This is a couple of days late, due to the first of the month being on a weekend. So what you see below may not necessarily match what's on Elbo.ws right now. Otherwise, have at it.
1. Pallers - "Humdrum"
Download: Pallers - "Humdrum"
The newest addition to Sweden's purveyor of pop, Labrador Records, Pallers, a duo, lay the listener down in a blanket of cool, minimalist, electronic beats and crisp synth sounds ideally suited for bedroom listening. And not much else.
Grade: C
2. Plus Minus - "Snowblind"
Download: Plus Minus - "Snowblind"
The derivative innovation in this song is this: "Snowblind" bridges the gap between the electronic-pop of Death Cab frontman's Ben Gibbard's side gig to an upbeat variety of chiming indie-pop that his day job was perfecting in the beginning of the decade. I have the facts, and I'm voting eh.
Grade: C
3. Kanye West - "Robocop"
Download: Plus Minus - "Snowblind"
The thematic flip of the Chicago rapper's first person obsession ode "Love Lockdown", "Robocop" finds West at the receiving end of a jealous lover's unwanted attention. Moving forward in a synth-and-string focused R&B direction, "Robocop" finds West maturing musically. A compelling song, but past braggadocio also lead to more thrilling material.
Grade: B
4. Designer Drugs - "Zombies"
Download: Designer Drugs - "ZOMBIES!"
No need for BRAINS! when listening to this song. This isn't to say that it's stupid. Far from it. But the Daft Punk-isms of this instrumental dance track should be familiar to most listeners. Perhaps it could have been more distinctive had there been an air of spookiness added.
Grade: B-
5. Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains - "American Names"
Download: Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains - "American Names"
Former dance-punker trades in his fuzzy, dingy synth sounds for more lush, expansive synth sounds, swooning vocals, and anthemic guitar-pop. There's an infectious sense of romanticism in the songcraft, but also a strong lack of musical identity to differentiate "American Names" from the numerous other college rock band rehearsing right now.
Grade: B-
6. Of Montreal - "Id Engager"
Download: Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains - "American Names"
Kevin Barnes' alter-ego may be screaming at us all from a phallocentric tyranny, but his disco and funk sonic libations provide all the liberation that one could possibly hope for.
Grade: B+
7. Kanye West - "Coldest Winter"
Download: Kanye West - "Coldest Winter"
West's new found affinity for proper singing leads to another dark, keyboard-driven exercise in booming percussion and vocoded vocals (or is it Autotune?). Another worthwhile experiment, though one that suffers from an anti-climatic brevity.
Grade: B-
8. Parts and Labor - "Nowheres Nigh"
Download: Parts and Labor - "Nowheres Nigh"
The wonders that context can do for a song. At first listen, "Nowheres Nigh" sounded like a turn toward the boring conventional for a formerly ambitious band. In the context of the ambitious Receivers, this track sounds like the exhilarating anthem that band undoubtedly meant it to be. Mea culpa, Parts and Labor.
Grade: A-
9. Mos Def - "Life in Marvelous Times"
Download: Mos Def - "Life In Marvelous Times"
Stabbing synth lines, a militant beat, and group back-up vocals help propel this socio-economic commentary by one of hip-hop's most versatile emcees. "Bright moments always come back vivid" goes one line, and there's plenty that's vivid here, from a sonic perspective. But the dense production also gives a kitchen-sink feel that's a bit distracting.
Grade: C+
10. Lily Allen - "Everyone's at It"
Download: Lily Allen - "Everyone's at It"
Allen's "state-of the world" song, targeting everyone from politicians to young adolescents, shows everyone's favorite mouth runner ditching the ska-pop and moving toward a more 80s synth-pop sound. She's spunkier, and more distinctive when addressing personal problems, but the shift toward others doesn't detract too much from her ability to write a catchy tune.
Grade: B-
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment