It’s a mix of all kinds of musical styles this week. There’s something for everyone. Well, except deaf people.
THE BEST:
‘Forever, For Now’ – Local Authority
This track from Brisbane post-punk band Local Authority is
absolutely phenomenal. It opens with some dreamy melancholy synths and then builds
into a hypnotic shoegaze ballad that almost sounds Deftones-y at the end. The
male and female vocal interplay is carried out really well and I love the addition
of the howling guitar solo. Few shoegaze songs are able to pace themselves this
well – the band know exactly when to bring in the next exciting component while
keeping the track hypnotic. It’s one of the best rock tracks I’ve heard this
year.
‘Bussifame’ – Dawn Richard
New Orleans r&b singer has been gearing up for the release
of her new album Second Line. This latest single ‘Bussifame’ sees her
rapping over glossy synth stabs, accompanied by some vibrant dance choreography.
It reminds me of 1991-era Azealia Banks, but even more polished. I definitely
want to hear more.
‘Born For One Thing’ – Gojira
French metal band Gojira have been taking a more melodic
approach with their music in recent years (relatively speaking) – although that
may be about to change on their new album. ‘Born For One Thing’ is their
heaviest song in years. It begins with some frantic drumming and suspenseful fretboard
sliding, before hurtling into a series of brutal riffs. The breakdown at the
end is absolutely monstrous. The vocals could be a little higher in the mix,
however the instrumentation makes up for it.
‘Samurai Sword’ – Chad VanGaalen
Canadian indie-folk artist Chad VanGaalen delivers this charming folk ditty about looking for a lost samurai sword. The clanking percussion that opens the track was created by banging on an ‘old leaking copper pipe’. The psychedelic animated video was meanwhile partially inspired by his late dad’s water colour paintings, who he pays tribute to at the end. 'Samurai Sword' is set to appear on his upcoming record World's Most Stressed Out Gardener (what an album name). I wish all the best to Chad in his search for his samurai sword. After all, it’s totally irreplaceable – and it’s also on loan from a friend.
‘No Respect No Manners’ – Kemetstry
Huddersfield rapper Kemetstry delivers this gritty new track ‘No Respect No Manners’, featuring lots of witty wordplay (the ‘aboriginal’ bar and ‘post
code’ bar are my favourites). The spooky boom bap beat is really cool and reminds me of something Onoe
Caponoe or Lee Scott might rap over. It's topped off with some entertainingly creepy visuals.
THE WORST:
‘We’re Good’ – Dua Lipa
I thought that was just the bridge at 0:38, but it turned
out to actually be the chorus. It’s a pretty underwhelming track from Dua given
the amount of bops that were on Future Nostalgia.