Double Bill Challenge: Write a song with an act you share a tour with to prove your compatibility. Beck and the French electro-pop band Phoenix, who are touring together this summer, have done just that. Their collaboration, “Odyssey,” draws heavily on his synthesizer-centric 1980s pop, notably his 1980 Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime,” overdubbed with marimba and xylophone. I am finding common ground. Homer’s “Odyssey” was a long and grueling journey home. This “Odyssey” is even more comfortable.John Pareles
“If he wants you to live forever, run away!” British songwriter Maisie Peters advises after a “incredibly good” relationship. . This is a lilting, beat-based battle between the sexes that could easily become a slogan.parel
Aphex Twin, “Blackbox Life Recorder 21f”
A brooding synthesizer chord and a trusty but ever-changing drum beat run through Aphex Twin’s first official release in five years. The EP, due out July 28th, features the (as usual) cryptically titled “Blackbox Life Recorder 21f.” Melodicly, the track is a lament. But until the rhythm finally breaks, percussion is there for the party, no matter how grim the surroundings are.parel
Jamie Branch “Take Over the World”
The trumpeter and bandleader Jamie Branch, who was 39 when he died last year, left behind a raucous and rebellious record, releasing his posthumous album Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die in August. ))” will be released. Brunch resolutely blends the spirits of jazz, electronics and punk, beginning “Take Over the World” by roaring, “I’m going to conquer the world/And back-back-back-back-back to the world.” Her playing is joined by thumping drums with a New Orleans flavor and rhythmically droned cello and bass. She plays a provocative, growling trumpet solo. She puts her vocals through an electronic warp. Her anger is intense and her joyful momentum builds up.parel
Pale Hound “Independence Day”
“On Independence Day, I cried and parted with my neighbors furious,” says Elle Kempner, over a weary chord progression like Wilco’s “Camera,” while indie rockers Palehound’s Begins singing this single from the next album “Eye on the Bat”. This striking line sets the stage for this hazy snapshot depicting the end of a relationship, full of ironic humor and hard-won wisdom. “Even if I could, I would die to look back,” sings Kempner, musing on the grief of a path not taken. “No, I don’t want to look the other way.” Lindsey Zolaz
Amanda Shires and Bobby Nelson “Waltz Across Texas”
Country artists Amanda Shires and Bobby Nelson recorded the generational album Loving You shortly before Nelson died in 2022 at the age of 91. The result is a testament to her collaborative spirit as a pianist and her light and intuitive touch that she had so far retained. The last moments of her life. The album’s opening number, “Waltz Across Texas,” a Western swing classic made famous by Ernest Tubb, demonstrates their brief musical chemistry. Shires’ fluttering voice is playful yet homage to the original, while Nelson’s notes are elegantly spaced and shine like movie stars. night sky.Zoraz
Faye Webster “But Not Kiss”
Faye Webster has a deceptive insouciance. She showcases her sly, sleepy voice on her “But Not Kiss,” singing about the cautious and ambiguous beginnings of a relationship. “I want to see you in my dreams, but I quickly forget,” she sings. But not yet. ” Each quiet, folky declaration is met by a rich burst of instrumentation. That is, physical reactions that outweigh rational decisions.parel
The Smile “Bending Hectic”
What does it feel like to drive up a Mediterranean hillside? Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and jazz drummer Tom Skinner’s Smile explore the possibilities in this nerve-wracking eight-minute track. leave it to “Bending Hectic” moves from quiet guitar picking and meditation to disaster induced by Greenwood’s dissonant string arrangements, from scenic views to suicidal thoughts on winding mountain roads in Italy. Bottom line: choose your van driver carefully.parel
Ambrose Akinmusire “Cora Campbell”
Ambrose Akinmusire recorded his latest album “Beauty is Enough” at the Saint-Eustache Cathedral in Paris, with no audience or band, just his trumpet and the natural sound of the hall.he Approaching the The album is a rite of passage, completely improvised. solo album important career intersection, he knew that one day, too.In Akinmushire vast knowledge Knowing the history of jazz, he pushes himself to avoid relaxing in it. You’ll never hear him resort to references. Instead, he constructed one of jazz’s most indescribable styles, full of smoldering sensations, but with an astonishing serenity at its core. (His art on the LP jacket looks a lot like this one, with faint, almost body shapes barely emerging from the all-black background.) On the LP’s final 16-track, “Cora Campbell,” You can hear him squeeze the sound tightly. He makes them quiver or wiggle a little. After 70 seconds, he transforms the notes he’s been playing with into a regular pattern, and challenges himself to connect high pitches and glissandos in the gaps. Not overloaded, but never resting.Giovanni Russonero
