Fluxblog Weekly #221: Banks, Blood Orange, Ciara, Shura, Spoon
I have two big things up this week outside of Fluxblog!
The first is an article I wrote for NPR about Spoon's greatest hits album and the role of greatest hits collections in the digital era. (ie. what is the point of this now?)
The second is the proper start of my House of X project, in which I review House of X #1, which came out today. It is an absolutely amazing comic, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves science fiction. You don't need to know anything about the X-Men going in though it doesn't hurt to have a handle on the basic concept and a passing familiarity with the major characters (Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops, Jean Grey, et al). Please jump in and follow along as I write about the Jonathan Hickman era every week as it is released!
July 21st, 2019
Every Single Syllable
Banks “Sawzall”
“Sawzall” is a surprisingly coherent song for something that moves between four totally distinct sections with only Banks’ vocal melody tying it all together. Some motifs do return in the finale, but the general feeling here is of someone adrift in guilt and regret as they reflect on a lot of red flags they’d ignored in a relationship with someone with serious mental illness. Banks performs with both vulnerability and sensitivity – there’s some degree of self-flagellation, but the emphasis is placed on empathy for this other person who’s in even worse pain than she is. The lateral drift of the arrangement simulates being lost in thought, but when the opening piano motif returns it sounds like she’s reconnecting with a feeling rather than just looping around for another cycle.
Buy it from Amazon.
July 24th, 2019
The Lifestyle For Free
Blood Orange featuring Tinashe “Tuesday Feeling (Choose to Stay)”
“Tuesday Feeling” is built around a strumming guitar part that seems to sway gently, suggesting a carefree chill vibe that’s at odds with the anxious and agitated state of mind expressed in the lyrics. The odd balance of neuroses and tranquil vibes carry through the song, though the song shifts out of its strummy mode for a bridge section built around keyboard chords that sound even more relaxed and gentle. Devonté Hynes sells the confusion and angst of the lyrics in his vocal without totally undermining the general feeling of the track, and he sounds particularly good in contrast with Tinashe’s vocal, which sound considerably more warm and grounded.
Buy it from Amazon.
July 25th, 2019
Is It Love Or Entertainment
Ciara “Thinkin’ About You”
“Thinkin’ ‘Bout You” sounds like it was made in defiance of all current pop trends in favor of thin, dreary melodies and hollow, minimalist arrangements, and in celebration of the sort of up-tempo, cheerful pop that could go much further in the ’80s and ’00s. It’s proudly out of step, and as such, feels more like it’s aiming for the future than looking towards the past. There aren’t that many specific musical similarities, but this song reminds me a lot of “How Do I Know” by Whitney Houston in both energy and sentiment – it’s a perky song about falling in love but dealing with all the anxieties and insecurities that go along with making yourself vulnerable and setting up expectations for what you’d like to happen. Ciara’s voice can’t help but convey optimism and joy in this song, so even the most neurotic lines land in a way that makes it seem more “butterflies” than “nervous wreck.”
Buy it from Amazon.
July 26th, 2019
We’re Done With Music
Shura “The Stage”
“The Stage” is about the liminal time just before the tension between two people tips over into physical romance, and in this case the backdrop of the scene is a concert, making the title both literal and figurative. Shura sings with a flirty soulfulness that doesn’t totally obscure her nerves, and the music does about the same thing in the way it’s smooth, sexy groove is nonetheless built around a vamp that suggests a quickening pulse and anticipation. The main thing here is the sweetness of it all – the delicate bounce and sway of the chords, and the way Shura’s lyrics focus on little romantic details and sentiments like “I can’t see the stage because I’m looking at you.”
Buy it from Amazon.