Fluxblog Weekly #163: Kanye West, Maggie Rogers, Hit-Boy, Twice
I strongly recommend this powerpoint presentation that Hillary Benton made speculating on the true nature of Lorde and Jack Antonoff's relationship. Benton's writing is incredibly funny and entertaining, and she makes a very compelling case that they hooked up while he was still involved with Lena Dunham. This is a tour de force of gossip writing, but it's also one of the best works of music criticism I've encountered in a while. Benton argues that the "first breakup album" narrative that was pushed by Lorde and her PR machine was a deliberate lie, and that the songs are far more interesting and emotionally wrenching when put in the context of being written from the perspective of "the other woman." It's certainly made me appreciate the record more.
June 4th, 2018
Naked Minds Caught Between Space And Time
Kanye West “Ghost Town”
“Ghost Town” threads together a series of beautiful moments of vulnerability, but it’s all a bit loose and off-kilter like the ramblings of a sentimental drunk. And like, this is a song where Kanye says he sometimes talks “like I drank all the wine,” so I assume this effect is intentional.
Some of the rawest feelings in the song get outsourced to other vocalists – a heartbreaking quote from “Take Me For A Little While,” a highly emotive John Legend seemingly making up his part on the spot, and an outro section by 070 Shake which is somehow both depressingly bleak and triumphant. These parts bracket West’s own verse in the middle of the track, and it sounds a bit like he’s using them as a sort of protective barrier. West’s voice on his verse has a warmth and shine to it that calls back to his earliest work. He’s half-singing everything, but there’s nothing masking or altering his voice. He sounds…happy. Content. Self-aware. Optimistic that the worst is now behind him. I’m certain he intends this to be an olive branch to the world. I think he’s very sincere, or at least he is on this song.
I have no idea who is playing guitar on this song – there is no official credit for this, but I assume it’s the guy from Francis and the Lights since he’s listed as a contributing producer – but that part is crucial to the success of this song. It’s a loud, emotionally wrenching part, but it’s layered into the composition in such a way that you can feel its effect without paying it much attention. The distorted guitar chords seem to slash around Legend’s yelping, and grind like gears around the “Take Me For A Little While” part. It’s more melodic and poignant during 070 Shake’s sequence, adding both anthemic oomph and a touch of grace. It drops out entirely during West’s verse, further emphasizing this barrier around him and how free and gentle he sounds when he’s on the mic.
Buy it from Amazon.
June 5th, 2018
Stuck Upstream
Maggie Rogers “Fallingwater”
It sounds as though Maggie Rogers and her collaborator Rostam Batmanglij arranged “Fallingwater” with a lot of caution, as if one false move could push the tune too far over into the realm of Adult Contemporary pop. They never get in the way of the melody, but they consistently go small and intimate when the song could easily go big and glossy, like a Wilson Phillips song. At every turn, they choose sincerity over sentimentality, and emphasize the way Rogers’ voice sounds a bit sad and nervous even when she’s expressing joy. The song shifts into a more anthemic lane at the end, but even when they aim for drama, they dial it back. I imagine they had a very clear idea of how big the feeling in this song is, and the song is an exact scale model.
Buy it from Amazon.
June 5th, 2018
Hardships Almost Made Me Heartless
Hit-Boy featuring Dom Kennedy “Out the Window”
Hit-Boy is the producer who made classics like “Backseat Freestyle,” “N**** In Paris,” “Goldie,” “***Flawless,” “Clique,” and “Feeling Myself,” but he’s still somehow underrated. But maybe this is by design – he’s a very active producer but seems more interested in working with great artists than chasing hits, and he’s clearly very invested in building his own career as a rapper. It’s interesting hearing the way he produces music for himself as opposed to what he makes for other rappers. A lot of his biggest hits sound like they were designed to get the most aggressive performances possible out of the rappers on the tracks. But left to his own devices, he steers away from bangers in favor of slower, meditative beats and stoned vibes. To some extent, this is basically just finding the clothes that fit him – his voice is scratchy and low-key and his rhymes are laid back. He’d probably sound lost in the sort of song he’d hand to Kanye or Kendrick. But it’s nice to hear him stretch beyond bangers, especially when a composition like “Out the Window” has a poetic, late night feeling that reminds me a lot of DJ Premier in his prime.
Buy it from Amazon.
June 8th, 2018
Myserious Tension And Attraction
Twice “Deja Vu”
“Deja Vu” is the kind of song that seems like everyone in the studio was screaming “NO! MAKE IT CATCHIER! FASTER! MORE PEP!!!” and they kept slamming the buttons in a gleeful franzy until they got…this. This is gloriously hyperactive pop, even by K-pop standards. It gets more energetic and hooky with every turn, to the point that the Skrillex-ish EDM break seems more like an inevitability than very late bandwagon-jumping opportunism. If you’re writing a song in the key of HYPE in the 2010s, you gotta go there. It’s not enough to bop! You must go full bangarang.
Buy it from Amazon.