Girl Band : Paul
An aimless chore of tedious wank, Paul meanders with unconvincing, gawky flexes of sinewy noise. Not a single second of its near-seven minutes approaches anything resembling danger, unless you consider crushing ennui as a danger to your being. There are no rewards here.
Robert Forster : Let Me Imagine You
Way too derivative of Dick Diver and Twerps, in my opinion… (jokes). The well-aged timbre in Forster’s voice is so lovely – in fact, everything about this song is lovely. Chords feather the air with a joyous zigzag and the eventual slow-release pay-off is the closing – and sole – chorus. It’s a beauty supreme in composition and sentiment. Magnetic, magic.
El Vy : Return To The Moon
I’ve never agreed with the accusations that The National are a humourless outfit. I reckon old mate Matt Berninger is a funny guy. Here he is teaming up with Menomena’s Brent Knopf in the offhand and playful El Vy. Lyrically, Berninger could probably reel it in a bit, but it’s still a pleasant listen. Won’t find myself revisiting anytime soon, but the stakes don’t really seem that high here.
Drake : Hotline Bling
I’ve stated my adoration for D.R.A.M’s Cha Cha before, and it still holds up as one of my favourite tracks of the year. Drizzy takes the beat, now stripped of its Super Mario World sample, and flips it into an early-AM booty call anthem, teamed with typical Drake wistfulness.
Laura Marling : I Feel Your Love (Director’s Cut)
As part of the Director’s Cut repackage of this year’s LP Short Movie, the full band version of I Feel Your Love cuts a down and dirty groove replete with choral backing. The rock setting is a fitting divergence from Marling’s style. Highly anticipating the full band appearance at this year’s Melbourne Festival.
Single Of The Week
Darcy Baylis : Envelopes
Envelopes, the title track from Darcy Baylis’ upcoming EP, lures with unreleased tension into a sense of comfort; a nuanced contradiction fostered by a voyage beyond the conventions of genre. This would hold up as a terrific house tune if beholden to a looped vocal hook, but instead it elevates with emotive live vocals presenting a disruption only captivating if pulled off masterfully. Darcy Baylis pulls it off masterfully.
