Fluxblog 358: Raveena • Grace Ives • Denzel Curry • Earthgang
Plus the sounds of the Obama Vibe Shift
This week’s playlist is PARTY IN THE USA: THE OBAMA VIBE SHIFT 2008-2011, a set that explores the brighter, more optimistic, super energetic, and sometimes kinda twee aesthetics that coincided with and in some cases directly responded to Barack Obama becoming President of the United States. There’s a lot of songs I love in this, but it’s funny how pretty much all of it seems at least a little psychotic or delusional in this context. [Spotify | Apple | YouTube]
I’m on this week’s episode of Who Cares About the Rock Hall discussing Beck’s nomination to the Roll and Roll Hall of Fame and whether or not he should/will get in. You can find it on all the podcast platforms.
A Purifying Fling
Raveena “Kathy Left 4 Kathmandu”
“Kathy Left 4 Kathmandu” presents as a laid-back vacation type of song, breezy and bright and sung with a soft, inviting voice. But that’s all just sugaring the pill as Raveena’s lyrics describe an earnest but clueless “rich hippie” girl who wants to consume an exotic Eastern culture to make herself feel better. It’s covering very similar ground as the Mike White show White Lotus, but whereas that series placed the narrative emphasis on the affluent tourists the point of view here is firmly on the Kathmandu citizen who’s grinning and facillitating Kathy’s Eat Pray Love fantasy while looking down on her and just trying to get her money. The spite isn’t that well hidden but the vibe stays mellow, even when the keyboards fizz and flutter a bit like a slightly malfunctioning hologram.
Buy it from Amazon.
Spoken With A Severed Gut
Grace Ives “Loose”
I was a little surprised to see that this new Grace Ives single is released by Universal Music Group given the scrappy Bandcamp indie nature of her previous record. But on a musical level it makes sense – a lot of the appeal of her music is how it sounds like someone from a more indie/punk background reworking modern pop aesthetics to suit her, rather than the other way around. “Loose” sounds like a logical step forward for her, full of the nervous energy and sharp dynamics of her last record, but a little smoother and more confident in presenting a big chorus. Ives’ lyrics here fixate on stress and a desperate need to alleviate it, but the angst seems less focused on the immediate concerns of being broke or worrying that you’re not good enough and more on the question of whether this is ever going to end. Like, are you on the verge of getting to a better position in life, or is this just how it’s going to be?
Buy it from Amazon.
Like Zombies Revived
Denzel Curry featuring Slowthai “Zatoichi”
“Zatoichi” moves fast and then much faster, shifting gears into a drum and bass chorus in which Slowthai’s rapid-fire rhymes are blasted out in the mix so his voice hits more like ambient noise than rapped bars. The track, produced by Powers Pleasant and Jonnywood, is an energetic vehicle for Denzel Curry’s aggressive vocal performance but there’s a dreamy atmosphere that runs through it that softens the impact a bit. There’s a bit of wordless R&B vocal – a sample, actual backing vocals, I don’t know – that adds a touch of pathos to the music as it overlaps with Curry’s rap, suggesting a sadness lingering beneath his bravado.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
Most Likely To Succeed
Earthgang featuring JID and J Cole “Waterboyz”
Daoud, Phoelix, and Groove’s arrangement for “Waterboyz” is slinky but off-kilter, mostly built around the contrast of a busy bass line and something that sounds like a guitar sample pitched up to the tonality of a sitar. The percussion and keyboards shift around through the piece, framing each rapper’s voice a little differently while keeping a steady verse/chorus/verse structure and consistent feel. While this is a posse cut with guest features the most memorable parts here are definitely Johnny Venus’ chorus and bridge parts – there’s a fun, playful tone to his vocal, and he plays off the producers’ syncopation rather than just flow along with it.
Buy it from Amazon.
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• Devon Ivie at New York Magazine talked to Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos about the band’s back catalog as they release a greatest hits album. I think more artists of this vintage should be releasing greatest hits records!
