Lorde’s New Album ‘Virgin’: A Deep Dive Review

A week ago Lorde released her fourth studio album, Virgin.
I’ve been looking forward to this release since i first heard the single named What Was That, which turned out it was an absolute banger. I’ve also looked at the Kyle MacLachlan reel on Instagram where he is jamming out to this absolute tune, more times than i would like to admit.

Lorde has been a house hold name for a long time now, ever since her massive debut in 2013, since then she has released music that has always been relevant with her finger on the pulse with her way of combining very well thought through lyrics, with interesting lyrics and an angelic voice.

I must admit, I’ve never delved into Lorde and her music, so this is the first record I’ve spun a couple of times to really try to capture and understand the atmosphere. With that said, i understand the anticipation and praise. I read reviews that mentioned that this is considered her most introspective and self-reflective album to date. From the reviews I’ve read, the opinion of this album seems to be a bit mixed, from 4.5/5 on Rolling Stone, to 7.6/10 on Pitchfork, to ‘decent 6’ (out of 10) by Anthony Fantano.

So, that leaves us with my thoughts. As this is my first deep dive into Lorde, I don’t have the same reference points to her as the above reviewers – as they have listened and reviewed her music before. I am very pleasantly surprised, as I have always known that Lorde was someone I should investigate and explore. The music is well produced, with some bangers and some softer more melancholic songs. The lyrics are thought-provoking, with topics that affect us all. When you combine this with Lorde’s magical voice, you have a recipe for something great.

I definitely think you should listen to this album over the weekend. I’ll be spending the weekend delving into the rest of Lorde’s discography. Since last summer was dominated by Charli XCX and named Brat summer, i assume this summer is Virgin summer?

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

February 2024 – Music recap.

Howdy!
February has come to an end, and just like i did at the end of January, i will provide a small recap of the albums i have listened to. My first thought back in January was for these recaps to just be about new releases that i listen to, but i figure i might as well add albums that are new to me, like stuff i have never listened to before. This month i listened to quite a few EPs.

Let us dive right in.

Dreamfear/Boy Sent From Above [EP] – Burial
Burial is one of my favourites. Since i was introduced to his album Untrue a while back, he’s always on my radar, i wasn’t the biggest fear of Antidawn EP, but i appreciate that he evolves and tries new things.. There’s something so fascinating and magical about his music, and the way it’s produced, with the samples and groove. Dreamfear/Boy Sent From Above is no different from many of his other things, it’s a 2 track EP with a total length of 26 minutes and 16 seconds. With his latest releases i think that he has come back to the sound that i like and love, and this new EP is a perfect example of the magic that he creates. As written above, this EP only contains two songs, but those two songs feel like they each contain five different songs, because there’s so much happening, and so many breaks and changes taking place.
9/10.

Drop 7 [EP] – Little Simz
My first introduction to Little Simz was when she featured on a Gorillaz song, and then she was the warm up act when i saw Gorillaz perform in Stockholm back in 2018, and i fell in love. Little Simz has since then released three full length albums that i’ve been bumping ever since, and many of her songs are part of my main playlists. For me, i very much enjoy the lyrics of her songs, and i really like how she masters the flow and lyrical presentation. Drop 7 is a bit different from her earlier works, and it has a more electronic/industrial focus – something that i often enjoy. My first was that i did not really like it, but it also intrigued me, and challenged me. Since the album has been out for about a month now, i’ve spent some time listening to it several times and it has grown on me.
7/10.

Loss of Life – MGMT
MGMT released a new album that i was looking forward a lot to. I’ve been a massive fan of MGMT ever since they released their first album, Oracular Spectacular, back in 2007. One thing i do enjoy about MGMT is that they evolve and change their approach and sound a lot – and their albums tend to have a ”red thread” that brings the album together as a whole entity. And that is what i did not like about Loss of Life, i could not find that red thread that brings the album together, and creates the magic that you can find in an MGMT album. No doubt about it, the production is great, the instrumentals are great, the song is great – but they are not working together as i would expect.
6/10.

Birthday Girl – Sun Kil Moon
Sun Kil Moon is the moniker of Mark Kozelek, who was in the band Red House Painters. As Sun Kil Moon he has released 13 studio albums. I have over the years listened a lot to Sun Kil Moon, with my first introduction to Sun Kil Moon was with the release of Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood which opened up my eyes for his work. The songs are often very downtempo, with melancholy lyrics often describing very ordinary and mundane things in a beautiful way – and that is what i have enjoyed from Sun Kil Moon. Birthday Girl somehow misses the point completely, something just does not work here. The lyrics might be melancholy, but something is just off. I don’t know how to describe it – but i did not find this album intriguing or good, at all.
2/10.

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

New music recap – January 2024

I always listen to music, and i listen to a lot of music. My Spotify wrapped 2023 put me down for 163 000 minutes which is a lot. But i am not very good at actively seeking out new releases. So, that is a thing i will try and do more of in 2024.

For January i have listened to four albums that was released in January 2024, and below i will list them, give some of my thoughts about them, as well as a 0-10 score.

ORQUÍDEAS – Kali Uchis
Kali Uchis has become a house hold name over the last years and she has put out a lot of fantastic music and featured on many more. This is my first time listening to one of her albums from start to finish, as i’ve mostly heard heard her in different features with artists such as Bootsy Collins. The titles of the tracks are all in spanish, and the lyrics are mainly being sung in spanish, with some english. As i only know a few words in spanish, the lyrics made little sense to me – but the production is very good, and the instrumentals are very cool. My favourite track of off this album is No Hay Ley Parte 2. I read an article the other day about how music sung in spanish is making a big impact, and has been on a steady increase these last few years.
5/10.

People Who Aren’t There Anymore – Future Islands
I stumbeled upon Future Islands when the festival Coachella was streaming concerts on Youtube a couple of years ago. I had never heard of Future Islands before, but since then, i have often returned to them, as i fell in love with their catchy yet smooth melodies, and intriguing lyrics. This new album is no different, it sounds like a Future Islands record, and i’ve really been enjoying it thus far. My favourite track off of this album is The Tower.
7/10.

Saviors – Green Day
As a 90s kid Green Day has been a big part of my musical journey, eventhough, i haven’t been as into them as many have. My first exposure to Green Day was when they released American Idiot in 2004. This lead me to finding their 1994 album Dookie, which holds a special place in my heart, that i often come back to. On this new album, Saviors, they really are trying, for which i give them kudos for effort – but something really is lacking, badly. I do however think that Dilemma is a genuinly good song.
2/10.

Wall of Eyes – The Smile
The Smile is one of Radiohead front man Tom Yorke’s many different projects. Wall of Eyes is the second album from The Smile, and my first exposure to this particular Yorke project. I went in without any thoughts about how this might sound, as i really had no clue. I was floored, and according to my Last.fm-statistics i’ve already listened through it 8 times this wee, not bad for an album that was released a week ago. I’d describe the sound of this album as a slower, and somewhat easier to digest, compared to much of the Radiohead stuff. My favourite track off of this album is Teleharmonic.
8/10.

I think we have some good stuff to look forward to for February. For example, Burial released a new EP yesterday!

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

Best of Release Radar – Week 39:2022.

On fridays we get a batch of steaming fresh tracks on our Release Radar playlists from Spotify, and this last friday was no exception! I will list my three favourite tracks down below, without any particual order.

The first track this week is Baianá by Nia Archives. I first fell upon Nia Archives in a reddit thread in the subreddit called ElectronicMusic, where a user was asking for electronic music by women. One user made a big list containing of artists, and one of those was Nia Archives. I got very interested because if the variety of different sounds Nia uses in her tracks, some tracks sound very much like classic jungle, and some tracks have heavy jazz/hiphop/soul influences.

The second track this week is Fossora by Björk, Kasimyn. Sometimes i get a feeling that the icelandic prodigy Björk can do nothing wrong in the musical sphere. This song shares the same name as Björks new album, that was released the 30th of September, 2022, an album i will be sure to check out. However this track is a hard hitting song with some almost hardcore electronic vibes towards the end of it. I find it interesting, and i’m intrigued to hear how the rest of the album sounds, if it follows in the same footsteps as this single.

The third and final track from this weeks Release Radar is Darby Crashing Your Party by NOFX. The veteran and legendary punk band NOFX has been putting out music for decades, and this single is on point. It sounds like NOFX, the familiar voice from Fat Mike, combined with the quick and heavy instrumentals from the rest of the band, mixed with lyrics that often puts the tip of the finger of the issues in the world.

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

Asphalt Meadows – Death Cab For Cutie

This past friday, the 16th, Death Cab for Cutie released a new album, that’s called Asphalt Meadows. I fell in love with Death Cab for Cutie 16 years ago, when i heard their song Soul Meets Body off of their 2005 album Plans, when someone put that song in a video montage of a player versus player video of the computer game World of Warcraft. Can’t remember what video, or who made it, but hats off to you, for introducing Death Cab for Cutie to me.

This american rock band has put out a lot of music since their debut in 1997. Asphalt Meadows is a 11 track album, that stretches over 42 minutes and 5 seconds. And my impressions are that this is an album that sounds very much like a Death Cab for Cutie-album. Some songs that are very gentle and downtempo, some songs that features gentle parts with temposhifts and some songs that goes a bit harder than the other songs, with lyrics that are sung a bit harsher, with an overall tempo that is paced quicker than other tracks.

And this formula is what Death Cab for Cutie is known for, tempo-shifting songs, beatiful lyrics with the angelic voice of Ben Gibbard, that is tightly knit into a package with the help from the very instrumentally strong support from the rest of the band. And this is both a strenght and a weakness from Death Cab for Cutie. You get what you expect, it’s very tight and efficient, but you don’t ever get surprised by a release from them. And i assume that this is what has kept them in the game for so long. The fans, me included, always know what we’re going to get, and it’s often, nearly always, very good. However, i would like to see some experimenting, as i believe that they’re competent enough to make a lot of different genres work. And, you can always fall back and listen to Ben Gibbards other band The Postal Service, that in all honesty sound a bit like DCfC, but it’s also very good.

All in all, to round this text off. I like this album, a lot, i think it’s good, and it will be heavily rotated by me. Have you given it a listen? If not, give it a chance!

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

Cracker Island – Gorillaz

Yesterday there was some news that Gorillaz is releasing a new album in February 24th, 2023! And let me tell you, i am very intrigued! I got their debut album Gorillaz, as a kid and it blew me away – ever since i’ve been a very big fan of theirs. I even had the fortune of being able to attend their first ever live concert in Sweden a couple of years ago, and it was amazing. So, new music from Gorillaz always gets me intrigued.

We’ve gotten two singles so far, and my first impression of them is that they are very nice, and very promising!

The first single is called Cracker Island (feat. Thundercat) and it shares the name of the upcoming album. The second single that has been released is called New Gold (feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown). One of the things that is so fun with Gorillaz is these sometimes bonkers collaborations on tracks, and that big artists really want to be on Gorillaz tracks, it opens up so many possibilities of potential bangers. And most of the time the Gorillaz projects and tracks has a very interesting way of utilizing the featuring artists in ways that make the whole track pop off.

Both of these singles are, in my opinion certified and absolute bangers, i couldn’t help myself but dance along as i’ve been listening to them. I think the features are used in very good, and interesting ways. Thundercat absolute nails his participation on Cracker Island and how Tame Impala and Bootie Brown bounces off of eachother on New Gold is just beautiful. Thundercat and Tame Impala’s music am i familiar with, but this is the first time i get to experience Bootie Brown, and i like what i’m hearing – and i’ll make sure to inspect what more he has been doing.

I’m sure it’s been seeping through this text, but i am very much looking forward to the release of the new music from Gorillaz. Cracker Island is out February 24, 2023. It’s far away, but i have faith that the waiting is worth it!

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

Best of Discover Weekly – Week 35:2022

Spotify has a feature that is called Discover Weekly, it’s a playlist that contains 30 songs based on similar things to what you already listen to, and it gets updated every monday with 30 new tracks. It’s a nice way to find some new music, and rediscover old music that you haven’t been listening to for a while. Spotify describes it as: ”Your weekly mixtape of fresh music. Enjoy new music and deep cuts picked for you. Updates every monday.”

As with my post the other day where i went through my three favourite tracks from my Release Radar playlist, i figured i would do the same thing with my Discover Weekly playlist! I will pick my three favourite tracks from this weeks Discover Weekly and i’ll give some explanation as to why. Since both of these playlists updates weekly, i figure that this could be a good weekly feature of this website. And as with the Release Radar, the three tracks i pick are in no particular order. An interesting thing about my Discover Weekly, that i know of other that have aswell is that some of the tracks i get every week is in languages i don’t speak, it’s often 1-2 tracks in finnish, and sometimes there are some tracks in german. But the only constant is that there’s atleast 1 track in finnish, every week. I don’t mind tho, sometimes they’re good, even tho i don’t know what they’re singing, and sometimes they have excellent band names – like Teksti-TV 666. And as i wrote for the Release Radar text – some weeks you get 10 fantastic songs that you can’t live without, and some weeks you’re scraping by, trying your absolute hardest to even find one track that has some redeeming qualities. And that’s a part of the charm – like Forrest Gumps mom said, ”[…]you never know what you get.”

Anyway, here’s my three picks from this weeks Discover Weekly:

The first track is Another Morning Stoner by …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. It’s a heavy hitting track, that i don’t really know how to categorize, but it sounds a bit like some like post-punk, gritty sounding, heavy rock with some doom-metal and maybe a splash of shoegazey-ness mashed into it, and i’m all for it. Let me tell you. …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is a band that i’ve never heard of before, so, i will be sure to check them out! And i belive that this is one of the great features of the Discover Weekly playlist. You get a sort of small introduction to a band, or a sound, or an idea and then you can keep on digging into that hole and discover even more great music on your own!

The second track from this weeks Discover Weekly is Turtle Neck by Bosnian Rainbows. I noticed a pattern during this weeks playlist, and it’s been a lot of shogazey sounding tracks. This song by Bosnian Rainbows stood out a bit, and i do very much enjoy the vocalist and her voice. The production is on par and all the different elements of this track bounces off of eachother. As this sometime’s is a problem with these sort of tracks, that part of either the instrumentals or the songs gets drowned out by other parts of the song. I do enjoy this track a lot, and i’ll be sure to look into Bosnian Rainbows discography.

The third and final track from this weeks Discover Weekly is Revolution 1993 by Jamiroquai. It’s this 10 minute and some long song featuring a lot of different elements, but it is fun, and it is dancey, and it is groovy. It’s like you get a few different songs, in one song, since it features so many different elements and that’s rather fun and interesting to listen to. And it was a good break from all the heavy shoegazy tracks that i got this week. And we got this fabolous trumpet solo towards the end of the track, which lifts the song to new levels.

I had some trouble picking the three tracks this week, as very many of them was rather similar, and none of them really jumped at you. But the three tracks i’ve chosen are solid, and i recommend that you give them a listen! Fun side note, this week the playlist only featured three songs in finnish, which is fewer than usual!

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

EP: Lice Two: Still Buggin’ – Lice, Aesop Rock, Homeboy Sandman

The second EP from Lice, also known as Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman has been released to streaming platforms. Just like the first Lice EP, this music is entirely new to me, it somehow flew over my head. Probably because it hasn’t been available at Spotify, which is my absolute go to for music.

So, i see this as a completely new release, which is fantastic. Lice Two: Still Buggin’ is a 5 song EP that spans over 16 minutes and 9 seconds and the tracks are performed by Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman. There seems to be different producers on almost all of the tracks, and you can hear that while listening to the tracks. The different tracks have very distinct sound that separates them from each other. I think the difference in sounds makes this EP even more interesting, however i do believe that i enjoyed the first Lice EP a bit more.

My favourite tracks off of this new-old EP is Oatmeal Cookies, it goes really hard and it just spoke to me in a way.

I hope that you give this EP a listen, and let me know what you think!

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

Single: There’d Better Be a Mirrorball – Arctic Monkeys

The other day Arctic Monkeys revealed that they’re putting out a new album – the first new music from the brittish band in four years. The new album is called The Car and will be released on the 21st of October, 2022.

However, today they shared a video for their new song, There’d Better Be a Mirrorball, thats supposedly the opening track from their upcoming album, The Car.

My first impressions from the single, There’d Better Be a Mirrorball, is that they’re keeping a bit with the sounds that they worked with on their last album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. A somewhat slow paced, melodramatic and scaled down sort of song. I think it sounds very good, and very promising, Alex Turner has the voice of an angelic creature so these kind of scaled down songs that focuses heavily on the vocal fits him and his voice excellently.

As someone who’s been listening to Arctic Monkeys since day one, i must admit that i love their earlier, fast paced, hard hitting albums and tracks. I do however enjoy this new direction that they’ve been taking lately, as i love when a band let’s their creativity live on and that they feel like that they can experiment with different styles and genres. Nothing is more boring than a band that gets stuck in a sound, and refuses to leave it. Since you’re always able to go back and listen to those earlier releases, whenever you want to.

I am very intrigued and i am looking forward for the release of the new music, and upcoming album from Arctic Monkeys. Give this new single a listen, will you!

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

Lazy Summer Day / Chinese Restaurant – Yung Lean

Today Yung Lean dropped some new music. A two track single featuring the songs Lazy Summer Day & Chinese Restaurant. I always get a bit excited whenever the swedish phenomenon Yung Lean drops new music, and i’m always quick to check it out, whether it’s an album or a single.

I love these strange, no context, tracks that drops as singles whenever he, Yung Lean, feels like it. It’s one of those things that the internet and streaming platforms has made possible, and i think that it’s very fun that it is possible for the creators to just throw it out there, without long waiting times and always having to do a big release out of it. These two tracks has a combined lenght of 3 minutes and 37 seconds – so it’s two songs in a short fashion, which is straight out of Yung Leans playbook. The production is interesting and Spotify lists Rami Dawod as the producer. According to Genius these are the first two tracks that Rami Dawod produces for Yung Lean, however he’s listed as producer for a Frank Ocean track, and also a Camila Cabello track.

Both of these songs sound like Yung Lean tracks, and i got more excited and intrigued by Chinese Restaurant, than i got by Lazy Summer Day. However, i find both track intriguing and interesting. Chinese Restaurant is going straight into my regular rotation!

Give these new singles from Yung Lean a listen, and make your own opinion. I, recommend both of them!

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.