Hot & Not, Mid & Meh: Iona’s Weekly Tracks (2nd Feb ‘24)
HOT
‘When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)’ — YUNGBLUD feat. Lil Yachty: On the face of it this is basic stuff in songwriting terms, but the performances carry it — YUNGBLUD is singing his whole heart out on every line, and the drop before Lil Yachty (who’s no slouch emotionally here) cries out “come and do drugs with me” is a masterful little moment.
‘V.A.N.’ — Bad Omens feat. Poppy: How you come to music matters as much as the music itself; hear a new song while in a bad mood or (in this instance) on a pair of tinny headphones and it may colour the whole first impression. Mercifully I got another first chance with ‘V.A.N’ via some loud club speakers (thanks, Apocalypse Brighton!) and what a difference deafness makes. This song is an absolute beast from all involved.
‘The Thief’ — Future Islands: One final single to end off the rollout to ‘People Who Aren’t There Anymore’ and it’s a delight. The gentle and melancholy ambience of Samuel Herring’s lower register and the almost Simply Red-ish beat slowly build and build until the whole song shifts into a huge synth pop anthem; one of the best cuts from the new record.
‘The Dead Don’t Speak’ — Lucifer: It’s Sabbath bloody Sabbath all the time for this band, except for the delicious, fresh clarity in Johanna Andersson’s voice as compared to Ozzy’s piercing wail. Riff upon riff backing up a radiant singalong chorus; what more can I say when I’m simply in heaven?
‘HISS’ — Megan Thee Stallion: ‘Cobra’ was twice the song this is both musically and lyrically, but this is still Megan close to the top of her game as a rapper and so, so vicious on just about every line that you just have to sit up and pay attention. A feud already handily won, given the first Not track…
NOT
‘Bigfoot’ — Nicki Minaj: I’m still a fledgling hip-hop fan with a long way to go, and even my ignorant ears knew, within seconds, how utterly trash ‘Bigfoot’ is as a diss. Horrible beat, almost completely godawful bars, repetitive as hell, zero energy, no actual meat on the beef, and a real wet fart of an ending that leaves you cringing at the threat of further follow-through. Rarely has anyone so speedily and definitively reached out and grabbed the L with both hands.
‘HEAVEN’ — The Kid LAROI: A song that made me wonder if The Kid LAROI might be the American version of Lewis Capaldi, especially on the overwrought, sung-shouted chorus that really scrapes at the eardrums. Points for the doodoo-doodee melody line that runs through most of the song, though — it’s awful and beyond basic, but in an ‘adult writes baby’s first song’ kinda way, and that at least is very funny.
‘Dark Empath’ — Sonata Arctica: Once one of the most oddball and distinctive power metal acts around, Sonata Arctica haven’t released anything of note since 2009, and now spend their days churning out album upon album of listless pap, to the point you wonder why they even still make music for which they have zero obvious passion. I come back constantly, hoping they’ll have found themselves again. Every time I’m disappointed.
MIDS & MEHS
‘Sanitizer’ — Urban Heat: An electro banger with a big, beefy production sound for those delicious 80s-style beats. Not transcendently brilliant but plenty of fun.
‘let them know they’re on your mind’ — Cavetown: I don’t think I love it, but I know I’m absolutely fascinated by it.
‘Read the Room’ — The Smile: Now here’s an interesting bunch, eh? I’m a little behind on The Smile, the new act founded by several Radiohead members, but as introductions to their electronic oddness go, you could do a lot worse…
‘Maktub’ — Gary Clark Jr: Same old same old from the modern blues rocker, which I don’t mind as a fan of his penchant for scuzzy guitar tones, but I can’t pretend there’s anything very special going on in the songwriting
‘One Night/All Night’ — Justice feat. Tame Impala: Not bad (and clearly hitting its audience in the right spot at 5m streams in a week) but just a touch middling for me given the dance-funk beat seeming to never build up much in intensity.
‘Think U The Shit (Fart)’ — Ice Spice: Give a song a name like that and you’ve kinda gotta give the audience a real shock, or a belly laugh, or something worth commenting on. As it is, this is a relatively bland hip-hop cut with a weak, wet flow that seems to shy away immediately from trying to make the title joke actually work.
‘Astro Warrior Anthem’ — DragonForce: Still here, still ploughing the same silly trough. Fine for what it is — dumb, fast power metal — but it’s hard to expect anything really exciting from a band who started at the most extreme and silly musical position possible almost twenty years ago.
‘PIN-EYE’ — Jhariah: All the points for going all-out on the big brass band approach; this is a hugely fun and jazzy track that packs a lot of good ideas into each minute, but has definitely overloaded on them, to the point that the fun never quite converts into anything truly memorable.
© Sam Iona Burgess, 2024
