Jam of the Day: Shura - "2Shy"

Pitchfork classified this gorgeous pop track as "Janet Jackson backed by the Human League," and it is a particularly apt comparison. It would also be a perfect fit in a John Hughes movie. However you would like to describe the track, it is wonderful, infectious gem.

Album Review: FKA twigs - EP2

FKA twigs
EP2
Rating: Woof Daddy

Enigmatic UK singer twigs, who goes by the rather clunky new moniker FKA twigs (a change at the behest of another artist called Twigs), follows up her first EP with four tracks produced by up and coming producer Arca (who worked on Kanye West's album Yeezus). Blurring the lines between trip-hop, Aaliyah/Timbaland future R&B, UK bass music, and the menacing, sinister throb of Mezzanine-era Massive Attack, EP2 is a thoroughly beguiling, addictive listen. These four tracks effortlessly flow into each other, utilizing the same elements (whispered vocals, warped samples, fractured beats, and haunted silences), but are offered up in different shades and perspectives.

Opening with the hypnotic "How's That," the EP puts one immediately on edge, the disparate elements at first never seeming to flow together. The narcotic beats and chirping percussion elements work against one another, as the dense cloud of harsh/soft electronics fights to be heard. Twigs' vocals flutter within the chaos, bringing a heart and emotional soul to the clangor. It takes several listens for what sounds like a mess to come together into a sublime whole.



"Papi Pacify" continues with trippy/druggy keyboards, skittering beats, and twigs' breathless coo, all a distraction for the uprising sense of menace burbling under the surface as a lurching, growling bassline emerges, the beats getting more forceful, along with a more confident vocal turn.



Stunning first single "Water Me" feels like the track is going backwards, the percussion off-kilter, keyboards dripping like icicles, twigs' main vocal warped and twisted against itself.



Final track "Ultraviolet" is perhaps the most accessible song on the record, its abstract beginning of pitch-shifted vocals ditched for a lovely swoon of its chorus, twigs' voice taking on a Janet Jackson/Aaliyah-esque warmth and heart.

FKA twigs' work is all about atmosphere and mood, bringing you into the music either through its dissociative effects or through its inviting bath of electronics. Her work here with Arca is never short of intriguing, always pushing the envelope without ever crossing the line into obtuse or too experimental. Based on her short output at the moment, we can only expect great things from this immensely talented singer, and I wait with breathless anticipation for a full length record from her.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Album Review - Kindness: World, You Need A Change Of Mind

Kindness
World, You Need A Change Of Mind
Rating: Grrrr

Kindness, the solo project of UK/Berlin based auteur Adam Bainbridge, obviously has a penchant for 80s funk pop and slick R&B, tossing in equal amounts Prince and Janet Jackson along with other 80s pop acts that utilized R&B shadings, such as China Crisis, The Blue Nile, Scritti Politti, and even Bryan Ferry. He has been causing a slight Internet buzz with his MySpace page, releasing random singles, from the odd cover of The Replacements' "Swingin' Party," an almost monumentally epic Krautrock cover of Cerrone's disco classic "Supernature," and tracks from Neil Young and The Byrds. World, You Need A Change Of Mind, Kindness' debut album, gets a jump from this buzz, offering many tracks that get under your skin with their retro funk and smooth grooves, and only falters when the archness of the concept gets a little too close to irony for comfort.

Lead single "Swingin' Party" trades the alt-country sweep of the original with a plaintive beat, subtle keyboards, and a hauntingly morose vocal.



"SEOD" could be from a lost Boys & Girls demo from Bryan Ferry,beginning with a lengthy intro of cavernous drums, treated guitars, and a lovely bed of icy cold synths, before evolving into a sultry synth pop number.



"Gee Up" is a slick 2 minute slice of white boy funk.



"That's Alright" builds on dense drum programming, rising synths, funk guitar swirls, and ecstatic vocal samples that is equal measure Chic and LCD Soundsystem.



"Cyan" is slick, futuristic R&B, floating on a twinkling beat and pillows of soft keyboards.



And goes all out disco-funk on final track "Doigsong" punishing a slap bass and killer beat.



Thankfully these high points overshadow the two glaring mistakes on the album. A cover of the theme song to Eastenders, "Anyone Can Fall In Love," is the height of treacly banality, while "Bombastic" reads as an embarrassing lounge lizard karaoke act.



Based on his output prior to releasing this album, plus the sequencing of the album itself, it can, at times, come across a bit scattered. Bainbridge appears to be fairly restless in his musical interests which, while keeping things quite interesting, can make for a less than cohesive listen. Despite this small flaw, World, You Need A Change Of Mind is a wonderful pop album that recalls the best of 80s and 90s styles, yet makes it fully modern and his own.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.