Friday 1 November 2019

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 01/11/2019: Tame Impala, Coldplay, Vince Staples and more...




This week, Coldplay go jazzy and Vince Staples goes pop.


THE BEST:

‘It Might Be Time’ – Tame Impala


You ain’t as young as you used to be’. I hate how depressingly relatable these lyrics are. The fact that those synths sound like the Kill Bill siren also adds to the anxiety. And yet the groovy pounding drums and gorgeous keys make this the most enjoyable panic attack I’ve ever had. Tame Impala will be releasing a new album in 2020 and I’m interested to hear him exploring this new sound further.  

‘Arabesque’ - Coldplay


Coldplay just released two new singles - ‘Orphans’ and ‘Arabesque’.  Whilst ‘Orphans’ is typically dull pop-rock, this second single ‘Arabesque’ is surprisingly adventurous for the band. There’s a long jazzy sax solo, Chris Martin briefly sings in French, plus the loud stabbing chords at the end are pretty unique. There even seems to be a touch of detune on the production to give it a worn vinyl effect.

‘Descent’ – Pantology ft. Sergei Avanesov



Those craving some more jazzy sax ought to check out this new hypnotic instrumental from producer Pantology. The sax comes courtesy of NYC saxophonist Sergei Avanesov and weaves its way through the rest of the production made up of flourishes of piano, woozy bass and punchy drums. It’s got a distinctive Flying Lotus flavour to it and I love how detailed it is.  

‘Stay on me’ – Forces


The Kim Wilde-esque vocals and groovy guitars at the start had me expecting some 80s new wave rock, but what follows is something completely genre-bending. Around the 1:10 mark, it almost sounded like an electro version of Arctic Monkeys ‘Why D’you Only Call Me When You’re High’. The track then morphs into a full-on disco anthem, while still carrying a cool indie vibe to it. It’s left me wanting more of their unique sound.  

‘Mother Maybe’ – Kadjha Bonet


I just found out this track is over a year old (which makes this track ancient in blogging terms). However, it seems like a crime to not give this track the exposure it deserves. It starts with some retro soul instrumentation and then the vocals come in and you realise this is not just any 70s soul homage. Kadjha has an album out titled Childqueen that you can check out here.   

THE WORST:

‘Sheet Music’ - Vince Staples



Sheet music? MORE LIKE SHIT MUSIC. I expected more from Vince than a Fetty-Wap-level pop-rap song about sleeping with other dudes’ chicks. The lyrics are shallow to the point of parody. I’m even convinced he may be trolling us.