Going Steady: New Singles Reviewed 5-26-17 – 6-1-17

Cruel World – Active Child – This is where singles are superior to albums, an entire album of this electronic mood pop would put the lull into lullaby, but it is lovely over four minutes –a dreamy sound like a waking dream – B

Adeline – alt-j – alt-j aren’t as clever as Radiohead, but they are more soulful and have better pop chops when they feel like flexing em. This doesn’t quite do it, it’s a little too adrift in its misery, but it isn’t bad and I have high hopes for the album – B

Heebiejeebies – Amine, Kehlani – Amine is a talented fellow and this is a sweet track though I guess the daydreaming about Louis was a waste of mental power – B-

RAF – A$AP Mob, A$AP Rocky, Playboi carti, Quavo, Frank Ocean – This is that SNL sketch with a dozen featured rappers on one track come to life. Raf isn’t rough as fuck, it is a clothes designer so let’s just say folks that it takes a village to rap about clothes – B-

I Miss Those days – Bleachers – Not much of a song now is it? – C

Cut To The Feeling – Carly Rae Jepsen – She still sounds like an emotional kewpie doll and is therefore still hard to take serious, maybe – C

Stay With You – Cheat Codes, CADE – electronic dance bad, not bad but a little bland – C+

Sixteen – Chelsea Cutler – this is unassuming and pretty EDM by a kid who says she doesn’t know where you can see her playing because she is stuck in college. – C+

Smoked – Chief Keef, Lil Duke – Chicago South Side rapper sings a weed ode – C+

Dive – Coast Modern – Inoffensive indie pop rock – C+

Neimans Barneys – Cousin Stizz, G-Easy – a Red Sox fan and a cracker, still this is an addictive rap that puts you in suspended animation for its entire length – B+

Wearing Nothing – Dagny – Ho hum EDM singer from Norway who needed a better follow up to “Backbeat” – C+

Woman – Emmit Fenn – What is it with all this EDM this week? this ain’t bad, soulful voice, strong and haunting bluesy sound – B

Gone – Erick Morillo, Junolarc, Chris Child, Ora Solar – I far prefer beats heavy drop the bass house than any other form of EDM and this is a good take on it –it could be faster… – B

Mask Off Remix – Future, Kendrick Lamar – It started like as a viral video and has continued all the way to this remix with an added verse by Kendrick. Can’t kick – B+

Put The Knife away – Goldfinger – As lively as ever but this is an average to bad song by a band who used to be much better – C

Strangers – Halsey, Lauren Jauregui – there is something not quite on the money here, it pitter patters nicely and the hook is successful but the song itself is too rote by half – C+

Shadow Stop – Hillsong United – HU record a song that doesn’t make me hurl!!! Film at 11 – C

Say Yes – Honors – Toronto r&B crew, part of the OVO family of Drake minded spoon benders, and this is an electronic dream track, as sullen as a Drake backing track only livelier. The hook sounds like Justin Timberlake back when that meant something – B+

This City – Lady Antebellum – There are three kinds of songs by these cats, the good slow, the bad slow and the Ok fast. This is OK fast – B

Wall of Glass – Liam Gallagher – Nice harp intro, vocals are Liam 101, Beady Eye-ish sharp modern rock but better, better than all those Royal Bloods combined… if only he was more tuneful, had a little more  Noel (I mean old Noel) about him. There is a strong backbone to Liam, he has complete conviction that he is the last man standing and the song has the attitude and sneer we all want which, if not great is still discernibly  rock music, a dying breed for sure. Co-written by Greg Kurstin (Adele collaborator), it is not Oasis but it has the wall of sound that makes you think Oasis… but again, it stands as proof as to how great Noel was once  – SINGLE OF THE WEEK –  B+

Homie Bitch – Lil Durk, Quavo, Lil Yachty – catchy bubblegum trap – B-

Power – Little Mix, Stormzy – adds a verse by Stormzy to an iffy deep album track – C+

Loved By You – Mali Music, Jazmine Sullivan – I like his voice, and admired her last album, but this is so nondescript it is painful – C+

There For you – Martin Garrix, Troye Sivan – That flute hook is beyond clever, the finger snaps make you wanna break someone’s hand – C

Glow Up – Meek Mill – fast paced call and response rap song – B

Laid back – Mitchell Tenpenny – Country rock plodder – C+

Call Me – Neiked, Mimi – Sweden’s up and coming producer has now gone two for two with this fine dance track and extremely enjoyable pop goo – -B+

Remember I Told You – Nick Jonas, Anne Marie – Cmon, isn’t this guy meant to be a serious player? By the numbers EDM – C

I’m Stuck – Noah Cyrus – Pretty good eccentric pop EDM goes country, apparently she is stuck on a bad boy, England’s talented Labrinth is behind it – B+

Signs – NoMBe – Electronic soul music, NoMbe claims, as he releases a song a month till further notice. None of them have left an impression but this is a little better than the rest – C+

Back To Me – Of Mice and Men – This is the true state of rock and roll and I really can’t believe how thoroughly rotten it is: painful hard rock goth meets emo business as usual – D+

Your Song – Rita Ora – Percolating beat and catchy little number – B-

Déjà vu – Roger Waters – Wow, David is kicking his butt. This is a snoozy keyboard song – C+

Smell The Roses – Roger Waters – Livelier than the other two for sure, but it doesn’t expand the way you know it should – B-

F.B.G.M – T-Pain, Young M.A. –  T-Pain goes trap and autotunes his way through a catchy little number about well, fucking bitches and getting money – B-

A Little Bit – Trea Landon – bro country lives! Not bad, catchy nonsense – B

Get Lost – Washed Out – Electronic chillwave -not bad – B

Good Pain – Yoke Lore – He claims “gentle grit, heavy drums, heavy vocals, and I play the banjo…” but it is better than that sounds, it has its own world sound and after hours of EDM it doesn’t sound like business as usual – B

Cannonball – ZZ Ward, Fantastic Negrito – Not bad for roots rock but her voice grates and fast – C+