Some of the most racially provocative albums to hit the
mainstream in recent years have come from across the pond, with Kendrick Lamar
and Beyoncé leading the pack. Over here we have Dev Hynes a.k.a Blood Orange who
released an 11 minute track in July 2015 at the height of Black Lives Matter
called Do You See My Skin Through TheFlames. That track signposted the way to ‘Freetown Sound’, a meditation on Hynes’
position in society and sense of identity. Much of that comes through the
quotes interspersed throughout the album combining the snapshot-in-time feel of
Frank Ocean’s ‘Channel Orange’, with the black feminist fire of Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’.
Here, though, these voices are frequently and intentionally cut short. There’s
a deeper level too, Hynes taking us on a personal journey through his past and
present – the album title references Sierra Leone, the birthplace of his
father, and the opening lines of Augustine
directly reference his parents. The overly long structure, though, means the
album is more of a mixtape, a collection of the artist’s thoughts and feelings
that perhaps lacks musical focus.
Yet where Kendrick’s ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ was often fuelled
by anger, ‘Freetown Sound’ is a more subtle, sombre lamentation. Fans of Hynes’
work will hear the familiar tropes of 80s pop synths, funk guitars and sorrowful
saxophone, here given a beautifully mournful tone under the added weight of the
album’s concept. His pop roots shine through on multiple tracks, and there are
plenty of cameos from the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, Nelly Furtado and Debbie
Harry. ‘Freetown Sound’, then, cleverly combines pop and politics, for a
powerful statement subtly unveiled. It’s the sound of summer at its best and
its worst.
4/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* Augustine
* Best To You
* Better Than Me
Listen: 'Freetown Sound' is out now.
Listen: 'Freetown Sound' is out now.
Tove Lo sure does get around, doesn’t she? The Swedish
popstar has become the featured vocalist du jour in recent months and shows up
here on the best track from Broods’ second album, Freak of Nature. “Freak of Mother Nature’s game, I could blame her
for my brain,” she sings alongside Georgia Nott in the yearning chorus. Pair
Tove’s raw lyrics with the New Zealand duo’s moody synth-pop and the result is
typically heart-breaking. Elsewhere, the album is less inclined to wallow in the
misery of their debut, with renewed energy, upbeat tempos, and brighter synths
in the likes of Free, We Had Everything
and Hold The Line. That’s not to say
they’ve lost their angst, but this album edges further into pop territory and
loses some emotive power in the process. Lorde co-write Heartlines, though, further proves the duo are best in
collaboration.
4/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* Free
* Heartlines
* Freak of Nature
Listen: 'Conscious's is out now.
Listen: 'Conscious's is out now.
No, it’s not a banger per se, suggesting that Lovato may
have peaked with last year’s Cool for the
Summer. Instead, this is a steamy sex jam that’s a banger in a different
way…if you get my drift…
It’s a Sia-penned track with a badly Photoshopped video. This
is hardly a worthy way to follow up ‘Anti’.
Sigur Ros - Óveður
This is worth watching for the video alone - its grotesque,
otherworldly, disturbing vision is enough to give David Lynch nightmares. The
song itself is a gently mournful meditation with distorted drums and the
weirdly whirring sonic equivalent of that shot from Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Coupled with the video, it’ll
make your stomach churn.
Gold is this year’s
Royals. Snapping beat. Minimalist
production. Dark sex appeal. And an infectious chorus, this time full of chopped
up vocals.
A new track from the indie-electro band, These 4 Words gives strong summer vibes
with its funk bass and glittering synths that make way for a soaring, guitar-heavy
chorus (“I’m on top of the world!”). It’s a worthy follow up to the stomping Unbelievable to be sure.
Christine was one of the major talking points of this year’s
Glastonbury festival, with a buoyant and infectious performance. Tilted, her new single, doesn’t quite
capture that magic alone – it’s a muted affair with warm synths and a French
interlude – but if you missed out on her debut album ‘Chaleur Humaine’ earlier
in the year, there’s no better time to listen.
Past collaborations between these two include Dance Wiv Me and Holiday, slightly annoying songs that were pretty much the sound of
2008. Now? They’ve release Hype, a
very annoying song that could well define the summer of 2016 in the same way
Brexit has cataclysmically ruined UK politics. Well done everyone.