Going Steady: New Singles 8-23-19 – 8-26-19 Reviewed
People – The 1975 – The boys go punk rock with a slice of obstreperous hard as fuck political knock outs, especially welcome after the climate control spoken word track last month – B+
Degenerates – A Day To Remember – pop punk singalong, should go down a treat on stage – B
OKAY OKAY – Alessia Cara – pop dance with a gospel-y vocal pull heading for the charts – B-
The Rock and the Hill – Allison Moorer – Bluesy downer – C+
Heaven – David Guetta & MORTEN Remix – Avicii, David Guetta, MORTEN – Avicii is a legend now, so maybe the (also legendary but alive) Guetta is being a little too careful though it builds along a strong synth hook, it never quite explodes – C+
I Warned Myself – Charlie Puth – Not bad, not “Small Talk” -the terrific song from earlier in the summer, co-written with Katy Perry – B
Downtown Train – Courtney Marie Andrews – folkie Courtney Marie broke through last year with “May Your Kindness Remain,” deservedly so and then some. In celebration of Tom Waits 70th birthday, there is gonna be an album of covers by women artists and here is one. Rod Stewart isn’t losing any sleep, still a beautiful take – B
Taker – DIIV – drugged out, dazed return – B-
Empires – Elbow – Big, brusque, Radiohead DNA’d (Guy Garvey has never sounded more like Thom Yorke), with a terrific bridge and a lot on its mind – B
Random Rules – First Aid Kit – David Berman cover – B+
Strange Beauty – First Aid Kit – Heartbroken memento mori for David Berman – B+
My Way – Live At Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, 1971 – Frank Sinatra – First recorded on December 30th,1968, two and a half years before this live take, and the great thing for 71: SINATRA WASN’T SICK OF IT YET – B+
Sleep On It – Gallant – same ol’ G, dancey r&b with strong vocals and a weak song – C+
Never Count On Me – Haywyre – Very well arranged, jazz classical EDM fusion – B
Into The Summer – Incubus – dreadful alt rock, though the guitar lick is ace – C
Ant Life – Isobel Campbell – former Belle and Sebastian adds 60s style lo-fi dance to folk – B
Turn Up the Radio – Jenn Champion, Victor Le Masne – DIY electronic singer songwriter absolutely kills on a catchy and smart, low key beauty – B+
The Fading – Joan Shelley – Very pretty, old fashioned acoustic folk song – A-
Sorry – Joel Corry – Just hit the UK Top Ten, a house meets r&b stomper – B
MADDEN – JOYRYDE – The third single off his next album, the bass house song blows your feet off – B+
Champion – Kid Ink – Big time anthem aiming for the football fields, it has only one word in the chorus, which it repeats a lot – C+
Murdered Out – Kim Gordon – “Turn Me On…” goes the hook on the former Sonic Youth’s move into EDM territory – B
Sketch Artist – Kim Gordon – phasey workout like Nine Inch Nails, plus a spoken word vocal – B-
Fuck it I love you – Lana Del Rey – Lana dreams a little dream with LA as she moves to California, where it’s just a state of mind, on this sweet, quiet song – B+
The Greatest – Lana Del Rey – Long Beach gets a nostalgic eyeing and Kanye West has gone blonde and gone, oh and she misses New York and she misses the music, and LA is in flames. Maybe the second best song we’ve heard so far – A-
Truth Hurts (DaBaby Remix) – Lizzo, DaBaby – With Lil Nas X out of the way, Lizzo makes her move for # 1, and daBaby is nothing but excellent on his verse – A
I Rise – Kue Drops The Funk Remix – Madonna, DJ Kue – Synth house clickety clack dance mix – B+
Square 1 – Mahalia – Still teen English alt-r&b sounds like smoother our jazz meets r&b, nice clunk piano – B
Twisted – Molly Sarlé – The LA folk Karaoke angel has a soaring, temperamental voice with a powerful surginess – B
Black Cadillac – Mondo Cozmo – great Velvet Underground lift – A-
I Don’t Think I Can Do This Again (with Clairo) – Mura Masa, Clairo – singer songwriter confessional bedsit track with a throbbing bass for the hook – B
Man’s First Inhibition (feat. Kidd Keem) – NGHTMRE, ZHU, Kidd Keem – creaky EDM tech blurts and 808s, the rap improves it – C+
Ruby’s Arms – Patty Griffin – Another song off the women sing Tom Waits thing, absolutely gorgeous piano ballad (the album looks great with Corinne Bailey Rae and Iris DeMent among a strong cast) – A-
Waikiki Flow – Shy Glizzy – Glizzy has the flow of the week, smooth, fast, and all spit and polish – B+
Sing Along – Sturgill Simpson – if you tweek Simpson just a touch, you will go from Americana to country rock, where he lies on a stomper of all stompers, a masterful, fuzzed out blast of organ and energy – Single Of The Week – A
Playing Games – Summer Walker – r&b with hip hop production – B-
You Need To Calm Down – Clean Bandit Remix – Taylor Swift, Clean Bandit – Speeded up to a chipmunk and then slowed down to a bass – B+
Friday I’m In Love – Live – The Cure – 40th Anniversary of their Hyde Park gig, nothing special track but they sure sound young – B
Daily Battles – Thom Yorke, Flea – Or, if you prefer, two thirds of Atoms For Peace, and the theme song for what looks to be a great movie, Edward Norton’s “Motherless Brooklyn” -completely gorgeous and paranoid with an astonishing horn gloating inwards – A-
Kel Tinawen – Tinariwen, Cass McCombs – Moroccan soul plus Americana guy equals World music – B
So What? – Episode 01 – Vince Staples – Apparently, watching a video isn’t enough, now you have to watch a TV show to hear a song. It hits me that Summertime ’06 was so great we tend to overestimate Vince – B
Never Lie (feat. Moneybagg Yo) – Wiz Khalifa, Moneybagg Yo – Nice intro – C
Daily Battles (feat. Joe Farnsworth, Russell Hall, Isaiah J. Thompson & Jerry Weldon) – Jazz Arrangement – Wynton Marsalis, Isaiah J. Thompson, Jerry Weldon, Joe Farnsworth, Russell Hall – Wynton has a gorgeous sound and the composition is less incidental and more coincidental – B+
#PROUDCATOWNERREMIX – XXXTENTACION, Rico Nasty – Rico, less than thrilling at Playstation last month, kills a verse here – B
Pose (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) – Yo Gotti, Lil Uzi Vert – They like getting their picture taken – B-
Need This – Zac Brown Band – No Christian Contemporary this week? I guess here we have – MUST TO AVOID – C-
