THE BEST:
‘Don’t Call Me Angel’ – Ariana Grande,
Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey
‘Don’t Call Me Angel’ is the
latest in a succession of unlikely pop combos. It’s not as wild as that Ozzy
and Post Malone collaboration, but I still didn’t see these three ever coming
together. The bustling beat is intense - Ariana Grande feels right at home over
it and Miley fortunately reins herself in. I did wonder how the hell Lana Del
Rey was going to fit in, but as it turns out the song slows down to an atmospheric
crawl during the middle eight, which is much more catered to Lana’s slow and smoky
voice. All in all, it’s a fun pop posse cut that shows off the best of each of
their vocal styles. It’s a shame the video is corny AF.
‘Keeping Tabs’ – Cuco
This kid’s production choice and
humorous attitude (his Twitter handle is @Icryduringsex) reminds me of Tyler,
the Creator - except with druggy lyrics. Usually drug anthems bore me, but this
seems to have an extra dimension to it (is it anti-drug?). The song could have
done without the annoying ‘SMOKING BROKEN WINDOWS’ hook, but the rest of the track
is cool enough to make up for this.
‘Gypsy Girl’ – King Jane
With its soothing vocal harmonies
and intricate guitar-work, this rock track transports me back to the summer of ’76
when Queen and the Eagles were on the radio. I remember that summer clearly – I
was minus sixteen years old. Okay, so I wasn’t alive then, but this song still
makes me nostalgic for the 70s. At the same time, the Brooklyn band are
creative enough that they don’t sound like a complete retro rip-off. The track comes
off the band’s latest EP Deep In The Garden.
‘Let it Go’ – Katmaz
This latest track from NY
producer/singer Katmaz has an early Calvin Harris vibe that I’m digging. The
track centres around a staccato groovy riff that accumulates colourful layers
as the track goes on, including some badass synth slap bass and rich horns. The
vocals are also infectiously catchy and have ingrained themselves in my brain.
‘Conditioner’ – Nothingness
‘Conditioner’ somehow manages to
be both energetic and ambient. The lethargic vocals and thick droning keys give
it a sleepy feel, whilst the relentless snare (I’m going to call it a snare,
but it’s more like a ticking clock sound) propels the song along. The track comes
off of the Victoria artist’s new EP Conditions.
THE WORST:
‘Remember’ - Etienne Sin
This ugly trap/metalcore hybrid
has it all – cheap MIDI horns, generic breakdowns, nasal emo vocals and questionable
n-word usage. He then tops it all off with a rapped verse about owning a ‘foreign
car’, despite the car in the video clearly being a Chevvy.