Paolo Nutini is like buses. Two come along at once. What do I mean by this? Since 2019, Celtic Twitter has enquired about where he was (Lewis Capaldi revealed late last year that they were in the studio working on Paolo's new album, which I am currently reviewing). Then, three years later, "Last Night in the Bittersweet" announcements were revealed, and a tour was announced. I wondered where he was, but I surmised he was busy recording new material. Hence, he is like buses.
I have been a fan of Paolo's since his debut album, "These Streets". He was offering something different at the turn of the 2000s. No one appeared to make music like that, and it was only as we entered the 2010s that someone had a similar vocal style in Maverick Sabre. His debut was followed by "Sunny Side up" in 2009, where his fan base snowballed, which spawned the hits, 'Candy', 'Pencil Full of Lead' (Adopted by fellow Celtic fan and snooker player John Higgins up until 2020 as his walk-on song.), 'Coming up Easy', and the reggae-inspired '10/10'. My fondness for his music grew stronger after an appearance on Jools Holland's Hootenanny, where he performed '10/10' (among others.), and his falsetto vocals echoed those of the late Bob Marley.
Funnily enough, I thought it was a cover of a reggae song, but to my amazement, it was written by Paolo. However, it sounds like a typical timeless reggae track.
He followed up the highly successful "Sunny Side up" with 'Caustic Love' in 2014. Despite hitting the top spot, the album had mixed reviews and spawned fewer hits or accolades than its predecessor.
Amazingly, "Caustic Love" is the predecessor to "Last Night in the Bittersweet". He was still touring until 2018, but that is some gap to wait for the fans to hear new material. That's a gap of eight years. You can understand why his fellow Celtic fans were asking where he was. This record also makes that eight-year wait worthwhile. Paolo is back with the drum banging loudly. It shows his versatility in turning his hand to anything from ska, reggae, country, indie, RnB and soul. His vocals vary across the sixteen tracks, so you get more than just that deep falsetto.
For example, 'Through the Echoes' sounds like something you would have heard on his previous album, but 'Lose it' is a cross between Fontaines DC and the late Lou Reed. On quite a fair chunk of the album, many Lou Reed-esque songs are complete with spoken word, which Lou was known for.
I first heard Paolo's new song in the recent series of Later…with Jools Holland, but I, unfortunately, cannot remember when writing what songs they were. However, they sounded different from what I had heard him do—Lou Reed-esque and with plenty of attitude. Seeing him with an electric guitar over his shoulder was also refreshing.
The same goes for 'Acid Eyes', another song wedded to rock, sitting nicely with Paolo's vocals over bombastic drums. I look forward to seeing some rockier songs added to his setlist on the current tour.
I told many of my peers to listen when I heard the album because it isn't your typical Paolo record. This album has attitude, punk spirit and rock n roll lashings. Even fleeting moments resemble the sounds of the Stone Roses, so Paolo returned to his musical influences as a teenager.
It doesn't get much recognition because of his vocals, songwriting and mellow acoustic playing. Still, he is a good guitarist with the electric guitar and can match any lead guitarists who play to an excellent level (We are excluding the late Jimi Hendrix here), which is no more evident than on this record.
It has been worthwhile waiting for Paolo to release the successor to "Caustic Love". Sometimes, such a long wait leads to an anti-climax, but he has returned, and don't you know it? The songwriting, guitar solos, spoken word, vocals, topics, and instrumentation are fabulous. It is going to be extremely exciting to hear these songs performed live. I doff my cap to you, Paolo. It is an outstanding record, and if you produce the next one like this, you can release that in eight years, too.
Song recommendations: 'Lose it', 'Through the Echoes', 'Heart Filled up'
I cannot believe I hadn’t written a review since late November when Adele released “30” and then proceeded to hold on to the top spot for the majority of December before being overtaken by Ed Sheeran in the first week of the new year. However, it was widely known that the Weeknd’s “Dawn FM” would take the top spot. It is quite a quirky little record with its premise of you listening to the radio, complete with jingles and advertisements featuring the likes of Jim Carrey and Quincy Jones, to name a few. It made the interludes more intriguing, although I did skip them because you all know my opinions on interludes. Abel has gone for that 80s feel again, as he did on the previous album that spawned the 2020 ‘Blinding Lights’ track and featured on the Mercedes advertisement. It sounds futuristic and retro, with music by Daft Punk and Nile Rodgers. The aforementioned do not feature on the record save for some samples. The production this time includes Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia, among others.
Another thing you will notice about the album is you are listening from inside your vehicle in a traffic jam, but you aredead. It is quite a dark concept. Why, you ask? The theory follows from the previous records where the narratorhas finally met his end. Is that true? It could be because the lyrical content seems to suggest it. As we know, Abel talks about drug use and the perils of it and sex in a non-romantic way.
Abel can sometimes be compared to the Cure for his use of gothic elements but still staying sonically within the chart-friendly confines.
So, you have him discussing gothic things, but the music fits nicely with the singles charts and takes the edge off, like the Cure executed perfectly in their prime. Since then, the band has gotten darker, but they balance out their shows with those pop classics we grew up with (Well, it depends on who is reading this and how young you are.). Abel, thus far, has kept it under a tight lid, but he unleashes the gothic narrative from Pandora’s box on this record.
This album would make an excellent soundtrack for a remake of Buck Rogers or the gang warfare classic the Warriors. My favourite track was ‘Take My Breath’; I heard the sample of Daft Punk’s ‘Da Funk’ and Nile Rodgers-esque guitar playing. I particularly enjoyed the “Alternate World” section with a remix of ‘Take My Breath’ featuring Agents of Time. It felt like a moment of being in a club, enjoying life and reaching up as the song reaches the drop. I cannot wait for the club-inspired remix to be played out across nightclubs worldwide. So, with “Dawn FM”, we have an album where you listen to the radio while stuck in a traffic jam en route to the other side with lost souls DJing or on advertisements, not fully accepting that they are no longer alive. It is quite a departure from Abel’s usual subjects. He appears to have matured and is willing to refrain from talking about drugs and sex. Although the music may be uplifting 80s, the topics are far darker.
Song recommendations: ‘Take My Breath’, ‘Take My Breath(Remix)’, ‘Out of Time’
Here is a track-by-track review of Adele’s fourth album:
Strangers by Nature:
As you may have heard, before the record was even released, the primary subject was her divorce from Simon Konecki, which certainly comes across from the first listen. Adele foretells about the sheer agony of what divorce does to one’s psyche. The first track features strings as Adele sings lamentably about what happened. As the song climaxes, you can see the colour reappearing in her life after all that has occurred.
Easy on Me:
Ha! Unfortunately, the day this teaser single was released, I missed the premiere, and I didn’t go searching to hear it because I had the gist of what to expect from the track and the album. I am not alone. The single received mixed reviews, with some saying it was a new era and others saying it was the same old tired song we have come to know by her. So, what is a “typical” Adele track? It involves her beautiful vocals over a piano and the subject of being heartbroken. This track is exactly that. I never knocked her voice because it is impressive,but this song is your signature Adele track.
My Little Love:
Now, we are getting somewhere that is different with Adele. It’s the first song on the record that goes against the grain—a track drenched in soul. However, I found it somewhat disturbing as it featured interludes of Adele having a conversation with her son about how much she loves him, and through all the bullshit, it has been him who keeps her spirits up. It also explains why she left his father. I find that quite creepy, and it isn’t our business to know what Adele shares with her son. I believe a subject matter this deep should be done in private.
Cry Your Heart Out:
Another surprise on the album. Adele is now trying her hand at RnB. The melody is quite uplifting, even though the lyrics are dark. The backing vocals and the ivories tinkling add to the tune’s sweetness.
Oh My God:
An interesting take on her vocals here. They seem to hide behind the chorus when everybody knows her vocals are her most vital asset. It seems off-key to want your most critical asset to pale into the background rather than be the track’s focus. You can hear her vocal range during the verses, so I wonder why she decided to take the attention away from the chorus.
Can I Get it:
My standout on “30” as we hear an acoustic guitar for the first time since “19” (I think.). Before Adele was signed, she played an acoustic in most of her sets in the good old days. The last time I remember Adele playing an acoustic was on Later…with Jools Holland back in 2011. I am unsure if she played it on this track, but it is there nonetheless. It sounds as if Ed Sheeran was involved because it has that kind of technique. Maybe even KT Tunstall because she plays the same way. The drums follow the acoustic as Adele changes tempo as the track progresses. It is by far the most audio-pleasing song on the record.
I Drink Wine:
I am not surprised by the title going by what Adele used to be like before motherhood. However, the track is more about reflecting on her childhood and finding a way to leave her current situation in the rearview. The lyrics are pretty sad as she looks for the answers to take back control and live life with a sense of freedom as she used to when she was younger. The vocals are straight from the heart—the reason why Adele rocketed to fame in the beginning. I say “current situation”, but that has since changed. That is how she felt in 2018, at least.
All Night Parking ft Errol Garner:
Ah, dear. The one thing I cannot stand on albums. Interludes. All they are are fillers—nothing more, nothing less. I didn’t pay much attention for that reason. All I heard was a piano.
Woman Like Me:
As you already know, the record centres around her divorce, and this song follows that trend. This is Adele not knowing which way to turn (Of course, now she is with Rich Paul.) and letting it all out with us acting as sympathetic listeners.
Hold on:
Something that we have known Adele to do in all her previous records. I do not think she needs to write a book because her life has been covered in songs. However, as the track nears the end, there is a sudden change in tempo with harmonies and an orchestral sound that one would hear in the cinema. This piano ballad sees Adele put her story centre stage. It symbolises light appearing from the shadows in her life during that period and a reason to rise again.
To be Loved:
The lyrics “Let it be known that I tried” are heartbreaking. It is your typical Adele track, with her raw emotion displayed through her vocals and a melancholy message at the end. It is like she feels her love is never good enough. I don’t know how Rich feels, but it works fine between them now.
Love is a Game:
Not only is IT the album closer, but you sense it is also closure to the divorce. You might hear more about it on her next record, but I think she will have moved on from talking about this horrific ordeal. Adele seems to tread carefully regarding the matter of the heart, which sometimes impacts her future relationships, as she discusses in this song.
Song recommendations: ‘Can I Get it’, ‘Cry Your Heart Out’, ‘I Drink Wine’
I am going to do a brief track-by-track summary from Ed’s final album using mathematical symbols (Or so he says.):
Tides:
This track sounds akin to ‘Castle on the Hill’ from his previous and best album so far “, ÷“. I also felt it had a touch of Oasis, Sam Fender, and Bon Iver. You can tell by the subject that Ed has grown up as he talks about his family rather than being drunk or high on nights out. Some might say the title is aptly named as life has changing tides and our responsibilities become more.
Shivers:
This was the second single off the record and reached the top spot in the first week of release. This is more a track about Ed witnessing others having fun and enjoying life again as the world slowly opens up after the pandemic. The tempo is ideal for vibes on a night out with elements of uplifting dance.
First Times:
We became accustomed to this typical Ed Sheeran song before and after his debut album “+”. Ed once again picks up his acoustic Martin & Co Junior, telling fables about his life, from his success of playing out and controlling EE Stadium(Wembley)to his marriage to Cherry and the birth of his daughter. Strings accompany this gentle ballad, and has an Irish folk feel to it. After all, Ed grew up listening to the likes of Planxty.
Bad Habits:
Everyone wondered if Ed still had it after taking a sabbatical, but in the summer, he proved that when this track became the summer anthem. Originally, Ed had no plans to release this as the teaser, nor did he want it to play out as the record’s theme. However, Ed saw that people wanted to go out and enjoy themselves again after lockdown, so he tried to reflect that in the song.
Overpass Graffiti:
This uplifting track around synthesisers reminded me of Dua Lipa’s ‘Be the One’ from 2017. It even follows the same theme of Dua’s song: love. The track also has Bon Iver-Esque vocal overlays.
the Joker and the Queen:
This Piano ballad with strings about love reminded me of Bread’s ‘Make it with You’ and sounded briefly melodically like the Noisette’s ‘Never Forget You’. It also reminded me of the music in the 60s for some reason.
Leave Your Life:
Ed told Jools Holland that he wrote this song for his daughter so that she is always among his thoughts, even when he is on the road. It was also inspired after a close friend passed away. It features Ed beatboxing, a string sample looped during the verses., and how he remains faithful to his wife and daughter no matter how far away he is.
Collide:
It has shades of Jimmy Cliff’s version of ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ with its implementation of maracas and the drumbeat. There is a haunting keyboard effect, pan pipes. The sensation can be described as being under a waterfall in the African jungle, as Ed assures you everything will be okay. The outro brings in the piano. The track is a top-heavy production.
2step:
So far, Ed hasn’t rapped on the album until now, albeit he does it sparingly. This is like an Usher RnB beat with a looping guitar riff as Ed touches on love, the common dominator on the record.
Stop the Rain:
An acoustic track with electronic drums, a funky bassline and synths. Sounds a bit Latin too.
Love in Slow Motion:
Ed isn’t just driven by music anymore—an ode to his wife about making their marriage the utmost priority in his hectic life. The song features a mandolin and his trusty acoustic friend. The track sounds like a combination of the Goo Goo Dolls ‘Iris’ and the Corrs’ ‘Falling in Love’.
Visiting Hours:
Ed wrote this about his late friend, mentioned under ‘Leave Your Life’ by Michael Gudinski. Ed lets out his raw emotion as he laments that he won’t be able to share future experiences with his friend and that he wishes there were visiting hours in heaven to update Michael and still see him. Again, the song features acoustic accompanied by piano with a choir during the chorus, strings at the breakdown, and horns and synths.
Sandman:
I imagine this lullaby was created as a song to send Lyra to sleep instead of him reading her a story. The lyrics are delightful, with dreams of those beautiful things we let our vivid imaginations run away with as children. For example, Ed says, “A Snowman made of ice cream”…I mean, we all had mad dreams like that. The track features a xylophone (usually used for lullabies.), a ukulele, a tropical beat, strings and a music box. You can’t get any more lullaby than this.
Be Right Now:
The closer has pulsating drums, electronic piano, synths, and a New Order/Peter Hook-Esque bassline, and as it reaches the chorus, the tempo speeds up and sounds like a track by Georgia.
Okay. I lied. It could have been a more brief summary.
Song recommendations: ‘First Times’, ‘Visiting Hours’, ‘Love in Slow Motion’
Well, last week, as you know, I reviewed Kanye West’s “Donda”, and as you know, I wasn’t all that impressed. I have no idea how long this review will be because I wasn’t impressed with Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy”either. Once again, Drake can’t help himself when utilising autotune. God, I despise that software. Like I have stressed on many occasions, if you can’t sing, don’t try to cheat with that software because you sound worse using it. Drake’s latest album had plenty of potential until some collaborators ruined it with autotune. Drake can go deep with his lyrics as he did on ‘Champagne Poetry’, ‘7am on Bridle Path’ and ‘the Remorse’. Those are the only tracks I liked with Drake on them and no pathetic autotune in sight. My favourite was ‘Yebba’s Heartbreak’ featuring, funnily enough, Yebba on vocals over a soft piano. I first saw Yebba Smith on Later…with Jools Holland in the autumn of 2019 on a Mark Ronson track. Mark has sung her praises for quite a while, and it was great to hear her on this record. It was my favourite because of her strong vocals, and Drake left her to it. It’sunusual for an artist/band’s album to only feature on some of their tracks. I can’t continue the review because the record bored me.
Song recommendations: ‘Yebba’s Heartbreak’, ‘Champagne Poetry’, ‘the Remorse’
In 2004, I bought an RnB compilation album called “Ice”, which also happened to have an artist I was yet to discover called Kanye West, and songs called ‘All Falls Down’ and ‘Jesus Walks’ complete with about three remixes of those said tracks. Back then, I liked his music and was interested in discovering more. Many feel it is offensive to rip off ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ by Daft Punk off their iconic “Discovery” album. I didn’t mind Kanye’s sampling of it for his track ‘Stronger’, and I also enjoyed the track featured as the title track for the Saint’s Row the Third console game. The latter was in 2008; that was thelast time I was interested in listening to his songs.
In the previous decade, Hyde Park was beyond embarrassing. His music has been nothing short of cringeworthy since then. His woe-is-me act while wearing a diamond-studded Prada (I think) mask at the British Summer Time Festival was disgraceful. Yes, he came from a low-income family, but you don’t rant about that wearing such a mask. His hijacking of Beck’s award at the Grammys was also a joke. He wanted to protest about Taylor Swift winning an honourand stole what should have been an excellent moment for Beck Hansen. Luckily for him, Beck, although visibly stunned, found it funny and praised Kanye for his work.
So…”Donda” is an album everyone has been raving about and comparing it to Drake’s “CLB” (I forget what it stands for right at this moment.). I wouldn’t say I like Drake’s rapping anyway. He wants to use autotune; that winds me up big time. Now, “Donda” lasts for almost two hours over twenty-seven tracks. I was willing to listen, but there were only three tracks worth listening to. The rest is just autotuned bullshit. It’s a shame because he does have some pretty hard-hitting stories to tell, but all ruined by that shitty software, ‘Donda Chant’ is just not worth putting on a record. It lasted 52 seconds, with a female repeatedly saying “Donda”. The three tracks I did like were ‘Jail’, which is rock-inspired, ‘Heaven and Hell’ and ‘Keep My Spirit Alive’, which took me back to something that 2pac and Tha Outlawz Immortalz might have done during their peak in the 1990s. Apart from that, an album shrouded in hyperbole. Utter shit.
Song recommendations: ‘Keep My Spirit Alive’, ‘Heaven and Hell’, ‘Jail’
This has been the female vocalist of the moment since 2017 (I think), and she has a cracking middle name with Pirate (I am not even joking! Look it up!). I first heard of Billie through Twitter but gave her a listen after some festival I happened to be watching. Two years later, she released her debut, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”. Of course, a lot has happened since then. Billie is almost 20, and she is coming to terms with people body-shaming her, being chatted up by musicians old enough to be her father, and coming to terms with her public status. It is evident in her sophomorealbum. Whereas her debut had more rebellion, “Happier than Ever” is reflective and downtempo.
Now, I am going to be honest with you. Her brother Finneas is more talented and has written some great songs with his sister and as a solo artist. He is also a multi-instrumentalist, which always scores high with me regardingtalent and songwriting. I spent most of my time zoning out when listening to this (I don’t fucking care if her pathetic little army comes after me for this. Fuck you, you little fucking idiots.), and her vocals aren’t that unique. She is a cross between Lorde and Lana Del Rey. When I first heard her after all the hyperbole, I thought, “Where have I heard that voice before?”. Granted, her genre choices differ from the other two, but you can hear them coming through. Every song fell into the next one, and I don’t mean regarding a theme. They all sounded the same. I didn’t hear much diversity in the delivery. Even on the rockier song (I thinkit was ‘Male Fantasy’? I can’t recall. I listened to the record two weeks ago and tried to figure out how to describe what I heard.). Do I have any song recommendations? Surprisingly, yes, but my God…the album just underwhelmed me. It only got to the top spot because of who she is. Here’s hoping her third record will be an improvement.
4/10
Song recommendations: ‘Male Fantasy’, ‘I Didn’t Change My Number’, ‘Therefore I am.’
What is there to say about the lad from Northampton? He’s a ball of energy that rubs people up the wrong way, and his antics have landed him in trouble, most notably at the NME awards, where he later made a statement saying it was all in good nature rather than malicious. They should have known what to expect from him after the release of his debut album “Nothing Great About Britain”. Even the title would upset those flag-waving loon balls. It had the spirit of Punk in it and has been described as an updated version of the Streets’ classic debut “Original Pirate Material”.
It’s worth noting I am not a fan of Slowthai’s music, but I respect his lyrics and his persona in general, so I will try my best to give a decent review on “Tyron”. Since the first album, he has been out on the road with Liam Gallagher supporting “Why Me. Why Not”, which has garnered him more fans, but enough of that. The record is extremely short, considering it’s a double-disc at 35 minutes or thereabouts with seven tracks on each disc. For most of the first disc, Slowthai is consistent with what we saw on the first album and most of the tracks he collaborated on. There’s still that punk spirit and aggressive attitude blended with hard-hitting bars. However, “I Tried” is inspired by West Coast American rap from the 1990s. Even for a relatively short song, clocking at just over two minutes, it gets his message across, and the production compliments it.
I should have stylised the song as mentioned earlieras “I TRIED” because Slowthai defines the two discs by capital-lettered tracks on the first and lower-case lettered tracks on the second. It doesn’t reflect his mood in any way, as he still keeps up the levels on both.
Unfortunately for Slowthai, it could also be interpreted as the caps side is, well…shit and the lowercase side is an improvement from the first half. I would describe the album as schizophrenic in that regard. I’m sorry, but I am, by and large, not a fan of most rap out of America at the moment, and that’s precisely what the first disc sounds like. I don’t think he wanted that. Instead, it was forced upon him because that is what sells now. It ruins “CANCELLED” because it doesn’t fit into his flow and delivery. It needed to be harder and have a grime or drill instrumentation. I want to hear that from rappers on this side of the pond. For me, it makes it more authentic. I don’t want to fucking hear Drake-style production over here. The only time this works is when Slowthai collaborates with an American rapper. For instance, A$AP Rocky on “MAZZA” because he is used to rapping over those beats, and it works, but Slowthai’s flow seems unsuited to it. I mean, there’s a track early doors he does with Skepta, and it’s just fucking awful because the wrong production was chosen. Again, it should have been a grime or drill beat.
Of course, then you have tracks like “WOT”, which is Slowthai in his originalform at his very best. No shitty American beats ruining the listen. Although the aggression and the attitude are still up, because of the use of the American rap commercial beats, a lot of the Slowthai temper is nullified, and therefore it doesn’t add to his sound. Overall, the first half of the album is very disappointing. However, in the second half, the American beats are at a premium, and we get to see Slowthai being sincere yet laid back, a change from the angry side we are used to seeing. The bars are even more thought-provoking.
I especially liked “Push”, which featured Deb Never, as Slowthai brings some conscious bars over soft beats throughout the second disc. Deb Never is one of the most unlikely collaborations you would think of to be on the record, but as Slowthai gets more relaxed, the collaboration fits quite nicely. On more of his aggy material, it would look entirely out of place.
However, with it being such a short record, you need to remember what you heard on the first disc, so you have to listen again to recall what happened. You have to commend him for an original approach, even though he does fall victim to the shitty commercial American rap and RnB beats that never saw the light of day on his debut. It’s great that he has evolvedand is forward-thinking, but that aggression has yet to be lost here by the watered-down beats. I enjoyed the second disc more than I enjoyed the first. The more relaxed and serene side is great to listen to; if only the songs were at least four minutes long, he has plenty to say, and it’s great hearing his many fables of the struggles of life and his social commentary. As I said earlier, he isn’t my cup of chai, but I respect him for what he says and does; he is very much like the late Joe Strummer with his outlandish comments and unapologetic attack on the establishment. It’s apt that he supported Liam Gallagher when you come to think of it. Both of them have the same outlook and energy. It will be interesting to see what Slowthai does with his third album because he has shown that he dares to change it up and keep the listener interested. The best body of work I have seen by Slowthaiis on Mura Masa’s “Deal wiv It”. Give that one a listen.
What can you say about this man? An ex-member of one the greatest bands of all time who has inspired a generation of musicians and bands to break through from Cast to Oasis and even bands to date. Paul is a self-taught musician on pretty much any instrument he picks up. It started as a child when he wanted to play the piano, which his grandad was very fond of, but Paul’s father refused to teach him, saying he would benefit more from learning to teach himself. From there, the rest is history, and Paul, since learning to play by ear, has gone on to be one of the most decorated musicians and songwriters the world has ever seen. He can write a song as if rain was falling from the sky in his native Liverpool (Like any place in England, you will understand what I mean by this.) and is called a genius by his peers even though he openly admits he despises the tag and modesty says “I’m not a genius, I’m just a bloke who writes music.”.
Here is my track-by-track review of his latest album:
Long Tailed Winter Bird:
This is more like one of those throwaway tracks or a track that was added just as filler. There are no lyrics to this song, and the instrumental started as a track for a film upon which Paul made longer and opted to use for the current album. According to Paul, the name was taken from a book he owns about birds.
Find My Way:
Composed initially while listening to the radio in the car, Paul then took his idea into the studio. He still decided to keep the piano but changed the verses to something that worked better.
Pretty Boys:
The story is about male models whom the paparazzi harass, and Paul said upon walking in New York that he saw a line of hire bicycles and came up with the concept that the models were for hire.
Women and Wives:
This blues number on the piano was born after Paul read a book on Lead Belly. He then sat down by the piano with a few simple chords that would fit around blues vocals. From there, he flew back to England to head to the studio and record it.
Lavatory Lil:
This song is about someone you don’t like, probably even hate, and creates a sphere where you exaggerate what they are like based upon your perceptions of them. I imagine Paul did have people in mind but opted for a nameless character to avoid being caught up in a legal battle.
Deep Deep Falling:
It was the longest track on the record at over eight minutes. The track was originally going to be trimmed, but Paul liked the track that started as a jam session, which later the lyrics and vocals were added to so much, he wanted to keep it that long.
Slidin:
Again, this is another track that started life as a jam. This time, during a soundcheck while on the European leg of a tour in Germany. Originally, it was to be used for his 2018 album “Egypt Station” as he liked the riff, but it didn’t work and was therefore half-baked. He returned to it for this record’s studio sessions and added lyrics while chopping and changing several other things but keeping the guitar riff. The title is from Paul watching the Winter Olympics and the commentator saying the term “Sliding” when the sports in question were done on the piste.
the Kiss of Venus:
A psychedelic song inspired by a book Paul was given about Earth, Mars, Venus, and the moon, where the phrase, which later became the title of the song, kept jumping out at him.
Seize the Day:
Another track was created on the piano, and Paul improvised. He built the rest of the song upon some lyrics about Eskimos and ice. From there, he added about the cold days in the chorus and then turned this extremely eccentric song into about enjoying today rather than letting the cold days drag us down.
Deep Down:
Another track evolved from a jam session, and from there, he built around it by improvisation. There needed to be a solid concept in place to write a song from it.
Winter Bird/When Winter Comes:
This track surprises you because it sounds like a continuation of the opening track but then evolves into something else with vocals, drums, bass, and guitar.
Song recommendations: “Deep Deep Falling”, “Slidin”, “Seize the Day”.
Do you remember that song that sounded like it was from the 1980s, yet also the future? Well, that’s when I first discovered the trio of sisters. The song “Don’t Save Me” was played in every shop I happened to walk in. From there, I found out the artist’s name (Or, in this case, a band.) and started listening from then on. Anyway, this album doesn’t hold back, as is indicated from the outset. “Los Angeles” begins with a jazz/reggae/Cuban sound. “3AM” starts and ends with a phone conversation between a man and a woman over with RnB song straight out of the 1990s (You know? When RnB wasn’t shit?), “the Steps” is a country track with a bassline that is akin to Joy Division, New Order, the Cure and Monaco. “I Know Alone” shocked me because I could see myself including this in my garage DJ sets as it is very much like garage, “Up from a Dream” has a Goldfrapp sound, “Hallelujah” is your typical country song and “Summer Girl” samples the late Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”.
The record, to me, has been given artistic freedom; it is an array of genres that the sisters are keen listeners to. It is also a middle finger to the music industry itself, which seldom gives artists freedom when recording songs and albums. They constantly push the artists to create music for the charts and follow a trend, so seeing the Haim sisters being allowed to a record that suits them is refreshing.
They also attack a particular music magazine journalist who interviewed them about their gender rather than their music’s brilliance and obvious talent. I’d listen to that track; it’s called “Man from the Magazine”.
Songs recommendations: “I Know Alone”, “3AM”, “Man from the Magazine”
Honest Opinions 