It's time to round up the best and worst tracks from the last fortnight (and a bit). This is probably going to be my last fornightly track roundup of the year, and then it's end-of-year list time. Keep sending me your music - but just be wary that I may not get around to featuring it until January! Artists featured this week include Kaytranada, English Teacher, Dutch Uncles, Mutes, Action Forever and Anna Indiana.
THE BEST:
‘Lover/Friend’ – Kaytranada ft. Rochelle Jordan
‘Lover/friend’ is a steamy track about wanting to become
more than friends. Canadian-based singer Rochelle Jordan’s breathy inflections
(especially the way she sings ‘lover’) are pretty addictive. Producer and
fellow Canadian, Kaytranada, meanwhile lays down a smooth beat featuring some
signature glossy synths. It totally sounds like something that could have
appeared on 99.9% (my favourite Kaytranada album).
‘Mastermind Specialism’ - English Teacher
‘Mastermind Specialism’ is a song about not being able to
choose a specialism, which I assume is why the track suddenly ventures wildly
off-topic in the middle with its random references to Nosferatu and Doctor Who. Despite its wacky lyrics, it turns out to be quite a soothing track - and quite unlike anything else in the UK's busy post-punk scene.
‘At The Wheel’ – Dutch Uncles
The band name seemed familiar and it seems like I did indeed
feature this band back in 2017. They’re still making pretty wacky indie pop. It’s
got a funky new wave sound to it, but with a eerie droning synth in the
background to give it a slightly unsettling edge. And I love how fragile the
falsettos feel. Dutch Uncles will be releasing a new tape soon, which is
something to look forward to if you’re a hipster that still listens to tapes.
‘Mere Slaughter’ – Mutes
There’s nothing muted about this track. ‘Mere Slaughter’ is the
abrasive work of post-punk/noise rock band Mutes. It features intense vocals that
build up into psychotic screeching, mean guitars that briefly transform into
ray guns half-way though, and some tumultuous drums that seem to malfunction at
the end via a series of jarring drum fills.
‘Loveless Love’ – Action Forever
This ‘love’ song about virtual sexual relationships is the
work of Ontario indie/funk band Action Forever. It’s got an intoxicatingly groovy
bass riff and some smooth vocals that really give off a sense of pained longing.
I’m also loving the dark descending synths at the end, which capture the songs’
theme of falling into a dark loveless void.
THE WORST:
‘Betrayed By This Town’ – Anna Indiana
Anna Indiana is the first AI-generated pop star. This is her
debut single and apparently ‘everything from the key, tempo change, chord
progression, melody notes, rhythm, lyrics, to (her) image and singing’ was
created with AI. The internet’s reaction hasn’t been very positive. In fact,
the song has received so much criticism that Anna seems to have removed the original
video from her channel. Personally, I can see why people hate it – as impressive
as the technology is, this song itself is a clunky mess. I’m kinda happy that people
are rejecting it, because it means we’re not ready to replace human pop stars
with AI. At the same time, with a few tweaks, I could see a song like this easily
winning over a few people. The subject matter, which seems to be about betrayal
and wanting to ‘tear it all down’, also has concerning Skynet vibes. After all the Pentagon has recently been pushing for the manufacture of AI lethal weapons. Is Anna Indiana already rallying the troops?