Three Reviews To Get You Through The Weekend
Stillness In the Move Final – Solange Knowles – The Dirty Projectors single off Bitte Orca and New York magazine’s # 1 Brooklyn song isn’t though it is great. At the very least “Cannibal Resources” is as good. Except it is the # 1 Brooklyn at least in Solange Knowles excellent cover. DP’s Angel Deradoorian has a pretty voice and she can hold a note and at least in juxtaposition to Longrstreths all elbows and angles music it is very effective. But Solange Knowles is a trained soul singer who comes into it both from DNA and from nepotism and if recorded material hasn’t been ready for prime (though she won best new artist of the year from Soul train…) this song is incredible. To hear a superb vocalist handle the hiccupy octave jumping song, at the least a bit of a work out, so perfectly is sooo good. Like wow. She goes bursting upwards into a trilling soprano climax that takes the entire song to an another level. One of the best singles of the year though she hasn’t officially released it yet. Incidentally her label universal wants Pitchfork to take it down and Solange is not amused: “So fucking crazy universal has been taking down a COVER that I’m NOT selling or trying to publish. Never heard of that shit in my life! Not to mention Dirty Projectors, LOVED the cover& all parties are happy Doesn’t Lil Wayne a Universal artist rap over other folks records?”
Tout Les Temps – Americans In France – Starts like heavy metal and breaks off with the vocals, as though Iggy Pop changed his mind have way through the song. It is so arty, it’s like there are little movements with the song, for instance at first you figure the “tout tout tout les temps” stuff is the chorus but then it appears to be the bridge (the chick replies “chacon”). It’s kinda like the moving staircases at hogwarts. And the guitars can’t make out where they are in the mix, they keep on fading up and down, in and out, and then it kinda speeds outta control like thrash rock. A strange and tasty album.Toxic (Version Revisited) – Mark Ronson – Featuring Tigger and Ol’ Dirty Bastard – ooooh baby I’m burning up!! Significantly superior to the Bloodshy and Avant’s Intoxicated remix off The Singles Collection, Ronson’s remix of Britney’s hit single is the gold standard. Everything on Version is big time stuff and still “Toxic” is bigger, Tigger helps but it’s the ODB sample taking it to the outer stratospheres of sound.
Verdi – Ritorna Vincitor! – Maria Callas – Verdi’s victory march (I think, that’s sure what the orchestra at the start sound like) stands to attention and then they fall out when Princess Callas is taken in schains and takes over with the most ugly beautiful voice you can imagine. From one to another you can be so pained you winced and so freed you want to fall on your knees. I wish she was alive to cover “Stillness Is the Move” but universal would prolly complain about that as well.
