2010’s Speak Now was Taylor Swift’s third album, and the third to be re-released as a re-recorded “Taylor’s Version”. But the album has always been a declaration of independence. The album marks the first time she’s written entirely on her own, as a response to critics suggesting Swift’s collaboration (perhaps the same sort of thing that criticized her for her sweet-and-spicy “Mean”). was. – Her success so far has been more influenced by writers than she reveals. “Speak Now” remains one of Swift’s best and sharpest-written albums. “You made a careless man’s cautious daughter rebel,” in the chorus of the excellent opening track “Mine,” is often cited as an example of Swift. The most artful and concise expression of Swift’s lyricism.
But Speak Now is also an album of excess. Some of them are glorious, like the epic kiss-off of “Dear John” and the romantic epic of “Enchanted,” while others are genuine works of a 19-year-old’s slightly short-sighted sensibilities. The punchy “Mean” is guilty of that, as is the acid-rocker’s “Better Than Revenge,” the most heavily lyrically revised of “Taylor’s Versions.” “He was a moth to the flame, she had a match,” Swift sings in this 2023 update, with lyrics that are more clumsy and less direct than the original. “She’s known for doing things on mattresses.” This change is disappointing and perhaps the beginning of the slippery slope of self-editing. Sure, the previous lyrics were sacred and offensive, but the perspective of a 19-year-old Swift, and many young women who have been raised in misogynistic societies and indoctrinated to blame other girls before learning. It was also a historical document of the point of view ofhow to curse “Patriarchy”. Lindsay Zoraz
First aid kit “Let’s learn together”
First Aid Kit is a duo of Swedish sisters Johanna and Clara Söderberg whose vocal harmonies are impeccable. They dug into gleaming 1970s Laurel Canyon folk pop with a precise blend of electric and acoustic guitars. “Everybody’s Got to Learn,” from the extended version of 2022’s Palomino, sounds like parental advice from Fleetwood Mac. Growing into a serious folk-rock guitar and strong girl-group beat, the song looks back at the failures that lead to maturity and promises, “Blues and bliss/Sometimes it hits, sometimes it fails.” You will see this through to the end. ” John Pareles
Prince “Let’s share with everyone now”
Recently found in Prince’s vault is “All a Share Together Now,” a song recorded in 2006 that was never released in any form. In a tense, barebones funk workout built around a hopping bass riff, Prince talks about generational responsibility: “The debt of the generation before us must be paid.” sing. Live drums tick the beat, and a bending guitar plays a concise lick that plays lead and rhythm at the same time. It’s a homo disguised as jam.parel
Lau Alejandro “Cuando Baje El Sol”
Lau Alejandro’s new album, Playa Saturno, relaxes the electronic experimentation of 2022’s Saturno in favor of earthy, party-friendly reggaeton. But on “Cuando Baje el Sol” (“When the Sun Goes Down”), Alejandro and his fellow producers add plenty of spatial and sonic mischief to complicate the reggaeton heartbeat. Sampled and warped vocals, echoy synths, turntable scratching, and explosive percussion all bounce around the promise of hot, post-sunset hours.parel
Kaisa’s machine “Gravity”
Is Taking Shape, the latest album by bassist Kaisa Menciv and her quintet Kaisa’s Machine, a diary or a workbook? Original songs like “Shadow Mind” (a languid ballad) and “Eat Dessert First” (the LP’s frantic, clattering finale) represent confessional impulses, but they’re the genius and cunning of Mainsiv’s conservatory. I can’t help but shine a spotlight on the compositional tactics. When magic gets behind the wheel, the underlying voice can muffle in the trunk, especially in jazz, and especially today. Mainsive deserves credit for striking a healthy balance. “Gravity” is the only track on the album without piano, slimming down the young ace’s band to just bass, drums, guitar and vibraphone. Moved by a fast nine-beat clip, Mäensivu’s bassline is firmly set in a minor key, luring you into sensory space before the song’s harmonic center begins to move.Giovanni Russonero
Anohni And The Johnsons “Why Am I Live Now?”
The title is ostensibly a raw survivor lament about surviving in an era of environmental collapse. “I don’t want to be a witness,” cries Anohni, “seeing all the duress and pain in this world.” But Anohni and the Johnsons’ edgy new album, My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross (featuring the band’s namesake gay activist Marsha P on the cover) The question also arises in the context of Johnson’s photo. Haunted by the ghosts of the queer community. By the end of this slow, mournful soul song, Anohni finds a hopeful answer to its title question. She is here to tell these stories, to draw attention to these causes, and to sing this song.Zoraz
Little Dragon featuring Damon Albarn “Glow”
Surrounded by swirling, twinkling, twinkling arpeggios, Little Dragon’s Yuki Nagano sings of pure glee: “I want to shine in the dark, find and taste the starry stream.” Along the way, and inexplicably, Damon Albarn comes from another dimension, apologizing for being “under the spell of the paralyzing eye” and becoming depressed. After offering a small ballast, he vanishes in a download spiral, and Nagano returns, still glowing but totally unperturbed.parel
Fito Paes featuring Mon Raferte “Sasha, Sisi and El Circro de Baba”
Argentina’s most famous and perpetually eccentric rocker, Phyto Paez, released the definitive 1992 album El Amor Despues El Amor (Love After Love) in its entirety 30 years later. I decided to remake the album “EADDA9223”. Featuring duet partners such as Elvis Costello, Naci Peruso and Marisa Monte. A tale of passion and crime, “Sasha, Sissi and El Circro de Baba” was busy in 1992 with disco-funk guitars. However, the new version swaps vocals with dynamic and evocative Chilean belter Mon Raferte, revealing an underlying retro bolero. song. With a reverberated guitar and trumpet obbligato, Paez and Laferte enjoy the drama together.parel
Tukey Miza & Flume “Silent Assassin”
Australian electronic music producer Flume typically plays alongside bouncy consonant chords and a bit of noise. But the track he brought to Australian rapper Tkay Maidza was pure stimulation: buzz, distortion, rippling tones and dissonant drones. Maidza is speedy, running through lines like “I’m a jigsaw, not a quick fix” and “I’m tactical, I’m not obsessed/I do it for my passion.” A clever percussive boast tops the song. It looks aggressive from every angle.parel
PJ Harvey “Lwonesome Tonight”
For her first album since 2016, I Inside the Old World Dying, Polly Jean Harvey meticulously crafted the story, sounds and language based on the local dialect of Dorset where she grew up. Built with care. electronics; her vocals are high and eerie and almost insubstantial. On “Lwonesome Tonight,” she sings about meeting a mysterious and charismatic figure. are you god /Jesus sent you, win my trust,” she sings, and at the end she wonders: “Dear, will you come back again?”
Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band “God Be With You”
Over the past quarter-century, the Brian Blade Fellowship has come to feel more like a brotherhood than an ensemble, offering a repertoire of original music that stands the test of time, with an unmistakable sound that mixes country, jazz and gospel. have accumulated. Despite not using any vocals, the warmth of the chorus oozes out. But beyond that, they’ve stood up (and basically survived) some insidious tendencies in jazz. At a time when so many great improvisers seemed to be reconciling themselves to a future that audiences might put off, there was no time for Braid and the Fellowship. The group’s fifth album, ‘King’s Highway,’ opens with a slow, enchanting Blade original song, ‘Until We Meet Again. Hymn by William G. Tomerit ends with “God Be With You,” a short and elegant recreation of Tomer’s work itself. I can only hope that these governorship titles don’t say anything about the future of the Fellowship.Russonero
