6 For Friday: My 6 Favourite Songs Of the Moment

Hello folks!

I don't really get the time to write record reviews for the site anywhere near as much as I'd like to, so I thought I might try and get something a bit more regular in place. Obviously, the use of the term "regular" in this context is slightly preemptive; it might turn out that this piece is the biggest load of shite I've ever published. However, you don't know until you've tried it, right? (warning- definitely do not employ this logic with EVERYTHING that you come into contact with in life). 

The idea behind "6 For Friday" is that every week, on Friday (HA! you would never guessed it, would you?), I'll be publishing a piece entailing a small paragraph and youtube links to 6 songs that I've had on repeat over the last week or so. These will not all be songs released in 2014. For example, I think the only song in this edition that was released this year is Chromeo's "Jealous (I ain't With it)". Far more likely to appear in this piece are songs that have been favourites of mine for a long time (Souls of Mischief's "'93 Til Infinity") or songs that are so brilliant that no matter what decade, vortex or demographic they come from I feel the need to share. 

I will likely consciously make the effort to cover a wide range of different genres of music, so hopefully if you take the time to listen to any of the tunes I post you'll find something you'll like. It's totally understandable if you don't though, obviously. 

Jon Hopkins- We Disappear

Last year electronic wunderkind and sometime Coldplay arrangement master Jon Hopkins released his 4th full-length 'Immunity' which was widely (and deservedly) recognised as somewhat of a masterpiece. 'We Disappear', the first track to grace one's ears after pressing play, begins with recordings of the fug of outside traffic as Hopkins unlocks his front door and enters his house. Ghostly atmospheres then gather and build into a lushous, bleepy and chilly rave wonk. Melodically layered and wholesome, it's a song that twists within its own shell with remarkable, dance-floor friendly ease. 

Drake- Hold On, We're Going Home

Firstly, I know I'm late to the party on this one. Secondly, anyone who knows me well will almost undoubtedly at this point call to command all the times I've dismissed Drake as being one of the most dismal MCs I've ever heard. As a rapper, I still think Drake is far less appealing than auto-tuned, post- cough syrup OD Lil Wayne after pummeling a bullet through his chest. Alas, just as I was for a long time, you'd be a wally to deny 'Hold On, We're Going Home'. Drake's croon is perfectly understated as it glides over the track's driving beat, reflective synth-chord sequences and resounding, deep bass rattle, and in "you're a good girl and you know it" he's written one of the most fantastically ambiguous lyrics I've heard for a while.

Real Lies- World Peace

Some of you may remember that I wrote a gleaming review of this track when it dropped last year. Having heard it again for the first time in months just a couple of days ago, I was instantly drawn back into its glorious abode. Its Pet Shop Boys-esque synth arpeggios seem almost the ideal soundtrack to watching the sunset over decrepit London terraces, and its organic bass wig-out provides an ambidextrous backbone. There's still no sign of a full-length from the elusive trio, but here's to hoping pointers emerge soon. 

The Bug- Skeng (Autechre Remix)

Just a couple of weeks ago Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, released 'Angels & Devils', the follow up to his ground-breaking 2008 debut 'London Zoo' (review to follow shortly). As one of 'London Zoo''s darkest and most punishing moments, it makes perfect sense for warped electronic mind-benders Autechre to remix 'Skeng'. Their version takes nothing away from Flowdan's unnerving tales of murder and callous threats. Instrumentally the already nightmarish affair is twisted into an even more spine-tingling, eerie deap-seated rumble of intoxicating atmospheres, reshaped wobs and cavernous yet barely there synths. 

Souls Of Mischief- '93 Til Infinity

Over a magnificently blazed beat the MCs that comprise California's Souls of Mischief lay down virtuosity drenched flows and verbose verses in what has become one of underground hip-hop's stoner anthem ultimates. Best suited to evenings in the garden with friends clinging on to summer's last throes. 

Chromeo- Jealous (I Ain't With It)

Yes, the Daft Punk/ Nile Rodgers blueprint for entwining modern electronic wiggle with classic funk and soul flavours has been revisited ad nauseum since the release of 'Random Access Memories' last year. However, Chromeo have produced a single so unashamed, groovy and catchy whilst applying that blueprint that it's nigh-on impossible to dismiss. Go on... try not having fun to this song. I DARE you. 

As I said eariler, I'm hoping to have a review of the new album by The Bug up at some point next week, as well as maybe a couple of others. Failing that, 6 For Friday may also make a return. The future is lashed with the unprecedented. 

Until next time! 

Jack

Ariana Grande- My Everything

Artist: Ariana Grande

Album: My Everything

Record Label: Republic Records

Release Date: 22/8/2014

Former TV starlet's second full-length unfortunately brings nothing new to the table

It's the kind of re-hashed old story that's regularly done the rounds over the last 5 years or so, but the Disney TV starlet turned rising pop sensation phenomena recently reached it's head with the re-invention of ye olde Miley Cyrus a couple of years ago. Cyrus shattered any illusion of her being the sweet-smile gifted teen star of previous years by making her tongue and mostly naked body the key to her right to expression. Making the point of her hyper-sexual re-invention seems redundant now, though; she was hardly the first (*COUGH* Rihanna) to make that transition, and therefore cement the notion that female sexualisation was now a corner stone of the cynical minds that skulk behind the curtains and in the dark gutter ways of the recording industry. 

Former star of the Nickelodeon show Victorious, 21 year old Ariana Grande, hasn't succumbed to the voyeuristic prying of those who would see her less well-made, it seems. 'My Everything', her second full-length LP, retains a sense of classiness (or perhaps innocence?) that sees it stay far clear of Miley-sized pitfalls of degradation. It's an issue that she addresses directly on the track 'You Don't Know Me'. "They try to tell me who I am, they don't understand" she croons, raising a pleasant but resounding middle finger to the tabloid sniffers and big money label execs. "You want a perfect picture to believe in... Well you can't be looking for me then" she continues. As decent a sentiment as it is, in a way 'You Don't Know Me' summarises the entire ethic of the album; well-meant and performed with conviction, but ultimately just another cog turning in the machine of cliched and insipid pop the modern charts demand. 

'My Everything' boasts one fantastic song. 'Hands On Me (ft. A$AP Ferg)' drops late in the tracklist, but it's layered, insanely catchy and sassy production is real rejuvenation by this point. It is a song destined for chart success, but has an undeniable sense of snobbery-devoid joy at its core. Ferg's verse is as superfluous as they come, but as with all his best work, it revels in its own numb-skulledness (sample lyric: "You got a cake can I put my candle on it?"). 

Other favourable moments include the rather organic and grandiose 'Why Try?', with its heavy-handed piano chords and rumbling, marching band-esque tribal beat. It's slightly later-era Katy Perry-lite, but it's a good song in its own right. 'One Last Time' is much more insipid and stops just short of trashy, but it is also catchy and somewhat euphoric. 2013's mega-hit 'Break Free', produced by Zedd, does cross the border into trancey-synth trash land, but despite its fabrication it does have a chorus to boot. 

But almost everywhere else Grande runs into the barrier of not being innovative or interesting enough in terms of lyrics to really claim to bring anything new to the table. The whispered male vocals over the rumbling bass of the bridge section in 'Problem' is an interesting dynamic, but fails to add anything to the wider equation, otherwise made up of Grande's well-worn perceptions, an obnoxious synthetic saxophone hook and a fast paced but lazy verse from Iggy Azalea. Big Sean shits awkwardly and irreversibly all over 'Best Mistake', which makes an impression purely because of how atrocious his verse is ("I know love can be like a beach with no shore"- oh, PLEASE Sean). 

"Break Your Heart Right Back" is the real kick in the teeth though. It's exceptionally produced; an atmospheric, reflective strut evolves into a sample of Diana Ross's glorious 'I'm Coming Out' for the chorus. Grande's lyrical premise of a cheating lover is sad, but her lyrics are as run-of-the-mill as is possible when it comes to dealing with heartbreak. The inclusion of Childish Gambino, although perhaps a shrewd manoeuvre to reel in the "backpacker" community, brings him no favours. Not only does it not at all fit with the song's subject matter (save the first and final bars) but for an artist whose solo output is so obsessed with the idea of personal integrity, hearing him rap of "money too much" and "when I step on the stage girls move too much" is striking to say the least. 

'Just a Little Bit of your Heart' sits quite well sonically as a piano-lead ballad, and Grande's voice rings with conviction, but so dour are the lyrics that (as is the case with most of the indistinct moments here) the song fades from memory almost before it's over. 

I'm still waiting on a young pop star to emerge who genuinely challenges the rather insidious nature of the mainstream pop pursuit. I thought it might have come in the form of Ariana Grande, and to be fair, she seems to be holding her own. However, very little in the way of innovation streams out of 'My Everything', which would lead the cynical mind to suspect a road trip into more distressing areas of daytime radio airplay on her next album. It seems harsh to say that I'd hoped for a lot more even if I shouldn't have expected it, but that is the case. 

Key Tracks: 'Hands On Me (ft. A$AP Ferg)', 'Why Try?'

For Fans Of: Katy Perry, P!nk 

4/10

Godflesh- Decline & Fall EP

Artist: Godflesh

Album: Decline & Fall EP

Record Label: Avalanche Recordings

Release Date: 2/6/2014

One of Metal's most influential bands mark their return with 4 tracks of glorious sonic abuse

The Heavens have opened and the Gods of all things rhythmic, dark and hostile have returned to Earth! Throw aside your Fear Factory LPs and grab a sledgehammer, for Birmingham's secondary sons of mechanical, systematic and grey fear-mongering have returned!

Hyperbole aside (sort of), the return of Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green's incredibly seminal band Godflesh is, for a Metal head, one of the most favourable pieces of music news transmitted so far this year. People well versed in Broadrick's dealings know that he's a maverick of several music spheres and sounds, but the influence and power that Godflesh instilled in Modern metal throughout the '90s cannot be understated.

'Decline & Fall', the band's first new material since they disbanded in 2002 (and subsequently reformed in 2010) is not only exciting; it's an opportunity that younger Metal heads should revel in. Like many indoctrinated into the ways of Metal in their young teens, bands like Korn, Slipknot and Deftones were a right of passage for me. It wasn't until years later that I realised that those bands, as well as a plethora of industrially minded groups and Black and Post-Metal bands, took more than first meets the ears from the blueprint laid down by Broadrick and Green. This new EP (as well as the new full-length, 'An Autumn Lit By Fire' to be released shortly) is so classic Godflesh that it could, and should, serve as a standard bearer for the precedent for all the slightly uninitiated people that haven't dug quite deep enough yet to find the worthiness of 'Streetcleaner'. 

There's none of the sprawling, airily bleak soundscapes that also perpetuated Godflesh's catalogue as well as that of Jesu (Broadrick's second most renowned project). The 4 tracks on 'Decline & Fall' are all inarguably bangers of the most uncompromising persuasion. 'Ringer' kicks things off in rigidly fine fettle. Brutal, repetitive and pounding, Green's bass ruptures your brain encapsulation into submission. Broadrick's riff is indebted with enough sludge and groove to level tower blocks. This is industrial urban repugnance, laying waste to its own backbone with head-bobbing precision. 

'Dogbite' is shorter and more melody centred. Green's bass is as virile and cocksure in its pulverising heft, but Broadrick's riff rises above in shimmering but unnerving style betwixt more descents into more swampy furrows. 

The most "Fuck me! They're back!" moment comes 3 tracks in, courtesy of the monolithic 'Playing With Fire'. It's ludicrously rhythmic in the way that everything meshes into a destructive, looping whole. "It's all pain... There's no gain" barks Broadrick over surely one of the finest riffs to his name. Amongst his slightly dissonant, echo heavy vocal effects its possible to discern dark ruminations of "tainted feelings" and "invisible chains". 

They deal one final bout of decimation with the closing title track, which is one of the more multi-faceted tracks here, manoeuvring seamlessly between cathartically violent riffing, screeching noise and the heavy-handed synthetic drumming that is dealt with steamroller-esque force throughout the EP. 

'Decline & Fall' is, in some ways, the ideal way for Godflesh to mark their return to the public conscience. It's only 4 tracks long and thus doesn't contain a great deal of their titanic scope, leaving plenty to be had from 'An Autumn Lit By Fire' when it's released. At the same time, these are 4 tracks of glorious sonic abuse that should make both old fans and newcomers spit out their morning coffee across their sitting room amidst feelings of joy, horror and relief. Essentially, it can ONLY be a good thing that Godflesh are back; still destructive, still artful, and still sounding not quite like anyone else. 

Key Tracks: All of it

For Fans Of: Godflesh, Anaal Nathrakh, early Korn

8/10 

Ty Segall- Manipulator

Artist: Ty Segall

Album: Manipulator

Record Label: Drag City

Release Date: 26/8/2014

Ty Segall's latest is an unashamed exercise in self-indulgence but also shows off the rather visionary scope of his song writing

Over the last 2-3 years LA singer-songwriter Ty Segall has become one of the most blogosphere celebrated indie musicians of his kind. His strict DIY persuasion has seen him release at least one album (several under different monikers and collaborations) since his debut in 2008. On 'Manipulator' the musical sojourns he travels down are not particularly dissimilar to his actually quite individualistic take on '60s garage rock and psych-rock that he perpetuated before. But Segall is SO DIY that the fact that he rarely steps away from a strictly old school blueprint has more to do with his "if it ain't broke..." ethics than any critical acclaim. 

'Manipulator' is 17 tracks long and almost every single one of those tracks has one, maybe even two guitar solos (again, a testament to Segall's rigid morality of doing whatever he wants). There are times when the consistently blistering ascent into ravenous noodling becomes slightly tiresome and overloaded. But although none of the songs here are particularly complex or original, the charm lies within their simplicity, texture and melody, and the width of Segall's scope on these terms is actually rather visionary. 

'Tall Man Skinny Lady' is the kind of brilliantly catchy retro shuffle with its cracks filled in by the aforementioned soaring solos and screeching feedback that Segall has come to perfect. 'The Singer' is an almost Elvis Presley-esque waltz complete with swinging violin arrangements and that idealistic '50s idea of romance as he opens up "I can hear the sound, when my love's around". 'Feel' is a raucous Led Zeppelin- esque banger that starts as a humble shake-down but evolves into a hulking swarm of electrifying riffing and stinging virtuosity, which includes a jazzy, percussion heavy drum solo. 

Despite it being one of the album's paciest moments 'The Clock''s ambidextrous acoustic tumble and classically orchestrated instrumental dynamic sits very well. The hook provides the album with maybe it's darkest marker as Segall sings "Still we know, the clock will never show the wearing and tearing of the mind". 'Connection Man' is Segall's outright step into modernity and is carried by the chilling synth crawl its title suggests. The album's highlight, 'The Hand', is grandiose in its vision right from the start, and it's perhaps the ultimatum to the conundrum that you can do so much with very little, it's charming chord progressions never ceasing to be captivating. 'Don't You Want To Know? (Sue)' is a gorgeous track that subtly hits at a philosophical evaluation of life and the notion of youthful naivety. 

On 'Manipulator', like on most of Segall's work, it seems that the music comes first; lyrical substance is left a little bit by the wayside in favour of self-indulgence, and although Segall has a right to such musical braggadocia, your enjoyment of this record may depend on how many '60s rock albums you have in your record collection, and how much you enjoy guitar solos. All cynicism aside, 'Manipulator' is another worthy addition to Ty Segall's canon that proves that there's still a lot of varying types of thrill to be had in rock music, and the guitar certainly is not a forlorn instrument. 

Key Tracks: 'The Hand', 'Feel', 'Don't You Want To Know? (Sue)'

For Fans Of: '60s Garage Rock, White Fence, Tame Impala

7/10