SONGS TO PAINT TO
A quick roundup of this week’s new releases.
Hi everyone. New music landed this week, and there’s a lot here worth sitting with while you make something.
Quite a good one. Plenty to get your ears around.
We’ve got the Prince song that coincided with the 10th anniversary of his passing (I can’t believe it’s been ten years already). We’ve also got new stuff from Pulp, Lana Del Rey, Foo Fighters, Massive Attack with Tom Waits, and Future Islands.
I couldn’t bring myself to listen to the Lana song, so you’ll have to do that yourself.
MASSIVE ATTACK + TOM WAITS : BOOTS ON THE GROUND
Otherwise, the standout for me has to be the Massive Attack and Waits track.
‘Boots on the Ground’ is a military drill stomp straight out of Full Metal Jacket. Waits’ voice is more gravelly than ever, scarred by life. War is rendered in hard, unflinching images, senators hiding like bloated ticks, the metallic spit of bullet casings hitting the floor. The marching drums cut through it all, holding a line between order and chaos, while the guitars feel as evil as the thing they’re describing. It builds to a final passage that left me thinking about how thin the line really is between the oppressed and the oppressor. It’s profound and powerful, one of the best things I’ve heard for ages.
PULP: OPEN STRINGS
Pulp’s ‘Open Strings’ is absolutely gorgeous. It’s mushy in that ironic way only Jarvis can pull off without tipping into cheese. The wit is still there, but it’s softened now, wrapped in this nostalgic, sepia swell that asks you to really sit with the idea of love and how far it reaches. There’s a completeness to Pulp at this point, a kind of earned wisdom. They can take on the big emotional territory with real authenticity, without ever sounding heavy-handed. It’s beautiful, it’s simple and it’s almost perfect. Not a banger, not an anthem, but something quieter and maybe more lasting. Very, very sweet.
FUTURE ISLANDS: ONE DAY
I love Future Islands, and I’m always excited to hear where they head next. This is brilliant, them at their best. It’s a tune. The poetry is spot on, the craft is so tight. It even rhymes. Yes, it’s got all the emotion you’d expect, pulling at the tension between hope and loss, those two sides of the same coin that sit uncomfortably together in the work. As always, the pain is palpable, but it’s contrasted with such uplifting imagery that sees suffering explode into effervescent, almost immortal stars.
And that sound that only Future Islands has is so refined now that I’d go as far as to say it’s becoming iconic. Samuel T. Herring’s performance is delicious, and the sheer scope of his vocal, and the sincerity, really hits you. ‘One Day’ isn’t a step change, it’s more of the band you already love, and that’s exactly why it works. It’s up there with the best stuff they’ve done so far. Worth getting your ears around, and it’ll probably be in heavy rotation in my studio for a while.
FOO FIGHTERS: WINDOW
The Foo Fighters track opens with a rock-steady stomp that fans will immediately lock into. This time there’s a slightly baggy, Britpop edge, with a catchy, twangy guitar hook and a late ’90s swagger that feels more Manchester than Seattle. It works. It’s a strong pop-rock track, and the idea of someone letting light into your life like a window cleaner is a nice image. It just doesn’t quite push far enough lyrically to stay with you. Still, if you want something easy and uplifting for a summer weekend, it’ll sit happily on a BBQ playlist.
PRINCE: WITH THIS TEAR
I don’t want to add any more noise to the conversation around the Prince release. I’m already upset enough that he’s not here. But honestly, there has to be better work sitting in the Vault. I don’t understand what the estate is doing. This isn’t enough. The production feels strange, those mid-90s Cubase strings are hard to get past. His voice, though, still cuts through everything. Hearing it moves something in me every time. If you’ve not heard this one, you might be better off leaving it for now, and holding onto the Prince you already know. That feels like the right place to leave him.