I was
expecting lots of creepy tunes this week given that it was Halloween, but the
scariest thing I could find was a song about Batman crying.
THE BEST:
‘Fall Back’ – Duckwrth
This
beat is absolutely disgusting. JUST LIKE YOUR MUM (I really am immature). It sounds
like it could be a UK grime instrumental, so much so that I was genuinely surprised
when the angry American-accented bars came in. LA artist Duckwrth spends most
the track spitting vehemently before segueing into some brief soulful singing
at the end more akin to Blood Orange. He's got an unpredictable and erratic vibe about him, supported
by a video which sees him performing in a padded cell whilst being restrained
on a rope by a bunch of black dudes in whiteface. I suspect there’s a socio-political
message to the visuals, but right now I’m happy enjoying this artist for the
music.
‘All Out Life’ – Slipknot
Slipknot
are probably the most Halloweeny choice on this list. The band are back to
their Iowa-style punch-somebody-in-the-face aggression with Corey setting aside
his clean singing for his signature diabolic yell. My favourite part is the
slam riff at 3:48 with Corey chanting ‘we are not your kind!’ over the top,
transitioning into some vicious blast beats. And people still claim Slipknot
aren’t metal enough?
‘Figure Me Out’ – Peluche
I’ve
been trying figure this one out – what genre is this? It’s got Kate Bush-esque
vocals, a groovy bassline, military drums, ambient organs and even some wailing
sax towards the back end. It builds up hypnotically before ebbing away gracefully.
This single comes off the band’s recently released album Unforgettable, which I mustn’t forget to check out myself.
‘Bunny’s Dream’ – Matthew Dear
Here
we have another genre-defying track. It’s got glossy guitars, a house beat, some
brief Lou-Reed-esque baritone vocals and a weird section with some distorted offbeat
bass. It’s a trip down the rabbit hole, topped off with a video containing some
wild expressive dancing.
‘Alone Again’ – James Holt
Singer-songwriter
James Holt is back with another single, this time sporting a stomping Beatles-inspired
instrumental. The song gets going quickly and loads several transitions into its less-than-three-minute length. It’s quite different in energy
from his last single ‘Whispers’ (which I featured on this blog here), but the lyrics
still offer some great breakup-themed storytelling.
THE WORST:
‘Batman Cries’ – Joe Settineri
If you
laughed at this song, shame on your for being so insensitive. Batman is crying
and we should cry with him.
Honestly
though, is this satire or is it genuinely sincere? I feel like I struggle
nowadays to tell the difference.