@@@ Thee Weeknd: After Hours (Republic/UMG, 2020) Wow, the #1 track in the Apple Music hot tracks section clocks in just over 6 minutes. Fans of the Weeknd are gonna shit themselves but those of us awaiting our turn to recognize his genius are gonna think, yikes that’s a lotta Weeknd. This one is looking to be an epic loverboy, falsetto monster shot laced with sadness and regret. Very nice bass sounds, the beat comes in around 2 minutes and it’s all right without blowing my socks off. This is a heartbreak booty shaker. He’s a bit of a sad sack but they want you out on the dancefloor!! I give a lot of respect to the sounds here and he sings all right but I don’t think most folks need 6 minutes of this. I almost made it to the end but I don’t feel great about that.
@@@ Ozzy Osbourne: It’s a Raid (Sony, 2020) The question presented by Ozzy Osbourne’s new single is ‘have we reached peak Post Malone?’ I might have reached Peak Malone about a year ago but hey that’s just me. It opens up with some fresher sounds than what you would expect from the lead singer in Black Sabbath. Drums high in the mix and I dig that, a few pop flourishes in the background vocals. Post_Peak Malone does all right but his presence on the mic is lower than Ozzy (though this is a huge stack of Ozzy Osbourne vocal tracks). It’s a bit of slop shop lyrically, I have no clues what’s going on but it’s about kicking it and rebelling and being frustrated that much is clear. Unless I’m mistaken, Post Malone walked past this track he didn’t really do that much.
@@@ Yella Beezy: Keep it In the Streets (Hitco, 2020) A Hendrix like guitar figure, some classic 808 beats, a sung vocal hook are the main components out of the gate here. I don’t know if Mr. Beezy is doing the singing on the hook but it’s definitely hip hop with sprinkles and extra goodies. #interesting. A lot of energy comes out of these rhymes and it’s about the streets but it’s so quick you gotta pay attention and the guitar hook gives it a decidedly non gangsta flow. The elements by themselves are not the most interesting but their combination is creative and I give respect to that. A little dancehall flavored rhyming, an old school black power hippie riff, and some beats.
@@@ Pearl Jam: Superblood Wolfmoon (Epic, 2020) I actively enjoy disliking Pearl Jam and I have for a long time. They’re trying to step out on their new record with some fresh energy and some different feels but it’s still Eddie Vedder, whose self-righteous tone lies like a moist blanket on the Jam of Pearl. On this track they use a classic guitar power stroke, a straight beat and they rely on Mr. Vedder and a background vocal arrangement to keep the track fresht. Big arena guitar shred solo, it’s all right. It sounds like they want to kick out the jams, ya know just leave it all out on the floor as they say. It doesn’t move the needle for me, but maybe for folks out there?
YTD recordings listened to: 136
Good music, not list worthy: 80
Not good music: 56
Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0
Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Tarek Atoui, Saicobab, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Mariachi El Bronx, Pour Me a Grog, Sudan Archives, Lakou Mizik, Moodymann, Pharmakon, Alefa Madagascar, Janjao, Luge, Wiki, Mick Jenkins, Jeremiah Jae, Fera
Deep In the Music 