Sia : Alive
Once you get past the brief intro that kind of sounds a bit like Rae Sremmurd’s No Type, Sia turns into a sheer force of nature, as is her wont, kicking it up from notch to notch just when you think there ain’t no more notches to notch. Sia is unstoppable.
Funkadelic feat. Kendrick Lamar : Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You? (Louie Vega Remix)
Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You? gets a more dancefloor-ready edit from Louie Vega with guest bars from Kendrick Lamar. The result is one hell of a jam, strong enough to make Uncle Jam himself proud. It’s yet another indication that P-Funk are powering up the Mothership to levels not seen since their freakout ‘70s peak. George Clinton has kicked the crack, ditched the rainbow wig, fixed up looked sharp, and making some of the best music of his career.
Kylie Auldist : Sensational
Soaring over some seriously tight liquid licks, Kylie Auldist channels ‘80s soul-funk to a tee on the plucky Sensational, influences treated in a loving homage, done right. Close your eyes and you’ll see mirror balls. Taken from an upcoming album due to drop early 2016.
Sam Smith : Writing’s On The Wall
The latest Bond theme exhibits a resounding performance, but it all feels incidental in its lack of character. It should be a simple equation, give the world’s hottest vocalist (Sam Smith fits the bill) a bombastic tune belting out the film name in the chorus. But Writing’s On The Wall fucks it up there, and we’re left with one of the more forgettable Bond themes – especially contrasted with Adele’s triumph, Skyfall.
Pope Francis : Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!
So the heaps prog Pope celebrated his US tour by dropping an album full of fucking gnarly prog rock, but the fact he didn’t run with EDM bangers proves the Vatican is still out of touch with what the kids want. But maybe the chosen genre could lead to an announcement for Soundwave 2016, then presumably a falling out would see AJ Maddah call the Pope a cunt on Twitter.
Single Of The Week
Lontalius : All I Wanna Say
Everything about New Zealand singer-producer feels rich with genuine emotion, a realness that feels effortless, each tone, melody, breath a raindrop of melancholy which turns to flood. Trademark Casiotone elements till remain, now embellished with lush strings, crisp percussive knocks. The subtlety is remarkable. All I Wanna Say washes over with a sensation like no other. This is such a privilege.
