Fluxblog Weekly #17: The Weeknd, Deradoorian, Yo La Tengo, Hudson Mohawke
August 25th, 2015
Some Dope Dimes On Some Coke Lines
The Weeknd “Tell Your Friends”
I’ve had trouble connecting with The Weeknd in the past, in part because I don’t feel like I have a lot of room in my life for his whole “debauched misery in a brand-new luxury hotel” vibe, but mostly because I find his voice to be fairly anonymous and a lot of his songs rather flimsy. He’s getting around the latter problem by working with top writers and producers these days, and making a virtue of his lack of character by becoming the kind of R&B singer you can just plug into songs. That’s more or less what he’s doing in “Tell Your Friends,” which was mostly produced by Kanye West. This is a very Kanye sort of track, and sounds like it could’ve been a leftover from the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy era. Weeknd is definitely being himself, in as much as his lyrics are so on-brand that they seem self-conscious, but he’s mostly just lounging around in the middle of an exceptionally well-made track. To his credit, he inhabits the song very well – it’s sorta like he’s a model, and he’s making some gorgeous designer clothes look really good. You put the same thing on some random person, and it’s just not the same.
Buy it from Amazon.
August 26th, 2015
No One Can Feel Our Love
Deradoorian “Violet Minded”
It’s sort of amazing that Angel Deradoorian has spent most of the first decade of her career as a supporting player in other bands when it’s always been so obvious that she has a very particular musical style and vision. And OK, maybe that style has been shaped by proximity to Dave Longstreth, Avey Tare, and Rostam Batmanglij, but she’s still the type of singer whose timbre and affect is immediately identifiable. Her first proper solo record feels like a culmination of her work to date, with elements of Dirty Projectors and Slasher Flicks and her previous solo EP infused into these gently winding psychedelic rock songs. “Violet Minded” is the track that bears the closest resemblance to her work with Dirty Projectors, with an ascending, spiraling vocal hook that would’ve fit in perfectly with the songs on Bitte Orca. Deradoorian’s tracks have a much different feeling, though – whereas Longstreth’s music can’t help but be a bit cold and stiff, her songs convey warmth and generosity.
Buy it from Amazon.
August 28th, 2015
Just Smiling At The Sound
Yo La Tengo “Friday I’m In Love”
“Friday I’m In Love” is so familiar that it’s actually sort of surprising that Yo La Tengo selected it for their new album of acoustic covers and reworked oldies. But that easy familiarity really works for this rendition, which dials down the manic enthusiasm of The Cure’s original recording, but stays true to its romantic heart and impeccable structure. This is a smaller, cozier version of the song, and Georgia Hubley sings it with a bashful sweetness that’s more like a nervous blush than Robert Smith’s delirious gush. I love how casual this sounds, as if Yo La Tengo made this knowing that it’d be the perfect thing for an introvert’s crush playlist. It’s like a little gift for you.
Buy it from Amazon.
Hudson Mohawke “Ryderz”
This track is built around D.J. Rogers’ “Watch Out for the Riders” to such an extent that it really ought to be labeled as a remix. But what a remix this is! Hudson Mohawke is basically doing the old mid-00s rap trick of speeding up an old soul sample til it takes on a odd, sparkly quality, and then making it bump with digital beats. There’s nothing particularly original about this, but the execution is dazzling and joyous.
Buy it from Amazon.