Fluxblog Weekly #83: OddCouple, Michael Kiwanuka,Kaytranada, Bruno Mars
If you're looking for something good to read, I strongly recommend Tim O’Neil’s ongoing series of essays on The Hurting about coming out as trans. Tim’s essays shift back and forth between sharp critical writing about topics such as the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the discography of Spoon, and Carl Banks’ Donald Duck comics, and intense memoir sections detailing their struggles with self-defeating rage and despair while obliviously living in the closet into their 30s. Tim also writes a bit about the beginnings of their transition, and one of the most striking things is that in Tim’s writing, masculinity is like this chronic disease that’s being treated. It’s fascinating and very moving, and Tim’s insights into art are incredibly thoughtful and not always predictable. I particularly like how Tim writes about deeply relating to Anakin Skywalker, in part because I totally get where they’re coming from as a person struggling with intense self-loathing, but mostly because I’d never considered that people related to the Anakin of the prequels at all.
November 21st, 2016
May You Never Play Yourself
Oddcouple featuring Joey Purp “Visions”
“Visions” is built around a sweeping, melancholy string section hook that sounds like it’s been yanked from the score of some 1950s melodrama. It sounds like small scale misery blown out to monumental proportions, and Joey Purp’s verses follow that lead with lyrics drawing a line from everyday tragedy to its roots in systemic racism: “It’s the places we live in that they refuse to go, so when we speak about struggles they can refuse to know.” It’s a fairly bleak track, but it’s very elegant in its sadness. There’s always something remarkable and inspiring when artists flip grimness into grace.
Buy it from Amazon.
November 22nd, 2016
Numb To The Feeling
Michael Kiwanuka “The Final Frame”
I love the way Michael Kiwanuka’s lead guitar contrasts with the sentimental string arrangement and gentle piano chords in this song – it’s a much less restrained performance, and one that seems as though it could fall apart at any moment. There’s an odd tension to it, and the particular shade of distortion on it feels a bit tinny and pinched. This part could’ve been much more slick and graceful, but Kiwanuka deliberately evokes an awkward, strained emotion. His vocal part expresses grief for a broken relationship, and his voice is melancholy but very smooth. He’s suggesting a feeling that doesn’t really come out until the final third with the solo, which is cathartic, but only up to a point. The song ends with some feeling of release, but it doesn’t feel quite resolved. As it goes silent, you’re left with the impression that this guy is going to be stewing in this misery for quite a while to come.
Buy it from Amazon.
November 23rd, 2016
Tumbling On The Floor
Kaytranada featuring AlunaGeorge and Goldlink “Together”
The hooks in “Together” are strong enough that they don’t actually require a particularly interesting arrangement – you could just highlight the melody with a serviceable beat, and you’d have something solid and fun. Kaytranada didn’t settle, and I’m very grateful for that. His beats are extremely well designed, delivering an irresistible and immediate rhythm with accents that are surprising but not distracting. The rest of the arrangement is just as intricate yet understated, with every keyboard chord, click, and clap merging into a perfectly formed groove to frame AlunaGeorge’s vocal. The craft is just amazing, and with all due respect to AlunaGeorge, I’d love to hear what this guy could do with an A-list pop star like Beyoncé or Rihanna.
Buy it from Amazon.
November 24th, 2016
Activate Your Sexy
Bruno Mars “Perm”
Bruno Mars fakes it so real he is beyond fake. His commitment to throwing himself into what is basically an elaborate impression of James Brown is so complete that it somehow goes beyond pastiche – this is just who Bruno Mars is now, and it all comes naturally. Mars emulates Michael Jackson on other songs, and it’s never as convincing as his Brown routine, partly because Jackson’s aesthetic is a peculiar mix of superhuman technical prowess and hyper-specific tics, and Brown’s is more about blunt force and attitude. Mars can pull that off, and updates it just enough to keep it from being a museum replica of ‘70s funk. It helps that he’s a good flirt. “Perm” is basically a three-and-a-half minute flirt that’s aggressive without being disrespectful, and is mostly just an invitation to dance. Part of why this works is Mars understanding that this is supposed to be a bit silly, and so when he tells you to “activate your sexy,” it comes off as funny and cool rather than dorky and delusional.
Buy it from Amazon.