The Music Dispatch: September 11, 2021
New series out every Friday and Saturday. Luckily everybody and their cousin released this week!
I have great sense of timing.
So for friends over at Reddit, on boring Fridays at work I will recap the music that comes out on that day, just really short impressions on what I thought, because I can’t stop listening to music and especially new music, and I am incapable of shutting up, right? Over at Twitter too, I’ll make use of 280 characters to just say something is great, good, and occasionally bad. So last week, I asked:
Except this Friday, everybody and their cousins decided to release music. So this might be a far longer post than future ones.
Welcome to The Music Dispatch, a newly christened weekly part of this Substack where I shortly review the things I listened to. Out every Friday or Saturday, depending on when I get to listen to everything I deem important enough.
All releases are out on your streaming service of choice.
EPs and Albums
Alright, I haven’t gotten to Low’s newest record yet, which got Best New Music from Pitchfork, but soon. Hopefully.
Purple Kiss – HIDE & SEEK
The first comeback of RBW’s newest girlgroup Purple Kiss shows a lot of promise and charisma; I can’t remember the last time I actually liked a new release from a relatively new girlgroup like that? Even the slower songs are good. Like, this is how you know a group is good: the midtempo songs are good and that’s without knowing members and feeling attached to them. Title track Zombie threw me right back to earlier generations, kind of t-ara / EXID esque to me? So this is a group I will be keeping my eye on in coming releases.
Aaliyah – Aaliyah
The stunning, endlessly varied, charismatic magnum opus is finally on streaming. Just labelling it R’n’B really doesn’t do this album justice however, because there’s so much many things this album tries and succeeds at! Feels so good to be searching up Aaliyah on Spotify and being able to listen to Rock The Boat. If you haven’t gotten around to this timeless classic, now is the perfect time to get to it!
Sleigh Bells – TEXIS
The newest record by noise pop duo Sleigh Bells sounds like how I want K-Pop girlgroups to sound like 90% of the time, and kind of the reason why I think f(x) is the best girlgroup of all time. There’s violence simmering under these songs – really a lot of amazing production flourishes here – but they also really have a very familiar pop sound throughout. Locust Laced and Justine Go Genesis are two highlights for me.
Yerin Baek – Love, Yerin
More of the same from the Korean R’n’B singer. If you liked what she’s been doing so far, you’ll definitely enjoy this too, but to me this is kind of a step down from her latest full-length, tellusaboutyourself. I really liked Antifreeze and Why me?, however.
Kacey Musgraves – star-crossed
Somebody on rateyourmusic brought up Michelle Branch, specifically her debut The Spirit Room as point of influence; I can totally hear it, though at the start I did think of it more as something Halsey would’ve done prior to If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power. Musgraves has fully crossed over to pop, specifically acoustic pop, and details her love and hurt through the divorce on this very cohesive, acoustic, and moody record. The singles left me cold on first listen, but honestly this is a kind of solitary nightride record and I don’t even know what else she could’ve picked. I overall really liked this though and it’s not bad for a Taylor Swift anti. Just kidding. I do think the first leg is the strongest, though.
Annie – Neon Nights
I absolutely love last year’s Dark Hearts, a dark and oftentimes very atmospheric synthpop record in the vein of Bat for Lashes’ Lost Girls. Neon Nights taps into the same vein. I wasn’t sure if this was a cover EP or really its own solitary thing, but predictably I really enjoyed this as well. If air had a voice, Annie would have it. It’s so beautiful.
Kero Kero Bonito – Civilization
Yes, I was surprised to find this on my Release Radar too. The previous two singles have been combined to a sort of EP with an interlude to match. Still good stuff, obviously. If you haven’t checked out this series yet, you now have a whole release to go with it!
Singles
Did I mention too many people released?
Lisa – LALISA
I say this as somebody who started to get How You Like That when I listened to a metal cover of it, but why did Lisa get the group song rejects? Why has Teddy Park become so lazy? It’s a good thing the chorus of Lalisa is good, but altogether this song ran on for too long and it sucks. Money is way worse. All of Blackpink’s solos are uninspired, boring, bland and very much not my taste, but I’m still hoping Jisoo gets the cream of the crop. … Somehow. It’s what she deserves!
Big Thief – Certainty
Pitchfork’s most favorite white band’s newest single would not sound out of place on the radio I grew up on. It’s very folksy and kind of poppy, even, perfect for radio, and there’s something rather nostalgic in it unlike other Big Thief songs. I am obviously very excited for the album, they happen to be one of my favorite indie bands as well.
Chlöe – Have Mercy
My friend Addy told me, there’s no way you’re not going to like it. He’s obviously right, I love this. Chlöe‘s debut solo is produced by her and Murda Beatz, and it reminds me a lot of Beyoncé’s self-titled and Rihanna’s magnum opus Anti – these really bouncy percussions and Chlöe’s vocals floating on top of it. There’s the vocal harmonies that are sprinkled throughout, and the rap, of course… great, great stuff. The only problem of this song is that it’s two and a half minutes long.
Rico Nasty – Magic
The newest from shapeshifter Rico Nasty has her just straight up singing on a Latin beat. I think this is something Lil Nas X would do? I wonder how it will make sense in the context of an album, if that’s part of any such format. The verse in the remix, I didn’t really care for.
Ari Lennox – Pressure
She’s back! Ari’s vocal performance is stunning as usual, and the song is very fun. I’m very excited for more solo Ari, and if Jermaine Dupri produces the whole album I would be over the moon. The playful beat and melody suits her so well, kind of reminiscent of The Emancipation of Mimi to my ears at least.
JPEGMAFIA – TRUST!
I like Peggy best when he’s got a playful beat to work with, so this song is a welcome return from the more lowkey EP2! Really hoping that the next release is more like Veteran, but this is a good first taste.
Maxo Kream – Big Persona (feat. Tyler, the Creator)
It’s so good to have rapper Tyler back – not because he’s bad at singing or whatever, but he’s so good at rapping and I missed that so much. This is such a nasty beat as well – oh, of course it’s a Tyler production. Maxo Kream sounds plenty comfortable on this song as well. This is an amazing single.
MUNA – Silk Chiffon (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
And congratulations all three members of MUNA for getting Phoebe Bridgers to sing, and I mean actually vocalize, on a track. It suits her! I can’t believe I called her a whisper register for so long only for her to be able to sing? What do you mean that was a stylistic choice all along? This is a more rock-tinged sound for the usual synthpop-based group MUNA, and it suits vocal Katie Gavin really well. Really like how it soars in the chorus section as well, and overall I’m excited to hear how MUNA will sound on Bridgers’ new imprint.
Moses Sumney – Can’t Believe It
This sultry cover from T-Pain by perennial hot man Moses Sumney is all autotuned and vocally, this man still runs laps on several people. There’s something really hypnotic about this cover, especially with the way the vocals soar all around in the later leg.
Maybe there’s something in there that you’ll like! Or maybe there’s something you like that you want me to listen to, in which case, please let me know over at Twitter @theturkishrug, or, if you want something totally anonymous, you can try the Curiouscat! And I will welcome you back to next week’s Music Dispatch next weekend.