- Music: 7 of the Best Songs – w/c 27 March 2023 - 27 March, 2023
- Music: 7 of the Best Songs – w/c 6 February 2023 - 6 February, 2023
- Music Review: Top 10 Albums of 2022 – Part 2 - 24 December, 2022
John Preston picks his 7 best tracks of the week!
Laura Mvula, ‘Pink Noise’
‘Pink Noise’ is the title track of Laura Mvula’s third album and at one point the pulsating and glassy synths cut out and Mvula instructs us to ‘give into the fever’. And this record has a huge sense of the shear thrill of the pop music past that Mvula plays homage to here. A triumph.
Shy Girl, ‘BDE’
Shy Girl ups the ante with this filthy duet featuring Slow Thai. She simultaneously releases a dreamy, David Cronenberg-influenced video which incorporates this and other tracks from her audacious Alias EP from last year. Keep your eye out for Shy Girl; she is finally getting the recognition she demands.
Big Red Machine feat. Taylor Swift, ‘Renegade’
This is a continuation of the Folklore sound for Swift and Big Red Machine band members Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon. Stuffed with symbolic lyricism, muted melancholia and a fast beats, ‘Renegade’ showcases the very best of all three artists.
Magdalena Bay, ‘Chaeri’
Magdalena Bay have already built up a considerable and charismatic discography and now with their first full-length album arriving at the end of the summer, it will interesting to see what they have to offer. If lead single ‘Chaeri’ is anything to go by, then it should be a thrilling collection.
Trentmøller feat. Tricky, ‘No One Quite Like You’
Cracked and beautifully bruised, both Trentmøller and Tricky play off of one another’s dark soundscapes with themes of alienation and attempts at connectivity. Toward the end, strings suddenly swoop down and try to chop our heroes to bits – it’s spectacular audio carnage.
Grace Lightman, ‘Eyes 4 You’
Grace Lightman’s debut album Silver Eater was one of the best of 2019 – a whole tangle of songs where it was near impossible to predict where the artist would choose to land next. ‘Eyes 4 You’ continues this sense of discombobulation with a show tune that suddenly flips into a big best anthem.
Lolo Zouaï, ‘Galipette’
‘Galipette’ is the first taster for Lolo Zouaï‘s new material and it mixes old world, Parisian charm with minimal, bass-propelled R&B. Where her 2019 debut album took sultry Lana Del Rey type cine-pop and then spun it through with trap percussion, ‘Galipette’ makes a far more immediate statement.
