The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Tweedy’s homesick tune, more new songs
Jeff Tweedy, ‘Gwendolyn’
Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy has a book called “How to Write One Song,” but in the past few months he’s finished at least 10 more than that: “At the beginning of the lockdown I started writing country songs to console myself,” he said when announcing his forthcoming solo album, “Love Is the King,” which is out Oct. 23. “Folk and country type forms being the shapes that come most easily to me in a comforting way.” “Gwendolyn,” the latest glimpse of the new material, has a rumpled sweetness that lands halfway between Kurt Vile and a welcome throwback to “Mermaid Avenue”-era Wilco. While his guitar gently weeps, Tweedy sets a scene that’s both surreal and acutely felt: “Sun beating down like a big trombone/ That’s right when I start missing home.” He also enlisted the help of a few famous friends ( Jon Hamm, Norah Jones, Elvis Costello) for its video, which doubles as a trippy wear-a-mask PSA.
Palberta, ‘Before I Got Here’
“Before I Got Here” is the longest song that the gonzo-punk trio Palberta has ever written — which isn’t saying a whole lot, since it’s only 3½ minutes long. But for a band whose angular, deliciously off-the-wall 2018 record “Roach Going Down” was full of antsy one- and two-minute tracks (that generally contained more ideas and personality than a lot of songs triple their length), this represents an embrace of relatively more traditional song structure. “Before I Got Here” — the sugary first single from “Palberta5000,” which will be out next year — still sounds distinctly Palberta, though: Think the rubbery post-punk of ESG or Delta 5, updated with a healthy dose of millennial weirdness.
Anderson .Paak, ‘Jewelz’
Partly produced by Timbaland, Anderson .Paak’s latest single, “Jewelz,” is a breezy, fleet-footed, feel-good jam that evokes the feeling of walking down the street without a care — remember that? It’s been a long week. Crank this up and try to feel happy (or at least “Happy”) for three minutes.
Sevyn Streeter featuring Davido, ‘Kissez’
Afrobeats infiltrates R&B yet again, as Sevyn Streeter — a songwriter who has collaborated with Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys and Chris Brown — is joined by Nigerian songwriter Davido, a grainy-voiced Afrobeats star who specializes in love songs. In “Kissez,” he makes promises as she wonders if they’ll last, while their voices entwine more closely with each verse. Binding them ever more tightly is a lilting Afrobeats vamp produced by Bongo BytheWay, who was born in Nigeria and raised in the United States. It’s just four chords, mostly guitar, voices and percussion, but its layers are endlessly varied.
Kaytranada featuring Tinashe, ‘The Worst in Me’
Second thoughts are no match for desire as Tinashe sings, “This ain’t how it’s supposed to be/You bring out the worst in me.” Kaytranada’s production is full of shadows, with deep, skulking synthesizer bass and keyboards wafting in behind the beat, while the airy tickle in Tinashe’s voice makes clear that she’s succumbing to temptation happily.