Music! Everyone loves music. Lists! Everyone loves lists. Hit the deck. Jamie xx, In Colour The first time I heard this album, I was biking home way too late through one of those glorious, infernal, motionless, 100-degree California summer nights, heading back from some barbecue or river party or something, and I was probably a little sweaty and drunk, and the opening bumps of “Gosh” came on, and everything just kinda clicked, like one of those hokey scenes from teen movies, except this movie has Young Thug in it, which made everything even better. -Patrick Redford Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, “You Know We Can’t Go Back” Another brilliant, fundamentally sound rock song from England’s Most Charming Asshole. -Drew Magary Justin Bieber, “Sorry” Where are you now? What do you mean? Is it too late now to say sorry? Justin Bieber’s greatest musical triumphs of 2015 were powered by the same sort of polite confusion that has defined the second half of my very own year. His tribulations are far more enjoyable, though. Like any decent tween heartthrob, Bieber’s earnestness comes threaded through the sort of slack-jawed, doe-eyed lens of puberty that makes you say, “Aw!” What do you mean when you don’t want me to move, but you tell me to go? Oh man, that’s so rapey! Biebz, babe, lemme teach you about consent! Where are you now that I need you? Babe! When you saw one set of footprints in the sand, that’s when I was carrying you in my arms at rave-church! I’ve been here the whole time. I’m RIGHT HERE. Is it too late now to say sorry? Aw! Are those the first signs of a mustache! You’re too young for me to stay mad at you! What a lovable, idiotic goon. But the baby can sing. Truly, Bieber has been a breath of fresh air in a year when it was hard to pull radio dance-pop free from the tropical trash-wave that drowned out everything else. While Lite-EDM persisted at the hands of Disclosure, Calvin Harris, Mr Probz, and Robin Schulz, Bieber helped a handful of ex-ravers and global scavengers (Skrillex, Diplo, and Blood Diamonds) beat out the one-hitters and their more predictable productions. And there’s something satisfying in knowing the smarts that went into your favorite, family-friendly pop songs, like how that the fluttering flute riff on “Where Are Ü Now” was revealed to be a manipulated Biebz vocal. ( For reference!) Or that “Sorry,” which could have ended up being a ballad in less intuitive hands, was the most masterful use of reggaeton in pop since the dawn of moombahton a few years ago. It’s here that I’ll say that Jamie xx’s In Colour was the best dance album of the year, hands down, no question about it. The best dance song, however, is the one that makes you want to stop everything and do just that: dance. “Sorry” is that song. -Puja Patel Weaves, Live So sometimes you’re at a concert, and maybe it’s just because you’ve got the exact right number of beers in you, or maybe it’s because you are just feeling particularly good that night, but you end up feeling like the performance you just witnessed was A Moment. That’s how I felt when I saw Weaves, a band I’d never heard of before, rip shit up in a small, back-room venue at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon in NYC. Weaves, a four-piece rock band from Toronto that meanders between mid-tempo haze and full-throttle walls of noise, spent 45 minutes exerting its ownership over everyone in attendance. They were led by singer Jasmyn Burke, a teasing, off-kilter performer who never stopped working the room, and who plays like a downshifted Karen O. About 15 minutes into the set, I started to feel bad for the bands that had been onstage before, because nobody was going to remember them. After about 30 minutes, I started to feel bad for the audience—we’d come for a cheap weeknight out, and were about to be sent back into the world with no faces, for our faces had been rocked off. Anyway, you should check out some Weaves jams; I’ve grown particularly fond of the stripped-down cover of One Direction’s “Drag Me Down” above. They should have an album out sometime in 2016, and you can bet your life that if they hit it big, I’m going to spend the next 10 years being that extremely annoying guy who says, “Oh, Weaves? Yeah, man, I saw them in the back of a little bar in New York before they were big [fart noise] [fart noise] [something about authenticity]” every time they come up at a party. -Tom Ley Mdou Moctar This year, I discovered the music of Mdou Moctar, a Tuareg guitarist based in Niger. He’s the star of a movie that came out this year called Akounak Teggdalit Taha Tazoughai—which translates to Rain the Color of Red with a Little Blue In It—that is reportedly the first feature film produced in the Tuareg language. Based on both the title and the trailer, you can easily figure out that it’s a remake of Prince’s Purple Rain, only set in West Africa. But Moctar is deserving of the lead role, as both his stage presence and technical skill evoke the Purple One. He just completed a tour of Europe, and if more people see this remarkable film, it’ll hopefully lead to him playing some shows in the U.S. He’s absolutely worth it. -Tim Burke Future One of the happiest moments I’ve had this year was when I first pressed play on Drake and Future’s What a Time to Be Alive, and “Digital Dash” welcomed me with the tag, “Metro Boomin want some more, nigga.” Then I heard Future’s gritty, slurry voice as the rapper ad-libbed his way onto the tempo, and then Metro dropped that bass right on my fucking head, and for two and a half minutes, I was alone with the two of them. In January, Future released Beast Mode, which is one of the best mixtapes of the year, along with 56 Nights, which he dropped two months after that; in July, he offered the “official” album DS2, the best rap album of the year that doesn’t reach for a Willie Lynch letter reference. September’s surprise release of WATTBA, the most hyped musical collaboration of the year, felt like a coronation. Over the last year, Future has cemented himself as one of the best rappers alive, while his muse, Metro Boomin, has separated from the rest of the pack of Atlanta producers. The two artists have shaped each other, no longer merely existing within the confines of Atlanta trap, but embodying it. There are too many bangers across the four projects to name, but what they all have in common is that they’ve tended to leave me in a conundrum. Metro Boomin produces beats that consistently have me almost moshing on the subway on the way to work, or looking for a partner with which to dance and belt out lyrics at the bar, even though the stories that Future provides once he settles in are haunting and solitary. Future is relatively meat and potatoes lyrically, covering all the run-of-the-mill rap shit—drugs, girls, gunplay, money, and jewelry—but he never flat-out glorifies any of it. Instead, he warbles his way from subject to subject like a drunk, because he probably is. When he talks about drinking gallons of Actavis—or simultaneously fucking real actual blood sisters, or cooking crack, or shooting people, or mourning lost love—he lends each equal weight, and his voice is scarred with memories of a past that he hasn’t yet escaped. Over the last year, there’s been more urgency to his songs, more to take in, than any other rapper’s. The stakes feel higher in Future’s songs, and simply dancing to his songs like they’re run-of-the-mill club bangers can feel almost vulgar. If not more talented than Drake, Future is deeper, more textured, and more important. It was obvious that flying down to Atlanta to record What a Time to Be Alive was Drake’s attempt to trade on Future’s momentum and depth, but for the first two and a half minutes of the mixtape, I was alone with Future and his producer as he slid drunkenly from subject to subject, never lingering on any of them. Eventually, Drake came in, rapping beautifully about having cool friends, petty haters, pretty girls, and lots and lots of money, and the mixtape turned into something much less than what it could and should have been. But I’ll always have those first two and a half minutes, and he’ll always have last year. -Greg Howard This CD Someone On Twitter Claims He Found In The Road I looked up the actual song ( “Move Mountains,” by Alkaline) and tried listening to the entire track, but it wasn’t the same. It’s so much better this way. -Samer Kalaf Carly Rae Jepsen, “Run Away With Me” I want this song played at my funeral. I’d also like my burial plot fitted with a motion-sensor device so that this song starts playing if you get within 10 feet of my headstone. And when the trumpet sounds and the Rapture commences and the Lord bids all the dead to rise once more, I will burst from my grave bearing a gilded saxophone and honking out the intro riff, until everyone in Heaven is sick of my bullshit and I get kicked out and I have to convince my wife to voluntarily leave with me, and this song will convince her, because that is the title of the song, and verily it is The Jam. -Rob Harvilla Young Thug, The Bleak 2 Young Thug probably released more than 200 songs this year. Most of those came via random blog-circuit one-offs, barely announced mixtapes, and a series of massive leaks from the Thugger vault. But that haphazard approach is what makes him such a thrilling act to follow, underscoring the impossibly prolific, seemingly offhanded genius that’s actually a direct result of probably the most singularly focused and dedicated work ethic in the business. And it mirrors his own hushed, screeching, hyperactive, laconic voice—which often dips and peaks and sways through the whole gamut within a single verse. It’s almost irrelevant to talk about single collections of work with a rapper like this, but I’d still point to one 17-track chunk unofficially called The Bleak 2 as perfectly indicative of Thug’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Songs like “Beast” and “Hey I” take the (relatively) more restrained approach he was tinkering with on this year’s more “official” album Barter 6 and improve on it. (Those two songs also underscore downright sweet he can be, in his own way: Thug raps about going down on his girl the way the Beatles sang about holding hands with theirs.) “Spaghetti,” “Freaky,” and “Keep It Leave” flaunt the unhinged, gothic, “alternate-universe ‘Thriller’ video” style fans might remember from the 1017 Thug era. This collection even has the cheery, anthemic “Proud of Me” (YouTube only has the inferior chopped and screwed version, but whatever), which calls to mind the wave Thugger was riding back in the I Came From Nothing 2 days. That’s the best thing about The Bleak 2: It proves that while Thug is capable of donning, flaunting, and then shedding whole new lyrical styles and sounds as brilliantly and casually as he does his new wardrobes ( his Instagram is still required viewing, by the way), he never completely abandons them. They always remain in his head, rhythms and cadences and sounds that he can and will return to when the mood strikes. It may seem like a chore to some, juggling all those disparate guises, but to him, it’s all just part of the fun. -Billy Haisley The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness There’s something a little drunk, a little sneering, a little sad about the Weeknd’s “The Hills,” right down to the fuzzy lyric “when I’m fucked up, that’s the real me.” This isn’t a song glorifying sex, and yet it sounds exactly like sex: dark, messy, and a little screwed up. The whole of Beauty Behind the Madness rolls on like this, through lyrics that at times brag, at times succumb to the hangover, all of it sounding nothing like Song Sex and exactly like Actual Sex. There’s regret all over this album, and yet I regretted nothing about listening to it so much this year. -Diana Moskovitz Eagles of Death Metal, “Complexity” How you evaluate any piece of music as “the best” or even “good” depends largely on what you want from it, and the vast majority of my music is background: a soundtrack to writing or commuting, or getting wasted and dancing to. I want something fun. No song could possibly have been any more fun than Eagles of Death Metal’s “Complexity,” a bass-driven, bluesy, floor-stomping, shit-kicking, delightfully self-aware piece of kitsch that Steve Miller is kicking himself for not having written. It’s the perfect standard-bearer for the Eagles’ dirty retro-simplism, an ethos where the riff is the point, and if a song can’t be clapped along with, it’s not a song worth performing. The vibe may be cartoonish, but there’s real musicianship here, and what appears for all the world like genuine appreciation for giving listeners a good time. Sometimes, that’s everything you need. -Barry Petchesky Bea Miller, “Force of Nature” Pop tween Bea Miller’s music is mostly indistinguishable from other pop tweens’ music, and with a few vocal tweaks, her sophomore album, Not an Apology, could be the sophomore album of any one of a handful of young pop stars. But right there, smack dab in the middle of all those syrupy-sweet clichéd love songs and overwrought breakup anthems, is a track with an extremely apt title. “Force of Nature” is also a syrupy-sweet clichéd love song, but one that demonstrates why the form is so alluring in those rare instances when someone gets it right. It trades in the full pop ensemble for a stripped-down acoustic guitar, and showcases the immense range and beautiful rasp of Miller’s voice. The beat of the guitar drives the song forward while leaving enough room for mournful rumination, and in the chorus, Miller hits bewitching, ethereal high notes I didn’t know existed. It’s too bad the rest of the album is so forgettable. -Kevin Draper Essential Logic on John Peel Essential Logic, one of my favorite-ever bands, didn’t even record 20 songs, but I never paid any attention to Peel sessions, poorly recorded live shows, and the like before this year, just because what they did record is so good and so unlike anything else that I didn’t really want to hear anything—say, performances where they sounded like just some band—that might take away from it. This was, in retrospect, a pretty silly thing to be worried about. -Tim Marchman Relatedonline betting payment methodswhich betting sites use paypalwhich sportsbooks use visaneteller betting onlinewhich betting site accepts skrillapple pay
Related Posts
Mikel Arteta has brought Mesut Ozil back into Arsenal s starting line-up at Bournemouth for his first game in charge of the Gunners.
Ozil was absent at Everton last time out and interim coach Freddie Ljungberg explained that though the German had a foot injury, he would not have featured anyway due to his angry reaction at being substituted in the home loss to Manchester City.
Yet new boss Arteta, who has kept Ljungberg on as one of his assistants on a new-look coaching staff, has included Ozil in his team as one of three changes, Alexandre Lacazette and Sokratis Papastathopoulos also coming in as Calum Chambers, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli drop out.
Striker Martinelli had been a doubt due to a hamstring injury while Chambers is missing through�…
Amid growing interest from Leicester City, Tottenham have confirmed their head of recruitment Paul Mitchell will leave the Premier League club upon mutual decision.
Tottenham announced the news via their Twitter account on Tuesday, with chairman Daniel Levy praising Mitchell s contribution during his tenure at White Hart Lane.
Mitch has been with us for two years and created a well-staffed department and run our recruitment processes, Levy said.
We understand and respect his decision to consider new avenues. The priority right now is the final few weeks of the transfer window.
I know that, whilst most of our business has been completed, Mitch is keen to ensure we start the season in the best position possible.
Mitchell was contracted at Tott…
Axel Witsel has suffered a torn Achilles and will miss an extended period of time , Borussia Dortmund have announced.
The Belgium international was helped off during the first half of Dortmund s 3-1 win at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Dortmund confirmed the extent of Witsel s injury on Sunday and, though a timeframe has not been put on a return, it is highly likely the 31-year-old will miss the rest of the season.
Reports in Belgium also suggest Witsel is a doubt for the rescheduled Euro 2020, which is due to start on June 11.
Unfortunate news. Axel Witsel suffered a torn Achilles tendon during yesterday’s match and will be out for an extended period of time.
We all wish Axel a speedy and successful recovery
— Borussia Do…
Arsenal face a trip to Championship side West Brom in the second round of the EFL Cup.
Mikel Arteta s side failed to qualify for Europe last season – the first time the Gunners have missed out on continental competition since 1996.
It means they will feature in the EFL Cup second round, with the Premier League s top seven sides given a bye to the third round.
West Brom, who are under the charge of new boss Valerien Ismael, will be their opponents in the week commencing August 23.
The last time the sides met, a 3-1 victory for Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in May condemned the Baggies to a return to the second tier.
League Two side Barrow will host Aston Villa, while Southampton and Brentford will also face a fourth-tier team in the form of Newpor…
Inter Milan have been fined 15,000 euros over racist chants about Mario Balotelli during a Serie A match with Chievo.
Former Manchester City man Balotelli, who previously played for Inter before moving to England in 2010, joined rivals AC Milan during the January transfer window.
He was the subject of offensive chanting by sections of the Inter support during their 3-1 win at San Siro on Sunday.
It is the second high-profile case of racism involving Balotelli since the striker returned to Italy.
Paolo Berlusconi the brother of AC Milan president Silvio was filmed using offensive language when referring to the Italy international prior to his debut against Udinese.
Earlier in the season, Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng left the pitch during …
The agent of Fenerbahce winger Milos Krasic has moved to confirm reports linking his client with a summer move to Russia.
Krasic, 28, has been struggling for playing time in Turkey, and he could be leaving Fener at the end of the current campaign in search of first team football.
, Dynamo Moscow are keen to sign the Serbian midfielder as a replacement for Balasz Dzsudzsak, who is followed by both Inter and Liverpool.
Even if the winter transfer window in Russia does not close until tomorrow, Dynamo will wait until the summer before making their move.
“We have had several contacts with Russian teams, but he (Krasic) is staying in Turkey until June,” agent Dejan Joksimovic told Izvestia.
Milos Krasic has spent most of his career in Russia, havi…
Joachim Low hailed Bastian Schweinsteiger as a great player and great man and says Germany s success over the past 12 years would not have been possible without the influential midfielder.
Schweinsteiger bid an emotional farewell to Die Mannschaft by captaining Germany in Wednesday s 2-0 friendly victory over Finland.
The 32-year-old announced his decision to walk away from international football following Germany s Euro 2016 semi-final defeat to France.
And Low hailed Schweinsteiger s contribution to the national team, particularly his role in helping Germany to World Cup glory in Brazil two years ago.
Before the game and during the substitution of Basti I was emotionally very affected. I was remembering all the years, we ve worked together for 12 years…
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri expects his side to exhibit an improvement in form when they take on Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.
The champions, who are seeking a fifth successive Serie A crown, suffered a shock defeat on the opening weekend, going down 1-0 at home to Udinese.
And Allegri is hoping for more from his players ahead of their trip to the capital on Sunday which will see Juve face their closest domestic challengers in the 2014-15 campaign.
Serie A is not a 100 metre race but a marathon, Allegri
00001E45
said.
You need patience to find the right rhythm. We know we have a great team, with players that have to grow, but we need to be given time to do so.
We will improve game by game, we just have to think about wo…
Brazil coach Tite has announced a 26-man squad for the friendlies against Ghana and Tunisia, the team s final games before the World Cup in Qatar.
Defensive duo Bremer and Roger Ibanez, who play in Italy with Juventus and Roma respectively, are the new faces in the squad who could earn international debuts.
Established names including Alisson, Thiago Silva, Casemiro and Neymar make the cut, with the squad predominantly consisting of those playing in Europe.
Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton and Flamengo duo Everton Ribeiro and Pedro are the three from the Brazilian league included, along with 11 representatives from the Premier League and six from LaLiga.
Among the notable absentees are Arsenal s Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, all …
Adrian Mutu has been handed the chance to kick-start his coaching career with Romania Under-21s a team he starred for before becoming a world-renowned top striker.
The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) confirmed Mutu in the job on Wednesday, after successful talks with president Razvan Burleanu.
It means the 41-year-old former Juventus, Fiorentina and Chelsea forward assumes control of a side who are in the frame to qualify for the Euro 2021 finals.
I feel honoured, it is a big responsibility for me, said Mutu, quoted on the FRF website.
The Romania Under-21 side were semi-finalists at Euro 2019, where they beat Croatia and England and drew with France before losing to Germany in the semi-finals.
He takes over from Mirel Radoi, who in November…