by Sadie Battle | Nov 9, 2020 | albums, review
Solo Chilean artist Dadalú has a lot to say and uncover through her new album El mapa de los días. While her tracks dive into themes like women’s issues and neoliberalism within Chile, her creative process for making music amplifies the commitment and passion Dadalú has for her craft. Born and raised in Santiago, Daniela Saldías has been making music since she was 15 years old. A member of other musical groups like the female duo, Chica Kingkong and rap collective, Colectivo Etéreo, Daniela shows no boundaries for creativity or curiosity in her repertoire.
The album blends alternative hip hop and indie pop with quirky Casiotone, defying genre definitions and spotlighting the incredible talents of this latinx artist. It opens with a melancholic guitar on “En el campo”, a track that speaks about the nature of the Chilean countryside. Singing about her love of the native trees and mixed landscapes, Dadalú also explains the grounding effect of nature, and how the modern social media landscapes people usually trap themselves should never be more important. Track two “Por qué hay que ser sexi?” pairs a groovy beat with a lyrical anthem exploring the music industry’s tactics of selling female artist’s music through seduction. In “Monopolio” she tells of the money driven ideals of Chile, and how money segregates most independent artists from being successful. This theme is continued in the last track “Aquí”, which speaks out for the artists who are on their bedroom floors creating important art that doesn’t have the platform it deserves.
The eclectic sound and feel throughout this album is emphasized through Dadalú’s creative processes. Her instagram account showcases her new adopted COVID hobby – creating animations that depict mini song ideas to explore for a new record. Imperfect Fifth asked Dadalú to tell us about her process for El mapa de los días. She tells us:
“In 2018 I won a musical residency in Paris called The Gonservatory through musician/pianist/entertainer Chilly Gonzales, and that experience helped me a lot. I discovered other ways of composing through discipline and believing in my initial ideas. Eventually I mixed these learnings with a song a day idea from my boyfriend, musician Oso el Roto. I started composing one song per day with some set rules – no more than three hours to record a whole song, and I must trust and finish my first idea no matter what. I ended up making thirty songs and fell in love with that experience. I fell in love with discipline – it felt so nice and so surprising to discover what was inside of my head. El mapa de los días is a reflection about the calendar. It’s a curation of my songwriting exercises, rap and hip hop influences with my friend Martín Pérez Roa who helped record, and some embedded skits within the songs to talk about the lockdown and pandemic feelings”.
Fans and new listeners can stream El mapa de los días on Spotify. Check out the music video for “Tú crees que es normal?”, made by Juegos Artificiales. The limited edition cassette and digital download is also available for purchase from the LA label Cudighi Records bandcamp page.
by Tiffany Czech | Nov 6, 2020 | albums, review
From Kansas City comes pop-punk outfit The Way Way Back, and from them comes their album, Baggage or You’re Never Going to Leave it All Behind. This is a monumental expression of pain and bravery packed into seven tracks. “Baggage” may come without lyrics, but acts as a brilliant introduction to the saga. Opening with a shuffling of people in a crowded place before venturing into just the right punk melody at just the right time, the track welcomes you to the beautiful chaos. This transitions directly into the second track, “I Am Not Afraid to Walk This World Alone”, a heavy rocker dedicated to a former flame, perhaps from a place of discontent or even anger. The more stripped back “Kintsugi” has the acoustic guitar to thank for the perfect runaway song, which happens to be the subject of this ballad. The band keeps it relatively slow for “Bad Star”, the story of someone who is down in their luck and unable to get out of a dark place. The final track is “Waste Away”, which one could consider the optimistic song of the album. This is where we are asked what we’ll do with ourselves as life moves so fast. Perhaps, we don’t have an answer.
The Way Way Back may have included many elements of pain with this release, but what stands out more is the overwhelming elements of wonder and hope that are buried within each song.
by Tiffany Czech | Nov 6, 2020 | albums, review
Nomadic Firs was hard at work on another project when he decided to change course with the onset of the pandemic. That new project became his album, Memory Weeks, a glimpse of hope amongst all the hopelessness. “Captain Hammock” starts out with a simple guitar and lyrics about longing for something better. About halfway through, the guitar fades away as a sort of electronic interlude takes its place, perhaps as a transition to this better place. Moving on to “William”, we hear less melody and more of a narrative about seeking security and safety in turbulent times. It has sentiments of thankfulness for the ability to take a pause from life and just breathe, a departure from the previous track.
The electrifying “Planes in the Dark” sets a new tone for the album, offering listeners a chance to question their own perceptions. The seemingly endless synthesizers effectively suck you right into the world of the song. As the record carries on, the tones shift, including with “Ok Sleep In”, which brings you to a dreamland, perhaps one you would find when getting that needed extra rest. The final track, “DJ Preesh”, is a far contrast from the earlier tracks. Bringing the album and all of its pieces full circle, it takes us to the “something better” that we were longing for in the opener. Now, we are set free.
by Meredith Schneider | Nov 5, 2020 | premieres, singles
I’m not sure a more poignant song could have been released during this time. As many of us wait for some pretty important results, we haven’t lost hope. Talena Bricker’s new track “Done No Wrong” meanders along beautifully with a country-laced composition just bursting at the seams with a similar attitude. Admits Bricker of the track:
I think, in the end, the song became about hope. And how hope is a wonderful thing, but can also be a little scary. It can be that extra push to get out of your comfort zone and do something scary.
While Bricker’s soft vocals dance around your current reality, allow yourself to feel the emotions that birthed the track itself. Guilt, loss, despair, confusion, love, hope. And we’ve got your first listen.
by Tiffany Czech | Nov 5, 2020 | albums, review
On Introspects of a Psycho, Massachusetts-born artist, 30, successfully combines rap and hip-hop with pop to tell stories about being human amidst the societal constructs we face. When it begins, we hear “Your Skin Crawls”, a sort of pick-me-up that serves to reassure his person of their beauty. As the guitar soothes, the melody moves. “Lost in Colorado” feels like a diary entry of a cross country road trip stretching from Ohio to Colorado. It seems to be a goodbye of sorts, though he continues to describe the sights he sees to the person who may be bidding goodbye to. The groove picks up with “I Kinda Like How Your Father’s Fist Feels on My Face”, a track that features an electric guitar and creates the perfect late-night vibe, dimmed lights and all. The final track, “Ms. Uncomfortable (Stripped)”, slows everything back down again, bringing everything full circle, which tells the story of a girl who seems unsure of herself, a call-back to the first track on the album.
The Introspects of a Psycho feels emotional and vulnerable, every track exceeding the next. It supplies a song to satisfy any mood one could be in, and tells a compelling narrative along the way.
by Tiffany Czech | Nov 5, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
Back in 2017, Algiers released “Cleveland”, in which lead singer Franklin James Fisher takes an opportunity to list the names of black people who were either killed by police or who had suspicious circumstances surrounding their death. Now, they have released a new, reimagined version titled “Cleveland 20/20”. Much like the earlier version of the song, it includes the names of black people killed by police violence, adding 232 names of victims that have been murdered since the original release. It begins with intense music, made this way by rattling percussion and a pulsating base. Fisher uses these moments to describe the violence exacted upon black people by police officers, creating a very poignant message. While it calls back to the uprisings of June, it makes the clear message that police violence against black people is no new issue.
The full reimagined version of this song lasts about an hour, making it not just a song, but an experience. It’s an experience that seeks to do more than just remember those who have been murdered, but also call attention to a real problem of injustice that, despite what some may think, has not gone away.
The band will once again take over Adult Swim’s Instagram account on Tuesday, November 10th at 2pm ET.
