Celebrating the 10th-year anniversary of their album Random Access Memories, Daft Punk has released a deluxe version without drums. Many people find themselves asking for the purpose of this release. Some fan sentiments might sound like:
The Zac Brown Band is known for its blend of country, rock, and southern influences. With this release, they are showing how they have been paying homage to a broad range of popular songs and infusing some of their country-rock sound into each one. As the title suggests, the songs on this album were recorded during live shows.
Following the release of the melancholy rock hit “The Glass” by Foo Fighters in June 2023, H.E.R has released her cover version of the song in a single featuring both versions of the track. The lyrics of this song cover the topic of the loss of a loved one. The line “I was left to live without it” keeps repeating in the verses of the song. In the second verse, the “it” changes to “him,” making “I was left to live without him.” Most likely speaking about the loss of Taylor Hawkins, who was the drummer for Foo Fighters up until his early passing on March 25, 2022.
We have been blessed with a jazz album that I feel is a classic upon release. This is definitely one of those albums that, when I listen to it, I wish I had around when I was growing up. But right now will also do just fine.
Just a year has passed since the viral phenomenon of MOTOMAMI, an album released by the Catalan artist Rosalia. She was both praised and criticized for her conceptual album that defied everything we know about pop music. Now, she surprises us again by appearing in collaboration with the great Bjork, another groundbreaking musician who continually reinvents pop in multiple ways each year. This time, they are reviving a song that Bjork wrote around 1997, so the song carries many vibes and resemblances to 'Homogenic' and 'Vespertine.' One of the most satisfying resemblances for me is Bjork's signature way of creating counterpoints with highly reverberated voices.
Discovering this album was quite an unexpected journey. While browsing the internet for new music releases, I stumbled upon an announcement for a new album by Call Super. Initially, I mistakenly thought it was a new release by Supercell, the Japanese rock-pop band known for their cheesy, colorful music filled with rainbows, water pistols, and high school love stories. However, upon delving into the thread, I was met with something entirely different—an album filled with madness, schizophrenic euphoria, and unconventional orthogonal musical structures.
"Eulo Cramps" is a wild experimental album that incorporates improvisatory elements from jazz, daring rhythmic concepts derived from electronic music procedures, and captivating performances using interesting metal idiophone instruments. The album also features collaborations with amazing singers. To heighten the unconventional nature, it appears that the artist and composer behind the album utilized a DIY instrument and invention of his, called the “Eharp.”
The album has a metallic flavor into it, airs of silver and gold blowing in your face, caressing your hair with their cold and pointy melodies and rhythms.
The album opens with a musical piece featuring a harp and employs conventional rhythmic and timbral devices commonly found in electronic and experimental music. However, in the second song, “Fly Black Stork,” the album delves into its most abstract and rhythmic ideas. The energy persists in tracks 3 and 4, now with collaborations from singers like Eden Samara and Julia Holter.
As you dive deeper, it becomes increasingly easier to digest, introducing a diverse array of singers and even softer moments featuring sweet and mellow string instrument motifs (Listen to “Coppertone Elegy” and “Years in the Hospital”). In the final pieces, the inventive shifts from a rhythmic approach to wild melodic ideas (Check out: “Goldwood Feat Elke Wardla”).
For a psychedelic, meditative, rhythm-rich experience, I highly recommend giving this album a try.
Lucky Daye has been one of my favorite names to tell everybody I know about, so I am always delighted to hear a new release. Here are some sentiments I agree with following the release of his latest song "That’s You."
This suite from the ongoing Planet Earth III is very strong. It is an epic piece featuring soaring background choirs, strong majestic horns, clacky metallic percussion, decisive rhythmic patterns and a nice melodic path to follow with your ears. All in all it paints a lovely picture, even without the visuals.
PinkPantheress has turned her unique top-line vocal abilities into the foundation for a discography that I predict will leave a long lasting mark in music history.
When someone brings up the theme of "technology" or “innovation” what springs to mind? What did your imagination conjure when you read the title of the album I'm about to review? AI? Brain-controlled, keyboardless computers? Cars rocketed up to mars? If someone claims that Aesop's latest album offers “a compelling critique of consumerism and technocracy culture”, what do you picture? a new chapter of Black Mirror or a continuation of Brave New World?
I don't write about metal groups very often as I'm not a regular listener of the genre, and impressing me in that realm is a tough feat. Often, I encounter bands relying heavily on strong political messages and disturbing imagery in order to get visibility and attention from young listeners, yet with little investment in their musical craftsmanship to match that intensity.
I'll keep it fair in this review because I have to admit, my introduction to Wednesday Campanella came from Oorutaichi's cover of their song “Sand Castle.” Both versions of “Sand Castle” rank high in my all-time favorite songs collection. When I stumbled upon that track, I explored other tunes from the same album “Galapagos” and got hooked on their super creative take on pop. Songs like “Picasso”, “The Bamboo Princess” and “Melos” bring in the usual pop language, orchestral tricks, and bits from the electronic music scene. But here's the kicker—they throw in these intricate and interesting polyphonic melodic ideas, superb production, and a balanced blend of traditional Japanese instruments with synthesizers and EDM-like sounds, making it all sound unique.
Something utterly unexpected has just occurred: André 300, the beloved rap legend from the Outkast duo, finally released a solo album yesterday, after more than seventeen years. What's even more surprising is that the album is anything but rap.
As we draw the curtains on this year, we're immersed in an array of enthralling collaborations. This time, the spotlight shines on the EP “I Left My Heart in Ladera,” which was released by the American artists Martin Terrace and Alex Isley. These two artists have a long and interesting collaboration history but this release also benefits from the support of the multi-award-winning producer, composer, and arranger Robert Klasper.