A short but sweet selection of recs this week from our writers, but certainly worth checking out.
Heart Attacks – Bad Sounds ft. Jake Isaac
In their own words, Bad Sounds keep their heads down when it comes to releasing music. Tending to work hard on a project, they announce their new tracks sporadically, the result of which being that their fans get a little surprise single every so often, which is a really laidback and enjoyable way to receive their new works. And in true Bad Sounds fashion, this joy for what they do shines through in the colourful funk of Heart Attacks. A verse from the incredible Jake Isaac is a surprisingly seamless collaboration, providing a mellow in-between to the vibrant vocal layers of the song’s chorus. Their irregular releases have become more consistent recently, with only a few weeks between the release of their two latest singles, the penultimate of which, Hard MF 2 Luv, is apparently their favourite track to date. Although there has been no official announcement about an upcoming album, there is certainly reason to be excited about what the five-piece has up their sleeves for the next few months. Tabitha Smith
AURORA – Daisy Jones & The Six
Classic rock group Daisy Jones & The Six’s iconic album AURORA, the seminal classic that both made and ended the band, is uncovered for the first time on streaming since the band’s final performance in Chicago, 1977.
That is a lie, obviously. The album is actually the companion soundtrack to the Amazon Prime adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2019 novel. Through the work of producer Blake Mills and song-writing credits from Phoebe Bridgers to Marcus Mumford, Reid’s original lyricism and vision for the band come alive for the first time. The album itself is… fun, but just fine. It’s a love letter to a cherished era of music, and it’s important to appreciate the album as only a part of something much greater. It’s also important to note that the same actors who portray the musicians in the show are the ones singing and performing the songs, which is a level of authenticity to be admired.
The Rumours comparison is obvious, but that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone given the inspiration Fleetwood Mac’s story had for Reid when writing the novel. Fans of the novel will note some substantial lyric changes from how they were initially presented, I’d chalk this up to the art of translating something to the screen. Still, the lyricism on the record itself is catchy at its best and shallow at its worst. And I mean that in the strongest sense: “look at us now (honeycomb)” is the standout of the bunch in my opinion, it’s the closest this fictional band come to reaching the heights of Rumours, as a simple love song becomes one of rejection, separation and acceptance. Fans of the show will love it, music fans will probably get a kick out of it, and Lindsey Buckingham will probably find a way to make money off of it. Riley Halls Backler
Edited by Roxann Yus
Cover image courtesy of Bad Sounds via Facebook.
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