I Listened to The Gods We Can Touch by Aurora

A lot of good music came out in January of this year. First with FKA Twigs’s mixtape, Caprisongs, and now with Aurora’s album: The Gods We Can Touch. 

With Aurora, I already guessed that the album would be thematic, and I was right. The six singles—Cure For Me, Giving In To The Love, Exist for Love, Heathens, A Dangerous Thing, and Everything Matters featuring Pomme—offered a taste of the tone of the album, and the title paints a pretty clear picture of what to expect.

The Gods We Can Touch was emotional and topical, but ultimately it was lighter and different than some of Aurora’s previous music. It felt a lot more experimental and upbeat, bringing in notes of electro-pop without losing the ethereal/dreamy nature adjacent quality that I liked about Aurora’s backlist tracks. Some of my favorites from this particular album include: Cure For Me, Blood Like Wine, Exhale Inhale, and A Dangerous Thing.

In some ways, it reminded me of Halsey’s 2021 album: If I can’t Have Love, I Want Power. They both have historical and mythology references, but the albums go about the presentation of themes in a way unique to the respective artist.

So, The Gods We Can Touch was one of my most anticipated albums of 2022. My expectations were sky high, considering how good the singles preceding its release were. Overall, this was a great album, and I’m looking forward to Aurora’s next project.

I Listened to Caprisongs by FKA Twigs

While I started my blogging year with historical nonfiction, on the music side, the first thing I listened to was Caprisongs, FKA Twigs’s mixtape released on January 14th. 

Mixtapes can be hit or miss for me; after all it’s a place where experimentation with style and genre can (and often does) occur. So when they’re good they’re good. Some of my favorites have been Magdalena Bay’s Mini Mix vol. 1 & vol. 2, as well as Angel Haze’s Reservation. And Caprisongs falls right in with some of the best I’ve listened to.

When FKA Twigs releases something new, I know I’m in for a good time. With features including Pa Salieu and The Weeknd (among a handful of others), Caprisongs delivered everything I was looking for. Proceeded by two singles—Tears In The Club featuring The Weeknd and Jealousy featuring Rema—FKA Twigs’s genre-bending style and distinct vocals were front and center.

I listened to Caprisongs in one sitting, and I enjoyed every minute of it. From the splashy intro (Ride The Dragon), to the features (Honda, Tears In The Club, Papi Bones, Which Way, etc.), and to its excellent conclusion (Thank You Song). This is a mixtape I’ll be listening to again.

I Listened to Mercurial World by Magdalena Bay

Magdalena Bay’s Mercurial World was one of the three albums I was waiting for in October. I first listened to their music during the summer—I even did a post about going through their backlist songs HERE—and since then I have been waiting for their album. And it didn’t disappoint.

Mercurial World is one of my favorite albums of the year, and it surprised me in all the right ways. And that’s saying something because my hopes were so high for it. Mercurial World has the feel and sound of Magdalena Bay’s music that I’ve come to expect—that distinctive style that blends synth, electronic, and pop—which I loved. The transition between the songs was near seamless, and the overall listening experience was great with how easily the album flowed from one song to the next. It felt like it was over too soon, but it was longer than Mini Mix vol.1 and vol. 2. I’ve already replayed Mercurial World several times since its release.

Each song felt very individual, but as I mentioned above, there was a distinct sound that made it part of the whole picture. The singles Chaeri, You Lose!, and Secrets (Your Fire) are already recognizable—I even picked Chaeri for a Music Monday post a while ago HERE. Some of my other favorite songs, in no particular order, include: Dreamcatching, Mercurial World, Prophecy, Follow the Leader, Domino, and The Beginning.

All-in-all, Mercurial World was an incredibly strong debut album.

I Listened to If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power by Halsey

In the past, I’ve listened to Halsey’s music on an off, and I’ve had my favorite songs over the years. I’m being completely honest when I say that I forgot If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power was coming out this year. Then the album came up on my feed, and I have to say that I like what Halsey did here. If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power was an atmospheric listen. It’s some of the most thematic pieces of work I’ve listened to from Halsey. The lyrics were vulnerable and personal but also hard hitting, and the music was ambitious with an excellent delivery. It was still pop, but there was an edgier and darker feeling and tone to it that proved to make for an engrossing album. Some of my favorite tracks included the opening called The Tradition—which had a haunting sound—along with Bells of Santa Fe, Girl Is a Gun, Easier than Lying, I Am Not A Woman I’m A God, You Asked For This, and Whispers. At the end of the day, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is one of my favorite albums of 2021. 

I Listened to Music by Magdalena Bay

Last month, I added another group to my playlist called Magdalena Bay. I really liked their song, Cheari, and spent some time exploring their backlist of music in preparation for their album, Mercurial World, which will be released on October 8, 2021.

My first foray was one of their 2020 releases: A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling. Totaling at eight tracks, this album was really good. The overall sound reminded me of the same style of Cheari, which was pop and electronic track (I mentioned it on a Music Monday post a few weeks back). The uniformity didn’t mean that it was boring though, far from it actually. There was plenty to find here.

Next, I tackled the first part out of two EPs called Mini Mix vol. 1. Magdalena Bay has a particular style to their music, which is easy enough to pick up on. Mini Mix vol.1 had the same kind of electronic/pop type sound as their album, except it had a slightly mellower feel to it than the upbeat tone to A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling. It often felt kind of experimental. The songs were way shorter here with the longest coming in at two minutes and twenty-three seconds. Another artist who did this was Tierra Whack (Whack World was a full length album with fifteen songs that were only a minute each). And just like with Whack World, I wished that a few of Mini Mix vol. 1 tracks were longer than they were such as Turning Off The Rain, Afternoon in Heaven, and U Wanna Dance?.

From there, I jumped right into Mini Mix vol. 2, which was their second 2020 release. I was much more prepared for the length of the songs, which were all under three minutes here as well. Still, there was so much to like about it. I won’t go on too long rehashing the type of music you’ll find, since much of what I said about Mini Mix vol. 1 also applies to the second EP. Some of my favorites from vol.2 were Sky2Fall, Body, Live 4ever, and Sky2Fall Reprise.

Despite the short length of the songs, Mini Mix vol. 1 and vol. 2 offered a good variety of bite-sized offerings of Magdalena Bay’s music.

Overall, I recommend all three. And now, I will be over here waiting for Mercurial World.

I Listened to Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 by Tkay Maidza

 

At long last, Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 is finally here. This was another one of my most anticipated music releases of 2021, and Tkay Maidza’s third foray into the Last Year Was Weird mixtape series didn’t disappoint.

Besides the singles (Syrup, Cashmere, and Kim featuring Yung Baby Tate), some of top favorites from the mixtape were also Eden, So Cold, High Beams, and Breathe. The only two features (with Yung Baby Tate and UMI) here, were great, and their sections of the songs (Kim and Onto Me respectively) flowed well with Tkay Maidza’s voice.

When I look at the three releases all together, Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 was another strong release with the same high quality as the first two installments. The sound composition and Maidza’s overall delivery of the lyrics on the eight tracks, speaks to a clear artistic vision that blended a host of genres to create some truly memorable tracks.

Footnote: The Guardian actually has a great write up about Last Year Was Weird (HERE), which explained how the idea came about. I highly recommend giving that a read.

I Listened to Scaled And Icy by Twenty One Pilots

I have been waiting for Scaled and Icy since I heard about it. Twenty One Pilots is currently one of my favorite bands. I was introduced to their music with Blurryface (2015), and its follow-up, Trench (2018), was one of my favorite albums the year it was released. Scaled and Icy is finally here.

It was an enjoyable album to listen to with some of my personal favorites from it being Redecorate, Saturday, Stay Away, No Chances, and Choker just to name a few.

If you’ve listened to a lot of Twenty One Pilots’s music, you can tell the band has a certain style to their music. And while the overall sound of Scaled and Icy isn’t as dark and brooding as some of their earlier music—with a far more pop sound and a certain brightness—it still exists within Twenty One Pilots’s distinctive style. The album feels reflective and experimental, and it arrives right on time for summer.

I Listened to 1/f by Laura Mvula

 

 

One artist I’ve wanted more music by was Laura Mvula. Phenomenal Women is still on my playlist, and one of the catchiest songs I’ve listened to. Laura Mvula has returned in 2021 with an EP titled 1/f, in which she reworks three of her previously released songs—Sing To The Moon, Show Me Love, and Green Garden—which were accompanied by a cover of Diana Ross’s hit, I’m Still Waiting. 

This was a great EP. The sound of the songs was completely reworked, giving a fresh update to tracks that were already lovely to listen to. The original versions of Sing To The Moon, Show Me Love, and Green Garden had a mellow, instrumental sound—like the live performances Mvula’s did with the Metrapole Orkest. They were already powerful songs to begin with and some of my favorites from Mvula. The new versions recorded for 1/f had a much more pop and synth sound, which also suited the lyrics perfectly too. I can’t say that I like one version more than the other though, because they’re equally good and I can’t recommend them enough.

I also enjoyed the cover of I’m Still Waiting. It’s a great song no matter which way you look at it, and Laura Mvula’s cover was excellent.

Overall, this EP was a pleasant surprise, and it leaves a great impression and a need for more. Laura Mvula’s third studio album has been announced, and I can’t wait to give it a listen.

I Listened to Jaguar by Victoria Monét...

 

I’ve listened to music by Victoria Monét in the past, and her latest album, Jaguar, was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. I liked Jaguar a lot. It was a blend of pop and R&B with a 80s nostalgic aesthetic and sound. Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, Allie X’s Super Sunset, and Ravyn Lenae’s Crush immediately comes to mind for comparisons sake. There were some recognizable samplings, but it was reworked in a way that made the music feel fresh and unique. Jaguar pretty much did its own thing, and I have to say that I’m currently enjoying the recent R&B releases such as this.

Generally speaking, there was nothing bad here, because Jaguar is a solid album. The titular song was a good intro to the album. It’s the kind of song that easily grabbed my interest, and from there, I binged the whole album. It was so good. There were so many tracks that I outright liked such as Dive, Touch Me, and Go There With You just to name a few. The style of the album comes through in its sound as well as the music videos. There’s no clearer example of this than the music video for Experience featuring Khalid & SG Lewis—which is also one of my favorite songs from the album.

At the end of the day, I’m glad to see another album from Monét. Jaguar is one of my favorite albums of 2020, and I look forward to Monét’s next project.

Jaguar was released on August 7, 2020. Have you listened to music by Victoria Monét? If so, do you plan on listening to Jaguar?

Album Review: Dark Matter by Les Friction

Title: Dark Matter

Band/Artist(s): Les Friction (Even Frankfort, Helmet Vonlichten, Paint), also Featuring Emily Valentine and Laura Fabian

Source/Format: Les Friction; CD

Label/ Release date: Moriposa Lane Music, INC/ Would Work Sound LLC; August 25, 2017

OfficialSite Bandcamp     Itunes     Spotify       Amazon      CDbaby

I first heard of Les Friction in an epic music compilation. This was a few years ago when I first began listening to this genre of music. Like any music junkie, I’ve checked to see if new music was on the horizon. My day lit up when I saw the tweet announcing Dark Matter was coming out.

Not only did this album meet my expectations, it exceeded them. Every millisecond is perfect, starting with Your World Will Fail. This song starts calm and then changes about midway. At this point it morphs into something more, resulting in a pleasant mix of instrumentals and vocals. Other songs including Who Will Save You Now, Dark Matter, and Firewall seems to follow this pattern somewhat too. Obviously, like any album, Dark Matter has calm moments too. I Remember and You Always Knew add a touch of sincere tranquility. These two duets with Emily Valentine and Laura Fabian, respectively, occasionally misted my eyes. The album ended with Kashmir (which is a cover of a song by Led Zeppelin); the only thing I can say is that it is the perfect way to end an album.

Due to the fact that each track was diverse in sound and lyric, the whole album maintained a certain aesthetic. Not one felt out of place. Actually, a host of emotions were elicited as I listened to each song. I’m not even sure they are nameble. To put it simply, it’s like finding that perfectly tailored dress. I love it!

I recieved this CD from Les Fricition for this review.