August 28, 2024
ROCK MUSIC IS BACK!
Rock & Roll (“Rock”) was a form of music that was popular in the 20th Century, characterized by use of the “Guitar”. The Guitar was an instrument that was held against the player’s body, while strumming or picking the strings, with the sound projecting acoustically off a hollow chamber of the Guitar. Often, the Guitar was amplified with an electronic pickup and an amplifier; then called an Electric Guitar, which was generally played with considerable vigor and volume, inspiring great enthusiasm from music listeners from that period.
While this playlist starts out with a song employing our familiar digital audio workstations, drum machines, keyboards, synthesizers, samples and autotune vocals, later songs on this playlist robustly employ this relic, the Guitar, and in fact, several endangered species of Rock; 1960’s “Psychedelia” (The Heavy Heavy), 1970’s “Folk” or “Country Rock” (Post Malone and Lainey Wilson), 1990’s “Grunge Rock” (Nilufer Yanya and beabedoobee) or “Indie” (Sabrina Carpenter). Given the foreign sounds, please keep an open mind when listening.
Keeping with the "Rock" theme, the UK LP charts are presently dominated by a 20th Century British group Oasis, who just released remasters of their most popular LP's and announced a reunion tour upon the 30th anniversary of their first LP. If you buy tickets to their tour, given their combustible past, event insurance is recommended.
A special callout to Neuphorian Paddybear who turned me on to two of the songs on this playlist.
Charli XCX & Billie Eilish, Guess (Dance/Electro)- The brat summer continues with this new remix of Charli’s “Guess”, featuring Billie Eilish, which debuted at #1 on the BBC radio UK charts last week- and was the August 14 playlist vote winner. While this collaboration retains the thumping electro bass of the original “Guess”, the lyrical exchange with Billie has flipped “Guess” to a provocative sapphic ode. The result is a kinky banger which is taking over the clubs.
Sabrina Carpenter, Taste (Pop)- Debuting as the #1 most streamed song in the US, “Taste” will be another Sabrina song competing for song of the summer. Rather than attacking her ex in “Taste”, Ms. Carpenter taunts her rival- with a lyric that is….well, a bit disturbing. After watching the kitschy horror-themed video to “Taste”, it seems the disturbing vibe is deliberate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEG7b851Ric
Trivia 1- Ms. Carpenter recently made history as her first two hits were in the Billboard Top 3 at the same time- a feat last accomplished by the Beatles over 60 years ago.
Trivia 2- According to The Onion, Ms. Carpenter's birth name is actually "Disney Project 874C"
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, Die With A Smile (Pop)- While “Taste” was the top US streamed song, “Die With A Smile” debuted as the world’s #1 streamed song. It uses a tried and true recipe for a pop hit: 1) take 2 stars whose walls are packed with gold records; OK if they are a little stale, 2) add in a showstopping retro-soul ballad, 3) have the stars push each other in a power duet- and “voila”- you have “Die With A Smile”.
Lainey Wilson (featuring Miranda Lambert), Good Horses (Country)- This week, Lainey released her new LP, “Whirlwind”, which is a follow-up to “Bell Bottom Country”, the winner of both the CMA and Academy of Country Music 2023 Album of the Year awards. While several songs from “Whirlwind” deserved to be on this playlist, I chose “Good Horses” due to the clever, but sentimental lyric analogizing the protagonists to wandering, but loyal horses.
Rumor has it that after this song, Lainey and Miranda walked into a bar- and when the bartender said “Hey”, they responded “Yes, please”.
Post Malone (featuring Tim McGraw), Wrong Ones (Country/Rock)- Post’s much-awaited country album, “F-1 Trillion” was released this week, debuting as the #1 LP on the US charts. This reflects Malone’s metamorphosis from a critically maligned rapper to a more accepted popstar and now to a country star. While some have criticized him as a chameleon, his most recent transformation seems to be his most authentic as “F-1 Trillion” stands up well against other 2024 popular country albums. Apart from the LP’s pre-released singles (all of which are in the Top 20), “Wrong Ones” is the most-streamed song from the LP- and my favorite.
The Heavy Heavy, Feel (Alternative/Rock)- Neuphorian Paddybear turned me on to this song and band. Listening to Brighton’s (UK) The Heavy Heavy, you’d be excused for thinking you entered a time warp. While their website says they make music “the sixties forgot”, there is a freshness to their sound as evidenced by the contorted slide guitar lick in “Feel”. Turn on, tune in, drop out and enjoy!
Nilüfer Yanya, Like I Say (I run away) (Alternative)- Sounding like the strange progeny of Joni Mitchell and Soundgarden, “Like I Say” is from the Turkish-British Yanya’s forthcoming LP “My Method Actor”. Pitchfork said of Yanya “her voice is a tender muscle; her songs have a sinewy twist, and her loud-quiet guitar can flood in as unexpectedly as cheeks flushing at the wrong moment.”
beabadoobee, Beaches (Alternative)- Continuing the theme of 90’s alternative rock-influenced Asian-British artists, “Beaches” is from beabadoobee’s LP “This Is How Tomorrow Moves”. The Rick Rubin-produced “This Is How Tomorrow Moves” debuted as the #1 LP in the UK last week.
Lola Young, Flicker of Light (Alternative)- Oh to be 23 again.................or not. Lola’s “Flicker of Light” takes a wild ride of chaotic emotions with her no-nonsense vocals and a tightly urgent sound. I’m looking forward to seeing Lola with some fellow Neuphorians at the Fillmore in October!
Trivia- Lola attended the famous BRIT School of the Performing Arts- as did Adele, Amy Winehouse, FKA Twigs, RAYE, Imogen Heap, Black Midi, Leona Lewis and many more.
Sofia Valdes & Cuco, How’s That Working Out? (Alternative/Latin)- The Panamanian Valdes and Mexican-American Cuco team up for the fresh burst of modern bossa nova pop that is “How’s That Working Out?”. However, I’m not sure whether Valdes’ great-grandfather, the legendary Cuban singer, Miguelito Valdes would approve of the snappy multi vocal-tracked chorus here….
The Knocks (featuring Yelle), All the time/Tout le temps (googly eyes Remix) (Dance)- Another Paddybear recommendation, NY electronic music duo The Knocks and French electropopsters Yelle team up for “All the time…” Yelle contributes a crisp, but demure vocal to the Grammy nominated Knocks’ bouncy Nu-disco arrangement.
Jordan Adetunji, Kehlani (R&B/Rap)- Originally released in May, I’ve resisted including “Kehlani” on Neuphoria until now. However, I’ve finally been won over by the pure randomness of this viral single by the Belfast rapper of Nigerian descent, which reached #1 on TikTok last week and has peaked in the top 20 globally. With only a previous mixtape to his name, Jordan recorded this ode to Oakland R&B singer Kehlani Parrish, continually posting it on TikTok hoping to get her attention- and his slippery beat and earworm melody caught fire. I'm not betting on "the Over” with respect to Jordan being a one-hit wonder.
Asake & Wizkid, MMS (Afrobeats)- This collaboration by the two AfroBeats superstars is presently the #1 song in Africa. I’m smitten by how effortlessly Asake has integrated a classic R&B slow jam into AfroBeats sounds in “MMS”. The Yoruban lyrics are existential, translating to “What did we bring into this world? There’s nothing we can take when we leave.”
Happy listening!
