Pulling no punches
Southpaw Original Motion Picture Soundtrack RAPPER Eminem is the main highlight in the soundtrack to Antoine Fuqua’s gritty yet emotional boxing drama. In opening track Kings Never Die, Eminem dishes blow after blow to his critics and naysayers, furiously telling them that he maybe down but not out. Featuring Gwen Stefani on the chorus, it’s a powerful, revealing track that puts listeners ino the mind of a rapper who is constantly battling selfdoubt and anger.
The underdog narrative here continues with the outstanding Phenomenal, another Eminem track with epic beats and an unforgettable hook. Here, he rages: “Let me self- empower you/ When you’re down and they’re trying to clown the ( expletive) out of you”. Then he powers on about how to use doubt as a recipe for success ( literally, because he name- drops Martha Stewart here).
If you need a break from all that anger, there’s the brilliant emotional number Wicked Games by The Weeknd.
This is a killer soundtrack with a variety of songs that truly represents the journey of a former champion fighting his way back to glory. –
No Place In Heaven BACK in 2007, British singer- songwriter Mika burst onto mainstream consciousness with vibrant pop number Grace Kelly, a cheeky dig at music executives who wanted Mika to tone down his flamboyant image. Thankfully, he ignored them, and has since become one of most best- selling male pop artists of this decade.
His latest and fourth studio album No Place In Heaven, has Mika taking more subdued approach to songwriting and performing. Last Party starts off slowly, with Mike sings woefully over about a party that reminds him of the saddest song ever, and gradually becomes an upbeat anthem about partying and living the moment. Good Guys is another toneddown track that makes Mika sounded jaded, but with a catchy sing- along chorus that keeps it from being too depressing. A classic Mika track here would the fun Talk About You with its cheerful disposition and a joyous beat that really makes you want to get up and dance.
With almost a decade into the music business, it’s good to know that Mika has not completely lost his playful touch. No Place In Heaven showcases a more experimental Mika with commendable results. –
Currents YOU have to believe Tame Impala mastermind Kevin Parker when he declares Yes, I’m Changing early on in the band’s new album Currents.
By that point, the evidence of that change is already overwhelming. Though Tame Impala made its ever- growing reputation on layer upon layer of woozy guitar rock on its first two albums, everything on Currents is much crisper and, well, danceable. Yes, I’m Changing sounds like a musical landscape born before the 29- year- old from Australia. The swooping synths and minimalist bass line would have been at home with the Thompson Twins on the soundtrack to Sixteen Candles, but, in this context, Parker makes it sound re- imagined and current.
On The Less I Know the Better, Parker takes Michael Jackson grooves and filters them through rock attitude and indie sensibilities, which doesn’t necessarily make them sound better, but it certainly makes them sound different. Parker’s limited falsetto pitches things more toward Broken Bells than Thriller.
It’s a nifty trick, rebuilding an already established style into a different structure, but, at times, it seems like Parker lost some of the spark of his earlier work. –
No Comprende
tHis slow- burning track by american indie rock group Low will haunt you for the longest of time. underneath the minimalist song arrangement, there is a burning rage about being in a difficult relationship.
Vocalist alan sparhawk keeps it calm, collected, and low throughout the song. then, three- minutes in, the song just goes into a long instrumental break, leaving everything to your imagination as his anguish voice sings “house is on fire” over and over again. it’s an addictive, contemplative track, and Low proves that less can mean so much more. –