It’s been a while since I did once of these track roundups. IT'S BEEN 84 YEEEARS *insert Titanic gif*. Here are some of my favourite tracks from the last month. Thank you to everyone who’s submitted music over the last few weeks – I’m still getting through it all, but I’ll get there eventually.
THE BEST:
‘Walkin’ – Denzel Curry
Denzel Curry never misses. The Florida rapper’s latest single
is set to appear on a new album Melt My Eyez See Your Future and it sees
him delivering some surprisingly heavy subject matter while adopting a calmer
vocal delivery (no DMX-style yelling this time). The beat is magnificent – I
love the way it shifts from boom-bap to trap half-way through. The sci-fi/western
flavoured video is also stunning. Tatooine vibes. You just know Jabba’s bumpin’
this in his palace.
‘Snow Globes’ - Black Country, New Road
Experimental UK rock band Black Country New Road released
one of my favourite albums of 2021. I’m not sure if their new album Ants From Up There (set to drop next Friday) is going to be quite as exciting – some
of the singles released so far have been a little too tame for my liking. ‘Snow
Globes’ feels slightly more unhinged and is definitely more up my alley. The
first two minutes had me expecting something straightforward and mellow, but
then the berserk scattergun drums enter the mix and it becomes positively
chaotic.
‘Burgundy Red’ – Sage & Langston Bristol
This funky single is the collaborative work of Orlando indie
band Sage and ‘rapper/singer/producer/merman’ (to quote his Twitter bio) Langston
Bristol. The vocals are very fun (the ‘ring ring ring’ part is so addictive)
and the production is so slick (those punchy drums and woozy wah-wah guitars
sound so good). If you’re looking for something fun and feelgood to brighten up
the start of the year, give this a gander.
‘Midnight sun’ - Nilüfer Yanya
This cool melancholy track is the work of London
singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya.
Instrumentally, it’s got a moody rock feel to it, centred around some arpeggiated
guitars which eventually become fuzz-soaked at the end. The breathy forlorn vocals
however give it a soulful edge. The song is set to appear on Yanya’s new album
Painless in March.
‘Getcho Mans’ – Rich Brian & Warren Hue
It’s been a while since I listened to anything from Rich
Brian. I don’t remember him ever sounding so speedy. He’s rapping at Eminem
speed. Is this really the same dude who gave us ‘Dat $tick’? I’m not familiar
with Warren Hue, but he’s definitely got some energy too. It’s an MRJ-certified
banger.
‘Vitamins’ – Kololo
Have you ever been so long without sun exposure that your
skin starts turning transparent and you lose your vision and you start slowly transforming
into a gangly deep sea creature. Yes? Well, this song is all about the joy of
finally getting some vitamin D from the sun, or something like that. Kololo is
a Bristol-based alt pop trio and I absolutely love their unique frenetic
production style – the abrupt cuts and sporadically-placed percussion make it
really unpredictable. In fact, I’d have been happy with an instrumental version
of this – the vocals are the cherry on top. I should mention that this song
came out in November, so it’s practically ancient in blogging terms, but
whatever, the world needs to hear it.
THE WORST:
‘Watercolor Eyes’ – Lana Del Rey
‘I’M A CREEP, I’M A WEIRDO’. Come on, Lana, this is
the second time you’ve ripped off Radiohead’s ‘Creep’.
‘Eazy’ - The Game & Ye (Kanye West)
The moody beat is cool and The Game is on top form. But
unfortunately Ye ruins the track with some childishly bitter bars about his
divorce. Yes, breakups suck, but you’re in your 40s and you’ve got kids – throwing
shade at your ex and their new partner is not a good look. Also, JESUS (YEEZUS)
CHRIST, have you seen that artwork???