Coulda been worse: Lindsay Lohan, “Back To Me” – It looks like Lindsay Lohan is taking a break from attempted kidnapping and running Mykonos with an iron fist to return to music. And honestly? Her comeback isn’t… terrible. It’s not great, but it’s not the worst either. Sure, the bar is low, and I’ll be the first to admit that “Back to Me” is no “Rumors” or “Confessions of a Broken Heart.” But the generic electro-club beat is offset by lyrics that at least suggest some nugget of vulnerability and sincerity about life’s trials, something Lohan knows a thing or two about. I’ll allow it, lads. —Ashley Reese
Haven’t I heard this one before?: Hailee Steinfeld, “I Love You’s” – I immediately loved Hailee Steinfeld’s new single, “I Love You’s,” and on a second listen I realized why: it sounds exactly like Annie Lennox’s 1995 hit “No More I Love You’s,” up to and including a nearly identical “doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-doo-doo, ah” refrain. She changes up the verses, but it’s so derivative it almost strikes me as a remixed cover. That said, Steinfeld does sound great here. But if you’re looking for invention, look elsewhere. —Maria Sherman
Y: Amber Mark, “Heart-Shaped Box” (Nirvana Cover) – Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” is a song I’ve heard enough for one lifetime (and I love it so—don’t get it twisted) but because of that, the words “Nirvana Cover” rarely elicit a strong, positive response from me. That was before I heard Amber Mark’s take. She draws out Kurt Cobain’s remarkable melodies and places them into uncharted territory: dance music-influenced, doomsday R&B. It’s worth experiencing. —MS
It’s fine: Troye Sivan, “Take Yourself House” – In the coming weeks, I anticipate more pop stars will go against the wishes of their team (or, at least, broadcast that they are going against the wishes of their team) to drop music during a period of self-isolation. In some instances, it tracks: of course, Fiona Apple isn’t going to push back her release if she doesn’t want to. Troye Sivan surprise releasing “Take Yourself Home,” feels a little more calculated, as detailed in the statement he provided in a press release. “I write these songs as a diary entry, then as life and places change and relationships change, songs can take on a new meaning entirely,” he stated. “Clearly that has happened for this song, with what is going on in the world right now.” At any rate, it’s a fine, sleepy pop song with his whispery vocals placed low in the mix. In that respect, it is classically him. —MS
Fine: Iceage, “Lockdown Blues” – Never thought the day would come where I’m indifferent to a bluesy (heh) track from Danish post-punks Iceage, but here I am. “Lockdown Blues” was written in a period of social distancing, as immediately evidenced in the song’s chorus when frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt sings, “I got the covid-19 lockdown blues/Only way out is through.” It’s not a bad song by any means—and it’s meant to benefit Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders—it just doesn’t hit me in the gut like most of their Nick Cave-inspired repertoire does. But who knows? Maybe apathy is just a negative side effect of the covid-19 lockdown blues, and I’d do better to recognize it. —MS
Y: Kllo, “Still Here” – Here’s a dance ballad from Melbourne cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam. It is delicate and rollicking and propulsive and lovely. What more could anyone want? —Rich Juzwiak
Haven’t I heard this one before?: Hailee Steinfeld, “I Love You’s” – I immediately loved Hailee Steinfeld’s new single, “I Love You’s,” and on a second listen I realized why: it sounds exactly like Annie Lennox’s 1995 hit “No More I Love You’s,” up to and including a nearly identical “doo-bee-doo-bee-doo-doo-doo, ah” refrain. She changes up the verses, but it’s so derivative it almost strikes me as a remixed cover. That said, Steinfeld does sound great here. But if you’re looking for invention, look elsewhere. —Maria Sherman
Y: Amber Mark, “Heart-Shaped Box” (Nirvana Cover) – Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” is a song I’ve heard enough for one lifetime (and I love it so—don’t get it twisted) but because of that, the words “Nirvana Cover” rarely elicit a strong, positive response from me. That was before I heard Amber Mark’s take. She draws out Kurt Cobain’s remarkable melodies and places them into uncharted territory: dance music-influenced, doomsday R&B. It’s worth experiencing. —MS
It’s fine: Troye Sivan, “Take Yourself House” – In the coming weeks, I anticipate more pop stars will go against the wishes of their team (or, at least, broadcast that they are going against the wishes of their team) to drop music during a period of self-isolation. In some instances, it tracks: of course, Fiona Apple isn’t going to push back her release if she doesn’t want to. Troye Sivan surprise releasing “Take Yourself Home,” feels a little more calculated, as detailed in the statement he provided in a press release. “I write these songs as a diary entry, then as life and places change and relationships change, songs can take on a new meaning entirely,” he stated. “Clearly that has happened for this song, with what is going on in the world right now.” At any rate, it’s a fine, sleepy pop song with his whispery vocals placed low in the mix. In that respect, it is classically him. —MS
Fine: Iceage, “Lockdown Blues” – Never thought the day would come where I’m indifferent to a bluesy (heh) track from Danish post-punks Iceage, but here I am. “Lockdown Blues” was written in a period of social distancing, as immediately evidenced in the song’s chorus when frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt sings, “I got the covid-19 lockdown blues/Only way out is through.” It’s not a bad song by any means—and it’s meant to benefit Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders—it just doesn’t hit me in the gut like most of their Nick Cave-inspired repertoire does. But who knows? Maybe apathy is just a negative side effect of the covid-19 lockdown blues, and I’d do better to recognize it. —MS
Y: Kllo, “Still Here” – Here’s a dance ballad from Melbourne cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam. It is delicate and rollicking and propulsive and lovely. What more could anyone want? —Rich Juzwiak
0 Comments