REVIEWS FOR YOUSE

Liverpool based music guy giving you Weekly single and album reviews  

[reviewsforyouse]

Horchata for Seven

Guys: Sorry this isn’t music. But I just needed to share this for fear of people thinking I fell off the face of the earth. I kind of have fallen off the face of the Earth, and I love it.

Here’s a horchata recipe I made!

I was petrified that after five hours of prep, my attempt at recreating this heavenly drink (that's probably as close as we're gonna get to unicorn milk) would fail. But I'm told there's variations of horchata, a beverage born in Valencia in the 13th century, depending on the place. I got my recipe from

https://www.mylatinatable.com/authentic-horchata-recipe/

but since I was missing so many ingredients, I thought I'd share my own spinoff.

If we were in the film Saw, and one of the questions you had to answer to ensure both of our lives was what my favourite cuisine was, and you answered with anything other than Mexican, we'd both die. I first tried horchata from a food-stall at a farmer's market in America. Living in England, Mexican food isn't as common, so it's rare that I get to enjoy it unless I'm making it myself (luckily, it is on the rise; we're finally seeing the light.)

This week, in my latest segment of, 'What Queer New Hobby can I take up over Quarantine?' I busied myself with an all-natural beetroot and coffee tie-dying regime (a traumatic and somewhat disappointing ordeal not worthy of a blogpost) and this. I'm sharing the one which worked, so you all think my life's perfect. Isn't that what the internet is about? (Kidding, I'll likely share the tie-dye trick later, maybe on attempt two though.)

So here's what you need:

Fine mesh strainer (I used a Muslin cloth)

A large bowl

Some form of blender is ideal

Ingredients:

1 cup White rice (I used what brown rice I found in the cupboard)

Cinnamon stick

1/2 cup Chopped almonds

1 1/2 cup rice or almond milk (I used oat, sorry, I don't play by the rules.)

1 1/3 cups sugar (I used 2/3. Sugar is scary.)

1 T vanilla extract

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk (I had none, so I simply... did not add any)

1 litre water

Ice

The Recipe:

The good news: The prep for this is really simple. The bad news: you're going to have to be patient. Good thing patience is a virtue.

Place your rice, cinnamon stick and almonds in a bowl of water to soak for at least five hours. Ideally you want to leave it overnight, but no one is that organised... right?!

After soaking, drain your water out using a fine mesh container. You keep the rice, cinnamon and almond mix, not the dirty water.

Add your evaporated milk and blend well until rice is soft. I'm not sure how vital the evaporated milk is, mine tasted damned good without it. Also, for me, the cinnamon stick was still pretty hard, and I didn't want tiny little cinnamon bark strips in my horchata. The Mayans and Aztecs called this the drink of the gods, for god's sake, I can't be having no bits in my drink. So, I drained the mixture again after blending.

Finally, your rice/almond/oat milk, along with your sugar and vanilla extract. Blend together with a litre of water, and you're done! Serve in a large cup (as told by a Mexican blogger) with ice!

(For the drinkers in the room, you can juice it up by adding rum to make it all the more fun, but I'm not contributing to anyone's lockdown drinking problem, so you didn't hear that from me.)

Next time, I'm making the coconut version. I just need an excuse to drink another seven cup's worth. Fourth of July anyone?

[reviewsforyouse]

THE TRUTH WILL HAUNT: Greentea Peng, Ghost Town.

This being a political song, there is already a plethora of think-pieces splurged all over the internet about it, but since I love this woman's music so much, and I just got my uni results, so there's nothing else to do except contemplate life and sob; I might as well add my two-cents-worth.

A quick Google search will tell you the basics: ‘Greentea Peng, real name Aria Wells, is a neo-soul and self-described 'psychedelic R'n'B singer and songwriter from south east London, UK.’

Donning flowy, typically green fabrics, heavy gold jewelry, tattoos (and usually a large hat,) Wells floats around the gaff like a vision of mother nature, uttering truths about our corrupt world through sweet, soully vocals backed by those signature extended minor chords and reggae beats.

Her latest single, Ghost Town, is a protest song, a love letter to her beloved city of London. The video sees her tiptoeing around the Aylesbury estate, a group of over 2,500 dwellings, which has been battling demolishment for over thirteen years. Wells chants the lyrics, ‘You can’t take my city from me,’ speaking out against the area's ongoing gentrification. She states in a monologue at the end of the video, ‘You shut down our music venues and lock off our street parties (…) this song is for all of our cities (…) it’s about the loss of soul, character and roots in these soon to be ghost towns.’

                              [Aylesbury estate. Image (cc) Wikipedia.]

Obviously, the lyrical content of this track can be applied to almost any city in the world, with locals constantly being ushered out of their homes while construction companies make way for the latest lifeless coffee shops and Waitroses. The same can be said for my home of Liverpool, having some our most iconic and timeless music spots threatened by the menace of new flats being built: Parr Street Studios, Kitchen Street and Constellations, to name but a few. There is a constant, relentless battle to preserve culture in cities, and it is not getting any easier.

A glance at the singer’s Instagram page will show you she’s opinionated, posting about the 5G conspiracies and how we shouldn’t be listening to the government’s pacifications. While I agree with the government thing, right now more than ever, the paranoia in me has prevented me from looking further into said conspiracy (I am not starved of things to worry about in this current moment,) and this seemingly over-the-top conclusion does not mean that the singer’s further protests should be disregarded. The song is important, and draws the question: When will the voices of the many actually be heard? It took Grenfell to really cause a national outcry against the mistreatment of our most disadvantaged communities, and still the same things are happening over and over.

Inspired by Winehouse, Badu and Allen, she does not insult herself by holding back in her lyrics, ‘Stuck between your lies and all your lines,’ the imagery she draws in her verses nothing short of poetic. The harmonic vocals she delivers in the chorus bring whisperings of a more political Kali Uchis.

So listen closely to Greentea Peng, she speaks for the masses.

[reviewsforyouse]

Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher Aims for Perfection.

There is a lot of speculation surrounding Phoebe Bridgers’ reflective and raw lyrical content, with her drummer and ex-boyfriend Marshall Vore co-writing many of her songs. There’s so much to dissect: double entendres, metaphors, and beautiful imagery that leaves us with questions. Who is she talking about? Why won’t he play those damn drums? Why is everything so scary?

Bridgers undeniably makes music for the anxious of mind. On Instagram, she stated that for the ‘Garden Song,’ video, ‘I don’t smoke weed because I’m already afraid of everything but I told my brother to get me stoned in his bedroom and scare me for this video.’

The American folk singer releases her second solo body of work, Punisher, in full on the 19th of June. As of today, three of the singles from this are available on streaming services: I See you, Kyoto and Garden Song.

Kyoto is different to a lot of Bridger’s previous work, decidedly more poppy and upbeat, with Bright Eyes’ Nathaniel Walcott on the conquering horns which compliment the chorus. Having previously been written as a ballad, the 25-year-old stated that she was tired of doing slow numbers. The song discusses a day off in the Japanese city, and receiving a letter from who we can assume is her father, who has been known to be abusive towards her and having struggled with addiction, ‘Tell me you’re getting sober, you wrote me a letter but I don’t have to read it.’  

The singer also delves into the world of astrology, talking of trying to understand him, although their differing star signs make this difficult for her: ‘Born under Scorpio skies, I wanted to see the world through your eyes, and then I changed my mind.’ This line alludes to the act of using any means available to understand why someone has treated you in a negative way, whether you believe in astrology or not.

I See you discusses her previous relationship with her drummer Marshall Vore, who co-wrote the song. The honesty with which she sings about hating his mother, and how he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, on a song they both agreed to release, shows that they have a healthy enough relationship despite their past together (this is such an anomaly to me, but props to them for making this work.)

The line, ‘I used to Light you up, but now I can’t even get you to play the drums’ from Bridgers seems an allusion to her song Scott Street, ‘I asked you how is playing drums? You said it’s too much shit to carry.’ Although the latter was allegedly written by Vore about an ex-girlfriend, I still love an ‘homage-to-my-own-work’ kind of moment. My personal favourite line, however, is in the second verse, ‘If you’re a work of art, I’m standing too close, I can see the brush strokes.’ This reminds me of impressionist paintings, how they’re perfect from afar, but spending too much time around them, up-close, the imperfections will soon make themselves known.

Finally, Garden Song is a masterpiece. It’s maybe even her Magnum Opus, but I’ll let the rest of the album unfurl before confirming this. Featuring her tour manager -who she recently discovered had a beautiful voice and had to include him- the song discusses reoccurring nightmares Bridgers has while on tour (See? Everything is scary.)

The song alludes to her home town, juxtaposing seemingly pleasant imagery with the morose reality she attaches them to, ‘They’re gluing roses on a flat bed, you should see it, I mean thousands.’ This line paints a picture of her home town of Pasadena, and the Rose Parade that happens there. She bluntly compares this supposedly jolly event to a funeral. A true realist.

Jeroen Vrijhoef reflects the chorus back to Bridgers, but two octaves lower, their voices melding in a surprisingly natural-sounding and charming way. ‘See our reflection in the water off a bridge at the Huntington, I hopped the fence when I was seventeen, and then I knew what I wanted.’ She uses her home town to voice that adolescent illusion of knowing completely what we want out of life, whether it’s to be with the person we like by creating mischief and breaking into an out of bounds setting as Bridgers suggests, or perhaps it’s the staring at ‘our reflection in the water,’ and having a clear and perfect view of ourselves.

The dreaming theme continues throughout the song, ‘I’m at the movies, I don’t know what I’m seeing, the screen turns into a tidal wave, then it’s a dorm room, like a hedge maze, and when I find you, you touch my leg, and I insist.’ This references a classic scene from Donnie Darko that occurs in a cinema, confirmed by the imagery of someone in a rabbit suit sitting beside her in the music video. This line also alludes to the phenomenon in dreaming where places morph into new ones instantly, and effectively continues the garden metaphor, often used to portray the female body, but the idea of a maze implying that there is more awkwardness, more difficulty involved. An image of two people exploring each others’ bodies for the first time is created.

The final chorus uses alternative lyrics to suggest growth, ‘Everything’s growing in our garden, you don’t have to know it’s haunted.’ Phoebe’s difficult past isn’t going to go away, but that does not mean positive change cannot happen.

The 19th of June hovers over us like a dream-filled sleep. Bridgers might just deliver her best body of work yet.

[reviewsforyouse]

Soccer Mommy & Co are Here to Heal.

Nashville artist Sophie Allison, better known as Soccer Mommy, is releasing a singles series titled ‘Soccer Mommy & Friends.’ As one would assume, she has not embarked on this sonic voyage alone.

With two of the eight singles having been released on Bandcamp and Spotify, the world has recently been gifted with a cover of her song ‘Lucy’ by lo-fi indie pop artist Jay Som, (or Melinda Mae Duterte.) The track sounds darker somewhat than Allison’s original. Perhaps it’s the slurring manner in which the chords progress, or the lulling, haunting style in which she delivers her vocals.

Track 2 is the inverse, with Soccer Mommy covering the Som song, ‘I think You’re Alright.’ While similar to the original, the song offers an assortment of distorted guitar riffs that are characteristic of Allison’s recent album Color Theory.

All proceeds from this album will go towards the Oxfam Covid-19 relief fund, with Bandcamp stating that the company has ‘an anonymous donor who will match every dollar raised by this series, up to $5000, which will double the impact of your purchase.’ So, support a good cause!

In the coming weeks, we can expect the bulk of the series to be released, which will feature Beabadoobee, MGMT’s Andrew Van WynGarden and Beach Bunny.  The full body of work will be available on the 2nd of July.  

The cover art is notable, a shroomy looking drawing of forest dwelling peoples, with various woodland creatures nestled around them.

Oh, to be a mushroom lady hanging out with her furry friends in the trees. 

You can preorder the Vinyl here: 

 https://sopharela.bandcamp.com/album/soccer-mommy-friends-singles-series

You might want to wait until you’ve heard the series in its entirety, but with a line-up like that, it’s bound to be class, as a Derry Girl would say.  

Peace out folks, and happy listening. Remember to look after yourselves, to socially distance and to be patient.  

@jay-som​ @beabadoobee​ 

[reviewsforyouse]

Please review Sweet Crude's new album: Officiel// Artificiel. Have the greatest of days, stay safe during these times!

I will have a listen, thank you! Stay safe!

[reviewsforyouse]

Rina Sawayama’s Debut Album is Gay Heaven. 

Crammed into a relatively small converted church space at the 02 Ritz in Manchester, it’s unbelievable that she’s the support act as the crowd chants her name. We’re here to see Charli XCX, and while the performance is an auditory feast of robotic, clink-clonk rave-music bliss, Miss ‘Cyber Stockholm Syndrome’ makes the stage her own beforehand, appearing out of nowhere like an ethereal woodland-nymph, giving us a short but sweet set that leaves us sweating, dry-mouthed and in love.

Some of you may know of a London-born, Cambridge-educated model turned singer by the name of Rina, but a lot of people still don’t; that should change with the release of her debut album ‘SAWAYAMA.’

Much of the singer’s first inklings of fame were manifested through the release of the song ‘Where U Are,’ followed by shortly by the hit-filled, ‘Rina’ EP. The song discusses talking to someone online, and having those feelings of warmth and togetherness despite both parties being completely alone. A lot of her work seems to focus on the warped reality we live in through social media, Cyber Stockholm Syndrome conveying the anxieties that can come when we’re faced with real human contact due to the effects of technology. The chorus chimes, ‘Came here on my own, party on my phone, came here on my own and I start to feel alone.’

With a futuristic pop and RnB infused discography; the singer is hard to pin down. She does not adhere to one genre. The album echoes TLC, Britney, Tatu. It’s all over the place in the best possible way.

The singer is not shy of breaking the mould when it comes to lyrical content in her songs, ‘Bad Friend’ at first seeming as though it was written about a lover, through contemplative piano and its lyrics ‘We ran through the bright Tokyo lights, nothing to lose Summer of 2012, burnt in my mind.’ The chorus takes on a different shape, working essentially as an apology to everyone in her life for being shitty at going through with plans. This is my favourite song on the album, (does this mean I’m flakey, too? Sorry everyone.) But really, it’s the over the top auto-tune and vocal layering in the chorus that gets me. You’d be a robot if it didn’t make you want to dance and cry simultaneously. On Instagram live, the singer states, ‘This song finishes me every time, and it’s my own song.’ Who can blame her?

Then there’s the self-awareness. With Sawayama being born in Japan, this album references the country a lot, like in ‘Tokyo Love’ and ‘Akasaka Sad.’ In the former, she sings, ‘Thought I was original, but after all I guess this is just another song 'bout Tokyo.’ But just because she references her birthplace, doesn’t mean you should put her in a box.

Here’s why:

Powerful tracks like ‘STFU’ are quite literally a ‘fuck you’ to people who tie her to stereotypes and sexualised, infantilising assumptions. Backed by a heavy, death-metalesque guitar, she coos, ‘How come you don't respect me? Expecting fantasies to be the reality, why don't you just sit down and shut the fuck up?’

The video opens with a short skit, her having dinner with a white guy who says all the wrong things, (allegedly taken from a real experience she’s had.) He asks the (London raised) singer about all-things-Japan and even expresses surprise at her singing in English.

In an interview with Vogue, Sawayama stated, ‘For a lot of women in Japan, these are the expectations people put on them, from anime culture, kawaii culture... that can really put women at a disadvantage, objectifying them.’ During her gig in Manchester, the singer called out a record producer who had compared her surname to the Japanese chain-restaurant Wagamama’s, to much discern from the crowd. Fusing poppy music with a an important and seldom voiced message while still having it sound like great music is, quite simply, genius. And added onto elaborate costumes and flawless dance numbers, it’s clear that she was made for this.

OK, I did say gay heaven, and it’s because she’s everything you look for in a pop star and more. But I’ll rephrase: This girl is everything you look for in a pop star.

She ticks every box, meaning you should all get onto her. If you’re not ‘too cool’ for pop, you should be open to blessing your ears and eyes. She is, after all, the future.

Stream the album:  https://open.spotify.com/album/3stadz88XVpHcXnVYMHc4J

[reviewsforyouse]

Maya Law – Tired

Norwich native Maya Law has released a new single, ‘Tired’: a track which perfectly emulates the weariness of wasted time in a relationship, complete with dreamy guitar riffs and a beat which aches to be played on a hot day.

I first discovered the artist back in 2017 on Instagram, and she was already working her way up in the music world, having an album out in collaboration with Allergy Kid. That was a reflective R&B record, complimented by observational lyrics and sweet vocals. Now, she says she’s branching out into different genres. Her style hasn’t wavered entirely, the charming melodies and well-thought out punch lines still flowing through with dexterity, but there’s a more polished feel to the production, highlighted by a set of crisp harmonies. I’m a bit obsessed with this tune.

The track charms sonically, yet it delivers some bite through her painfully truthful lyrics, ‘I’ve been wasting all my breath (…) you just turned around and said goodbye instead; all that I have left is that I’m tired.’

Get on this track if you’re into Amy Winehouse, Pip Millett, or any of that good British soul that seems to heal spirits during these psychologically draining bouts.

I look forward to finding a way of seeing the live rendition in time, because Law deserves endless applause.

(via https://open.spotify.com/track/0HuELnRdykwscuZZS3WL2o?si=ZxIiAnVRRAKY0Mxqv1E8pw)

[reviewsforyouse]

NOW MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO SUPPORT UP-AND-COMING ARTISTS - LIVERPOOL

Liverpool has always been a natural hot spring of music. Bands seem to bud and flourish here on a constant loop, with new talent emerging consistently in amongst the day-time karaoke queens in hair curlers and the chatty old fellas in the back of the pub. If you keep your ears tuned in, you’ll fine yourself bombarded with song as you stroll through Seel or Bold street; there’s an all you can eat buffet of entertainment to choose from.

Bands like Bandit are on a steady come up, described as ‘the essence of a Saturday night and the hangover the Sunday morning.’ With only four songs on streaming platforms, ‘I’d Try Anything Twice,’ stands out in particular, reminiscent of early Arctic Monkeys or Arcade Fire:

https://open.spotify.com/track/72IZ014GD4y64n7mHeIICO?si=POMmrKmBQHWkw1cZsT8-Sg

While they can’t currently perform, now’s a good chance to give bands like this exposure. When gigs eventually become a thing again they can enjoy a fresh set of ears in the crowd (and the artist gets £0.0058 from Spotify streams, right? Get playing.)

The YAYA also have a promising future, having played a number of venues around the city before a certain global pandemic came to shut down the party early. Performing in spots like EBGB’s, Electric Church Club and Jimmy’s, the band have their first official single on the way, and a set posted up on LJMU student tv that’s well worth watching:

https://instagram.com/theyayaband?igshid=vqrs1xmc9cdb

I also got the chance to see Dan Disgrace before the quarantine, a solo artist armed with a loop machine, laptop and a suit and tie. He delivered a series of calming Lo-Fi chunes, ‘Mush Cloud’ and the closing ‘Commission’ seeming to get the crowd the most riled up. The latter offers lyrics of trying to overcome workplace oppression (who can relate?)

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1RNgJBufeVGMz7Fb2vCqUt?si=AQLvRcGCRQaJzegmdRmIHg

In an interview with Bido Lito magazine, the singer said he doesn’t care about gaining fame or success for his music, but these songs might just find him in the midst of all that, if lack of performance opportunity doesn’t cloud his way.

His set was supported by Lotte, a band fronted by a Swedish student with an effervescent stage presence. Their sound is funky and rhythmic, almost the opposite of Disgrace, but it was cool to see such an eclectic mixture of artists under one roof promoting each other.

https://instagram.com/lottemorkved?igshid=z4sb8saritee

So, if we get the chance, we should all get to social media to share our findings; let’s not gatekeep good music; part of the fun is the sharing of it, no?

Now is the perfect time to get our peers’ work seen. When all of this is over it’ll be time for the talent to emerge, creatures freed from isolation hibernation and fluttering off into record deals.

And, of course, the most crucial part: A piss up of mammoth proportions.

[reviewsforyouse]

Ocean Tides us Over with Cayendo and Dear April- A review.

Frank Ocean has answered our desperately self isolated prayers, releasing two tracks on all streaming platforms, ‘Cayendo,’ and ‘Dear April.’

These are acoustic versions of songs formerly debuted at a PrEP club event in New York City last year, yet until this week were not available to stream. The songs were previously only available on vinyl.

‘ ”Cayendo” is a present participle form of the Spanish verb “caer”, which means “to fall” or “fall down”.’ :

https://open.spotify.com/track/72794Eag03xdy7TO0KNuid?si=N5F910eORm-dpIJiatWPvQ

Echoing Sade’s ‘Love is Stronger than Pride,’ the Louisiana singer sings, ‘You know too much, I can’t be proud, I still really, really love you.’ Both of these songs discuss overcoming feelings of jealousy and selfishness, putting love first and letting it take hold over everything else.

He also sings in Spanish, ‘Si esto no me ha partío', ya no me partiré nunca,’ meaning, ‘If this hasn’t broken me yet, I will never break.’ (Step back, Duolingo.) The song discusses suspicions of infidelity in a relationship, but Frank grits his teeth and lets it happen, he cares for his lover too much to let it get in the way. It reflects the track on his Blond album titled ‘Self Control’ in which he sings, ‘Keep a place for me,’ conveying that he would literally lie with both his lover and the person they are cheating with.

The lyrics are heart breaking, but the guitar is so soft, the vocals floating in and out like dreams, visiting us in this moment of panic we’re all in, calming us as though to say, ‘Remember music? Relationships? All of this is still here, and it’s waiting at the end.’ It gives the listener a sense of normality, a history to ponder over, to remember the kinds of issues we as humans faced before all of this happened, how now is a better time than ever to voice how we feel to each other, to be true, however hurtful it can be for us.

‘Dear April’ discusses a relationship that will never be the same again:

https://open.spotify.com/track/62ljuuXo0zrcrtJnnOhfxT?si=hA6yzTzSRGeMUGOT0eaOEw

We are left to assume that this is about the same relationship we’re hearing about in ‘Cayendo’ seeing as the two were released as a package.

Supported by the same raw, scratchy guitar strums, Frank sings, ‘Dear April, are you watching him dance?’ the rest of the song a run on sentence from this, ‘Take us through it, And wake us up again, And what we had won't be the same thing now.’  

Songs of pain or heart break can sometimes make the experience worthwhile, if it can help other people dealing with the same thing, but I’d hope the singer is hurting significantly less now. Listening to these tranquil tunes can help tide us over during the next however-many-weeks of lock down boredom.

And to the artists hoarding music during this time, release it if you can, it’s keeping us going.

[reviewsforyouse]

(via https://open.spotify.com/album/2w8Wshbp9RCPJdPU1iOpaY?si=KUb9YOfqRx6DxXQHG2gL0g)

FKA Twigs’ sophomore album is like a sigh of relief, a culmination of the sounds in her debut album and former Eps, yet with a twist. It feels as though, with her brand expanding so quickly, she is able to create a more polished sound, one she has been building up to all of the years since she first came on the music scene in 2012. Yet there’s still that distorted, experimental, pseudo-futuristic flare to the album, the song holy terrain mixing a medieval, heady singing style with a modern trap beat. There is no mistaking why the singer is often described as otherworldly. Songs like Mary Magdalene pay homage to Kate Bush. Through high-pitched vocals and a reference to the song ‘Woman’s Work’ Twigs discusses women often being written out of history, and alludes to the biblical figure who was often mistaken as a whore. Most of the album, however, seems to be about heartbreak, and never being enough for someone, as she repeatedly chimes the words, ‘Didn’t I do it for you?’ In Cellophane. In Home with You, she chants ‘I’ve never seen a hero like me in a sci-Fi.’ By this, she means someone who can be simultaneously powerful and yet vulnerable. It makes sense with who she is as an artist; her voice shy yet provocative, her visuals tasteful yet sexually charged. She combines these two sides of herself so poetically, and always seems 10 steps ahead of everyone else. They’d do well to keep up. -

[reviewsforyouse]

[reviewsforyouse]

(via https://open.spotify.com/album/2w8Wshbp9RCPJdPU1iOpaY?si=KUb9YOfqRx6DxXQHG2gL0g)

FKA Twigs’ sophomore album is like a sigh of relief, a culmination of the sounds in her debut album and former Eps, yet with a twist. It feels as though, with her brand expanding so quickly, she is able to create a more polished sound, one she has been building up to all of the years since she first came on the music scene in 2012. Yet there’s still that distorted, experimental, pseudo-futuristic flare to the album, the song holy terrain mixing a medieval, heady singing style with a modern trap beat. There is no mistaking why the singer is often described as otherworldly. Songs like Mary Magdalene pay homage to Kate Bush. Through high-pitched vocals and a reference to the song ‘Woman’s Work’ Twigs discusses women often being written out of history, and alludes to the biblical figure who was often mistaken as a whore. Most of the album, however, seems to be about heartbreak, and never being enough for someone, as she repeatedly chimes the words, ‘Didn’t I do it for you?’ In Cellophane. In Home with You, she chants ‘I’ve never seen a hero like me in a sci-Fi.’ By this, she means someone who can be simultaneously powerful and yet vulnerable. It makes sense with who she is as an artist; her voice shy yet provocative, her visuals tasteful yet sexually charged. She combines these two sides of herself so poetically, and always seems 10 steps ahead of everyone else. They’d do well to keep up. -

[reviewsforyouse]

CHILDISH COMBATS THE CURVE.

Renowned rapper, singer and actor Childish Gambino (or Donald Glover to some) has released a body of work titled 3.15.20 just in time for a ‘three-week’ lock down. What better way to dream away the hours indoors (yes, people, indoors) with a little slice of Troy from Community?

Posted casually on his website two weeks ago, it was quickly removed as die-hard fans hailed it a comforting distraction from all the mess going on in the world. Gambino discusses his anxieties as a black man in America, growing old, the weirdness of our technological society and probably countless other things that’ll come out on my 34th play (it is absolutely on repeat.)

Through distorted, trippy and frankly quite dizzying beats, the artist gives us a glimpse into his frightened mind, his philosophical thoughts and worries, and, although the lyrics to the opening Algorhythm may not explicitly be about the thing which shall not be named, it eerily seems to reflect what a lot of us are feeling right now. Misinformation is being spread more than ever: ‘How do we know the truth without feeling what could be false?’

On the song Time with guest vocals from Manchester’s own: our Ariana Grande, Glover sings, ‘Maybe the sky will fall down on tomorrow, but one thing’s for certain, baby, we’re running out of time.’ There is something oddly comforting about these lyrics. Maybe it’s the smooth, sweet tune reminiscent of his former hit Feels like Summer, making us nostalgic for better times or things that could’ve been. Maybe it’s the carefree attitude, which parallels the mantra we learned from the Wombats in 2010, ‘Everything is going wrong, but we’re so Happy.’

Because what else are we to do?

I can’t think of a better pastime right now than to sit in and listen to some psychedelic Prince and Stevie Wonder inspired music to lull me into a false sense of security. I recommend the song 35.31, and its successor 39.28 in particular for this. One is jovial and listening to it at a time like this feels bizarrely satisfying, like dancing on top of the singed aftermath of the apocalypse. The other contains a load of stacked harmonies that echo leaving us with the sentiment of how it might feel to be in limbo. The nothingness that comes after.

Overall, however, this album has truly shed light onto an otherwise dark and uncertain time. Because, if Gambino can make a beautiful, poignant album at a time like this, then maybe things will be alright. There’s hope. Things will carry on.

From one music enthusiast to another: Keep safe, play your records, and stay inside.  xx

[reviewsforyouse]

Soccer Mommy - Bloodstream 

With her sophomore album releasing on Friday, Sophie Allison (staged name Soccer Mommy) is ready to bear all. Her latest single, Bloodstream, roughly reflects the songs from her debut Clean sonically, yet her new releases touch on darker, more pressing themes. 

The forthcoming album Colour Theory is said to be divided into three parts, or colours: Blue to represent sadness and depression, yellow for sickness (Allison’s mother has been terminally ill for most of the singer’s adolescence) and grey for darkness, the acceptance of mortality. The singer assures that she is in a better place than when these songs were written, but that they mirror what she was going through during the touring of her first album. The fact that she can step away from these experiences mentally and write about them says a lot. And, with more studio time and more space for production, the songs already released reflect these themes through a sound that is more filmic than her debut. 

In an interview with Clash, Allison stated ‘I love that mixture of this poppy melody that’s really catchy and something you could totally sing along to, and then the music is weird as hell. I think it’s nice to make something that sounds like early-2000s pop, and turn it on its head a little bit.’ 

Allison turns it with ease, lyrics seeming to come naturally to her, poetic and poignant and yet somehow complimenting the Y2k, Lavignesque, 10 Things I Hate about You-reminiscent sound. In the new single, she sings, ‘Happiness is like a firefly on summer free evenings, feel it slipping through my fingers, but I can’t catch it in my hand,’ speaking on the depression she dealt with since she was a teenager. 

Almost like Lily Allen’s Alright Still, dark and controversial points are raised, but we can’t help but hum along. The songs are catchy and nostalgic. My hope is that Colour Theory plunges the Nashville native further into success, so she can make more raw, philosophical music of the same gravity.