythm. According to Krgovich, this song was written in 2010 when he looks an overlong grass in his uncle's yard. After he cut the grass, he felt so satisfied that he began to get inspired. It's a unique way to get inspiration, of course, but it is another prove that inspiration can come from anything. So, no reason to procrastinate, dickhead! Yes, you dickhead, Daniel!
It's hard for me as a Swifties guy who happens to love Taylor Swift's works to review Adele's latest effort, "Hello", as people compare these two amazing women and their distinctive works; which will sell more. As of now, "Hello"'s music video has broken most viewed videos in 24-hour on VEVO, a record which was held by no other than Swift before. The battle of the fan has just begun, and I am not surprised that it can start the third world war.
A question of who is more successful doesn't seem so essential right now, especially since Adele and Swift's target market is quite different. While Swift targets younger female audiences, and sometimes a pathetic guy like me, Adele has broader audience and it gives Adele a kind of advantage. But, when it comes to breaking record, sorry Swift, you may have collected three 5-times Platinum certified albums in USA, and most viewed videos in 24-hour on VEVO, but Adele effortlessly snatches all of your records away.
But, let's stop talking about these two amazing women. "Hello" is Adele's new song after three years of anticipation, Her previous work, "Skyfall", a James Bond film soundtrack, earned her a Grammy Award and Academy Award--something that Swift hasn't yet achieved (okay, enough of your shady commentaries, Dude). So, when she announced her album, 25, all over the world go batshit crazy.
It's with a reason, of course. "Hello" is unique as a first single. Many artists don't have courage to release a ballad as the lead single, but Adele is the exception. It's like a breath of fresh air after radio has been bombarded by R&B songs: The Weeknd and that annoying "Uptown Funk" have ruled the charts this year.
However, for Adele, "Hello" is not breath of fresh air. Adele plays it safe this time. Compared to "Rolling In The Deep", "Hello" is kinda forgettable. It indeed has a grandiose concept, and the operatic atmosphere this song has feels really classy and grand, but this isn't something groundbreaking. I really adore Adele's vocal here, though. It's stronger than anything she's ever released before if that's ever possible.
Adele stated that 25 will be a make-up album and it's proven by "Hello". She whispered "Hello, it's me" at the beginning of the song. It's not only a start of apology for her lover, but also a greeting for her fans all over the world. "Hello" reflects what relationship in the past is supposed to turn out as she sings, "I'm in California dreaming about who we used to be" When the chorus starts, the "I must've called a thousand times to tell you. I'm sorry, for everything that I've done" part reminds me of Back To December (okay, enough).
In 1996, Nintendo released a racing game for Nintendo 64, called Wave Race 64. It's basically like a jet-ski race, and it looks really exhilarating and fun. When 21-year-old Sydney producer, Thomas Purcell, whose surname is similar with the author of my Calculus book, Purcell (the producer one) adopts this Nintendo game as his stage name, he also adopts the exhilaration and the fun of Wave Race 64.
Purcell brings us back memories of 8-bit game from late 1980's until 1990's in his works, and it is clearly shown on his latest work, "Wave Racer". Taken from his latest extended play, "Flash Drive" is an adventurous song. It magically can bring you into a Nintendo-game nostalgia, and suddenly you become a nine year old boy all over again, playing Super Mario or Contra. "Flash Drive" is full of synthesizers, but it's an extremely light and "cute" electronic songs. It's not overproduced, it's just simple, but this is exactly what I need. B▲by, whose name is boldly using black delta symbol, provides the vocal, making "Flash Drive" an exhilarating and refreshing song, just like what you feel when you play Nintendo.
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