Lil Yachty – “Let’s Start Here” (Concrete/Quality Control/Motown)

We’ve heard Pink Floyd go to the dark side of the moon and Tame Impala take a psychedelic turn in “Slow Rush” and since we’re living in an age of TikTok mix and match, the above could be quite the feat in the world. the hands of a hunter who decided to write his own autotune opera. But in order to educate the TikTok generation, Lil Yachty not only almost hits cheeky hour-lengths, but also writes tracks that make more sense as album chapters rather than stand-alone tracks. On every first listen, you wonder if we’re dealing with yet another suspicious but soulless production enough for the apotheosis of hipster listeners, is it a classic case of “style over substance” or, finally, “Let’s start here.” has a lot to tell us about the future of hip-hop in general. And you come to the conclusion that while the result may not be for everyone (and especially for those who are intolerant of Kevin Parker), it cannot be ignored that something original is going on here, and that the Atlanta Seeker was able to craft something that seems familiar and new together. Let’s start (from here). 7.5/10

Murder Capital – “Gigi’s Recovery” (Human Season)

When they were introduced to us, they sounded like the Fontaine D.C. siblings in a hurry to grow up. In the end, Fontaines DC was raised first in every way, and Murder Capital walked out with them. Lazily and steadily they made their way to “Gigi’s Recovery”, the second “difficult” record, but basically the one on which they let Nick Cave meet Radiohead. Thus the distance from this “fading of Being” opening “Existence” and the “Change of Being” drawing down the curtain of “Existence” is traversed in darkness, always with melancholy baritone tenderness, and “In rainbows” hand in hand. hand (“Lament”, “A Thousand Lives”). Between the patterns of existence and non-existence, lies do their work (“We lie to keep the secret / To keep the past in place,” says James McGovern in electro dissonance “The stars will leave their stage”), of course, leisurely sad melodies (“The lie becomes itself” , “We had to disappear”). But it is precisely the places that allow a little light through the gap that we are pleasantly surprised by the little Irish – who, perhaps, are not so small anymore. 7/10

Sam Smith – “Gloria” (Universal)

When Sam Smith “looked” at “Army of Lovers”, he wrote “Unholy” and, in a mischievous and unrecognized mood, said, along with Kim Petras, an absolute pop hit that rightfully swept the charts and radio. Now, of course, when he recruited “Gloria”, that is, the inner voice that helped him overcome his demons and gave the name to his fourth album, things are a little different. It’s all about the redemptive, danceable choruses, which, of course, are there. But while a sideways glance at Destiny’s Child (“Love Me More”) portends a scrutiny of pop songwriting (not that there isn’t one), the record soon takes a turn that falls apart into many clichés. So the tracks sometimes sound like generic excerpts from the radio list, and sometimes like excerpts that we could easily hear on the Eurovision stage (“Lose You”). What separates a really good pop record from a pretty dance record that has a base to sell is the sense of lightness that makes the album surgically meticulous in every detail – and there is a clear anxiety about chasing the next hit. 6/10