The first single from Olivia Rodrigo’s second album opens with Fake Out. “Vampire” initially seems like a quiet, heartbreaking piano ballad in the vein of her 2021 blockbuster “Driver’s License,” but after the first chorus the song picks up steam. Then it breaks into a satisfyingly melodramatic, rock-opera gear. (she knows billy joelThe subject—the post-breakup acerbic evaluation of a manipulative ex-lover—stays entirely within Rodrigo’s comfort zone, but there’s a hint of grandeur and a new sense of structural ambition that bodes well for Rodrigo. be. The next work “Guts” scheduled to be released on September 8th. The chatty, galloping expression of her verses is instantly reminiscent of the songwriting voice that turned Rodrigo into every woman of her generation, and, as always, her admitted mistakes make her It makes it even more sympathetic. And every girl I’ve ever spoken to said you’re bad, bad news / You called them crazy God, I called them crazy too is. But the song’s true brilliance comes from the melodic ascension in her chorus, when Rodrigo reaches for something that’s out of her reach and achieves it in an instant. just a human.Lindsay Zoraz
Tiny and Bad Bunny “Mojabi Ghost”
Tainy (Marcos Efraín Masís) has been creating reggaeton hits since he was a teenager. But Tiny’s latest collaboration with Bad Bunny, “Mojabi Ghost,” from Tiny’s new (guest-filled) album Data, puts the usual beats aside for a strong march with soft-edged synthesizer chords. I’m on board. Bad Bunny sings about “pretending not to think about you” even when they’re still smoking, drinking, and having sex. Tiny makes him sound less boastful and more forlorn.parel
Armament, the “sport of form”
The militants raise their awkward voices, hardcore anger From the 2010s. Like other long-running hardcore bands, especially Turnstile, the group recognized electronic pop, acknowledged the importance of melody, and broadened their musical sources. “Sport of Life” flies between electronic sustain, full-tilt rock and hand-played subtlety. The chorus asks frank and urgent questions. “Does anyone know/care about you?” Parel
Fall Out Boy “We Did Start The Fire”
Billy Joel has a complicated relationship with his infamous 1989 blockbuster “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” In the years since he wrote the song, he’s called it “more annoying than music” and likened its melody to mosquitoes and dentist drills—but even he’s not saying Fall Out Boy After listening to this week’s cover, you’ll have a new appreciation for its composition. The band attempted a “system update” to the track, keeping the instrumentation largely the same, but changing the lyrics to chronologically list “newsworthy items from 1989 to 2023.” The most obvious problem is structure. Despite the absurd juxtaposition, Joel’s songs are chronological, making the passage of cultural time feel real. Fall Out Boy gives us non-ephemeral productions like Fire Fest, Black Parade/Michael Phelps, Y2K. Such a poetic license might be more forgivable given the masterful prosody, but this is a song that tries to rhyme with “Brexit” and “Taylor Swift.” The tone is also a headache, with Fall Out Boy’s version neither funny nor serious enough to make a compelling case. Renewing “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is now a corny pretentiousness, and has taken many forms, from pandemic-era Twitter memes to 1975’s poignant and more successful 2018 single. is already done much better. “If we can make it, love it.” Joel was right the first time, “I can’t take it anymore.”Zoraz
Geese “Unduah”
Brooklyn band Geese have packed nearly every rock style from the last 60 years into their 2021 album Projector and new 3D Country. Prog rock, glam, metal, post-punk, country rock, ballads, psychedelia, grunge, arena rock, roots, noise—all appear somewhere on the album’s tumultuous track list. At seven minutes, “Undoer” is a heavy, odd-time signature coiling and unwinding stomp that moves over jazzy bass riffs, triplet percussion and Cameron Winter’s increasingly elaborate vocals. Again and again he roused himself and exclaimed, “It was all you!” Oh really?parel
Terrace Martin featuring Keyon Harold, Justin Tyson, Dominic Sanders “Degnan Dreams”
Eight years after the release of Kendrick Lamar’s instant classic LP, To Pimp a Butterfly, which he helped produce, Terrace Martin is now a world-touring producer and multi-instrumentalist. Still, the higher Martin climbs, the deeper he seems to dig into the soil that raised him: the African-centric communities around south-central Los Angeles. Track 1 “Degnan Dreams” from Martin’s new album Fine Tune is named after the main thoroughfare in Leimert Park. (“Fine Tune” is the first of six LPs Martin will release on his Sounds of Crenshaw label between now and next year’s top.) A few pincer shots enter over an adjacent Justin Tyson drum beat. Guitars, and Dominic Sanders’ bassline as tight as a leather glove, Martin’s alto sax harmonize with Keyon Harold’s trumpet (and what sounds like an unnamed baritone saxophone) in a punchy pattern. It plays, then flows into a blue-filled, gospel-colored solo. Notes and scraped tones.Russonero
Sampha “Spirit 2.0”
Since her debut album Process in 2017, British singer-songwriter Sampha has showcased her voice in various collaborations. “Spirit 2.0” marks his own new album. Over his tracks, the nervous rhythms of sizzling electronics and his dual-time drumming, Sampha sings of longing, aspirations, hopes, and a sense of security. “The waves will catch you, the light will catch you / Love will catch you, Spirit will catch you,” he promises. But the music keeps him in the air, unresolved.parel
Becca Mankari featuring Brittany Howard, “Don’t Even Worry”
In dire times, Becca Mancalli provides a resolute sense of security with “Don’t Even Worry,” a whisper that somehow isn’t overwhelmed by a strong beat, and an unintimidating voice that says, “Give me all I have/me.” It will work out,” I promise. A candid string section and vocal harmonies from Brittany Howard. The words “don’t worry” also sound like “doing the job”. It is a personal promise and emphasized in it.parel
Hayden Pedigo “Signal of Hope”
Texan guitarist Hayden Pedigo extends the folky fingerpicking style of John Fahey, Davey Graham, Leo Kocke and a solid lineage of consonant-loving guitarists to the present day. His new song, “Signal of Hope,” is a largely three-chord swinging tune that transitions from 4/4 time to a waltz, his acoustic guitar subtly backed by a high affirmation of pedal steel. . Warm, patient and uplifting.parel
Colter Wall “For a Long Time”
Colter Wall, though a baritone rather than a tenor, may be the country’s most protégé of Willie Nelson. His brief but thoughtful songs sound tight, casual and real-time, and the lead guitar (sometimes Nelsonian harmonica layered) is understated and acoustic rather than electric. Wall keeps time, memories, and restlessness in his head. “When things slow down, I have to go listen to the noise of the highway,” he sings on “For a Long While,” an existential meditation in sleazy clothing.parel
John Raymond and S. Carey “Calling”
Bon Iver’s longtime collaborator, singer-songwriter S. Carey, has collaborated with trumpeter John Raymond on his album Shadowlands, due out in September. On “Calling,” Carey’s whispers drift over a jazzy, soothing seven-beat pulse, singing in a whisper about nature as a revelation: “Wake up/Truth is green.” His voice is answered, then replaced by Raymond’s trumpet, dissolving into wordless amazement.parel
Chief Sian a Tunde Adjua “Blood Calls Blood”
On Saturday, trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, and chief of New Orleans culture, formerly known as Christian Scott, anointed As the Grand Griot of New Orleans Marfa Memorial, ceremony in Congo Square. Plaza de Congo is often referred to as the birthplace of jazz, but Adjua (who, like many musicians, rejects the four-letter word) would disagree with that description.it was, and Remaining, a sacred place for cultural preservation, reinvention and regeneration. The music on Ajua’s next noteworthy album, Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning, ties directly to that history, leaving no room for jazz conventions. On “Blood Calls Blood,” he sets against a backdrop of whistling ambient, with the bow of the Chief Adjua, a double-sided string instrument of his own design that fuses the West African ngoni and kora with the European harp, with gentle strings of string. Play a pattern. The sound of the wind and rustling leaves. Adjua sings in a sharp, mean-spirited tone, but at one point he stops and gives a verbal call out. “Listen to the wind,” he says. “Voice calling you from yesterday” Lussonero
JoVia Armstrong and the Eunoia Society “Hide, then Seek”
Jovia Armstrong doesn’t follow anyone else’s strategy, whether it’s jazz, Afro-Latin music, or avant-garde music. She is also an electronic musician, playing traditional percussion instruments and building her own kit (of course): a cajon, a few cymbals and a floor tom. The title of her recent paper — focus on A cave as a place for music production and ceremonies. It was “Black Space”. These two words of hers evoke the dark and enchanting sounds she makes with her society of electroacoustic musicians, Eunoia. The band’s latest album, Inception, is a suite written by Armstrong tracking her life’s journey from pregnancy to adulthood. There is absolutely no scent of literal expression here, no lyrics, but you can hear traces of her personal history in the sound. It is in Chicago, where Armstrong is based, that Sun Ra patented his low, quivering sound. In Detroit, where Armstrong grew up, house musicians use samples and reverb to warp references to her past. In “Hide, then Seek,” the closing track of Inception, Armstrong’s cajons (literally “boxes”) are hand-struck to produce a sharply percussive yet resonant, ringing sound, but Damon Warr Builds in tandem with Mac’s base. Beneath the cosmic threads of Leslie DeShazer’s harmonious electric violin and Sascha Caspelco’s crumpled guitar, a nagging pulse that’s also a zone of cavernous darkness.Russonero
