song reviews

February 22, 2012

Fucked Up

"Year of the Tiger"

The Ontario punks' fifth Chinese New Year single is a 15-minute hardcore odyssey narrated by the scabrous howls of Damian Abraham. "The tiger lives afraid as the tiger dies," he roars – but by the end, it's frightened of exactly no one. Listen to Fucked Up's "Year of the Tiger": Related• Photos: Random Notes | More »

February 21, 2012

One Direction

"What Makes You Beautiful"

The boy-band cycle rears its head with this inevitable tween lady-killer, a self-esteem jolt ("You’re insecure, don't know what for") sung over pop- rock crunch by five pristinely coiffed lads. They make the JoBros look like Betty White's used toys. Listen to One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful": Related• Photos: Random Notes | More »

February 17, 2012

Santigold

"Disparate Youth"

On her 2008 debut, Santi White synthesized New Wave, post-punk, pop and dancehall strains into her own new flavor of downtown cool. She's at it again on the first single from her long-gestating follow-up – a slippery earworm that opens with airy digital fanfare reminiscent of Drake's triumphal Take Care cut "Headlines," before falling into a dark, post-dub groove that's altogether sexier and more conflicted. "We know now we want more/A life worth fighting for," she purrs ... | More »

Gorillaz feat. Andre 3000 and James Murphy

"DoYaThing"

LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy will soon be marketing his own espresso blend, and he probably blazed up a blammo batch of it for this zippy future-freak soul summit. Putting this many visionary types in one studio could’ve made for a mess, but they lock in for a three-man weave – like the Bird-McHale-Parish of avant-R&B. Damon Albarn lays down a double-time funk charge and lyrical patter about being a "pale imitator of a boy in the sky," while Murphy unspools twe... | More »

February 15, 2012

Nicki Minaj

Starships

Minaj’s latest Roman Reloaded cut is pure beach party trance-rap – clearly an apologetic offering to the gods of Pop Normalcy, after a Grammy performance that made Middle America feel like it was being home invaded by the demon spawn of Linda Blair and Lady Gaga. Gaga producer Red One pitch-adjusts Nicki’s voice sky-high and smears it in synth sleaze, as she big-ups Bud Light and parties like a very contrite rock star on the fifty-yard line of pop. Listen To Nicki Min... | More »

The Mars Volta

“The Malkin Jewel”

Lurching into an impossibly spastic reggae groove (uh, is that a banjo?), this mutant jam shifts midway into a spooky carnival scene, with Cedric Bixler-Zavala's shivering whispers turning to rabid snarls, sultry croons, and heavy-metal howls. Still hard rock's most fascinating sonic freak-show. Listen to "The Malkin Jewel": Related• Photos: Random Notes | More »

The Decemberists

"One Engine"

The Decemberists' Colin Meloy is clearly more of a Middlemarch kind of guy than a young-adult sci-fi fan. But he also loves a literary challenge, and his contribution to the T Bone Burnett-produced Hunger Games soundtrack not only nails the book's dystopic-frenzy/teen-torment vibe, it also invents a new genre: chase-scene indie rock. Over a heated folk gallop and some Edge-does-Shaft guitar peels, Meloy sings about breaking away from dark forces trying to "run you aground," somethin... | More »

February 14, 2012

Katy Perry

"Part of Me"

The Official Katy Perry Divorce Anthem is a predictably effective piece of angsty dance-pop - it was co-produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, after all. It's also just plain predictable. The minor chords signal "dark, serious"; the lyrics supply tabloid bait ("You can keep the diamond ring/It don't mean nothing, anyway"). But Perry is best at fluffier stuff; she lacks the gravitas, and the lung-power, to drive the song home. Russell Brand: you can rest easy, mate. Listen to "Part of... | More »

February 10, 2012

Amadou & Mariam

"Dougou Badia"

Motherland, meet Brooklyn. Santigold and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner get down with Mali's Afro-pop ambassadors, and the ladies own the mics while the dudes plow fields with their electric guitars. If the stormy jam at the end went on for 10 more minutes, there’d be no complaints here. Listen to Amadou and Mariam's "Dougou Badia": Related• The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s: Amadou and Mariam's 'Dimanche e Bamako' | More »

February 9, 2012

Ane Brun

"Do You Remember"

Norwegian singer-songwriter Ane Brun (who toured with Peter Gabriel in 2009) is typically a rustic acoustic type. But on this knockout single, Brun hires three Burundi-style drummers who turn her elegy to a finished romance into something that feels more deeply haunted. When she finishes with a flat, "The last time you'd be mine," followed by a dead stop, it's positively unsettling. Listen to "Do You Remember": Related• Photos: Random Notes | More »