Going Steady: New Singles Reviewed 12-14-18 – 12-20-18
Startender (feat. Offset and Tyga) – A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Tyga, Offset – Last week Boogie dropped one of the best songs of his career, this week he has a smart beat and a whistled out effect along with a good rap by Offset and Tyga that works right off Boogie’s hook – B
Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying – Alex Chilton – Chilton emulates his father and goes jazz on this 1990s recording finally seeing the light of day – B+
Drowning In The Sound – Amanda Palmer – Yeah, she is really worried about the state of the world, and more than willing to tell us as dramatically as she can on her upcoming album, the first in seven years. I am sure she has her fans… she wrote this during Hurricane Harry -geddit? – C+
imagine – Ariana Grande – Rumor has it Ariana wrote “imagine” for Mac Miller, using her best pop instincts on a day dreamy song – B+
Tell Me It’s Over – Avril Lavigne – Blue eyed soul from the former teen queen – B-
Solo de Mi – Bad Bunny – This is how BB let’s trap infiltrate Latin pop, on a tough little ballad with a very strong 808 thumping along – B
What Happens In A Small Town – Brantley Gilbert, Lindsay Ell – Overblown country ballad saved by a great blast of a chorus – B
Numb – Carlie Hanson – New teen sensation, a little too electronic – B-
Heart’s Having a Hard Time – Filmore – country rock bore – MUST TO AVOID – C-
Dasher (feat. Lydia Night) – Gerard Way, Lydia Night – about a woman who falls in love with a reindeer and it would have to be a whole lotta better than this to be uncreepy – C-
t-shirt – gnash- LA one boy band comes up with a sexy sadness, he is on the lonely hearts band tour next year along with teen swooner Carlie Hanson… teenagers should run not walk – SINGLE OF THE WEEK – A-
Black Roses – Ian Brown – Pretty good UK 90s style rocker by the Stone Rose – B
Pep Talk – Judah & the Lion – Sounds like The Lion King – C
Quarter-Life Crisis – Judah & the Lion – a nice, big, original jam in waiting, prog folk electrical sound, a friend of mine said they were the best live band he saw last year – B
All I Want – Matt Berninger, Stephan Altman, Julien Baker – Matt and Julien sing exceptionally well together, they should record a song some day, this ain’t that day – C
Big Boss Man (feat. Hope Sandoval) – Mercury Rev, Hope Sandoval – As the 90s revival continues, this Presley cover is dreamy, slow, well sung, but draggy – B-
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (feat. Sean Ono Lennon) – Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson, Sean Ono Lennon – Man, they don’t make em like Lennon anymore. It is really hard to hurt a masterful song that should last forever. Miley is okay – B
War Cry – Queen Naija – Big time r&b wailer heralds another black woman in a year of black women r&b singers… she is a little old fashioned – B-
Elevate – Papa Roach – Completely typical Papa Roach, a fine slice of modern rap and roar – B-
Testify – Robin Thicke – Loverboy Robin has a bad rep and this is a sweet little mea culpa. I bet she doesn’t buy it – B-
Sauce Like This – Smokepurpp – Doomy mumble rap – B-
ALL I NEED – Switchfoot – Nothing rocker – C
Forgotten Graves – The Brian Jonestown Massacre – 60s style blues hard rocker, heavy guitar psychedelic blowback – B-
Pretty Paper – The Lumineers – Folkie Christmas song – C+
Hmmm (TM88, Southside feat. Lil Yachty & Valee) – Tm88, Southside, Lil Yachty, Valee – Cool and hard shards of sound – B-
