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.

Top 1 album of 2023.

It’s been long overdue, but here it is. Short, and sweet. My favourite album from last year, 2023, that is.

It came out of nowhere, from a long hiatus of music releases from the band. I wasn’t sure that they would ever release new music, since 11 years passed from their latest studio release, before the release of this album.

Alright, that’s enough beating around the bush. My favourite album of 2023 is The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons by The Hives. As written above, the album was released 11 years after Lex Hives was released.

The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons is a classic, and a perfect The Hives album. I want to preface this with saying that i’ve loved The Hives since i was a child, and i’ve had the great fortune of seeing them play live twice. Once in 2014, and another time in 2022. I still refer to the 2014 Hives-gig as the best concert i’ve been to – and i’ve been to atleast over a hundred shows by now.

So, when i saw that The Hives was releasing new music, i was excited, but also a bit scared, since it’s been so long since they released new studio music. Time passed, the album was released and i saw that the swedish music magazine Gaffa gave the new The Hives album a perfect score, 6/6, and that surprised me, and reinforced my scare of the new album – as me and Gaffa does not very often see eye to eye on new releases.

A bit worried, i decided to give the new album, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons a chance. And i was blown away. It was a perfect The Hives album. I listened to it like four times, back to back, to try and find something wrong. But i couldn’t find it.

The album is 12 song long and spans 31 minutes and 32 seconds. And it contains all the elements that makes a Hives album, a Hives album. From punk that feels like shoving your face into a brick wall, to the gentler parts, that build up to the crescendo of the tracks.

Seeing people posting their top 10 album of the year-lists, and music magazine making their lists, made me realize that i do listen to a lot of music – but i rarely listen to new releases. It’s something that i need to improve, and that is something i am going to try and do this year.

Until next time, take care.
SLQT.

Best of Release Radar – Week 38:2022.

On fridays we get a fresh batch of tracks on our Release Radar playlists from Spotify. And as the weeks before, i will pick my three favourites from this weeks Release Radar.

The first track on this weeks Best of Release Radar is Eddie by Red Hot Chili Peppers. This single was released the other day, and will be featured on RHCP’s upcoming album, that is being set to release the 14th of October. I read that Eddie is a song about Eddie Van Halen that passed away in 2020. This track sounds very much like a RHCP track, and i do enjoy that. And as always, i am a sucker for songs that sound a bit melancholic, which this track surely does, you get that undertone.

The second track this week is Love On The Run by Broken Bells. I read on Genius that Broken Bells is the love child of the front man from The Shins and Danger Mouse. Two artists and groups that i thoroughly enjoy, and this combined project of theirs is no different. I think this is very good. You have a beautiful voice that sings, combined with some easy listening instrumentals with influences from blues, jazz and rock. This is a fabolous track that will go straight into my regular rotation! Be sure to check out The Shins and Danger Mouse’s individual work, aswell!

The third and last track this week is Diarabi by Vieux Farka Touré, Khruangbin. This is a fantastic song, but i had to do some looking around to make sense of what was it was. This song is a single from the newly released album Ali, that’s a collaboration between the Texas based psychadelic rock band Khruangbin and the Malian artist Vieux Farka Touré. Khruangbin is a band that i’ve been listening to before, and i love what they do in musical way, their instrumental sound combined with the voice of the singer, is just fantastic. Diarabi is a sound that features Vieux on song, and Khruangbin on intstrumentals, with some backup singing. And it got a bit of that classic Khruangbin-sound, combined with some, i assume, malian influences from Vieux. It’s a match made in heaven. Alexis Petridis at The Guardian wrote a review of the album here. Give it a read!

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.

Best of Release Radar – Week 35:2022

The three picks from my Release Radar-playlist week 35 on Spotify is as follows, without any particular order!

The first song is We are the Children by Fat Soul, Prop Dylan. This is a nice track from Fat Soul with help from Prop Dylan. Easy listening, indie pop rock with some good instrumentals and what sounds like a usage of the organ.

The second song is Another Broken Heart by Tove Styrke. Tove Styrke has been a roll, dropping excellent tracks lately in the form of singles and EPs. Another Broken Heart is a track from her newly released album HARD. Another Broken Heart is a beatiful, and danceable popsong with electronic influences – combined with Tove Styrkes angelic voice. You can not go wrong with this track. I’ll be sure to look into this new album of hers.

The third and last song from this weeks Release Radar is Hidden Land by Ninajirachi, Raj Mahal. I’m not sure how to describe this track. It’s a song with a heavy hitting bass, quick features and dope singing. It intrigued me in a way, and that’s why it made this weeks list.

Honorable mention as this weeks worst track. It’s We Are Fucking Fucked by Muse. I mean guys, what happened here? I love Muse, but holy geez, this new album is out there.

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.

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.