Weezer : Thank God For Girls
Fuck this is terrible. Possibly the most shithouse Weezer song ever, and that’s really saying something. It sounds like shit, as if a student engineer put together the most uninspired studio arrangement with a ‘Ps get degrees’ mentality. The lyrics are the logical extreme of Rivers Cuomo’s longstanding beta male fuckery. The hook is a fucking travesty, loaded with flaccid city shout-outs. All this follows last year’s first not-entirely-shithouse Weezer album in a long while. I think he should Rivers Cuo-less.
Savages : The Answer
The polyrhythm throughout The Answer results in continual unease without release, the large guitars buzzing with oppressive force. It’s a vicious idea, executed with precision. The trouble here is that if it doesn’t sweep you up entirely, you can feel like a spectator. There’s still worth in that, but a sense of brevity diminishes the repetitious force.
Justin Bieber : Sorry
Old mate Biebz is on a roll in 2015, kicking off with the Diplo-Skrillex collab Where Are Ü Now, continuing the minimal EDM aesthetic into What Do You Mean, and here again on Sorry (again with Skrillex on production). It represents a focused vision, unlike the solid-in-parts Believe, indicating that Biebs is ready to gently push the boundaries of pop. Sorry is a masterclass in the modern pop playbook – laying hooks on hooks, all of them resonate with class. It’s simple, it’s great.
Adele : Hello
A big year for songs about getting on the phone, eh? Drizzy sang wistfully about getting late night calls to cop a root, and here Adele digs a little deeper on the emotional telecommunication scale, detailing an unrequited, accountable, call-out to make peace, to apologise. It’s a similar sentiment of one-way dialogue to Drake. Is one-way communication just as satisfying as reciprocation? Or just as hollow? Is this viable absolution? Who even calls anyone anymore? Is that the point? The phone call is a symbol of conceited effort in 2015? A fallacy of connection? An outlet to speak but not listen? But can personal growth come from an introspective dialogue? Probs. One thing’s for sure: this song is quite Good and Emotional.
Single Of The Week
Power : Electric Glitter Boogie
Despite the title, Electric Glitter Boogie has shitloads more in common with The Stooges than Bolan – napalm boogie, riffs unhinged, an opening cry of “baby baby BAAAAAYBBYYYY” threatening to scorch either vocal chords or a recording desk. It’s a fucking belter, shifting gears with sick riff progressions into a rewarding marathon. Untamed to the extent of making everything else seem tame.
