Sounds that intoxicate and charm : The Tribune India

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Sounds that intoxicate and charm

The Glowing Man is to be the concluding release from Swans in their current line-up.

Sounds that intoxicate and charm

Michael Kiwanuka



Michael Kiwanuka — Love & Hate (Interscope)  

A work of depth and distinction

With his 2012 debut Home Again, London-based singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka established himself as the exciting new sound of soulful music. Four years later, he has returned with his latest offering, Love & Hate, an iconic, minimalistic title that at once appears more mature than the quirky Home Again. The bold and motivated opening track, Cold Little Heart, is 10-minute long orchestral-psychedelic rock soul mélange, reminiscent of an Ennio Moriccone film score. The new album retains the 1970s soul character of the 29-year-old’s previous record. The music is replaced by a richer, fuller sound here, courtesy, the production team of Danger Mouse. Whilst the guitars are more prominent, the drums are also bigger and heavier and the musical ambition greater, as best demonstrated on Place I Belong and the closer The Final Frame. Kiwanuka co-wrote the hypnotically rhythmic lead single Black Man In A White World with Inflo, and its challenging and emotional exploration is evident in the lyrics, ‘I’m in love but I’m still sad / I found peace but I’m not glad’. Falling and I’ll Never Love, particularly, are strikingly beautiful. Titular track Love & Hate appears at the midpoint of the album, featuring resonant guitars that develop into a full-bodied work of instrumentation with a resounding beat, accompanied by a distinct piano medley. Father’s Child meanwhile finds him tackling with his doubts (‘there’s so much more than I can be/ It feels like I’m on borrowed time’), before a crash of rising strings and bending vocals help draw in a dramatic climax. Michael Kiwanuka’s soulful voice maintains that lamenting quality with all songs, showing off yet another side of his bag of tricks.

Best track: Black Man In A White World

Worst track: One More Night

Rating: ****


Maxwell — BlackSUMMERS’night (Columbia)  

An R&B gem that delves deep into hearts

The Brooklyn-born R&B singer recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his first album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, which helped inaugurate the neo-soul movement. BlackSUMMERS’night is Maxwell’s fifth studio album and the follow up to 2009’s platinum-selling BLACKsummers’night, which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and won two Grammys, including best R&B album. The new album is classic Maxwell, with sensual production showcasing the singer’s signature voice that has redefined soulful music since the icon’s classic 1996 debut. Maxwell’s catalog is filled with highly regarded albums, but BlackSUMMERS’night ranks near the top of that already impressive list. Opener All The Ways Love Can Feel, invokes energy, shuffling percussion base creates a jazz and funk fusion. Lake By the Ocean, the single that finally broke Maxwell’s self-imposed exile, is probably the most radio-friendly track here, thanks to its warm, infectious arrangements. 1990x starts off with jazzy undertones. Lyrically, Maxwell revisits tried and tested themes of love, forgiveness and faith. One Time has a glorious horn that reminds of OutKast’s SpottieOttieDopalicious. Beautifully distorted and bluesy Isaac Hayes-esque guitars show up on Lost and Listen Hear.

Best track: All The Ways Love Can Feel 

Worst track: Of All Kind

Rating: **


Swans — The Glowing Man (Young God)    

A colossal album for sure 

The Glowing Man is to be the concluding release from Swans in their current line-up. Since restructuring the band in 2010, Michael Gira has led them through a series of brilliant musical explorations, each of which has evolved their sound. Clocking in at nearly two hours, the album is packed with impressions, textures, and thoughts. The heavier grooves of the previous albums seem to have gone, leaving almost ambient washes of sound that wash over you. Opening pair Cloud of Forgetting and Cloud of Unknowing are both brilliant reminders of Swans’ unmatched splendour. The former showcases a luxurious display of sounds and Michael Gira’s tormented screams, whereas the latter takes flight after a nerve-breaking assemble of screeching guitars. The penultimate title track is the final version of a song that Swans have been amending and refining since 2011, a song that originally manifested itself as the title track of The Seer and later as Bring the Sun / Toussaint L’Ouverture on To Be Kind. The World Looks Red/The World Looks Black opens with a quiet piano and finally hurdles full-throttle into an absolute roller-coaster of Thor Harris’s drums and Gira’s catchy chant of ‘Hello, sleeper man/hello, maker man/hello, keeper man/ hello, leaver man,’ as piano breaks into rhythm. People Like Us, the album’s shortest song, is practically an acoustic ballad structured with guitars and repetitive drums in the background. Perhaps, the most remarkable element of Swans’ songwriting character on this record is the intricate balance of mesmerising beauty and pompous intensity.

Best track: People Like Us

Worst track: Frankie M.

Rating: ***


Dinosaur Jr.— Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not (Jagjaguwar)  

History is A WITNESS TO THEIR BRILLIANCE

Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not is Dinosaur Jr’s fourth reunion album, 11th in all, and finds the band returning to its amp-laden basics, following the mix of piano and keyboard loaded 2012-predecessor I Bet On Sky. All of the trademark Dinosaur elements are present here: Riffs that tear the disparity between underground punk and 1970s radio rock. The freewheeling opener, Goin Down, is a bright rock track that shows the band is still finding ways to bring joy and excitement to familiar places. Tiny keeps up the tone of the opening track with similar arrangement, but Be a Part juxtaposes Murph’s murky drums and Lou Barlow’s rumbling bass with a delicate guitar pattern. It’s a painful ballad that uses the band’s trait for searching melodies. Love Is… unwraps some rough bass, arguably at odds with the almost-folk acoustic energy of the song. Undoubtedly, the most surprising track is Knocked Around, which starts at a high-pitched note and slow vocals from Mascis, before it erupts halfway through into pop-punk. Despite the nature of the title, it remains quite mellow. The most euphoric instances come when Mascis lets his thunderous guitar solo loose on Good to Know, a genuinely thrilling moment. Barlow’s closing Left/ Right makes for a glowing exit from the album, leading the trio to go their ways once again. Present fans as well as those who have let the band fall off their radar, should all be fascinated and enthralled, experiencing the power and the splendor of this album.

Best track: Love Is…

Worst track: I Told Everyone

Rating: ***


Top 10 Singles

Cheap Thrills....................................Sia feat. Sean Paul  (CU)

Cold Water............Major Lazer feat. Justin Bieber & MO  (CU)

This is What You Came For....Calvin Harris feat. Rihanna (NM)

4. Heathens.......................................Twenty One Pilots  (CU)

5. One Dance..........................Drake feat. Wizkid & Kyla  (FD)

6. Can’t Stop the Feeling...................Justin Timberlake  (NM)

7. Send My Love To Your New Lover......................Adele  (CU)

8. Into You..............................................Ariana Grande  (CU)

9. Treat You Better.................................Shawn Mendes  (CU)

10. Let Me Love You............DJ Snake feat. Justin Bieber  (NE)    

Legend: 

(CU): Climbing Up    (FD): Falling Down    

(NM): Non-mover    (NE): New Entry

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