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.

Spring Concerts Recap: Porter Robinson, Yung Lean & Lambrini Girls

It’s saturday, sun is shining, and spring has finally sprung.

I thought i would give a brief re-cap of the latest concerts and show’s I’ve attended.

Porter Robinson at Berns, Stockholm.
Porter was a big influence in my journey in electronic music. When Porter released his album Worlds in 2014 the popular electronic sound was very repetitive leading up to very heavy drops, with groups such as Swedish House Mafia being one of the biggest acts of the time. So, when i first stumbled upon Worlds by Porter Robinson, i was pleasantly surprised, as it contained softer tunes, with thoughtful lyrics that is being heavily obfuscated by the production. Since then Porter has released two more album, Nurture and SMILE!:D. This concert was part of his SMILE!:D tour, but the set was divided into three sections, one for each album. The three albums have very different vibes and differ quite a bit musically as well,

Yung Lean at Avicii Globe Arena, Stockholm.
When i first heard Ginseng Strip 2002 back in 2014 or so and thought it was terrible and i didn’t get it at all, figuring it was a song made by kids as some sort of joke. The only thing i was correct about was that the track was made by kids. Ever since then Yung Lean, Sad Boys & Drain Gang has produced so much music. Most of it absolutely beautiful, genre creating and fashion inspiring. It was beautiful to see the kids born in Stockholm fill the most iconic arena, Globel, in Stockholm. I had a hunch there would be some features, Whitearmor was said to be opening act, and i assumed Gud would be there aswell – since he has produced so much together with Yung Lean over the years. But all in all Whitearmor, Gud, Bladee, Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital & Yung Lean performed this evening.

Lambrini Girls at Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm.
Slaktkyrkan is one of the smaller venues in Stockholm, fitted into an old industrial area, full of venues in different sizes that still has the rough industrial feel to them. This was my first time attending a show at Slaktkyrkan. Before january this year, i had never heard of Lambrini Girls – but as they released their first album Who Let The Dogs Out they started to get some traction in channels that i follow online. And after i saw them being mentioned a few times over a couple of days by content creators i respect had spoken about Lambrini Girls, i felt i needed to give it a listen. I really liked it, its raw and rough, very fun punk. I sent it as a recommendation to a friend of mine, who said that they were playing in Stockholm a few weeks later. So we got ourselves some tickets. The show was really fun, there was a lot of action, the singer constantly went out and performed in the audience, and she also climbed a pillar and stage dived. It was such a fun gig.

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 40:2022.

Friday was upon us, yesterday! And that, means that we got another bunch of steaming hot new releases from our current, or soon to be favourite artists.

I will, like i always do, pick my three favourite tracks from this weeks Release Radar playlist on Spotify, without any particular order.

The first track off of this weeks Release Radar is 90 Proof (with J. Cole) by Smino, J. Cole. I’ve had J. Cole on heavy rotation for years, the man rarely, if ever, miss with his releases. This is my first encounter with Smino, but i do enjoy what i hear and i will be sure to check out more of his work. The J. Cole Feature caught my attention at first, but they deliver a very good track, that is easy to listen to.

The second track this week is Sun & Moon – Blastoyz Remix by Above & Beyond. This is one of those timeless classic electronic tracks that always brings a smile to my face whenever i hear it. And since it’s release in 2011, we’ve gotten a plethora of remixes, and this Blastoyz Remix hits very hard, and is one of the remixes that stand out a bit.

The last track of this weeks Release Radar playlist is Chasing Rainbows by Lxst Boy, Kiano, Spencer Hunt. There’s very little at all to be found online about Lxst Boy. This usually isn’t my cup of tea. But this is some groovy pop with a catchy instrumental, combined with voices that grows with the help of the instrumentals. This is going straight into my daily rotation.

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.

Best of Discover Weekly – Week 39:2022.

Another week, another Discover Weekly update! As always i pick my three favourite tracks from the playlist and list them here, in no particular order.

The first track this week is Since I Left You by The Avalanches. The Avalanches released this track back in 2000, and this was their only album until 2016. Avalanches combines a dreamy take on electronic music, with sometimes equally dreamy voices and sometimes funny samples. I’ve been listening to Avalanches for a while, and my favourite track of theirs is Frontier Psychiatrist.

The second track this week is Election Day by Blaze Foley. This is the first track i’ve ever heard from Blaze Foley, and i know nothing about him. But according to Genius he was a country artist that was murdered in 1989. Usually i’m not that keen on country music, but then i realize that it’s the more newly produced, and commercialized country that i don’t enjoy. However, this gritty and raw country is amazing.

The third and last track from this weeks Discover Weekly is a track called Pa Pa Power by Dead Man’s Bones. Dead Man’s Bones play a sort of ”dark folk music”, and i think it’s very good. The first time i heard a song from this duo was when i was watching a movie or a tv-show, when their track In The Room Where You Sleep was used, and i fell in love with it. Oh, by the way – a fun fact about the duo Dead Man’s Bones is that one of the performing artists is Ryan Gosling, more known as an actor.

Hope you had some good tracks on this weeks Discover Weekly!

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.

Best of Discover Weekly – Week 38:2022.

Monday has passed, and we’ve gotten ourselves a updated Discover Weekly playlist from Spotify! As earlier weeks, i will listen through it and choose the three tracks that i like the most and list them, in no particular order.

The first track off of this weeks Discover Weekly is Eastwood Dub by King Tubby. Genius says that King Tubby was a Jamaican sound engineer, who greatly influenced the development of dub. And that makes sense, as this track, Eastwood Dub has got that classic dub-sound, and it’s really easy to listen to – and it makes you nod your head with the rhythm. There’s something that’s just a bit soothing about the sound, and i can see that this track would be sampeled in other songs, with singers singing over this dub.

The second track is Wet And Rusting by Menomena, and it’s off of their 2007 album Friend And Foe. Genius lets us know that Menomana is a Portland, Oregon based band. Just as with King Tubby, i had no previous knowledge of Menomana. But i love the sound of this track, Wet And Rusting, it reminds me of Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, MGMT and similar bands. There’s something with the soft voices of the singers, combined with the heavy focus on the instrumental elements that just makes sense to me.

The third and last track from this weeks Discover Weekly playlist is Open Heart Surgery by The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and it’s off of their 2000 album Zero. The Brian Jonestown Massacre is, according to Genius, an American psychadelic rock baned based in San Fransisco, California in 1990. In this weeks list, this is the only band i had previous knowledge of. I’ve been listening to The BJM on and off for years now, however the album Zero which contains this song, has passed me by without notice. Open Heart Surgery is a track with slow sounding instrumentals and a rather melancholic lyrical element, where the singer reminds me of Robert Smith, from The Cure.

Also, side note, this was the first week in years that i didn’t get a track that’s in a language that i don’t understand. Intriguing! I hope your playlist contained some good songs, that will feature in your future rotation!

Until next time, takre care.
SLQT.