The music does not take an Easter holiday. Here’s the soundtrack to a raucous end to the quiet week.
Friday 29 March at 15:35
Camilo Cabello & Playboy Carti – “I Luv It”
If we ignore the Norwegian-produced Shawn Mendes collaboration “Senorita”, which has proven to be a surprisingly durable global hit, it has sometimes been a bit difficult to understand all the excitement surrounding the American 27-year-old. With “I Luv It” it’s easier: This is bubbly, hyper-energetic pop music with enough unsettling moments and seasick moments to withstand repeated listening – and to become a hit. The unmistakable Playboy Carti flow lowers the pulse and matches the overall look nicely.
St. Vincent – “Flea”
Annie Clark herself calls her upcoming album “All Born Screaming” “post-plague pop”, and the songs that have been released in advance support this claim: the St. Vincent project is turning in an increasingly dark, gothic and industrial direction , and “Flea” brings to mind Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie’s 1997 collaboration “I’m Afraid of Americans.” It’s hard to really love this style, but towards the end Clark progs it great.
Kings of Leon – “Split Screen”
Whether you’ve missed them or not: The brothers and cousins quartet Kings of Leon are just as damned back with a new sound. “Can We Please Have Fun” is released in May, but the Followell clan don’t answer the question with the solid pop-rock romp “Split Screen”, which doesn’t offer a surprising move or an interesting melodic turn during its measured five minutes.
Also read: Album review: Shakira – “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran”: Divorce without tears
Vampire Weekend – “Mary Boone”
New York trio Vampire Weekend have continued to release an unengaging album, and in these reviewers’ ears, its predecessor “Father of the Bride” was one of the strongest releases of 2019 – a life-affirming, sensitive and sharp pop cornucopia. The fifth album “Only God Was Above Us” is just around the corner, and the third single “Mary Boone” does nothing to dampen expectations. The song is typical and aptly named after a legendary art collector who was sentenced to prison for tax fraud in 2019, and with adorable choral singing and a Soul II Soul sample among the driving elements, this is a stunning musical celebration of the hometown and the 90s.
Lorde – “Take Me to the River”
We’re staying in New York: Few bands have represented the city’s musical appeal and nervous energy with the same precision as Talking Heads. With the 30th anniversary of the classic concert film “Stop Making Sense” as a backdrop, the stage is immediately set for a tribute album where everyone from Miley Cyrus and The National to our own Girl In Red contributes. New Zealand’s Lorde has chosen one of the band’s many signature songs – despite the fact that “Take Me to the River” is originally an Al Green song, David Byrne’s distinctive interpretation of it has etched itself into music history. Lorde’s version sounds pretty much as you might imagine beforehand – more laid back, groomed and compressed, and unfortunately also multiple notches more anemic. Not least compared to Heads’ gospel magic live version.
Mdou Moctar – “Imouhar”
Finally, a detour from the beaten track – geographically as well as musically. The Niger-based Tuareg artist Mahamadou “Mdou Moctar” Souleymane has for a number of years released records at the intersection of dusty desert blues and bone-hard rock, and the samples from the 39-year-old’s forthcoming seventh album “Funeral For Justice” hint that the source is far from empty . “Imouhar” is a riff-heavy and hypnotic tribute to the hard-pressed Tuareg culture, and these five minutes offer some of the wildest guitar blasts to date in the Moctar discography.
