I had a smashing time in Ibiza… thanks for asking. A lot has happened
since my last Tracks of the Week instalment, although not much musically,
unless you count that little festival in Glastonbury. And oh yeah, an
underground rapper named Kanye released a music video. But I’m not going to
talk about any of that, so let’s move on…
THE BEST:
'Give It Your Worst' - False Advertising
Cool sound. Cool shades. An all-round cool fucking song. And
I can’t even tell if the lyrical sentiment ‘give it your worst’ is brilliantly
depressing or brilliantly upbeat. The grungy-yet-bubbly guitars and vocal
harmonisation that this Manchester trio plays with seem only to make things
more ambiguous.
'Kaleidoscope' - Arc Iris
Arc Iris are hands down the best broadway/folk/jazz/country/rock
band around, I’m sure you’ll agree. And this new creative single definitely has
me hyped for their new album Moon Saloon.
With its boom-bap drums, drowsy guitars, fluttering strings, shuffling bass and
dainty vocals, it’s tricky to think of a genre that this isn’t’ influenced by.
'Prayers/Triangles' - Deftones
For no reason at all, I tend to avoid covering remixes on
this blog. However, this was simply too good/obscure to pass up. When was the
last time you heard an eighties-style electro remix of a Deftones song? Who
knew Com Truise had an interest in metal? And who knew that the result could be
so dazzlingly brilliant?
'Before I Lied' - Trim
DAT BEAT THO! These harsh metallic synths really do suit Trim’s paranoid bars: ‘Be careful who you laugh amongst’. The UK rapper has also released another track ‘Man Like Me’, which you can take a gander at here.
'S2E3' -
DAT BEAT THO! From what I can tell Bill $aber makes menacing trap rap numbers with Princess Peach thumbnails. Eerie synths tease up to some gut-rumbling 808 kicks in this badass track produced by William $ Charming (lot of $ being thrown around here). The contrastingly sweet thumbnail of Princess Peach somehow makes it all the more unsettling.
THE WORST:
Ghostbusters (I'm Not Afraid) - Fallout Boy ft. Missy Elliot
I guess this isn’t all that awful. I mean compared to the UK
leaving the EU, compared to England leaving the Euros, compared to my current
holiday blues, compared to the trauma of seeing that Kanye video … well … this
song really isn’t that bad. Fall Out Boy aren’t as melodramatic as I imagined
they would be, and Missy lays down some passable bars. They make for a pretty unusual
combo, one that doesn’t sit very well in the stomach, but I can just about swallow
it. Ah … who am I kidding? THIS COVER IS HORRIBLE