Fluxblog Weekly #206: Blackpink, David Bowie, Anderson Paak, Unperfect
April 8th, 2019
Do Without You
Blackpink “Don’t Know What To Do”
The core of “Don’t Know What to Do” is essentially a Kelly Clarkson rock ballad from the mid-’00s, but this being a K-Pop tune in 2019, it’s also a pounding EDM banger. It’s a little incongruous, but it works – they thread in 2010s dance pop signifiers along with the acoustic guitars in the quiet sections, and the big bass drop and surging tempo comes in just as the singer slips into English to sing the title phrase. She sounds entirely exasperated, and the dance section slams in as though she’s hitting a button to release an emergency dose of dopamine to shake her out of her sadness.
Buy it from Amazon.
April 9th, 2019
Trying Not To Lose
David Bowie “Win”
“Win” is one of David Bowie’s finest love songs, though it seems he didn’t really think of it that way, describing it in 1975 as more of a message to people who lack his dedication and work ethic. “It was written about an impression left on me by people who don’t work very hard, or do anything much, or think very hard – like don’t blame me ‘cause I’m in the habit of working hard,” he told NME. “You know, it’s easy – all you got to do is win.”
But that’s just the chorus. The verses are far more interesting, with Bowie – something of an unknowable ice queen himself – prodding someone else to open up and be vulnerable with him. “Slow down, let someone love you,” he sings, sounding handsome and mildly bemused. “I’ve never touched you since I started to feel.” Their distance and reluctance is an obstacle to his desire, yes, but I think this is also him feeling like he’s opened up and is now inviting a similarly aloof person into his life. It’s a bit “come on in, the water’s fine.”
“Win” sounds light and airy even when it goes a bit bombastic and theatrical. Bowie plays it cool in vocal performance and delegates projecting warmth to his R&B back up singers and David Sanborn’s fluttering saxophone. But despite that, he’s not devoid of passion. There’s a real conviction in his voice on the chorus, a genuine belief in both himself and the person he’s addressing. The song is essentially a pep talk, but Bowie’s doing that thing where one’s advice boils down to “just do everything I did, and it’ll all go fine.” He’s urging you to love David Bowie, because he loves David Bowie. He’s telling you that all you have to do is win because he’s David Bowie in the mid 1970s, and he’s become well acquainted with that outcome. His voice, his words, the music – he’s seducing you. And of course, this is David Bowie in the mid 1970s, so it works. He wins.
Buy it from Amazon.
April 10th, 2019
They Can’t Gentrify The Heart Of Kings
Anderson Paak “King James”
“King James” is a funky, joyful ode to Lebron James, but not so much for his performance on the basketball court, but rather for his philanthropic efforts. I don’t doubt Anderson Paak’s earnestness here – his voice is passionate and earnest, his heart is very much in the right place – but it does feel a little like he’s ingratiating himself and trying to score free courtside season tickets. Frankly, he should get them! This is one of Paak’s best compositions, and James should feel endlessly flattered to be the basis for something so effortlessly groovy that takes his good works the basis for a bigger statement about community and solidarity. Paak’s doing his best to work up to the level of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder here, and with this track, he’s as close to that target as you could hope to get.
Buy it from Amazon.
April 11th, 2019
Electric Tension
Unperfect “Gots to Give the Girl”
Unperfect is the new vehicle for Xenomania’s Brian Higgins, probably the single greatest pop songwriter of the 2000s that is all but unknown in the United States. Higgins is the prime mover behind the entire Girls Aloud catalog, plus key songs by Annie, Sugababes, and Kylie Minogue. He’s also the primary author of Cher’s “Believe.” You almost certainly know that one. Higgins’ aesthetic is brash, bold, and up-tempo. Every bit of a Xenomania song is catchy, it’s always a full-on barrage of hooks. Lyrics are always slightly strange, and despite being extremely glossy and POP, the songs are nearly all rooted in rock in structure, dynamics, and arrangement.
So with that in mind, “Gots to Give the Girl” is a bit of a curveball. The usual hyper-charged Xenomania energy is gone, replaced by a cool, relaxed vibe. If Girls Aloud is music designed for gyms, Unperfect seems built specifically for the “chill” playlist at a coffee shop. But despite the drastic shift in tone, it’s still very clearly a Higgins song – you can hear it in the contours of the melodies and the way he stacks them all neatly in a row, and the voices have the same tones and cadences as the women in Girls Aloud. They each take a lead, but you could be forgiven for assuming you’re just hearing one woman sing the whole time. It’s also essentially a groovy rock song, right on down to two smooth, unhurried guitar solos. It all works rather well, and though I do believe the pop scene of 2019 needs more of the old Xenomania energy, I welcome Higgins’ reinvention.
Buy it from Amazon.