Friday 17 September 2021

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 17/09/2021: James Blake, BADBADNOTGOOD, LYRAS and more...

New fantastic tracks from James Blake, BADBADNOTGOOD, LYRAS, Ehiorobo and Peacebone to feast your ears on. Meanwhile, the new M Huncho single sucks.

THE BEST:

‘Famous Last Words’ – James Blake

I genuinely can’t tell if this new James Blake song is gloomy or uplifting. The pulsing electronica in the verse is quite menacing, while the fluttering ‘oooh’ vocals have a tranquil relaxing quality. The chord progression (which sounds absolutely beautiful when those strings come in) shifts from gloomy to happy and the lyrics are a melancholy mix of love and regret.  It’s a complete and utter mess of emotions and I love it. So far, it’s three for three with the new James Blake singles released thus far. This upcoming album is shaping up to be fantastic.

‘Beside April’ – BADBADNOTGOOD

This is the second track we’ve heard from Toronto jazz collective BADBADNOTGOOD’s forthcoming album Talk Memory. Their previous single ‘Signal From The Noise’ featured fuzzy bass, while this track features some distorted guitar, continuing to give their jazz sound a rock flavour.  The swirling cinematic strings meanwhile give off 60s Bond movie vibes. Just as with ‘Signal From The Noise’, I have absolutely no fucking clue what’s going on in the video. Who are all these strange characters? WHY IS THERE A HORSE?

‘Paradise’ – LYRAS

‘Paradise’ (not a Coldplay cover) is the latest single from UK neo-soul group LYRAS. It opens with some soft gliding vocals over a mean cyclic bass riff and some scuffling groovy percussion. It then soars off into a gorgeous Haitus-Kaiyote-flavoured chorus. There’s a great contrast between the verse and chorus and I love the little middle eight section towards the end with the guitar quadruplets and sparkly synths.

‘Munstar’ – Ehiorobo

It’s been a while since I checked out any music from New Jersey singer/rapper/producer Ehiorobo (check out my 2016 interview here). He’s definitely taken his sound in a more experimental direction. The scattergun vocals and speedy beat are really intense. Parts of it remind me of a more unhinged Tyler, the Creator. It’s not easy listening, but its thrillingly creative stuff.

‘Doctor Please’ – Peacebone

‘Doctor Please’ starts off as a haunting ballad with some reverb-soaked piano and longing vocals. Then, without warning, it dives into a wild chorus made up of crazy blues-rock guitars and tumultuous drums. It totally caught me off guard. The Swiss rock band have a new album out in October titled Metanoia.

THE WORST:

‘Breadwinner’ – M Huncho

One of the dullest UK rap tracks I’ve heard all year. Half-baked lyrics. Run-of-the-mill rapping. Stale production. I can’t think of any more bread-related insults.