Sunday 25 August 2013

King City by Swim Deep (Track Review)




  King City by Swim Deep is last week's iTunes single of the week. This sounds like a song straight from the 80s, complete with synthesizer, bass, drum beats, and the repetitious whooo whooo whooing that gets stuck in your head against your will. If you're in the mood for some time traveling this song hits the right spot. I found myself thinking of movies like Pretty in Pink or Mannequin, reminiscing against my will. Songs like these have to be encountered in certain moods. The first time I heard it I was totally repulsed by it. This is THIS WEEK's single?! For a moment, there was a doubt whether the year was 2013 or 1990. After a few more replays, the song seeps into the psyche and tickles the memories. You will find yourself surrendering to the upbeat mood of the song. It's reminiscent. It's a throwback. In this generation of throwback thursdays and flashback fridays, instagram reference for those who are not in the know (and if you don't know what instagram is then you will never get it), it is more than acceptable, quite cool in fact. Songs like these, while not totally memorable, stir the sentiment. It transports you somewhere. On that level, it is truly satisfying; and as I listened to it over and over again to write my review I found myself liking it more and more against my will. Music is like that. It communicates and touches on a level that is beyond the mind. Sometimes you just have to surrender.

Thursday 15 August 2013

Pagliaccio by Barbarossa (Track Review)




Last week's iTunes single of the week was Pagliaccio by Barbarossa. The intro and chorus to this song are awesome, a groovy melody with electronic accents propelled by percussive drum and solid bass beats.  Barbarossa, whose real name is James Mathe, exudes soul in his lilting high-pitched voice. His voice caresses the edge of a falsetto on certain occasions and it was wonderful to listen to.The first two minutes of the song was a brilliant introduction to an artist I had previously unheard of. The thing is, the song went entirely too long and the melody got a little too repetitive. It was too laid back and I was waiting for a crescendo of voice, bass and drums. I was disappointed. It rode a relatively flat wave, which some people may be into and some may not. I belong to the latter. The song lyrics express such a sad scenario that I kind of wanted more passion and angst, not alternative/hard rock kind of angst but he could at least have strained his voice a little more. This song is for those who like a laid-back electro-pop kind of a song. No surprises. Nothing to write home about, the kind of song that you can tolerably listen to in a movie soundtrack.

Thursday 8 August 2013

Kaleidoscope Love by Aluna George: Track Review




My musical taste is pretty eclectic and I can usually find something nice to say about whatever I hear, which is my general disposition about everything in life. Last week's iTunes single of the week Kaleidoscope Love by Aluna George is a fun, light and groovy number but my first thought about it is "generic," sorry to say. I've heard its kind before. It's good music to groove to, I even found myself swaying to the beat the first time. It's a good track to include in your summer soundtrack with a mixture of pop and R&B vibe but I can't imagine myself playing it over and over. It gets old after a while, which is the problem with generic songs. Generic melodies are okay if they have memorable lyrics but this song falls short of that. It won't win any Grammys. However, this is the thing about music. If you are a pop enthusiast this is worth checking out and swaying your hips to. However, if you are like me, you probably would not be compelled to buy or check out the whole album based on this song.