TAYLOR SWIFT REPUTATION Big Machine Records Synth Pop, R&B, Trap. Listening Format: CD I'm not even going to lie, Taylor Swift's '1989' is one of my favourite and most spinned albums of this decade. Certainly the best Pop album I've heard (or been made to tolerate). Even Ryan Adams covered the entire album, so I guess it really struck a chord with people even outside the target audience. But that said, I've never really enjoyed any of Taylor Swift's prior releases (although 'Red' certainly sewed the blueprints for '1989'). Still, I've actually looked forward to hearing how she could possibly follow it up. Numerous controversial news stories didn't really put me off as I'm more interested in her music than her. Well... I'm now convinced that '1989' was merely a one off gem. This is just flat out bad. I liked opening track and single '...Ready For It?' The bubblegum Pop chorus definitely recaptured those '1989' vibes, but other single 'Look What You Made Me Do' is just too annoying and throwaway for me. Have we really reached a point where artists need to blatantly rip off Right Said Fred in 2017 Pop music, I mean c'mon! Really when it comes to analysing 'Reputation' it's actually worth talking more about producer, songwriter and collaborator Max Martin rather than Taylor Swift herself. Not a lot has really changed in terms of Taylor's voice, lyrical style and performance, but it is Max Martin's songwriting and production that really falters this album. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that 'Reputation' would be full of Trap beats, and they have been implemented in the most predictable, cliche and lazy way possible. They are just there for the sake of being there. What is an even worse offender is that this album is littered with wobbling Dubstep breakdowns... I mean seriously? This would have been old hat in 2012, let alone 2017. It just makes the album sound incredibly dated and creatively stagnated. There is far less of that dreamy vibe that made songs like 'Blank Space' and 'Clean' such winners, and the all out Pop bangers don't bang as hard because they are dripping with stock ideas and sounds. I genuinely feel like Max Martin has given his best productions and ideas to Katy Perry's 'Witness' and Lana Del Rey's 'Lust For Life' this year, and Taylor Swift has been given the scraps. I listened to Katy Perry's 'Witness' album it is genuinely a good, catchy, well written Pop album with very similar blueprints to 'Reputation', just better realised. And yet 'Witness' has been a bit of a flop in terms of sales, popularity and critical praise. Lana Del Rey's 'Lust For Life' dabbled into Trap and R&B sounds, but actually carried it off rather well (especially for an artist who doesn't necessarily need to be singing over Trap beats). 'Reputation' is just a lowest common denominator Pop album that lacks any real spark or creative juice. It genuinely has tried to go for a slightly darker, edgier and more adult sound, but with so much unoriginality and predictability, it just falls flat on its face. Every track sounds like it was concocted by a marketing team. Ultimately it does very little to enhance the reputation of Taylor Swift or Max Martin. 4/10.
LANA DEL REY LUST FOR LIFE Interscope Records Dream Pop, Alternative R&B Listening Format: CD I'm not going to lie, when I first looked at the album sleeve (she's... Smiling!?) and the tracklist for this album, my first thought was "oh lord... This is gonna suck, this is gonna suck so hard!" The thought of Lana Del Rey pairing up with A$AP Rocky and The Weeknd felt so benign to me. And the reason I made this assumption is because I enjoyed her last album 'Honeymoon' so much. I always think of Lana Del Rey as being a forward thinking Pop singer and musician. Many of the artistic decisions she has made in the last few years have set such a high standard compared to most of her peers. Just about EVERY Pop artist, male or female, these days are cramming their albums with unnecessary guest rappers, and Trap influenced R&B beats, because it is trendy and it boosts sales. I've always thought of Lana Del Rey to be outside of doing what is considered "trendy". The more she sings over these earthy, string-laden, dreamy soundscapes the better she sounds. In return, by avoiding doing what all of her peers are doing, she ended up being a trend-setter in her own right. With this being the case it was very much wrong of me to make the assumption that 'Lust For Life' would suck, especially coming off of 'Honeymoon', which I feel was her best and most accomplished full length yet. I guess I looked at that tracklist, the featuring and producer list, and hit the panic button, assuming she was about to undo exactly what makes her stand out so well. So how DOES the album fare? Right off the bat, Lana Del Rey is sounding in fantastic form. 'Love' is a huge track to open with. Her voice is just sounding better and better with each release, and she absolutely soars across the chorus. Title track and single 'Lust For Life' is utterly sublime... The production on this track from Max Martin is outstanding. It captures that Twin Peaks Dream Pop style perfectly. There is a definite throwback to the '50s Spector girl group sound in the verses, and then the knockout "Take off all your clothes" chorus with The Weeknd is one of the most majestic things you'll hear all year. The way the two vocals combine is magical and the song is utterly catchy. It's goes from sounding nostalgic to cutting edge and modern all in just a verse to chorus transition. Without a doubt one of the best Lana Del Rey songs ever. Though 'Lust For Life' starts incredibly strongly, we are still talking about a 70 minute long opus here. In the middle stretch of the album we start to hear the Trap beats coming into the production, though thankfully they are mixed fairly low. That earthy Dream Pop sound still manages to be a dominant force, and the use of strings and moody suspended chord synths absolutely still shine through, along with Del Rey's powerful, diverse and haunting vocal delivery. The two songs that I feared featuring A$AP Rocky are lumped together. 'Summer Bummer' is actually a good song in it's own right, and just about manages to fit within the flow of the album, but 'Groupie Love' is a particular lowlight. It feels more like an A$AP Rocky song where Lana Del Rey is the guest on the track. Admittedly, I expected much worse from these two tracks, but they do sort of work in the context of this album. I do get that such a long album needs to throw in some curveballs to keep things interesting, so it just about gets a pass from me. Sadly though, the album is rather front loaded. The last twenty minutes in particular does start to run out of steam. Even though the Stevie Nicks and Sean Ono Lennon collaborations appear, I feel like most of the best ideas had already been spent by this point. Ultimately, when it comes to listening to Lana Del Rey, I like her to be selfish. I genuinely think she is at her best when she does her own thing, singing her heart out over nostalgic, dreamy ballads. I have to wonder whether it was her decision to bring in Trap beats, guest rappers and features, or is it a product of being on a major label? Regardless, she has still managed to turn out a mostly very strong album. I don't think A$AP Rocky gelled with her at all, but it was nowhere near a disaster like I had wrongly assumed. And the duet with The Weeknd is absolutely inspired. In fact in many spots on this album, Lana Del Rey sounds at the top of her game. I think this is her best vocal performance to date, and in terms of writing and production, she still stands miles ahead of other Pop vocalists. She can genuinely go toe to toe with the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, Sia and Katy Perry, and often come out as the most forward thinking and interesting to listen to. Personally I think the 'Paradise' EP she released back in 2012 is her most groundbreaking release that just felt 100% Lana, but 'Lust For Life', whilst flawed, is still a very strong release that far exceeded my expectations. 7/10.
This weekend I ventured down to London to attend Field Day 2017, which boasted one of the best lineups of the year. The festival is mostly dedicated to Electronic music, but also covers great acts in Hip Hop and Indie Rock too. Definitely the kind of festival for eclectic music fans to venture to. With such a strong lineup there were inevitably some brutal clashes with Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, Run the Jewels, Slowdive, Thee Oh Sees AND King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard having their sets all crossover on different stages. I wish I could have cloned myself and seen them all, but here is what I did get to see on this beautiful day in Victoria Park.
Methyl Ethel
My first act of the day was Australian Indie Rock quartetMETHYL ETHEL who provided an upbeat and lively performance to match the glorious sunshine. Their guitars had light touches of reverb creating light psychedelic vibes. Laid back mid tempo drums gave them that chilled out slacker vibe. Vocalist Jake Webb was a strong vocal point, with a bubbly and slightly twee sounding vocal, performed with great confidence. After sticking around for a few songs, I went to check out ABRA on the Resident Advisor stage. Instantly I was drawn in with the duo's massive, pounding bass heavy beats that shook the ground around me. Their Trap influenced Alt-R&B grooves really hit hard. Abra herself oozed so much confidence as a vocalist, with a sugary sweet singing voice. Definitely one of my favourite discoveries of the day with a sound fans of FKA Twigz and Jessy Lanza will probably enjoy. Certainly one to look out for.
Bristolian's BEAK> were a fine highlight in the Moth Club tent. The band is a side project lead by Geoff Barrow of Portishead fame. Beak> are highly inspired by Krautrock acts such as Can, locking into funky, repetitive grooves, with wild electronics and scatty guitars often searing away over the top. The tent was absolutely packed out to get a glimpse of this band and it was hard to even get inside. Instead I went back to the Resident Advisor tent to watch FOREST SWORDS. The scouse Electronic producer (real name Matthew Barnes) brought his Ambient Dub productions to the stage, with a live bass guitar player added to the equation. Barnes himself also added live guitar on a couple of tracks. The use of background visuals was quite striking and his beats sounded loud and pounding through the immense sound system.
Death Grips
There was no time to spare once Forest Swords had finished, as most of the Field Day crowd dashed to the opposite end of the park to the Crack tent to secure a decent spot for DEATH GRIPS. Even half an hour before the Sacramento trio hit the stage, the tent was practically full. DJ ESTHER JOY did a solid job of warming up the crowd, but the anticipation was so high that I think most people were staring at their watches, glimpsing towards the backstage area eager for the trio to emerge. Death Grips even teased the crowd by doing a brief linecheck of 'Guillotine' before leaving the stage again, sending the fans into a pre-emptive mosh. Finally Death Grips came on, and Field Day 2017 became a completely different beast, with a mosh pit so ferocious you would think Slayer had taken over the festival. Gone were the chilled vibes that Methyl Ethel began the day with. Death Grips force-feed a crowd with so much visceral, blood pumping energy. Flatlander's dense and noisy samples and synths, Zach Hill pounding the drums like they insulted his mother, and MC Ride's manic vocal acrobatics all converged perfectly to deliver one of the most vital, free-form and passionate expressions of the entire festival. The crowd were truly swept into a frenzy of ugly, unforgiving and blunt chaos as Death Grips blasted through discography highlights such as 'Come Up & Get Me', 'No Love', 'Hot Head', 'Guillotine' and more. In particular 'Giving Bad People Good Ideas' and 'I've Seen Footage' commanded the crowd to go fully insane. Certainly one of the main draws of this year's Field Day.
Following this breathtaking performance was a more controlled chaos. The Bleep Bandstand was situated right next to the Moth Club tent, and two very different but equally influential artists were playing at the same time. To my left was MIKE PARADINAS, best known as his alias U-Ziq (part of the 90s Cornish Acid scene with Aphex Twin), and founder of Planet Mu Records. And at the same time to my right was the last remaining member of SILVER APPLES, a man who pioneered Electronic music and breakbeats in the late 60s. I was so intrigued by both artists that I felt the need to zig-zag between the two. Silver Apples presented a rather crass and primitive approach, paving lots of wild oscillated sounds across his canvas. But ultimately I found myself more drawn to Paradinas, who was rocking the joint, belting out such a well crafted array of glitch, breakcore and ambient techno mastery, that it is puzzling that his name isn't as revered as his friend and collaborator Richard D James.
S U R V I V E
Back over at the Shacklewell Arms tent was S U R V I V E, who were another huge highlight. The US quartet are signed to Extreme Metal label Relapse Records, but perform Dark Ambient and Synthwave music heavily influenced by the works of John Carpenter. The way that the four synthesizer performers played off each other was something magical. Visually the way the quartet appeared on stage was reminiscent of Kraftwerk. They had a great knack of veering off into solo sections, but often coming together to create wondrous harmonies of ice cold synths. Their music speaking in unison, creating language out of synthetic sounds. The band are best known for contributing to the original score for the hit Sci-Fi series Stranger Things, and their own music away from that defining score was fairly similar and just as enticing to listen to. Before making my way to see one of the big headliners, I popped in to catch the end of CLAMS CASINO's set. I only caught the last few songs and yet still I left with a huge impression. Clams Casino had the entire tent packed to brim delivering a ferocious approach to hard hitting Trap beats. So many people were getting their groove on to his hard sounds, bringing such a Gangsta boogie to Field Day that drove people wild. Closing the Resident Advisor tent was one of the most anticipated acts of the entire day. FLYING LOTUS not only brought an incredible visual and light show, but his sound was deafeningly loud and just sounded massive. FlyLo played a lot of new material, even slipping in some currently unreleased material from his upcoming score for Kuso (the film Ellison directed). A trap rendition of the Twin Peaks theme was an unexpected delight, and he also performed a lot of retro video game inspired pieces, with numerous beats that sampled different Silent Hill games, and an amazing rendition of an iconic theme from Final Fantasy VII. FlyLo weaved them together through many of his most incredible album cuts into an unrelenting flow of jazzy and funky Hip Hop/IDM fusion. The vibes inside this tent were unreal. I wish I could have stayed for the whole set, but I had to leave after forty minutes to ensure I got myself a good spot in The Barn for the big headliner...
Flying Lotus
Richard D James, best known as APHEX TWIN was clearly the act most people came to see. I saw so many people donning his iconic logo on their shirts and there was such a positive buzz in the air. As you can imagine, he delivered one of the most dynamic lighting and visual crafts of the entire festival. So many coloured lasers and dizzying strobes were used. There were amazing visuals on the screen such as cartoonish images of the queen, Nigel Farage, Theresa May and... Chris Evans... with Richard's famous creepy, distorted face super imposed over the top. And at times people in the crowd were even filmed up close, but with that haunting face super imposed over their own faces. Aphex Twin performed for an incredible two straight hours. There were probably a lot of young people who were seeing Aphex Twin for the very first time (I think he last played the UK five years ago). Old school fans will know that he doesn't play the hits live. No 'Come to Daddy' or 'Windowlicker', but he did sneak in a more obscure cut 'Audax Powder' from the Polygon Window album. Aphex usually will create a unique live experience of material that even die hard fans have never heard before. Aphex truly pulled out all the stops. The first half hour was particularly doomy, and horrifying, favouring slow, warped beats and chilling horror synths. But the show gradually got a lot more playful, as Aphex moved into those classic Cornish Acid Techno vibes. He showcased some of his Drill & Bass sounds reminiscent of the 'Drukqs' era, and even some more colourful and accessible spots. He would often break people's expectations by dropping in something like an old school Hip Hop beat here, or a jungle tune there, or a straight up Dub piece. But as a whole it felt like Aphex was drawing from just about everything he has delivered over his vast and ever changing career. His set was constantly changing up at an ADHD pace, so there was always something fantastic for our ears to feast on. Originally I had planned to watch an hour of his set and then go and catch a bit of Run the Jewels, but I felt so engrossed and mesmerized by what Aphex Twin was performing, that I just could not leave. Aphex Twin delivered a true masterclass in all the things that make Electronic music interesting and innovative. His set finished on devastatingly loud lashing of bit-crushed noise and wild Industrial beats with a vocal sample screaming "FUCK OFF" repeatedly. A darkly humourous way to end a two hour colossus. As the music died down and the floodlights came on, Richard D James waved goodbye to the crowd with a big smile on his face, leaving chills down my spine as rapturous applause engulfed the massive Barn stage.
Aphex Twin
Sadly Field Day 2017 left on a sour note as news started to break that a string of terrorist attacks had broken out not far from the venue. Fortunately nobody at the festival was directly affected and hopefully everybody made a safe journey home. But aside from this, Field Day 2017 will be remembered for being well organised, full of dedicated music fans who were well behaved and contributed towards an incredible vibe and atmosphere across the whole day. For eclectic music fans, Field Day offered what will easily be one of the best lineups of cutting edge artists this year. I had a truly fantastic time!
KENDRICK LAMAR DAMN. Hip Hop, R&B, Trap. Aftermath Entertainment/Top Dawg. Listening Format: CD
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!! It's a brand new album from Kendrick Lamar and it pretty much dropped out of the blue, first on digital format and then the CD followed a week or so after. Hip Hop used to revel in hyping up a big release through singles, radio play and underground mixtapes, but times have shifted and big artists such as KanYe West, Jay Z, Frank Ocean, Drake and Beyonce just seem to drop their new albums out of the blue these days! Not that I am complaining right now, as hype ravages through social media like fire.
So... Kendrick Lamar... Easily THE most critically acclaimed and popular Hip Hop artist of the current decade. He has this incredible ability to appeal to a wide audience. He has not only earned respect from underground Hip Hop heads, but is popular among more casual Pop and radio listeners, and even people who aren't fans of the genre have approved of his music. He has already dropped two albums in the last five years that are already considered masterpieces and modern classics, 'Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City' and 'To Pimp a Butterfly' respectively. Kendrick Lamar represents the very best in modern Hip Hop production, and delivers conscious, poignant and aggressive lyrics with a diverse flow of rapping styles making him a talented chameleon on the mic. These two modern masterpieces displayed a diverse cinematic production, with all the tracks being part of a story, like a film for the ears. Can he possibly strike gold for a third time, even with such pressure to follow up two incredible albums?!
The most important thing you will notice about 'DAMN.' that is blatantly obvious from the first listen is that it actually sounds almost nothing like his previous two albums. It doesn't quite go for that cinematic, storytelling aspect quite as hard as its predecessors. That doesn't mean that it isn't as deep or diverse, but it doesn't have that feel of being a unifying concept album this time around. The biggest change in sound is that the majority of tracks on 'DAMN.' very much exploit the current "Trap Rap" sound. For those not familiar with what a Trap beat sounds like, you might have to do a little digging on YouTube or Wikipedia, but this type of beat very much stands out from the traditional Boom Bap old school style Hip Hop beat. This isn't to say that Lamar has been a stranger to the Trap beat, as 'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe' (taken from his 2012 opus) is a great example of that sound, with those massive drum fills in the chorus. But 'DAMN.' goes all out for those Trap beats. This is a bit of a double-edged sword because, yes it makes the album sound very current and modern, but in a few years time Trap might die out and be remembered as a fad. Will this album still hold the timeless quality that its predecessors have? I think it is less likely as even old school Hip Hoppers who have got on board with Lamar's music will find this 55 minute record a harder pill to swallow.
Whether you like Trap beats or not, it is hard to deny some of the absolute talent displayed on this album. When second track 'DNA.' kicks in, the listener is thrown into a swamp of thumping bass and hard hitting snare runs, as Kendrick Lamar absolutely tears into the microphone with a similar intensity to the way Nas kicks it on 'NY State of Mind' over 20 years prior. The following track 'YAH.' continues on a very high note, but flips the mood to a more downbeat and slower one, with a lovely dusty and atmospheric production. Songs in the latter half such as 'FEAR.' get closer to the old cinematic feel, and 'PRIDE.' is a highlight which actually does have more of an old school Hip Hop beat and vibe.
However, there are some total sore spots on this album. As good as Kendrick Lamar's album cuts usually are, he does have a tendency to crop on some rather Poppy tracks such as his collab with Taylor Swift and I think when he does this it isn't living up to the immense talents he has, perhaps making him look like a sell out. Lead single 'HUMBLE.' is just horrendous... The beat sounds like lowest common denominator Hip Hop... Remember Chuggo's hilarious (for all the wrong reasons) viral hit 'Come On Fucking Guy'?!... Yeah... As if the verses weren't awful enough, the chorus hook of "Holla, Holla, Bitch, Bitch" is just as excruciating as it sounds! 'LOYALTY.' is equally as crass, sounding like a dated mid-00s "hey we just discovered autotune for the first time!" Akon or Nelly kind of track. Why something like this has a place on a Kendrick Lamar album is beyond me. These tracks in particular stick out like sore thumbs in the tracklisting.
'DAMN.' is just a pretty good album with some great moments here and there. And whilst most people would kill to make an album with that description, because it is Kendrick Lamar it almost feels like a shortcoming for him to just put out an album that is "pretty good". His previous two albums really were near perfect. Every single track on them works, the production was cutting edge and Kendrick had something vital and urgent to express. In particular, previous album 'To Pimp a Butterfly' went beyond Hip Hop. It had some genuinely brilliant Jazz, Soul and Funk which is pretty much all gone on this album. "DAMN." feels like a one track minded affair and much smaller in comparison. I do admire that Kendrick Lamar has managed to reinvent his style in such a short time, and make a completely different sounding album in comparison. But 'DAMN.' sorely lacks that timeless quality that he is capable of. I still listen to his previous two albums frequently, and I listen to them from start to finish every time. But with 'DAMN.' it's already starting to wear off on me after just a month, to the point where I'd rather just stick on one of his other albums instead. 7/10.
