(extreme critic voice) is the best criticism more art?
Panda Bear! Young Nudy! Mothermary! Danger Mouse! PinkPantheress!
Okay - not trying to get meta on everyone, but I had a handful of long conversations about this piece and the importance of criticism last week, and it really had me thinking about the role of the critic. This line in particular:
I said that my writing was also an art, and that in my writing I’ve been reaching higher levels of creative expression with every new piece I publish. I said all art necessarily exists in dialogue with other works of art, that this dialogue is often contentious, and that the art of writing is equal to that of cinema. This was met with pure mocking incredulity.
This piece is a long, arduous but ultimately very fun read, and though this was about movie criticism, I walked away questioning the role of the negative review in music: what is the power of a bad record review in a world where over 60,000 new songs are uploaded every day to Spotify?
I generally agree with the sentiment in the piece - great writing can be as satisfying as any other art - especially since I’m here writing hundreds of words each week about records I love. That said, the assertion that the two forms meet each other equally in dialogue is tougher to swallow. Amidst the noise of culture and artist narrative, is a written review the most effective counterargument to an artist’s (potentially bullshit) narrative? Or is the best option just showing the way with more music? Thinking about the story around the Drake and Beyoncé’s records - flawed though it may be - those records did a lot for highlighting genres, collaborators, and sample sources, driving interest in house music more than any writeup or review ever could.
I was even thinking back to the peak $18.99 CD era and the large, expensive music magazines of the late 90s — was there a sharper, more effective criticism of the excess of rap-rock than the spartan production and songwriting of Is This It?
I’ve written bad reviews here - and even celebrated being a hater - because bad reviews are very fun to write and read. Maybe that’s enough - but as far as what impact those words had, I’m still a little lost.
Either way, here are the undeniably Good Links of the week
Gen Z Is Playing At My House (At My House) - I remixed the indie dirtbag anthem “Girls” with an instrumental fit for closing out Lit Lounge on a Thursday in 2009
Just 3 “Bros” - BBSP interviews Panda Bear and Sonic Boom about their new record, style, and…molded plastic?
A Beat To Step To - I’m here for any writing on Aaliyah, and of course Tom Breihan does “Try Again” justice in his Number Ones column
And now, on to this week’s tracks - as always, you can follow along on our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, which update every Tuesday along with the newsletter.
THE UNSKIPPABLES #49
Young Nudy - KitKat
Young Nudy’s latest is another strong offering from the Atlanta rapper, but his ear for beats might be the best in the game - “KitKat” sounds like an unlikely fusion of G-Funk and trap, care of Pi’erre Bourne. Moog lead lines wiggle and 1991 bass squelches abound, but the pocket feels modern, druggy, and appropriately paranoid. The album is a joy to listen to thanks to Nudy’s spot-on curation, and occasionally sounds like a glimpse into the future.
Danger Mouse & Black Thought - The Darkest Part (feat. Raekwon & Kid Sister)
I almost didn’t write up this record, but upon giving it a spin, the album’s lithe and muscular collaboration deserves credit for being exactly what it should be: Black Thought rapping his ass off over dusty, cinematic beats from Danger Mouse. There’s no big comeback narrative, no larger story other than that Black Thought is very good at rapping. And like DM’s collaboration with Karen O, Lux Prima, he finds a great lane to bring the best out of his counterpart, even if he occasionally sits a bit deep in the mix to appreciate all his wordplay.
Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Edge of the Edge
Reset was built on loops of the intros of 60’s pop, giving the album a transitory feeling as the songs feel like they are consistently cresting to a wave that never forms. The vocal lines are some of Noah Lennox’s best since his Person Pitch peak, and both collaborators resist the impulse to add unnecessary layers. It’s a surprisingly rich listen for a minimal, gestural record - and maybe the most evocative indie rock record of the year.
PinkPantheress, Sam Gellaitry - Picture in my mind
UK bedroom pop breakout PinkPantheress hops on a UK Funky-derived bop with Scottish artist Sam Gellaitry. The vintage squelch of the 4/4 kick and descending piano line draw from the FM nostalgia of “Music Sounds Better With You” and the song’s breezy confidence suit the singers well, and the back half of the song coyly teases one last drop that never comes.
Mothermary - Coming For You (NICOLAAS Remix)
I didn’t expect the 4th installment of After Dark to hit so hard - considering the first volume dropped back in 2007 - but the sheer volume of jams on the latest installment is a testament to the creative talent on Italians Do It Better. Sally Shapiro’s “Purple Colored Sky” and opener “Sad Ibiza Song” are great, but I was most impressed by the R&B vibes of the verses of this Mothermary remix. The choruses bring the VHS Miami Vice vibes you’d expect, but the tight, intimate pocket of the verses suggest that After Dark 5 might contain even more surprises from the label.
THROWBACK CORNER
Della Reese - Solitary Woman
I found this on The River’s Invitation, the upcoming 8th volume of Cairo’s Soul Series, not expecting a Neil Diamond cover. The sparse, sneering rhythm track goes beat for beat with Reese's nasally, frustrated performance. It manages to be a gender flip AND an unexpected soul cover without sounding gimmicky, doing justice to an underrated Neil Diamond classic. The chorus almost turns lounge-y, but a chaotic organ line keeps the tension high - one of those perfect mixtape gems you can’t wait to show a friend.
And that’s all for this week, folks! Please subscribe if you’d like these opinions straight in your inbox. See you next week!