The Song Crush team this week has new music ranging from scandipop to jazz. Host Kirsten Johnstone is joined by RNZ Afternoons producer Emile Donovan, Inside Out host Nick Tipping, and RNZ Music's Tony Stamp.
Flying Lotus - Post Requisite
Pairing his ginormous kick drum with regular collaborator Thundercat’s virtuoso bass playing, this is the most restrained track on Flying Lotus' Flamagra. It’s still an aurally dense few minutes, but in the context of the album feels like a respite from Fly Lo’s relentless onslaught of ideas.
Aurora - Daydreamer
This song had me at the first five seconds of washed-out kalimba. Aurora’s clear, chiming, youthful voice comes in, singing of daydreams and moonwalks and the sentiment that we can be whatever we want to be, no matter what society expects. It’s a slow-building, heart-felt anthem that climaxes with galloping rhythms, bass rumblings, and a choir of Auroras piling on the cry “Nothing can die while we are here!” While she restrains the song just enough, I could imagine it lifting off the ground at a festival. KJ
Lizzo - Jerome
Myele Manzanza - Family Dynamics
Myele is a drummer from Wellington, whose CV includes everyone from Jonathan Crayford to Electric Wire Hustle. His Third album, A Love Requited, is a snapshot of his development as an artist. In preparation for the recording Myele put down the drumsticks and went back to basics on the piano, and the compositions that resulted provide a lot of room for his all-star band to move.
This album is about self-realisation, but it’s not a self-ish album- while the drums anchor the band, they never overpower the music. This is a mature statement from a deep-thinking artist.
The track “Family Dynamics” showcases Myele’s hard-grooving drums, great pianistic touches from Matthew Sheens, and a horn section that’s primed for action. NT
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Bombs Away (Toro y Moi Remix)
A fascinating performer as an actor as well as musician, the daughter of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg gets good mileage here from her trademark whisper, complimented with large dollops of funk courtesy of producer Toro Y Moi.
Mousey - Extreme Highs
The debut single from a Christchurch artist going by the name Mousey (Sarena Close) is a promising start, with a memorable melody, great guitar playing, and relatable lyrics. Written while living in a flat with nine others, she sings of her oscillation between extroversion and depression: “I’m a floating elevator that can only land on one or ten”. Recommended to watch out for if you love fellow Cantabrian Jed Parsons and pop rockers The Beths. - KJ
Listen to all our Song Crushes for 2019 here:
