Good Stuff released 2nd August 2010
Arcade Fire – “We used to Wait”
An obvious choice perhaps – one cannot ignore the simply marvellous Arcade Fire when they release new stuff. The track starts off sparse, but it does grow in richness and timbral diversity as the song progresses. The beginning staccato piano chords are repetitive; yet work as a good hook. As the track develops, some interesting guitar sections enter, as well as some attractive female backing vocals. On a personal level, I’m not sure the vocal delivery has the same broken, vulnerable quality that we heard throughout previous Arcade Fire works, and perhaps this new track doesn’t have quite the same gentle grandiosity as Funeral did. The track does develop though, and swells in a way that is atypically soft and unassuming yet quietly captivating.
Breakbot – “Baby I’m Yours”
What a curious little item this track is. The accompanying video is gorgeous; a visual masterpiece of wondrous watercolour and fantastic animation. The sonic side of the track is slightly strange, but in a good way. The track really feels like a piece of 1970s disco-based soul. The music is upbeat and synth-bass driven, with multi-timbral percussion and androgynously falsetto vocals. You’d be excused for thinking Breakbot were from New York, possibly Brooklyn, as they were previously signed to the Moshi Moshi label, but actually these guys are French. Don’t even try to hold that against them though; they make some good English language hooks. A bit of a post-modern mix then, but this track is really rather nice, do check it out…
Bad Stuff released 2nd August 2010
Laura Steel – “Feedback”
I cannot figure out who would buy this, apart from 14 year old girls. The music in itself is a pretty standard weak pop does rock-chick thing, and doesn’t add anything to the genre sonically speaking. The lyrics are repetitive and based around a simple concept, with pronunciation taking on a typically American twang. It has guitars and drums, but the whole thing has been so over-produced and completely saturated with effects that you cannot really distinguish any separate instruments. It just has that rock sound, like the producer has just followed three simple instructions on the instant rock sound kit. Perhaps obviously, the only thing that does have any definition in the track is the vocals, but then it is pop, and the voice is what pop audiences want to hear. Visually it’s not a treat either. Steel looks like one of the nasty girls at school, whose favourite pass times were bitching and scratching each other’s faces with keys.
Ne-Yo – “Beautiful Monster”
Here, Ne-Yo perfectly exemplifies how R&B’s current romance with dance music often creates a whole lot of crap, life-less music. Both genres have the potential to create gorgeous music, but when combined, it’s very difficult to make music that moves away from the over-produced and the obvious. Both genres are so slick, so polished and POP, it ends up being really rather soulless. Here, Ne-Yo creates a track like you would expect. It’s so smooth – he’s so smooth, it’s just a bit dull. The subject matter is ever so typical of current male-fronted R&B as well; “heartfelt” crooning about some really sexy complicated lady. Its proper ladies man material; it just speaks to simplistic female desires of being loved for you who are (as long as you’re really gorgeous, being high-maintenance is ok). Fair enough, his voice is ok, but its not really anything different to that of Taio Cruz, Jason Derulo et al. But he’s pretty, and the music is inoffensive, so it’s sure to be popular.
