It's hard to convince in the pop genre. A lot of people are ready to label you as a flash in the pan and with the amount of writers and producers required for a single song, it can be hard to asses the real value of the performer. Ariana Grande with her third single from her sophomore "My Everything" with all the possible subtlety is out there to convince you she's the real deal. Not really, but she's getting close to being a pretty damn convincing pop star. Various pop artists take their biggest efforts to their lead single, leaving noticeably inferior tracks as subsequent singles. Some will even do two strong singles. Yes, penning a great song is hard and can be costly, even if you get a top writer it's not that possible they'll give you their best track but with 'Love Me Harder' you can start getting conclusions about Ariana's talent for music. She must have a pretty good ear, because since 'The Way', a song which uses a sample used a few times she delivered a pretty striking musicality to her, she was smooth, hit the highs without overdoing it and just traveled through the melody with ease.
On her second album many would have disregarded her already from her previous album commercial performance, only 'The Way' was a strong hit. How much faith would have been put in her? Would they give her the great songs? Apparently yes, first she surprised with 'Problem' which delivered great vocals and a very catchy saxo hook. Not content with this, she drops a stomping 'Break Free' which has flashy attention grabbing synths and yet another vocal melody that is pretty convincing. In a singles oriented era, where album sales are declining in the lack of a proper medium of sale, convincing people of buying an album has got hard. When you listen to a third single as strong as 'Love Me Harder', you start getting more motivation into buying an album regardless of that serious lacking.
The musicality of Ariana Grande gets more obvious with what would a pretty classical pop introduction, the synth gets in pretty low key in the song, Ariana is driving you in with smoothness and the silky aspect of her voice is indeed very pleasing to hear. The synths slowly go in rhythm as the vocal line prepares to lure you to an explosive yet soft chorus. Ariana goes high but is never overwhelming, she's envolving yet subtle. The synth of the chorus goes in line with Lady Gaga's silently influential single 'Do What U Want' but takes it to another direction without losing its sexiness. The Weeknd gets in the second verse and while he doesn't sound as smooth as Ariana, that'd be hard for anyone, he does a pretty decent job at maintaining the pace of the song. He sounds like a thinner voiced R. Kelly.
Overall, the song has great verses and a pretty decent bridge but that chorus is so great, it can be on repeat all day for me, it already has, the way the bass synth bounces with the riff synth and the sexy voice and melody is striking. Ariana is demanding more love but the way she sings it is captivating, she's even putting conditions but she's seducing, if you don't love her harder she might be fine, but in the way she sings and delivers the melody, you might just do it and go "oh oh oh oh oh oh oh".
Love Me Harder - Ariana Grande f/The Weeknd
Ariana Grande f/The Weeknd | Republic | Release Date: September 30, 2014 | Review Period: November 6, 2014 - November 10, 2014
dddddddddd 84
Member Score
Universal acclaim
based on 6 Reviews
ddddd.
dddddd 7.2
Experimental Top Critic Score
Generally Favorable Reviews
based on 5 Top Critics
dddddddddddddd
Summary: The third single off of My Everything features Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd.
The Heart Wants What It Wants - Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez | Hollywood | Release Date: November 6, 2014 | Review Period: November 11, 2014 - November 14, 2014
dddddddddd 75
Member Score*
Generally Favorable Reviews*
based on 4 Reviews
ddddd.
dddddd 8.0
Experimental Top Critic Score
Generally Favorable Reviews
based on 2 Top Critics
dddddddddddddd
Summary: The lead single from Gomez's forthcoming greatest hits collection.
Record Label: Hollywood Genre(s): Pop
Member Reviews
d
.iPositive: ████████████████ 3
d
....iMixed: 0
d
Negative: █████ 1
Top Critic Reviews
d
.iPositive: ████████████████ 2
d
....iMixed: 0
d
Negative: 0
Overall Score (members + top critics): 77 (6 reviews)
With BLUE, iamamiwhoami not only delivered their best effort to date, but also undeniably one of the most striking and outstanding musical projects of the year. The album stuns musically just as visually, every single track being accompanied its own video. It's clear that this is more than just your typical go-to album; it's an experience that takes time to fully get behind and truly indulge in. Possibly its beauty lies in this very quality.
Musically, BLUE is a step forward for iamamiwhoami. The often scarce production of predecessors bounty and kin is replaced by a shiny palette of synths and rich beats that are, at times, even more prominent than Lee's emotive vocals. "ripple" for example is built entirely around its stormy, heavy and fractured beat. On the contrary, album standouts "thin" and "the last dancer" provide for the typically mellow iamamiwhoami vibe that recalls early efforts like "n" and "o", respectively. BLUE's closing track "shadowshow" not only constitutes the literal pinnacle of the album, but also acts as a conclusion to the iamamiwhoami saga as a whole, at least up to now. I can't think of a better way to close an album as creative and ambitious as this one, really.
Beyond that, the grand visuals mainly shape the eclectic digital adventure that is BLUE. Their role in iamamiwhoami is probably just as vital as that of the music. Having been an essential part of the project since its very beginnings, the videos are just as thought out and striking, too. Particularly the somewhat opaque plot makes for a variety of individual interpretations and meanings. All in all, BLUE portrays a protagonist in search of her own island of peace and self-acceptance – however, that's just my personal take.
BLUE is, no doubt, one of the very best things to happen to music in recent times, and surely one of the most remarkable musical efforts of 2014.
Highlights: "hunting for pearls", "the last dancer", "chasing kites", "vista".
Azealia Banks Broke With Expensive Taste
Independent / Prospect Park 6 November 2014
1 Idle Delilah
2 Gimme A Chance
3 Desperado
4 JFK f/Theophilius London
5 212 f/Lazy Jay
6 Wallace
7 Heavy Metal & Reflective
8 BBD
9 Ice Princess
10 Yung Rapunxel
11 Soda
12 Chasing Time
13 Luxury
14 Nude Beach A Go-Go
15 Miss Amor
16 Miss Camaraderie
8.5 / 10
“What’cha gon’ do when I appear?” infamously spits rapper songstress Azealia Banks in breakout single, 212. The cult hit was released in 2011, swiftly blowing up in 2012 – it became a Top 20 hit in the UK as well as a low-key hit in the US. The song, although a bit ancient by now, fits like a glove in the Harlem-originated artist’s long, long-anticipated debut. It also made an appearance on her acclaimed debut EP, 1991, released in the summer of 2012. Azealia’s long trek to this album has been interesting: to and from labels (from XL to Interscope to Capitol), numerous explosive Twitter feuds (T.I., Lily Allen, Lady Gaga Diplo and DJ Munchi among the most interesting) and a number of scrapped single and album plans. However, Miss Banks powered through and Broke With Expensive Taste dropped unexpectedly on November 6th, independently released by the starlet and production company, Prospect Park. The world has been long awaiting the debut from this star, waiting to put music in the place of her controversy-powered stardom – and she did exactly that with the 16-track album.
The infinitely self-aware Azealia Banks knew exactly what she needed to do with this album, and did it: she created a multi-dimensional, multi-genre yet cohesive body of work to introduce herself as an artist and musician the way that she has always wanted to do. The album covers jazz, electro, IDM, EDM, rap, hip-hop, R&B, pop, witch hop and many sounds that can’t quite be categorized. Right away, she makes sure the audience knows she’s more than a throwaway ‘female rapper’ a la Iggy Azalea. Over a choppy, percussion-heavy instrumental that wouldn’t sound too out of place on her previous releases, album-opener “Idle Delilah” features Banks soulfully demonstrating her vocals while lyrically bridging the gap from her strong debut to now. Songs “JFK”, “Wallace” and the eclectic but surprisingly pleasant ‘Miss’ duo, “Miss Camaraderie” and “Miss Amor”, also expand on her previous electronic-driven styles in new and creative ways. However, on the bouncy, jazzy and salsa-infused “Gimme A Chance”, she unexpectedly showcases a friendly style not found on EP, 1991, or mixtape, Fantasea – the song demands the listener’s attention with the blasting brass, Seinfeld-peddling bassline and autobiographical flow. Songs “BBD (Bad Bitches Do It)” and “Ice Princess” wouldn’t be too out of place on hip-hop radio airwaves, with remarkable flow and traditional-yet-authentic hip-hop backing tracks. The confusing Ariel Pink collaboration, “Nude Beach A Go-Go”, is a stand-out nobody saw coming, a campy beach-ready tune that low-key mocks American culture in a style that oddly fits the star – although, if the rest of the album is blue, this song is neon green with pink polka dots.
The darker sides of the album are possibly the best. “I once used to be your girl,” croons Azealia on the upbeat, electro-hop “Soda” which at first listen seems like filler – under its skin, the song is about flesh-eating depression, relationship turmoil and drug abuse. 2013-released “Yung Rapunxel” features a screaming Banks behind a thunderstorm (literally) of percussion and layered vocals. Motorcycle-powered single “Heavy Metal & Reflective” sees Banks flawlessly riding a repetitive electronic beat similar to Crystal Castles or Salem, even reminiscent of the darker side of M.I.A. “Chasing Time”, four-to-the-floor single, sees her at her best, killing a funky pop beat with not only her unique flow, but amazing singing voice – the song acts as 212’s flirtatious little sister, further showcasing Azealia’s mainstream potential.
Essentially, this LP was worth the wait for both fans and the industry as a whole – living in the wake of the ‘Beyonce surprise release’ and the ‘Macklemore independent-mainstream’, Azealia defied all odds and put out the album everyone has been waiting for, to be accepted by widespread acclaim and surprising success on the charts. Azealia Banks seemingly accomplished what many deemed impossible with her debut, somehow notching a number of genres and succeeding with each risk taken. In a way, cohesiveness seems impossible with this record; in another way, that’s the charm. Broke With Expensive Taste could not be a better title for an artist like Miss Banks, as she’s undergone all kinds of struggles and slowly but surely made it to where she wanted – and needed – to be.
If Lewis Carroll were born a woman in 90's Harlem, maybe instead of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' we would have received something similar to Broke With Expensive Taste. Not least is it the disorienting nature and structure of the songs on Banks' long-awaited debut LP which resonate with this idea, but it's also her lyrical voice which finds itself not so much in narrative form (say, good kid, m.A.A.d city), but one which weaves and meanders through the highly vivid images of the world in which Banks exists. That is: a world beyond the 90's rabbit hole filled with the dick-measuring, wife-stealing and self-asserting ice queens not too dissimilar to the patriarchal ideas conveyed by Banks' male peers.
As ever, Banks' lyrical technique is consistently incredible throughout, with an emphasis not only on the visceral content, but also the way in which the words are rhythmically sculpted. Eschewing the Lil' Wayne school of setting up punchlines at the end of each line, each bar of Banks' flow is an intricate mechanism - a train lurching forward and exhausting everything she can from a single rhyme. Individual syllables are lined up and loaded like bullets in the barrel of a gun, waiting for Azealia to drop them like rain on her audience, thus creating her fascinating 'ex bitch / necklace / wet wrist / Heavy Metal and Reflective' verses which carry as much a lurching rhythm as the beats over which she spits. Even towards the tail-end of the horn-driven banger, Give Me A Chance, one is nothing but awed when the speeding production line of Banks' tongue begins to spit in Spanish. Who knows what she's saying, but it's enough to floor someone on technicality alone.
Not only is it Banks' rapid fire delivery which helps her in her conquest, but also her singing voice which seamlessly changes as a chameleon changes colour, changing Banks into her very own hook girl. Her penchant for emulating a classic 90's house voice is particularly notable on tracks as such as Wallace and Soda, the latter of which wholly elevates Banks' capacity for conveying sincere emotion as much as she can spit rap braggadocio. It allows one to realise at the end of the Broke With Expensive Taste listening experience that, in a genre so rife with features, Banks almost single-handedly holds down these sixteen tracks. Releasing a whole album with less features than the latest song by Nicki Minaj speaks bounds about the adaptability of Banks' voice. She is truly a master of her own trade, lending Broke With Expensive Taste beautifully to the idea of achieving such a maximal and grand effect with such minimal resources.
Banks' narrative schizophrenia may be jarring for some, but ultimately it helps Expensive Taste manifest itself as a multi-faceted record which celebrates the cultural diversity of Banks' home in New York. For example, the hyper camp 60's surf pop of Nude Beach A Go Go may be too jarring a switch up, but it helps exhibit Banks' sense of humour - especially when one realises how it effectively replaced the contrived Pharrell misfire, ATM Jam, on this LP. Such humour found on Peter Roesenberg's introduction of the downtown jazz/drum and bass highlight Desperado - 'We've been waiting for you Azealia' - present Expensive Taste with a tongue-in-cheek veneer: or something that doesn't take itself too seriously while it steals your husband. Instead, it's refreshing to see a certain wit once channelled into twitter feuds now translated into a cohesive body of work.
Even the inclusion of previous releases by Banks, the breakout opus 212 and Fantasea's Luxury, doesn't feel too forced. Their place on the album feels fluent and justified, and further allows Banks to converge in on her closely-sculpted vision. This acts to the point where the listener still feels enthralled even by the end of the final track, Miss Camaraderie, despite it often feeling like a titanium-plated Count Contessa that plays with elements of Luxury. This is really a world where rabbit holes lead back onto previously-trodden ground, a place where Banks is the architect of her own universe. Much like in Chasing Time where Banks sings: 'I want somebody who can take it apart / Stitch me back together make me into who I wanna be', Banks is not afraid of self-referencing and self-experimenting. She takes apart genres and redefines them according to her own vision; she scrutinises her songs and fashions them into what she prefers. Expensive Taste is a master class in nostalgia and absurdity, an album where Banks dusts off her Harlem, globe-trotting adventures in wonderland and gives them to us anew, where it feels the audience is taken back through her fantasy world of the 90's: announcing to us that the new classic has finally arrived.
for Ari
