Welcome to Something Old Something New! Every other Friday, you can find new releases and music recommendations here on the SOR Zine.
- Chromakopia
Chromakopia was released earlier this week after much anticipation. The album itself starts off pretty upbeat with songs like “Rah Tah Tah” and “Noid”, but as it progresses Tyler shifts into a softer type of storytelling. Songs like “Hey Jane” and “Judge Judy” employ this, using the softness to compliment the vulnerability he puts on display throughout the album.
Tyler gets into his relationship with his career, women, and his father throughout the album on songs like “Noid”, “Darling, I”, and “Like Him”. It’s also important to mention that the album is entirely narrated by his mother, Bonita Smith.
During the days before the release, Tyler posted on his socials saying “NO FEATURES”, which was nothing but a big fat lie as there are many amazing features throughout the tracklist–most notably Daniel Cesar on the opening track “St. Chroma”, Glorilla, Lil Wayne, and Sexxy Redd on “Sticky”, and Doechii on “Balloon”.
I loved almost every song on this album, though, my only complaint is the relatively quick transition from the upbeat to the softer songs. It didn’t flow as well as I would have liked, though the production and artistry of the album make up for it.
- Songs of a Lost World
After almost sixteen years of silence, The Cure has come out with a new album titled “Songs of a Lost World”. The album opens with a lush, bittersweet sound that The Cure has been known for throughout their career to set the tone for the rest of the tracks.
Standout tracks for me include “Warsong” and “Nothing is Forever”. “Warsong” shows the audience just how influential The Cure has been to shoegaze bands, employing a lot of fuzz and heavy-handed percussion. Contrastingly, “Nothing is Forever” reads more as a ballad, marching the listener down a path is resignation to life and death.
The band delves into a lot of more mature topics on this album, most notably mortality and aging. Robert Smith sings about the sudden death of his brother Richard in the song “I Can Never Say Goodbye” as well as difficulties staying in the moment in the song “All I Am.”
This album is beautifully composed, though, I don’t think it added much to the band’s discography. There a very few songs where you can hear them push themselves musically–they hold on to the sound they are known for dear life. I can appreciate this though, as the band gets older they hold their place in music history like an ancient clock on a mantle.
- The Low End Theory
“The Low End Theory” is the second studio album by A Tribe Called Quest, one of the most crucial hip-hop groups of the 90s. The album features addictive beats a beautiful jazz samples which are brilliantly placed throughout. Though it is relatively minimalistic, the creativity and lyricism push it over the edge.
The album wasn’t afraid to speak on controversial topics, especially for the time it was released; Phife Dawg and Q-Tip bounce off of each other to criticize the industry on the song “Show Bussiness” and the treatment of women on “Infamous Date Rape.” Their almost comedic chemistry makes these topics easier to swallow, though.
This album is one of my favorites of all time and if you’re interested in alternative hip-hop, I’d give it a listen.
- Disintegration
“Disintegration” by The Cure is arguably the most “The Cure” album in their catalog. The album features beautiful walls of sound and echoey vocals that really do make the listener feel like they are disintegrating. It also features the soft and whiny vocals that Robert Smith has become known for throughout his career.
The opening track “Plainsong” features a lush two-minute-long intro that slowly builds into the almost overly romantic lyrics. This formula can be seen throughout several songs on the album; songs on this album such as the punchy, perky “Lullaby”, “Pictures of You”, and the ever-famous “Lovesong” follow it.
This album is chock-full of beautiful love songs; it’s most definitely a yearning album (shout-out yearners). Songs such as “Untitled,” “Last Dance,” and “The Same Deep Water as You” are some of the most haunting, making it perfect for the fall season as well!
Thank you for reading! Check back in on 11/15 for more.
